Year: 1885

page_text: I JOHN KEMP STARLEY of the Meteor Works Coventry in the county of
Warwick, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to an improved construction of spokes for the wheels of
carriages and like vehicles and has for its object the manufacture of spokes which
are hollow and strong and light. I am aware it has been proposed to make spokes
of solid drawn tubing or welded tubing or spirally wound metal tubing but my
invention consists in making spokes of one or more pieces of sheet metal,
advantageously thicker in one portion than another and ribbed or corrugated
if desired.
The said piece or pieces are bent or rolled to form a round, oval, pear or like,
shaped spoke and the edges or ends may be brazed or secured together and the
spoke attached to the hub and felloe of the wheel by joints of a suitable nature and,
where great strength is required a piece of plain or ribbed steel or metal may be
placed across and brazed to the spoke either partly or wholly along its edges.
I

page_text: Carriages and like Vehicles.
I JOHN KEMP STARLEY of the Meteor Works Coventry in the county of
Warwick, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :—
This invention relates to an improved construction of spokes for the wheels of
carriages and like vehicles and has for its object the manufacture of spokes which
are hollow and strong and light. I am aware it has been proposed to make spokes
of solid drawn tubing or welded tubing or spirally wound metal tubing but my
invention consists in making the same of one or more pieces of sheet metal
advantageously thicker in one portion than another and ribbed or corrugated if
desired. The said piece or pieces are bent or rolled to form a round, oval, pear or
like shaped spoke (or any other suitable form may be used) and the edges or ends
'may be brazed or secured together and the spoke attached to the hub and felloe of
the wheel by joints of a suitable nature, and where great strength is required
a piece of plain or ribbed steel or other metal may be placed across and brazed to
the spoke either partly or wholly along its edges.
If desired a piece of wood or other like material might be placed say half way
up the spoke and a pin or rivet put through to prevent rattling.
Referring to the accompanying sheet of drawings and to the figures and letters
of reference marked thereon.
Figs. 1 and 3. shew sections and Figs. 2 and 4 elevations of the simplest forms
of spokes constructed according to my invention by rolling a strip of steel or like
suitable material A to the sections shewn Fig. 1 being oval and Fig. 3. circular in
shape the edges B being pressed together but not brazed.
Fig. 5. shews a section of a spoke made by brazing together two pieces of
metal A¹ rolled or formed to shape and brazed at B¹.
Fig. 6. shews another section but with the brazing surfaces B¹ thickened.
Fig. 7 shews another section with the thickened ends, but the brazing surfaces B¹
at right angles to the axis of the spoke.
Fig. 8. is a modification of Fig. 5. the section being circular and formed of two
half tubes A¹ brazed at B¹.
Fig. 9. is the same but formed with corrugated strips.
Fig. 10. another modification with extended brazing surfaces B¹.
Fig. 11. another modification also with such extended brazing surfaces.
In some cases I prefer to strengthen my spokes by pieces of plain or ribbed steel
or metal placed across and brazed to the spoke. The method of doing this is
shewn in the section Fig. 12 wherein A' A¹ are its parts B¹ B¹ the joints C¹ C¹ the
pieces or strips abutting on the joints.
Figs. 13 and 14 are obvious modifications.
Fig. 15, is a modification of Fig. 1 wherein I insert my strengthening piece C
so as to form an internal web which I braze to the edges B of the rolled or formed
strip A leaving its other edge free. The same would apply to Figs. 3 and 4.

page_text: Fig. 16 shews the web or piece C adapted to the sections of spoke shewn in
Fig. 5. and brazed to both its edges and is also applicable to Figs. 6. 8. 9. 10.
Fig. 17. shews still another modification with the web or piece C2 at right angles
to the axis of the spoke also applicable to Fig. 7.
I have shewn the above sections as examples of the method of carrying my
invention into practice and although all (except Fig. 9.) of the sections are shewn
of plain material it is obvious that ribbed or corrugated material may be used
either or both for the spoke and its strengthening webs or pieces. It will also be
apparent that the ends of the spokes where they are brazed or fitted to the hub
and felloe of the wheel may be of different section to the rest of the spoke and
I prefer to connect them thereto by suitable joints preferably those forming part
of the subject matter of a subsequent application for letters patent though I do not
bind myself to the use of such special joints to so apply my spokes to a wheel
neither do I bind myself to the exact sections of such spokes as shewn.
"
By making my spokes of one piece of metal or of two or more pieces of metal,
rolled or formed to shape and brazed where required I find I can produce cheaper
spokes than by employing "tubing as understood for spokes and in the latter
case am enabled to use better material than is ordinarily used for tubes and I find
that my arrangement is stronger than such tubing.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is,
First. Constructing spokes for the wheels of carriages and like vehicles of a strip
of steel or suitable metal bent or rolled to shape without brazing the edges sub-
stantially as described with references to Figs. 1. 2. 3. 4 of the accompanying
drawings.
Secondly. Constructing spokes for the wheels of carriages and like vehicles of
strips of steel or other suitable metal bent or rolled to shape and then brazed at
their edges substantially as described.
Thirdly. In spokes for the wheels of carriages and like vehicles constructed as
hereinbefore described the employment of strengthening pieces or webs brazed
to the edges of the strips forming such spokes substantially as described.
Fourthly. The several arrangements of spokes for the wheels of carriages and
like vehicles manufactured from strips of rolled or bent metal substantially as
described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Doted this with day of Aneust 1906