IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEELS FOR TRAMCARS AND OTHER VEHICLES to be
Year: 1884

page_text: I CHARLES ALLARTON EDGE of No 21 Bennetts Hill Birmingham in the County
of Warwick Architect and Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the said
invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEELS FOR TRAMCARS AND OTHER VEHICLES
to be as follows:-
My invention has for its objećt to enable tramcars and other vehicles to travel
on common roads that is on roads having no tramway as well as on tramways, so
that tramcars having wheels constructed according to my invention may leave a
tramway and travel on the ordinary road and leave the ordinary road to travel-on
a tramway as occasion may require.
-
"
My said invention consists in constructing the wheels of tramcars and other
vehicles in the manner, hereinafter described so that the projecting part or flange
of the wheel which part travels in the groove of the tramway may when the
tramcar or vehicle leaves the tramway and passes on to an ordinary road be pressed
into the tyre of the wheel.by the level surface on which the wheel travels and be
again automatically projected from the tyre when the tramcar or vehicle passes
from an ordinary road onto the rails of a tramway.
In constructing wheels for tramcars and other vehicles according to my invention
I make the tyre of the wheel double that is of two half tyres each of about one
half the breadth of an ordinary tyre. These two half tyres are fixed together by
screw bolts and nut or otherwise at such a distance apart as will admit of the
introduction and working between them of a loose ring of iron or steel having an
external diameter equal to that of the flange or projection on an ordinary tramcar
wheel. When the wheel travels on a tramway the said flange has the same position
as the fixed flange of an ordinary tramcar wheel. The said flange enters the
groove of the tramway rail and its function is exactly the same as that of the
flange of the ordinary tramcar wheel. But when the said wheel travels on an
ordinary road the said flange is pressed into the space between the half tyres.
The said ring or flange is supported by a strong circular spring or by a series
of equidistant coiled or other springs by which spring or springs it is supported
concentrically with the tyre.
When however the edge of the said flange is pressed upon as when the wheel
travels on an ordinary road its elastic support permits it to retire and the part of

page_text: the wheel which is in contact with the road is virtually without any flange When
however the tramcar or vehicle passes onto a tramway the flange assumes its normal
or concentric position that is the position of the flange of an ordinary tramcar
wheel.
The wheels may be constructed as tension wheels by inserting sockets between
the half tyres to which sockets the outer ends of tension arms or spokes are secured
the inner ends of the said arms or spokes being attached to the bosses or hubs of
the wheel by screw nuts by which the required tension may be given to the arms
or spokes. The wheel is fixed in its place on the axle by means of a collar shrunk
on it the tension arms or spokes binding the bosses or hubs against the said collar.
Or the wheels may be constructed of two castings of steel or iron combining the
tyres arms or spokes and hubs referred to and secured as described. -
Dated this thirteenth day of November 1884

page_text: I CHARLES ALLARTON EDGE of N° 21 Bennett's Hill, Birmingham in the County
of Warwick, Architect and Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the
Baid Invention for " IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEELS FOR TRAMCARS AND OTHER
VEHICLES" and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-.
My invention has for its object to enable tramcars and other vehicles to travel
on common roads, that is, on roads having no tramway as well as on tramways
so that tramcars having wheels constructed according to my invention may leave
a tramway and travel on the ordinary road and leave the ordinary road to travel
ón a tramway as occasion may require.
My said invention consists in constructing the wheels of tramcars and other
vehicles in the manner hereinafter described so that the projecting part or flange
of the wheel, which part travels in the groove of the tramway, may when the
tramcar or vehicle leaves the tramway and passes on to an ordinary road be
pressed into the tyre of the wheel by the level surface on which the wheel travels
and be again automatically projected from-the tyre when the tramcar or vehicle
passes from an ordinary road onto the rails of a tramway.
In constructing wheels for tramcars and other vehicles according to my invention
I make the tyre of the wheel double that is of two half tyres each of, about one
half the breadth of an ordinary tyre. These two half tyres are fixed together
by screw bolts and nuts or otherwise at such a distance apart as will admit of
the introduction and working between them of a loose ring of iron or steel
having an external diameter equal to that of the flange or projection on an
ordinary tramcar wheel. When the wheel travels on a tramway the said flange
has the same position as the fixed flange of an ordinary tramcar wheel.
said flange enters the groove of the tramway rail and its function is exactly
the same as that of the flange of the ordinary tramcar wheel. But when the
said wheel travels on an ordinary road the said flange is pressed into the space.
between the half tyres.
.
The
The said ring or flange is supported by a strong circular spring or by a series of
equi-distant coiled or other springs by which spring or springs it is supported
concentrically with the tyre.
When however the edge of the said flange is pressed upon as when the wheel
travels on an ordinary road, its elastic support permits it to retire and the part of
the wheel which is in contact with the road is virtually without any flange. When
however the tramcar or vehicle passes onto a tramway the flange assumes its normal
or concentric position, that is, the position of the flange of an ordinary tramcar
wheel..
The wheels may be constructed as tension wheels by inserting sockets between
the half tyres to which sockets the outer ends of tension arms or. spokes are
secured the inner ends of the said arms or spokes being attached to the bosses or.
hubs of the wheel by screw nuts by which the required tension may be given to

page_text: .
the arms or spokes. The wheel is fixed in its place on the axle by means of a
collar shrunk on it the tension arms or spokes binding the bosses or hubs against
the said collar. Or the wheels may be constructed of two castings of steel or
iron combining the tyres arms or spokes and hubs referred to and secured as
described.
5
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents in side elevation, a tramcar
wheel constructed according to my invention; Figures 2. 3 and 4 represent portions
of the same drawn to a larger scale; Figure 2 ropresenting a section of the tyre
boss and two of the spokes of the wheel Figure 3 a side elevation and Figure 4
a transverse section of the tyre of the wheel the said Figure 4 exhibiting the
manner in which the circular spring acts upon the sliding flange of the tyre. The
same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several Figures of the
drawings.
.
a, a are the two half tyres arranged side by side and fixed together by screw
bolts and nuts at b the said bolts being passed through enlargements on the said
half tyres (see Figure 2). The said screw bolts and nuts at b also serve to attach
the spoke sockets c to the tyre. Between the two half tyres a, a is the loose ring
of iron or steel d the lower projecting part of which constitutes the flange of the
tram car wheel the said 'flange entering the groove of the tramway fail as is well
understood. The said flange d is capable of sliding in the space between the half
tyres a, a as seen in Figure 2. The said ring or flange d is supported in the
projecting position represented, that is, concentrically with the tyre by the strong
circular spring e which bears upon the said ring or flange d by means of the blocks f
which are passed onto the spring e and fixed in position by the set screws g. (see
Figures 3 and 4). In Figure 4, a block f carried by the springe is represented
bearing on the inner end of the flange d and pressing it outwards. Those parts of
the circular spring e between adjacent blocks f bear against the inner ends of the
sockets c (see Figure 2). On the flange d being pressed inwards the blocks of bearing
upon the said flange are also pressed inwards and the spring e is put into a state of
tension the elasticity of the said spring when the pressure is removed from the
flange restoring the said flange to its projecting or normal position.
When the tramcar is travelling on the tramway, the flange d enters the groove
of the tramway rail and has the same position on the tyre and its function is
exactly the same as that of the flange of the ordinary tramcar wheel but when
the projecting outer end of the flange d is pressed upon, as when the wheel travels
on an ordinary road, its elastic support e permits it to retire within the two -half
tyres a, a and the part of the wheel which is in contact with the road is virtually
without any flange and may travel upon the road with the same facility as a
flangeless tyred wheel. As soon as the tramcar passes again onto the tramway,
the flange d assumes its normal or concentric position as represented in the drawing
by the action of the spring e and the said flange enters the groove of the tramway.
rail as before described.
Instead of a circular spring, a spring situated at the junction of each spoke with
the tyre may be used as illustrated in Figure 5, where a spring of this kind is
marked its ends bearing upon the sliding flange d of the tyre in the manner
represented. The spring his supported in its place by being passed through a slot
or opening in the socket c of the spoke. The action of the series of single springs
of the kind represented in Figure 5 is the same as that of the continuous circular
spring represented in Figures 1 and 2. Figures 1 and 2 represent one of my
arrangements for connecting the parts of tension wheels. The outer ends of the
tension arms or spokes & are screwed into the sockets c inserted between the half.
tyres a, a and the inner ends of the said arms or spokes i are attached by screws
and nuts at k to the bosses or hubs 1, 2 on the axle m of the wheel. By screwing
home the nuts at k, more or less, the required tension may be given to the said
arms or spokes. The bosses or hubs 1, 1 are fixed on the axle m by means of the
collar shrunk on the said axle, the tension arms or spokes i binding the said.
bosses or hubs against the said fixed collar n as represented in Figure 2.

page_text: Figure 6 represents in section a portion of a tension wheel constructed according
to another arrangement of my invention. In this arrangement the tyre parms q
and hub or boss 7 are made in one piece and the sliding flange 8 of the tyre of
another piece, the said sliding flange & being connected by the tension rods t, t to
the tension collar u which collar u is bound to the fixed collar von the axle m by
the tension given to the rods t, t. The face of the flange a is also bound by the
tension rods t, t against the tyre p. The hole in the tension collar u is of such a
size that the said collar is capable of some play or movement at right angles to the
axle m when the sliding flange s is pressed inwards as the wheel travels on an
ordinary road.
Figure 7 represents a tramcar wheel constructed according to my invention in
which a double arrangement of tension arms or spokes is employed. In this
arrangement the tyre p is connected to. the boss or hub p' on the axle m by the
tension spokes p³ instead of making the arms or spokes and tyre in one piece as
in Figure 6. The other parts of the wheel Figure 7 are the same as corresponding
parts in Figure 6 and are marked with the same letters of reference.
My improvements are applicable to the wheels of all kinds of vehicles used on
tramways.
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 the projecting part or flange of the tyres of wheels for
tramway cars and other vehicles and the parts connected with the said flange sub-
stantially in the several ways hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings, whereby the said projecting part or flange besides
having the same function as that of the flange of the ordinary tramcar wheel is
made capable when the wheel travels on an ordinary road of retiring inwards
thereby forming a virtually flangeless tyre to the wheel substantially as described
and illustrated.
Secondly-The arrangements of parts herein before described and illustrated in
the accompanying Drawings for binding or connecting together by tension the
parts of the wheels of tramway cars and other vehicles having sliding tyre
flanges.