IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF WHEELS
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I, EDMUND EDWARDS, of the firm of Edwards and Co:-, Patent Agents and
Engineers, of 35, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of the invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF WHEELS" to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object improvements in the manufacture of light
wheels, partly or entirely of metal, so that they make little noise when used for
vehicles running at a high speed and upon paved roads.
The body of the wheel is of wrought iron, but in order to prevent or deaden
noise when running there is arranged on the rim a sufficient thickness of paper in
a laminated mass of the requisite section and length, or in rings made by pressure
in a press or other convenient method.
The thickness of compressed paper necessary to prevent.or deaden the noise of
the wheel when running varies according to the speed of the carriage to which it
is applied, the size of the wheels, and the character of the road.
Outside the wheel a flat or convex iron tyre of the ordinary kind is shrunk in
the usual way, a sufficient number of holes being made through the tyre when cold,
and through the paper and the rim of the wheel, to receive rivets by which these
three parts are held together and consolidated.
Instead of paper to deaden the sound, paper parchment may be used in the same
way, or straw or cotton board, india rubber, either plain or having thicknesses of
canvas or cloth inserted, leather, asbestos, or other material of the like kind, so
that a moderate thickness is sufficient to deaden the sound. The exterior edge of
the wheel may be straight or convex.
In order to prevent the material interposed as described from shifting from its
position on the rim of the wheel in vehicles running at a high speed, the following
arrangement may be used. Round the circumference of the rim of the wheel a
groove is made having the shape either of a segment of a circle or of two inclined
sides connected at the top by a segment of a circle.
.The material to be interposed as already described is provided with a projecting
part which fits into the hollow on the rim, the tyre being afterwards applied.
Or the following arrangement may be used. The rim of the wheel is made with
a projecting flange, and the material which is to deaden the sound is made of less
width than the rim but of greater thickness than the height of the flange. The
wheel and the material fitted upon it are placed, flange downward, upon a flat

page_text: surface, and the tyre which is made with a corresponding flange, is then fitted upon
them, its flange being opposite to that upon the rim. The Banged tyre may be of
iron or steel without a join, or of iron welded up. It is essential that the thickness
of the material interposed to deaden the sound should be greater, when the wheel
is finished, than that of the flanges, and thus no part of the tyre will touch the
rim, and the transmission of sound to the latter will be prevented.
To adapt a greasebox or lubricator to these wheels, a thickness of the compressed
paper or other material is interposed between the box and the nave of the wheel.
The nave is bored out inore or less conically, and such material duly prepared
beforehand is inserted, and a lubricating box of any suitable shape and kind is
forced into the centre by hydraulic pressure, and if required they may be further
held together by a nut or other means.
By the methods described, wheels are obtained which are light, solid, and silent,
and are especially applicable to carriages, guns, and other vehicles.
For guncarriages or military vehicles, the wheels are preferably constructed of 1
wrought iron, the height of the rim being increased. If it is not necessary that
Doise should be prevented, a weldless tyre is employed of such height that together
with that of the rim, the requisite size (which may vary according to the purpose for
which the-wheel is to be used) is obtained. The tyre is made with three flanges
projecting inward the centre one being the narrowest, and the exterior of the tyre
may be either straight or convex Before it is fitted-upon the wheel, the flanges are
turned so that they will fit upon the exterior of the wheel-rim which is also turned
to receive them, and after being shrunk and cooled the tyre is perfectly tight and
solid, rivets being further added if necessary.
The turned-surfaces are-made inclined so that the lateral faces of the tyre when
in place cannot separate, and they are-better able to resist the pressure upon the
wheel when the vehicle-or-guncarriage is travelling. They may be further held
together-by rivets. The grooves turned in the rim of the wheel to receive-the-
flanges may be of a depth-increasing with the diameter of the wheel,..but such
depth should be less than half the space through-which the inner diameter of the
tyre is expanded for the purpose of fitting it upon the wheel, so that-the-inclined
edges of the tyre when expanded by heat may be somewhat greater than the outer
diameter of the rim.
When this is the case, the tyre can be easily fitted to its place and when cold all
the turned surfaces contract and fit tightly upon the seats prepared for them upon
the rim.
To reduce the weight of the wheel the iron rim may be hollowed, and when the
rim is narrow a weldless U shaped tyre may be used.
To prevent or reduce noise in these wheels wood is fitted into the iron rim until
the necessary depth is attained, for which purpose two pieces of wood held together 4
by countersunk bolts may be used and attached to the iron rim by means of bolts
on an iron plate having a convex surface of rectangular form, and provided with
longitudinal flanges which being fitted into the pieces of wood prevent them from
separating. To prevent the wood from shifting in the iron rim two grooves are
made in the latter into which the flunges fixed to the pieces of wood fit. Ash, elm,
poplar, or other suitable wood may be used.
Or the wood filling may be hollow, and it may be covered with sheet metal.
Or a hollow filling of metal plate may be used; and to prevent or deaden all sound
the arms and the iron rim are carefully insulated by paper, leather, or other material
as already described.

page_text: I, EDMUND EDWARDS, of the firm of Edwards and Co:-, Patent Agents and
Engineers, of 35, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of the invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MANUFACTURE OF WHEELS" (a cominunication to me from abroad by
La Société Deflassieux Frères, of Paris, in the Republic of France) and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement and accompanying drawing (that is to say):
This invention has for its object improvements in light whools partly or entirely
of metal so that they mako little noise when used for vehicles running at a high
speed and upon paved roads.
Plain metal wheels have ordinarily heretofore been used upon railways and
tramways and by the present invention such metal wheels may be used upon
ordinary roads without being too heavy or noisy.
The body of the wheel is formed in the usual way of wrought iron.
Upon the
rim is fitted a sufficient thickness of paper prepared in strips of sufficient section
and length or of rings manufactured by pressure or by other ordinary process. The
thickness of the compressed paper necessary to prevent noise when the wheel is
running varies according to the speed of the vehicle, the size of the wheels, the
character of the road, and the other conditions under which the wheels aro used.
Outside the paper is shrunk a tyre flat or convex on its outor surface through
which when cold a sufficient number of holes are made which also pass through the
paper and the rim of the wheel and receive rivets by which the three parts are
held together and consolidated.
Instead of paper to denden the sound paper parchment may be used in the samo
way, or straw or cotton board, india rubber, plain or having thicknesses of canvas
or cloth inserted, or other material of the like kind so that a moderate thickness is
sufficient to deaden the sound. The substance interposed between the tyres of iron
wheels scarcely alters the weight or volume of such wheels and whilst it adds no
difficulty to their construction it preserves their solidity and lightness and deadens
noise.
In the accompanying drawing which is in illustration of the invention, Figures 7
to 17 represent iron wheels the rim a of which is encircled by compressed paper or
other material as described, as shewn at b upon which is fitted the iron or steel
tyre c the rolling surface of which is shewn convex in figure 10 and flat in
figure 11. Rivets r fix the tyre and the interposed substance to the rim of the
wheel.
Where, the wheels are to run at a great speed which might cause displacement of
the interposed substance on the rim of the wheel the following arrangements are
used. First, round the inner circumference of the rim a a groove d is made having
a section of the arc of a circle as shewn in figures 13 and 15, or of two sides
connected by a small curve as shewn in figures 12 and 16. The interposed
substance has a projection fitting into this groove and the tyre is fitted outside it.
Second, the arrangement shewn in figures 14 and 17 may be used,

page_text: The rim a of the wheel has a flange e formed upon it and the interposed
substance 6 has a width less than that of the rim, but a thickness greater than the
height of the flange c.
The wheel and the interposed substance are placed on a horizontal floor with the
flange a downward, and the tyre is then fitted in its place, its inner surface being
provided with a flange c¹ opposite to the other flange e, so that there is nothing to
prevent the fitting of the tyre which may be of iron or steel rolled without join, or
of iron welded up.
It is evident that to deaden the sound the thickness of the substance b must be
greater after the fitting and shrinking of the tyre than the height of the flanges e
and e¹ so that the tyre nowhere touches the rim of the wheel.
The wheels shown in figures 9 to 17 are not provided with grease boxes in their
naves, but if such grease boxes are used, a thickness of compressed paper or other
material as already described is interposed between the grease box and the nave of
the wheel in order to prevent sound, as shewn in figures 7 and 8.
The nave is bored more or less conically and the interposed substance prepared
beforehand is inserted and a grease box of any suitable shape or kind is forced in by
-bydraulic or other pressure and may if desired be held in its place by a nut or other
ordinary incans..
By the methods described and shewn light, solid,-and-noiseless wheels are
obtained, particularly applicable to carriages, carts, and other vehicles.
For gun carriages or military vehicles the wrought iron wheels are modified by
increasing the height of the rim, so that when sinking in soft ground they do not
bury themselves deeper than ordinary wooden ones, which is an essential condition
for this class of wheels.
If it is not essential that noise should be prevented a weldless-tyre is used as
shewn in figures 18 to 22 baving such a height that together with that of the rim
the requisite depth (which-may vary according to the purpose for which the-wheel
is to be used) is obtained.
The tyre is made of the form of an E with three flanges projecting inward. Its
exterior surface is straight or convex. Before fitting it upon the wheel the inclined
surfaces o, p, and 8, are turned and the exterior face of the rim of the wheel is also
turned so that the surfaces o, p, and 8, after the tyre is shrunk on and cooled fit
and hold tight, rivets r being also added.
The inclined surfaces o, and p, are of great importance as they prevent the lateral
faces o, m, and n p, of the tyre from separating from one another, consolidating
them at the same time, so that they better resist the pressure of the weight on the
wheels when the vehicle or gun carriage is travelling.
Rivets as shewn in figure 21 may also be used if necessary to hold them
together.
The depth of the grooves formed round the tyre of the wheel as described
increases with the diameter of the wheel, but it should be somewhat less than half
the amount of expansion of the interior diameter of the tyre, so that the inclined
surfaces o and p when expanded by heat are somewhat greater than the exterior
diameter of the rim. The tyre can then be fitted in its place and when cold the
surfaces o, s and p hold tightly upon the corresponding seats prepared for them on
the rim.
The iron rim may be hollowed as shown in figures 22 and 23 to diminish the
weight.
When the tyre is narrow it may be rolled without the central flange so as to 5
form a shaped weldless ring, as illustrated in figure 23, and to diminish the
weight the rim may be hollowed as shown.
If in wheels for the purposes last described it is desired to prevent noise, wood is
arranged inside the iron rim in order to obtain the necessary total depth. This
may be done in different ways. In figures 24 and 25 the wood filling is shown. i
formed of two pieces joining at ab and held together by sunk headed bolts c d.:
They are connected to the iron rim by means of bolts ef, the nuts of which are

page_text: tightened upon the side fupon a curved iron plate having longitudinal projecting
flanges. These flanges are let into the wood and prevent the latter from
separating.
To prevent the wood from shifting in the tyre two grooves g, g¹, are made in the
latter into which fit two corresponding flanges on the wood. Ash, Elm, Poplar, or
other suitable wood may be used.
Figure 27 shows the wood filling hollow and consisting of three pieces connected
together as shewn or in other suitable way. In the arrangement shewn in
figures 24, 25, 26, and 27, the wood may be covered by thin sheet metal.
Or, finally, instead of wood, sheet metal forming a hollow filling may be used
and to prevent noise it is carefully insulated from the arms and iron rim of the
wheel by means of paper or other substance as already described.
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
1. The method of manufacturing light metal wheels having paper or other
material introduced for the purpose of deadening sound substantially as described
and shewn in the drawing.
2. The method of increasing the depth of the rims of such metal wheels,
substantially in the manner and for the purpose described and shewn in the
drawing.