IMPROVEMENTS IN CAR WHEELS
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Feb., 1887.
Specification Accepted, 1st Mar., 1887:
I, EDGAR PECKHAM, of Syracuse, in the County of Onondaga, and State of New
York, United States of America, inventor do hereby declare the nature of my invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN CAR WHEELS, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention consists in a novel construction of a car wheel which possesses maximum
stability, and at the same time is cushioned so as to protect its metallic parts from
injury to the grain of the metal and to the integrity of the wheel incident to the jars
it is subjected to when in use.
The invention is fully illustrated in the annexed drawing wherein Fig. 1 is a
transverse section of a wheel embodying my improvements and taken on a line aa,
Fig. 2; Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5 are detached face views respectively of the wheel web, its
hub, its cushion or lining and detachable retaining collar.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
A-represents a car axle of ordinary form. B denotes the wheel hub which
is composed of metal and is rigidly attached to the axle either by pressing it thereon
in the same manner as ordinary car wheels are secured stationary on axles, or in any
other suitable and well known manner.
Said hub has on one of its ends, preferably the inner end a collar-C-rigidly
attached thereto or integral therewith and thus also maintained stationary in its
position in relation to the axle.
The opposite or outer end of the hub is provided with a circumferential groove---1---,
the outer wall or shoulder of which is beveled as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing.
In said groove is seated removably the collar-C-which has a central eye the
same or nearly the same diameter as the small diameter of the groove-D,-and has
the outer face beveled around the end of the eye corresponding to the bevel of the
groove.
In order to permit of seating the collar-C-in the groove-D-I divide said
collar diametrically, and clamp the two sections together by bolts passing through
ears--b-on said sections as illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawing.

page_text: F-represents a metallic web of the wheel and-T-the tread which latter may
be formed directly on the periphery of the aforesaid web, or consist of a tire secured
to the web.
This metallic web is secured between the two collars-C-C-by removing the
outer collar C-then slipping the web-F-by its contral eye unto the hub and
bringing said web to rest against the inner collar-C,-then placing the sections of
the outer collar into the groove-D-and tying said sections together by the bolts
In the latter operation the collar sections are drawn tightly into the
groove D, and the beveled outer shoulder thereof crowds the collar toward the
web F-so as to clamp the latter between the two collars-C-C¹.
-a-a-.
This clamping of the web in its position I reinforce by means of bolts-I-I-
passing through holes-N-N-provided in the two collars and intervening web
aud by nuts on the ends of said bolts.
The central eye of the web-F-I make of a sufficiently greater diameter than the
portion of the hub which it surrounds to permit of inserting between them a cushion
or lining L of paper, wood or other suitable fibrous material or soft metal which is
inserted endwise between the eye of the web and hub so as to be concentric with the
axis of the wheel.
The internal and external diameters of the cushion-L-correspond respectively to
the diameters of the hub, and of the eye of the web-F,-so that when pressed into
its requisite position it fits as closely as possible to said parts and forms a cushioned
eye in the metallic web of the wheel.
In order to more effectually insure the close fitting of the cushion to the hub and to
the eye of the web, I taper said parts longitudinally.
The taper of the hub is outward, and the taper of the eye of the web may be either
inward as presented in Fig. 1 of the drawing, or outward, and the taper of the cushion
-L-is to be made correspondingly.
When tapered as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing, the cushion-L-is to be inserted
in the eye of the web-F-before applying the latter to the hub, and the cushion may
be pressed and formed in the said eye to bo rigidly secured thereto and thus wheel
webs formed with cushioned eyes may be furnished to the trade ready to be applied to
axles equipped with hubs-B.
The web with its cushion--L-can be pressed onto the hub by means of a wheel
press similar to those now employed for pressing car wheels onto axles, or by other
suitable appliances.
When the aforesaid parts are tapered, the cushion may be first pressed onto the
hub, and then the web pressed onto the cushion.
The metallic eye of the web may be formed square or octagon or other polygonal
shape in cross section, or may be provided with mortises or indentations in its interior
if desired to more effectually lock the cushion therein.
By placing a lining-n-of paper or analogous material between the sides of the
web F and adjacent sides of the two collars-C-C-I obtain perfect hearings
between said parts without the necessity of planing or otherwise cutting and fitting
the surfaces thereof.
To prevent the web-F-from turning on the hub without subjecting the bolts
-I-I-to shearing strain, I provide the outer face of the rigid collar-C-and
adjacent side of the web-F with interlocking projections or lugs-c-c-and
corresponding indentations or mortises-d-a,-the engagement of which parts
compels the hub to rotate with the web and relieves the bolts-I-I-of the shearing
strain.
The bolt holes through the web should be made large enough to leave spaces around
the bolts, and if desired, rubber sleeves may be slipped onto the bolts. The sides of
the web-F-I prefer to provide with annular projections or shoulders-e-e
which overlap the edges of the collars-C-C-so as to form supplemental bearings
between the web and hub, and if desired, a suitable lining——may be applied to
said bearings.
I do not wish to confine myself to the employment of the hub-B-inasmuch as

page_text: the cushion or lining-L-may be applied directly to the axle A, but in either
case I employ the rigid collar-C-and removable collar-C-at opposite sides of
the web F and lock the web on the rigid collar by interlocking projection and
indentations on the adjacent sides of said parts.
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-In combination with the axle a metallic hub formed with an axial bearing in one
piece, a cushion encompassing said hub, a metallic web mounted on said cushion, a
collar on one end of the hub, and a collar detachably connected to the opposite end of
the hub, and bolts for securing the detachable collar. on the hub, substantially as set
forth.
2 In a car wheel, the combination of a metallic hub and a metallic web, and a
cushion tapered longitudinally and inserted end wise into the space between the eye of
the web and the hub, substantially as set forth.
3 In a car wheel, the combination of a metallic hub, a cushion encircling said hub,
a rigid collar on the end of said hub, a metallic web seated on said cushion, and the
adjacent sides of said collar and web formed with interlocking projections and
indentations substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
4 In a car wheel, the combination of a metallic hub, a rigid collar on one end of
said hub a collar detachably connected to the opposite end of the hub, a cushion
encircling the said hub between the collars, a metallic web seated on the cushion,
interlocking projections and indentations on the adjacent sides of the rigid collar and
web and bolts for clamping the detachable collar on the web, all constructed and
combined, substantially as set forth.
5 In a car wheel, the combination of a hub, collars secured to opposite ends
of said hub, and a web secured between said collar and provided on its sides with
shoulders projecting over the edges of the collars, substantially as described and
shown.
6 In a car wheel, the combination of a metallic hub, collars secured to opposite
ends of said hub, a cushion encircling the hub between the collars, and a metallic web
seated on said cushion and provided on its sides with shoulders projecting over the
edges of the collars, substantially as described and shown.
7-In a car wheel, the combination of a metallic hub, a rigid collar on the inner
end of said hub provided with projection on its outer face, a circumferential groove
in the outer end of the hub, and having its shoulder beveled, a diametrically divided
collar having an eye corresponding to the aforesaid groove, a cushion encircling the
hub between the two collars, a metallic web seated on said cushion and provided at the
side adjacent to the rigid collar with recesses corresponding to the projections of said
collar, and clamping bolts passing through the two collars and intervening web, all
constructed and combined, substantially in the manner specified and shown.
8-A car wheel composed of a hub, a soft metal bush encircling the hub, a web or
annular body seated upon the said bush, and a tread on said body, substantially as set
forth and shown.