Improvements in Wheels for Railway-cars, Tram-cars, and the like.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 12th July, 1890-Accepted, 16th Aug., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Wheels for Railway-cars, Tram-cars, and the like.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK REDFERN, of the firm of G. F. Redfern & Co., The General
Patent Office, No. 4, South Street, Finsbury, in the County of Middlesex, Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (a communication from
abroad by Robert Fawcus Smith, of Stockholm, in the Kingdom of Sweden, Engineer,)
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 wheels for railway-cars, tramway cars and the like, and
has for object to provide a cheap, safe and reliable flexible wheel as hereinafter
described.
In the accompanying drawing-
Figure 1 is an edge view partly in section of a railway carriage wheel, constructed
according to this invention:
Figure 2 is an elevation the left hand half of which is a face view of figure 1
and the right hand half a face view of figure 4:
Figure 3 is a transverse section illustrating a modification:
Figure 4 represents a section and elevation of a detail illustrating another modifi-
cation:
Figure 5 is a similar view to figure 1; and,
Figure 6 is a similar view to figure 3 but illustrating two further modifications.
1 will first describe the invention by reference to figure 1 and to the left hand half
of figure 2.
The improved wheel is constructed of two cast steel concave plates A and B and a
rim C. At the centre part around the wheel-axle the plates or discs have each a
flange a and b respectively, forming the hub of the wheel. These flanges are joined to
each other when the two sides of the wheel are put together. The part a of the hub
has an exterior flange, and the other part 6 of the hub has an interior flange.
These flanges are cut away at two diametrically opposite parts, as indicated by the
dotted lines in the left hand half of figure 2, sufficiently to allow the corresponding
remaining parts of the inner flange to enter the two parts of the outer flange.. This
arrangement constitutes a kind of bayonet-joint, whereby the two discs can be joined
together by turning them in opposite directions.
It will be obvious that, instead of providing the two parts of the hub with a
bayonet-joint they can be made with male and female screw-threads respectively, that
is to say, a screw-thread can be formed on the outside of one part and in the
inside of the other part, so that the latter would form a nut.
For greater simplicity, however, the two discs can be united by making the parts
which form the hub with plain faces where they abut and securing them together by
means of rivets, as shewn in figure 3.
At the periphery of the wheel the two discs are, as shewn in figures 1; 3 and 4, bent
inwards so as to form cylindrical surfaces, the edges of which may be rabbetted
(as shewn in figures 1 and 4) or otherwise suitably formed so that they can be fitted
together, for example, they can be made with plain abutting faces, as shewn in
figure 3.
When the discs are joined in this way, their cylindrical surfaces are flush with
each other and thus form one continuous cylindrical surface well suited to receive
the wheel-rim.
Into the cylindrical surface dovetail-shaped plates, which are narrowest in the middle
can be sunk, as illustrated in figure 4, the said plates serving to keep the peripheries
of the two discs securely held together. It will be obvious that the said plates can

page_text: be replaced by others of different shapes. They are preferably fastened by means of
screws, as shown in the drawing.
After the wheel-rim has been shrunk on it may be further secured to the wheel by
screws from the inside. For this purpose one or both discs are provided with
apertures in their faces, as shewn in figure 2.
Instead of giving the concave side of the plates a uniform curve from the hub
to the rim, as shewn in the drawing, the plates can, as shewn by the dotted lines in
figures. 1, 3, 5 and 6, be made with single or double curves,, so that they form
between the hub and the periphery one or several annular incurvations around the
wheel. The wheel is thereby rendered still more flexible.
The above described wheel can be modified as hereinafter described and illustrated
in figure 5 and in the right hand side of figure 2, so as to render the same
stronger, more reliable and cheaper to manufacture.
In this modification instead of employing two separate discs, each formed with a
portion of the hub, the said parts are cast together in one single piece, and the wheel-
rim is shrunk on and, if necessary, still further secured by means of screws. A
flexible, light and very durable wheel is thus produced.
Or, as shewn in figure 6, the whole of the wheel, that is to say, the hub, the
discs and the rim can be cast in one piece thereby increasing the strength of the
wheel as well as its elasticity, and at the same time materially decreasing its weight,
as, owing to the homogeneous nature of its construction, the rim can be cast much
thinner.
.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In wheels for railway-cars, tram-cars and the like having two concave plates or
discs in place of spokes, providing each disc with an inwardly turned flange which
form the hub of the wheel, one part of the hub having a flange fitting over a flange on
the other part, the said flanges being cut away at two diametrically opposite parts
sufficiently to allow the corresponding remaining parts of one flange to enter the
other flange when the discs are turned in opposite directions similarly to a bayonet-
joint, whereby the parts of the hub are securely united, substantially as hereinbefore
described with reference to figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawing.
2. The modified arrangement in which the ends of the inwardly turned flanges
forming the hub are formed with screw-threads fitting into each other, substantially
as hereinbefore described.
3. The modified arrangement in which the two parts of the hub are held together
by bolts or rivets passing through them as hereinbefore described and illustrated in
figure 3.
4. In wheels for railway-cars, tram-cars and the like having, in place of spokes,
two concave plates or curved discs, which at the periphery are bent into the form of
a cylinder, rabbetting the cylindrical portions of the plates at their edges, so that one
disc can be partly introduced into the other, so as to form the discs with a
continuous cylindrical outside surface or periphery, substantially as hereinbefore
described with reference to figure 1 of the accompanying drawing.
5. The modified arrangement in which the peripheries of the discs are secured
together by means of double dovetail-shaped pieces inserted from the outside and which
are narrowest in the middle, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to
figure 4 of the accompanying drawing.
6. In wheels för railway-cars, tram-cars and the like of the kind referred to in
claims 1, 2 and 4, forming the plates or discs between the outer cylindrical portion
and the hub with one or several incurvations in opposite directions, so that one or
several annular incurvations are formed around the wheel between the hub and the
periphery, substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in figures 1, 3, 5
and 6 of the accompanying drawing.

page_text: 7. The modified arrangement in which the two discs are cast in one single piece
together with the hub, and the cylindrical periphery for receiving the wheel-rim,
substantially as bereinbefore described with reference to figure 5 of the accompanying
drawing.
8. The modified arrangement in which the wheel-rim or tire is cast integral with
the other parts of the wheel-substantially as herein before described with reference to
figure 6 of the accompanying drawing.
Dated the 12th day of July 1890
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.