Improvements in the Manufacture of Wheels.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 5th June, 1899-Accepted, 8th July, 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Wheels.
I, JAMES DONOVAN, of Three Rivers, County of St. Joseph, State of Michigan,
United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained, in and by the following statement;―
The invention relates to the construction of a wheel, and the invention consists
particularly in the formation of the body of the wheel whereby the rim is braced
by portions of the body extending in bracing relation to the rim.
The invention further consists in the construction of the hub and in the con-
struction, arrangement and combination of the various parts as more fully
hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.
-
I have shown the wheel as made from,a single disk of metal as illustrating what
I consider the best form of my invention and such illustrations are as follows;-
Fig. 1 represents the disk from which the complete wheel may be made, and
Figs. 2 and 3 are diagram sections through the blank in process of formation.
Fig. is an elevation of the web of the wheel as shown in Fig. 3, showing the
lines upon which the braces and spokes are formed.
Figs. and 6 are diagram sections through the blank showing the final steps
in forming the body of the wheel.
Fig. 7 is an enlarged section through the hub portion of the wheel showing
the two sections of the hub before being secured together.
Fig. 8 is a section through the hub in its completed form.
Fig. 9 is a sectional perspective view of the wheel to illustrate this construction.
Fig. 10 is a plan view of the wheel with a portion of the rim broken away to
illustrate the construction of the spokes.
Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 10 of a slightly modified form of brace.
While I have shown and will describe my wheel as made from a single sheet
of metal, I do not desire to be limited to that kind of wheel as my invention
relates more particularly to the construction of the web or body portion of the
wheel, regardless of whether it is made integral with the rim or not.
In making my wheel of a single disk I preferably proceed as follows: I take
the blank, shown in Fig. 1, which is a circular disk of sheet metal and bend it
upon the dotted line, lettered a, first, preferably, perforating it in the center, as
at to act as a centering means for the wheel in its further operations.
The blank is preferably bent by steps upon the line a first into the shape
indicated by dotted lines c in Fig. 2 and then into the position indicated by full
lines in that figure, the body portion being slightly dished as shown therein. If
I desire to have a cylindrical exterior rim, the rim may be bent into that shape,
but in making a car wheel, after getting the blank into the shape shown in
Fig. 2, I next may shape the rim into the shape shown in Fig. 3 with the flange e
thereon.
It has heretofore been the practice to make light car wheels substantially as
hereinbefore described, of a single sheet of metal, the wheel when completed
being substantially as shown in Fig. 3. This wheel comprises the rim A and the
hody or web B.

page_text: In the use of such wheels it has been found that the overhanging rim being
secured to the web, only on one side, is very apt to break off at the bend or elbow h
and my invention overcomes this difficulty beside greatly strengthening the wheel
itself.
I next form the separated spokes C by cutting the blank as shown in full
lines in Fig. 4 and turning the flanges thus formed by the cuts, within the
tread, as shown in Fig. 5. This flange or brace 1) may then be moved into con-
tact with the inner face of the rim by further dishing of the wheel, as shown in
Fig. 6. Any suitable hub may then be put upon the wheel and the wheel will
be complete.
The hub which I prefer, I show in Figs. 7 and 8 and consists of the plate E
adapted to fit upon one side of the central portion of the web and a corresponding
plate F adapted to fit upon the other side. This plate l' has a spindle or skein G
preferably formed integral therewith, and this spindle may be forced through
the central portion of the web and thereby turn up a circular flange H at the
inner edge of the web, forming what I call a "hub flange." This flange if thus
formed will tightly embrace the spindle G and will be forced within the bore
through the plate E and the whole may then be clamped together by a nut I
engaging upon the screw thread upon the end of the skein G, as plainly shown
in Fig. 8.
This construction of hub saves any rivetting and also gives a wide bearing by
the hub flange H upon the hub to resist the strains to which the wheel may be
subjected.
I may and preferably do form the brace D with a shoulder at its inner-end
which abuts against a shoulder upon the hub. This gives the brace D a shouldered
bearing at opposite ends upon the hub and the rim of the wheel.
The wheel thus constructed will be substantially as shown in Fig. 9 and it will
be seen that each spoke is in effect an angle bar comprising one member which
connects the hub and the rim and a brace which extends out within the rim,
forming respectively the parts C and D shaped from the web.
Or
It is evident that the form may be considerably varied and still come within
my invention. For instance, the body and web of the wheel may be made in one
piece and the rim in another piece secured thereto in any suitable manner.
the shape and form of the brace may be materially varied, as for instance, in
Fig. 11, I have shown a construction in which instead of cutting out the brace
and turning it at an angle within the hub I simply cut it out at the top and then
bend in the brace in the shape of a corrugation, as shown at I' in that figure,
leaving the spokes C as before.
...While I have shown my wheel as a car wheel it is evident that it may be made
with a plain rim for any purpose for which it is adapted, or various other modifi-
.cations may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.
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. A wheel having a rim and a hub, and a body formed of sheet metal having
spokes and integral portions of the body intermediate the spokes extending
within the rim to brace the same.
2. A wheel body formed of a single sheet of metal bent to form a rim and a
body, the body being formed into spokes, and braces formed by bending the
portions between the spokes into bracing relation to the rim.
Taen me
JAMES DONOVAN.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
JAMES DONOVAN.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.