Improvements in or relating to Wheels, and Compositions or Fillings for such Wheels.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd July, 1896-Accepted, 10th Oct., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Wheels, and Compositions or Fillings
for such Wheels.
I, HENRY BIRKBECK of the Firm of Tongue & Birkbeck of 31, Southampton
Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C. Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention (a communication to me from abroad by The
Noiseless Wheel Company Limited of New Orleans, United States of America)
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 inprovements in or relating to car wheels, and it is
especially intended to provide a light and practically noiseless car wheel of great
structural strength, and also to provide a suitable compound for filling the same
with a spongy non-resonant mass.
The said invention will be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings
in which the same parts are indicated by the same letters throughout the several
views.
Fig. 1 represents a side elevation of the outside of the car wheel, parts being
cut away along the curved line 1-1 of Figure 4.
Fig. 2 represents a similar view to that shown in Fig. 1, and shows the inner
side of the car wheel.
Fig. 3 represents a section along the line 3 and
Fig. 4 a section along the line 1 of Fig. 1, and
Fig. 5 represents a section made by a line of revolution 5-5 about the axis of
the car wheel, the said section being rolled out on a horizontal plane; and
Fig. 6 represents a section through a modified form of wheel having a solid
tire.
Referring particularly to Figures 1 to 5 A represents a hollow casting which
forms the central portion of the wheel. This casting is provided with a perforated
hub a, preferably re-inforced as at a° and ribbed as at a³, whereby greater strength
is given to the said hub.
The said casting is hollowed out as at A°, the said hollowed or chambered portion
being shut in by the front wall A' and the rear wall A3, and the outer ring A³,
which latter is provided with one or more apertures a', through which the core is
removed and into which non-resonant material is poured in while in a semi-fluid
condition and allowed to harden in the hollow portion of the casting A. This
hollowed portion or chamber A° is preferably provided with curved ribs a³ inter-
penetrating as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, whereby the requisite degree of rigidity is
given to the curved walls A' and A.
Exterior to the central casting A, which casting is preferably made of malleable
iron or steel, are two rings C and C which are shrunk or forced on the exterior of
the casting, and are provided with semi-loops co, as shown in Fig. 1, between which
pass the bolts H, as will be hereinafter described.
Exterior to these rings C and C¹ is the hollow tire D preferably made of chilled
iron and flauged at d.
The interior of this tire is preferably provided with stays d' set at approximately
right-angles to each other and one behind the other and diagonally across the
chamber in the tire as shown in Fig. 4, whereby greater strength with a lighter
weight of metal is obtained. The tire is also provided with one or more openings d²,

page_text: on the inner cylindrical surface thereof whereby the core may he removed and the
non-resonant material may he poured in while in a semi-fluid state and allowed to
harden, before the tire is put on the wheel. The said tire is also provided with
suitable grooves to receive the loops ", shown in Fig. 1. But if these loops be
omitted as might frequently be preferred both the rings C and C¹ and the inner
face of the tire D should be made cylindrical.
The flange d may be bulged outwards or reinforced as shown at d³ for the
purpose of strengthening the same.
On the inside of the wheel a butt-ring E is let into the face of the casting A and
of the tire D, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, while on the opposite side the said tire
and the said casting are provided with a plurality of angular chambers or grooves Fo
into which fit the washer plates F as shown in Fig. 1.
The bolts H pass through these washer plates F and through the butt-ring E,
and are held' in place by the nuts h. Thus thèse Bolts hold the casting, the tire,
the intermediate rings C and C, and the butt-ring E'all firmly together.
Instead of the nuts h, lock nuts may be used, or the bolts H may be replaced by
rivets, if desired.
In the form of wheel shown in Fig. 6, the tire D2 is made solid' and is provided
with a flange d let into the periphery of the casting A. On the opposite side of
the wheel the ring E' is let into the face of the casting A and also of the tire D³,
and the bolts H or rivets pass through both the said ring E' and the flange d' and
are splined into both the casting A and the tire D2, thus holding the said tire
firmly on the wheel. When bolts H' are used instead of rivets, nuts h-secure the
same in place. Or, if preferred, the tire may be simply shrunk onto the body
of the wheel without any other fastening than the binding effect of the
contraction.
As a suitable non-resonant material for filling the hollow car wheels, a
composition of coal tar, rosin oil, and asphalt is advantageously used as will be
hereinafter described.
In order to make the composition, I dissolve a mixture of about one-hundred
pounds of coal tar, and ten pounds of crude asphalt at a temperature of about
212° Fahr. Into this is mixed about twenty pounds of rosin oil and the mixture
is heated to a temperature of about 300° Fabr.
In the meantime the hollow portion of the car wheel is filled with water, and
into this water the fused composition is poured. This composition being heavier
than water, settles rapidly in the hollow portion of the wheel expelling the water
and steam through the orifice, and the composition chilling rapidly becomes spongy
and non-resonant, filling up all of the hollow portion of the car wheel and rendering
the same practically noiseless.
Instead of chilling: the composition by pouring it into water in the car wheel as
described, it may be poured direct into the hollow portion of the car wheel, and
the chilling may be effected' by immersing the wheel in water, or by spraying water
upon it. Moreover, the compound may be poured into a separate vessel containing
water first and then remelted and poured into the car wheel, where it may be
chilled as before.
This invention is not limited to the precise proportions and temperature stated,
as variations might be made in these without materially affecting the operation of
the invention.
Having thus particularly ascertained and described the nature of this said inven-
tion, I declare that what I claim is :
1. In a car wheel, the 'combination with a central portion provided with an
annular chamber therein, with inter-penetrating ribs projecting from each side of
said chamber, of non-resonant material placed in said chamber, and a hollow tire
secured over the periphery of said central portion, and filled with non-resonant
material, substantially as described.
2. In a car wheel, the combination with a central portion, of a hollow tire

page_text: mounted thereon and provided with alternate stays set at approximately right-
angles and extending across the hollow portion of said tire, and non-resonant
material filled into said tire, substantially as herein described and shown in the-
drawings hereunto annexed.
3. A tire for car wheels provided with an annular chamber therein, with alternate.
ribs or stays extending diagonally across said chamber, and non-resonant material
filled into said chamber, substantially as herein described and shown in the drawings.
hereunto annexed.
4. A tire for car wheels, provided with a flange bulged outwards in the line of
the periphery of said wheel, and provided with an aunular chamber within said.
tire, with alternate ribs or stays projecting diagonally across said chamber,.
substantially as herein described and shown in the drawings hereunto annexed.
5. A tire for car wheels provided with a flange bulged outwards in line with the
periphery of said tire, and the said tire being provided with an annular chamber
therein, with alternate ribs or stays extending diagonally across said chamber, and
non-resonant material filled into said chamber, substantially as herein described.
and shown in the drawings hereunto annexed.
6. In a car wheel, the combination with a hollow central portion provided with
transverse grooves and filled with non-resonant material, and a tire also provided
with transverse grooves, of two rings having loops adapted to project into said
transverse grooves and to fit between the said tire and the said central portion, a
butt-ring lapping over said rings and partly lapping over said central portion and
said tire, with washer plates on the opposite side of said wheel, and bolts or rivets
passing through said washer plates, said loops in said rings, and said butt-ring, and
firmly holding these parts together, substantially as herein described and shown in
the drawings hereunto annexed.
7. In a car wheel, the combination with a hollow central portion provided with
transverse grooves and filled with non-resonant material, and a hollow tire also
provided with transverse grooves and also filled with non-resonant material, of two
rings having loops adapted to project into said transverse grooves and to fit
between the said tire and the said central portion, and bolts or rivets passing
through said loops, with plates beneath the heads thereof for holding said central
portion, said tire and said rings together, substantially as herein described and
shown in the drawings hereunto annexed.
8. In a car wheel, the combination with a hollow central portion provided with
transverse grooves and filled with non-resonant material, and a hollow tire also
filled with non-resonant material, of two rings having loops adapted to project into
said transverse grooves and to fit between the said tire and the said central portion,
a butt-ring covering the edge of said rings and lapping partly over said central
portion and said tire, washer plates on the opposite edge of said rings, and bolts or
rivets passing through said washer plates, and said loops and said butt-ring and
firmly holding these parts together, substantially as herein described and shown in
the drawings hereunto annexed.
9. In a car wheel, the combination with a hollow central portion provided with
transverse grooves and filled with non-resonant material, of a hollow tire also filled
with non-resonant material and provided with transverse grooves, of two rings
having loops adapted to project into said transverse grooves and to fit between the
said tire and the said central portion, a butt-ring let into the face of said tire and
said central portion, and covering the edge of said rings, washer plates on the
opposite side of said rings and also let into the said tire, and the said central
portion and into said rings, and bolts or rivets passing through said washer plates
and said loops and said butt-ring, and firmly holding these parts together,
substantially as herein described and shown in the drawings hereunto annexed.
10. The construction and arrangement of parts comprising the car wheel shewn
in Fig. 6 of the drawings hereunto annexed.
11. A composition for use in noiseless car wheels and like purposes, consisting

page_text: of coal tar, asphalt and rosin oil, mixed together in such proportions as to constitute
a spongy and non-resonant mass.
12. A hollow noiseless car wheel filled with a fused mixture of coal tar, asphalt
and rosin oil, substantially as described.
Dated this 3rd day of July 1896.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.