Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Nov., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 11th Mar., 1896-Accepted, 14th Nov., 1876
I, ARTHUR GEORGE BROWN, of 38 Victoria Buildings, Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to provide greater strength in the joints of the
frame and other parts of cycles.
It is well known that in cycles built up in the usual way by brazing tubes into
lugs or joints, the tubes are weakened by the heating, scaling and filing incidental
to the brazing process, just in those places on which the torsional and other strains
are thrown.
No method of reinforcement of the parts has as yet been provided which is
perfectly satisfactory.
I overcome the dangers incidental to built up frames and parts by casting the
whole or nearly the whole frame in one piece, and by casting other parts such as
the front fork & steering post, the handlebar and stem the or seat post in
one piece each out of aluminium or other reliable metal; whilst maintaining the
usual hollow tubular section for the parts, I so reduce the cores or some of them
gradually where they approach a joint, and thus provide strength where it is most
needed, and where hitherto it has been practically impossible to provide it in an
adequate manner.
In the case of a handlebar, it is obvious that the strains are gradually increased
as they approach the centre or T joint. I therefore gradually reduce the cores
towards this joint and produce a tube of comparatively heavy gauge in the centre,
but of very light gauge at the extremity. To save complication these extremities
may be shaped so as to form the handles.
Dated November 19th 1895.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH, ·
Agents.
I, ARTHUR GEORGE BROWN of No. 38 Victoria Buildings Manchester in the
County of Lancaster Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of this invention is to provide greater strength in the joints of the
frame and other parts of cycles.

page_text: It is well known that in cycles built up in the usual way by brazing tubes into
Jugs or joints, the tubes are weakened by the heating, scaling and filing incidental
to the brazing process, just in those places on which the torsional and other strains
are thrown.
No method of reinforcement of the parts has as yet been provided which is
perfectly satisfactory.
I overcome the dangers incidental to built up frames and parts by casting the
whole or nearly the whole frame in one piece, and by casting other parts such as
the front fork and steering post, the handlebar and stem or T seat post in one
piece each, out of aluminium or other reliable metal; whilst maintaining the usual
hollow tubular section for the parts, I so reduce the cores or some of them
gradually where they approach a joint, and thus provide strength where it is most
needed, and where hitherto it has been practically impossible to provide it in an
adequate manner.
In the case of a handlebar, it is obvious that the strains are gradually increased
as they approach the centre or T joint. I therefore gradually reduce the cores
towards this joint and produce a tube of comparatively heavy gauge in the centre,
but of very light gauge at the extremity. To save complication these extremities
may be shaped so as to form the handles.
The accompanying drawings illustrate the nature and application of my invention,
but are not to be taken as limiting it to only the cycle joints illustrated.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a cycle frame, made according to the present
invention, three of the junctions being in section.
Figure 2 is a front elevation of a front fork and steering post, the junction being
in section.
Figure 3 is a side elevation partly in section of a seat post.
Figure 4 is a front elevation, partly in section, of a handle bar.
Figure 5 is a part sectional elevation of the handle bar and grip end.
The invention is not limited as to number of tubes or parts to be dealt with,
provided that there be at least one junction.
a, a are the tubes or parts; b, b, the portions of the tubes of normal gauge;
and c, c, the thickened portions. It has already been pointed out that such
thickening, or increase of gauge, is in the direction of the tube ends.
In the case of a handle bar- see Figure 4-the breaking strains begin at the
ends d, d, of the handles and tend to meet at the junction of the two tubes.
(I omit from consideration such amount of strain as suffices to turn the handle bar.)
But the nearer they get to exerting a conjoint disruptive action, the better adapted
is each compound tube to resist them severally, the strongest part of the entire
piece being that where each tube is strongest, as well as where each one has the
best position and capacity for supporting its neighbour or for deriving support
In this connection, I draw attention to the fact that the grips d' on the
ends of the handle bar may be easily made by the same moulding and casting as
the handle bar itself.
from it.
The present invention does not concern itself with the type of tube-moulds or
the mode of coring them. These points are left to be dealt with according to the
circumstances of the work in hand.
The angle of the taper, or, in other words, the length of the thickened portions c.
may be varied according to the circumstances of the particular joint in hand. In
Figure 1, this angle is shewn as more acute, and the length of the portion c,
shorter than in Figures 2, 3 and 4. It is obvious that the strains on the joints in
a cycle frame are of a different type from those on the joints illustrated in
Figures 2, 3 and 4. In the former they are more or less shearing; in the latter
they are torsional. This capacity of my invention for adapting its re-enforcing
property to oppose the exact type of strain to which any particular joint is likely
to be exposed deserves attention as an important characteristic.
Any suitable metal may be used in carrying my invention into effect, but I prefer
aluminium or its alloys.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven--
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A cycle frame or part of a velocipede frame consisting wholly or partly of
cast tubing, such tubing being strengthened by the reduction of the core in the
manner described.
2. The cast cycle frame, substantially as illustrated in Figure 7, and in which
the various cored members are materially strengthened by the diminution of the
core in the manner and for the purpose described.
3. A fork and tubular steering post of a cycle cast in one piece, the tube being
strengthened internally, substantially as described.
4. A handlebar of a cycle cast in one piece and with cores tapering in the
manner and for the purpose described.
5. A handlebar of a cycle cast in one piece with the handle or grip ends, as
described.
Dated this 11th day of March 1896.
PHILLIPS & LEIGH,
No. 22 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C...
Agents for the Applicant.