Improvements in Wheels for Cycles, Road Vehicles, and the like.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Feb., 1897-Accepted, 15th May, 1897
Improvements in Wheels for Cycles, Road Vehicles, and the like.
We, RICHARD THOMAS BELLEMEY, of King Street, Sydney, in the Colony of New
South Wales, Chemist, and CHARLES BELLEMEY, of Rush Street, Woollahra, near
Sydney, in the said Colony, Mechanical 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 :-
This invention relates to certain improvements in wheels for cycles, road vehicles,
and the like, by means of which there may be produced an efficient "spring," or
flexible, wheel, that is to say, a wheel whose construction will allow for the
inequalities of the roadway without affecting, or only slightly affecting, the rider, or
riders, on or the passenger or passengers in the vehicles.
These improvements in wheels for cycles, road vehicles, and the like, consist
principally in the peculiar construction of tyre, and its peculiar stiffening, or bracing,
and method of adjustment concentrically with the rim and axle, and the peculiar
flexible connection or spring, attachment, to the rim of the wheel.
But in order that this invention may be clearly understood reference will now be
made to the drawings herewith in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wheel
constructed according to this invention while Figure 2 is an elevation partly in
section of a piece, or portion, of the hub of said wheel together with the central
stiffening, or bracing, and adjusting ring, of the tyre; Figure 3 is a similar view to
Figure 2 wherein a modification of the central stiffening, or bracing and adjusting,
ring of the tyre is shewn Figure 4 is a sectional elevation through the hub of
the wheel, and the stiffening, or bracing and adjusting, ring of the tyre,
as shown in Figure 3 Figure 5 is elevation of portion of the rim and tyre
shewing the spring connection between the rim and tyre of the wheel as in
Figure 1. Figure 6 is cross section through the rim and tyre of the wheel shewn in
Figure 1. Figure 7 shews a modified construction of the rim and tyre and flexible
connection Figure 8 is a section of the rim and tyre shewing a modified
construction of the rim and also covering plates for the flexible connection, and
shewing also the method of connecting the tyre spokes. Figure 9 is a face view of
the tyre of the wheel as shewn in Figure 1. Figure 10 is a similar view shewing
modified devices for fastening the flexible connections to the tyre; and Figure 11 is
a face view of the attaching band in the rim shewing the method of fastening a
flexible connection, or spring thereto.
The tyre A is made of wood, or iron, or steel, or like material, and may have an
outer facing, or wearing strip, if desired. As shewn in the drawing this tyre A is
made segment shape and of wood, and it has stiffening spokes, or as they will be
hereinafter called " tyre spokes," B reaching inwardly to a ring, or boss, C, set
centrally around the hub of the wheel. The spokes B are attached to this tyre and
to the central ring C, in any well-known manner so that they may be adjusted
tensionally, and as shewn in Figure 8 they have a screwed adjusting nipple on the
outer end. The springs D are shewn as helical though they may be flat, or of other
shape, and these springs are placed between the tyre A and the rim E sitting up
against the inner face of the tyre and being fastened thereto, and against the outer
face of rim E and being fastened thereto. In Figure 6 the tyre A bas a lining piece
or band A¹ of metal against which sit the springs D and this metal is perforated as
shewn in Figure 9 so that a wire A may be threaded in and out through the liner
or band A', to fasten the springs thereto; or instead of a continuous wire the

page_text: springs D may be fastened by a threaded wire through the liner, or band, A', twisted
outside, as shewn in Figure 11. The rim E has also a liner, or band, E¹ to which
the other ends of the springs may be fastened by a threaded wire as described, or by
a twisted wire over each spring as clearly shewn in the drawings. In the
modification shewn in Figure 10 the liner, or band, A', is dispensed with and the
spring sits in a circular depression, or recess, in the tyre its inner end passing
through a circular orifice in the liner, or band, E¹, of the rim. A hinge piece E
takes over that part of the spring which passes into the depression in the tyre, and
a similar hinge piece E, takes over that part of the spring which passes through the
orifice in the ring E' both said hinge pieces being locked, say by a button Es, on the
opposite end to their hinge. In the wheel shewn in Figure 8 the rim is shewn
straight across its face or bottom with its ends turned outwardly at right angles and
just lapping over the ends of these sides of the rim are wide rings A³ fixed to the
tyre A, so that the rim may have free motion within these rings, and at the same
time the rings will prevent the entrance of dust to the springs D. The rim spokes F
may be tangent spokes, or other kind of spokes, and are fastened to the rim E, and
to the hub F, and are stretched between these two parts as ordinarily.
In Figure 3 the band, or ring, C, has a concave footing in which sits a pneumatic
ring C, having at its internal periphery a concave seating in the ring C³ either
bearing on the hub of the wheel, as shown, or otherwise.
Now to prepare this wheel for work, that is to say for taking weight, the rim E
with its spokes F is attached to the hub F¹. The springs D are fixed in place on
the tyre and on the band or liner E. The tyre and the spring connections are
then inserted in, or on, the outside of the rim E, and the springs D thus brought
into compression. The tyre spokes B are then put in place through the oval
orifices E which orifices will allow of plenty of "play" and are then screwed in
tension and the tyre adjusted to sit concentrically with the rim E and stiffen and
brace the tyre and make it become an integral part with the band, or ring, C,
and thus become a wheel in itself with flexible connection to the wheel constituted
by the rim spokes F and the hub F¹.
The pneumatic ring internally of the central stiffening ring C in the modified
construction Figure 3 will assist the tyre in its movement when travelling over
irregularities on or in the roadway.
It will be seen that in passing over inequalities upon the road way that the springs D
will compensate for those inequalities and will allow the tyre and the tyre spokes and
central ring C to flexibly move without affecting, or only very slightly affecting, the
inner wheel constituted by the rim E, the rim spokes, and the hub, and thus very little
vibration will be felt by those whom the wheel is supporting.
It is to be understood that though the spring connection between the tyre and the
rim is described and shewn as consisting of helical springs, yet this invention is not
confined to any particular kind of spring, or flexible connection, between the rim
and tyre, nor is this invention confined to any particular description of inner wheel
consisting of rim, rim spokes, and hub.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
First. An improved wheel for cycles, road vehicles, and the like, consisting
principally of an inner wheel made up of the hub, the rim spokes, and the rim ;
a flexible, or spring, connection between the said rim, and the tyre, and a tyre
having tyre spokes and a central ring, or boss; substantially as herein described
and explained.
Second. In a wheel for cycles, road vehicles, and the like, the combination and
arrangement with a tyre such as A, having tyre spokes such as B, and a central
ring such as C, of springs such as D, a rim such as E, having rim spokes, such
as F, and hub such as F; substantially as herein described and explained and as
illustrated in the drawings.

page_text: Third. In a wheel for cycles, road vehicles, and the like, the combination and
arrangement with the instrumentalities set out in the preceding second claiming
clause, of a pneumatic ring such of C', with or without a seat ring such as C
substantially as herein described and explained and as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4
of the drawings.
Fourth. In a wheel for cycles road vehicles and the like the combination and
arrangement with a tyre such as A having tyre spokes such as B and a rim such as E,
of the fastening devices substantially as herein described and explained and as
illustrated in Figures 6 7 8 9 10 and 11 of the drawings.
Fifth. In a wheel for cycles, road vehicles, and the like, the combination and
arrangement with a tyre such as A, and a rim such as E, of tyre spokes such as B and
oval orifices such as E in the said rim substantially as herein described and explained
and as illustrated in the drawings.
Dated this Ninth day of January One thousand eight hundred and ninety-seven.