Improvements in or connected with Wheels for Velocipedes and other Vehicles.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 5th May, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 5th Feb., 1894-Accepted, 10th Mar., 1894
Improvements in or connected with Wheels for Velocipedes and
other Vehicles.
I RICHARD Henry Lea, Mechanical Engineer, of Stoke Green, Coventry, in
the County of Warwick, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in wheels for velocipedes and other
vehicles, and specially to that type of wheel having tangential spokes; such spokes
preferably being of the usual form, with a short bend near the head which is fixed
in the flange.of the hub, and the other end of the spoke terminating in a screwed
nipple at the felloe.
These spokes are easily passed through the flanges of hubs, except in the case
of a hub having its chain wheel, drum for band brake, or other similar piece, in
close proximity to the hub flange, and at the same time of larger diameter than the
aforesaid flange. It is of course obviously easy to drill holes through the chain
wheel (or other obstructive piece) to correspond with holes in flange and so thread
the spokes through. But as the spokes cross each other. at various points, it is
desirable for the spokes to be threaded alternately from each side of the flange.
The difficulty will at once be seen of passing a spoke through the flange in the
direction of the chain wheel.
It is obviously possible to drill the holes through the flange, at such an angle,
that when passed through, the spokes will clear the periphery of the chain wheel,
but this is an unsatisfactory arrangement. Great difficulty is experienced in forcing
the short bent end of spoke into position and the necessarily acute angle of the
drilling, tends to form a cutting edge to the detriment of the spoke.
The usual method of overcoming the difficulty indicated is to form the chain
wheel or other obstructive piece, separately from the hub, and screw or otherwise
affix it after the spokes have been inserted. This however entails considerable
expense in manufacture and introduces the risk of possible loosening and accident.
It also involves additional weight.
My invention is designed to eliminate these objectionable features, and at the
same time to make it possible, whilst constructing the hub of one solid piece, to
thread the spokes with the utmost facility.
In making a wheel hub according to my invention, I drill holes through the
chain wheel, for half the number of spokes in the flange, and large enough for the
spoke heads to pass through. I then provide for the other half spokes as follows:
By means of a suitable drilling arrangement, I drill intermediate holes through the
flange only, but these holes are of such a size that a spoke passed through the
flange in the direction of the chain wheel will clear the periphery of said chain
wheel.
Each of such spokes is fitted with a suitably formed "bush" or "collar," which
fits into the large hole in the flange and is free to slide round the bent end of spoke
during the operation of threading.
Dated this 5th dur of Mar 1893

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Wheels for Velocipedes and
other Vehicles.
I, RICHARD HENRY LEA, Mechanical Engineer, of Stoke Green, Coventry,
in the County of Warwick, 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 :-
My invention relates to improvements in wheels for velocipedes and other
vehicles, and specially to that type of wheel having tangential spokes, such spokes
preferably being of the usual form with a short bend near the head which is fixed
in the flange of the hub, and the other end of the spoke terminating in a screwed
nipple at the felloe.
These spokes are easily passed through the flanges of hubs, except in the case
of a hub having its chain wheel, drum for band brake, or other similar piece,
in close proximity to the hub flange, and at the same time of larger diameter
than the aforesaid flange. It is of course obviously easy to drill holes through
the chain wheel (or other obstructive piece) to correspond with boles in flange,
and so thread the spokes through, but as the spokes cross each other at various
points, it is desirable for the spokes to be threaded alternately from each side of
the flange. The difficulty will at once be seen of passing a spoke through the
flange in the direction of the chain wheel. It is obviously possible to drill the
holes through the flange, at such an angle, that when passed through, the spokes
will clear the periphery of the chain wheel, but this is an unsatisfactory arrangement.
Great difficulty is experienced in forcing the short bent end of spoke into position
and the necessarily acute angle of the drilling tends to form a cutting edge to the
detriment of the spoke.
The usual method of overcoming the difficulty indicated, is to form the chain
wheel or other obstructive piece, separately from the hub, and screw or otherwise
affix it after the spokes have been inserted. This however entails considerable
expense in manufacture and introduces the risk of possible loosening and accident.
It also involves additional weight.
My invention is designed to eliminate these objectionable features, and at the
same time to make it possible, whilst constructing the hub of one solid piece, to
thread the spokes with the utmost facility.
My invention will be readily understood by the following description having
reference to the accompanying drawings, whereon
Figure 1 is an end view of a wheel hub having the chain wheel formed in a
piece therewith, a portion of the chain wheel being broken away in the drawing in
order to show the flange next the chain wheel.
Figure 2 is a sectional elevation on the line X Y of Fig. 1, illustrating the mode
of inserting the spokes, and
Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view drawn to a larger scale than the previous figures
and hereafter referred to.
Similar letters of reference refer to like parts in the various figures.
In making a wheel hub according to my invention I drill holes A through the
chain wheel B, for half the number of spokes to be passed into the holes C* in
the flange C, and large enough for the heads of the spokes D Fig. 2 to pass
through, I then provide for the passage of the other half of the spokes E as
follows: By means of a suitable drilling arrangement I drill intermediate holes C₁
through the flange C only, but these holes C' are of such a size that a spoke E
passed through the flange C in the direction of the chain wheel B will clear the
periphery of said chain wheel.

page_text: Each of such spokes E is fitted with a suitably formed "I
" bush " or
"collar" F
which fits into the large hole C' in the flange C, as is illustrated in the enlarged
detached view at Fig. 3 where the bush F is shown in position in the flange C.
The bush or collar F is free to slide round the bent end of spoke E during the
operation of threading.
Although the invention is shown applied to a wheel hub made in one solid piece
yet it must be clearly understood that the same is applicable to.hubs built up of
several pieces and having the chain wheel fixed by screws or otherwise, in which
case it has been common to "spoke" the wheel before the application of the chain
wheel, whereas by my invention it is not necessary to do so.
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 as my improvements in or connected with wheels for velocipedes and other
vehicles is:-
1. In a wheel hub with flanges and chain wheel or similar piece, forming holes C¹
through the flange C next the chain wheel, of a size whereby spokes passed through
the said holes C in the direction of the chain wheel will pass the periphery of the
latter substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
2. In a wheel hub with flanges and chain wheel or similar piece, forming holes C¹
through the flange C next the chain wheel of a size whereby spokes passed through
the said holes C in the direction of the chain wheel will pass the periphery of the
latter, in combination with loose collars on the spokes, which collars take into the
holes C all substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
3. In a wheel hub with flanges and chain wheel, the combination with holes A
in the chain wheel to enable the spokes to be passed through the holes in the
flange C in one direction; of intermediate holes C¹ in said flange, of a size to
allow the spokes to pass through in the other direction, and clear the periphery of
the chain wheel, together with the loose collars F on the spokes to take into the
said holes C¹ all substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described.
4. A wheel hub with flanges and chain wheel formed in one piece drilled with
holes C in flange C next the chain wheel and intermediate holes C in same flange
all constructed substantially as and for the purposes set forth with reference to
Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings.
Dated this 5th day of February 1894.
BREWER & SON,
London and Leeds, Agents for Applicant.