Improvements in or relating to Metallic Wheels and the Method of Making the same.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd May, 1893-Accepted, 2nd June, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Metallic Wheels and the Method
of Making the same.
A communication by JOSEPH W. BETTENDORF, of Springfield, in the State of
Ohio, United States of America.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street Man-
chester, both in the County of Lancaster and 323 High Holborn, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil 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 metallic wheels, and it consists of an improved wheel
designed to combine durability, lightness and strength, and comprising two metallic
blanks or members placed face to face and secured together at the hub, spokes and
felloe, and provided with a tire.
The invention also consists in the method of forming the members and of
assembling the same to constitute the wheel.
It also consists in the details of construction and combinations of parts herein-
after described and claimed.
In carrying out this method two circular blanks are first provided, each being
formed at the centre with an annular flange struck up therefrom, and portions of
the blank being cut away to leave the spokes and felloe. Next, the spokes and
felloe are given the form which they are to have in the finished wheel, then the
blanks are placed face to face, and are secured together at the hub, spokes and
inner edge of the felloe. The tire is then applied and the hub provided with the
usual bushing or box.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is an elevation of one of the blanks from which the wheel is formed;
Figure 2 is an edge view of the same showing the hub struck up therefrom;
Figure 3 is an elevation showing the blank cut away at the proper points to
leave the spokes and felloe;
Figure 4 is a view showing the edge of the blank bent outward to form the
felloe;
Figure 5 is a side elevation of the completed wheel;
Figure 6 is a section through the same on line 6-6 of Figure 5;
Figure 7 is a horizontal section through one of the spokes on the line 7-7 of
Figure 6; and
Figure 8 is a similar section on the line 8-8 of Figure 6.
Referring to the drawings,-
--
In carrying out the invention, two circular sheet metal blanks A are first
provided as represented in Figure 1, and these are formed at the centre, by means
of a punching or drawing operation, or by any other suitable means, with an
annular projecting flange, a, designed to constitute the hub.
Next, portions of this blank are cut away leaving radial strips bb, etcetera, and
a surrounding connecting rim d designed to constitute, respectively, the spokes and
the felloe of the wheel. By any appropriate means, the radial strips 66 are then
grooved or dished and the surrounding rim d is bent outward and an inwardly-
projecting flange d' is formed thereon, as represented in Figure 4, so that in
elevation the blank will represent the appearance indicated in Figure 5. Two of
such blanks are next placed face to face with the proiecting surfaces outward, and

page_text: spokes and between the same at the hub and felloe, as plainly represented in
Figure 6.
The blanks may be connected by any suitable means, such as the electric welding
operation, but in the drawings the edge of one blank is represented bent laterally
across that of the other and then against the side of the same adjacent to its edge.
Finally, the tire e is applied and the hub provided with the usual bushing f, which
may be of any appropriate material.
In order to prevent the flange and felloe from binding, and to give the same the
requisite strength to withstand the shrinking of the tire, transverse corrugations g
are formed therein.
It will be observed that the body of the wheel is composed of but two members,
and that the hub, spokes and felloe are integral parts thereof. Owing to this
construction and to the fact that these two members are connected along the edges
of the spokes and between them at the hub and felloe, the wheel will possess
lightness, durability and strength.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, 1 declare that what I claim is :-
1. The improved method of making metallic wheels, consisting in providing two
metallic blanks, forming the same at the centre with an annular flange, removing
portions of the blank to leave radial strips, and a surrounding rim, grooving said
strips and rim, placing the blanks face to face, and securing the same together.
2. The improved method of making wheels which consists in providing two
sheet metal circular blanks, forming the same at the centre with an annular flange,
cutting away portions of the blank to leave radial strips and a surrounding rim,
dishing the strips and bending the rim outward, applying the same face to face,
securing them together along the edges and finally applying the tire.
3. The improved wheel consisting of two metallic members or sections cut out
to form integral hub, spokes, and felloes, in skeleton form, said skeleton sections
placed together, face to face and united continuously along their meeting edges.
4. A metallic wheel comprising two complementary sections cut out and stamped
or bent to form integral hub, spokes and felloe, placed together face to face and
united along their meeting edges.
5. The improved wheel, consisting of the two metallic members each provided
with the central annular flange, radial grooved spokes and a grooved felloe, and
secured together along the edges of the same.
6. In a metallic wheel, the combination, with the felloe provided with inwardly-
projecting flanges and the transverse corrugations therein, of the grooved tire
Beated upon said flanges.
7. In a metallic wheel, the combination with the two metallic members cach
provided with radial grooved strips and the surrounding outwardly bent rim secured
together along the edges of the strips and between the same at the hub and felloe
of the tire.
Dated this 1st day of Now 1000
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.