IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEELS APPLICABLE FOR TRACTION ENGINES, WAGGONS, VEHICLES." ANDOTHER
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Mackinder, of Merc Hall, Branston, in
the County of Lincoln, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WHEELS APPLICABLE FOR TRACTION ENGINES, WAGGONS,
VEHICLES."
AND OTHER
Sealed the 29th August 1871, and dated the 15th April 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Mackinder at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 15th April 1871.
I, WILLIAM MACKINDER, of Mere Hall, Branston, in the County of
"IM-
Lincoln, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
PROVEMENTS IN WHEELS APPLICABLE FOR TRACTION ENGINES, WAGGONS, AND OTHER
VEHICLES," to be as follows:-
Heretofore it bas been proposed to form wheels with clastic tyres
in order that a greater portion of the periphery of the wheel may bear
upon the land and obtain a greater hold upon it when the wheel is
to be used as a driving wheel. With the same objects wheels have
also been provided around their periphery with sliding blocks pressed

page_text: outwards away from the wheel by an elastic tyre of vulcanized india-
rubber.
According to my Invention I apply around the periphery of a wheel
a number of iron shoes of a trough section, the shoes being placed
transversely across the wheel with the base of the trough outwards.
Between each shoe and the periphery of the wheel is placed a laminated
or bent steel spring fixed at its centre to the periphery of the wheel,
whilst at its ends it bears against the interior of the trough-shaped shoe
near its two ends and presses the shoe outwards away from the wheel.
The wheel is, by preference, formed of wrought iron and with a flange
on each side of it projecting beyond the periphery. The base of each
trough-shaped shoe is turned upwards at its ends, and the turned-up
ends come on the outside of the flanges around the wheels. The sides of
the trough-shaped shoes are bent over along their edges to form flanges
projecting outwards from them; or they have projecting flanges attached
to them. Between the adjacent sides of the several shoes bars are
fixed across from the flange on one side of the wheel to the flange on
the opposite side. These bars serve as guides between which the shoes
are free to slide inwards or outwards, and as they come above the
flanges which project outwards from the sides of the trough-shaped shoes
they limit the extent to which the shoes can be pressed outwards from
the wheel. Notches are formed in the side flanges of the wheel to
receive the ends of the bars, and the bars are thus retained from moving
around the wheel, whilst the bars are affixed at their ends to the wheel
by bolts or otherwise.
In place of employing laminated or bent springs, springs of other
form may be employed in conjunction with the trough-shaped shoes, as,
for example, coiled springs placed near the ends of each trough may
be employed; or the trough-shaped shoes together with their retaining
guide and stop bars may be employed together with an elastic tyre of
vulcanized india-rubber placed between them and the periphery of the
wheel, the trough shocs in this case being made shallower, and the
outer circumference of the vulcanised india-rubber tyre being shaped to
fit into the interior of the trough-shaped shoes.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Mackinder in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 14th October 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MACKINDER, of Mere Hall, Branston, in the County of Lincoln, send
grecting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand cight hundred and seventy-one, in the thirty-
fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said William Mackinder, Her special license
that I, tho said William Mackinder, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said William Mackinder, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WHEELS APPLICABLE FOR TRACTION ENGINES, WAGGONS, AND OTHER VEHICLES,"
upon the condition (amongst others), that I, the said William Mackinder,
my exccutors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Mackinder, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement thereof, that is to say :—
Heretofore it has been proposed to form wheels with clastic tyres
in order that a greater portion of the periphery of the wheel may bear
upon the land and obtain a greater hold upon it when the wheel is
to be used as a driving wheel. With the same objects wheels have
also been provided around their periphery with sliding blocks pressed
outwards away from the wheel by an clastic tyre of vulcanized india-
rubber.

page_text: According to my Invention I apply around the periphery of a wheel
a number of iron shoes of a trough section, the shoes being placed
transversely across the wheel with the base of the trough outwards.
Between each shoe and the periphery of the wheel is placed a laminated
or bent steel spring fixed at its centro to the periphery of the wheel,
whilst at its ends it bears against the interior of the trough-shaped shoe
near its two ends and presses the shoe outwards away from the wheel.
The wheel is, by preference, formed of wrought iron and with a flange
on each side of it projecting beyond the periphery. The base of each
trough-shaped shoe is turned upwards at its ends, and the turned-up
ends come on the outside of the flanges around the wheels. The sides of
the trough-shaped shoes are bent over along their edges to form flanges
projecting outwards from them, or they have projecting flanges attached
to them. Between the adjacent sides of the several shoes bars are
fixed across from the flange on one side of the wheel to the flange on
the opposite side. These bars serve as guides between which the shoes
are free to slide inwards or outwards, and as they come above the
flanges which project outwards from the sides of the trough-shaped shoes
they limit the extent to which the shoes can be pressed outwards from
the wheel. Notches are formed in the side flanges of the wheel to
receive the ends of the bars, and the bars are thus retained from moving
around the wheel whilst the bars are affixed at their ends to the wheel
by bolts or otherwise.
In place of employing laminated or bent springs, springs of other
form may be employed in conjunction with the trough-shaped shoes, as,
for example, coiled springs placed near the ends of each trough may
be employed; or the trough-shaped shoes with their stop flanges and
with the retaining guide and stop bars may be employed together with
an clastic tyre of vulcanized india-rubber placed between them and
the periphery of the wheel, the trough shoes in this case being made
shallower, and the outer circumference of the vulcanized india-rubber
tyre being shaped to fit into the interior of the trough-shaped shoes.
Figure 1 is a side view, partly in section, and Figure 2 is an end view
also partly in section, of a wheel constructed as above described. The
wheel shewn is applicable as the driving wheel of a traction or road
engine.
In these Figures A, A, represent the transverse shoes, which are
ranged around the periphery of the wheel B. The wheel B is formed

page_text: with side flanges B' around its periphery, and the shoes at their ends are,
by preference, formed to embrace these flanges, as shewn at Figure 2;
this prevents the shoes moving endwise. C, C, are the laminated springs
by which the shoes are pressed outwards; they are fixed at their centre
to the periphery of the wheel B by clip pieces b, as shewn, and they
bear at their ends against the interior of the shoes A. The shoes A are
held on to the wheel by straps or bars D, which are bolted to the side
flanges B'. These bars form guides between which the shoes can move
freely inwards and outwards. When any one or other of the shoes bears
upon the ground it is pressed inwards towards the wheel B, but so soon
as by the onward travelling of the wheel it is raised off the land it is
again pressed outwards until the flanges A' which are formed at its
sides come against the bars D; any further outward movement of the
shoe is then arrested. E is a toothed ring bolted to one side of the
wheel to allow of the wheel being driven by a pinion receiving motion
from the driving shaft of the engine. When constructing a wheel
simply to be used as a bearing wheel and not as a driving wheel, this
toothed ring is omitted, and the wheel may be formed on both sides
alike.
The manner in which I prefer to form the solid portion B of the wheel
is clearly shewn by the Drawing. I would, however, state that this
part of the wheel may be constructed in other convenient manner.
In place also of laminated springs C, such as shewn by the Drawing,
other form of spring or springs might, as above stated, be employed for
pressing outwards the shoes A. I, however, prefer to employ laminated
springs applied in the manner above described and shewn by the
Drawing.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner
in which I prefer to carry the same into effect, I would have it under-
stood that what I claim is,―
1. The combination of transverse springs composed of plates of steel
with transverse shoes or bearing plates, substantially as herein described.
2. The forming the shoes or bearing plates with flanges at their sides
to serve as stops to retain the shoes or bearing plates on to the body of
the wheel, substantially as hercin described.

page_text: 3. The combined arrangement of wheel, substantially as herein de-
scribed and shewn by the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Mackinder, have hereunto
set my hand and scal, this Thirteenth day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.