An Improved Tool or Apparatus for use in Manufacturing India-rubber Tyres.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd June, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 2nd Mar., 1893-Accepted, 22nd Apr., 1893-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Tool or Apparatus for use in Manufacturing
India-rubber Tyres.
We, CHARLES KINGSTON WELCH, of Fairmead Philip Lane, Tottenham in
the County of Middlesex, Engineer, and HARVEY DU CROS, Chairman of The
Pneumatic Tyre and Booth's Cycle Agency Limited, of Oriel House, Westland
Row, Dublin, in the County of Wicklow, Ireland, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
T
:-
Our invention relates to an improved tool or apparatus for use in manufacturing
india-rubber tyres.
The covers of jackets of pneumatic and other tyres are usually made on a
circular rim known in the trade as a mandrel or "former." The "formers".
generally used for making certain kinds of cushion tyres or the covers or sheaths
which form the treads of pneumatic or air inflated tyres are usually of a semicircular
or arched section.
In the Specification of British Letters Patent No. 14563 of 1890 granted to the
said Charles Kingston Welch a cover or sheath for a pneumatic and various arched
forms of cushion tyres are described which are provided with continuous wires or
other inelastic cores enclosed in the edges of the same in order to hold them on to
the rim of the vehicle wheel. These wires or cores are made into continuous rings
or annuli before the cover or tyre is formed enclosing the same. It is obvious that
if a cover or tyre of this description be made on an ordinary "former" the wire
rings or annuli being smaller in diameter than the largest diameter of the "former
will prevent the said cover or tyre from being taken off the "former" after the
operation of forming the same is finished.
"
The object of our present invention is to make a "former" which although rigid
while the cover or tyre is being formed thereon is collapsible or capable of being.
taken to pieces when the cover or tyre is formed or finished. The cover or tyre
can then be taken off the said "former" without being in any way stretched or
strained.
As an example of one method of carrying our invention into practice we make
the "former" in sections or segments which may if required be hinged or connected.
together in any suitable manner at the joints, one or more joints being provided
with a temporary connection such as a bolt or catch which when released will allow
the sections of the "former" to collapse inwards and the cover or tyre to be
removed.
"
"
We may provide the "former" with projecting rings or ledges at each side and
the continuous wires which are slightly larger in circumference than the said
projecting rings or ledges, may then be placed in the outer angles between the
said ledges and the outermost surface of the "former so as to be easily kept in
place during the manufacture of the tyre or cover. The said projecting rings or
ledges may be made in one piece with the body of the "former or they may be
placed in grooves channels or otherwise attached to the same. We may sometimes
arrange the grooves or attachments so that projecting rings of slightly different
diameters may be used with the same "former." When the tyre or cover is
finished the projecting rings or ledges are first removed from the grooves, the catch
or bolt is then withdrawn and the "former" collapsed or closed together or taken
to pieces, the finished cover or tyre can then be taken away.
According to another method of carrying out our invention we may use a
cylindrical frame or pulley on the outside of which, sections or segments forming
a projecting rim of a suitable arched shape may be temporarily secured by any

page_text: suitable means, this projecting rim is of the same shape as the inside of the tyre or
cover to be formed. The periphery of the cylindrical frame is wider than the
arched projecting rim and the edges thereof take the place of the projecting rings
or ledges herein above mentioned, the continuous wires or cores being laid in the
angles between the cylindrical frame and the projecting rim. When the tyre or
cover is finished the projecting rim which is now inside the said tyre or cover may
be slipped off the cylindrical frame or pulley and then taken to pieces or collapsed
thus releasing the finished tyre or cover.
In a slight modification of this last method we may arrange that the projecting
rim be formed of a canvas or other tube or arch covering an indiarubber tube
which is capable of inflation. The cover or tyre is formed upon the canvas or
other projecting rim and when the operation of forming is completed the india-
rubber tube may be deflated thus releasing the cover or tyre.
Our improved former may be made of wood or any suitable metal and in the
latter case the tyre may be vulcanized before removal from the said "former."
We sometimes mount our improved "former" on a radial arm arranged to turn
round a pivot and we may if required employ suitable means, such as for instance a
treadle, to give a motion of rotation to the "former" when the cover or tyre is
being made thereon.
Although we have herein described suitable methods of carrying out our said
invention it is obvious that these methods are capable of considerable modification
without departing from the nature of our invention.
Dated this 3rd day of June 1892.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Tool or Apparatus for use in Manufacturing
India-rubber Tyres.
We, CHARLES KINGSTON WELCH, of The Hollies, Eaton Road, Coventry in
the County of Warwick, late of Fairmead, Philip Lane Tottenham, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, and HARVEY DU CROS, Chairman of the Pneumatic
Tyre and Booth's Cycle Agency Limited, of Oriel House, Westland Row,
Dublin, in the County of Dublin, Ireland, 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 an improved tool or apparatus for use in manufacturing
india-rubber tyres.
"
"The covers or jackets of pneumatic and other tyres are usually made on a circular
rim known in the trade as a mandrel or "former." The "formers generally
used for making certain kinds of cushion tyres or the covers or sheaths which form
the treads of pneumatic or air inflated tyres are usually of a semicircular or arched
section.
In the Specification of British Letters Patent No. 14563 of 1890 granted to
the said Charles Kingston Welch a cover or sheath for a pneumatic and various
arched forms of cushion tyres are described which are provided with continuous
wires or other inelastic cores enclosed in the edges of the same in order to hold
them on to the rim of the vehicle wheel. These wires or cores are made into
continuous rings or annuli before the cover or tyre is formed enclosing the same.
It is obvious that if a cover or tyre of this description be made on an ordinary
"former" the wire rings or annuli being smaller in diameter than the largest
diameter of the "former" will prevent the said cover or tyre from being taken off
the "former" after the operation of forming the same is finished.
The object of the present invention is to make a collapsable "former" which

page_text: can be made sufficiently rigid to allow of the cover or tyre being formed thereon
and which may be taken to pieces or folded to allow of the removal of the
formed cover or tyre without in any way stretching or straining the said cover
or tyre.
In order that our invention may be more clearly understood we will now
proceed to describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, in
which
Figure 1 is an elevation of one of our improved formers.
Figure 2 is a section on the line xx, Figure 1 part being broken away.
Figures 3 to 8 are detail sectional views shewing various modes of construction
of our improved "formers."
Figure 9 is a side view of a "former" fitted with a collapsing arm.
Similar letters of reference denote similar parts in all the drawings.
"
In Figures 1 and 2 A is the rim of the "former " which is made of any
suitable material preferably wood and constructed of a suitable number of segments
hinged together at joints a a. The hinge pin a' of one of the joints a can be
withdrawn when required allowing the "former to be collapsed or folded up as
shewa in dotted lines so that the canvas jacket when finished can be taken off
the "former." Any suitable catch or spring may be used to effect the temporary
connection of one of the joints but the loose hinge pin is a very neat and satis-
factory device. The section of the "former" is shewn in Figure 2, where A is
the rim of the "former" and B is the arched canvas cover having endless wires.or
cores b secured in position in its edges.
While the tyre is being made on the "former" the said wires find a seating
in the angles a, a, thus enabling the canvas to be drawn very tightly round the
wires.
"
"
Instead of using a wooden "former we sometimes make the rim of the same of:
metal which may be cast in hollow sections of a shape similar to the sections of the
wooden "former shewn, but we prefer to make the sections of two metal.
plates A', A', with their edges rolled or folded together as shewn in Figure 3
which is a sectional view of the rim. The two plates may obviously be joined in
various ways.
In Figure 4, A is a jointed collapsable wooden rim of the shape which the'
interior of the tyre cover is to have when finished, and C is a pulley with a cylin-
drical rim which is wider than the wooden rim A. When the canvas portion of
the tyre cover is finished, the wooden rim may be slipped off the pulley and.
collapsed or folded together and the canvas very readily detached. The angles a³.
are formed at the junction of the pulley C and the wooden rim A. In place of a
wooden rim we sometimes use an inflated tube of suitable size with the pulley C
as shewn at A Figure 5. The tube A is maintained flat at the side next the pulley.
by means of an endless band E placed in its interior, the said band being of
such a size as will cause the tube to press tightly against the pulley so as to form :
the angles at a² and also to keep the tube in a proper shape.
When it is required to take off the finished canvas band the tube is first deflated:
and slipped off the pulley C.
"
In another former the section of the rim of which is shown in Figure 6, we
provide grooves a³ in which the wires are seated while the canvas cover is be.ng.
made, and we sometimes provide different sets of grooves as shewn at a.so that
tyres of different diameters may be made on the same "former"; or we deepen the
grooves considerably and provide metal or wooden rims F which fit in the same
and thus make the angles a' for the reception of the wires or cores in the edges of
the cover as shewn in Figure 7. In the. "formers shewn in Figures 6 and
the wooden part is made collapsable and the hoops, bands, or rims Fare detached
from the grooves before folding the wooden part so as to release the cover.
In Figure 8 we shew another method of adapting a
"former to make tyres of
different depths or diameters. A is the wooden rim of a "former" like that shewn,
in Figure 1 and H are rings placed round the sides of the "former
"
"
so as to bring
:

page_text: the angles a nearer to the outermost part of the circumference. The depth or:
diameter of the finished tyre is then diminished by an amount equal to the thickness.
of the rings H. The said rings are kept in position where in use by the buttons h
Figures 1 and 8.
It is often a matter of difficulty if the canvas cover is well made to replace the
same on a "former" when once it has been taken off the latter and we may there-
fore furnish any of the collapsing "formers" with an arm or lever G Figure 9.
which links those sections A* A* of the former which are only temporarily connected
together. On pressing the arm or lever the "former" collapses as shewn in dotted
lines in Figure 9.
The "former" preferably has an arm I which is pivotted near the centre of
the former on a stand and a treadle or other means is sometimes provided in
order to admit of a rotary motion being given to the "former' while it is
being used.
"
Wooden "formers" are apt to shrink after being used for some time and thus.
become too small for the size of the tyres which are intended to be made on them,
in order to obviate this difficulty we may provide that one of the sections shall:
be capable of being lengthened circumferentially as shewn at A' Figures 1 and 2.
The said section is divided and one part thereof adjustably connected to the other
part by a plate J which is rigidly secured to one part by the bolts j, but which
is attached to the other part by bolts passing through a slot in the said plate.
It is obvious that by slacking the bolts the parts can be adjusted till the "former'
is of the correct circumference. When our improved "former is made of metal
the tyre may be vulcanized before removal from the said "former."
"
When securing.the outer india-rubber portion of the tyre cover to the inner
canvas lining, we often use an inflated air tube for holding the lining in a.
circular shape, such an inflated holder is very light and easily handled and it
may be deformed from its circular shape so as to release the finished tyre cover
without trouble.
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 :-
1. An improved collapsable tool or "former" having a rim which when expanded
is shaped externally to the size and shape of the interior of the tyre or tyre cover
to be formed thereon, the said rim being further provided with angular or other
grooves to receive the wires or cores in the edges of the tyre or tyre cover,
substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
"
2. The combination with an outer collapsable part shaped when expanded to fit
the interior of the tyre or tyre cover, of a rigid cylindrical part wider than the
collapsable part on which the said collapsable part can be supported, substantially
as, and for the purpose, specified.
"
3. An improved tool or "former constructed substantially as described with
reference to Figures 1 and 2 or. to any of the Figures 3, 6, 7, 8 or of the
accompanying drawings, for the purpose specified.
•
4. An improved tool or "former" constructed substantially as described with
reference to Figure 4 or to Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings, for the purpose
specified.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co..
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.