CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT OF IRON AND OTHER METAL WHEELS FOR CARRIAGES
Year: 1834

page_text: TO ALL WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PENNOCK
TIGAR, of Grove Hili, in the Parish of Saint Nicholas, in the Liberties of
Beverley, in the County of York, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty William the Fourth did, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of that part of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland called England, bearing date at Westminster, the
Thirteenth day of January, in the fourth year of His reign, give and grant
unto me, the said Pennock Tigar, my executors, administrators, and assigns.
Ilis especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said
Pennock Tigar, my executors, administrators, and assigns, during the term of
years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my
Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT
OF IRON AND OTHER METAL WHEELS FOR CARRIAGES;" in which said Letters
Patent there is contained a proviso that I, the said Pennock Tigar, shall
cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, to be enrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within two calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in
part recited Letters Patent, reference being thereunto had, may more fully
and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Pennock Tigar, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be known and performed, are particu-

page_text: larly described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof,
reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and
letters marked thereon, that is to say:-
My Invention consists of a wrought iron or other metal wheel or wheels for
the use of carriages, whether such carriages are drawn or intended to be
moved by horses or other animal power, or are to be impelled or actuated by
inanimate power. The wheel or wheels may be made, constructed, and formed
of malleable or wrought iron, copper, brass, or such other metals, or combi-
nations or alloys of metals, as may be considered best adapted for the purpose
to which the said wheel or wheels is to be applied. My wheel is intended to
carry the weight transported both by suspension of the axle from the upper
parts of the felloe or rim, and by resting the axle upon those spokes or radii
which are below the level of the axle, and between the axle and the felloe or
rim of the wheel. To rest the axle upon the spokes or radii below the level of
the axle is an old custom, and to suspend the axle from that part of the felloe
or rim which is uppermost is a custom already extensively introduced. In my
wheel employ such an arrangement as is hereafter described, in which I
provide that the spokes or radii of the wheel shall perform the two-fold office
of propping and suspending at one and the same time, by which I conceive that
inetal wheels may be made of lighter substance, for the reason that the spoke
or spokes above which the axle rests cannot so easily bend, break, or twist out
of their position when the spoke or spokes upon the upper part of the wheel
are so situated as to allow their strength to be availed of by suspension. I
consider it to be a great object to have the spokes of a wheel so made and
arranged that the felloe shall always be kept at the same distance from the
centre of the wheel, and that all the radii of the wheel be of equal length; 1
therefore provide for this by screwing the ends of the spokes or radii into
both the felloe and nave, by which means the spokes will resist either a
thrust or a pull, and is better prepared for the casualties of breakage in the
other spokes of the wheel. On the Drawings hereunto annexed the wheel is
exhibited. The same letters refer to the same parts wherever they can be
seen on the different Figures. Figure 1 is a perspective view of my wrought-
iron wheel when the spokes or radii are solid rods. Figure 2 is a vertical
section of the same wheel, showing the manner in which the spokes are
screwed into the felloe and nave. Figure 3 is a cross section of the nave;
parts of some of the spokes are seen radiating from the nave. Figure 4 is a
vertical section, shewing how the arrangement of the spokes may be varied in
order to give the wheel a different appearance. Figure 7 is a perspective
view of a wheel made with hollow wrought-iron spokes or tubes of wrought

page_text: iron. Figure 8 is a vertical section of the same wheel, showing the manner
in which the spokes are screwed into the felloe and nave. I recommend the
use of the best wrought iron, known by the name of scrap iron. The manner
of construction which I have adopted will be known by the following
description. Figure 1 is a perspective view of one arrangement which I have
adopted. The nave A, 1, (sec Figures 1, 2, 3), is formed of wrought iron. It
is turned in the lathe, or by means of other tools. The interior of it is then
bored out either to receive and fit the axle, or in such manner that a box may
be inserted. In this instance I have merely represented it as bored out.
Screw holes, according to the number of spokes to be used, are then tapped
into the nave at B, B,B, &c. (see Figures 1, 2, 3); the wrought-iron felloe
C, C, C, &c. (see Figures 1, 2, 4,) is next prepared with the same number of
screw holes as there are in the nave, such holes being at the proper distances
from each other, and made in the proper centre line of direction. The
spokes D may be formed with their ends thicker than the rest of the spoke.
In such case these ends have a screw cut with the same thread at each end.
The end intended to be screwed into the nave is screwed completely through
the female screw in the felloe or rim, and when the spoke is brought in
contact with the nave it may be screwed round so as to enter the male screw
in the nave at the same moment that the male screw at the outer end enters
into the felloe. The spokes may be formed in the manner represented in
Figure 5, with the inner end of the spoke formed with a smaller screw at K,
and having a large screw at the outer ends of the spoke at L. The screws
may in some cases be tapered with considerable advantage. In Figure 5 it
will be seen that a square head has been formed upon the outer end of the
spoke in order to facilitate the turning of the spoke round in the act of
serowing. This square head is afterwards cut off so that no part of the spoke
shall be seen outside of the felloe, and this provision I recommend where the
spokes are to be highly polished or ornamented. It will be seen that the
spokes are capable of being covered with thin brass or other ornament, if such
should be wished. The spokes of the wheel may be made of hollow tubes in
the manner shewn on Figures 7, 8, and 9, and this is a good method for com-
bining lightness and strength. The method of fastening them into the felloe
and nave will be understood by the description I have given above of Figures 1,
2, and 3. Figure 6 is a brass cap which I have used to cover in the outer
end of the nave. The form, and even the necessity for such a cap, will depend
upon the kind of axle which may be used, as well as other circumstances.
Figure 9 represents a hollow spoke, with a core in the inside made of light
pine wood. The spokes may be made either round or of such forms as would

page_text: present eleptical or egg-shaped cross sections, or they may be varied into other
shapes according to circumstances.
I have now described my improvements in the construction and arrangement
of motal wheels, with reference to the annexed Drawings, in such a manner as
to enable persons conversant with works of a similar nature to practise the
Invention, and I hereby declare that I do not claim as my Invention the mere
suspension of the weight at the axle from the upper part of the rim or felloe,
nor do I claim as any part of my Invention the resting entirely of the weight
at the axle upon that part of the wheel which is below the line of the axle.
I do not limit my claim to the process of construction which I have thought
it advisable to detail above. But I claim as my Invention that construction
and arrangement of wrought-iron wheels for carriages (more particularly
described above) whereby the wrought-iron spokes or radii, whether solid or
hollow, are placed and affixed betwixt the wrought-iron felloe and wrought-
iron nave, so as to distribute the strain (as much as possible), over every part
of the wheel, thus preserving the true circular shape of the wheel.
Further, I claim as my Invention the mode of attaching the spokes or radii
by means of their screwed ends, whatever kind of screw or screws may be
used for that purpose, into the nave and into the rim or felloc.
Further, claim as my Invention such construction and arrangement,
whether the wheel or wheels be made of wrought iron. of copper, or of other
metal or metals, or mixture of metals. And I do not limit my claim for any
particular kind of road.
In witness whereof, 1, the said Pennock Tigar, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of March, One thousand eight