IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEELS FOR VEHICLES
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Hazeldine, of Lant Street, in the Borough of
Southwark, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEELS FOR VEHICLES."
Sealed the 15th October 1878. and dated the 4th May 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Hazeldine at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 4th May 1878.
FREDERICK HAZELDINE, of Lant Street, in the Borough of Southwark.
PROVEMENTS IN WHEELS FOR VEHICLES."
"IM-
My Invention relates to improvements in wheels for vehicles, having for object to
lighten their construction, increase their durability, and also afford facilities for
renewing defective spokes without the necessity of removing the tyre and rim of
the wheel as in ordinary.
According to my Invention the ends of the spokes are received in malleable cast-
iron or other metal sockets fixed to the stock and rim, in case of wood being used,
but cast on the stock and rim, if of metal. In this manner the spokes need not be
weakened by tenoning the ends to fit into mortises in the stock and rim, and a
lighter kind of spoke may be thus employed, possessing the same strength.
The spoke socket to be attached to the wheel stock in the case of wood wheels, is
formed of one or more tubular projections or tenons either plain or with a screw
cast or cut thereon, which are driven into mortises made in the stock, and the
socket which may also be provided with projecting flanges for screwing down upon
the stock, is made of a shape to embrace three sides of the squared and dovetail-
shaped end of the spoke, which is inserted at the open side of the socket and secured
by a bolt, key, or rivet passing through the socket and spoke, and also through a
plate or washer, which is applied upon the open side of the socket, the open edges
of the latter being then closed down upon the spoke end, so as to firmly unite the
whole together. This washer or plate may also have projecting flanges at bottom
for screwing it to the stock.
Similar sockets are also provided to receive the opposite ends of the
spokes, but in this case without any lateral opening, the spoke being inserted end-

page_text: wise therein. The sockets may, however, be formed with an opening as before, if
desired. These sockets are attached to the sections of the rim by a single tubular
projection or tenon formed therewith, either plain or with a screw thereon, which
is received in a hole made in the felloe, and a flanged base is also formed on the
socket, which is screwed to the felloe. These sockets may be used to fix the spokes
to the felloe in the ordinary position, but in order to prevent the felloes opening
downwards at the joints, to which they are liable through wear, it is proposed to fix
the sockets at the intersections of the rim instead of at intermediate points as usual,
by which means a rigid support for the felloes is at all times afforded, and the wheel
is prevented from getting out of shape, even in the event, as sometimes happens, of
a tyre coming off while in use.
In constructing a wheel on the above system a suitable number of sockets are
fixed or cast around the stock, and also fixed to the felloes, the spokes being first
inserted in the former and bolted or rivetted therein, the tongue socket then driven
on and the wheel finished as in ordinary. To put in a spoke without taking the
tyre off, the old one is knocked out and the new one being prepared is first inserted
in the tongue socket, and then forced into the foot socket on stock and secured.
Another part of the Invention relates to a means of tightening up a tyre when
it becomes slack without the necessity, as at present, of removing the wheel from
the axle for the purpose.
The improvement consists in the insertion at one or more joints of the circum-
ference of the wheel, of a metallic dowell pin, having a right and left handed screw
thread formed thereon, screwing into nuts let into recesses made in the abutting
surfaces of the felloes. A small opening formed on the back of the felloe for the
insertion of a key in holes made in the screw dowell pin, so as by turning the same
to force the felloes apart, and so tighten up the tyre.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Frederick Hazeldine in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
4th November 1878.
FREDERICK HAZELDINE, of Lant Street, in the Borough of Southwark.
PROVEMENTS IN WHEELS FOR VEHICLES."
"IM-
My Invention relates to wheels for vehicles, and has for its object to lighten their
construction, increase their durability, and enable defective spokes to be readily
renewed without removing the tyre and felloes.
According to my Invention the ends of the spokes are received in inetal sockets
fixed to the stock or nave, and rim, if of wood, or cast thereon, if of, metal. In the
former case, the base of the sockets may or may not have one or more tubular pro-
jections or tenons, screw-threaded or not, to be screwed or driven into the nave and
rim, and in addition thereto or in lieu thereof, the sockets may have projecting ears
to be secured by screws to the nave and rim.
The sockets at the inner or outer ends of the spokes (but generally those attached
to the nave) are made of a shape to embrace the squared and dovetail-shaped end of
the spoke on three sides only to enable a new spoke to be inserted without removing
the tyre and felloe, and the spoke is secured by a plate or washer applied to the
open side of the socket, and by a bolt, key, or rivet passing through the whole,
after which the sides of the socket are closed against the spoke end, so as to embrace
it firmly.
The plate may also have an ear for screwing it to the nave. The sockets at the
other ends of the spokes have no opening at back, the spokes being inserted end-
wise therein. By the use of these sockets the spokes are not weakened by tenoning
the ends into the nave and rim as usual. The sockets may be fixed to the
felloes in the ordinary positions, but in order to prevent the joints of the felloes
opening, I propose to fix the sockets at the joints instead of at intermediate points,
as usual, so as to afford a rigid support for the felloes at all times, and prevent
the wheel getting out of shape even should the tyre come off while in use.
In constructing the wheel the spokes are first inserted in the "foot" sockets fixed
or cast on the stock or nave, and bolted or rivetted therein; the "tongue" sockets
are then driven on the outer ends of the spokes, the felloes then attached thereto,
and the wheel finished as in ordinary. To put in a spoke afterwards without
taking off the tyre, or even removing the sockets, the old one is knocked out and
the new one is first inserted in the "tongue" socket, and then forced into the "foot"
socket on the stock, and secured as above described.
The words tongue and foot are here used to designate the ends of the spokes
and their respective sockets, although the spokes have not the tenons on the ends
usually known by those names.
Another part of the Invention relates to means of tightening up a tyre when it
becomes slack, and consists in the insertion at one or more joints of the rim of a
right and left screw-threaded dowel screwing into nuts let into the ends of thie
felloes. A small opening at the back of the felloe allows a key to be inserted in
holes in the screw by which to turn it to force the felloes apart and tighten up the
rim in the tyre.

page_text: cast on it.
Figure 9 is a part section of a cast-iron stock or nave with the "foot" sockets
Figure 10 shows part of a cast-iron rim with the "tongue" sockets cast on the
felloes.
Figure 11 is a section of part of a wooden rim, showing the tightener inserted at
the joints.
Referring to Figures 1 to 6, the "foot" sockets A are made preferably of malleable
cast iron, consist of a base a curved to the circumference of the nave, and three
sides a', a', a², of which two a¹ are inclined inwards, so as to enclose a space of
dovetailed form as shown, the rear side a being open for the insertion of the dove-
tailed end or "foot" of the spoke B. From the under side of the base a project
one or two dowels or cylindrical tenous b, cast tubular for the sake of lightness, to
be driven into corresponding holes bored in the nave. If one dowel or tenon only
is employed it may have a screw thread cut or cast on it and be screwed in.
Instead, however, of being cylindrical the tenon or tenons might be square or
rectangular.
The fourth side of the socket is closed by a plate or washer c, and the spoke is
retained in the socket by a screw bolt or rivet d, passing through the socket spoke
and washer, and secured, if a bolt, by a nut at back, and by bending the sides a¹, a¹,
inwards, close around the spoke, as indicated by Figures 3 and 6, which respectively
show the form of the socket before and after bending the sides.
E, Figures 1, 2, 7, and 8, are the sockets to receive the outer ends of the spokes.
They are of oval form, corresponding to the cross section of the spokes, and the
sides are parallel externally, and slightly taper internally. The base may have two
laterally projecting ears e, by which the socket may be screwed to the rim. There
is but one tenon b in this case, and it is preferably screw-threaded to screw into the
rim, but it may be plain and be merely driven in. The sockets, shown in Figures
3, 4, 5, 6, may also have ears e for the saine purpose.
Instead of the "foot" sockets A being open at back for the insertion of the spoke
as above described, they might be closed on all four sides (in which case the foot of
the spoke would not be dovetailed), and the "tongue" sockets E might have an
opening at back instead for the same purpose, the spoke being secured by a
bolt or rivet as above described for the other sockets.
Figure 9 shows the nave and sockets in one, of malleable cast iron; F is the box
of the nave of chilled iron. The nave may be made as represented either in the
upper or lower half of the Figure, which shows two different constructions. In the
upper half the nave is cast hollow with diaphragms into which the box F is screwed,
and in the lower half f is a wooden lining driven into the nave and bored out to
receive the box F, which is fixed therein with wedges in the ordinary manner.
The nave may however be cast solid, if preferred. The felloes may be cast solid
or hollow, and may or may not have sections of wood i between the joints, as shown
in Figure 10.
In Figure 1 and 11, G is a boss, with right and left handed screws g, g, projecting
nt opposite sides of it, and screwing into square nuts h let into corresponding recesses
in the ends of the felloes H; I, tyre. The boss G has holes around its circum-
ference in which a pin or key is inserted through an aperture at back of the rim
for turning the screws g, g, to force the ends of the felloes H apart.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of performing the
same, I declare that what I claim as my Invention to be protected by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st. In the construction of wheels for vehicles, the employment of sockets pro-
jecting from the nave and rim, the one set having a lateral opening to receive the
ends of the spokes, and allow of new spokes being afterwards inserted without
removing the tyre, substantially as shown and described.
2nd. The construction of the sockets with means of securing them in a wooden
nave and rim, substantially as shown and described in reference to Figures 3, 4, 5,
A 170

page_text: 3rd. The construction in one of the nave and its sockets, and of the rim and its
sockets of malleable cast iron, substantially as herein shown and described.
4th. The tightening device consisting of a boss with right and left handed screws
and nuts applied in a joint of the rim, as shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Hazeldine, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Second day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
nrתתת
TI ZDI DIND
FRE
עט
וINמ זמI)
HAZELDIN.
(....)