Improvements in Pneumatic Tires and in Rims therefor.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Apr., 1897--Accepted, 15th Jan., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Pneumatic Tires and in Rims therefor.
I, WILLIAM FRASER RAE, of Lincoln's Inn, and of 36, Holland Villas Road,
Kensington, in the County of Middlesex, Barrister-at-Law, 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:-
This invention relates more especially to that class of tires in which an inflatable
or pneumatic tube is combined with a solid tire; but it also relates to tires in which
there is no separate inflatable or pneumatic tube, but in which the compressed air
is contained and retained in a chamber or receptacle composed partly of the rim
of the wheel and partly of a more or less solid flexible tread part secured to such
rim.
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood I will now pro-
ceed to describe the same with the aid of the accompanying sheet of Drawings.
Figure 1 of the said Drawings represents the cross section of a tire constructed
in accordance with one part of my invention. An elastic inflatable bag, tube, or
cushion A is placed within a chamber or receptacle B, preferably formed by the
rim of the wheel itself, the edges of the peripheral opening of which are convex
or beaded in form as shown in the drawings, and is inflated or distended through
a charging valve in the usual way. In contact with this tube A is the inner
periphery of a solid outer tire C, made of india rubber or other suitable and elastic
material, the outer periphery of such solid tire coming in contact with the ground.
The part of the solid tire C which comes in contact with the tube A has attached
to it, or formed with it, flanges or wings C so bevelled or feather-edged that they
form, with the chamber or receptacle B enclosing the tube A, practically a con-
tinuation of the sides of such chamber or receptacle in such manner that when the
tube is inflated every part of its outer periphery shall be in contact with the inter-
nal surface of the enclosing chamber or receptacle and flanges of the solid tire
without any part of the said periphery remaining unsupported or having to bridge
over any open space. Moreover when the tube is inflated the wings or flanges C¹
will grip the convex or beaded edges of the metal casing thereby preventing the
external edges from springing apart.
The part of the solid tire Coutside the flanges C passes out through the peri-
pheral opening in the rim or chamber B; the edges of the said opening being pro-
vided if desired with flanges B' between which the said outer part of the solid
tire works, a sufficient proportion, of such solid tire protuding beyond such flanges
to admit of the necessary play of the tire between the flanges, when the tire is
in use, without the edges of the flanges B¹ coming into contact with the ground.
In order to protect the solid part of the tire protuding beyond the flanges B',
a wing or flap B2, Figure 2, of thin india-rubber may be cemented thereto or
formed therewith at each side, such wings or flaps being secured to, or in close
contact with, the exterior of the flanges B₁ between which the solid tire works.
These wings or flaps bend and yield as the tire works in and out of the peripheral
opening, and prevent the entrance of moisture, sand or dirt between the sides of
the rim or chamber and the solid tire.

page_text: The rim, chamber or receptacle B may be made in three parts as shown in
Figure 2 with a diaphragm D of elastic or flexible material held in place between
the flanges B3 by which the said parts are held together by bolts B or otherwise.
Air is forced into the space between the diaphragm D and the upper or inner part
of the chamber or rim B through a charging valve in the usual way, whereby the
said diaphragm is distended and pressed against the inner flanges and surface of
the solid tire so as to form an elastic surface for the same to bear against instead
of a complete pneumatic tube such as that shown at A in Figure 1.
The solid tire may be made in two parts as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the one
half being in contact with the inflatable tube A or with a diaphragm similar
to that shown at 1) in Figure 2, and the other half C3 with the ground, the two
being connected together by means of bolts or links F, each pin-jointed at one end
to the part C and at the other end to the part C3 of the solid tire. The said bolts or
links F pass through apertures B in the outer periphery of the rim or chamber B,
and to prevent wet and dirt getting in through such apertures the bolts or links F
have fixed to them flexible diaphragms G secured water-tight to the rim or
chamber B, whereby the necessary play of the bolts or links is allowed in the
apertures B, while wet and dirt are prevented from getting into the chamber B
through the said apertures.
The solid tire, when not divided into two halves as last above described, may be
formed with, or have cemented thereto, flaps or lips C, see dotted lines Figure 1,
which bear against the external part of the flanges B₁ between which the solid tire
works, and these flaps or lips serve, on the one hand, to prevent to some extent
the said flanges springing outwards, and on the other hand prevent the entrance
of foreign matter between the flanges B¹ and the solid tire into the rim or
chamber B.
In order to prevent the rim, chamber, or receptacle B in the arrangements
shown in Figures 1 and 2 from being opened out laterally at the outer periphery
by the lateral pressure of the air slots may be made in the solid tire as shown at H
in Figures 7 and 10 and bolts H₁ be passed through the sides of the chamber or
receptacle B and through the said slots. Springing or opening out of the sides of the
rim or chamber may also be prevented by applying strengthening ribs of steel or
other suitable material of U, solid or other cross section, as shown at I in Figures 1
and 11, at any required distances apart. Or instead of ribs added to and secured
to the rim or chamber the latter may be stiffened or strengthened by having trans-
verse corrugations formed therein as shown in section at I', in Figure 11, such
corrugations being carried transversely round the tire as far as may be necessary.
Figure 5, shows an arrangement in which the inner inflatable tube, or even a
diaphragm, such as shown at D in Figure 2, is dispensed with. In this arrange-
ment the rim or chamber B is made in parts bolted or otherwise secured together
and the solid tire C is extended upwards inside the rim or chamber and terminates
in flanges C which are grasped between the lateral flanges 133 of the chamber or
rim. The solid tire being made of flexible air-tight material the flanges C5 make
air-tight joints with the flanges B33 so that when air is forced into the space J
through the charging valve the solid tire C is forced outwards and the compressed
air becomes the elastic cushion against which the said tire bears when weight comes
upon it. The solid tire may be extended, if preferred, beyond the flanges Cin
the form of flaps C, as shown in Figure 5, which are pressed firmly against the
internal surface of the rim or chamber B by the compressed air and effectually pre-
vent leakage of air at the flanges.
Figure 6 shows an arrangement somewhat similar to that shown in Figure 5.
but in which the rim or chamber B is not carried round outside the tire C at all,
the latter being simply formed as a tread part with flanges C5 which are pressed
between the flanges B3 of the rim and washer pieces 135 by means of bolts and nuts
as shown, or are otherwise secured air-tight to such flanges. The tire C is prefer-
ably made thicker at the part which comes in contact with the ground than at
the sides; as shown; but it may be made of any suitable section. It may or may

page_text: not be provided with flaps C6 to cover the joints at the flanges, as described in
reference to Figure 5. The compressed air is forced direct into the space J as in
the case of Figure 5. If preferred, however, in both the arrangements shown in
Figures 5 and 6 an ordinary inflatable tube may be placed in the space J and the
air be forced into it, through a charging valve in the usual way, the tire C form-
ing in that case a cover for such inflatable tube.
In order to insert the said tire into the rim, chamber, or receptacle when the
latter is made in one piece so that there is only a very narrow peripheral opening
through which to insert the broad part of the solid tire, I provide at some part of
the periphery an opening forming a space wider than the said peripheral opening
as shown in Figures 8 and 9. The said wider space L is formed by making a
notch M in each edge of the rim which forms the peripheral opening N. The wider
part of the solid tire, that is to say the part provided with the flanges C¹, can be
inserted through this wider space L by bending inwards such flanges_somewhat
as shown in dotted lines in Figure 9, passing them in through the space L, one part
after another, and gradually working the tire round in the rim or chamber until
the whole tire shall be inserted. It will be understood that the pneumatic tube C
is to be inserted into the rim or chamber through the peripheral opening in the
latter, before the solid tire C is introduced. After the tire has been got into place
the notches M can be closed with sliding covers, such as shown at P for example,
sliding in a grooved frame Q, or with a cover plate R secured in place by screws
or otherwise.
The solid tire may be made of any suitable material, but preferably such as is
elastic and flexible. It may consist of a combination of india-rubber and gutta
percha, or of india-rubber alone of or india-rubber and vegetable or mineral sub-
stances or fibres, such as asbestos for example.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I desire to have it under-
stood that I am aware that it is not novel to combine a pneumatic with a solid
tire, or to employ in such combination side flaps in connexion with the solid tire
for the purpose of assisting the attachment of the latter by cement to the inner
inflatable tube and that I make no claim generally to the combination of a
pneumatic with a solid tire, or to the use generally of side flaps in connexion with
the solid tire for the purposes named; but I declare that what I claim is:-
First. In the construction of combined pneumatic and solid tires such as are
shown in Figures 1, 2, 5, 7 and 10, providing the rim with inturned edges or beads
or their equivalents so that upon inflation the flaps C¹ will become locked to the
rim, substantially as described.
Second. Tires constructed with a rim divided into three parts, substantially as
described with reference to Figures 2, 5 and 6.
Third. In tires such as are shown in Figures 1, 2, 10, 5, 7, providing the part C
with protecting portions as shown in the dotted lines B2, Figure 2.
Fourth. In tires such as are claimed in the first and second claims, providing the
part C with the part C, as illustrated in Figure 1 with dotted lines.
Fifth. In a combined pneumatic and solid tire of the type shown in the Drawings
the use of bolts passing through the sides of the rim, chamber or receptacle con-
taining the pneumatic tube, or the air-tight flexible diaphragm, as the case may
be, and through the solid tire between such sides, for the purpose of preventing
the said sides from separating beyond a certain distance from one another, sub-
stantially as described.
Sixth. In connexion with a combined pneumatic and solid tire of the type shown
in the drawings the use of transverse strengthening ribs or corrugations for the
purpose of preventing the sides of the rim, chamber or receptacle from being
sprung apart, substantially as described with reference to Figures 1 and 11 of the
drawings.
Seventh. A tire composed of a rim or hollow chamber, and a more or less flexible

page_text: tread part bolted or otherwise secured to the said rim or hollow chamber, substan-
tially as described with reference to Figure 6 of the Drawings.
Eighth. In a combined pneumatic and solid tire of the type shown in the draw-
ings the device for facilitating the insertion of the solid tire into the rim, chamber,
or receptacle, which consists of a notch or notches made in the edge or edges of the
peripheral opening in such rim, chamber, or receptacle, the said notch or notches
forming with the peripheral opening a space or opening through which the flanged
part of the solid tire can be passed, and which space or opening is preferably
closed, after the solid tire has been inserted, by means of sliding covers or with
cover-plates, substantially as described with reference to Figures 8 and 9 of the
Drawings.
Dated this to day or April 1897.
WM. FRASER RAE.
per W. H. Beck,
115, Cannon Street, London, E.C., Agent.