Improvements in or relating to Tyres for Wheels.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Oct., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 9th Aug., 1895-Accepted, 21st Sept., 1895
Improvements in or relating to Tyres for Wheels.
I, CHRISTIAN HAMILTON GRAY of The Indiarubber, Guttapercha, and
Telegraph Works Company, Limited, of Silvertown, in the County of Essex,
Indiarubber Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
:-
This invention relates to covers suitable for use with pneumatic wheel tyres and
by it I am enabled to produce a cheap and simple tyre cover.
In carrying the invention into effect I employ preferably a fabric consisting of
rubber with threads laid in or upon it at suitable distances apart and preferably
parallel; this fabric I cut or construct so that each thread makes one angle with
the edge of the material of less than 45°. The material is cut or formed into strips
of the required width each of which is then laid upon a similar strip the threads
in which cross those of the threads in the first strip and the two are then vulcanised,
solutioned or otherwise secured together so that the parallelograms formed by the
crossing threads have their smaller angles of less than 90° a line passing through
both smaller angles of each parallelogram lying in the direction of the circumference
of the wheel.
As it is desirable to secure these threads in the fabric so that upon the inflation
of the tyre they may not be drawn away from the edges prefer to have the strip
of fabric wider than is actually required for the cover and to fold the edges over a
short distance so as to fasten the ends of the threads; the folded edges may be
fixed down in any desired manner conveniently by vulcanization. However, other
means may be employed for securing the threads.
In order to enable the cover to withstand the initial pressure due to the inflating
of the tyre I may employ a thread or equivalent device in each edge of the cover
though this is not always necessary, a good deal depending upon the actual angles
of the respective threads. The action of this cover in use is that when in position
and the inflation of the tyre commences it has a tendency to blow off the rim unless
some means such as strengthening the edges be adopted, but when the tyre is blown
sufficiently hard for the air to exercise its proper effect upon the threads in the
fabric the respective positions of these threads is such that they exercise.a contracting
effect upon the edges of the cover causing it to firmly grip the rim of the wheel
without the necessity for employing any special grooves or equivalent. Preferably
1 use a simple crescent or nearly flat rim without grooves, but I do not bind
myself to any special form of rim as this cover can be used with rims having
grooves.
It will be seen that by this means I am able to produce a cover which is
exceedingly light, very simple to manufacture and having no complicated means
for securing it to the rim it can easily be manipulated by unskilled persons.
Dated this 16th day of October 1894.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in or relating to Tyres for Wheels.
I, CHRISTIAN HAMILTON GRAY of The Indiarubber, Guttapercha, and
Telegraph Works Company Limited, of Silvertown, in the County of Essex,
Indiarubber Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manuer the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:—
This invention relates to covers suitable for use with pneumatic wheel tyres,
and by it I am enabled to produce a cheap and simple tyre cover which upon
inflation will automatically grip with its edges the rim of the wheel.
The essential feature of my invention is the combination in the cover or in the
edges of the cover of two sets of threads at different angles so that on the inflation
of the cover, they will tighten up and grasp the rim; the smaller the angle they
make with the tangent of the wheel prior to inflation of the cover, the tighter will
be their grip on the rim after inflation. I prefer to embed the fibres on the tread
portion of the cover in rubber; but the fibres of the rim-clutching portion of the
cover need not necessarily be embedded but would be protected either by rubber
or by the wheel rim. When such a fabric or series of threads is extended in the
direction of the circumference of the rim, it will form a bunch of diamond shaped
meshes or
"diamonds" before inflation occurs, which will open up and contract on
the rim, when the tyre is inflated. These edges may have pockets with wire cords
or best of all elastic cords inserted therein to give an initial grip to the rim, so as
to allow the tyre to be expanded sufficiently to bring the edges into play to grip
the rim in the manner desired. The gripping of these edges on the rim may bé
improved by solutioning a strip of rubber or fabric to the rim, so that rubber
or fibre is opposed to or pressed against rubber instead of against the metal rim.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a short length of one construction of my
improved tyre cover, parts of its being broken away to show the disposition of its
component parts relatively to each other. The threads, where concealed by the
rubber are indicated in dotted lines.
Fig. 2 is a similar view of a modification.
Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the action of the "diamonds" formed in the edges
of the cover.
In Fig.
A is the main part of the cover, of any suitable description, or it may
be made in the same manner as the rim gripping edges, presently described. In
Fig. 1 these edges are shown inserted into the fabric of the cover, while in Fig. 2
the cover is brought round the edges so as to enfold them.
incorporate with the cover A at each edge two series of parallel threads B B₁
so disposed, that the threads of the two series cross obliquely, and each when the
tyre is deflated makes an angle with the edge of the fabric of less than 90°.
C is the elastic or other cord enclosed in the fold D or otherwise attached to the
edging E to hold the cover upon the rim until the air tube is fully inflated and
the "diamonds" in the edging opened up, thus contracting the edging upon
the rim.
Fig. 3 shows diagrammatically the action of the "diamonds" in contracting the
edging when the air tube is inflated.
"
Previous to the inflation of the air tube the "diamonds
appear elongated
longitudinally as shown at H, the length of the strip being while its width is y;
when the air tube is inflated, however, a transverse pull is exerted upon the
"diamonds" causing them to open up and contract longitudinally, as shown at J,
the length of the strip being now ', shorter than its original length x, while the
width of the strip has increased to y¹, the same number of meshes being indicated

page_text: in each section H and J. While the meshes therefore lie as in section H, the edge
of the cover is loosed and can easily be placed over the edges of the wheel rim ;
but when under the pressure due to the inflating of the tyre, they lie as in section J,
the length of the edges is evidently greatly reduced and they now tightly grip
the rim. If the edgings are separate from the rest of the cover, it is well to connect
each "diamond or mesh with the cover, by stitching it so that the pull may come
fairly upon the appropriate angle of the "diamond,"-in Fig. 3 this would be the
top angle of each "diamond." Such a tyre as here described grips the rim of the
wheel without the necessity for employing any special grooves or equivalent.
Preferably I use a simple crescent or nearly flat rim without grooves, but I do
not bind myself to any special form of rim as this cover can be used with rims
having grooves.
It will be seen that by the above means I am able to produce a cover which is
exceedingly light, very simple to manufacture and having no complicated means
for securing it to the rim it can easily be manipulated by unskilled persons.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be
understood that I am aware that before now pneumatic tyre covers have been
lined with canvas cut on the "bias" so as to exert what has been called a "lazy-
tongsaction upon the whole cover; also that loops have been carried around the
edges of the cover encircling the rim and pulled tight upon it by the expansion of
the tyre when inflated and I make no claim to these arrangements. But so far as
I am aware the system of "diamonds or meshes herein described has not hitherto
been suggested-I claim ;-
1. In a pneumatic tyre a cover having in its edges threads crossing each other
diagonally so as to form "diamonds" which latter under the expansion of the air
tube contract in length so as to reduce the diameter of the edges of the cover and
cause them to grip the rim substantially as described.
2. In a pneumatic tyre the combination with the cover of edgings in which are
threads crossing each other diagonally so as to form "diamonds" which under the
expansion of the air tube contract in length so as to reduce the diameter of the
edges and cause them to grip the rim substantially as described.
3. In a pneumatic tyre a cover having "diamonds" in its edges which (but not
the rest of the cover) automatically contract upon the rim when the tyre is inflated
substantially as described.
4. A cover for a pneumatic tyre constructed and operating substantially as
described.
5. In a cover for a pneumatic tyre the combination in the edges with "diamonds"
such as described of elastic or nou-elastic cords for the purpose of holding the
tyre to the rim during the first part of the inflation before the operation of the
diamonds has made itself felt.
6. In a pneumatic tyre the combination with cover-edges such as described of
rubber or equivalent upon the wheel-rim for the purpose of increasing the grip.
Dated this ath A
1005
C. H. GRAY.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant.