Improvements in the Manufacture of Pneumatic Tyres, and in the Mode of Applying the same to their Wheels.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 6th Oct., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 6th July, 1894-Accepted, 22nd Sept., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Pneumatic Tyres, and in the
Mode of Applying the same to their Wheels.
I CHRISTIAN HAMILTON GRAY of Silvertown in the County of Essex, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of pneumatic tyres
composed of open or unclosed tubes, which, when in place, will permit of access
being had to the interior thereof, for closing cuts and perforations made therein
while in use, the main object of the invention being to form a temporary air-tight
joint in the tubular tyre itself, or in combination with the wheel rim.
In carrying out my invention, I form the tyre of an open tubular ring, lapping
the edges thereof the one over the other, and the lapped portion of the ring I seat
in the wheel rim.
The contact surface of either lip of the tube I render tacky to effect a temporary
junction between them, and to secure this junction of the parts, I construct the
overlapping edge so that it shall have a contractile power of sufficient force to
ensure that when the tyre is in place, the tacky surfaces will adhere, and prevent
the escape of air at the cominencement of the inflation of the tyre.
When a sufficient pressure of air is obtained in the tyre, the lapped joint will
remain sufficiently tight to maintain the inflation unimpaired, but it is the temporary
closing of the joint, to provide for the inflation, that has proved the difficulty in
constructing tyres of open jointed tubes.
In fixing this tyre to the wheel rim, I cement it in the usual way, taking care,
however, that the cement does not reach the side of the tyre that forms the
internal lap.
When an incision has been caused by a sharp stone or other obstacle in the road,
and the compressed air has consequently found a vent, it will only be necessary to
lift the contracted lapping edge from its tacky seat, to gain access to the inner face
of the damaged portion of the tyre.
By the application of a cemented strip, the damage can be readily remedied, and
the tyre reset to receive a fresh inflation.
In order to impart the contractile power to the inner lip of the tyre, I attach to
one edge of the compound rubber hoop (from which the tyre is formed) a distended
hoop of elastic rubber, and cement it thereto while held extended on a " former."
The elastic hoop thus attached will have a tendency to contract, and when the
tyre is sprung on to the wheel rim, the lip will bind like an elastic band onto the
overlapping lip cemented to the wheel rim. Thus, with the aid of tacky cement,
or its equivalent, a temporary air-tight joint will be made between the lips of the
tyre, or, it may be, one lip of the tyre and the wheel rim, equal to resisting the
inflating pressure.
The inner face of the outer lap of the tyre may receive a cushion or coating
of tacky rubber for the inner lip to bed upon. Or, in place of this cushion, the
rubber may be softened and rendered tacky by a solvent, just prior to the
application of the tyre to the wheel rim.
A modification of this invention is the substitution for the cushion applied to the
nner face of the outer lap, of a hard annularly grooved ring made fast to the wheel
im, and serving as a bed to receive one lip of the strip that is to form the pneumatic

page_text: tube, some tacky cement being applied to its surface to aid the contracting part of
the tube in making a temporary air-tight joint between the tyre and the wheel rim.
On the admission of air to inflate the tyre, this joint will be firmly secured by the
pressure of the air upon the lip that bears on the annularly grooved ring.
Dated this 6th day of October 1893.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Pneumatic Tyres, and in the
Mode of Applying the same to their Wheels.
I CHRISTIAN HAMILTON GRAY of Silvertown in the County of Essex, Engineer,
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 improvements in the manufacture of pneumatic tyres
composed of open or unclosed tubes, which, when in place, will permit of access
being had to the interior thereof, for closing cuts and perforations accidentally made
therein while in use, the main object of the invention being to form a temporary
air-tight joint in the tubular tyre itself, or in combination with the wheel rim.
In carrying out my invention, I form the tyre of an open tubular ring, the edges
of which may lap one over the other. The lapped portion of the ring will be seated
in the wheel rim.
In the accompanying drawing,
Fig. 1 shews in transverse section a tyre fitted to a wheel rim according to my
invention, the lip A of the open tube or ring being made fast to wheel rim,
while the other lip B is readily detachable therefrom.
The contact surfaces of either lip of the tube I render tacky, to effect a temporary
junction between them, and to secure this junction of the parts, I construct the
overlapping lip with a contracting band of rubber b, which will possess a contractile
power of sufficient force to ensure that when the tyre is in place, the tacky surfaces
will adhere, and prevent the escape of air at the commencement of the inflation of
the tyre.
When a sufficient pressure of air is obtained in the tyre, the lapped joint will
remain sufficiently tight to maintain the inflation unimpaired, but it is the temporary
closing of the joint, to provide for the inflation, that has proved the difficulty in
constructing tyres of open-jointed tubes.
In fixing this tyre to the wheel rim, I cement it in the usual way, taking care,
however, that the cement does not reach the side of the tyre that forms the
internal lap.
In order to impart the contractile power to the inner lip of the tyre, I attach to.
one edge of the compound rubber hoop (from which the tyre is formed) the band b
of elastic rubber in a distended state, and cement it thereto while held extended on
" former."
a
The elastic band thus attached will have a tendency to contract, and when the
tyre is sprung onto the wheel rim, the lip B will bind like an elastic band onto the
overlapped lip A. cemented to the wheel rim. Thus, with the aid of tacky cement,
or its equivalent, a temporary air-tight joint will be made between the lips of the
tyre, or, it may be, (as will be presently explained), with one lip of the tyre and
the wheel rim, equal to resisting the internal pressure at the commencement of the
inflation.

page_text: To ensure an efficient resistance of the tube to the internal pressure of the air, I
fit the tyre, near the lip B, with a ring of hooks C, C, after the manner described
and claimed in the Specification of a Patent applied for by me (No. 18751") and
of even date with this Application.
These hooks serve to catch under an inturned edge d of the wheel rim D, and
thus the undue yielding of the tyre to the internal pressure of the air, will be
effectually prevented.
These hooks, it will be understood, offer no obstruction to the opening out of the
tubular tyre, but may be readily unhitched from the retaining edge of the
wheel rim.
When an incision has been caused by a sharp stone or other obstacle in the road,
and the compressed air has consequently found a vent, it will only be necessary to
unhitch the hooks C, and lift the contracted lapping edge from its tacky seat, to
gain access to the inner face of the damaged portion of the tyre.
By the application of a cemented strip, the damage can be readily remedied,
which, being effected, the tyre may be reset to receive a fresh inflation."
The inner face of the outer lap of the tyre may receive a coating of tacky
rubber for the inner lip to bed upon. Or the rubber may be softened, and
rendered tacky by a solvent, just prior to the application of the tyre to the
wheel rim.
Fig. 2 shews, in cross section, a modification in which the lips of the tubular
ring do not overlap. The lip A is, or may be, firmly secured to the wheel rim by
cement, while the lip B is temporarily attached to the wheel rim by tacky cement,
it being held in place by the contractile force of the band of rubber b applied
thereto as explained with reference to Fig. 1.
Each side of the tyre is fitted with a ring of hooks C, which catch under the
turned-in edges d of the wheel rim D.
A further modification is shewn in the cross section Fig. 3. In this example, the
lip B overlies the lip A, as in Fig. 1, and two rings of hooks C are used to catch
over the outwardly bent edges d of the rim D.
Fig. 4 is a section of the tyre fitted with two rings of hooks, and applied to a
hollow or tubular wheel rim.
Instead of bending over the edges of the rim, holes are made in the inner face of
the rim to receive the hooks, which are thus hidden from view when the tyre is in
place. Both lips of the tyre are, in this example, provided with a contracting
elastic band.
Fig. 5 shews, in section, a tyre in which the undue expansion from the internal
pressure of the air is provided against without the use of hooks.
The side B of the tyre has embedded in it a ring E, which will resist any undue
internal lateral pressure on that side of the tyre. The lip A is held on to the
wheel rim by coils of binding wire F, and the lip B is, by the contractile force of
the band b, and the tacky cement applied as before explained, held tightly down on
the lip A.
Fig. 6 shows, in cross section, a tyre, one side of which, A, is cemented to the
rim D. Shrunk onto the centre of this rim, is a ring D³, annularly grooved on its
face. It is made of ebonite (hard rubber compound), and can be applied to the rim
hot, and in a soft state; on cooling, it shrinks tightly onto the rim, and makes an
air tight joint between the rim and itself. The lip B of the tyre carries a
contracting band b, which, when the lip is applied to the ebonite ring, will make a
tight joint therewith. The lip B is secured to the rim by a series of hooks, as in
Figure 1, which engage in the turned-over edge d of the rim.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
The
manufacture of pneumatic turoa
99
above described
narticularly with

page_text: reference to Fig. 1 of the drawing, and the application of the same to wheel rims,
as set forth, for the purpose of enabling them to resist the internal pressure of air
at the early stage of the process of inflation.
D1
fT.... 1904
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.