Improvements in Compositions for Repairing Leaks in Pneumatic Tyres.
Year: 1896

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Compositions for Repairing Leaks in Pneumatic
Tyres.
We, CHARLES SUMNER HOWE, of 103 Cornell Street, Cleveland, Ohio,
Professor of Mathematics, and JOHN WILLIAMS LANGLEY, of 845 Fairmount
Street, Cleveland, Ohio, Professor of Electrical Engineering, both in the United
States of America, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the
following statement :-
It is well known that the pneumatic tires are often punctured or cut by coming
into contact with sharp cutting surfaces, such as tacks, nails or fragments of glass
or wire, lying in the road over which the vehicle may be passing, and that these
punctures or cuts, by allowing the air within the tire to escape, render the tire
temporarily useless. Up to the present time the customary method of repairing
such injuries as those referred to is by the insertion of plugs, or the application of
cement, either of which procedures involves a loss of time and requires a certain
degree of skill on the part of the person who is applying them.
Attempts have been made to mend holes in the tire by putting water or oil or
other substances into the interior of the tire, hut these remedies have not been
successful because the water soon oozes ont through the hole, or, if oil is used, it
rapidly softens and ruins the india rubber of which the tire is made.
The object of our invention is to make a fluid which shall have no injurious
effect on the india rubber of the tire, and which shall be capable of filling up any
small puncture or cut automatically, thus rendering the tire substantially as capable
of holding air as it was before the injury had been received.
To carry our invention into effect, we prepare a fluid which does not evaporate
at ordinary temperatures and which contains within itself, in a conlition of
mechanical suspension, a very large number of fine particles of a gelatinous and
adhesive quality, so that whenever a puncture or cut occurs in the tire, the air in
its efforts to escape will promptly carry these adhesive particles into the puncture
or slit, thus closing it and preventing the further escape of air. In this way, a
pneumatic tire provided with a small quantity of the above-mentioned fluid in its
interior or air chamber, becomes automatically self-repairing, and will require very
little attention on the part of the user after the tire has once been charged with
the fluid.
We find that from four to six ounces of such a fluid is sufficient for each
tire. The material may be put in with a funnel or may be forced in with a
pump.
We
A composition which fulfils the above requirements is made from glycerine
containing gelatinous silica or gelatinous aluminic hydrate in suspension.
have found that one part by volume of commercial liquid water glass, called
also silicate of soda, mixed with three parts by volume of glycerine, and then
neutralized by the addition of an acid during constant stirring, will make a thick
jelly. This jelly is then mixed in a mortar, a churn, a paint mill, or other similar
device, with an additional three parts by volume of glycerine, or sometimes, for use
in cold weather, a little water is mixed with the glycerine. Any of the soluble
acids may be used, provided that enough acid is employed to render the mixture
of water glass and acid neutral, or nearly neutral, to test paper. Hydrochloric
acid answers satisfactorily. To make the aluminous fluid, we take a salt of
alumina, such as alum, or aluminic sulphate, or of an aluminate of an alkali, such

page_text: as aluminate of potash or soda, dissolved in water, and mix this solution with three
times its volume of glycerine. This mixture is then neutralized by the addition of
an alkali for the first two salts named, or of an acid, such as hydrochloric or other
soluble acid, for the last, and the thick jelly thus formed is ground up and diluted
to the consistency of syrup by further addition of glycerine or of glycerine and
water.
The same condition of gelatinous particles in a thick liquid may he secured by
substituting for the glycerine, water thickened by dextrine or mucilage and
having added to it its own weight of chloride of calcium to prevent evaporation.
This liquid is to be used in the same manner as the glycerine for mixing with the
water glass or aluminic salt with subsequent addition of acid.
Instead of glycerine or glycerine and water as a vehicle for carrying the
gelatinous particles in suspension, glycerine and dextrine or mucilage, dissolved in
water, may be used, the said several liquids or liquid mixtures simply serving as
vehicles for carrying the gelatinous particles in mechanical suspension. Any liquid
which is sufficiently thick, which will not evaporate, and which will not attack or
otherwise affect rubber, is suitable as such liquid vehicle.
These proportions of water glass, aluminic salts, and glycerine or of water
thickened by dextriue have been found to work well in practice, but we do not
wish to limit ourselves strictly to the quantities named, for a considerable variation
in the volume of glycerine or of water will still furnish a thick liquid containing
gelatinous particles in mechanical suspension, which is the substance of our
invention.
Other medes of applying the principles of our invention may be employed for
the mode herein described. Change may therefore be made as regards the
mechanical features of the invention, provided the principles set forth respectively
in the following claims are employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A liquid for repairing leaks in pneumatic vehicle tires, consisting of a heavy
non-oleous liquid containing a mineral gelatinous substance in suspension, sub-
stantially as set forth.
2. A liquid for repairing leaks in pneumatic vehicle tires, consisting of the
ingredients recited in the foregoing specification, substantially as set forth.
3. A liquid for repairing leaks in pneumatic vehicle tires, which consists of such
heavy liquid and gelatinous substances as are set forth in the foregoing description,
combined in substantially the manner and in substantially the proportions set
forth.
4. A liquid for repairing leaks in pneumatic vehicle tires, consisting of glycerine
containing gelatinous particles of silica in suspension, substantially as set forth.
5. A liquid for repairing leaks in pneumatic vehicle tires, consisting of a heavy
non-oleous liquid containing gelatinous particles of aluminic hydrate in suspension,
substantially as set forth.
Dated this Third day of July 1896.
CHARLES SUMNER HOWE.
JOHN WILLIAMS LANGLEY.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.