Improvements in Covers for Pneumatic Tyres.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Jan., 1897
Complete Specification Left, 25th Nov., 1897-Accepted, 25th Jan., 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Covers for Pneumatic Tyres.
We, JAMES WEST and GEORGE WEST, both of 5, Teddington Park Road,
Teddington, Middlesex, Engineers, and HENRY JOSEPHI WILBERFORCE RAPHAEL, of
39, Highbury Grove, London, N., Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
According to this invention the part of the cover which bears on the road is
perforated with two or more rows of round holes, pitched closely together, which
are preferably bushed with eyelets. Into these eyelet holes are inserted studs of
india rubber. These studs are shaped like flat headed rivets, but have their
shanks, or stems, slightly swelled towards the point. They are inserted from the
back side, or inside, of the cover and are forced tightly through in such a way
that the heads fit snugly up to the inner face of the cover and so prevent the
studs from being forced through too far; whilst the shanks project through, to
the outside, to a suitable distance and form a means of preventing side slip.
The said holes may be round or any other suitable shape and may be formed in
the process of manufacture.
At present there is no satisfactory way of renewing the side-slip-preventing
surfaces whereas according to our invention the studs when worn out are easily
renewed.
JAMES WEST.
GEORGE WEST.
HENRY J. W. RAPHAEL.
We, JAMES WEST and GEORGE WEST, both of 5, Teddington Park Road,
Teddington, Middlesex, Engineers, and HENRY JOSEPH WILBERFORCE RAPILAEL, of
39, Highbury Grove, London, N., Gentleman, 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 of improvements in covers for pneumatic tyres has for objects to
provide tyre covers of improved, construction designed to prevent or lessen
liability to side-slipping, and at the same time to render the whole or any portion
of the wearing surface easily renewable.
For this purpose we construct tyre covers as we shall now proceed to describe
with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein Figs. 1 and 2 are respec-
tively a cross section and developed part plan, showing a tyre cover constructed

page_text: according to this invention. Figs. 3 to 10 are detail views showing how the
improved tyre cover is made.
That part of the tyre cover viz., the tread portion, which ordinarily bears upon
the ground, is formed with two or more rows (three are shown) of closely pitched
holes 2 which extend entirely through it and which are bushed or reinforced by
eyelets 3 of hard material such as metal that render the holes practically
inextensible in diameter and effectually protect the edges of the holes against
damage by contact with stones or other obstacles in the road. The bushed or
reinforced holes are fitted with studs 4 of india rubber. These studs are shaped
like flat headed rivets their flat heads 4" being arranged to bear against the inner
surface of the cover and their shanks or stems being slightly swelled towards the
point or outer end 4. For this latter purpose the studs (one of which is shown
twice its ordinary size in Fig. 3) are made of a larger diameter than the internal
diameter of the eyelets (one of which is shown twice its ordinary size in Fig. 4) and
of such a length that upon being forced tightly through such eyelets from the
inner side of the cover they will tightly fit the said eyelets and their outer ends
will project to a suitable distance from the outside of the cover 5 and will
expand to their normal diameter and fit over the outer ends of the eyelets.
By this means the studs will not be liable to be forced inward by contact with
the ground (even when the inner air tube is deflated) but on the contrary, being
forced outward by the inner air tube and being soft and yielding their outer ends
will, when in contact with the ground, become more or less further expanded
circumferentially and so become more effectually held in place and prevent any
leakage of dirt or moisture into the cover or tyre. The heads on the inner ends
of the studs enable the studs to be effectually held in place by the inner air tube
of the tyre and prevent the studs from being forced outward through the eyelets
by the air pressure, and the flat outer ends of the studs owing to their being square
or at right angles to the cylindrical surface of the stud-shanks offer considerable
resistance to side slipping of the tyre when the same is in use.
The tyre cover is or may be formed of layers of india rubber and canvas in the
usual way and, as shown, may have its edge portions provided with endless wires
or be otherwise adapted in any known or suitable way for attachment to a wheel
rim.
In the formation of our improved tyre cover the holes therein are not formed
by cutting and removing a portion of the cover by means of a belt or wad punch
which would weaken the cover to a considerable extent but are formed in such a
way as not to destroy any portion of the fibre of the fabric used therein, and the
eyelets are secured in the holes thus formed as we will now proceed to explain
by reference to Figs. 5 to 10 inclusive of the accompanying drawings which show
the parts they represent double the actual size. For forming the holes in the
tyre cover a suitably pointed tool 6 such as shown in side elevation in Fig. 5 is
used, this tool being formed with a parallel portion 6 and with a small radius 6b
and flat annular shoulder at 6°. Before piercing a hole in the tyre cover a washer 3ª
of thin sheet metal such as brass, and preferably of the form shown in cross
section in Fig: 6, is threaded loose upon the pointed portion of the tool so as to
occupy a position between the shoulder 6° of the tool and the tyre cover 5 when
the tool is forced through the latter as shown in Fig. 7. An eyelet 3 of the shape
shown in central section in Fig. 7 and of thin sheet metal such as soft brass
and of a diameter a little less than the parallel portion 6* of the tool G, is then
placed upon the projecting end of the tool as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7 and
is forced down over the parallel portion 6" of the tool by a suitably guided hollow
plunger 7 having a slightly coned lower end 7ª. In this way the eyelet is slightly
expanded so as to tightly fit the parallel portion of the tool and is caused to slide
down the same and pass through the hole in the tyre cover and through the
washer 3 and by moving over the radius 6b and abutting against the shoulder 6°
of the piercing tool 6 has its lower edge 3b turned outward and upward sc as to
come against the inner flat annular portion 3° of the washer 3ª as shown in Fig. 8

page_text: whereby the eyelet is held firmly in place. A stud 4 of soft india rubber of
larger diameter than the internal diameter of the eyelet and say of about 11/32
of an inch in diameter is then inserted through the eyelet. This may conveniently
be done by placing the shank portion of the stud in the slotted lower end 8* of a
metal holding device 8 (Fig. 9) which is passed through the bushed hole so that
the stud shank is readily compressed as it enters the eyelet and upon pulling the
holding device through the latter the stud is left in place in the eyelet with its
flat head bearing closely against the inner surface of the tyre and its free flat outer
end projecting say 1/8 of an inch beyond and expanded to its full diameter over
the outer end of the eyelet as shown in Fig. 10.
By the construction described it will be seen that each stud is kept in position
by two known and controllable forces viz. (a) the pressure of the inner air tube,
which acts against the shouldered portion of the head of the stud, forcing and
holding it tightly against the inner inextensible wall of the cover and so prevent-
ing it from being either forced out by excessive pressure from within, or from
being accidentally or otherwise pulled out from the outside; and (b) the expansive
force of the outer projecting portion of the stud 4 on the outside of the cover
which prevents the stud from being forced inward, as well as enabling it to take
the weight and the shocks and to transfer the latter softly to the cover instead
of to the air tube. The studs can when worn, be nevertheless readily replaced
after the cover has been removed from the air tube. Furthermore the forming
of the studs with flat outer ends, and the arrangement of such studs on each side
of the centre of the tread of the cover and close together as shown prevents side
slipping to a very great extent and provides a good and easy running surface.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:
A pneumatic tyre cover having formed around its tread portion rows of closely
pitched holes each of which is bushed or reinforced and has forced tightly through
it a stud of india rubber shaped like a flat headed rivet, the enlarged heads of the
studs fitting against the inner side of the cover and the outer ends of the studs
projecting beyond the outer side of the cover and extending over the edges of the
bushed or reinforced holes, substantially as herein described with reference to
and shown in the drawings annexed for the purpose specified.
Dated this 25th day of November 1897.
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.