IMPROVEMENTS IN WHEELS OF CARRIAGES, VELOCIPEDES AND OTHER AND APPLICABLE TO VEHICLES."
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William John Fraser of 98 Commercial Road East in
the County of Middlesex Engineer for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
WHEELS OF CARRIAGES, VELOCIPEDES AND OTHER
AND APPLICABLE TO
VEHICLES."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William John Fraser at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 17th November 1882.
WILLIAM JOHN FRASER of 98 Commercial Road East in the County of Middlesex
Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO WHEELS OF CARRIAGES,
VELOCIPEDES, AND OTHER VEHICLES."
My Invention bas reference to a more perfect mode of constructing and fitting
together wheels with compound tyres, composed of metal or wood and metal with
India Rubber or other flexible material between, in order to lessen vibration and
also for an easy mode of adding a metal tyre in one ring to wheels having already
only an India Rubber or other flexible tyre, without the use of bolts and nuts or
clips passing through or fixed to the external tyre, thereby rendering the whole
wheel more rigid simple and perfect in form and more elastic in working.
In order to attain these several objects, I make a space or spaces (fitted with a
small sliding cover plate or plates) in the inner rim of the wheel (to be fitted by
my method) and fasten a small flange (projecting inwards towards the centre of the
wheel) on each side of the opening or openings thus formed in the inner rim, and
which flanges can be moved closer together or further apart by means of a set
screw or other equivalent mechanical appliance for expanding the inner rim, and
thereby cause this rim which for my purpose may be made in or converted into
segments, to be reduced or extended in circumference as may be required.
In order to fit the outer tyre to the rim, the two flanges are screwed up
together, thereby reducing the circumference of the inner rim of the wheel as
required in order to allow the elastic tyre to be easily slipped into its place, and
over that again the metal tyre. The tightening (or expanding) screws can now be
reversed, so as to open the spaces made in the said inner rim and so increase its
circumference; whereby the elastic tyre will become stretched securely into its
ID 31

page_text: place, and the metal tyre will also be caused to take a firm grip, by the expansion
of the rim or wheel out to its original dimensions, by means of the set screws. In
order to increase the firmness of the fitting and give increased bold to the metal
tyre, holes or slots of any suitable form may be punched in it at intervals, with
their edges recessed inwards so that the elastic tyre may be pressed outwards into
the perforations formed in the metal tyre. The form of the external tyres may be
varied. They may be plain hollow rims-to-suit the surface of the underlying elastic
tyres, or corrugated to give lightness and strength at the same time, and assist (by
pressing the elastic tyre into its form) in giving a firm, compact hold, or they may
be also of other suitable forms One or more of the before mentioned tightening
screws and flanged spaces may be placed in the rim of the wheel as required
for the proper adjusting and securing of the elastic and metal tyres in their places.
The elastic material may also be of any convenient form, either solid in section or
for the sake of greater elasticity it may be a hollow tube, and the spokes of the
wheel may be in tension or compression with proper adjustment screws at the nave
or hub of the wheel.
By expanding the rim of the wheel in the manner above described, the wheel
can be tightened and thus restored at any time to the required state of tension in
the spokes, thereby forming a means of compensating for the usual tendency of the
spokes to become loosened by use and wear.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William John Fraser in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
17th May 1883.
WILLIAM JOHN FRASER of 98 Commercial Road East in the County of Middlesex
Engineer "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO WHEELS OF CARRIAGES
VELOCIPEDES AND OTHER VEHICLES."
My Invention of " Improvements in and applicable to wheels of carriages.
volocipedes and other vehicles" has reference to a more perfect mode of
constructing and fitting together wheels with compound tyres composed of metal
or wood and metal with india rubber or other flexible material between in order
to lessen vibration and also for an easy mode of adding a metal tyre in one ring to
wheels (having already only an india rubber or other flexible tyre) without the
use of bolts and nuts or clips passing through or fixed to the external tyre thereby
rendering the whole wheel more rigid simple and perfect in form and more elastic
in working.
In order to attain these several objects I make a space or spaces (fitted with a
small sliding "cover plate" or plates) in the inner rim of the wheel (to be fitted by
my method) and fasten a small flange (projecting inwards towards the centre of the
wheel) on each side of the opening or openings thus formed in the inner rim and
which flanges can be moved closer together or further apart by means of a set
screw or other equivalent mechanical appliance for expanding the inner rim and
thereby cause this rim (which for my purpose may be made in or converted into:
segments) to be reduced or extended in circumference as may be required.
In order to fit the outer tyre to the rim the two flanges are screwed up together
thereby reducing the circumference of the inner rim of the wheel as required in
order to allow the elastic tyre to be easily slipped into its place and over that
again the metal tyre. The tightening (or expanding) screws can now be reversed
so as to open the spaces made in the said inner rim and so increase its circum-
ference whereby the elastic tyre will become stretched securely into its place and
the metal tyre will also be caused to take a firm grip by the expansion of the rim
or wheel out to its original dimensions by means of the set screws.-In order to
increase the firmness of the fitting and give increased hold to the metal tyre holes
or slots of any suitable form may be punched in it at intervals with their edges-
recessed inwards so that the elastic tyre may be pressed outwards into the
perforations formed in the metal tyre. The form of the external tyres may be
varied. They may be plain hollow rims to suit the surface of the underlying
elastic tyres or corrugated to give lightness and strength at the same time and
assist (by pressing the elastic tyre into its form) in giving a firm compact hold or
they may be also of other suitable forms.
One or more of the before mentioned tightening screws and flanged spaces may
be placed in the rim of the wheel as required for the proper adjusting and securing
of the elastic and metal tyres in their places.
The elastic material may also be of any convenient form either solid in section
or for the sake of greater elasticity it may be a hollow tube and the spokes of the
wheel may be in tension or compression with proper adjustment screws at the nave
or hub of the wheel or at either end of the spoke.
By expanding the rim of the wheel in the manner above described the wheel
can be tightened and thus restored at any time to the required state of tension in
the spokes thereby forming a means of compensating for the usual tendency of
the spokes to become loosened by use and wear.

page_text: Aud in order that my Invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect, I will proceed to describe it more particularly by the aid of the accompanying
Drawings in which is represented by way of illustration an ordinary bicycle
wheel constructed in the manner above referred to.
:
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig 1 represents a wheel in elevation on a scale of two inches to the foot.
Fig 2 represents a portion of the outer tyre and the inner rim of the wheel _full_
size and Fig 3 is a section taken on the line a b of Fig: 2-In these several
figures the same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
A is the outer metal tyre or ring in one piece of any suitable section and which
may be either solid rolled or formed into a continuous ring in any convenient
manner; or it may be, a solid ring or rings of round or half round iron or wire or
wire rope. B is the inner rim of the wheel and may be of any ordinary section
and for wheels for other, purposes may be of suitable sections or forms to enclose.
the elastic medium and may be made of iron wood or other material.-This inner
rim B is shewn in Fig: 1 as divided into three segments but the use of one
expanding joint will suffice or the number may be increased as required.-At C is
shewn one means of expanding or contracting the space-made in the inner-rim-by-
means of set screws and lock nuts furnished with a sliding "cover plate" G
fastened at one side of the space and sliding over on to the other side and covering
the opening-F is the elastic medium interposed between the outer tyre A and the
nner rim Band which may be either solid or hollow and if hollow may be divided.
into air-tight compartments or have a continuous spiral spring inserted in the
substance of the india rubber or elastic material or in the interior of the tube.
HH are the wire spokes used in tension wheels and which can be tightened as
required by means of the expanding joint shown. If in other forins of wheels the
spokes are in compression then tightening nuts may be used at the nave and felloe
as usual.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed I hereby declare that what I claim as of my Invention is :—
A mode of fastening metal tyres on to wheels having compound of composite
tyres or rims by means of an expanding inner rim substantially as and for the
purpose described.
In witness whereof I the said William John Fraser have hereunto set my
hand and seal the seventeenth day of May in the year of our Lord One
thousand night hundred and eighty thron
Witness
Wm H. SPENCE
8 Quality Court
Chancery Lane
W. J. FRASER, (L,S.)