Improvements in Tires.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 8th July, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 6th Feb., 1897-Accepted, 3rd July, 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Tires.
I, WILLIAM FRASER RAE of Lincoln's Inn Barrister-at-Law and of 36 Holland
Villas Road Kensington W. in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
These improvements relate to the tires commonly called pneumatic which are
attached to a rim or wheel and are formed of an elastic tube bag or cushion dis-
tended by air or any gaseous or fluid substance and the improvements consist in
forming a combined pneumatic and solid tire by placing an elastic and distendible
tube bag or cushion within a chamber or receptacle at the rim or wheel and in
attaching thereto either permanently or temporarily a solid piece of clastic or other
suitable material.
I, WILLIAM FRASER RAE, of Lincoln's Inn, and of 36 Holland Villas Road,
Kensington in the County of Middlesex, Barrister-at-Law, 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:-
These improvements relate to that class of tires commonly called pneumatic
which are formed of an elastic tube, bag or cushion distended or inflated by air
or other suitable gas or fluid, placed within a chamber or receptacle at the rim,
and combined with a solid tire of elastic, flexible or other suitable material.
And in order that the said invention may be fully understood I will proceed
to describe the same with the aid of the accompanying sheet of Drawings, in
which Figures 1 and 2 are cross sections taken respectively on the lines X-X and
Y-Y of Figure 3, of a wheel rim and tire constructed in accordance with the
invention, Figure 3 a side elevation of part of a rim and tire corresponding to
Figures 1 and 2, Figure 4 a cross section taken on the line Z-Z of Figure 5 of a
similar tire but applied to a rim of somewhat different construction, Figure 5 a
side elevation of part of a rim and tire corresponding to Figure 4, and Figures 6
and 7 cross sections of rims and tires showing further modifications.
Referring in the first place to Figures 1, 2 and 3, A is the rim of the wheel to
which the spokes B are attached in the usual or any suitable way. This rim is
shaped so as to form a chamber or receptacle adapted to receive within it the
pneumatic tube C made as usual of elastic, flexible, air-tight material, and capable
of being distended or inflated by air or any other suitable gas or fluid in the
usual way. D is a solid tire made of indiarubber or other suitable but preferably
Hexible and elastic material. The inner circumference of this solid tire comes in
contact with and bears against the pneumatic tube C, while the outer part pro-

page_text: jects outwards through an opening in the outer periphery of the chamber or
receptacle formed by the rim A, and rests upon the ground, forming in fact the
tread of the wheel tire. The solid tire D is provided at its inner circumference
with flanges, shoulders or enlargements D' which bear normally against the in-
curved part of the chamber or receptacle, and prevent the said solid tire from being
forced out therefrom by the pressure of 'the air or other fluid in the pneumatic
tube C when the latter is inflated.
It will be understood that the solid tire D is free to move radially inwards and out-
wards between the edges A' of the opening through the outer periphery of the
chamber or rim A, so that as the wheel rotates the resilient or elastic action of the
pneumatic tube C is brought fully into play while the tube itself is completely
protected against puncture or other injury when in use, because it is enclosed in
a non-puncturable chamber or receptacle, and has interposed between it and the
ground the solid tire D of such considerable thickness that no puncturing or other
object likely to injure the tube can penetrate it when in use, and thus reach the
tube within it.
When the rim A forming the chamber or receptacle containing the pneumatic
tube is made of thin material, and is liable to have its sides sprung apart by the
lateral pressure of the air in the said tube, strengthening ribs E of steel or other
suitable material of U or other suitable cross section may be applied as shown in
Figures 1, 2, and 3.
In order to insert the solid tire into the rim chamber or receptacle a notch F
may be provided in each edge of the peripheral opening forming a space wider
than the said peripheral opening, through which one part after another of the
flanges or enlarged part D and inner periphery of the solid tire can be introduced
and gradually worked round in the chamber or receptacle until the whole tire
is inserted; it being understood that the pneumatic tube C is inserted in the
chamber or receptacle, through the peripheral opening in the latter, before the
solid tire is introduced. The notches F can be closed with sliding covers G after
the tire D has been got into place.
Referring in the next place to Figures 4 and 5 it will be seen that the rim of the
wheel forming the chamber or receptacle enclosing the pneumatic tube C may be
made in two parts A A* bolted together by bolts H, passing through flanges A A
at the inner periphery, and by bolts I passing through the flanges or edges A' A³
of the peripheral opening and through the solid tire D between such flanges or
edges. It will be obvious that in order to allow of the inward and outward radial
motion of the solid tire D between the flanges A4 A5 the bolts I may be passed
through closely fitting holes in the flanges, and through radial slots K in the solid
tire, the said radial slots being continued, if desired, to the outer periphery of the
solid tire, as shown by dotted lines at K' in Figure 5, or the bolts I may be passed
through radial slots in the flanges and through closely fitting holes in the solid
tire.
It will also be obvious that the peripheral flanges or edges A' A5 and bolts I
may be applied in cases where the rim is made in one piece as in Figures 1 and 2.
When employing the peripheral flanges or edges A4 A5 and bolts I as illustrated in
Figures 4 and 5 the said bolts I may be made the means of preventing the solid
tire from being forced out by the pressure of the air in the pneumatic tube, the
flanges, shoulders or enlargements D¹ being in that case dispensed with or not as
may be preferred, but I prefer in most cases to employ the flanges, shoulders or
enlargements D¹ for that purpose, leaving the bolts I to perform the function of
preventing the edges of the peripheral opening from separating beyond a certain
distance from one another.
In order to prevent the possibility of the part of the pneumatic tube situated at
the joint of the two flanges A2 A3 being forced into the said joint, and becoming
thereby injured, the part A of the rim or chamber may be continued beyond the
flange A3 so as to cover the said joint as shown at A6 in Figure 4.
Instead of the opening to the outer periphery of the chamber or receptacle A

page_text: being continuous round the entire circumference it may be discontinuous, that is
to say it may be made as a series of slots through the outer periphery of the
chamber, the solid tire being correspondingly shaped with tenon or tongue-like
parts projecting through such slots, as shown by the dotted sectional part in
Figure 3. In this arrangement the chamber or receptacle A may be in two parts
jointed together by lateral flanges A7 as shown by dotted lines in Figure 1.
In the arrangement shown in Figure 6 the solid tire D is made to bear against
a concavely shaped part of the pneumatic tube C instead of against a convexly
shaped part as in Figures 1, 2 and 4. To facilitate the insertion of the enlarged
part D of the said solid tire (Figure 6) into the chamber or receptacle A
when the said chamber or receptacle is not made in
said enlarged part may
two parts the
be provided with side
obliquely across the sides, for the edges A¹ of the said opening to take into at that
grooves running
part of D which, after being placed in the space formed by the notches F', in
Figures 2 and 3 is passed along round the peripheral opening, drawing after it
the rest of the solid tire through the said space until the said part of D* comes
again opposite such space and is received therein, thus completing the insertion of
the solid tire into the chamber or receptacle. By this means the necessity is
avoided of forcing the full width of the enlargement D, at any part thereof,
through the comparatively narrow peripheral opening in the chamber or receptacle.
In Figure 7 the solid tire D is shown provided with lips D2 which bear against
the sides of the flanges A+ A5 of the rim and help to prevent the entrance of dirt
or moisture into the chamber or receptacle containing the pneumatic tube C.
The parts of the solid tire from which the lips D extend also serve to prevent the
solid tire from being forced wholly into the peripheral opening when the weight
comes on to the tire.
The solid tire D is preferably not secured permanently to the pneumatic tube C
but is only temporarily held thereto, while the two are being used together, by the
pressure of the air or other fluid in the pneumatic tube.
Instead of making the chamber or receptacle to contain the pneumatic tube
out of the rim of the wheel, such chamber or receptacle may be made separate
from the rim, and he attached thereto by any suitable or convenient means.
Similar letters of reference relate to like parts in all the Figures of the
Drawings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I desire to have it
understood that I am aware that it is not novel to combine a pneumatic with a
solid tire, or to employ in such a combination side flaps in connection with the
solid tire for the purpose of assisting the attachment of the latter, by cement, to
the inner inflatable tube, and that I make no claim generally to such a combina-
tion or to the use of flanges, shoulders or enlargements on the solid tire for the
purpose of attaching the solid tire to the inflatable tube; but I declare that what I
do claim is:-
First. A tire composed of a chamber or receptacle, a pneumatic tube contained
within the said chamber or receptacle, a solid tire bearing against the said pneu-
matic tube and extending radially through an opening or openings in the external
periphery of the said chamber or receptacle, and means for preventing the said
solid tire being forced out from the chamber or receptacle by the pressure of the
Huid in the pneumatic tube, substantially as described, with reference to the accom-
panying Drawings.
Second. In a combined pneumatic and solid tire, the use in connection with
he solid tire of flanges, shoulders, or enlargements for the purpose of preventing
he said solid tire being forced out from the containing chamber or receptacle by
he pressure of the fluid in the pneumatic tube, substantially as described.
Third. In a combined pneumatic and solid tire the use of bolts passing through
he edges of the peripheral opening in the rim chamber or receptacle containing

page_text: the pneumatic tube and through the solid tire between such edges for the purpose
of preventing the said edges from separating beyond a certain distance from one
another, or for the purpose of preventing the solid tire from being forced out by
the pressure of the air or other, gas or fluid in the pneumatic tube, substantially
as described..
Fourth. In a combined pneumatic and solid tire the device for facilitating the
insertion of the solid tire into the rim chamber or receptacle, which consists in
providing a notch in each edge of the peripheral opening so as to form a space
through which the enlarged or flanged part of such solid tire can be passed, sub-
stantially as described.
Fifth. In connection with a combined pneumatic and solid tire the use of
strengthening ribs E applied to the rim for the purpose of preventing the sides
from being sprung apart by the lateral pressure of the air or other gas or fluid
in the pneumatic tube, substantially as described.
Dated this 5th day of Wahwa 1897
W. FRASER RAE.
Per W. H. Beck, Agent,
115 Cannon Street, London, E.C.