AN IMPROVED WHEEL FOR VEHICLES
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
WHEEL FOR VEHICLES." A communication from abroad by Frederick Hollick,
of the City, County, and State of New York, United States of America,
Phrainian
Sealed the 18th July 1879, and dated the 8th April 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville Clark at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th April 1879.
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent.
"AN IMPROVED WHEEL FOR VEHICLES." [A communication from
abroad by Frederick Hollick, of the City, County, and State of New York, United
States of America, Physician.]
The object of this Invention is to furnish an improved carriage wheel which shall
be so constructed that it may be readily put together and taken apart, which shall
be simpler in construction, less expensive in manufacture, stronger, and more
durable than wheels constructed in the usual way.
The Invention consists in a vehicle wheel whose tire is flanged, the felloes
provided with central radial spokes, and the hub divided into two transverse
sections, one of the felloes being so shaped on the ends with respect to the ends of
the two adjacent ones that they may be wedged in as hereinafter described.
According to this Invention, the tire, which is made in one or more pieces and of
cast or wrought metal, has flanges upon its side edges to overlap the sides of the
felloes so as to keep the said tire in place. Each felloe is attached to the outer
ends of one or more of the spokes, and one of the felloes has its ends bevilled in
opposite directions, making it wedge shaped, the ends of the adjacent felloes being
bevilled correspondingly. The other joints of the rim are radial. The inner ends
of the spokes are placed in notches in the shoulder of one part of the hub where
they are secured in place by the other part of the said hub, which part may be
made in the form of a ring plate if desired. The parts of the hub are secured to
each other by bolts.
The wheel is put together by inserting the felloes in the box or groove of the
tire, placing the inner ends of the spokes in the notches in one part of the hub, and

page_text: bolting the other part to its place. The tire may be heated before the felloes are
placed in it so that the wheel may be tightened by the shrinking of the tire, or the
wheel may be tightened by driving the wedge felloe into place, and thus pressing
the felloes together within the box of the tire.
The flanges of the tire may be made of any desired depth, and may be plain or
scolloped or otherwise ornamented. The flanges may also be made with projections
to overlap the sides of the outer ends of the spokes so as to strengthen the con-
nection between them and the felloes.
This construction allows spokes to be placed at the joints of the felloes so as to
strengthen the rim of the wheel at its weakest points.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th September 1879.
"
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent. AN IMPROVED WHEEL FOR VEHICLES." A communication from
abroad by Frederick Hollick, of the City, County, and State of New York, United
States of America, Physician.
The object of this Invention is to furnish an improved carriage wheel which shall
be so constructed that it may be readily put together and taken apart, which shall
be simpler in construction, less expensive in manufacture, stronger, and more
durable than wheels constructed in the usual way.
The Invention consists in a vehicle wheel whose tire is flanged, the felloes pro-
vided with central radial spokes, and the hub divided into two transverse sections,
one of the felloes being so shaped on the ends with respect to the ends of the two
adjacent ones that they may be wedged in as hereinafter described.
In the accompanying Drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of one of the improved
wheels, part being broken away to show the construction.
Figure 2 is a detail section of the hub. Figure 3 is a detail section of the rim.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the three Figures. A
represents the tire, which is made in one or more pieces, and of cast or wrought
metal. The tire A is made with flanges a' upon its side edges to overlap the sides
of the felloes B, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, so as to keep the said tire in place.
Each felloe B is attached to the outer ends of one or more spokes C. One of the
felloes B' has its ends bevelled in opposite directions, making it wedged shaped, the
ends of the adjacent felloes being bevelled correspondingly. The other points of
the rim are radial, as shown in Figure 1. The inner ends of the spokes C are
placed in notches in the shoulder of the part D of the hub, where they are secured
in place by the other part E of the said hub, which part may be made in the form
of a ring plate if desired. The parts D, E, of the hub are secured to each other by
bolts.

page_text: The wheel is put together by inserting the felloes B in the box or groove of the
tire A, a', placing the inner ends of the spokes C in the notches in the part D of
the hub, and bolting the part E to its place. The tire A, a', may be heated before
the felloes B are placed in it, so that the wheel may be tightened by the shrinking
of the tire, or the wheel may be tightened by driving the wedge felloe B¹ into
place, and thus pressing the felloes together within the box of the tire A.
The flanges a of the tire A may be made of any desired depth, and may be
plain or scolloped or otherwise ornamented. The flanges a' may also be made with
projections to overlap the sides of the outer ends of the spokes C, so as to strengthen
the connection between them and the felloes. This construction allows spokes
to be placed at the joints of the felloes, so as to strengthen the rim of the wheel at
its weakest points.
Having described the nature of the said Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the
hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is,-
A vehicle wheel consisting of a tire having the flanges a¹, a¹, the felloes with
radial spokes C, and the two-part hub D, E, one of the felloes being bevel-edged
and wedged between the oppositely bevelled edges of the two adjacent felloes, as
shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Tenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.
A. M. CLARK. (L.B.)