Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd May, 1896
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Feb., 1897-Accepted, 17th Apr., 1897
We, EDWARD ROBSON, HENRY WILLFORD, and THOMAS DANIEL STAGG,
all of Newington Iron Works, Hull, in the County of York, Manufacturers, Iron-
founders and Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
Our invention relates to the construction of metal wheels for vehicles, and more
particularly to improvements in wheels of a similar class to that described in the
Specification of the Letters Patent No. 1870 of 26 January 1895, granted to
the aforesaid Edward Robson and Thomas Daniel Stagg, the main objects of our
invention being to give additional strength to such wheels, and to reduce their
weight and cost of manufacture.
Our improved wheel is constructed substantially as follows:-
The nave is made of steel or iron tube, with a screw thread formed upon the
exterior surface at each end for a certain distance, having the intermediate central
portion plain. A steel or iron flange is screwed tightly upon each end, and an
annular groove or recess is formed in each flange to receive the inner ends of the
spokes, which are secured therein by bolts or rivets. The flanges when screwed
into position leave a portion of the ends of the tube extending beyond them.
Upon one such end an annular dust cap and oil box is screwed and upon the
other an ordinary cap nut.
A case hardened iron or steel bush is fitted within the tube, or the tube itself
may be case hardened on its interior surface, and such tube or bush may fit the
axle, or preferably be of sufficiently increased diameter to admit of anti-friction
rollers, or balls, arranged in any suitable manner, being interposed between it and
the axle.
The aforesaid grooved flanges may, if preferred, be made in two parts of similar
shape, so that when screwed into place on the tube, they form a grooved flange of
the required shape, and although described as of iron or steel, gunmetal, brass, or
other suitable metal may be employed.
The spokes consist of strips of steel or iron of flat, or preferably flat bulb-edged
sertion; a half twist is given to the spoke at each end, so that the said ends lie in
a plane at right angles to the main body of the spoke.
The felloe is a ring of steel or iron of T, channel, or other suitable section, and
a tyre of any desired section is shrunk upon or otherwise affixed to the said
felloe.
The spokes may be arranged and fixed in pairs in the same manner as described
in the said Specification No. 1870 of 1895, but in some cases we use single spokes
securing their inner ends alterrately to opposite ends of the nave and sides cf the
felloe.
Flat rings may be secured against the outer ends of the spokes on the felloe, and
if the latter be of channel section it may be closed by a hoop, as described in the
above specification.
A wheel nave constructed as above described we find to possess lightness and
strength, while the use of spokes, twisted in the manner set forth, increases the
general rigidity of the wheel and enables, if desired, material of lighter section to

page_text: be employed than when plain spokes are used, and without any corresponding loss
of strength.
Dated this 22nd day of May 1896.
AMBROSE MYALL,
2 Lancaster Place, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicants.
Improvements in Metallic Wheels.
We, EDWARD ROBSON, HENRY WILLFORD and THOMAS DANIEL STAGG,
all of Newington Iron Works, Hull, in the County of York, Manufacturers, Iro -
founders and Engineers, 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:-
Our invention relates to the construction of metal wheels for vehicles, and more
particularly to improvements in wheels of a similar class to that described in the
Specification of the Letters Patent No. 1870 of 26th January 1895, granted to
the aforesaid Edward Robson and Thomas Daniel Stagg, the main objects of our
invention being to give additional strength to metal wheels and to reduce their
weight and cost of manufacture.
Our improved wheel is constructed substantially as follows:-The nave is made
of steel or iron tube, with a screw thread formed upon the exterior surface at each
end for a certain distance, leaving the intermediate central portion plain. A steel
or iron flange is screwed tightly upon each end and an annular groove, or recess is
formed in each flange to receive the inner ends of the spokes, which are secured
therein by bolts or rivets.
The flanges, when screwed into position, leave a portion of the ends of the tube
extending beyond them.
Upon one such end an annular dust cap and oil box is screwed, and upon the
other an ordinary cap nut.
A case hardened iron or steel bush is fitted within the tube, or the tube itself
be case hardened on its interior and such tube, or bush may fit the
axle, or preferably be of sufficiently increased diamneter to admit of anti-friction
rollers, or balls, arranged in any suitable manner, being interposed between it and
the axle.
The aforesaid grooved flanges may, if preferred, be made in two parts of similar
shape, so that when screwed into place on the tube, they form a grooved flange of
the required shape, and although described as of iron or steel, gunmetal, brass, or
other suitable metal may be employed.
. The spokes consist of strips of steel, or iron, of flat, or preferably flat bulb-edged
section, a half twist is given to the spoke at each end, so that the said ends lie in a
plane at right angles to the main body of the spoke.
The felloe is a ring of steel, or iron of T, channel, or other suitable section, and
a tyre of any desired form is shrunk. upon, or otherwise affixed to the said
felloe.
The spokes may be arranged and fixed in pairs, in the same manner as described
in the said Specification No. 1870 of 1895, but in some cases we use single spokes,
securing their inner ends alternately to opposite ends of the nave and sides of the
felloe.
Flat rings may be secured against the outer ends of the spokes on the felloe,
and if the latter be of channel section, it may be closed by a hoop, as described in
the above specification.
A wheel nave constructed as above described, we find to possess lightness and

page_text: strength, while the use of spokes twisted in the manner set forth, increases the
general rigidity of the wheel and enables, if desired, material of lighter section to
be employed, than when plain spokes are used, and without any corresponding loss
of strength.
To more clearly illustrate the nature of our invention, reference will now be
made to the accompanying sheet of drawings, which forms part of this specification,
and in which,
Fig. 1 is a part elevation, and
Fig. 2 a cross-sectional elevation through A. A in Fig. 1 of an improved wheel
constructed in accordance with one mode of carrying our invention into practice..
Fig. 3 is a detail cross-section shewing a different form of tyre.
Fig. 4 is
flange, and
part longitudinal section of a nave, shewing a modified form of
Fig. 5 is a part elevation of a felloe and tyre shewing a modified arrangement of
the spokes.
Similar letters of reference denote similar parts throughout the drawings.
Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, the nave or hub is formed of a piece of steel or
iron tube B, having a screw thread C formed upon each end for a certain distance.
A flanged ring D, threaded internally to fit the screw on the said tube, is screwed
upon each end thereof, with its flat face hard up against the shoulder formed by the
termination of the thread. An exactly similar ring D' is then screwed hard up in
a similar position against each ring D, so that an annular groove is left between
the two rings.
The tube B is case-hardened on its interior surface to prevent wear, and a series
of hardened steel rollers E, are interposed between it and the axle F, but, if
desired, the said rollers may be omitted, and the tube be made a working fit on
the axle.
In place of case-hardening the tube B, a case-hardened steel or iron bush may be
fitted therein, if preferred
On the end of the tube which abuts against the collar F¹ of the axle, an annular
dust cap and oil box H is screwed, and on the other end a cap nut J. The abutting
edges of the rings D, D', dust cap H and nut J are all carefully turned, so that
when screwed up they bear truly against each other.
The steel or iron spokes K are of the flat bulb edged cross section shewn at K' in
Fig. 1. A half twist is given to each end of the spoke so that the main portion is
at right angles to the ends, as clearly shewu. The inner ends K2 of the spokes are
flatter ed out to fit exactly into the annular groove formed by the rings D, D', and
as clearly shewn in Fig. 1 are also wedge shaped, so that they abut against each
other, and completely fill up the said grooves.
.
Each end is secured by two rivets L, L, passing through it and the rings D, D¹,
so that the connection between the said parts is of a very solid and rigid
character.
The felloe is a steel ring M of T section, and the outer ends K³ of the spokes
are flattened and bent at a right angle to fit into the angles of the felloè, as shewn
most clearly in Fig. 2.
The spokes being arranged opposite to each other in pairs, the outer ends of each
pair are secured to the felloe by two rivets N, N, passing through the web, and two
rivets PP passing through the flanges, the latter rivets serving also to secure the
tyre Q. A flat tyre is shewn in Figs. 1 and 2 and a tyre with a curved face in
Fig. 3.
The abutment of the spoke ends against each other in the groove between the
rings D, D', and their attachment therein by two rivets, together with the mode of
their attachment to the felloe, prevent the possibility of the spokes working loose,
while at the same time a broken spoke may be readily removed by knocking out
the rivets and a fresh one inserted in place. To facilitate such replacement, bolts,
if preferred, may be used instead of the rivets, as shewn.
Instead of arranging the spokes in pairs, single spokes may be employed, their

page_text: inner ends being secured alternately to opposite ends of the nave, and their outer
ends alternately to opposite sides of the felloe, as shewn in Fig. 5, but such mode
of construction is not so strong or rigid as that previously described.
In Fig. 4 a portion of a nave with a modified mode of forming the grooved
flange is shewn, the difference being merely that the flange is in one piece D'
instead of being built up of two rings D D'. In practice we prefer the latter
arrangement, as being cheaper in cost and equally satisfactory in strength, with the
additional advantage that the width of the groove may be adjusted, if necessary, by
inserting a thin washer to increase the width, or by turning off a little from the
face of the inner ring to reduce it.
The essential features of our improved wheel are the mode of building up, or
constructing the flanged nave, the particular way of twisting the spokes, of shaping
their ends and attaching them to the nave and felloe. The resulting construction
gives a light wheel of great strength, capable of bearing without distortion or
other injury the various severe strains to which wheels are necessarily subjected
on vehicles employed in the transit of heavy goods, on traction engines, or in
travelling on rough and heavy roads, for all of which purposes our improved wheel
is specially adapted.
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. In a metallic wheel, a nave consisting of a tube B having screwed ends C, C,
and a pair of flanged rings D, D' screwed on each said end, substantially as and
for the purposes herein set forth with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying
drawings.
2. In a metallic wheel,.a nave consisting of a tube B having screwed ends and a
double flanged ring D2 screwed on each said end, substantially as and for the
purposes herein set forth with reference to Fig. 4 of the accompanying drawings.
3. In a vehicle wheel, a spoke formed of a flat strip having a half twist at each
end, the inner end being wedge shaped, and the outer end bent to a right angle,
substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth, with reference to Figs. 1, 2
and 3 of the accompanying drawings.
4. In a vehicle wheel, the combination of a nave, consisting of a tube B, flanged
rings D, D' screwed thereon, a felloe of T section, flat spokes having
a half twist
at each end, the inner ends being wedge shaped and the outer bent to a right angle
and secured in pairs to the said nave and felloe, substantially as herein set forth,
with reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings.
5. In'a vehicle wheel, the combination of a nave, consisting of a tube B, flanged
rings D screwed thereon, a felloe of T section, flat spokes having a half twist at
each end, the inner ends being wedge shaped and the outer bent to a right angle and
secured in pairs to the said uave and feltoe, substantially as herein set forth.
.6. In a vehicle wheel, the combination of a nave constructed as above described,
a felloe of T section and flat spokes having a half twist at each end and secured
singly to alternate ends of the nave and alternate sides of the felloe, substantially
as herein set forth, with reference to Fig. 5 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 22nd day of February 1897.
AMBROSE MYALL,
2 Lancaster Place, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicants.