Improvements in Treads for Resilient or Elastic Tyres of Wheels.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Treads for Resilient or Elastic Tyres of Wheels.
I, FELIX ROSENBERG, of 5, Gitschinerstrasse, Berlin, in the Empire of
Germany, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
-
This invention relates to resilient or elastic tyres for the wheels of cycles and
like vehicles.
The invention consists in the peculiar formation of the tread of such elastic
or resilient tyres. These treads were hitherto formed of indiarubber, but such
indiarubber treads have the drawback of being easily damaged by stones or
other like substances.
In order to avoid the above drawback I form the actual treads of elastic or
resilient tyres of separate metal plates loosely or pivotally connected with one
another and thus forming an uninterrupted metal band.
The separate plates of the tread may overlap one another and be loosely
connected at the overlapping points by means of rivets so as to be capable of a
certain mobility as regards one another. The springs of suitable construction
which impart elasticity to the tyre may be fixed on the separate tread plates.
The whole can be enclosed in a suitable cover, for instance of canvas or india-
rubber.
If a tyre provided with such a tread encounter a stone or the like, the tread
plate actually affected will adjust or alter its position to the adjacent tread
plates in such a way that the points of connection are forced outwards or
inwards. This movement is communicated like a lever, that is to say in the
manner of a double armed lever to all the other tread plates in such a way that
each plate carries with it inwards or outwards with its end the encountering end
of the next plate. From this it is evident that any shock encountering a single
tread plate directly is distributed over the whole series and its deleterious action
is thus suitably diminished so that a damaging of the tread itself is prevented
even in the case of strong blows. It also appears from the foregoing that the
moment of flexion arising on a shock to the tread is converted partially into
a drawing action which is distributed over the entire periphery of the tread,
as it is self evident that by the rotation of the tread plates which are calculated
to a given total length there is produced in the same a considerable strain or
pressure.
Various methods of connecting the tread plates with one another may be
adopted. The bent up ends of the tread plates may be pressed together and
flexibly connected with one another by means of a rivet passed through them;
or hooks may be bent out of the material of the tread plates to engage with one

page_text: another and be connected by means of a rivet; or the bent up ends of adjacent
tread plates may be connected by means of a ring passed round them.
Dated this 24th day of August 1897.
WM. P. THOMPSON. & Co.,
of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Treads for Resilient or Elastic Tyres of Wheels.
I, FELIX ROSENBERG, of 5, Gitschinerstrasse, Berlin, in the Empire of
Germany, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained 1
in and by the following statement;-
-
This invention relates to resilient or elastic tyres for the wheels of cycles and
like vehicles.
The invention consists in the peculiar formation of the tread of such elastic
or resilient tyres. These treads were hitherto formed of indiarubber; but such
indiarubber treads have the drawback of being easily damaged by stones or
other like sharp substances.
In order to avoid the above drawback I form the actual treads of elastic or
resilient tyres of separate metal plates loosely or pivotally connected with one
another and thus forming an uninterrupted metal band.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a tyre showing the overlapping plates;
Figures 2-4 are various modifications of the method of connecting the tread
plates;
Figure 5 shows respectively in plan view, side view and cross section a plate
with flaps capable of being bent over.
As shown in Figure 1, the separate plates a of the tread may overlap one
another and be loosely connected at the overlapping points by means of rivets b
so as to be capable of a certain mobility as regards one another. The springs c
of suitable construction which impart elasticity to the tyre may be fixed on the
separate tread plates a. The whole can be enclosed in a suitable cover, for
instance of canvas or indiarubber.
If a tyre provided with such a tread encounter a stone or the like, the tread
plate a actually affected will adjust or alter its position to the adjacent tread
plates in such a way that the points of connection 6 are forced outwards or
inwards. This movement is communicated like a lever, that is to say in the
manner of a double armed lever to all the other tread plates a in such a way
that each plate carries with it inwards or outwards with its end the encountering
end of the next plate. From this it is evident that any shock encountering a
single tread plate directly is distributed over the whole series and its deleterious
action is thus suitably diminished so that a damaging of the tread itself is
prevented even in the case of strong blows. It also appears from the foregoing
that the moment of flexion arising on a shock to the tread is converted partially
into a drawing action which is distributed over the entire periphery of the tread,
as it is self evident that by the rotation of the tread plates which are calculated
to a given total length there is produced in the same a considerable strain or
pressure.
As shown in Figures 2 to 4, various methods of connecting the tread plates with
one another may he adopted. As shown in Figure 2, the bent up ends d of

page_text: the tread plates a may be pressed together and flexibly connected with one
another by means of a rivet 6 passed through them; or, as shown in Figure 3,
hooks d may be bent out of the material of the tread plates to engage with one
another and be connected by means of a rivet b, or, as shown in Figure 4, loops
may be provided which act as sheet hinges in order to afford a flexibility to
treads provided with such loops.
Figure 5 shows another modification in which a plate a is provided in the
middle and at one end with flaps a¹ a². The middle flaps a¹ serve when bent
round for retaining the two arms of the spring c, Figure 1, whilst the flaps a²
when bent round embrace the end of the next tread plate a, thus affording the
necessary play to allow of the turning of the plates relative to one another."
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
An elastic or resilient tyre having a tread consisting of separate plates movably
connected with one another characterised by the separate plates being mounted
on springs in such a way that the strain or pressure exerted on a single plate
is distributed evenly over the adjacent plates by a lever like turning of the
adjoining plates, so that the pressure is conveyed and distributed in lever fashion
not only over the point of pressure and its immediate neighbourhood, but further
over the spring parts on the periphery of the tyre, substantially as hereinbefore
described.
Dated this
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.