Improvements in or relating to the Manufacture of Pneumatic Tyres.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Oct., 1899-Accepted, 13th Oct., 1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Manufacture of Pneumatic
Tyres.
We, MORLAND MICHOLL DESSAU, Manufacturer, of The Ferns, Devonshire Street,
Tooting, in the County of Surrey, and THE WAPSHARE TUBE COMPANY, LIMITED,
of 3, Cross Lane, London, E.C., 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:--
This invention relates to the manufacture of pneumatic tyres and has for
its object to facilitate the building or making up of the outer covers of pneu-
matic tyres or the tyres themselves if of the tubeless kind.
According to this invention a drum, which can be readily collapsed to allow
of its diameter being reduced, is provided on its periphery with lateral grooves
corresponding to the position of the wires in the edges of the tyre and also
preferably a central ridge corresponding approximately to the curvature of
the tread portion of the tyre. Each side of the drum is provided with a series
of hooks or an annular pocket or groove or equivalent device for the reception
of a tension band. By employing hooks or the like which can be screwed
in and out for this purpose, they serve also as an adjustable gauge for the pur-
pose of seeing that the fabric is placed upon the drum evenly and straight.
The fabric which is to form the tyre is placed in position round the periphery
of the drum, the tension bands being placed on it and employed to assist in
smoothening out the fabric and holding it in position while the wires are being
placed in the edges and the latter turned over. When the process of building
up is completed, the drum is collapsed and the tyre removed therefrom.
According to a second part of this invention a special form of stand is employed,
the stand being adapted to receive the above mentioned drum or other drums
used in the process of manufacturing pneumatic tyres. The chief feature of the
improved stand is an arrangement by which one side may be collapsed so as
to facilitate the removal of the drum therefrom when it is desired to take the
tyre off this drum.
According to another part of this invention a drum such as that above men-
tioned for forming the tyre is constructed with a flat periphery in which are
formed grooves for the reception of the wires but no central ridge, a drum
such as this may be employed to form pockets of fabric containing the retaining
wires, the fabric being first stretched and smoothed out with the aid of the
tension bands and then the edges folded over the wires. After the latter have
been put in position, the edges of the fabric meeting about the centre of the
strip, the latter is cut right down the centre so as to leave the two pockets com-
plete with the wires therein.
It is to be understood that where the term tyre is employed in the following
specification and claims it is intended to include either a tyre cover or a tyre
of the kind known as tubeless.

page_text: up.
in the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved drum.
Figure 2 is a cross-section of the same showing the tyre in process of building
Figure 3 is another cross-section of the drum showing the tyre in a further
stage.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the improved stand.
Figure 5 is a cross-section of another drum in accordance with this invention,
showing the method of forming. pockets of fabric for the retaining wires.
Figure 6 is a similar view showing another stage in the process of forming
these pockets.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
The drum A is mounted upon an axle B to which it is connected by an arm C.
The periphery of the drum is divided as at D and the two portions on either
side of this division are hinged as at E; a pin F when passed through eyes or
sockets G G arranged on either side of the division D serves to keep the drum
in its expanded position. The removal of the pin F allows the drum 'to' be
collapsed, the two hinged portions overlapping each other and falling on to the
hub H.
The periphery of the drum has cut in it two grooves A¹, the distance between
which corresponds to the distance apart of the wires in the edges of the tyre.
Between these grooves is a ridge A2 curved to correspond approximately to the
curve of the tread portion of the tyre. On either side of the drum are arranged
a series of hooks J or other device adapted to receive and hold tension bands K
when the latter are not in use. These tension bands are preferably formed of
endless rings of rubber, conveniently round cross-section, but other forms of
band may be used so long as they are of a nature to admit of the band contract-
ing. Thus, if desired, endless coiled or other forms of spring may be used or
sections of wires connected together by springs, or wires the ends of which can
be brought together so as to shorten the diameter of the ring by means of right
and left handed screw or other device.
The improved stand for holding the drum is shown in Figure 4 and comprises
two uprights L and L¹, preferably made of wood, and rigidly secured at their
lower ends to a base plate M. The space between the lower part of the uprights
may at their base be closed in by boards N so as to form a receptacle for sand
which serves to steady the stand. The upper part L2 of the upright Lis
hinged to the latter at L. A bracket L, carried near the top of the upright L¹,
has a hole adapted to receive a wedge piece L, which when the stand is support-
ing the drum normally maintains the upper part L2 of the upright L' in position
and parallel to the other upright L. When the work of building up the tyre
on the drum supported by the stand is completed, the wedge piece L is removed,
when the part L2 will fall away allowing the drum to be lifted straight off the
stand.
In forming a tyre on a drum such as above described, a strip of fabric O
is laid round the periphery of the drum A, the ends of the strip being joined
together in some convenient manner. If the fabric is, as is preferred, made
tacky this is easily done. The tension bands K are now removed from the
hooks J and placed on the fabric and moved from the centre towards the edges
until they fall into the grooves A¹, the fabric being thus smoothed out and
held in position. The hooks J by projecting up, as shown in Figures 2 and 3,
slightly beyond the periphery of the drum A serve as a gauge to enable the
fabric O to be set on the drum in a straight and true manner. When the fabric
has been properly smoothed out, first one tension band K and the the other is
removed laterally and dropped on to the hooks J, the place of each band being
taken by the retaining wires P. After the latter have been placed in position
on the fabric in the grooves A¹ the edges 01 of the fabric are folded over the
wires, strengthening strips of fabric Q being preferably inserted. The pockets

page_text: for holding the wires are thus formed. A second strip of fabric R is now laid
round upon the strip O and secured in place.
The drum A during this process has been supported on the stand L L with
the axle B resting in the bearings L". When the building up of the tyre is
completed the pin F is pulled out when the drum A will collapse, the wedge L³
is also withdrawn, allowing the side L2 of the stand to collapse when the drum
may be lifted laterally off the stand and the tyre removed therefrom. The drum
being now
once more expanded and placed on the stand and the wedge L5
replaced, the drum is ready to be used for the manufacture of another tyre.
In order to prevent noise and damage from concussion when the drum A
is collapsed upon withdrawal of the pin F a rubber or other buffer H¹ may con-
veniently be arranged upon the hub of the drum, a similar buffer being arranged
on the inside of the periphery A.
If it is desired to form pockets of fabric with the retaining wires in place
therein, these pockets being ready for placing in position in the tyre, this may
be done by employing a drum constructed similar to that above described and
illustrated in reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3, but with the periphery A formed
flat with the the expansion of the grooves A¹, that is to say, without the essen-
tial ridge. A strip of fabric S is laid upon the drum A, as shown in Figures 5
and 6, its position being gauged by means of the hooks J as before. The tension
bands K are employed to smooth out the strip in the manner previously described,
and the retaining wires P are placed in position, the edges S¹ of the strip being
folded over upon them as shown in Figure 6. In this case the strip S is of
sufficient width to allow the edges S¹ to just meet at the point S2 about the
centre of the strip; when the folding over is completed the strip S is cut along
the line S2, when two complete pockets with the retaining wires in place will
be formed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
1. In the manufacture of pneumatic tyres the employment of a collapsible
drum grooved as at A¹ and provided with tension bands such as K substantially
as and for the purpose described.
2. In the manufacture of pneumatic tyres the combination with a collapsible
drum grooved as at A' with or without a ridge as at A2 of tension bands such
as K for holding a tyre during manufacture substantially as described.
3. In the manufacture of pneumatic tyres the combination with a drum upon
which the tyre is formed of adjustable hooks or equivalent band supports such
as J arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose described or
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
4. In the manufacture of pneumatic tyres the combination with a drum upon
which the tyre is formed of hooks such as J which serve both as band supports
and gauges in forming the tyre substantially as described.
5. The complete drum for use in the manufacture of pneumatic tyres sub-
stantially as described or illustrated in Figures 12 and 3 or Figures 5 and 6
of the accompanying drawings.
6. The complete stand for a drum for use in the manufacture of pneumatic
tyres substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 4 of the accompanying
drawings.
D
1061 1
2000
MORLAND M. DESSAU.
Boult, Wade & Kilburn,
Agents for the Applicants.