US1195379A - Besilient wheel - Google Patents

Description

patented Augyzz, 1916.'

,. 3' SHEETS-SHEET 2. I

l 5 f. MEAD.

REsrufNT WHEELI APPLICATION FILED OCT- 7 i915.

)UNITED STATES PATENT oEEioE.

v FRANCIS MEAD, OF CHICGO, I'LLINOIS.

EESILIEiv'J.1 WHEEL. i

l Specification of Letters Patent. V:[)rljgeniierd Allg. 22, 1916- 'Applicaton filed October 7, 1915. Serial o. 54,478.

use the same.

1, My invention relates to resilient wheels for vehicles and more particularly lto the class of such wheels having resilient vcush- 15 ionsdnterposed between relatively movable inner and outer rims or fellies. y One general object of my invention is that ofy providing a construction affording great resiliency with relatively little wear on the cushioning elements, and one in which the 4stresses due to a relativev circumferential movement of the rims are distributed through the whole of each Acushioning ele-` .f-ment. j

eifective cushioning means to care tor side strains upon the wheel (such as those due to skiddin'g), also to prevent such side strains from unduly wearing thescushioning elements and `from causing objectionable noises. Still another object l"is to provide means for preventing the entrance of dirt, rain, snow,etc.,`into the space in which the cush. ioningelements are housed, and to prevent these mud-excluding means from interfering with the relative radial, lateral and ci'r- A cumferential motion of the wheel rims.

i A further object is to provide cushioning,

'V-elements suitable for use in a 'wheel construction of the class described, which will offer an unusual elasticity and of such shape as to afford substantially a maximum of elasticity wheg litted between the rims of thevwheel.

Still further objects'will appear from the r-ollowing specification and from the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is an elevation of a wheel embodying my invention, with portions cut away to disclose a part of the interior construc-` tion. Fig. 2 vis an enlarged transverse section through the rimk of the wheel and a part of yone of the spokes. Fig. 3 is a fragment.. :y similar section with the wheel under side strain. Fig. 4 is a ragmentary section of the wheel laken along the line 4-4 of Fig.

2. F igs. .f3 and G are :fragmentary viewsA` `the art to whichv it appertains'to make and .Another object is to provide simple'and showing two different arrangements ofthe thrust partitions-engaging the ends of the cushioning elements. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view showing one of the cushioning elements-at the top of va lightly loaded wheel when the latter is standing still. Fig.- 8 is a similar view taken wheg'thelwheel is-in motion. Fig. 9 is a similar lview of one of the lower cushioning elements. Fig. 10`is an elevation of a cushioning element when loose. Fig. 11 is a view of the same as it appears when bent into position.

While my invention maymbe applied with substantially equall facility to wheels of widely varying materials and constructions, it is particularly applicableoto wheels having wooden spokes and carrying treads upon demountablel rims, and is shown 1n a cor-v responding embodiment in some of the drawings. Thus, in 1,*.thelhub of the Wheel supports spokes 2 caii'yingan inner rim or felly 3, whichrinr is 'banded by asteel y ring 4.' Encircling theV said rim 3 at some distance therefrom, and preferably wider than the inner rim 3, is an outer rim 5 which carries tires 6 itted into demountable rim elements 16 of any desired-types. Secured to oppositesides of the outer rim V5,('preferably by thesame bolts 17 whiclfsecure the demountable tire members in place) are side flanges 7, each o-which projects radially inward of thewheel beyond the inner rim 3, and which flanges have oiset. portions'8 bearing against each other and bolted to each other between the spokes 2 of thewheel (as shown in Fig. 4). Adjacent to each spoke, each of these side'flanges is equipped with a recessed formation r,9, the opposed formations upon the two anges combining to form short tubes loosely housing portions of the spokes. 'Clamped to each of these ltubes and also suitably secured to the adj acent spoke -.(as for example, by being clamped over al spacing tube 19 as in Fig.2) is .a iiexibl'e tube or culi l0, which iexible element forms a closure. for the opening between tlie spoke and the adjacent tube 9.

" Secured alternately to the inner and outer rims inA circumferential succession, and projecting radially of the wheel for part of the distance between the said rims are thrust partitions 11 and l2, the former being preferably welded to the steel ring i4, which ring also carries a ,centrally disposed and radially center partition ring one ofthe side fianges, and bounded atitsends' by the radial thrust partitions 11 and 12,. are' cushioning elements lamade of rubber orotherresilient material. Each' of the .cushions 14 is preferably wider than the width of the ring 4 laterally of the center artition 13, and normally engages both sai partition 13 and one of the side flanges'', thereby keepigfthis Han e spaced laterally from the inner rim 3.A hould the wheel be subjected to a side strain tending to move the inner rim laterally with respect to the outer rim (as in case the wheel skids on a wet street), one of the two cushions dis osed at opposite sides ofthe center partition 13 will be compressed .as in Fig. 3, during the relative lateral movement of -the rims. To prevent the other-cushion from being, simultaneously slid in the same direction in which the first named cushion was compressed, I preferably interlock it with a formation disposed circumferentially of the wheel upon the ring 4, suchas a raised ring. 15. I also preferably make each cushion 14 of such a resiliency that the maximuln lateral compression due to normally i encountered side strains upon the-wheel will not suffice to bring the adjacent side flange into contact with the inner rim, thus avoiding a noisy slamming or pounding action when the wheel is in service.

While the cushions 14 may vary' greatly in design and material, I preferably so shape them that they `will offer substantially `equal resiliency in all directions when fitted into a loose wheel, that is to say, a wheel carrying no load. To accpmplish this with a minimum of` delayin the fitting and with no waste of the" expensive rubber, I preferably mold each cushion in a substantially prismatic form having one longitudinal face suliciently longer than the opposite face to compensate for the difference in the lengths ofthe ,arcs in which these faces are nor in flexing the cushion y faces. lloweveig'owing to the difference in radius, the length of the lower arc of Fig. 11 corresponding `to radial ends will be less thanthat of the upper arc, hence an additional length of the upper face will berequired to afford the desired disposition of the ends. I therefore preferably mold each cushioningr block with a suitably enlarged outer face as shown in Fig. 10, thereby enabling this cushion to exactly lill the space for the same without disproportionate strains upon any portion of it, and thereby also enabling each cushionto offer a substantially e' ual resiliency'in all directions.

' I also pre erably provide each of these cushions with a plurality of lateral recesses` at each side, whichl recesses reduce the amount of material along the axis of the cushion and hence permit the cushionmore easily to adapt itself to the changes in size` and form demanded by the action upon the cushion when at different points in the travel of the Wheel. For example, with the wheel standing still, the inner rim will normally compressthe lower cushions to move the axis of this rim below the axis of the outer rim, thus increasing the distance between the uppermost portions of the two rings. V Conl sequently,

the resiliency of the cushioning block in tending to straighten thisublock may cause the latter to engage the rims only for a slight distance near each of the respective abutments 11 and 12, as in Fig, 7. .However, if the wheel is set in motion, the tendency of one rim to lag behind the other will cause the said abutments to move toward each other, thereby compressing the cushion ci-rcumferentially and hence expanding the same radially of the wheel as-in Fig.` 8, the result being that both the inner andouter faces of the cushion offer a greatly extended amount of surfaces in contact with the adjacent rims. At the same time, the cushions at the bottom of the wheel will b'e subject lowering of the axis of the inner rim, and to4 the circumferential compression due to Aboth to the radial compression due to the the lagging of one rim behind the other,

thus forcing the entire inner and outer surfaces into contact with the rim members of the wheel. Consequently, since the cushions subject to the greater driving strains auto'- matically are forced in to 'more extensive frictional contact with the rim members,

only asmall part of the drivingis transmit! vted through the thrust of the radial partitions or abutmentsand the slipping of the `cushions on the rims is to be practically negligible both as a source of heat and of wear. However, while I have described the cushions of my wheel as interposed between abutments secured alternately to theinner and `outer rim members, I do not Wish to be limited to the use of a single pair of such radial partitions in connection with each cushioning element, since it might be equally desirable under some conditions to have a pair of suchpartitions at each end of each cushion as shown in Fig. 6. Neither do I wish to be limited to the use of spacer busliings 19 between the spokes and the dirt-excluding tubes 10, nor to other of the details herein disclosed, it being obvious that the construction might be modified in many ways without departing from the spirit of my invention. i

' ianges carried by the outer of saidmrims out of contact with the aforesaid rim, said flanges laterally respectively engaging the projecting portions of the resilient memers.

2. In` a Vehicle wheel, the combination with an inner and an outer rim, of side flanges on one of the rims radially overlapping but laterally spaced from the other rim, a central annular web on the last named rim projecting toward the rim carrying the flanges, and a pair of resilier t members disposed between said rims, each of said'members bearing against said web and having an integral portion projecting laterally beyond the rim having the web, said'nintegral portion nornfally contacting with one of `the side flanges but adapted to be moved out of its said contacting relation by a relative lateral movement of the rims in one direction. ,l

3. In a vehicle wheel, the combination with -inner and outer rims equipped with radiai'ly disposed projections secured alter.

nately to the inner and outer rims and extending partly acrossthe space therebe.

tween, of resilient members disposed in Said A' space and respectively abutting at their ends I. against consecutive projections, each of said Vmembers eomprlsing a normally rectilmear prismatic cushionl having one longitudinal face thereof longer thanthe'opposite face. Y

4, In a `vehicle wheel, the combination withl relatively movable inner and outer rims separated by an annular hspace, of a plural. ity of radially'ended resilient elements-dis?- posed in annular formation in said space and each bent from a normally rectilinear prismatic form; the outer and inner faces of each element being Irespectively substantially equally extended and compressed during chebending, and the outer face being normally longer than the inner face so as to compensate for the difference in the lengths of the arcs in which said faces are curved.

5. In a vehicle wheel, the combination with relatively movable inner and louter rims, of side flanges carried byone of said rims vand radially overlapping the other thereof, cushioning elements disposed in the annular space between said rims and side flanges, said elements vbeing arranged substantially in two ringsl encircling the inner rim and e disposed laterally of each other, spacer means carriedby-one of the rims for spacing the elements comprising the two the last named rim and the elements of each ring for preventing a relative lateral sliding thereof in one direction.

6. In a vehicle wheel, the combination with relatively movable inner and outer rims, of side flanges carried by one`0f said rims and radially overlapping -the other thereof, cushioning elements disposed in the annular space between sald rims and' side ring for limiting ythe movement of the last named ring in the same direction.

7. Ina vehicle wheel, the combination with an inner rim having afcentral peripheral web and a paia` of peripheral rings at opposite sides of said web, of an outer rim, side flanges fast upon the outer rim and eX- tending radially inward therefrom and radially overlapping but laterally spaced from ile inner rim, and resilient elements rings, and auxiliarymeans associated with .85 lwith the said overlapped rim and the other disposed in two annular formations between said rims and all normally contacting with said web, the elements of each annular formation being interlocked with one of said peripheral rings to. prevent their sliding in one'lateral direction upon said-inner rim.

8. In a vehicle wheel, the combination with' an inner and an outer rim, of an annular resilient member' disposed therebetween and projecting at one side' beyond the edge of one of said` rims, the last named rim member being equipped with formations respectively engaging the opposite side of the resilient member and an intermediate portion of the latter for preventing a lateral ymovement of the resilient member with respect to said rim.

FRANCIS MEAD. y

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