US895685A - Car-wheel. - Google Patents

Description

w ST ME H W R APPLICATION FILE D OCT. 31, 1907.

AROHIBALD J. ROBERTSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CAR-HEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented 1mg. 11, 1908.

Application filed October 31, 1907. Serial No. 399,981.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARGHIBALD J. Ron- ERTSON, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car- Wheels, of which the fiillowing is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in that class 0 wheels which are particularly designed a d adapted for use on carsof various kinds, but with slight changes, is a -iplicable for use on other vehicles; and has or its principal object to provide a strong, reliable and eil'icient wheel, the parts of which shall be of such construction as to attain the greatest simplicity and facility in its manufacture, yet so as to afford great strength at the places required, and which wheel shall comprise means for keeping the weight of the car or vehicle while subjected to a pulling or pushing force, slightly forward of the wheelbase with respect to the direction of motion, thus utilizing the said. weight to increase the effectiveness oi the propelling force of the car applied at the axle of the wheel.

Various other objects and important advantages of the invention will be disclosed in the subjoined description and explanation.

The invention consists in certain novel features and principles of the construction,

combination and arrangement of the several parts of the improved wheel, as will be hereinai'ter fully set forth.

The novel features of the invention will be carefully defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing, which serves to illustrate the invention:Figurc l is an outer iace view of the wheel embodying the invention, showing the parts in their normal positions. Fig. .3 is a central vertical sectional view taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1

looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; and Fig. 2% is an enlarged sectional view, showing a modilication in the manneroi" securing the. annular plate lo the body portion ol' the wheel, and illustrating in crossserliou the peculiar and novel lorm ol' the peripheral groove in the body part of the wheel, as well as the 'l'orm ol' the rotatable rim which operates in said groove.-

Like numerals ol' reference. rel'or lo corresponding parts throughout the dilloreut views ol' the drawing.

The body or inner rotating element of the wheel is designated by the reference numeral 5, and is provided with a central opening 6 for the reception of the axle upon which it may beanounted in any well known way. In order to strengthen said portion and at the same time lessen its weight and economize in. the amount of material used, it is provided on its inner face with a series of radially eXtending ribs 7 and a number of openings 8 arranged in a circle around the hub 9 or central 1portion of said part, as is clearly shown in igg. 1 of the drawing. The outer surface of the body or inner portion 5 of the wheel, by which is meant that surface which is presented outwardly from between the rails of a railway trac is formed with an annular recess or cutaway part 10, which extends from the periphery of the portion 5 inwardly to a suitable distance, and terminates with a shoulder 11 at its inner portion.

The portion 5 its periphery with a groove 12 to receive a peglion of the rim or outer rotatable element 13 of the wheel, and said roove and the tongue 14 or that portion of the rim 13 which lits and o erates in the groove, are formed of a ieculinr construction in cross-section, as will be seen and readily understood by reference to the arrows 15, 16 and 17 in Fig. 3 of the drawing, which arrows indicate the arcs on which the rounded portions of the groove. and tongue 14 of the rim are struck or formed, so as to all'ord' a greater bearing surface and greater strength in the direction oithe lateral thrust of the rim 13 against the body port iou,which thrust is mainly in the direction indicated by the arrow 16 and substantially in a direction in alinement with the radial ribs 7 as will be readily understood. (losely litted in the annular recess 10 of the inner or body portion 5 is an annular plate 19, which has its inner peri )hery resting against the shoulder 11 oi said recess. This plate may be secured in position by means of rivets ill extended through suitable openings in the plate 18 and the body portion 5 near the groove 1; therein, or it may be secured in position by means of screw-bolts 20 and nuts ii on the inner ends of said bolts, which are also passed through suitable openings in the plate 18 and body portion 5 located as above stated. in order to enable the plate la to he more readily removed and also to prevent any possibility of warping or otherbody portion .5, and that the inner periphery. of the tongue 14 is formed to correspond.

with the cross-sectionally curved groove 12, so that said grooved portionv of the body 5 will contact with the cross-seetionally curved inner eriphery of the tongue 14 of the rim.

, It w' befurther observed and understood that the annular plate 18 forms a portion of one of the walls of the groove 12, while the peripheral portion 22 on the inner face of the body portion 5 forms the other wall of said groove, from the Walls of the tongue at very small or infinitesimal spaces. The rim or outer rotatable element 13 loosely surrounds the body or inner portion 5 of the wheel, and has 1 on its periphery a flange 23 which is also rounded in cross-section, as shown, and is for the pur ose of co-acting with the track rail. It wil be understood that as the outer circumference of the inner portion 5 is less than the inner circumference of the rim 13, a certain amount of play will be provided for the inner portion with respect to the outer portion, and that the former "will, therefore, e permitted to travel upon the inner periphery of the latter, and thatthe only resting place for the body or inner portion 5 will be on the inner periphery of the tongue 14 of the rim or outer part, and when power is applied to propel the vehicle the inner part 5 will be moved in advance of the vertical center of the outer part, whereby the load will be thrown forward of the wheel base, thus utilizing the weight of the vehicle to assist its own propulsion. WVhile power is ap lied, the load or weight of the vehicle wi 1 always be carried at an off-center point from the ground or rail contact.

weight of the load, the inner one of said eleinents supporting the axleand the weight upon the other element, and the latter providing the whcelbase with respect to the nor element from the axle.

which walls are separated 1' element and In Fig. 1 .of the drawing, the vertical line: 22 represents the center of the wheel-base track. It is also apparent that the curved portion of the peripheral roove in the innerelement will contact wit the, correspondingly curved tread portion or tongue 14 of the outer element or rim 13, but that the peripheries of the walls of the groove, which are the plate 18 and Ipart 22, will not er1pherally contact with t e rim or outer e ement, thus reducing the friction incident to the contact ofthe inner\andouter parts. By

providing the inner element with the annuar'reeess 10 to receive the annular plate 18, it is apparent that the strain will be borne by the inner element and also that when it is desired to remove the rim 13 for repairs, or so that a new one can be laced in its stead, the same may be done wit out removing the in- Other advantages attained by the peculiar construction above set forth of the rim 13 are, that it can be more easily rolled into such a shape or form and that it permits the placing of thecontact point between the inner perilphery ofthe rim and the outer periphery of t e inner element 5 further from the tread of the outer rim, which is the track rail. The construction and arran ement of the inner and outer elements and t e annular plate 18 also prevents dirt and other material from enterin the groove 12, as is obvious. As the whee comprises two independently rotating elements, one of which travels or bears upon the other, it is evident that a desirable and beneficial reduction and distribution of the friction between the rails and wheels, especially when rounding a curve, will be effected.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

1. In a Wheel, the combination with an inner rotating element having in one of its sur faces anannular recess extending fromits periphery inwardly and also a peripheral groove, of an annular plate secured to said element in the said recess thereof by means of .bolts extended transversely through said plate inwardly from the groove in said element and forming one of the vertical walls of the groove of the inner element, andan independently-rotatable rim support ing said elem e nt against the periphery of its groove.

2. In a wheel, the combination with an inner rotating element having inone'of its surfaces an annular recess extending from its periphery inwardly and. also a cross-sectionally curved peripheral groove, of an annular plate secured to therefor and forming one of the vertical walls of the groove of the inner element, and

an independently-rotatable rim having a cross-Sectionally rounded tongue supporting said element against the perlpher of its groove, the curved portions of sair groove and tongue being so formed as to present the said element in the said recess 7 with the radial ribs thereof.

3. In a whee1,the combination with an inner rotating element having in one of its sur faces an-annular recess extending from its eripher inwardly and also a cross-section ly curve ripheral groove, of an annular plate detaeha 1y secured to said element in the said recess therefor, and an independentl rotatable rim having a cross-sectional y rounded tongue supporting said element against the periphery of its groove and provided with a rounded flange andbody portion, the "curved portions of said groove and E tongue-being so formed as to present the main lateral thrust of the rim upwardlyand inwardly of the wheel in substantial alinement with the radial ribs thereof.

AROHIBALD J. ROBERTSON.

. Witnesses? CHAS. G. TILLMAN, M. A. NYMAR.

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