US1388910A - Metal wheel - Google Patents

Description

e. E. WORTH.-

METAL WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5, 1920.

1,388,910, Patented Aug. 30, 1921.

M J UJ %SA TTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE n'won'rn, or ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

METAL WHEEL.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE E. WORTH,

. a citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Metal Wheels; and I do hereby declare the followin to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification, and to the reference-numerals marked thereon.

This invention relates to wheels and, more particularly, to the construction of metal wheels suitable for use with vehicles of various types, one object being to provide a metal wheel of great strength combined with relatively light weight and low cost of manufacture.

Another object is to provide a wheel which may be economically stamped out from sheet metal, and assembled at low. cost, with a disposition and arrangement of parts affording a high degree of resistance, not only to imposed loads, but also to torsional and lateral stresses.

' Still a further object is to provide a wheel of the above character which is readilyadaptable to various uses and is neat and attractive in appearance.

To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a lateral view of a wheel embodying the present invention.

F ig. 2 is a section on the line 2--2 of Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3----3 of Fig. 2, showing an inside view of one half the wheel.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 4 -4" of Fig. 3. Fig. .5 is an. enlarged detail view of the rim portion of the wheel as shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing a modified form of construction.

Similar reference characters throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

In the embodiment which is at present considered to best illustrate the principles of the invention, the wheel comprises a pair of opposed circular plates or disks of metal, preferably sheet steel, having peripheral Specification of Letters Patent. Patented A 30 1921 Application filed March 5,

1920., Serial No. 363,363.

rim portions 12 and 13, respectively, preferably extending parallel with a plane perpendlcular to the rotational axis of the wheel. The disks are dished toward their central portions, the latter being spaced from each other and provided with central opemngs 14 forming bearings for the hub portlon of the wheel later to be described. Surrounding the hub portion each disk has an annular web 15 of substantial width between which and its rim portions of material are punched out, as at 16, leaving spoke formlng strips 17 which are arranged to extend tangentially of the hub 15', and are preferably folded at their longitudinal centers to turn the lateral edges inwardly of the wheel. The spoke may be tubular or other shape in cross section but preferably has the shape shown in Fig.4 in which the spoke strip is so folded at its center as to bring the lateral halves into contact with each other, as this shape is believed to pro.- vide a high degree of strength in proportion tothe amount of material used, as well as to have the advantage among others of presenting an attractive appearance.

Adjacent spokes are alternately'parallel, as spokes 17 and 18, and intersecting, as spokes 18 and 19, and'the intersecting pairs are, of course, integrally united at their intersections 20 between theextremities thereof, so that each spoke is substantially stayed or reinforced and stiffened between its ends. The tangential direction of the spokes provides for'the suspension of the load from the top of the wheel, whereby the stresses imposed on the spokes by the load are tensional in character, which character of stress the spokes are, of course, best adapted to sustain. Furthermore the tangential arrangement of the up the torsional stresses in the wheel by tensional stresses in the spokes when the wheel is used as a driving or tractional one. The dished formation of the component disks and the rigid connection between them hereafter described, as well as the cross sectional form of the spokes, provides a high degree of resistance to lateral stresses.

The disks 10 and 11 are united adjacent their centers and provided with suitable bearing means for a trunnion or axle, the constructlon at present preferred comprising the provision of laterally extending flanges formed in the disks around the openings flanges provide suitable bearing surfaces for spokes provides for taking a sleeve 23, the ends of which are inserted in the openings of the disk and flanged outwardly as at 24 and 25, respectively, to secure the sleeve in place and the disks to each other, and the engaging portions of the sleeve and disks may, of course, be secured to each other if desired by rivets or welding, or other treatment to increase the rigidity of the structure.

The-rim portion of the wheel may be provided with any suitable form of tread or tread supporting devices depending upon the character of use for which the wheel is intended. In the present instance the rim of disk 11 is formed with a laterally extending flange 26 having at its outer edge an angularly extending ring 27. The other disk 10 has preferably a plain annular rim l2 againstwhich is fitted an auxiliary rim 28 provided with laterally extending flanges 29 and 30, the latter of which has an anular ring portion 31 similar to ring 27. lhis construction provides a suitable support for the so-called straight-sided tire used on automobile wheels and the rims, together with the auxiliary rim 28, may be secured together by means of bolts 32 and nuts 33, the disk rims 12 and 13 being additionally secured together by rivets or welding. By removing the nuts 33 the auxiliary rim 28 may be removed thus providing the advantages of a split rim construction facilitating the adjusting of the tire on the wheel.

By way of illustration of the various possible modifications and adaptations of the rim portion of the wheel, there is shown in Fig. 6 a modified construction adapted 'for the so-called clencher type of automobile tire. In this modification the disks 34 and 35, otherwise similar to disks l0 and 11, have their rims secured together at 36, by riveting, welding or other suitable means and the rims are turned outwardly as at 37 and 38 and also inwardly at their edges 39 and 40 for the purpose specified.

A wheel embod ing the princi les of construction herein isclosed may e economically stamped up from sheet metal and inexpensively assembled at a very low cost, while the opposed, rigidly connected disks with their tangentially extending integrally formed and reinforced spokes provide a high degree of strength for resisting the various stresses to which a Wheel is subjected in use. The present wheel is not only much less expensive, but also considerably stronger, as well as somewhat lighter in weight than the inserted wire spoke wheel commonly employed. The formation of the disks as well as the construction as a whole facilitates the application of a high degree of finish'to the wheel and the latter presents a neat and attractive appearance.

I claim as my invention:

1. A metal wheel comprising a pair of sheet metal disks each stamped to form a plurality of integral spokes adjacent ones of which are integrally connected With each other at a point spaced from the extremities thereof and extend tangentially of the wheel hub on opposite sides thereof to increase the torsional strength, said disks being con- .nected with each other adjacent their peripheries, tread supporting means on the peripheries of said disks, and a connection between said disks adjacent their hubs.

2. A metal wheel having a rim portion and a hub portion, a pair of sheet metal disks each connected with said rim and hub portions respectively and formed to provide integral spokes arranged to extend tangentially of the hub on opposite sides thereof with adjacent spokes crossing and integrally connected with each other.

3. A metal wheelcomprising a pair of sheet metal disks each having a felly Web and a hub web with the material therebetween punched out to form a plurality of integral spokes adjacent ones of which integrally intersect each other and extend tangentially of the hub on opposite sides thereof, the felly webs of said disks being connected with each other, a tread portion on said felly webs, and hub forming means connecting said hub webs.

4. A metal wheel comprising a pair of opposed sheet'metal disks connected at their rims and spaced at their centers, each of said disks having portions thereof removed to provide a plurality of spoke strips arranged to intersect each other and extend eccentrically of the disk center, said strips having their lateral edges turned into proximity with each other, and a bearing portion connecting said disks at their centersij;

5. A metal wheel comprisingia pair of opposed sheet metal disks connectedv at their rims and spaced at their centers and each having annular web portions at its rim and center'with portions of the mater al therebetween removed to form a plurality of tangentially extending spokes adjacent ones of which are alternately parallel and intersecting a tread portion adjacent the rims of said disks, and a, bearing portion connecting their centers.

6. A metal wheel coniprising a pair of opposed sheet metal disks-connected at their rims and spaced at their centers and each having annular web portions at its rim and center with portions of the material therebetween removed to form a plurality of spokes extending tangentially of the disk center and intersecting each other, said spokes being substantially U shape in cross section, and a bearing sleeve having its ends supported in openings at the centers of said disks.

GEORGE WORTH.

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