US1578076A - Wire spoke - Google Patents

Description

H. J. COOK WIRE SPOKE March 23 1926.

Filed July 6, 1922 Patented Mar. 23,

EUhEEEFa sra'rus PATEN T FF I-(l E HARMON J'. COOK, OF TORRINGTON, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE TORRINGTON COMPANY, OF TORIRINGTON, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

WIRE

Application filed July 6,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Harmon J. Coon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Torrington, in the county of Litchfield, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in fire Spokes, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to the figures of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to improvements in spokes used in the construction of wire wheels for use on automobiles or other vehicles. 7

For the purpose of increasing the efiiciency and life of a wheel constructeduof wire spokes, many improvements have been made, more particularly, however, in the manner of connecting the head of the spoke to the hub, to prevent pulling out or breaking off due to crystallization or strain. It has been found however, that even when improvements of such nature are provided, the element known as wire fatiguedue to constant vibration-will cause the spoke to give way usually at the base of the spoke head. This wire fatigue is due to the continuous and rapid vibrations all being concentrated at the one point which, as said above, is at the base of the spoke head.

I have discovered that by dissipating these vibrations overan extended .surface, the life of a spoke can be indefinitely ex tended.

I have therefore devised various .forms of spokes having tapered portions formed throughout their lengths and merging into the straight portions, whereby the vibrational strains are spread over an extended surface and not" confined to one point.

The invention, therefore, consists in its broadest and simplest form of a spoke having at some portion of its length a tapered section of appreciable length which merges intothe remaining portion of the spoke, which is made in the usual manner.

Various ways of carrying out my invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 represents a spoke embodying one form of my invention;

Fig. 2 another form;

Fig. 3 another form; and

Fig. 4 still another form.

In Fig, 1, the head of the spoke l is SPOKE.

1922. Serial No. 573,196.

of the so-called button head type. From the point 2 to the point 3, the spoke has astraight sectionthat is the butt. It then tapers to the point t. It has an extended straight section from t to 5, then from the point 5 to 6 tapers upwardly, and

then is straight to the threaded or nipple end.

Fig. 2 illustrates a spoke like that shown in'Fig. l, except'that the taper head is used instead of the button head.

In Fig. 3, the head 1 is of the button type'and there is no straight portion of butt adjacent the head, but the taper begins at the base of the head 2, extends to the point 3 from which point is the long straight section to the point 4;, then the spoke is tapered upwardly to the nipple end.

The spoke shown in Fig. 4 is like that shown in Fig. 3, except that the head is tapered, the taper extending from the base 2 of the head to the point 3, then there is the long straight portion to at, and the upward taper to the nipple end.

It will be seen that in all these forms, there is embodied the elongated straight or body portion of the spoke that is of the same diameter throughout its extent, and tapered portions adjacent the straight portion and merging into it, said tapered portions being elongated but relatively shorter than the body portion thereof.

The distinguishing feature of the invention or development is the long gradual slope between head and blade diameters. The effect is that with the long taper swage with gradual slope, the vibrations occurring in spokes in actual use on the road will deflect from each end of the spoke and more particularly the head or larger end where such vibrations now occur, to the center of the spoke and thus be distributed over an area suflicient to prevent such concentration of vibration at a particular point in the spoke which causes the so-called wire fatigue.

The life of the spoke is materially lengthened by such distribution of vibration or avoidance of its concentration.

In fact-,tests have shown an increase of several thousand per cent in the life of spokes constructed in accordance with my invention,

I do not wish to be restricted so far as the oad feature of my invention is concerned,

' to the particular construction shown in the drawings by way of illustration, it being only essential to the same in its broadest aspect that there be a tapering section between the end and blade sections, and whether the tapered section be adjacent one or the other end, or adjacent both, or located directly adjacent either actual end, is immaterial.

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

l. A wire spoke having a central midlength section of small and uniform diameter, terminal portions of a large diameter, ant gradually tapering sections extending from the enlarged terminal portions to said central section or midlength.

A wire spoke having at one end an enlarged terminal portion which is headed, a main body length, the central section of which is of relatively small. and uniform diameter, said body length being gradually tapered from its juncture with said enlarged terminal portion toward the midlength.

3. A wire spoke having a head at one end, an enlarged terminal portion at the opposite end, a main.body length, the midlength of which is of small and uniform diameter, said body length being gradually tapered 3 from its juncture with said enlarged termi nal portion toward said midlength.

4. A wire spoke having a central section of reduced diameter, a pair of gradually tapered sections connected to said central section, a pair of end sections connected to said tapered sections, one of said end sections being threaded for a portion of its length to be engaged by a nipple for tightening the spoke, the other end of said spoke being bent at an angle and having a head for the purpose of engaging in a socket in the rimot a wheel.

5. A wire spoke having enlarged terminal portions of uniform diameter, one of which is bent and headed and the other of which is threaded, and a main body length intermediate the enlargements, said body length being gradually tapered in both directions from its juncture with said enlarged por- 5 tions toward the midlength of said body length.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signa ture.

HARMON J. COOK.

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