US1631928A

US1631928A - Fabric disk wheel

Info

Publication number: US1631928A
Application number: US10520A
Authority: US
Inventors: John H Doty
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1925-02-20
Filing date: 1925-02-20
Publication date: 1927-06-07
Anticipated expiration: 1944-06-07

Description

' 1,631,928 June 7 1927. i J. H. DOTY FABRIC DISK WHEEL Filed Feb. 20. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1,631,928 June 7 1927 J. H. DoTY FABRIC DISK WHEEL Filed Feb. 20. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 UNITED STATES Patented June 7, 1927.

:om: n. non, or Anon; omo.

nismo msx WHEEL.

Application Med February 20, 1925. Serial No. 10,590;

This invention relates to vehicle wheels and it particularly pertains to wheels of the so-called disk type that .are partlcularly ada ted for use on automotive vehlcles.

arious forms of disk wheels have previously been roposed that compr1sed opposed disksof) metal or laminated wood or the like. The present invention differs from this ractice in that it contemplates forming a dis wheel from a pair of disk members of pliable material. The invention also contemplates a method of forming such a wheel in which the body or disk portion of the wheel is of laminated fabric that is preferably so tensioned as to suspend the hub porton of the wheel under load.

Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is` Fi 5 is a lateral cross-sectional view of.

the rlm and felly portion of the wheel shown in Fig. 4, taken substantially' on line 5-5 thereof, with parts broken awa and v Fig. 6 is a lateral cross-sectional vlewY of a modified form of wheel disk embodying my invention. y

The disk wheel shown in the accompanying drawings embodies a pair ofy opposed disk elements 1 and 2 that are spaced at their center portions by means of a hub member 3 and are drawn together at their periphery to` operative engagement with a felly band 4 by means of suitable transverse bolts 5. Figs. 2 and 3 are separate views of one of the disk elements corresponding to elements 1 and 2 of Fig. 1.

Particularly referring to Fig. 3 of the drawings, each of the isk portions 1 and 2 comprises a bead portion 10, that constitutes the hub supporting portion of the" wheel,. an outer bead portion 11, that ,supports the felly 4, and an intermediate sup'- porting d isk 12 of superposed layers of fabric, that connects the

bead elements

10 and 11..

The body of each of the disk elements is Of fabric that,

formed of a plurality of superposed la ers are preferably suitably rictloned with rubber or otherwise treated with a flexible binder and assembled in fan-wise formation. The disk portion 12 is enlar ed at its outer edge portion by interposin bric washers 13 between the successive layers of the material making up the body of the dlsk 12, in order to provide the bead portion 11 which extends around the outer periphery of the -disk and serves as an anchoring bead for the various layers of fabric making up the disk. A pair of supporting plates 14 and 15, which respectively have inwardly turned

ianges

16 and 17 along their innermost edges, are preferably permanentl vulcanized to the bead portion 11l of the disk. The bead portion 10 of each disk is also enlarged by interposing suitable annular washers or fabric elements 18 between successive layers 9 of the body of the metal disks 19 and 20, preferably having their respective rim portions bent toward each other, are mounted on each side of the bead portion 10 and preferably securely vulcanized thereto.

A disk for a vehicle wheel of the type herein considered may be formed by any conventional process or the metal disk members 14, 15, 19 and 20 may be assembled with the finished disk structure in order to support the outer and inner marginal edge portions of the disk elements. 1f it is not desired that the enlarged bead portions 10'and 11 be used, then the metal disk elements 14, 15, 19 and 20 may b e replaced by plain

annular disks

25, 26, 27 and 28 as shown in Fig. 6.

Although vehicle wheels of this general form may be constructed from either crosswoven fabric or from so-called cord fabric, it is preferred that the separate disk elements be formed from cord fabric having 'the warp elements thereof grouped in fan-wise formation, in order that the distortion of the disk may be substantially the same in all directions and in order that the vehicle wheel disk will have the same load supporting capacity for all positions of the wheel. The same suggested fan-wise construction may also be used if the disk elements are formed of cross-woven fabric.

In view of the fact that the material from which a disk wheel of the above designated character is formed is of pliable character, it is advisable to tension that material in order to obtain `the most desirable load sup-A disk. A pair of sioning results in suspending the load that is imposed by the vehicle on the hub of the Wheel from the upper portion of the wheel felly, without entirely relieving the tensile stress that is initially imposed in the fabric of the lower portion of the Wheel. The tensioninv of the pliable material, fromwhich the wlieel is formed, also serves to prevent any permanent displacement of the felly band relative to the hub of the wheel:l while permittin relative yielding of the Wheel under sudden lateral impact. The wheel therefore poscsses all of the very desirable characteristics of resilient disk wheels that have heretofore been roposed and in addition is of lighter weiglit and of more iiexble character than Wheels of laminas of wood or other material.

In wheels of the character that I have herein described, the material of the disk portion of the wheel may be relatively thin and adequately support the load that is imposed upon it. In fact, the structure of the disk portion of thewheel corresponds closely to the structure of the sidewall-of a so-called balloon tire or tires of like description that are used on automobiles at the present time.

It should also be understood that the bead portion of the disk is not necessarily enlarged to the degree shown in the drawing. Thefunction of this portion of the disk is to provide means for adequately anchoring the inner and outer edge portions of each of the disks with the respective supporting hub and fellyyof the wheel. It may, therefore, be adequate to merely vulcanize

suitable metal disks

25 and 26, as shown in F' 6, directly to the Wheel disk in order t at, when the disk is tensioned, the disk portion 29 of the wheel will be tensioned'between the

inner anchoring disks

25 and 26 and the outer anchoring disks 27 and 28, as shown in Fig. 6.

Vehicle wheels of this general type are formed by arranging a pair of disk elements 1 and 2, of identical form, in opposed relation on each side of the hub spacer element 3. The disks are preferably formed with only a slight degree of cup ing or concavity, as shown in Fig. 2. hen the peripheral bead portions 11 of the disks are drawn together in cooperative relation with the felly band by suitable bolts 5 that extend through both of the bead portions 11, the disk portions 12 of the separate disk elements 1 and 2 are thereby tensioned to any desired degree, depending upon the degree of concavity originally imparted to the disk elements and the length of the spacer 'signed my name.

tain the outer edge portions of the disk ele ments 1 and 2 in abuttin relation.

A wheel of the type s own in the figures of the drawings is mounted on the conventional form of automotive vehicle, not

shown, in any conventional or convenient manner. The felly band 4 of the whcel, which is of conventional type,l serves to detachably support a pneumatic tire-sup orting rim 31, that is detachably secured t ereon by means of a conventional wedge ring 32, clamps 33 and clamping bolts 34, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

Although I have described my invention as applied to a ydisk wheel comprising disk elements which are formed of superposed layers of fabric, it is obvious that my invention comprehends other forms of pliable disk material that may be employed 1n this general manner and that may be suitably tensioned between the hub and the felly portions of the vehicle Wheel. The disk portion of the wheel may also obviously be formed of superposed layers of metal fabric or other materia having reinforcing strands or iibers extending therethrough.

What I claim is:

1. A vehicle wheel-comprising a vulcanized body portion formed of two opposed outwardly convergent disk portions, each of said portions being composed of superposed plies of rubberized fabric vulcanized to form a composite body, the warp elements of the fabric composing said plies being groupml in fan-wise formation.

2. A vehicle wheel comprising a vulcanized body formed of a palr of` similar disk elements each composed of superposed plies of vrubberized fabric vulcanized to form a composite body, and spacing members placed between the Flies near the hub and felly portions thereo 3. A vehicle wheel comprising a vulcanized body formed of a pair of similar disk elements composed of superposed plies of rubberized fabric, having enlarged bead portions formed by the insertion of laminated fabric spacing members between the plies.

In witness whereof, I havel hereunto JHN H. vDofrr.

within the central