US862702A - Wheel. - Google Patents

Description

No. 852502. 1 PATENTED AUG. e, 1907. H. P. BROADHURST;

WHEEL.

A PPLIOATIMI FILED 11011.17. 1906.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2..

PATENTES AUG. 6, 196?.

E. F. BRADEUBST.

WHEEL. APPLIOATIGH FILED mm1?. ma.

l SHEETS-SHEET 3 PATENTE-"D AUG. 6, i907.

Y E. E. BRGABHERST.

WHEEL APPLICATION FILED IT. 1'!l 1906.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

j fl HERBERT FREDERCK li3ELADTUJRST, OF .lLOlQ'D'Ol(I ENGLANE.

Sie. 882,70'?.

Apprenti sled November 1v. me. sein so. sesso.'

To all whom it may con/:em: i r

Be it known that i, EERnnRr Fnnnnnrcx BROAD- HURSKT, deu-eject of the King of Great Britain, residing et 7 Bztrnstsple Mansions, Rosebery avenue, London,' G., England, engineer, have invented certain new sind nsefnl Improvements in Wheels for Common Road- Vellicies, of which the following is e specification.

The object of thisinvention is" to provide en irn- The distinguishing feature of the invention is thel fact that the springs not in lll cesestzgngentiellye-nd never radially to the wheel asin the usnal 'constrnct-ions of spring Wheel., ythat is'to say, the springs which sie confined betweenradially extending guides provided on those portions of lthe wheel Whoserelzltive displacement the' springs are employed to oppose, are each ndspted on the one hand to slide so as to otter no resistence'to stresses ltrsmsrrritted (in the piene of 'the Wheel) in e direction parellel'to the respective guides: and .on

v the other hand to offer yieldingresistenee to stresses transmitted (in the pleneo/the Wheel) in redirection not parallel` to theL respective guides. -H'ence' the' sp1- ings Whatever their actnal'formgfare never, Jaccording to.thepresentiriyention; subject to stresses such es -would bethrorvnluponsiA helical spring whose ends are attached to parts moving in` opposite direct-ions transversely to the exis ofthe spring. ,A v

According to the present invention the Wheel is Y composed oi three main portions', whereotwo are integzn (or inrtuely integral) with the heb end rim of the -Wheel respectveiy, While v the third consists of the' springs, which vere interposed in pairs .between the other two portions and serve to normally hold the 'rim 4portionconcentric with the axle and at the seme time transmit-rotary movement irl-either direction irjom the vhub to the rim of the Wheel or viceversa. The .rim

portion may be constituted eitheriby s single element displaceaole es' e.A Whole (in opposition to the springs) in e. plane perpendiou; ar to the erde; or (in the o e. 'Wheel hsving'afbrozi'd tread) by a plureltyoi similar lelements jnxtsposed side oy side alnd'vell adapted to contect with the gronnd simultaneously, each element carrying 2t separate tire and esch being independently displaceehle a plane perpendicular to the ardeihat portion of theiwheel integrel'with the huh comprisesa. peirof 'leterel guides (in the vlform of Specication of Letters Patent.

l(for which seid guides constitu 'the displacement of the respec V"wheel may beregerded es c Patentezr Aug-6, 190'?.

tionod) .is contreinedto move 1 axle; and sets of guides which e endicularly to the junction with corresponding guiiles on each element of the rim portion of the Wheel sndwith' the springs ahutments), to limit portion'lioth transversely to the 2de and angnlarlyin reletion to the hub.

elements of the rim 'i plurality of independent-emmens es already men- I n d radially (or epi proximeteiy radially) to thev exl and serve, irrconF The guides constitute enntfnents for the springs,

which make sliding Contact wi on the rim portion, or vvitlrth` se pn the 'hub portion,

orlwith both., so that the are relieved of all torsional stress.

he respective guides in its most rudimentary toren the improved spring A Y prising e set of radial arms carried by the hub; e di isposed in the plane of seid sans and apertured to accommodate the hub and the periphery of the disk servingzto carry the tire;

cushion springs interposed between the arms and the lsounding walls o the aperture in vthe disk and adepted to permit the latter to siide tr u end also to turn kthroughv s small reltively to the heb, etres d et pdirof-cheek plates carried by the axle and serving to retain sind guide the disk in the plane of the redis-l arms and also (if necessary) to prevent 'the escape oi the springs laterelly. When compounded (i. .e

vereelyjto the axle,

' f root themselves beingsubjected to torsional hevingits rim' portion constituted by two or more @miler elements iuxtaposed side by side and independently vdisplsceell'ile transversely to the erle) snch a rudimentary form of the improvedspring vWheel/mayv have as many sets of radial' arms and cushion springs as there are disks 'or annular elements comprised in the rim portion, Y the arms of one set alternating, asregards angular position, with those of ,the-adjacent set or sets. Reference is to behed to the sccompsnying drawings wherein i' Figure i is e sit-te elevation-einher; may be termed the rudimentary form of o compound spring wheel 'constructed Aaccording to the present invention,l the nearer oi the Wheel. Fig. 3 is e. similar view to Fig.' L. s'hovvr- A l er slightly rnodied construction, end'Fig..-'i s 'e sectionon i'mejfi of Fig. 3. Fig.v 5 is a; side view of part of acompound spring Wheel'with the neerer'cheek plate removed, `drawn to' a. larger scaleandlshowing `a Y practical development of the invention, endFig. Gis e section online 66 of Fig. v5., Fig. '7 is enedgevlew of e compound spring Wheel, illustrating its eet-ion when running or resting upon a road'ha'v g l considerable degree or" camber. (i

paris throughout the raising/eLv 4 P Figs. l sind 2 show s. 'eompound spring ros t Similar letters ofY referencel indicate*corresponding.-

' carrying a separate tire e1 c that 'the iormo the springs might be considerably varied; thus for example,

disk is retained by the adjacent cheek plates Bl ,'or B2 *torsional stress in consequence -of relative movement ywhereof the rim-portion comprises two similar ele-y lgnents each independently displaceable transversely to i 'the axle.v Upon the hubA are fixed a pair o. cheek plates BL B2, and between them two similar sets C1102 ol arms Which'extend vradially to the arde D. ln the example illustrated each setof radial arms consists of four members disposed at equifangul'ar intervals about the axle, the arms of theo'ne sethi'secting the angles madc'by those of the other set. A i A Each of the two similar elements E1`E2 of tlie rim-portion of the wheel .consists of a disk encircled by and or eand apertured `as indicated so as to accommodate the hub A and the correspondingset of radial armsl or G2, in whose plane the on vthe one side and by the other disk the opposite side, so that eagh disk can only move transversely to the axle, D.

y The, aperturcein each diskiEl, E2, while conformingirtgeneral con figuratiorl-tdftflie'l nuo' anu aimsfis l suiiciently large not dlyto permit tnemecessary play o said disk in all directions in its ownplane, but also to admit 'springs l?, l", between the sides c, fr, c-` each arm and the opposed portions epe, o f the bounding wall of` the aperture in ,the disk. These springs fl", ywhich may be attached tothe arm` or (as shown) tothe disk, or may beree to slide relatively to both, are o' suchlo'rm as to act only as cushions between thev disk 'andarms without being subjected to 'between those parts, and for this purpose the springs (may be simple segmentallycurved leaf springs (single or laminated), the ends of the spring bearing upon the one partwhile the surrmiit of the lcurve bears upon the other part as indicated, It will be obvious however helical or spiral springs might be used, or cushions of an elastic substance such asiubber. v J i i As it may happen that (with some forms oi springs) onlyl a small `part o f the length of each radial .arm is actually utilized to form an 'abutment for the associated springs, while all thearms are virtually integral with the cheek plates, replaced by a block serving as a combined cross-brace and distance piece between the cheek plates B232, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4. In such case, alternate blocks C3 and C4 serve as abutmcnts [or the springs l?" appertaining to the respective disks E1 E2, and those ol each set pass through apertures g2 or gl in the disk to which they do not appertain, said apertures being sut'- A iently large to'allow of the necessary play ofthe diskrelatively to the block. In the construction illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, .that end oi each spring F* which is lnearest to the center is shown as attached to and capable oi turning about-'a cross-pin or bolt f which connects the cheek plates B1 B2 near the hub A, the

. opposite end oi the spring making sliding Contact with lbounds the aperture in i the approximately radial surface c1 oi the correspond- While the bow ofthe spring makes the opposed surface e which the corresponding disk El or E2, lfhere are ,eight cross-pins f while two springs, appertaining respectively to the disks El and E2, are attached to each cross-pin. 1

ing block C3 or C, sliding contact` with approximately radial.

Aseacli spring it follows that each arm may be sesgos In'Figs. 5 and 6, which illustrate a practicaldevelopment of the arrangement shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the rim portion oi the wheel comprises four similar and independent elements E E2 E3 E4 mounted side by side. Ol theselthe first and *hird elements (counting from one face of thewhel-YE 13, are supported by springs F2 which intheiacek view, Fig, 5, coincide with one another, wh ile the second andiourth elements E2 and E are similarly supported by springs F3 which in the same view likewise coincide with one another. Each spring is two-armed, its middle being bent to form an eye rotatable about one of the cross-pins f1 while both of its arms f 2 f3 extend "from the pin in a directionapproxilnately radial tothe wheel, the free end of thc one arm f 2- bearing against one of the radial faces c2 ci a block C5 or CG While the other arm f 3 takes a sliding bearing, as herearter described, against the corresponding element of the rim portion of the wheel.

Each cross-pin f l carries four springs, two as F2, for the elements E3 and two,vas F3, for`the elements as-indicated in Fig. 6. Each element El E2 E3 E2 Eithe springs Ffualternating-with the springs F3 and E4 of the rim portion oil thevwheel consists ot a simple annular elly carrying i lon its outer periphery the corresponding tire e1 e2 e3 or` e4, and provided on its inner side with brackets Gr1 or G2 which afford asliding bearing for the arms j3 of the corresponding set of springs F2 or F3, e'ach of said brackets'being adapted, by means of apertures g3 or g4 0r otherwise, to clear the corresponding blck C or Ci of the set which do not appertain to the pzrticular element to which the bracket is attached.

arm f 3 may have a considerable sliding movement relatively to the bracket Grl or G2 against which it bears,'it is preferred to interpose an anti-friction device between the br ket and spring. This device may consist, as shown, of a roller H carried by the bracket and having its periphery outstanding from the face e5 of the latter so as'to receive the pressure of the spring, upon a` path g5 on the bracket approximately parallel to the radial face c2 of the corresponding block C5 or C. In order to retain the roller Il in position, it is preferably itted to work between a pair of sido plates .l .l integral with the bracket and having slots j inv which the roller gudgeons h are free to play.

lt is to be' clearlyl understood that in all wheels, whether simpleor compound spring wheels, constructed according to the present invention, the springs (whatever their iorm or arrangement) operate only tangentially and not radially to the wheel, this being the case whether any particular spring happens ior thc time being to be bearing its share in supporting the load, or in transmitting rotary motion between the hub and rim portions, or in fulfilling both of these functions. That is to say, each spring operates solely in a direction perpendicular to that radius oi the' the roller being itted'to run' the number of elements constituting the rim portion -of a compound'ispring Wheel constructed according to this invention y belincreased indefinitely within practica-l limitsfetlier odd or even numbers of such elements being used as may be found most convenient, and the arrangement of the various parts and mode of attaching the springs being modied as may be nec` essary. On -tlie other hand, by suppressing all but a single element of the rim portion, a Wheel constructed according to thisinvention, will constitute asimple (i. e. a nonconrpound) spring wheel capable o being employed for any purpose Wliicha spring Wheel is adapted to serve.

It is` to be clearly understood, in the case of a coin- '.pound Wheel, that no part oi the Wheel which is not displaceable transversely tot-he axle, and spring-held normally concentric therewithv is at any. time in contact With the roadway. Hence, While cach element El E2, etc. comprised in the rim portion of the wheel is thus displaceable, and constantly in contact with the ground, the cheek plates B1 B2, or any equivalent parts not'so d-isplaceable, are maintained constantly clear of the grounththis arrangement being essential to then/heel accommodating itself to the camber of the roadway or other obliquity or' the surface over which the vehicle is passing.

Claims.

lA .l spring road wheel for vehicles, cons"ring in the combination of a lrivm portionilisplaecalile transversely to the axle; a hub provided with cheek plates adapted to contine such displacement 'of the riin portion to movement of said` portion in its own plane; guides integral with the hub and rim portions respectively and extending .approximately radially to the wheel; and springs in compression interposed between the guides on the hub and rim portions and each adapted on the one hand to slide so as to oter no resistance to stresses transmitted in the plane of the wheel in a direction parallel to the respective guides, and on the other hand to offer yielding resistance to stresses transmitted in the plane of the wheel in a direction not parallel to the respective guides, substantially as described.

A compound spring road-wheel for vehicles,consisting in the combination of a plurality of separate rim elements juxtaposed side by side and adapted to Contact with the ground simultaneously, each h/aving a circular periphery and being independently displaceable transversely to the i axle: a hub provided with cheek plates adapted to confine the displacement of said rinrelements to movement each in its own plane, tlie outermost of said elements r/ef'pectirely making sliding Contact with the adjacent/clieek plate; gnidcsintegral with the liub and with each 'off/tha rinrelements respectively and extending approximately radailly lo the axle; and springs in cempression interposed between the guides on the hub and those on the respective rim elements and each adapted en the oneliand to slide so as to ollfer ne resistance to stresses transmitted in the plane or' the wheel in a direction parallel to the respective guides, and on the 'other hand to oder yieldinpr resistance to stresses transmitted in the 'plane of the wheel in a. direction not parallel to the respective guides, substantially as @ascribed HERBERT FREDERICK BROADHURST. Witnesses;

Il. D. Jameson', l F. L. RAND.

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