Ancient wheel

From the very early designs used for pottery purposes to the most advanced
contraptions known to mankind, the wheel has been continuously driving our
civilization like a catalyst in a chemical reaction. We thought it would be a good idea
to take a stroll through the many stages of the wheel evolution and see where it's
heading now.
The Beginning
Researchers agreed that 3!! "# is the year when the wheel was invented, which
is more of a ballpark than an e$act year. %he place is &esopotamia, the area now
occupied by war'ravaged (ra). %he first wheel for transportation purposes is
appro$imated to 3*!! "#, its purpose being to move the &esopotamian chariots.
%o be completely historic, as noted here, the very beginning of the wheel goes back
to the +aleolithic era ,-,!!! to .!,!!! years ago/.
"ack then, humans used logs to move large loads around. %he main problem with
this method of transportation was that many rollers were re)uired, and care was
re)uired to insure that the rollers stayed true to their course. 0ne theory as to how
this obstacle was overcome suggests a platform, or sledge, was built with cross'
bars fitted to the underside, thereby preventing the rollers from slipping out from
under the load. %wo rollers would be utilized, with two cross'bars for each roller,
one fore and the other aft of the roller.
Wooden spoked wheel
(t took another -,!! years before our ancestors thought of the ne$t step in wheel
evolution, the spoke. %he need for faster transportation and the idea of using less
material stemmed this technological breakthrough. %he 1gyptians are credited with
the first implementation of a spoked wheel on their model year *!!! "# chariots.
%hey narrowed it by carving both sides to shape, but it was the 2reeks that first
introduced the cross'bar, or 3'type, wheel.
%he first iron rims around the wheel were seen on #eltic chariots in -!!! "#. %he
spoked wheel remained pretty much the same until -4!*, when 2.F. "auer
registered a patent for the first wire tension spoke. %his wire spoke consisted of a
length of wire threaded through the rim of the wheel and secured at both ends to
the hub. 0ver the ne$t few years, this wire spoke evolved into the round tension
spoke we see on bicycles today.
5nother ma6or invention that came about the same with the wire tension spoke was
the pneumatic tire, which was first patented in -47 by R.W. %hompson. 3is idea
was further improved in -444 by 8ohn 9unlop, a :cottish veterinarian, who also
patented it. %hanks to the smooth ride, 9unlop's tire replaced the hard rubber used
by all bicycles at that time.
Steel wheel
Automobile Wheels
(t's fair to start talking about automobile wheels starting with ;arl "enz's -44 "enz
+atent &otorwagen. %he three'wheel vehicle used bicycle'like wire wheels, which
were fitted with hard rubber.
:peaking of rubber, the first people who thought about using it for automobile
purposes were 5ndr< and 1douard &ichelin, who later founded the famous tire
company. (n -=-!, the ".F. 2oodrich #ompany invented longer life tires by adding
carbon to the rubber.
0verseas, Ford's &odel % used wooden artillery wheels, which were followed in
-=*> and -=*. by steel welded'spoke wheels. ?nlike ;arl "enz's first vehicle, the
car that @put 5merica on wheels@ had pneumatic tires invented by &r. 9unlop. %here
was, however, a big difference between those tires and the ones we used today.
&ade of white carbonless rubber, the tire had a life e$pectancy of around *!!!
miles. 5 tire only lasted for around 3! or 7! miles before it needed repairs. #ommon
problems includedA the tire coming off the wheel, punctures and the tube being
pinched.
+arado$ically, the ne$t step in wheel evolution was the disc one, which bears more
resemblance to the initial solid designs. 5s with many other things in our history, the
change was prompted by lower costs as the steel disc wheels were cheaper to
make. %he rim could be rolled out of a straight strip of metal, and the disc itself
could be stamped from sheet metal in one easy motion. %he two components were
welded or riveted together, and the resulting wheel was one that was relatively light,
stiff, resistant to damage, easily produced in mass )uantities, and most important,
cheaply produced.
Alloy Wheel
+erhaps now would be a good time to talk about the difference between rims and
wheels. %hough most people refer nowadays to wheels, especially alloy ones as
rims, the term actually means the outer portion of the wheel where the tire is
mounted.
#oming back to our story, today there are basically two types of wheels for
automotive use, steel and alloy, both of which have benefited from the technological
advancements. 5s a result, the massive, heavy wheels of the early automobile days
have become lightweight, strong spoked units. (t's worth noting that 6ust as the first
solid wheels turned to the spoked design in the relatively early stages of humanity,
so did in the *!th century.
%hough we won't get too technical about the differences between steel and alloy
wheels, we will say that the latter are lighter and better heat conductors. 5s a result,
cars fitted with alloy wheels sport improved steering and handling and prolong the
life of the brakes. %hey are also more visually appealing, but that's another story.
0n the other hand, alloy wheels are considerably more e$pensive to make than
steel ones, which raises the overall price of the car.
Tweel
Tweel
Future of the Wheel
5s the traditional wheel design is close to e$hausting any possible development,
companies are looking at more and more e$otic prototypes to replace it. 5mong
these, &ichelin is probably the most active in the field of research with two recent
innovative concepts, the %weel and the 5ctive Wheel :ystem.
Tweel
5nnounced in *!!>, the %weel returns to the first designs by using a non'pneumatic
solution instead of the traditional tire and wheel combination. %he rolling surface
consists of a rubber tread, which is bonded to the hub via fle$ible spokes. %he
fle$ible spokes are fused with a deformable wheel that absorbs shocks and
rebounds. &ichelin claims that even without the air needed in conventional tires,
the %weel still delivers pneumatic'like load'carrying capacity, ride comfort and
resistance to road hazards.
Active Wheel System
%hough it offers many advantages, the %weel is marred by a big problemA vibration
at speeds over ! mph ,4! kmBh/, which only makes suitable for construction and
personal mobility vehicles.
Active Wheel System
%he concept is probably the most revolutionary of them all as it incorporates all of
the car's key components into the wheel itself. While only suitable for electric cars,
the 5ctive Wheel :ystem houses the engine, the suspension, the gearbo$ and the
transmission shaft.