4 ms·

In my experience paper turns into mush when it gets wet and can't support any weight. How did they solve this problem?

glitchc 5y ago
Clearly they worked for a considerable period of time. It’s a question of construction: In this case, the paper is encased in a metal enclosure and is strong in compression, much like concrete, without being as brittle as concrete.
- kallistisoft 5y ago
  That was the main question that I had -- how durable and cost effective were these wheels? According to this page (p.148) of the "The Railway Purchasing Agent (Jan 1881)" they had a service life of 500,000 miles vs 50,000 miles for cast iron wheels resulting in an operation savings of 3.5 cents per 1,000 miles. [https://www.google.com/books/edition/Railway_Master_Mechanic/hB82AAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=service+life+of+a+Allen+Paper+Car+Wheel&pg=PA148&printsec=frontcover https://www.google.com/books/edition/Railway_Master_Mechanic...] Given the rave reviews and obvious cost savings, it makes me wonder why|when they fell out of favor; my naive assumption would be a dramatic improvement in metallurgy? Disclaimer: statements made using an historical sample size of n=1 ;)
  - vl 5y ago
    > it makes me wonder why|when they fell out of favor Read the article.
barbegal 5y ago
If you read the article > Large metal discs covered the paper, but only served as protection from the elements
- supahfly_remix 5y ago
  Right. What if they leaked?
  - thehappypm 5y ago
    You are asking “what if an industrial piece of equipment does not perform to specification?” The answer is, mechanical failure. Which apparently (again in the article) did happen a few times which eventually contributed to steel wheels taking over.
  - mberning 5y ago
    I am wondering if they weren’t covered in wax or some other water barrier. Or perhaps the protective disc was welded at the seams. Seems unlikely given the era and the extra expense involved. It also mentions that they were known to fail, so one could assume exposure to the elements played a part.
    - JackFr 5y ago
      Article says after forming the paper core, they were painted. Presumably this gave them some water proofing.
JackFr 5y ago
> and can't support any weight. Take a textbook and drive your car over it. Hell, park your car on it. Paper does pretty well under compression.
- mc32 5y ago
  Oddly, rather than using a spiral roll of paper they used disks. Would the disk construction impart better "shock absorption" than a roll?
  - throwaway0a5e 5y ago
    Disk would be stronger because the glue joints would be under less load. It's a similar principal to the difference between a wheel made from a sheet of plywood vs a wheel made from comparable thickness disc of tree trunk.
justsomehnguy 5y ago
I knew I should add this [0] link too! TL;DR: It had a steel rim and an iron hub. But its center was laminated paper. People had made other kinds of composite wheels. They'd tried wood, but wood reacts to weather. Laminated paper was more stable. Wood can split along its grain. Paper doesn't. [0] https://uh.edu/engines/epi758.htm https://uh.edu/engines/epi758.htm

Clearly they worked for a considerable period of time. It’s a question of construction: In this case, the paper is encased in a metal enclosure and is strong in compression, much like concrete, without being as brittle as concrete.

kallistisoft 5y ago
That was the main question that I had -- how durable and cost effective were these wheels? According to this page (p.148) of the "The Railway Purchasing Agent (Jan 1881)" they had a service life of 500,000 miles vs 50,000 miles for cast iron wheels resulting in an operation savings of 3.5 cents per 1,000 miles. [https://www.google.com/books/edition/Railway_Master_Mechanic/hB82AAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=service+life+of+a+Allen+Paper+Car+Wheel&pg=PA148&printsec=frontcover https://www.google.com/books/edition/Railway_Master_Mechanic...] Given the rave reviews and obvious cost savings, it makes me wonder why|when they fell out of favor; my naive assumption would be a dramatic improvement in metallurgy? Disclaimer: statements made using an historical sample size of n=1 ;)
- vl 5y ago
  > it makes me wonder why|when they fell out of favor Read the article.

barbegal 5y ago

If you read the article > Large metal discs covered the paper, but only served as protection from the elements

supahfly_remix 5y ago
Right. What if they leaked?
- thehappypm 5y ago
  You are asking “what if an industrial piece of equipment does not perform to specification?” The answer is, mechanical failure. Which apparently (again in the article) did happen a few times which eventually contributed to steel wheels taking over.
- mberning 5y ago
  I am wondering if they weren’t covered in wax or some other water barrier. Or perhaps the protective disc was welded at the seams. Seems unlikely given the era and the extra expense involved. It also mentions that they were known to fail, so one could assume exposure to the elements played a part.
  - JackFr 5y ago
    Article says after forming the paper core, they were painted. Presumably this gave them some water proofing.

JackFr 5y ago

> and can't support any weight. Take a textbook and drive your car over it. Hell, park your car on it. Paper does pretty well under compression.

mc32 5y ago
Oddly, rather than using a spiral roll of paper they used disks. Would the disk construction impart better "shock absorption" than a roll?
- throwaway0a5e 5y ago
  Disk would be stronger because the glue joints would be under less load. It's a similar principal to the difference between a wheel made from a sheet of plywood vs a wheel made from comparable thickness disc of tree trunk.

justsomehnguy 5y ago

I knew I should add this [0] link too! TL;DR: It had a steel rim and an iron hub. But its center was laminated paper. People had made other kinds of composite wheels. They'd tried wood, but wood reacts to weather. Laminated paper was more stable. Wood can split along its grain. Paper doesn't. [0] https://uh.edu/engines/epi758.htm https://uh.edu/engines/epi758.htm