Buffers for Ships and Railway Wagons, Designed to Reduce the Shock of Collisions.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Dec., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 11th Sept., 1900-Accepted, 8th Dec., 1900
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Buffers for Ships and Railway Wagons, Designed to Reduce the Shock
of Collisions.
We, JULIUS SAUER, of 8, Kaninchenweg, Danzig, Merchant, and EDUARD
MAXIMILIAN GOLDBECK, of 123, Hundegasse, Danzig, Engineer, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The present invention relates to a device which has for its object to reduce
the shock of collisions of ships of small size and of railway trains.
For the purpose of reducing side shocks, the sides of the ship are fitted with
a certain number of buffers arranged at suitable intervals and so as to project
from the hull, and connected together by curved rails in such a manner as to
receive the shock in cases where the shock occurs between two buffers. When
the shock occurs directly upon the buffer, or close to the latter, the construction
and arrangement must be such as to prevent the aforesaid rails from being
broken.
The buffers consist of a mass of metal fitted on the end of a rod which is
adapted to slide freely in a cross-piece against which there abuts a strong spring
that bears on its other side against an abutment or shoulder formed on the rod
which is encircled by the said spring.
For the purpose of distributing the force of the impact uniformly and of not
over-straining the various springs of the buffers, the aforesaid rods are formed
at the end which is opposite to the end carrying the buffer proper, in the shape
of toothed racks whose teeth gear with a toothed wheel which drives in its turn
the toothed rack of the rod of the buffer situated on the opposite side.
The said toothed wheel is keyed on a shaft arranged in the centre of the ship
or of the wagon. The toothed racks slide in guides.
When the shock occurs on the starboard side, the buffer which receives the
said shock, is forced back, whilst the buffer on the opposite side will be pulled
inwards; thus allowing of utilizing also the force of the spring of the said other
buffer.
In applying the device to railways, every train is provided, behind the engine,
with a safety truck fitted with the said device for the purpose of reducing the
shocks of any collisions that may occur.
In ships, there may be arranged at the bow and at the stern, two buffers having
parallel rods with toothed racks connected together by two toothed wheels which
gear with each other, each of said wheels gearing with a toothed rack for the
purpose of reducing the shock.
In the case of ships having rather wide sterns, a third buffer may be employed,
arranged between the other two buffers and parallel to them.
1000
CILIS
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, Assoc.M.Inst.C.E., M.I.Mech.E.,
Chartered Patent Agent, 70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Associate Agent.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Buffers for Ships and. Railway Wagons, Designed to Reduce the Shock
of Collisions.
We, JULIUS SAUER, of 109, Hundegasse, formerly of Kaninchenweg 8, Danzig,
in the Empire of Germany, Merchant, and EDUARD MAXIMILIAN GOLDBECK, of
123, Hundegasse, Danzig, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The present invention relates to a buffer device for ships and railway vehicles
for minimising shocks and preventing damage in the event of a collision or
impact with a stationary or movable body. The essential feature of the in-
vention is that the buffers, arranged in pairs opposite each other and attached
to both ends of the vehicle or both sides of a ship, in any desired number, are
connected by toothed wheels engaging with teeth or racks on the buffer rods,
the pinion or toothed wheel being interposed between the said rods in such a
way that by the compression of one buffer spring that of the opposite buffer
is also compressed thereby considerably lessening the effect of the shock, as
the latter is thereby taken up by both springs.
In the accompanying drawings:
Figure 1 is a plan view of the buffer arrangement,
Figure 2 shows the connection and guide for two oppositely arranged buffers,
Figure 3 shows diagrammatically the arrangement of the buffers on a ship,
Figure 4 is a ship provided with buffers according to this invention, on the
sides and bows.
The buffers are arranged at sufficient distances apart on both sides of the
ship and extend about half a metre (20 inches) outwards. They are connected
by bent plates or bars s in order to take up any shock which might occur between
the buffers.
The connection between the plates s and the buffer bars, is a hinge joint, which
will yield to a certain extent, so that when one buffer is driven back, the adjoin-
ing buffers are not, or but slightly involved. When a shock is directed against
one of the connecting plates s both buffers connected with it are driven back.
The rods c of the buffers p are formed at their inner ends into rack bars d
which engage with a common pinion e (Figures 1 and 2). The racks d slide
in their movement in guides f.These guides are connected together by a bridge g
serving as a bearing for the shaft of the pinion e. If one buffer p receives a
shock or impact it is pressed backwards, and the pinion e will be rotated by
the rack, and the movement transmitted to the rack bar d of the opposite
buffer p. By these means the spring of the latter is also compressed and thus
the shock is taken up by both springs.
ine buffer device arrangement on the bow of a ship consists of two buffers p
guide in a parallel direction the racks d of which are connected together by
two toothed "wheels e. Here again the springs of both buffers are compressed
if a collision or impact occurs striking one of the rods or the plate between two
rods. Figure 3 of the drawings shows an arrangement wherein between the
two buffers an intermediate buffer is placed, which can however be dispensed
with if there is not sufficient room for it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A buffer device for ships or railway vehicles for compensating the shocks

page_text: of collision in which the rear ends of the buffer rods or devices, provided with
springs, and which are movably arranged, are formed into racks, each pair of
which engage with a pinion or pinions so that by the compression of one spring
the opposite spring is also compressed, and thus the shock is taken up by both
springs, the buffer devices, in some cases being preferably connected by plates
or bars in order to take up any shock which may occur between the buffers
substantially as described.
2. A buffer device for ships in which two buffers mounted parallel to each
other and to the longitudinal axis of the ship are provided with toothed racks
each of which engages one of two intergearing pinions, whereby the shock on
one buffer is transmitted to the other substantially as described.
3. The complete buffer device substantially as described or illustrated in
Figure 1 or in Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 10th day of September 1900.
BOULT, WADE & KILBURN,
Agents for the Applicant.