IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE AND CONSTRUCTION OF BUFFERS FOR RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK
Year: 1886

page_text: 1or Kallway kong stock.
We ALFRED BUCKINGHAM IBBOTSON, Managing Director of Ibbotson Brothers
& Co Limited, Sheffield in the County of York, and ISAAC WIDDOP, of Rock
Street, Sheffield aforesaid, Draughtsman do hereby declare the nature of our said
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE AND CONSTRUCTION OF BUFFERS
FOR RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK to be as follows:-
.
Our invention of improvements in the manufacture and construction of Buffers
for Railway rolling stock, refers more particularly to the construction of a solid
flange upon the plunger while in position in the buffer case, the use of the flange
being to prevent the said plunger from escaping and falling from the case, and by
being formed solid with the plunger, all loose appliances such as cotters, nuts, and
similar mechanical equivalents are dispensed with.
"
In carrying our invention into practice we take any ordinary buffer case in
which the neck or plunger guide is of thicker material than the body of the case
and we bore out the said neck to correspond with and receive the plunger.
.
The inner end of the neck inside the buffer case, we turn or otherwise shape to a
bevilled or straight face to correspond with the solid flange intended to be made
upon the plunger.
The plunger usually consists of a head, a plunger rod, and guide bar, and we
prefer to forge them together out of the solid metal; the flange in one method
being made as follows, and its position in all cases being at the junction of the
plunger-rod and the guide bar, which is of less diameter than the plunger.
At this junction a shoulder is formed by the difference in the diameters of the
two parts, and in the shoulder so formed we turn or bore an annular concentric
groove, the depth of the groove being determined by the required diameter of the
flange. This portion of the plunger is then heated to a suitable degree and passed
through the neck of the case to the desired position, in which, the part of the
plunger with the annular groove projects beyond the neck into the body of the
case.
A suitable bevilled tool' is now inserted into the annular groove and by the
application of force the metal on the outside of the groove is expanded and opened
out so as to form a solid circular flange on the plunger, being bedded against the
bevilled or flat face before mentioned as being formed at the inner end of the neck.

page_text: According to another arrangement we make the plunger without a guide rod, and
with a central longitudinal hole either partly or completely through it, and in this
.plan we prefer that the neck of the case shall be conical inside as being most con-
venient but it may be made in any other form. When the plunger is heated it is
passed into the case and a taper drift or equivalent tool is driven into the central
longitudinal hole, and the metal expanded into a circular flange, as before described.
A guide rod if required is afterwards inserted into the longitudinal hole and
secured by any suitable means.
According to another arrangement we form a solid flange from or upon a plain
solid plunger by bringing the desired part of the plunger to a welding heat, placing
it in position in the prepared case, which acts as the bottom die, and by the appli-
cation of suitably designed tools, we compress and expand the heated and therefore
softer portion of the plunger until it forms a solid enlarged flange, in a similar way
to that used to form the heads of bolts.
By a further arrangement we attain a similar result in the following manner;
we make a plunger with a head but no guide rod, we then bore and screw thread
a hole of suitable diameter and depth, in the end of the plunger, and slit the end
transversely through the centre, preferably into four or more parts so as to allow
expansion.
We then take a guide rod prepared with a tapered or conical end screwed to
correspond with the thread in the plunger, the smaller end of the coned part being
made so that it will just enter the hole in the plunger; the end of the plunger is
then heated, passed into position in the buffer case, and the guide rod screwed into
the end of the plunger.
It will be readily seen that the coned end of the guide rod will expand the end
of the plunger (which has been slit so as to facilitate such operation) as it is carried
forward by the action of the screw-thread; a collar is made upon the guide rod,
which beds against the end of the plunger and completes the operation. The con-
traction of the plunger when cooling grips the screwed end of the guide rod with
great power so that no amount of vibration will loosen it.
We prefer that in all the buffers to which our invention is applied, the case
should be made of wrought iron or steel secured to a separate base-plate of wrought
iron at the rear of the buffer, but if desired the said case and base-plate may be
formed of cast iron and in one piece, the plungers' being preferably made of mild
steel.

page_text: Improvements in the Manufacture and Construction of Buffers
for Railway Rolling-stock.
We ALFRED BUCKINGHAM IBBOTSON, Managing Director of Ibbotson Brothers
& Co Limited, Sheffield in the County of York, and ISAAC WIDDOP of Rock
Street Sheffield aforesaid Draughtsman, do hereby declare the nature of our
invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE AND CONSTRUCTION OF
BUFFERS FOR RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
Our Invention refers more particularly to the method of constructing a solid
flange or abutment upon the plunger, when the said plunger is in position within
the case of the buffer; the use of the flange being to compress the spring inside
the buffer case and to prevent the plunger from escaping and falling from the case,
also by making the flange solid with the plunger we are enabled to dispense with
loose appliances such as cotters, nuts and such like equivalents.
7
The annexed sheets of explanatory drawings clearly illustrate our Invention,
and the same letters of reference indicate similar parts in any of the figures in
which they occur.
Fig. 1. is a sectional elevation of one form of our buffer, with the plunger in
position, previous to the solid flange being formed by pressure.
Fig. 2, is an end view partly in section.
Fig. 3, shows the solid flange formed on the plunger.
Fig. 4, similar to Fig. 1, but coned at the inner end of the neck at C.
Fig. 5, end view part in section.
Fig. 6, sectional elevation after the coned flange has been formed on plunger,
with a loose, washer (5) hereafter referred to.
Fig. 7 & 8, show sections of plunger with the solid flange foliated or formed in
segments.
.
Fig. 9, is a sectional elevation of one form of our buffer with the plunger in
position, previous to the solid flange being formed by pressure.
Fig. 10, is an end view partly in section.
:
Fig. 11, shows the solid flange formed on the plunger.
Fig. 12, is an elevation of buffer plunger when prepared for insertion through
the neck of the buffer case before the flange is formed.
1.
Fig. 13, is a sectional elevation of buffer, showing flange or abutment after being
formed by pressure.
Fig. 14, is an end view partly in section.
Fig. 15, is a back view of plunger after flang or abutment is formed.
Fig. 16, is an elevation of buffer plunger when prepared for insertion through
the neck of buffer case before the flange is formed.
"Fig. 17, is a sectional elevation of buffer showing flange or abutment after being
formed by pressure.
11
Fig. 18, is an end view, partly in section.
Thin •1 • 1.
ارم

page_text: In carrying out our Invention, or putting it into practice, we take any ordinary
buffer case, such as shown in Fig. 1. for example, in which the neck (b.) is
preferably thicker than the body (a) and we forge, bore out or otherwise finish
the said neck to correspond with and receive the plunger (d).
The inner end of the neck (b.) in the interior of the buffer case we forge, mould
turn or otherwise shape either to a straight face (c.) as in Fig. 1, or to a bevilled
face (c) as in Fig. 4, according as it is intended to form the solid flange either flat
as (g.) in Fig. 3, or bevelled as (g.) in Fig. 6 or other shape.
The plunger is usually made with a head (e) a shank (d.) and a guide bar or
tail pin (f) and preferably forged entire from the solid metal. Hitherto the
flange or collar corresponding to (g.) Fig. 3. has generally been made separately,
and secured to the plunger by cotters, nuts or other appliances.
According to one arrangement as shown in Fig. 1, we make the plunger_
sbank (d.) rather longer than usual and in the face of the shoulder (h.) between
the peripheries of the plunger (d.) and the guide bar or tail pin (f.) between XX,
where the two parts join we turn out, or otherwise sink a concentric annular
groove (i.) the depth of the said groove being determined by the required diameter
of the flange (g).
This portion of the plunger, especially the outer portion surrounding the annular
groove is then heated to a suitable degree, and is passed through the neck into the
interior of the buffer case, until the end of the plunger at (h) to the depth of the
annular groove (i.) or thereabouts projects beyond the face (c.) in which position it
is firmly held by any suitable means.
Force is now applied to expand the heated metal surrounding the groove (i.)
which may be accomplished by means of a tubular tool, or by the application of a
series. of such tools having bevilled edges, the said edges being driven into the
annular groove in such a manner as to expand and open out the heated metal,
until by bedding the metal so opened out by a finishing tool against the face (c.),
the operation is completed and a solid flange is formed as shown in Fig. 3.
The conical flange (g.) shown in Fig. 6 is made in the manner as before described
by being bedded against the conical face (c.) seen clearly in Figs. 4 & 6, and if
desirable in order to obtain a better bearing for the buffer spring, we may use a
washer () with a flat outer face as shown in Fig. 6.
In some cases the metal round the groove (i.) may be divided longitudinally so
as to permit it to open out into segments or leaves (k) as shown in Figs. 7 & 8.
Figs. 9 to 19 inclusive, are illustrations of other methods of carrying out our
Invention of forming a solid flange (g.) upon the plunger (d.) while in position in
the buffer case (a.) by this plan the part (h.) as shown in Fig. 9, from which the
flange (g.) as shown in Fig. 11, is to be formed, is brought to a higher degree of
heat, placed in position in the buffer case (a) and using the inner face (c.) of the
neck as a bed or die, we compress the heated and consequently softer portion of
the plunger (h.) by means of suitably designed tools applied in a manner somewhat
similar to the operation of forming the heads of bolts, and thus cause it to. expand
and enlarge to the desired size and form.
We prefer that in all buffers to which our Invention is applied, the case or
body (a) should be made of wrought iron or of steel, and be secured to a separate
base plate and the plunger made of mild steel, but if desired other suitable metals
may be used.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed and carried into
practice, we declare that what we claim is:-
1st. In the manufacture of Railway buffers, the mode of producing and con-
structing a solid flange upon the plunger, by first making an annular groove in
the plunger (d.) as shown in Figs. 1 & 4, and (after being placed in the buffer case)
opening out or spreading the surrounding metal, substantially as herein before
described, and as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive.

page_text: 2nd. In the manufacture of Railway buffers the mode of constructing a solid
flange upon the plunger after it is placed in the buffer case, by the application
of pressure substantially in the manner described with reference to Figs. 9 to 19
inclusive.
3rd. A Railway buffer having a plunger with a divided or foliated flange such
as shown in Figs. 7 & 8 produced from the solid metal of the plunger, and bent
outwards while in position in the buffer case substantially in the manner as
hereinbefore described.
4th. In Railway buffers, the combination of a solid neck such as (b.) formed on
the buffer case (a.) with a solid head (e.) and solid flange (g.) formed upon a solid⚫
plunger (d.), for the purpose specified and substantially as herein described and
illustrated.
5th. In the manufacture of Railway buffers, the mode of constructing a solid
flange (g) upon a plunger (d.) substantially as herein before described, but without
the aid of a buffer case, and previous to being placed therein. .
Dated the 25th day of Dotobon 18000
ROBT F. DRURY,
Agent for the Applicants,