IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRINGS FOR RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGES AND VEHICLES
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Corlett, of Summer Hill, in the City of
Dublin, Esquire, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRINGS FOR
RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGES AND VEHICLES."
Sealed the 30th May 1854, and dated the 17th January 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Corlett at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 17th
January 1854.
I, HENRY CORLETT, of Summer Hill, in the City of Dublin, Esquire, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRINGS
FOR RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGES AND VEHICLES" to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in the combination of springs in the form of the letter
C, with springs of the ordinary elliptical form (or substitutes therefor, as
herein-after mentioned), the former being so applied and connected as to be.
brought into action in a direction opposite to that of the latter, but simul
taneously therewith. Both the C springs and the elliptical springs may be eacli
formed of a single plate of metal, and united at their ends. A pair of the former
may be placed on each side of the latter, and united to each other at their ends
by means of cross screw rods, or when a greater number of C springs.are
employed by rings; and these may again be connected or united to-the-ellip-
tical springs by means of a piece of metal extending from one of such' screw
rods to the other, and by screws (with nuts) passed through such piece of metal
and the elliptical springs, or by other suitable mode of connection. Tension
rods, plates, or stays may in certain cases be substituted for elliptical springs.

page_text: The elliptical springs will be fixed at their centre part to the ordinary blocks
or bearings above and below, for the carriage body and axle respectively, when
used as bearing springs. These springs can be used for the buffers of railway
carriages, in which case rings will be employed in lieu of cross screw rods.
SPECIFICATION; in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Henry Corlett in 'the Great Seal Patent Office on the 10th
July 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
CORLETT, of Summer Hill, in the City of Dublin, Esquire, send greeting.
"
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date, the Seventeenth day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the seventeenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Henry Corlett, Her special licence that I, the said Henry Corlett,
my executors, administrators; and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry
Corlett, my executors, administrators,-and. assigns,..should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully night make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SPRINGS FOR RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGES AND VEHICLES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Henry Corlett, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office, within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Corlett, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in 'and by the following statement,
referénce being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and
figures marked thereón (that is to say):
My Invention of "Improvements in Springs for Railway and other Carriages
and Vehicles has for its object the disposal and arrangement of springs of the
form herein-after described, and their combination with other springs, or with
plates or rods, in such a manner as to increase the elasticity of the bearings of
such carriages in proportion to their bearing or resisting strength.

page_text: And this object is accomplished by means of the combination of springs in
the form of the letter C, with springs of the ordinary elliptical form (or sub-
stitutes therefor as herein-after mentioned), the 'former being so applied and
connected as to be brought into action in a direction opposite to that of the
latter, but simultaneously therewith, that is to say, the ordinary elliptical springs
or their substitutes being placed horizontally, under the body of the carriage,
and the C springs being connected to them so as to occupy a vertical position;
also when used as buffer springs, the two kinds of springs are arranged
respectively so as to present in the same manner an elastic resistance-to-the
pressure applied to them; as will be herein-after more particularly described.
Both the C springs and the elliptical springs may severally be formed. of a
single plate of metal, and united at their ends. A pair of the former may be
placed on each side of the latter, and united to each other at their "ends by
means of cross screw rods, or bolts and nuts, or when 'a greater number of
C springs are used, by rings or clips; and these may again be connected or
united to the elliptical springs by means of a piece of metal or other material
extending from one of such screw rods to the other; and by screws (with nuts)
passed through such piece of metal and the elliptical springs; or by other suit-
able mode of connection. Tension rods, plates, or stays may in certain cases
be substituted for elliptical springs. The elliptical springs when used as
bearing springs will be fixed at their centre part to the ordinary blocks, or
bearings above and below for the carriage body and axle respectively. :)
"
The springs or combination of springs above referred to can be used for the
buffers of railway carriages, in which case rings, clips, or other suitable mode
of connection will be employed in lieu of cross screw rods.
In order, however, that my Invention may be fully understood, I will proceed
to describe the accompanying Drawings, in which are represented different
modes of carrying it into effect.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation; and Fig. 2, a plán or horizontal view, shewing a
combination of two pairs of the Ċ springs with a pair of the ordinary elliptical
springs for bearing a carriage body. A, A, are 'the C springs; B, the elliptical
springs; C, C, are the cross screw rods, by which the springs A, on each side
of the springs B, are connected together by means of screws and nuts c, c; D, D,
are plates of metal, through or over which the rods C, C, are passed, thereby
connecting the springs A on each side of the springs B. These plates D are
also connected to the springs B by means of nuts and screws d, d, and to the
ordinary blocks or bearings above and below for the carriage body and axle
respectively. The elliptical plates or springs B are united at their ends, as
shewn at E, E. By means of this combination of springs it will be seen that

page_text: the pressure on the ordinary bearings of the carriage body and axle will be
distributed through the whole series of springs, and thereby relieve the
ordinary elliptical springs of a great portion of the pressure to which they
are ordinarily exposed, and allow of their being made thinner with a greater
range of elasticity.
Fig. 3 represents another mode of applying my Invention. Fig. 3 is a side
elevation, shewing other forms of the C.springs combined with a plate or stay
instead of with elliptical springs, as in the former case. A, A, A', A', are four
C springs; united at their lower ends to a clip B, and at their upper ends to the
plate or stay C, for bearing the carriage body. The springs A are united to
the clips B, and to the plate or stay C, by means of slip or cylinder joints a, so
as to admit of any one of the springs being easily removed, and replaced, if
required. The springs A' are united at their lower ends to the joints a, a, by
means of bolts passed through the ends of both springs, and secured by nuts.
Various kinds of joints may be substituted for those shewn at a, a. By this
arrangement the springs A, A', will sustain the whole pressure on the bearing
blocks; and it is to be observed that they may be made of various widths of
metal, and also that additional C plates, besides those shewn, might be employed
in this combination.
Fig. 4 represents another mode of employing C springs in combination with
a plate or stay. The C springs are connected together below in the same
manner as in the former combination, and above the C springs are joined to
the stay by means of nuts and screws. Fig. 5 is a plan or horizontal view of
a combination of four of the above-described C springs, adapted for use as
buffer springs. They are united or formed into a set of springs (and thereby
made to constitute a combined elastic means of resistance to the pressure to
which buffer rods are exposed), by rings B, B, fastened to them, as shewn.
These springs A may be placed in any convenient part of the carriage frame,
so as to be acted upon by the buffer rods, in the directions of the arrows. In
case it should not be found convenient to place them in such a position in the
side framing as to be acted upon more directly by these rods, they may be
placed in the central framing, and acted upon thereby through a cross rod or
beam extending from one buffer rod to the other; or it may be found desirable
to place a set of springs in each side framing, and another in the central
framing.
I would here remark, that both in this case and in those which have been
described above, my Invention is not confined to the particular adaptations and
combinations of the springs herein denominated C springs, which have been
represented and described; but such modes of adapting and combining the said

page_text: springs have been merely referred to in order to point out certain modes by
which my Invention may be carried into effect.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I would have it understood that I do not mean or
intend to confine myself to the precise forms and details of the parts shewn and
described; neither do I claim as of my Invention any of the springs above
referred to, except as used for the purposes described.
But what I do claim as of my Invention is,-
The combination-of springs-of the kind denoted by the letter A in the
accompanying Drawings, either with or without the ordinary elliptical springs,
in such a manner as to adapt them for use as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Corlett, have hereunto subscribed
my name and affixed my seal, the Eighth day of July, One thousand
eight hundred and fifty-four.
HENRY CORLETT. (L.S.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered in the presence of
the words "the ordinary," "ordinary," struck out
on the second page, and the word "ordinary"
struck out on the last page and first page,.
JOHN NETTLETON,
5, Malpas Street,
Dublin.