IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH HUTCHES OR WAGONS
Year: 1882

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Cook at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 29th September 1882.
WILLIAM COOK, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain
"IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH HUTCHES OR WAGONS
21
This invention which relates to improvements in or connected with hutches or
wagons has reference to the arrangement and construction of buffers for the buffing
or colliding ends of the hutches or wagons and the improvements consist further
in the construction of the plates forming the ends of the body of the hutches in
order to render them stronger to resist the longitudinal jolting of the minerals or
materials within the hutches.
I construct the buffers preferably of one length or strip of steel or other suitable
elastic metal which strip is placed horizontally across the ends of the hutches
extending from the one end of the longitudinal beam or other equivalent part of
the framing upon which the body of the hutch is supported. The said strip of
steel is formed with an outward bend from its central part so that the said central
part projects out from the end of the hutch; the extremities of the strip of steel
are formed with slots for the reception of pins or bolts which passing through the
said slots in the metal strips are fixed firmly into the ends of the body of the
hutches.
The strip of steel thus forms a projecting bow from the ends of the hutches, the
extremities of the said bow being free to slide longitudinally. By this construction
of buffer simplicity of parts is obtained and a maximum of efficiency in counter-
acting the shock of the colliding of the hutches is effected. With this construction
of buffer also the two meeting ends of the hutches or wagons may strike each
other more or less obliquely without the jamming or wedging which frequently
occurs in buffers of the ordinary construction.
In lieu of forming the sliding ends of the buffer with slots working upon bolts
or pins any other equivalent means for allowing the buffing bow to expand when
the hutches are meeting may be employed.
In lieu of constructing the bow in one simple curve as hereinbefore described, the
said bow or strip of steel may be formed with an eye or doubled portion at its
central part so formed that when the ends of the strip of steel are fixed stationary
to the ends of the hutch, the bow or central portion of the said strip may still

page_text: expand or tend to flatten out by the aperture formed by the curve of the eye
tending to close up.
The said bow or steel strip is capable of various modifications in order to allow
it to expand or tend to flatten out when the ends of the hutches are thrown more
or less violently against each other; the extremities of the bow being either fixed
or sliding according to the particular formation of the bow portion of the buffer.
In the construction of the plates forming the ends of the body of the hutches
or wagons my improvements consist in stamping or forming the said plates by
means of a hydraulic press or other suitable power with corrugations running the
horizontal or vertical length of the said plates in lieu of strengthening the said
plates by rivetting or bolting a stiffening cross-bar or bars upon the surface of the
plates. I preferably form the corrugations horizontally on the plates, the number
of such corrugations corresponding either according to the number of strengthening
bars hitherto employed or according to the amount of stiffening required. Other
parts or plates of the hutches or wagons may be similarly strengthened where
necessary.