Improvements in and relating to Spring Buffers for Railway Wagon Doors.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Aug., 1892
Complete Specification Left. 29th Apr., 1893-Accepted, 10th June, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Spring Buffers for Railway Wagon
Doors.
I HENRY WILLIAMS of Gownbrae Crosshill Glasgow Mechanical Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to and comprises a new or improved construction or
arrangement and combination of the parts, of spring buffers to receive and prevent
injury to the hinged doors of railway wagons when they are opened to fall
downwards.
The improvements essentially consist in the fitting and use of a spring and rod,
lever, or equivalent organ, which shall receive and cushion the hinged opening
doors of railway vehicles and prevent them getting injured. Under one arrange-
ment, these improvements would be carried into practice by bolting or fitting an
underhung bracket on or near the centre under framing of each wagon.
This bracket would have two projecting down lugs on it, one at each end with
eyes to receive the end of angled rods in each lug fitted with nuts and washers, at
their extreme inner ends between the lugs. These angled rods would extend to
have their extreme outer ends nearly perpendicular with the sides of the wagon
below the hanging doors on each side and be supported or carried in slots, or eyes
formed in vertical plates hung from the framing of the wagon.
A helical or spiral spring would be mounted on each of these angled rods
preferably at their inner ends between the bracket lugs and collars formed on the
rods, so that when either or both side doors of the vehicle were opened and let fal!
the broad outer ends of the rods would receive same and travel backwards against
the comprensive cushion of the spring or springs and thus prevent the doors or their
hinges getting injured.
Instead of these springs being put in compression when buffing the doors, they
may be put in tension, and in this case one spring may serve to cushion both
doors.
Instead of helical or spiral springs being used, blade or elliptical springs may be
mounted on the ends of, or work in combination with levers or rods to perform the
same functions, or instead of the spirial or helical spring being mounted on its
buffer rod as before described I may or will form this buffer rod in two parts so as
to telescope into each other at or near their centre, and to receive its spring within
their telescoping part, the one end of this buffer rod would then be secured to the
under framing of the wagon and the outer or buffing end carried in vertical
plate or hanger to receive and cushion the opening of the wagon door as before
described.
The two parts of this buffer rod would of course be suitably secured to each other,
so as to prevent accidental detachment.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Spring Buffers for Railway Wagon
Doors.
I HENRY WILLIAMS of Gowanbrae Crosshill Glasgow Mechanical Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
This invention has reference to and comprises a new or improved construction or

page_text: arrangement and combination of the parts of spring buffers to receive and prevent
injury to the hinged doors. of railway wagons when they are opened to fall
downwards.
The improvements essentially consist in the fitting and use of a spring, and rod,
lever, or equivalent organ, which shall receive and cushion the hinged opening doors
of railway vehicles, and prevent them getting injured.
And in order that my said invention, and the manner of performing or carrying
the same into effect or practice may be properly understood I have hereunto
appended two sheets of explanatory drawings, in which the same reference letters
are used as far as convenient to indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where
'shown.
Figure 1 on Sheet 1 is an end elevation of a railway wagon showing one
arrangement of my spring buffers for cushioning railway wagon doors.
Figure 2 is a view corresponding to Figure I showing a modified arrangement of
my spring buffer, and
Figures 3 and 4 are side and back views showing detached and to an enlarged
scale the spring buffer appliances shown in Figure 2.
While
Figures 5 and 6 show corresponding views of a slightly modified arrangement
from that shown in Figures 3 and 4.
Figures 7 to 20 on Sheet 2 show detached detail views of different ways of
arranging and applying my spring buffer appliances which will be hereinafter
referred to.
Referring to these drawings:-
Under one arrangement as shown in Figure 1 these improvements would be
carried into practice by bolting or fitting an underhung bracket at a, a, on or near
the centre under framing of each wagon. This bracket would be formed with two
projecting down lugs A. A and bent into a U shape at its lower end A' and be
formed with eyes or slots at a¹, a¹ to receive the end of angled rods B B in each
lug A said rods being fitted with nuts and washers at 6' at their extreme inner ends
between the lugs A.
These angled rods B would extend to have their extreme outer ends nearly
perpendicular with the sides of the wagon below the hanging doors Z on each side,
and be supported or carried in slots, or eyes at C' formed in vertical plates C
bolted to and hung from the framing of the wagon.
A helical or spiral spring is mounted on each of these angled rods B preferably
at the inner ends between the bracket lugs A and collars B formed on the rod R
so that when either or both of the side doors Z of the vehicle were opened, and let
fall, the broad outer end B2 of the rod B would receive same, and travel backwards
against the compressive cushion of the spring or springs b and thus prevent the
doors Z or their hinges getting injured.
Instead of these springs being put in compression when buffing the doors, they
may be put in tension, and in this case one spring may serve to cushion both doors.
Instead of helical or spiral springs being used, blade or elliptical springs may be
mounted on the ends of, or work in combination with levers or rods to perform the
same functions.
In the arrangement shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4 a lever B is fulcrumed at B
and its free end B2, is made to receive the door Z. A rod c is connected at c' to the
lever B and passes through and is carried by the slotted plate C C'. A spring b
is mounted round this rod c which has a nut and washer at 6 at its outer end.
When the buffing action takes place it will be seen that the spring b will be put in
compression between the plate C and washer b¹, and thus give a cushioning action
to the falling door Z.
In the arrangement shown in Figures 5 and 6 the rod c and spring b are shown
as placed at the baek of the lever B instead of in front of it as in Figures 2 to 4
and acts substantially in an equivalent manner.
These arrangements Figures 2 to 6 are very suitable for wagons with hopper
doors in the floor as well as in the sides.

page_text: Figures 7 and 8, 9 and 10, and 11 and 12 respectively on Sheet 2 show sectional
side and end views of spring buffer arrangements for fitting on or in the doors Z
instead of to the framework of the vehicle, and are designed for cases in which the
brake or other gearing on the vehicle would be in the way of fitting the spring
buffer appliances shown in the other figures. In Figures 7 and 8 an indiarubber
or elastic spring 6 is shown as secured within a housing B bolted and fixed in the
door Z.
In Figures 9 and 10 a helical form of metallic spring b is shown as fitted round
the rod B formed with a head B' and sliding in a guiding bearing B in the
housing B
Figures 11 and 12 show a similar arrangement to Figures 9 and 10 but showing
a helical form of metallic spring b. Figures 13 and 14 show end and face views of
an arrangement in which the buffer is made in one piece as
a blade spring
cushioning lever B. b, bolted to the framework of the vehicle at B. In this
arrangement the door Z will strike against the curved projecting part B' of the
spring lever, and press the free end of the spring part 6 nearly vertically up against
the under framing of the vehicle so that this part 6 will slide nearly horizontally
against a receiving plate A on the lower surface of the under frame, and thereby
prevent any torsional action on the under framing.
Figures 15 and 16 show end and face views of an analogous arrangement to that
shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4, wherein the lever B is placed on the outside face of
the under framing of the wagon. Figures 17 and 18 are end and plan views of an
arrangement analogous to that shown in Figure 1 in which a blade spring 6 is
substituted for the helical form of spring.
Figures 19 and 20 show end and perspective views respectively of an arrange-
ment similar to that shown in Figures 17 and 18, but in which the spring b is made
in the form of a rat trap spring coiled round a pin c carried by the plate C and
engaging within a slot B in the rod B the free ends of the spring being made
to engage with projecting lugs Bª formed on the rod A.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
First. A spring buffer for railway wagon doors consisting in the combination of
a spring and rod, lever or equivalent organ, substantially as set forth.
Second. The various arrangements of spring buffer appliances or their equivalents
for cushioning the doors of railway wagons substantially as herein described in
reference to and by way of application shown in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 22nd day of April 1893.
HENRY WILLIAMS.