IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLING BUFFER AND DRAW-BAR APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY VEHICLES, WHICH PRO ARE PARTLY APPLICABLE FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Turton, of Westminster, in the County of
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Middlesex, Engineer, for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLING
BUFFER AND DRAW-BAR APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY VEHICLES, WHICH
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Turton at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th May 1880.
GEORGE TURTON, of Westminster, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLING BUFFER AND DRAW-BAR APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY
VEHICLES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE PARTLY APPLICABLE FOR OTHER PURPOSES."
My present Invention is partly designed to afford the means for facilitating the
working and adjustment of the coupling-apparatus described in the Specification of
my former Letters Patent dated 31st July, A.D. 1879, No. 3113.
In this apparatus the main buffing and draw-springs are arranged behind the
slack spring, that is to say, the spring which takes up or assists in taking up the
slack. I have found in practice that in some railway carriages as now constructed
there is not sufficient space within the framework for this arrangement. I have
therefore devised a novel arrangement of these springs, that is to say, I now
dispense with one of the main springs by arranging one spring to serve for both
buffing and drawing, and arranging the "slack-spring" behind this main spring.
The latter is a spiral or coiled spring of any suitable section, and surrounds the
portion of the buffer-rod immediately within or behind the headstock of the
carriage. The buffer and coupling rods extend through the said headstock and
through a web or cross piece of iron or other suitable metal secured to the framing.
The part of the buffer-rod which extends through the beadstock is made larger
than the portion behind the latter, so as to form a shoulder on the said rod, and I
place upon the reduced part of the said rod a washer-plate which rests against the
said shoulder. Another washer-plate through which the said rod passes is placed

page_text: near the aforesaid web or cross-piece, and the main spring occupies the space
between these plates. The rear washer-plate, that is to say, the plate which is
adjacent to the web or cross-piece supports the spring against inward pressure, so
that the said spring will act to resist the recoil of the buffer, while the washer
plate which rests against the inner side of the headstock affords the support by
which the said spring acts as a draw-spring to resist and render elastic the tension
on the couplings.
I am aware that the fact of making one spring serve both as a buffer-spring and
a draw-spring taken separately is not new, but this part of my Invention consists
in arranging a double-acting spring, as above described, in combination with the
spring for taking up the slack. For this purpose I place upon the buffer-rod a
short tube or sleeve, which passes through the aforesaid web or cross-piece and
rests in contact with the rear face of the washer-plate, this tube being kept in
place by a nut screwed upon the buffer-rod at the rear of the said tube. At the
rear side of this nut I arrange a washer-plate to receive the thrust of the forward
end of the slack spring. The latter is a short spiral or coil spring surrounding the
buffer-rod, its rear end resting against a plate through whose centre the buffer-rod
passes, and whose outer ends are connected with the draw-bars, as described in the
Baid former Specification. By this improved arrangement the length of the entire
apparatus is very much reduced, so that it may be arranged within the shortest or
most limited carriage-frame; moreover, the cost of manufacture is diminished.
According to another part of my Invention I improve the springs used for the
above and other purposes by forming them of metal with a peculiar form of
transverse section. The characteristic feature of this peculiar formation of the
metal consists in its being grooved or channelled, that is to say, it has double lips
or flanges, and is coiled and tempered in such a manner that the spring has not only
the elasticity due to the number and strength of its coils or spirals, but also that of
the resistance of the two lips or flanges to compression. The section of the metal
may be varied as to its exact form, that is to say, it may be V or U shaped, or
approximately so, or of any similar shape; but in all cases it must be so formed
and coiled that the spring will have the benefit of the elasticity of the flanges or
lips. I am aware that springs have been made of metal with a .V, U, or similar
shape in transverse section, but the metal thus formed has not been coiled and
arranged in the spring as and for the purpose above specified.
In some instances I may modify this part of my invention by forming springs
of compound bars, that is to say, I form each bar by rolling one bar with a dovetail
rib thereon, and 1 roll another bar with a groove or channel, and while hot I place
the said rib on the one bar in the channel of the other bar, and compress the sides
of the said channel upon the ribs, thereby forming the said compound bar which
may be afterwards coiled to form the springs in any suitable manner; or I may
unite a series of bars to constitute a spring by forming projections on and recesses
in the said bars, and uniting the same as above described; or I may vary the form
of the ribs and channels for uniting the two parts of the compound bar.
Another part of my Invention relates to improved means for adjusting or taking
up the slack"
or distance between coupling-buffers constructed as described in
my said former Specification. For this purpose, instead of the cams or excentrics
described in the said Specification, I now use worm and screw gearing, that is to
say, I fit on the buffer-rod a screw-nut which has on it a worm wheel. This
worm-wheel gears with a worm on a transverse shaft which extends to the side of
the carriage, and is provided with a handle or other convenient means for turning
the same to adjust the coupling or take up the "slack." The arrangement of this
worm and screw gearing may be modified as required to suit various arrangements
of coupling and buffer apparatus. The aforesaid nut may be applied to any portion
of the buffer-rod or to the draw-bars.
According to another part of my Invention I provide the aforesaid coupling-
butier apparatus with convenient and simple means for holding the coupling-book

page_text: of one carriage in the proper position to engage automatically with the head of the
other carriage when two carriages are coupled. For this purpose I provide the hook
with an arm extending from its pivot or centre, and provided with a ball or weight
at its extremity. On the end of the carriage or waggon I place a stud or projection in
such a position that the ball or weighted arm will rest against the same at such an
angle as to keep the hook raised sufficiently to permit the hook to enter the buffer-
head and pass over the rod, bolt, or pin with which it is to engage; when the two
buffers meet and the springs are pressed inward the balls are thrown forward over
the centre, thereby causing the hook to fall and engage with the said bolt or pin.
Moreover, when a cam or excentric is used for taking up the slack, as in the said
former Specification, the dropping of the ball or weight will actuate the said cam
or excentric and effect the tightening up of the buffers simultaneously with the
coupling of the same.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said George Turton in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th
November 1880.
GEORGE TURTON, of Westminster, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer.
IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLING BUFFER AND DRAW-BAR APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY
VEHICLES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE PARTLY APPLICABLE FOR OTHER PURPOSES."
My Invention is partly designed to afford the means for facilitating the working
and adjustment of the coupling-apparatus described in the Specification of my
former Letters Patent, dated 31st July, A.D. 1879, No. 3113.
In this apparatus the main buffing and draw-springs are arranged behind the
slack spring, that is to say, the spring which takes up or assists in taking up the
slack between the buffers of two vehicles coupled together. I have found in
practice however that in some railway-carriages as now constructed there is not
sufficient space within the framework for this arrangement.
I have therefore
devised a novel arrangement of these springs, that is to say, I now dispense with
one of the main springs by arranging one spring to serve for both buffing and
drawing, and place the "slack-spring" behind this main spring.
This part of my Invention is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying
Drawings, in which,―
Figure 1 is a plan partly in horizontal section of automatic coupling apparatus
constructed according to my Invention, and
Figure 2 is a side elevation partly in section of the same.
a, a, are the buffers, and b is the coupling-hook; c is the transverse or cross bar,
upon which the said coupling-hook is secured; d, d, are the draw-bars connected
to the said bar c, and e represents the slack-spring, which tends to draw the bars d
inwards; represents the main spring.
The latter may be a spiral or coiled spring of any suitable section, and surrounds
the portion a¹ of the buffer-rod immediately within or behind the headstock A of
the carriage. The buffer a and coupling-rods or draw-bars d extend through the
said head-stock and through a web or cross-piece g of iron or other suitable metal
secured to the framing of the vehicle. The part a² of the buffer-rod, which extends
through the said head-stock, is made larger than the portion a¹ behind the latter,
so as to form a shoulder a³ on the said rod, and I place upon the reduced part a'
of the said rod a washer-plate h, which rests against the said shoulder. Another
washer-plate i, which is preferably formed in one piece with a tube or sleeve i¹
hereinafter described, and through which the said rod passes, is placed near the
aforesaid web or cross-piece g, and the main spring foccupies the space between
these plates and i. The washer-plate i supports the spring f against inward
pressure, so that the said spring will act to resist the recoil of the buffer a, while
the washer-plate h affords the support by which the said spring facts as a draw-
spring to resist and render elastic the tension on the couplings.
I am aware that the idea of making one spring serve both for buffing and
drawing, that is to say, as a buffer-spring and a draw-spring, is not new, and
therefore the mere double use of such a spring forms no part of my Invention, but
one novel feature of the said Invention consists in arranging a double-acting
spring f, as above described, in combination with the spring e for taking up the
slack, and herein termed the slack spring. For this purpose I place upon the
buffer-rod the short tube or sleeve ¹, which preferably formed in one piece with
the washer-plate i, as above stated, and which passes through the aforesaid web or
cross-piece g, this tube being kept in place by a nut a screwed upon the buffer-rod
at the rear of the said tube; or the said tube ¹ may be made separate from the
washer-plate i, and arranged to rest in contact with its rear face. At the rear side
of the said nut at I arrange a washer-plate ; designed to receive the thrust of the

page_text: forward end of the slack spring e, which is stronger or requires greater strain to
compress it than the main spring f. The said slack spring is a short spiral or
coiled spring surrounding the buffer-rod, its rear end resting against a plate k,
through whose centre the buffer-rod passes, and whose outer ends are connected
with the draw-bars d, as shewn in Figure 1, and as described in the said
former Specification. By this improved arrangement the length of the entire
apparatus is very much reduced, so that it may be arranged within the shortest or
most limited carriage-frame; moreover the cost of manufacture is diminished.
Figure 3 is a plan partly in section, and
Figure 4 a side elevation, partly in section, illustrating a modified arrangement
of the main and slack springs in my improved apparatus.
Figure 5 is an end view of one of the coupling-buffers and parts adjacent to the
same.
Figure 6 represents detail views of several parts of the said apparatus.
In this modification of my Invention I have shewn the slack spring e arranged
in front of the main spring f, the washer-platej being keyed firmly to the buffer-
rod, as shewn, and the spring e arranged between the same and the moveable
washer plate k, to which the draw-rods d are attached. The washer-plate h,
against which one end of the spring f bears, rests against a portion of the main
frame of the vehicle, and the plate i, against which the other end of the said spring
bears, is fitted upon the screw-threaded end as of the buffer-rod, the forcing inward
or backward of the said plate by the endward thrust of the buffer-rod being
prevented by the bolts 7 passing through the framing and the said plate i.
According to another part of my Invention, I improve the spiral springs used for
the above and other purposes by forming them of metal bars with such forms of
transverse section that when properly coiled they will act in a peculiar manner
under compression, as hereinafter specified. One form of the said springs is
illustrated partly in elevation and partly in section in Figures 7, 8, and 9 of the
Drawings. Figure 7 shews the spring in its normal or uncompressed condition,
Figure 8 shews the same partially compressed, and Figure 9 shews it further
compressed. The characteristic feature of the formation of the metal bar of which
the said spring is formed, consists in its being grooved or channelled, as shewn at m,
and so coiled that these grooves occupy such a position as to assist or add to the
resistance of the spring, that is to say, it has double lips or flanges m³, and is coiled
and tempered in such a manner that the spring has not only the elasticity due to
the number and strength of its coils or spirals, but also that of the resistance of the
two lips or flanges m¹ to compression. Hence when the spring is partially com-
pressed, as shewn in Figure 8, and the compression is increased, the adjacent lips or .
flanges m¹ of the different coils come in contact with each other, as shewn in
Figure 9, and afford further elastic resistance to the compressing strain exerted
upon the said spring. The shape and dimensions of the aforesaid lips or flanges
may be varied as desired, in other words the section of the metal may be varied;
for example, it may be Vor U shaped, or approximately so, or of any similar shape,
but in all cases it must be so formed and coiled that the spring will have the
benefit of the elasticity of the flanges or lips. In Figure 9° I have shewn various
transverse sections of metal to be employed in the manufacture of my improved
springs, the advantages of the elasticity of the flanges or lips being secured by any
of these sections.
In some cases I interpose between the aforesaid lips or flanges m', strips or rings
of india-rubber or other suitable elastic material, as shewn at m², to further increase
the strength of the said springs when the flanges m¹ meet and the compressing
strain upon the spring is still increasing.
In constructing my improved springs, the lips m² may be rolled, as shewn at m*
in dotted lines in Figure 90, or the metal may be rolled flat, as shewn in dotted
lines at me, and then bent into the required shape, as shewn in full lines.
Figure 10 is an elevation partly in section of another form of the above described
springs, and

page_text: Figure 10 represents various modified forms or sections of the metal composing-
the same, the said springs being provided with the groove m, as above described,
and with lips m', which are increased or strengthened so as practically to constitute
a double spring. In case any of these springs should break, the direction of the
fracture or crack will be in line through the weakest or thinnest part of the
section of the metal, and not across the same, as in springs of this class as ordinarily
constructed.
I am aware that springs have been made of metal with a V, U, or similar shape
in transverse section, but the metal thus formed has not been coiled and arranged
in the spring as and for the purpose above specified.
In some instances I may modify this part of my Invention by forming springs of
compound bars, as shewn partly in elevation and partly in section in Figures 11
and 12 of the Drawings. For this purpose I form each bar by rolling one bar n
with a dovetail rib n² thereon, and I roll another bar n¹ with a groove or channel n³,
and while hot. I place the said rib n² in the channel n³ of the other bar, and
compress the sides of the said channel upon the ribs, thereby forming the said
compound bar, which may be afterwards coiled to form the springs in any suitable
manner; or I may unite a series of bars to constitute a spring, as shewn in either
of the sectional views represented in Figure 13, by forming projections on and
recesses in the said bars and uniting the same, as above described; or I may vary
the form of the ribs and channels for uniting the two parts of the compound bar as
desired.
Another part of my Invention relates to improved means for adjusting or taking
up the "slack" or distance between coupling-buffers constructed as described in my
said former Specification, or as shewn in Figures 1 to 6 of the Drawings hercin
described. For this purpose, instead of the cams or excentrics described in the said
Specification, I now use worm and screw gearing, as shewn in Figure 14, which is
a plan partly in horizontal section, and in Figure 15, which is a transverse section
on the line x, x, Figure 14, that is to say, I fit on the buffer-rod a screw nut or
sleeve o, which may be applied to any portion of the buffer-rod or to the draw-bars,
and which has on it a worm-wheel o¹. This worm-wheel gears with a worm p' on
a transverse shaft p which extends to the side of the carriage, and is provided with
a handle or other convenient means for turning the same to adjust the coupling or
take up the slack." The arrangement of this worm and screw-gearing may
be modified as required to suit various arrangements of coupling and buffer
apparatus.
<
Figure 16 is a plan, and Figure 17 an end view partly in transverse section,
shewing a worm-wheel o¹ fitted upon each of the draw-bars & outside of the frame-
work A of the vehicle, two worms p' on the shaft being arranged to gear with
the said worm-wheels, and adapted to be operated by a hand-wheel or weighted
lever or arm upon the shaft p to take up the slack. In Figure 18, which is a plan
or top view, I have shewn the worm wheels o' fitted upon the draw bars d within
or behind the framework A.
I provide the aforesaid coupling buffer apparatus with convenient and simple means
for extending the coupling-hook of one carriage into the proper position to engage
automatically with the head of the other carriage when two carriages are coupled.
For this purpose I provide the pivot or bar c of the hook with an arm or arms c¹,
as shewn in Figures 1 to 6, and in Figures 19 and 20, which are a plan and side
view. The said arms are provided with balls or weights cat their extremity.
On the end of the carriage or waggon I sometimes place a stud or projection p°; as
shewn in Figure 2, in such a position that the ball c³ or weighted arm c² will rest
against the same and hold the cross-bar c and its excentric c* in such a position as
to allow the hook to pass freely over the cross-bar on the adjacent buffer-head.
When the two buffers meet and the springs are pressed inward the balls are thrown
forward over their centre, thereby causing the hook to fall and engage with the 5
said bolt or pin. Moreover, when a cam or excentric is used for taking up the
slack, as in the said former Specification, the dropping of the ball or weight will

page_text: actuate the said cam or excentric, and effect the tightening up of the buffers
simultaneously with the coupling of the same.
In Figures 19 and 20 I have shewn means for enabling a porter or other
attendant at the side of a vehicle to raise or disengage the hook b from the adjacent
buffer-head. For this purpose I use a weighted lever q and connecting rods or
bars q, q, or I may employ the arrangement illustrated in plan and side view in
Figures 21 and 22, that is to say, I use a forked arm or lever r engaging with a
pin or pins on the book b, and pivotted at r¹ to the vehicle, so that by depressing
its arm the said forked end, and consequently the said hook, will be elevated.
Figure 23 is a plan shewing the cross bar c provided with a weighted arm c¹ at
one extremity only, and the draw bars & connected to the buffer-head nearer to its
face than those hereinbefore referred to, the buffer-face being cut away for this
pur- on its upper side, as shewn in end view in Figure 24. This arrangement
may be advantageously employed when the space between the vehicles is limited.
When it is desired that one of my improved coupling buffers should serve as an
ordinary head for the engagement of the hook b of an adjacent coupling-buffer I
remove the cross-bar c, the cam c*, and hook b from the same, and insert within a
hole at a a pin a¹, as shewn in horizontal section in Figure 25, for the engagement
of the said hook, the side or draw bars being disconnected from the said cross-bar
and excentric as shewn.
Having thus fully described my said Invention, and shewn how the same may
be conveniently and advantageously carried into practice, I wish it understood that
I do not confine myself to the particular form of coupling buffer-heads shewn in
the accompanying Drawings, as my improvements may be equally well applied
to coupling buffer-heads of other constructions without departing from the spirit of
my Invention, and I claim,-
First. In apparatus comprising the coupling buffer, the buffer-rod, the side draw-
bars, and the main spring which serves the double purpose of buffing and drawing
all arranged substantially as shewn in Figures 1 and 2 of the Drawings, the
combination therewith of the slack spring operating as and for the purposes
specified.
Second. The modification of the said apparatus wherein the slack spring is
arranged in front of the main spring, substantially as described with reference to
Figures 3, 4, 5, of the Drawings for the purposes specified.
Third. In coupling buffer-apparatus wherein a slack spring is arranged to operate
in combination with the buffer-rod, the side draw-bars, and main spring, as above
set forth, the employment of worm-gearing for taking up the slack of the buffers,
substantially as described with reference to any of the forms or modifications
illustrated in the Drawings, and operating as set forth.
Fourth. A coiled or spiral spring constructed of a metal bar formed with lips or
flanges, and coiled and tempered in such a manner that the said lips or flanges will
assist or add to the elastic resistance of the said spring when the same is under
compression, as and for the purposes above set forth.
Fifth. A coiled or spiral spring constructed of double or compound bars formed
and united in the manner and for the purposes above set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Turton, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Thirteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty
GEORGE TURTON. (L.S.)