A NEW APPARATUS ON WHICH TO SUSPEND CARRIAGE BODIES
Year: 1826

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
CHARLES LACY, of Manchester, in the County Palatine of Lancaster, Coach
Master, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Eighteenth day of November, in the seventh year of
His reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Henry Charles Lacy, His especial licence that I, the said Henry
Charles Lacy, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, or such others as I or they
should appoint or agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the term of fourteen years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "A NEW APPARATUS ON WHICH TO
SUSPEND CARRIAGE BODIES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso
obliging me, the said Henry Charles Lacy by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my
said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to
cause the same to be enrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Henry Charles Lacy, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,

page_text: and the difference between it and the common mode of suspending carriage
bodies, is as follows (that is to say):-
1
In the carriages now in common use one part of each spring or each set
of springs is attached to the body, and another part thereof to the under carriage
of the vehicle, and such springs by their action and resistance control and
regulate the progressive and lateral as well as the vertical motion of the body,
and prevent it from being displaced; whereas I propose to use elastic beds or
bearings which need not be fastened either to the body or the under carriage,
and which regulate only the vertical motion of the body, such elastic beds or
bearings being secured, confined, and kept in a proper position for acting with
effect by being inclosed in cylinders or cases; and the manner in which I
perform the same with several modifications thereof are described and ascer-
tained in and by the following explanation thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed and the figures and letters marked thereon, (that
is to say):
Figure 1 of the annexed Drawing is a side elevation (drawn to a scale of
about an inch and a half to a foot) of a coach, the body of which is suspended
on my improved principle from bars resting on spiral or helical springs forming
elastic beds or bearings contained in the cylindrical cases A, A. Figure 2 is
an elevation of the same as viewed from behind, and together with Figure 1
representing the positions of the cylindrical cases A, A, upon the under
carriage, and the manner in which they are fastened by means of the bolts
r, r, and s, s, and the clamps t, t. Figure 3 is a section (on an enlarged
scale of about three inches to a foot) of one of the cylindrical cases A, A.
Figure 4 is a section of two cylindrical cases one above the other, each con-
taining a series of spiral or helical springs. Figure 5 is a section of a case
containing elliptical springs. Figure 6 is a plan of the same. Figure 7
is a section of a case containing caoutchouc blocks, which, in this instance,
form an elastic bed. Figure 8 is a plan of the same. Figure 9 is a
view of the under side of what I call the joint or shackle bar, the uses of
which will be hereafter described. Figures 10, 11, 12, and 13 exhibit a
mode of applying my Invention to a two-wheeled carriage. a, a, Figure 3,
is a section of one of the above-mentioned cylindrical cases or boxes. b is
a base plate of wrought iron with a circular groove g, g, to receive the
bottom of the cylinder a, a. e is a circular plate or disk, which I prefer to
be made of gun metal, rather smaller in diameter than the inside of the
cylinder. It is perforated in the centre, and has on its under side a socket f
to guide its motion in sliding up and down the pillar hereafter described, and
on its upper side a convexity k. c is a bonnet or cover of wrought iron or

page_text: gun metal with a circular groove h, h, to receive the upper end of the cylinder,
and a circular apperture in the centre. d is a guide pillar of wrought iron
which passes through the centre of the base plate b up the centre of the
cylinder, through the socket f and plate e, through the joint or shackle bar
(hereafter described), and through the bonnet c. i is a nut screwed on the top.
of the pillar to secure together the cylinder, the base plate, and the bonnet..
is a bar of wrought iron, which I call the joint or shackle bar, the form of
which will be best understood by reference to Figure 9.
It has a concavity.
in the centre of its under side made to fit upon the convexity k of the plate e ;.
in the centre of this concavity is a circular aperture, [so much larger in.
diameter than the pillar that the latter passes through without touching the-
sides of the aperture even when one end of the shackle bar is depressed a little-
below the other by an inequality in the road or by any other cause. The
shackle bar passes through slits or chase mortices in the sides of the cylinder
occupying about two thirds of the length of the cylinder from the top down-
wards, and which slits or chase mortices allow the shackle bar to move freely.
up and down. The ends of the shackle bar project beyond the sides of the
cylinder sufficiently to prevent the joints or shackles n, n, and the arms q, q,
from touching it. The sides of the chase mortices are strengthened by plates of
wrought iron, which, as well as the situations of the slits or chase mortices them-
selves, are better shewn on cylinders A, A, Figure 2. 2, 9, are wrought-iron.
arms made fast to the body of the carriage, and connected by joints or shackles.
n, n, in the ordinary way to the joint or shackle bar 1, and which arms, as well
as the manner of their connection with the body of the vehicle and with. the
joint or shackle bar, are better shewn in Figure 2, where they are marked.
with the letters q, q. p, p, are two spiral or helical springs placed concen-
trically round the guide pillar d, resting on the base plate b, and acted upon.
by the plate e and joint or shackle bar l, as herein-after described. Though
two springs only are exhibited in Figure 3, yet the number of springs, as well.
as the strength of each, may be varied according to the weight which they are
intended to sustain. For stage coaches I prefer four springs in each cylinder,
the outermost being composed of a bar of steel about three quarters of an inch
broad and three eighths of an inch thick, and the inner springs diminishing in
strength in proportion to the diminution in their diameters. But whatever.
number of springs may be used, it will be advisable to coil in opposite direc--
tions those which are liable to touch each other, in order to prevent them from
entangling. m is a recoil spring placed above in order to give pressure to the
springs p, p, when the carriage is lightly laden. The recoil spring rests upon
a circular plate 20, having a socket on its upper side, and its under side resting

page_text: upon the shackle bar; the iron arms upon the carriage body being attached
by means of the joints or shackles to the joint or shackle bars in the manner
represented in Figures 1 and 2, the weight of the carriage body is thereby
thrown upon the joint or shackle bars, the concave sides of which resting upon
the convexities on the upper side of the gun metal plates, the latter are
forced down upon and thus compress the elastic beds or bearings which are
beneath them. The convexity of the plate and concavity of the shackle
bar form a sort of ball and socket joint, which allows one extremity of the
shackle bar to be depressed below the other without materially affecting the
equality of the pressure on the elastic bed or bearing. Various modifications
of my "New Apparatus on which to Suspend Carriage Bodies," may be
applied as circumstances require; and the same object may be attained by other
contrivances of a similar kind and on the same principles. For instance, the
helical or spiral springs, instead of being placed concentrically round the
pillar d, may form separate columns round a number of pillars inclosed n the
same case, which pillars may pass through separate apertures in the plate e.
The arrangement which I prefer for carriages intended for heavy loads is
exhibited in Figure 4, which represents two series of springs (consisting of two
springs each in the Drawing, but which may consist of two or more, as may
be found necessary), in separate cylinders, placed one above the other, and
which sets of springs are acted upon at the same time by the shackle bar in
the following manner:-The pillar d passes through both cylinders, and is
secured at the top and bottom in the manner already described. Upon this
pillar the gun metal socket 4 moves freely, passing through an aperture in the
plate W, which divides the two cylinders, and which has a circular groove on
each side to receive the bottom of the upper cylinder and the top of the lower
cylinder. At the lower extremity of this socket is a plate 6, pressing down
the springs in the lower cylinder, and at its upper extremity another plate 5,
pressing down the springs in the upper cylinder (and which plate is screwed
upon the socket after the latter has been passed through the aperture in the
plate W). This socket, with its plates, is acted upon by the joint or shackle bar
l, which works in slits or chase mortices in the upper part of the lower cylinder,
and presses upon a convexity on the plate 6. The joint or shackle bar is con-
nected with the body of the carriage in the manner herein-before described.
Figure 5 represents a section of a square case containing segment springs
combined in the form of what are usually called elliptical springs v, v, with the
pillar, plate, socket, slits or chase mortices, and joint or shackle bar similar to
those in Figure 3. Figure 6 is a plan of the case, and two series of springs
are placed within it, as at 30, 30, and exhibiting grooves to guide them on

page_text: their ascent and descent.
Figure 7 represents a section of a square case con-
taining, instead of metallic springs, cubical blocks of caoutchouc or india
rubber x, x, kept asunder by projections y, y, on the partition plates z,=,
giving the caoutchouc room to expand laterally when pressed upon by the
weight of the body. The pillar, plate, socket, chase mortices, and shackle
bar are similar to those in Figure 3, except that the plate e is square, and
bas upon its under side projections similar to those on the partition plates.
Figure 8 is a plan of the same.
Figures 10, 11, 12, and 13 exhibit a mode of applying my Invention to a
two-wheeled carriage A, A.
Figure 10 represents two cases, one placed on each side of the axle b, and
secured to it by means of four bolts c, c, (two of which only are exhibited in
Figure 10), the base plate d, and the upper plate e, the latter plate resting on
the upper side of the axle, and having two circular apertures to allow the
cylinders to pass through it. On that part of the cylinders which is between
the base plate and the upper plate, outer cylinders (equal in length to the
depth of the axle) are firmly rivetted, so as to form shoulders, against which
the two plates rest when secured in their places by the bolts. The cylinders
contain springs, as exhibited in Figure 12, which are acted upon by plates f,
each having a socket on its under side, as in the mode herein-before described;
but, instead of having a joint or shackle bar, the plate itself has two pins pro-
jecting from it on opposite sides (as exhibited in Figure 13), and passing through
the slits or chase mortices in the sides of each cylinder. The outer ends of
these pins are inserted in a bar of iron bent into the form represented at g, g,
Figure 11, and which I call the joint or shackle ring. This ring encompasses
the two cylinders, as best exhibited in Figure 11. It has in its centre a
screw bolt h, passing through a hollow stretcher i, the use of which is to com-
press the two sides of the joint or shackle ring. This ring possesses a sufficient
degree of elasticity to allow of its two longer sides being drawn further
asunder when they are not compressed by the bolt; and when they are so
drawn asunder the pins of the plates can be inserted in holes made to receive
them in the inner sides of the ring, as shewn at k, k, Figure 11. The nút is
then screwed upon the bolt h, by which the sides of the ring are compressed
against the ends of the stretcher; and the shoulders of the pins at each end of
the double ring are fastened iron links or joints (best seen at n, n, in Figure
10), by which the ring is attached to iron arms p, p, projecting from the
shaft or framing 40, 40, which supports the body of the carriage. This
description, and the Drawings to which it refers, exhibit only one side of the
carriage, but the other side is of course exactly similar.

page_text: I have now described the particulars of my Invention of "A New Apparatus
on which to suspend Carriage.Bodies," with several modifications or modes of
constructing or putting the same into operation. I might have described several
other variations of my plan, but I conceive that enough has been explained to
render the principles of my Invention perfectly evident and the details thereof
intelligible. In conclusion, I do hereby declare that my Invention consists in,
and I claim as new, the suspending of carriage bodies on elastic beds or
bearings, which elastic beds or bearings need not be fastened either to the
body or the under-carriage of the vehicle, but are confined and kept in proper
positions for acting with effect by being enclosed in cylinders or cases, which
cylinders or cases are firmly secured to the under-carriage, each of which
cylinders or cases having one or more guide pillar or pillars (also. firmly
secured), on which guide pillar or pillars a vertically moving bar or plate
works, which bars or plates are connected by means of joints, links, or
shackles to the body of the carriage; and by means of which pillars and bars
or plates so connected and attached the body of the carriage is suspended on
the elastic beds or bearings, and kept in its proper position.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Charles Lacy, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-seven.