Improvements in Vehicle Springs.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Aug., 1896-Accepted, 3rd Oct., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Vehicle Springs.
I MARTIN LUTHER SENDERLING of No. 333 Fairmount Avenue Jersey City in the
County of Hudson and State of New Jersey United States of America Manufacturer
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
he performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The object of my invention is to provide a vehicle spring in which a spring actuated
lever is pivotted intermediate of the vehicle body and the running gear, and the
vehicle body is so arranged with respect to the said spring actuated lever that when the
lever is depressed by the increase in weight of the vehicle body, the point of contact
of the said body will shift towards the pivotal point of the lever.
A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanying
drawings in which;
Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation showing one form of arranging the spring in
connection with two levers, a portion only of the vehicle body and running gear being
shown.
Fig. 2 is a vertical, central section through the spring,
Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 is a view in side elevation of a modified form of spring.
Fig. 5 is a view in side elevation of a second modified form.
Fig. 6 is a view in side elevation of a third modified form, and
Fig. 7 is a view in side elevation of a fourth modified form.
In the form shown in Figs. 1 2, and 3 the wagon body is denoted by A and the
axle of the running gear is denoted by B. Upon the axle B I secure a suitable clip C
to which are pivotted the spring actuated two armed levers D, D' as shown at c c¹.
The vehicle body is supported upon the upper arms d of the two armed levers and
the lower arms d' of the levers extend downwardly to a point somewhat below the
axle B. These lower arms d' are held apart under spring tension in the following
manner: Pressure plates. E are preferably pivotted one to the free end of each of
the lower arms d' by suitable bolts e and between these two pressure plates is inter-
posed a suitable spring F, in the present instance shown as of coiled form. A bar or
link G passes through the pressure plates E and engages the pivot bolts e which
fasten the said plates to the lower arms d' of the two armed levers and serves to limit
the outward movement of the said arms. The bar G is provided at one end with an
elongated slot g, through which one of the bolts e extends so that when pressure is
applied to the upper arms d of the two armed levers, the lower arms are allowed to
approach each other a certain distance.
The pressure plates E by reason of their pivotal engagement with the arms d¹ are
kept in aligment as the lowers arms d' approach and receds, thereby preventing the
cramping of the bar G.
In the form shown in Fig. 4 the bar or link G instead of passing through the interior
of the coiled spring F extends along exterior to and below the same and through
sockets formed in the pressure plates E. The bar G in this case does not have the
elongated slot g as in the form shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 but limits the outward move-
ment of the lower arms d¹ by suitable fastenings, such as nuts g¹ engaging its ends
exterior to the sockets in the plates E.
In the form shown in Fig. 5 the levers, denoted by I I' are pivotted to a suitable
support K upon the axle L and the clip M serves to hold between the axle and the

page_text: support K a spring N of general semi-elliptical form, the oppositely extending arms
of which form supports for the free ends of the levers II on which the body A
rests.
In the form shown in Fig. 6 a single lever I2 is pivotted in a similar manner to the
levers I, II, and is supported at its free end by a half semi-elliptical spring N¹.
In the form shown in Fig. 7 the levers I³, 1' are pivotted to a suitable base plate
held to the axle by the clips M and supported at their free ends by coil springs N N
resting upon the extended ends of the base plate. The upper ends of the springs N³ N³
are connected with the ends of the levers by pivotted cap plates o o¹.
It is assumed in all the forms shown that the body may be secured in position by
any suitable link, not shown, of any well known or approved form as may be required
for the purpose in hand. In the form shown in Fig. 4, lugs are shown depending
from suitable bolts H secured to the vehicle body for holding the latter against
lateral play upon the upper arms d of the levers.
In all the forms shown it will be seen that as the vehicle body depresses the spring
actuated levers, the point of contact of said body will shift along said levers towards
their pivotal points, thereby serving to increase the supporting effect of the
springs F, N, N1, N2, and N3, without compressing the said springs to a point where
they will be liable to become set. For example, as the load increases and depresses
the springs, the hearing point or points of the load on the curved faces of the lovers
will gradually shift from the starting point towards the fulcrum of the lever as for
instance from the dotted line x Fig. 5 towards the dotted line y thereby giving
the spring a greater amount of purchase to uphold the lever, so that at no time will
the load, whatever its weight, be free from a spring support and at no time will the
spring be subjected to a greater strain than it is intended to sustain.
The bearing point of the load upon the spring may be located normally further
from the fulcrum of the lever than the bearing point of the spring, or it may be
located at that point or nearer the fulcrum of the lever than the bearing point of
the spring, but in every instance provision is made for the shifting of the bearing
point of the load to a point nearer the fulcrum of the lever than the bearing
point of the spring from said fulcrum in order to cause the lever to gain advantage
as the weight of the load increases.
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
1. In combination, a lever, a spring cushion forming a bearing for the lever
and means for sustaining a load upon the lever, the connection between the load
sustaining means and the lever being such that the bearing point of the load, as
the weight of the load increases, may automatically shift from its starting point to a
point nearer the fulcrum of the lever than the bearing point of the spring cushion,
thereby changing the advantage of leverage in favor of the spring and against the
weight of the load, substantially as set forth.
2. The combination with a vehicle body and its running gear, of a pair of levers
pivotted intermediate the running gear and vehicle body and a spring engaging
the levers for yieldingly supporting the body, the engagement of the body with
the levers being such that when the levers are depressed the bearing point of the
body may shift from its starting point to a point nearer the fulcrum of the lever
than the point where the spring engages the lever, thereby changing the advantage
of leverage in favor of the spring and against the weight of the load, substantially
as set forth.
3. The combination with a vehicle body and its running gear, of a pair of two
armed levers pivotted to the running gear, the upper arms of said levers supporting
the vehicle body, the vehicle body having a shifting engagement with said arms
and a spring interposed between the lower arms of said levers for forcing them
apart to yieldingly support said vehicle body, substantially as set forth.
4. The combination with a vehicle body and its running gear of a pair of two

page_text: armed levers pivotted to the running gear, the upper arms of said levers supporting
the vehicle body the said body having a shifting engagement with said arms, a
spring interposed between the lower arms of said lever to force them apart and
means for limiting their ontward movement, substantially as set forth.
5. The combination with the vehicle body and its running gear, of a pair of levers
pivoted intermediate the running gear and vehicle body, and forming a support for
the vehicle body, and a spring carried by and forming a yielding cushion between
the levers, the engagement of the body with the levers being such that when the
levers are depressed the bearing points of the body may shift relatively to the
fulcrums of the levers, substantially as set forth.
6. The combination with a vehicle body and its running gear, of a pair of two
armed levers pivoted to the running gear, the upper arms of said levers supporting
the vehicle body, pressure plates pivoted to the lower arms of the said levers, and
a spring interposed between said pressure plates for forcing them apart to yieldingly
support the said vehicle body, substantially as set forth.
7. The combination with the vehicle body and its running gear, of a pair of two
armed levers pivoted to the running gear, the upper arms of said levers supporting
the said body, pressure plates pivoted to the lower arms of said levers, a spring
interposed between said pressure plates for forcing them outwardly, and a bar
engaging the lower arms for limiting their outward movement under spring
pressure, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 4th day of August A D 1896
NEWTON & SON,
Agents of the Applicant.