IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SPRINGS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Perry Green Gardiner, of New York City, State of
New York, in the United States of America, for the Invention of
Sealed the 24th October 1861, and dated the 25th April 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Perry Green Gardiner
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
25th April 1861.
I, PERRY GREEN GARDINER, of New York City, State of New York,
in the United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SPRINGS," to be as
follows:-
1
This Invention relates to springs adapted for railroad cars and other pur-
poses, and consists in constructing same in the following manner :-One form
of spring I make by combining a dished cup or piece of metal, with a series
of concentric steel discs to ensure their effective action by excluding dust and
water therefrom; the aforesaid series of discs I form of sufficient diameters,
and arrange said discs either in single plates, or two together, and I place
them over a ferrule, holes being made through them for that purpose, so that
said ferrule only acts upon the discs near the centre thereof. By this arrange-
ment the series of discs when under compression have liberty of free expansion
near their central hole, which renders a spring thus formed soft and easy when
[Price Sd.]

page_text: in use, whereas were the discs clamped or rigidly connected together in the
middle as commonly practised they would be non-elastic at such part. The
aforesaid dished cup resis upon the outer rim of the largest steel disc, and is
formed with a lip to exclude dust and water from the discs as before stated.
The series of discs are connected together, and to the dished cup and ferrule
aforesaid by a bolt passing through same, and tightened by a screwed nut.
Another mode of constructing springs according to this Invention consists
in combining together a series of corrugated, conical, or dish-shaped discs of
steel of different diameters; the corrugations may be made either radial or
originating at or near the centre of the plate, and proceed to the periphery
thereof in a voluted curve. I propose to place a soft or malleable substance,
such as felt, cloth, lead, india-rubber, gutta percha, copper, or their equivalents,
between every two disc plates, to give a solid bearing to the series of plates.
These plates are passed over a ferrule as in the first described spring, but
instead of using a dished cup as there described, I propose to connect another
series of corrugated disc plates similar to those lastly described by means of
a bolt and nut as before stated; the edges of the larger discs will thus bear
upon, and the corrugations fit into each other, and thereby exclude dust and
water. I also propose to place a thick ring of india-rubber in the space
between the two series of disc plates, so that when under extreme pressure
the india-rubber shall serve as a cushion. If desirable, and when a great
amount of motion of the spring is required, two or more springs of the above
construction may be connected one above the other by one long bolt passed
through all of them, and tightened by a screwed nut..
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Perry Green Gardiner in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 25th October 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PERRY
GREEN GARDINER, of New York, in the County and State of New York, in
the United States of America, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing dale the Twenty-fifth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Perry Green Gardiner, Her special licence that I. the said Perry
Green Gardiner, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such other

page_text: as I, the said Perry Green Gardiner, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF SPRINGS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Perry Green Gardiner, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Perry Green Gardiner, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, that is to say:
This Invention relates to springs adapted for railroad cars and other pur-
poses, and consists in constructing same in the following manner:-One form
of spring I make by combining a dished cup or piece of metal, with a series
of concentric steel discs to ensure their effective action by excluding dust
and water therefrom; the aforesaid series of discs I form of different diameters,
and arrange said discs either in single plates, or two together, and I place
them over a ferrule, holes being made through them for that purpose, so that
said ferrule only acts upon the discs near the centre thereof. By this arrange-
ment the series of discs when under compression have liberty of free expansion
near their central hole, which renders a spring thus formed soft and easy.
when in use, whereas were the discs clamped or rigidly connected together in
the middle as commonly practised they would be non-elastic at such part;
the aforesaid dished cup rests upon the outer rim of the largest steel disc,
and is formed with a lip to exclude dust and water from the discs as before
stated. The series of discs are connected together and to the dished cup
and ferrule aforesaid by a bolt passing through same, and tightened by a
screwed nut.
Another mode of constructing springs according to this Invention consists
in combining together a series of corrugated, conical, or dish-shaped discs of
steel of different diameters; the corrugations may be made either radial or
originating at or near the centre of the plate, and proceed to the periphery
thereof in a voluted curve. I propose to place a soft or malleable substance,

page_text: such as felt, cloth, lead. india-rubber, gutta percha, copper, or their equivalents,
between every two disc plates, to give a solid bearing to the series of plates:
these plates are passed over a ferrule as in the first described spring, but
instead of using a dished cup as there described, I propose to connect another
series of corrugated disc plates similar to those lastly described by means of
a bolt and nut as before stated; the edges of the larger discs will thus bear
upon, and the corrugations fit into each other, and thereby exclude dust and
water. I also propose to place a thick ring of india-rubber in the space
between the two series of disc plates, so that when under extreme pressure
the india-rubber shall serve as a cushion. If desirable, and when a great
amount of motion of the spring is required, two or more springs of the above
construction may be connected one above the other by one long bolt passed
through all of them, and tightened by a screwed nut.
In order to explain my said Invention as completely as possible I now
proceed to describe the best means I am acquainted with for carrying the
same into practical effect, reference being had to the illustrative Sheet of
Drawings, hereunto annexed, and to the numeral figures and letters of reference
marked thereon respectively as follows, similar letters of reference being
employed to denote corresponding parts in so far as such parts appear or can
be seen at each of such said Figures respectively.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 represent railroad car springs formed by the
combination of dished cups with a series of concentric steel discs.
Figure represents the spring under pressure, and Figure 2 when at rest.
A, B, C, D, are concentric disc plates of steel of unequal diameter, either
single or duplicated. These discs are placed loosely on a ferrule E, shaped in
such a manner as only to act near the centre upon said steel plates. By this
arrangement the discs forming the spring are when under compression allowed
free expansion near their central hole, whereas by using discs clamped or
firmly screwed together in the middle, it has the tendency to make them rigid
and non-elastic, counteracting thereby what is required to make a spring soft.
and easy. Over the steel discs a dish-shaped cup F is placed, resting on the
outer rim of the largest steel disc A, and provided with a lip projecting
some distance below these discs A, confining the circumference of said discs
firmly, and forming a joint sufficiently tight to prevent the entrance of dust,
water, or any other substance detrimental to the successful action of the spring.
The ferrule E and cup F are connected together by a bolt G to prevent the
different parts from falling apart. The inside of the dish-shaped cup F, in

page_text: Figures 1 and 2, is made convex, by which arrangement when the spring is
loaded or compressed, and consequently the steel discs bend the point of
contact, or that point where the dish cup F rests upon, the top steel plate A
will be brought nearer to the centre, and consequently the effective diameter
of the disc plates or spring will be reduced. and thereby the strength of the
spring will be gradually increased in proportion as the weight upon the spring
increases. In Figure 3 the steel disc plates are arranged in two scis, the
plates A, B, forming one set, and the plates C, D. the second set. The dish
cup F, which rests when the spring is at rest upon the outer rim of the
plate A, is provided with a recess m, into which the larger plate C of the
second set of plates fits. When the spring is loaded only the first set of
springs formed by the plates A, B, is first acted upon, making thereby a soft
and easy spring; when the weight or load increases the second set formed by.
the plates C, D, comes into the recess m, and is then acted upon by the cup F,
and combines then its strength with the first set, at the same time reducing
thereby the effective diameter of the spring plates. In Figure 4 the dish
cup F is arranged with several recesses n, n', and n", corresponding with the
diameter of the different disc plates, which latter are in that case so arranged
that the smaller plates are situated above the larger plates. By this arrange-
ment the plate A will first he acted upon until the same is bent. so that
plate B comes in the recess n, which reduces the diameter of the spring, and
at the same time combines the action and the strength of the two sets of
plates together. When the load or weight further increases, the plate C
comes into the recess n', diminishing again so much the effective or working
diameter of the spring, and combining its strength with the above mentioned.
and so on, until the spring is brought home or bottoms by the end of the
ferrule E coming in contact with the inside of the cup F. By this latter
arrangement. the same object as by the arrangement of Figures 1 and 2 is
obtained, the effective or working diameter of the spring gradually diminishing
as the weight or load on the same increases; but the advantages derived from
the latter arrangements are that the springs are thereby easy and soft by a
very light weight or when the car is empty, and increases in proportion as the
weight increases.
Figure 5 represents the manner of joining several springs together for the
purpose of increasing the amount of motion of the springs. The top part of
the lower cup F is so shaped as to take the place of the ferrule E, and receives
the steel discs for the upper spring. It will he readily understood that any
number of springs may in this manner be connected together, and consequently
any desired amount of motion be obtained.

page_text: Figure 6 represents an arrangement for joining two sets of steel disc plates
together, the dish-shaped cup F being made concave and convex, one set of
springs working upwards, and the other set of springs downwards.
A pro-
jection is joined to the upper ferrule E, extending over the outer cir-
cumference of the springs, to prevent the entrance of dust, water, or other
substances to the upper spring plates.
Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10, represent different views of railroad car springs
formed by the combination of corrugated, conical, or dish-shaped steel disc
plates. The steel dish plates in this arrangement are corrugated; said
corrugations may be made either radial or originating at or near the centre
of the plate and proceeding to the periphery in a voluted curve. Each
single plate I prefer to make not more than 16 parts of an inch in
thickness and duplicating the same until, the desired strength is obtained.
There may be more or less corrugations, eight are represented in the Drawings,
the corrugations should be regular or the prominences should correspond
with the depressions, so that the periphery of each plate will form a regular
wave line. Besides duplicating the plates it may in some cases be necessary
to increase the strength also, which may be effected by the addition of
smaller plates graduating in diameter. Between every two plates a soft
or malleable substance is interposed to compensate for any irregularity which
may exist in the surfaces of the corrugations of two adjoining plates. The
object and advantage of making the spring of very thin plates of metal is
to obtain thereby a more equal and perfect quality of steel, as these plates are
more equally and thoroughly impregnated, and at the same time to ensure a
more perfect temper of the steel plates, in consequence of which more perfect
elasticity is obtained by a less weight of material than by the use of thicker
and heavier plates. According to the purpose to which the spring is to be
applied it is necessary to determine first the number of corrugations which
it will be most advisable to employ, but for general purposes I use only
four or six; I next determine the amount of corrugation necessary at each
distance from the centre of the plate, selecting generally that amount which
would under adequate pressure allow of all the plates becoming flattened into
a straight disc without crushing the material of the plate at any point
but simply overcoming its elasticity. The size and number of corrugations
being determined I then force temper and finish my steel spring plates in
the usual way, recommending never to use plates thicker than 3 parts
of an inch, and that thickness only when the spring is from 10 to 12 inches
or more in diameter, and decreasing in thickness in proportion as the
diameter diminishes, obtaining the required stiffness and strength by using

page_text: two or more thicknesses placed one upon the other. To construct this cushion
spring I put two or more plates a, a, corrugated in the manner above
described and of the required thickness and diameter upon each other (see
Figure 7); above these I place two or more plates u, v, of a smaller diameter
and of less thickness, and a third set of plates w, w, upon these again of
smaller diameter and less thickness than the preceding plates and continue
in this manner until the required strength is obtained. Instead of diminishing
the thickness of the plates as the diameter of the different layers diminishes
the plates may be made all of the same thickness and a greater or less
number used. Between each of these plates I place a soft elastic or malleable
substances, such as felt, cloth, lead, india-rubber, gutta percha, copper, or
their equivalents; I then place these plates and their elastic or soft substances
upon a sleeve A¹, the whole forming when together a corrugated cup or
shell, and one half of my cushion spring: I then construct a similar cup of
the plates a', ', ', with their corresponding intermediate soft substances $1
which are placed upon a sleeve A", and this forms the other half or lower
corrugated cup of my spring. These two corrugated cups or shells are then
combined and fastened together by a bolt G in such a manner that the crest
of each corrugation of the lower cup fits into the trough of the corresponding
corrugations of the upper cup and vice versa, whereby a bearing all round
the periphery of the central plates is obtained; in Figure 7, a section, and in
Figure 8 an outside view of such a spring is represented.
Figure shews the manner of combining two or more springs together
whenever a great amount of motion is required. The connecting sleeve A1,
in that case should be so made as to receive the plates of the lower cup of
the upper spring and the plates of upper cup of the lower spring; by increasing
the number of springs thus connected together any amount of motion may
be obtained. Into the inside of these cups or shells I place an india-rubber
ring or disc c tapering towards its periphery by which the strength of the
spring is considerably increased, and the plates find a bottom near the latter.
part of the motion of the plates, and when under a very heavy load prevent
thereby the breaking or fracturing of the plates as well as the turning
outwards of the same. The sleeves A, A", A", not only bind and attach
together the plates which form one cup or shell, but act at the same time
as guides for the bolt or spindle G' and prevents the continued action of these
plates from cutting said bolt or spindle through.
Having now fully described and set forth the nature and object of my said
Invention of "Improvements in the Construction of Springs," together with
the best means I am acquainted with for carrying the same into practical

page_text: effect, I hereby declare my Invention to consist in and I claim the modes
herein described and represented of arranging and combining together discs
or plates of steel, either plain or corrugated, and acting either together or
in combination with a dish-shaped cup, in the manner and for the purposes
substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Perry Green Gardiner, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of September, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
PERRY GREEN GARDINER. (L.S.)