IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CARRIAGE BUFFER AND OTHER SPRINGS
Year: 1864

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Frederick Henson, of 15, New Cavendish
Street, Portland Place, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
Sealed the 14th March 1865, and dated the 30th September 1864.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Frederick Henson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th September 1864.
I, WILLIAM FREDERICK HENSON, of 15, New Cavendish Street, Portland
Place, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CARRIAGE BUFFER
AND OTHER SPRINGS," to be as follows, that is to say :-
I construct springs of a conical, conoidal, or oval form, with tapered bars of
steel of various sections, applicable for railway carriage buffer and other
springs constructed of any section of steel other than tapered, such as oval or
half oval, or of hollow or half hollow bar steel, which may be tapered or
ōtherwise.
The chief feature of this Invention is the formation of a spring made in a
conical form, having two or more of its coils sunk from the apex of the spring
to the inner cone or coils of the conical spring so as to form an elastic base or
cushion, to prevent breakage, or from being overstrained or overworked at any
time when acted upon. The spring will also be increased in power by the

page_text: inner cone or coils of steel forming an elastic conical base to the outer conical
spring. The springs may be constructed of twisted bars or wires of steel of
any convenient sizes, and thus form a bar suitable for coiling. The inner cone
of the conical spring may be constructed of flat or oblong bar steel, so as to
form an inner volute spring to the outer conical spring. The springs may be
made parallel with an inner conical spring of tapered bars of steel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Frederick Henson in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 16th March 1865.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
FREDERICK HENSON, of 15, New Cavendish Street, Portland Place, in the
County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-eighth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, "Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said William Frederick Henson, Her special licence that I, the said
William Frederick Henson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such
others as I; the said William Frederick Henson, 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 RAILWAY CARRIAGE BUFFER AND OTHER
SPRINGS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William
Frederick Henson, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should parti-
cularly 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 William Frederick Hension, 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 :-
My Invention has for its object certain improvements in springs for

page_text: railway carriage buffer and other springs, which can also be applied to various
other purposes.
• Springs are frequently constructed by rolling or winding a flat, parallel, or
tapered steel bar into a conical spiral form; the pressure is applied in such
manner so as to flatten the cone "by causing its apex to approach its base.
Springs have also been made of a flat steel bar wound into a flat, spiral, or
volute form, in which case the application of pressure tended to force -the
centre away from the outer coil, and thus cause the spring to assume the form
of a cone; these springs, when overstrained, are apt to break near the centre
or in some of the inner coils. In my Invention I construct springs of a
conical, conoidal, or oval form, with tapered bars of steel of various sections
applicable for railway carriage buffer. and other springs, which may be
constructed of any section of steel other than tapered, such as oval, or half
oval, of hollow or half hollow bar steel, which may be tapered or otherwise.
The chief feature of this Invention is the formation of a spring made in a
conical form, having two or more of its coils sunk or inverted from the apex
of the spring to the inner cone or coils of the conical spring so as to form an
elastic base or cushion, to prevent breakage, or from being overstrained or
overworked at any time when acted upon, the spring will also be increased in
power by the inner cone or coils of steel forming an elastic conical base
to the outer conical spring. The springs may be constructed of twisted steel
bars or wires of any convenient sizes and thus form a bar suitable for coiling.
The inverted cone of the conical spring may be constructed of flat or oblong
bar steel so as to form an inner volute spring to the outer conical, spring.
The springs may also be made parallel having an inner conical spring of
tapered bar steel or otherwise. I construct my springs in the usual way by
taking a bar of steel of any convenient length, size, or section, and wind the
said bar of steel upon a mandril, causing each coil to wind upon the
preceding one. The coils separate a little when removed from the mandril,
which allows them freedom of action. I then insert the same into a cast
conical-shaped box suitable to receive the spring which is then forced into an
inverted conical form having, as before stated, two or more of its coils inverted
from the apex. This steel inverted conical spring is hardened and tempered
in the usual way. The method of constructing the spring may be varied as
found most convenient. The parallel inverted conical spring, or in other
words, a conical spring having parallel sides, I construct in the usual way as
parallel springs are now made; but with the addition of an inverted cone,
which is made as before described, or varied in such manner as may be most
desirable, with tapered bars of steel, of oval or other form as before described.

page_text: The springs are fitted into a cast or wrought-iron box suitably formed, thus
forming springs of an improved class and adapted for railway waggons and
carriage buffers as well as other purposes by giving a great power; of
resistance when acted upon.
In order to make the Invention more fully understood, I will in this
description refer. to the annexed Drawings.
Fig. 1 represents a side elevation; Fig. 2, a transverse section; Fig. 3, a
plan view of a conical spring with the two smallest coils returned into the
interior of the outer conical spring, thus forming an internal conical spring;
Fig. 4 represents a side elevation; Fig. 5, a transverse section; Fig. 6, a
plan view of a parallel spring with the two coils at one end made conical and
returned into the interior of the parallel spring, thus forming an internal
conical spring..
Having now described the nature of my said Invention and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that what I
claim is,
1ly, the, formation of a spring constructed in a conical form, having an
inverted cone or an inverted coned conical spring made of tapered steel bars
or otherwise, as before described..
2ly; a parallel spring having an inverted cone constructed of tapered or
oval bar steel or otherwise, as before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Frederick Henson, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
W* T. HENSON. (L.S.)