IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRINGS FOR CARRIAGES AND VEHICLES
Year: 1880

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Samuel Boarland at the Office of the
Commissioners of Patents on the 6th January 1880.
SAMUEL BOARLAND, of Londonderry, in the County of Londonderry, Carriage
Builder. "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRINGS FOR CARRIAGES AND VEHICLES."
My Invention consists of the improvements herein after described in springs for
carriages and vehicles.
My Invention is applicable to elliptical springs as well as to grasshopper springs.
I will describe my Invention as applied to an elliptical spring.
According to my Invention I make each half of the elliptical spring of two plates
of different lengths, and situated a short distance apart. The longer or principal
plate of one half of the spring is connected by its ends to the ends of the longer or
principal plate of the other half of the spring in the manner hereinafter described.
The short plate of each half of the spring has a length somewhat more than one half
that of the principal plate, and is fixed a short distance from the inner or concave
face of the said principal plate. The said short plate is situated parallel to the
principal plate, but its ends do not extend to the ends of the principal plate. The
ends of the short plate of the spring are connected to the principal plate by screwed
loops and metal washers, leather packing pieces being interposed between the loops
and washers. A leather packing or distance piece is also placed between the
middle part of the two plates, the said distance piece being bolted or rivetted in its
place. By means of the said packing and distance pieces rattle or noise between
the two plates is prevented.
By means of the shorter or secondary plates fitted to the inner faces of the
principal plates of the spring, as described, the said principal plates are made more
rigid or stiffened, and "jumpiness" in the spring is prevented. When the weight
put upon the spring is greater than the long or principal plates are fitted to bear
the shorter or secondary plates come into use, and assist in supporting the weight.
I connect the ends or scrolls of the principal plates of the spring together in the
following way:-
Instead of making the said scrolls with eyes and lugs as usual, I so form or bend
the said ends or scrolls that they lap upon or engage with one another, that is,
I form at the end of one plate an open loop, and I make at the end of the
other plate to be joined to the first named plate a similar open loop, but smaller, so
that the larger loop may be connected with the smaller one by clipping upon it.

page_text: Between the two open loops described a tube or layer of india rubber is placed, and
the two loops are fixed together by a screw bolt passed through them, and also
through washers placed on the ends of the said loops. The india rubber tube or
layer described prevents the jar of the wheels from being communicated to the body
of the carriage, and does away with the unpleasant noise complained of in carriages
having springs of the ordinary kind.
In connecting together the ends of grasshopper springs complete loops are used
instead of the open loops, that is, the ends of the plates are further bent or closed
so as to form complete loops.