Improvements in Buffers, suitable for Railway and like Vehicles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Buffers, suitable for Railway and like Vehicles.
I, ALEXANDER SPENCER, of 77, Cannon Street, in the City of London, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
This invention has reference to buffers of the kind in which the buffer rods are
each made in two parts, as described for example in the Specification of my Patent
No. 26900 of 1896, so that the buffer heads can be moved into and secured in a back-
ward position so as to be out of the way when not required for use, as for instance
is the case with buffers applied in the ordinary standard positions to railway vehicles
that are provided also with central gangways and couplings which contain buffing
arrangements in themselves, but which vehicles are sometimes required to be coupled
up to ordinary stock.
According to this invention there is interposed between two compound buffer rods
of the kind referred to arranged to slide endways in guides at the respective sides of
the vehicle and a centrally arranged buffer spring or springs arranged in rear of the
headstock carrying the buffer rods and common to such rods, a transverse or
equilibrium beam the ends of which are suitably connected to the buffer rods and the
central portion of which is arranged to act against the buffer spring or springs to
which it may be connected in any suitable way. The buffer spring or springs may
be of any suitable kind either metallic or india rubber or both, and when of india
rubber or india rubber and metal are preferably such as are well known as George
Spencer's or George Spencer, Moulton & Co.'s india rubber buffer springs.
spring or springs may be variously mounted and arranged so as to take a bearing
on the underframe of the vehicle, or on an abutment carried by the draw bar.
The
Buffers according to my invention as above set forth can be variously constructed.
According to one arrangement each buffer rod comprises two parts namely an outer
one and an inner one, the outer one for the greater portion of its length being hollow
and the inner one being arranged partly within the outer one which is mounted to
slide endways in a guide casing attached to the outer side of the headstock of the
vehicle and in a supplementary bearing carried by a metal frame secured at the inner
side of the headstock to the underframe. The outer rod and inner rods are each
formed with a transverse hole or slot the arrangement being such that when a cotter
or the like is passed through the holes in the two rods the buffer head will occupy
its outer-most position in relation to the outer rod and when pressure is applied to
the buffer head the inner rod will, through the cotter, cominunicate the thrust
to and through the outer rod to the transverse or equilibrium beam and thence to
the buffer spring or springs, and by removing the cotter from the two rods the buffer
head can be held back in its inoperative position as and for the purpose and in the
manner described in my said former specification. The transverse or equilibrium
beam consists of a built up openwork frame. Each of its ends is preferably made
convex on its outer side and concave at its inner side and arranged within the bifurcated
inner end of the outer part of the corresponding buffer rod which is formed with
convex or rounded surfaces for the surfaces on the beam end to work against. One
of the curved surfaces on the outer rod may conveniently be a pin. At its centre the

page_text: transverse beam is connected by a pin to a pressure block carrying a transverse plate
arranged to bear against the outer end of a centrally arranged buffer spring the
inner end of which bears against a plate or abutment designed to receive the thrust.
The buffer spring or springs may be of any of the kinds herein before referred to and
may encircle the draw bar of the vehicle. In this case, the pin connecting the beam
to the pressure block may extend through a slot in the said bar.
I, ALEXANDER SPENCER, of 77, Cannon Street, in the City of London, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This invention has reference to buffers of the kind in which the buffer rods are
each made in two parts, as described for example in the Specification of my Patent
No. 26900 of 1896, so that the buffer heads can be moved into and secured in
a backward position so as to be out of the way when not required for use, as for
instance is the case with buffers applied in the ordinary standard positions to railway
vehicles that are provided also with central gangways and couplings which contain
buffing arrangements in themselves, but which vehicles are sometimes required to be
coupled up to ordinary stock.
According to this invention there is interposed between two compound buffer rods
of the kind referred to arranged to slide endways in guides at the respective sides of
the vehicle, and a centrally arranged buffer spring or springs arranged in rear of the
headstock carrying the buffer rods and common to such rods, a transverse or
equilibrium beam the ends of which are suitably connected to the buffer rods and
the central portion of which is arranged to act against the buffer spring or springs
to which it may be connected in any suitable way. The buffer spring or springs may
be of any suitable kind either metallic, or india rubber or both, and when of india
rubber, or india rubber and metal, are preferably such as are well known as George
Spencer's or George Spencer, Moulton & Co.'s india rubber buffer springs. The spring
or springs may be variously mounted and arranged so as to take a bearing on the
underframe of the vehicle, or on an abutment carried by the draw bar.
Buffers according to my invention as above set forth can be variously
constructed.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings shows part of the underframe of a railway
vehicle provided with one construction of buffer according to this invention, the
underfraine being also shown provided with a central combined coupling and buffer
of known construction.
Fig. 2 is a section on the line x, x of Fig. 1.
According to the arrangement shown, each buffer rod comprises two parts namely
an outer part 1 and an inner part 2, the outer one for the greater portion of its
length being hollow and the inner one being arranged partly within the outer one
which is mounted to slide endways in a guide casing 3 attached to the outer side of
the headstock 4 of the vehicle and in a supplementary bearing 5 carried by a inetal
frame 6 secured at the inner side of the headstock to the underframe of the vehicle,

page_text: The outer rod 1 and inner rod 2 are each formed with a transverse hole or slot at 7
to receive a cotter 8 or the like, for holding the inner rod and its head 2 in position
for use and for transmitting movement of the inner rod to the outer one; or other
equivalent means may be used for this purpose. 9 is an equilibrium beam extending
transversely across the vehicle and consisting of a built-up openwork frame arranged
to work in suitable guides formed by and between some of the longitudinal
members 10 of the vehicle underframe. Each end of the beam is preferably made
convex on its outer side as shown at 9, and concave at its inner side as shown at 9b,
and is arranged within the bifurcated inner end 1 of the outer part of the corre-
sponding buffer rod 1 which is formed with convex or rounded surfaces for the
surfaces on the beam end to work against. One of the curved surfaces on the outer
rod may conveniently be a pin 1. At its centre the transverse beam 9 is connected
by a pin 11 to a pressure block 12 carrying a transverse plate 12" that is arranged to
bear against the outer end of a centrally arranged buffer spring 13 the inner end of
which bears against a plate or abutment 14 designed to receive the thrust.
guides for the transverse plate 12ª. The buffer spring or springs may be of any of
the kinds hereinbefore referred to. In the example illustrated a spring 13 con-
sisting of india rubber and metal combined is used. The spring may encircle the
draw bar 16 of the vehicle as shown. In this case, the pin 11 connecting the
beam 9 to the pressure block 12 may extend through a slot 16 in the said bar.
17 is a central combined coupling and buffer of known construction. 18, 18 are set
screws the inner ends of which enter longitudinal grooves 19, 19ª in the
parts 1 & 2 respectively of the compound buffer rods to prevent these parts
turning.
15 are
As will be seen the arrangement is such that when the two rods 1 and 2 of
each compound buffer rod are connected together, as by passing a cotter 8 or the
like through the juxtaposed slots 7 therein, the buffer heads 2 will occupy their
outermost and operative positions in relation to the outer rods 1, and when pressure
is applied to the buffer heads, the inner rods 2 will, through the cotters 8, or
equivalent, communicate the thrust to and through the outer rods 1 to the
transverse or equilibrium beam 9 and thence to the buffer spring or springs 13,
and by removing the cotters from the two pairs of rods 1 and 2, the buffer heads 2*
can be held back in their inoperative position, for example by chains 20, as and for
the purpose described in my said former specification.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A buffer for railway and like vehicles comprising two compound buffer rods of
the kind herein referred to, mounted to work in suitable guides at the respective
sides of the vehicle, a centrally arranged buffer spring or springs arranged in rear
of the headstock carrying the buffer rods and common to such rods, and a transverse
or equilibrium beam the ends of which are suitably connected to the buffer rods
and the central portion of which is arranged to act against the buffer spring or
springs to which it is suitably connected, substantially as herein described.
2. My improved buffer for railway and like vehicles, constructed, arranged and
operating as hereinbefore described with reference to and illustrated in the drawings
annexed.
Dated this 7th day of June 1898.
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.