IM- PROVEMENTS IN BUFFERS TO BE USED ON RAILWAYS
Year: 1868

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Gibson, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, in the
County of Northumberland, Engineer, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN BUFFERS TO BE USED ON RAILWAYS."
Sealed the 25th June 1869, and dated the 31st December 1868.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION. left by the said Thomas Gibson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
31st December 1868.
I, THOMAS GIBSON, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, in the County of
Northumberland, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BUFFERS TO BE USED ON RAILWAYS," to be
as follows:-
My Invention has for its object the employment of compressed air
and oil or other fluid acting with a pair of steel discs in the manner
herein-after stated in substitution for the ordinary metallic or other
springs. For this purpose a moveable hollow piston (to which the
buffer head is connected), is accurately fitted within an iron shell or
cylinder fixed to the carriage or waggon or other situation on railways,
and a convex steel disc is inserted in the piston between a packing plate.

page_text: and collar and suitably packed. Another convex steel disc is inserted
in the shell or cylinder, such disc being set on a turned shoulder and
packed, and being held in its required position by the ordinary backing
plate to which the flange of the cylinder or steel is fixed. The space
between the two steel discs is filled with compressed air and oil or
other fluid in the manner adapted to the required degree of elastic
force in the buffer. The steel discs come into action as the pressure on
the buffer head increases and oppose thereto a correspondingly graduated
resisting force.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent.
filed by the said Thomas Gibson in the Great Scal Patent Office on
the 29th June 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
GIBSON, of Newcastle-on-Tyne; in the County of. Northumberland,
Engineer, send greeting:
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, in the
thirty-second year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Thomas Gibson, Her special
licence that I, the said Thomas Gibson, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas Gibson, 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 BUFFERS TO BE USED ON RAILWAYS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Thomas Gibson, my exccutors 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Thomas Gibson, 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, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say) :-
-:
My Invention of "Improvements in Buffers to be used on Railways,"
las for its object the employment of compressed air and oil or other
fluid, acting with a pair of steel discs in the manner herein-after stated in
substitution for the ordinary metallic or other springs. For this purpose
a moveable hollow piston to which the buffer head is connected is
accurately fitted within an iron shell or cylinder fixed to the carriage
or waggon or other situation on railways, and a convex steel disc is
inserted in the piston between a packing plate and collar and suitably
packed. Another convex steel disc is inserted in the shell or cylinder,
such disc being set on a turned shoulder and packed and being held in
its required position by the ordinary backing plate to which the flange
of the shell or cylinder is fixed. The space between the two steel discs
is filled with compressed air and oil, or other fluid in the manner
adapted to the required degree of elastic force in the buffer. The steel
discs come into action as the pressure on the buffer head increases and
oppose thereto a correspondingly graduated resisting force. In some
cases the steel disc in the piston may be dispensed with.
Having thus stated the nature of the said Invention, I will proceed
to describe more particularly in what manner the same is to be performed
by reference to the accompanying Drawings in which are represented
the parts above referred to.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is an elevation of the buffer charged ready for action; Fig. 2
is a vertical section taken in the line A, B; Fig. 3 represents the
moveable piston in vertical half section and clevation; Fig. 4 is a
horizontal section of the iron shell or cylinder taken in the line C, D,
of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 represents the bottom flange on the shell or cylinder
with the backing plate removed; Fig. 6 represents the shell or cylinder
in vertical half section and elevation; Fig. 7 represents the backing
plate to the shell or cylinder with the holes for fixing the buffer to the
sill of a carriage or waggon; Fig. 8 represents the steel disc spring of

page_text: the shell or cylinder in plan and section. A, is the buffer head fixed-to
the moveable hollow piston B, at the bottom of which is inserted a
washer C of gutta percha, leather, or other suitable material for rendering
the piston air-tight in the shell or cylinder D. The piston B may also
be connected to the cross head of a tie bar if required. The piston B
is or may be furnished with a convex steel disc E as shewn in Fig. 2,
as well as with the washer C shewn detached in Fig. 9. There is also
'convex steel disc F inserted in the shell or cylinder D, such disc being
set on á turned shoulder and packed and held in its required position by
the backing plate G to which the flange of the shell or cylinder D is
_fixed as shewn in Fig. 2. The space between the two steel discs E and
F is filled with compressed air and oil or other fluid in the manner
adapted to the required degree of clastic force in the buffer which is
charged through the stop tap H shewn in Figures 2 and 4. The steel
discs E and F come into action as the pressure on the buffer head or
cross head of a tie bar is increased and oppose to such pressure a
graduated resisting force.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I hereby declare that what I claim
as of my Invention is, the use and application of a moveable hollow
air-tight piston fixed to the buffer head or cross head of a tie bar within
an iron shell or cylinder fixed to the carriage, waggon, or other required
situation, and the arrangement of steel discs or a steel disc combined
with air and oil or other fluid or fluids working together within the said
shell or cylinder and thereby producing a spring capable of graduating
the action of the resisting force according to the pressure or load.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Gibson, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Twenty-third day of June, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
Witness,
ROBT. SPENCE WATSON,
Solr.
Newcastle-upon-Tync.
THOMAS GIBSON. (L.S.)