improvements in the Manufacture of Laminated Springs for Railway Carriages and Wagons and other Vehicles.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Dec., 1886
Complete Left, 29th Aug., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 30th Sept., 1887.
improvements in the Manufacture of Laminated Springs for Railway
Carriages and Wagons and other Vehicles.
HENRY DAVENPORT of Station Villa, Bromsgrove, in the county of Worcester
Foreman of Railway Wagon Makers, and THOMAS GETHING CLAYTON of 202 Osmaston
Road, Derby, in the county of Derby, Civil Engineer do hereby declare the nature
of our invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF LAMINATED SPRINGS to
be as follows:-
Firstly, an improved method of hardening the plates of laminated springs for
railway carriages and wagons and other vehicles, by means of a frame hereafter
described, with the object of preventing them becoming distorted during the process
of hardening.
Secondly, an improved method of tempering the spring plates in an oven or
chamber heated to a certain temperature to ensure the plates being uniformly and
properly tempered.
The usual method in spring-making is that when the spring plates have been
prepared and then bent whilst red hot to the required camber or shape, they are
afterwards dipped whilst red hot into water or other fluid for the purpose of hardening
the plates. This process of hardening, distorts or twists the plates so much from their
required or proper shape as to necessitate each plate, after it has been tempered, being
brought back again to its required form by a laborious process of hammering by the
spring-fitters.
Our Improvements consist first in an iron or steel frame made exactly to the
required shape of the spring plate, hinged at one end, to enable the frame to be opened
to put the plate in whilst at the other there is a strong clamp or clip of a convenient
kind for fastening and unfastening that end. In this said frame the spring-plate is
put after it has been bent to the required form, and whilst still red hot, and being
firmly fixed therein by the clamp or fastening, the frame with the hot spring-plate in
it is then dipped into water or other fluid, thereby hardening the spring-plate; the
frame at the same time preventing the spring-plate from becoming twisted or
Din 621

page_text: distorted from its proper shape and form, thus saving the long and laborious process
of being again brought to its proper shape and form by the spring-fitters as described
above.
Further, the frame made of steel or iron plates as described, has a very beneficial
advantage; for as the plates of the frame fit closely to the edge of each spring plate,
it prevents the cold water or other fluid acting upon or cooling the edge of the spring
plate before it is cooled in the middle, and thereby obviates unequal contraction and
strains upon the spring-plates. In the usual process of dipping the red hot spring-
plates into cold water, the edges of the plates are cooled and contracted quicker than
the middle of the plates, which is a great disadvantage and which the frame as above
described prevents.
Another part of our Improvements consists in the method of tempering the spring-
plates after they have been hardened in the manner above described. This process of
tempering is to provide an oven or chamber heated by inflammable gas and atmospheric
air mixed, or by any other process whereby the heat can be regulated exactly to the
required temperature of about 600 to 700 degrees (Fahrenheit) of heat according to
the nature of the spring steel, into which oven or chamber we put the spring-plates
after they have been hardened, and leave them in until they become heated up to that
temperature, by which process they become uniformly and properly tempered all over
so that afterwards they will be fit for use.
The utility of limiting the heat is to prevent the spring-plates being heated beyond
the required temperature and thereby softening them too much and damaging them,
but by our new process of tempering, unskilled workmen may temper the plates as
effectually and as well as skilled workmen can do by the old method.
Having now described the nature, arrangement, and purpose of our said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is :-
1. The particular device and arrangement of frame or clip composed of iron or
steel bars, arranged and made exactly to the desired form of the springplates, sub-
stantially as described, and for the purpose of holding and nipping the springplates
during the process of hardening.
2. The inserting of the spring-plates in the frame or clip, during the process of
hardening as set forth, in order to hold them to the proper camber and shape, and
prevent them being twisted and distorted when suddenly chilled.
3. For the manner or method by which the spring-plates after hardening are
tempered in the oven or heated chamber, wherein the heat is regulated so that the
spring-plates cannot be tempered or softened more than is required, substantially in
the manner above described.
Dated this 13th day of December 1886

page_text: Improvements in the Manufacture of Laminated Springs for Railway
Carriages and Wagons and other Vehicles.
HENRY DAVENPORT of Station Villa, Bromsgrove, in the County of Worcester,
Foreman of Wagon Makers, and THOMAS GETHING CLAYTON of 202 Osmaston Road
Derby, in the County of Derby, Civil 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:-
Firstly, an improved method of hardening the plates of laminated springs, for
railway carriages and wagons and other vehicles, by means of a frame hereafter
described, with the object of preventing the plates becoming distorted during the
process of hardening.
Secondly, an improved method of tempering the spring plates in an oven or chamber
heated to a certain temperature to ensure the said plates being uniformly and properly
tempered.
The usual method in spring-making is, that when the spring-plates have been pre-
pared, and then bent whilst red hot to the required camber or shape, they are afterwards
dipped while still red hot into water or other fluid for the purpose of hardening the
plates. This process of hardening distorts or twists the plates so much from their
required or proper shape as to necessitate each plate, after it has been tempered, being
brought back again to its original or required form by a laborious process of hammering
by the spring-fitters.
Our improvements consist, first, in an iron or steel frame made exactly to the
required shape of the spring-plate, hinged at one end to enable the frame to be opened
to put the plate in, whilst at the other end there is a strong clamp or clip of a con-
venient kind for fastening and unfastening that end. In this said frame each spring-
plate is put after it has been bent to the required form, and whilst still red hot, and being
firmly fixed therein by the clamp or fastening the frame with the hot spring-plate in
it is then dipped into water or other fluid thereby hardening the spring-plate, the
frame at the same time preventing the spring-plate from becoming twisted or dis-
torted from its proper shape and form, thus saving the long and laborious process of
being again brought to its original or proper shape and form by the spring-fitters as
described above.
Further, the frame made of steel or iron plates as described has a very beneficial
advantage; for as the plates of the frame fit closely to the edge of each spring-plate,
it prevents the cold water or other fluid acting upon and cooling the edge of the
spring-plate before the plate is cooled in the middle, thereby obviating unequal
contraction and strains upon the spring-plates.
In the usual process of dipping the red hot spring-plate into cold water, the edges
of the plate are cooled and contracted quicker than the middle of the plate which is a
great disadvantage, and which the frame as above described prevents.

page_text: Another part of our Improvements consists in the method of tempering the spring-
plates after they have been hardened in the manner above described. This method or
process of tempering is to provide an oven or chamber, heated by inflammable gas and
atmospheric air mixed, or by any other process whereby the heat can be regulated
exactly to the required temperature, of about 600 to 700 degrees (Fahrenheit) of heat
according to the nature of the spring steel; into which oven or chamber we put the
spring-plates after they have been hardened, and leave them in until they become
heated up to that temperature, by which process they become uniformly and properly
tempered all over so that they will at once be fit for use.
The utility of limiting the heat while tempering is to prevent the spring plates
being heated beyond the required temperature and thereby softening them too much,
and damaging them; but by our new process of tempering, unskilled workmen may
temper the plates as effectually and as well as skilled workmen can do by the old
method or process.
Having now described the nature, arrangements and purpose of our said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is :-
1. The particular device and arrangement of frame or clip composed of iron or
steel bars, arranged and made exactly to the required form of the spring-plates sub-
stantially as described, as and for the purpose of holding and nipping the spring-plates
during the process of hardening.
2. The inserting of each spring-plate in the frame or clip, during the process of
hardening, substantially as set forth, in order to hold the plate to the proper camber
and shape, and prevent it twisting and distorting when being suddenly chilled in the
water or other fluid.
.
3. For the manner or method by which the spring-plates after hardening are
tempered in an oven or heated chamber, wherein the heat is so regulated that the
spring-plates cannot be softened or tempered more than is necessary or desired,
substantially in the manner above described and set forth.
Tad this Twant third day of A1907