CERTAIN NEW AND USEFUL IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRINGS, WHICH ARE PARTICULARLY ADAPTED TO USE AS RAILROAD CAR SPRINGS, BUT MAY BE APPLIED TO OTHER PURPOSES
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Horace Brandon, of 13, Rue Gaillon,
Paris, in the Empire of France, for the Invention of "CERTAIN NEW AND
USEFUL IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRINGS, WHICH ARE PARTICULARLY ADAPTED TO USE
AS RAILROAD CAR SPRINGS, BUT MAY BE APPLIED TO OTHER PURPOSES."―A
communication from abroad by Alexander Watson, of New York, United
States of America.
Sealed the 15th June 1866, and dated the 12th April 1866.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Alexander Horace Brandon
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 12th April 1866, pursuant to the 9th Section of the
Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
HORACE BRANDON, of 18, Rue Gaillon, Paris, in the Empire of France, send
greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "CERTAIN NEW AND
USEFUL IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRINGS, WHICH ARE PARTICULARLY ADAPTED TO USE AS
RAILROAD CAR SPRINGS, BUT MAY BE APPLIED TO OTHER PURPOSES," and have
petitioned Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn

page_text: Declaration that the same has been communicated to me from abroad by
Alexander Watson, of New York, United States of America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Horace Brandon, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification under my hand and seal
fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following statement,
reference being had to the Figure on the accompanying Sheet of Drawing,
and to the letters of reference marked thereon (that is to say) :-
The Drawing represents the spring in side elevation, and it also represents
any vertical section of the spring parallel to that shown in the Drawing.
The nature of the Invention consists in the use of steel plates or leaves
_ curved in sections of any equal radius, the middle curve tending inwards, the
curves in each side of the middle one outwards, and the ends a short section
of a like curve cut off where a straight line from the ends so cut off will fall
within the middle curve, as seen by the red line B, B, thus forming a series
of curves, the action of which will herein-after be explained; and the Inven-
tion consists also in arranging and combining the same in frames in such a
manner that the plates or leaves shall stand vertically or at right angles to the
ends of the frames, and in corresponding pairs facing each other on opposite
sides, so that the pressure or weight will act in a vertical straight line upon
the ends of the steel plates or leaves, and the elastic action will owing to the
peculiar form of the curves and their position in opposite sides be opposite or
apart each pair from each other. The spring consists of two parts, the frame
or setting and the steel plates or leaves. The frame is shown in the Drawing
at A, A, and is in two parts, the two parts being alike. The frames are so
constructed as to interlock and form a mortice or sliding joint and a space
between the two parts (when the leaves or plates are in position), as shown
at A', A', sufficient for the play or elastic action of the spring. The two
parts of the frame are iron castings, each part cast in one piece, and on the
inner surfaces of the frame pieces are grooved recesses b, b, b, b, of sufficient
depth to receive the ends of the plates or leaves, and retain them in their
places. Between and separating these frame pieces are arranged the steel
plates or leaves 1, 2, 3, 4, in the grooved recesses b, b, b, b. These plates or
leaves are of the width of the frames (usually for body springs of railroad cars
about three and a half inches), and the plates receive their shape by being
pressed in moulds adapted to the purpose. To prevent the plates from lateral
displacement a flange plate a, a, a, is cast upon the frame on either side.
In the spring, as represented in the Drawing, and as now described, all the

page_text: steel plates or leaves are exactly of the same length and thickness, and alike
in the form of the curves. They may, however, be formed of descending
lengths, viz., the first pair (next the frame) the longest, and each succeeding
pair a fraction shorter, so as to act as a compensating spring, thus each pair
will come into play according to the weight imposed. When the spring is to
be used for a passenger car body spring I use the leaves or plates about
of an inch in thickness, and when used for freight cars from about to
of an inch in thickness. When applied to railway cars as body springs,
one part of the frame, which may in such case be called the upper frame piece,
is fastened to the under side of the bolster of the car by screw bolts c, c, and
the under frame piece is fastened to the stirrup directly under, so that the
two parts of the frame act upon the springs between them in a vertical line.
It will be seen from this arrangement, and the shape or form of the curves of
the plates or leaves or bearings, that the line of pressure will necessarily fall
within the middle curves, and the elastic action of each pair of plates or leaves
will invariably be outwards, that is to say, in a direction opposite to each
other, the leaves or plates when under pressure tending to straighten towards
the middle in an outward direction, and this produces the apparently para.
doxical effect of lengthening the spring or raising the load as the first action
of the spring. In the Drawing the height of the spring (a body spring) is
about eleven inches when at rest, the play of the spring will be about one
inch.
For a body spring for a railroad car I consider the four pairs of plates or
leaves, as shown in the Drawing, to be the proper number, but it is not my
intention to confine myself to a precise or fixed number of leaves or plates,
or thickness or width, as these may be varied as circumstances may require;
nor do I limit the application and use of these springs to railroad car
purposes, as they are adapted to almost any purpose where a spring may be
required.
Having thus fully described the said Invention, as communicated to me,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed or carried into effect,
I claim,
Firstly, the making of the leaves or plates, substantially in the manner and
for the purposes set forth.
And, secondly, the manner of combining and arranging the leaves or plates
in the frames so that the pressure or weight will act in a vertical straight
line upon the ends of the steel plates or leaves, and so that the elastic action
of the plates or leaves will be outwards or in each pair opposite to each other,

page_text: the parts operating together substantially in the manner and for the purposes
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Horace Brandon, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of April, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
Witness,
D. H. BRANDON.
A. H. BRANDON. (L.S.)