Improvements in Buffers for Railway and similar Vehicles.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Mar., 1894
10th A 1001 Accented 29th Dec.. 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Buffers for Railway and similar Vehicles.
I, WILLIAM BERNARD NEWARK of 37 Halliford Street Islington Middlesex
Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
It has for its object the saving of time and labour in changing when necessary
buffer spindles or plungers and its adoption will greatly facilitate the examination
and replacement of buffer spindles in the buffer cylinders in case of breakage.
These buffers may be made in iron steel or other metal and are composed of a
buffer cylinder of a conical or other form through and into which the spindle of
the buffer passes and acts upon a spring which is fixed in the buffer cylinder. Into
a buffer of this or other form that may be convenient for the purpose I introduce a
number of steel or other metal balls or rollers to keep the buffer-spindle in its
position in the buffer cylinder. These balls also act as moveable bearings for the
buffer spindle and give ease and smoothness in working. To allow of the balls
being placed in position I provide a hole or holes in the front part of the buffer
cylinder and form a recess on the inner portion of the buffer cylinder or the buffer
plunger, into which the balls are dropped and at the same time engage the
buffer spindle by means of a collar or groove which is formed round it for the
reception of these balls or. rollers. The hole or holes in the buffer cylinder are
then stopped by means of set screws or studs to prevent the balls escaping. These
balls can at any time be taken out and a broken buffer spindle replaced by a new
one without detaching the buffer cylinder from the vehicle to which it is fixed,
thus saving much time and labour and, as cotters and locknuts are not used or
required, to secure the buffer spindle, parts are not destroyed when taken apart for
repairs.
Improvements in Buffers for Railway and similar Vehicles.
I, WILLIAM BERNARD NEWARK, formerly of 37 Halliford Street, Islington,
but now of 81 Culford Road, Hackney, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman,
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 :-
The object of this invention is to facilitate the removal of the plungers of buffers
for railway and similar vehicles from their cases for the purpose of examination,
repair, or renewal and the subsequent replacement and securing therein of the
repaired plungers or of new ones substituted therefor.
For this purpose in a buffer according to this invention, the buffer plunger is
retained in place in the buffer case by a number of steel or other metal balls or
rollers interposed between the two in such a way as to nɔrmally retain the buffer
plunger in position and prevent it leaving its case but so that they can be readily

page_text: withdrawn to release the buffer plunger and permit the same to be easily
withdrawn without detaching the buffer case from the vehicle to which it is
attached.
And in order that my invention may be clearly understood I will proceed to
describe the same with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which,
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section showing my invention applied to a buffer having
a solid plunger; and
Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line of Fig. 1.
In this arrangement, the buffer plunger 1 is formed at intervals around it's
periphery with cavities 2, of which four are shown, whilst within the cylindrical
forward end 3ª of the buffer case 3, through which the said plunger works, there is
formed an annular recess 4. 5 are antifriction balls that may advantageously be
of hardened steel and are arranged to enter partly into the cavities 2 in the buffer
plunger and partly into the annular recess 4 in the buffer case. These balls are
inserted in place through a hole 6 formed in the forward end of the buffer case,
and communicating with the recess 4, the buffer plunger being turned round so as
to bring each of the cavities 2 therein successively opposite to the said hole to
receive a ball, anter which, to prevent the balls escaping, the hole is closed by
suitable means such as a set screw 7 that may be prevented from working loose and
falling out, by a spring washer 8 or other suitable means.
By the arrangement described, the balls, owing to their being held in a longi-
tudinal direction relatively to the buffer plunger, will by abutting against the outer
end wall 4ª of the annular recess 4, act to limit the outward movement of the
buffer plunger and hold the said plunger in its proper normal position, the said
balls also acting as movable or rolling bearings and for enabling the buffer plunger
to work easily and smoothly and with comparatively little friction in the buffer
case. To enable the buffer plunger to be removed for any purpose, all that is
necessary to be done is to remove the set screw 7 and, turn the buffer plunger
round so as to bring each ball in succession opposite to the hole 6 through which it
will fall by gravity, after which the plunger is free to be withdrawn without
detaching the buffer cylinder from the vehicle to which it is fixed, or otherwise
disturbing it, thus saving much time and labour. Furthermore as cotters and
lock-nuts are not used or required on the inner end of the buffer plunger to hold
the plunger in place, as in some constructions of buffers now in use there are no
parts liable to be lost or damaged when the buffer plunger is removed.
Figs. 3 and 4 are. corresponding views to Figs. 1 and 2 respectively, illustrating
a modified construction in which the annular recess 4 in the forward part of the
buffer case is made narrow so as to hold the balls 5 longitudinally and prevent
them travelling to and fro with the buffer plunger as in the herein previously
described arrangement, and the cavities in the buffer plunger are made in the form
of longitudinally arranged grooves 2ª the inner ends 2 of which serve as abutments
against which the balls will normally act to hold the said plunger in place against
the outward thrust of the buffer spring 9. The balls are inserted in place and
.removed through a hole 6 in the buffer case as before.
Instead of forming the buffer plunger with semi-spherical cavities 2, or longi-
tudinal grooves 2ª for holding the balls 5 at suitable distances apart, it may be
formed with an annular recess that may be made narrow and of semi-circular form
in cross section when used with a buffer case constructed with a long annular
recess 4 as in Figs. 1 and 2, or as long as the grooves 2ª in Figs. 3 and 4 when
used with a buffer case constructed with a narrow annular recess as in the last
named figures. I prefer however the arrangements shown as fewer balls can then
be used to efficiently support the buffer plunger and hold it in position.
Although I have shown my invention as applied to a buffer having a solid
plunger, it will of course be understood that it is also applicable to buffers having
hollow plungers. Also that narrow rollers may be used instead of balls though
prefer the latter.

page_text: 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 a railway or similar vehicle, in which the buffer plunger is
retained in the buffer case by means of balls or rollers arranged between the two so
as to limit the outward movement of the plunger and capable of being readily
withdrawn when it is desired to release the said plunger, substantially as herein
described.
2. Buffers for railway or similar vehicles constructed substantially as herein-
before described with reference respectively to and shown in Figs. 1 and 2; and in
Figs. 3 & 4 of the accompanying drawings or modified as set forth for the purpose
specified.
1
WM. B. NEWARK.
W. Lloyd Wise,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Applicant's Agent.