IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRING APPARATUS AND IN BALANCES; ALSO IN BREAKS, AND IN THE MEANS OF WORKING BREAKS
Year: 1848

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEX-
ANDER ALLIOTT, of Lenton Works, in the County of Nottingham, Bleacher,
sond greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Fourteenth day of
March, One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight, in the eleventh year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Alexander Alliott, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, Her
especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said
Alexander Alliott, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Alexander Alliott, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree
with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in the
Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and Man, and in all Her said
Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SPRING APPARATUS AND IN BALANCES; ALSO IN BREAKS, AND IN THE MEANS OF
WORKING BREAKS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that
I, the said Alexander Alliott, shall cause a particular description of the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her

page_text: said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at
large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Alexander Alliott, hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, are fully described in and by
the present Specification thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed; that is to say:-
Firstly, my Invention consists in certain additions to railway carriage
breaks, and improved arrangements for bringing breaks into prompt, safe, and
efficient operation, which are represented in Sheet A of the Drawings hereunto
annexed. Figure I. is a plan of a railway carriage, supposing it to be turned
bottom upwards; Figure II. is a side view of it; Figure III. is a front view
on the line a, b, of Figure I., but with the carriage turned into its proper
position; and Figures IIII., V., VI., VII., and VIII. represent respectively
parts of Figure I. on an enlarged scale. A, A, is the framework. A¹, A', are
the axles and wheels of the carriage. B is a friction cone which is made of
iron, in two parts, and keyed on the axle A¹. It is covered with two thick-
nesses of leather, the first of which is rivetted, and the second cemented, the
ends being turned over and made fast between the two halves of the cone.
E is a bevil wheel, which is keyed on the other axle A³. D³ is a shaft which
extends between the two axles and revolves in the bearings d³, d', and d³. At
one end this shaft D' carries a friction cone W, which is capable of being
brought into contact with the friction cone B, and at the other a bevil
wheel F, which gears into the bevil wheel E. The cone W is fitted loosely
on the shaft D, and has a feather on it which takes into a groove in the shaft
D', so that it may be moved backwards or forwards on the shaft, according as
it is acted on by the lever W³ in manner afterwards explained. The bevil
wheel F is also fitted loosely on the shaft D, and has at the back of it a steel
boss S, with catches in it, which interlock with corresponding catches in a
sliding catch G (see the view of these parts given on an enlarged scale in
Figure V.) according as that clutch (G¹) is acted on by the lever G', which is
connected by a cross rod W with the other lever W³. The lever W³ moves
on a fixed bearing at W, and the lever G' on a similar bearing at G. The
lever W³ has an opening or fork in it by which it clips a loose ring W¹ on the
neck of the friction cone W, and it has also two side slots in it for the recep-
tion of two pins which project from the sides of the ring, this ring being kept
in its place by means of a collar W. The lever G' is connected in the same

page_text: way to a loose ring G³ on the sliding boss G³, which turns between fixed
collars G and G. G³ is another lever which is attached to a loose ring G³,
on the sliding clutch G³, and is kept in its place by the collars G and G*.
H' is a rod which is jointed at one end (H) to the break (say to the
lever Z in Figure II.), and is free to slide at the other end in a bearing H".
His a tube which is fitted on this rod (H); that is to say, it is screwed.
interiorly (for a portion of its length) on to the rod (H), while it turns
externally in bearings H, H². H³ is a worm wheel, which is keyed on this
tube H. H* is an endless screw which is keyed on a transverse shaft H³, and,
takes into the wheel H. H and H' are the bearings of the transverse
shaft H³, and H³ a bevil wheel which is attached to one end of that shaft
outside of the bearing H7 (see the separate view of these parts on an enlarged
scale in Figures VI. and VII.). D' is a tube which is fitted on the shaft D
(immediately behind the friction cone. W), and is moveable to and fro on it by,
means of a feather and groove (in the same way as the cone W). D and D³
are two bevil wheels mounted on this tube (D') which gear on opposite sides
(but not at the same time) into the bevil wheel H³. K is a shaft which
extends from end to end of the framework of the carriage, and is screw-
threaded at its terminal bearings, so that it may be screwed endwise by the
nuts K, K³, to any extent allowed by the. stops K", K", K', K', are
working arms which project from the end of the shaft K. and carry. steadying
weights K, K. K' is a two-armed forked guide, which is attached to, and
in which turns this shaft at the point K* (being held in its place by fixed
collars K, K³), one arm of which clips a loose ring D", which turns in a
groove on the outside of the tube D', and the other is attached to a rod K
(between collars K", K"), which slides in the bearings K', Kº. Lis
a small oscillating cylinder which is supported in bearings L', L' (sec
Figure II.), and worked by means of compressed air. L' is the piston,
and L³ the piston rod, which, is connected at its outer end to the lever W³,
and, through the medium of that lever and the connecting rod W', to.
the other lever G. L' is a spring which is coiled round the piston rod,
and fastened both to the lid of the cylinder and the end of the lever W³,
and is of strength sufficient not only to press the piston down to the
bottom of the cylinder (no air being admitted to act in the opposite
direction) but to keep the lever. Ws pulled over to the same extent as
the piston rod. L' is a flexible tube which leads from the bottom of the
cylinder L to a rigid air pipe Lo, which extends the whole length of the
carriage. Each carriage of a train is provided with a similar air pipe (L')
and between every two pipes there is a connecting flexible tube N, which is

page_text: made sufficiently long to suit the varying distance between carriages. The
joining of the pipes (L) and tubes (N) together is effected by union pieces M
(see Figure IIII.) attached to the ends of the former, and similar pieces N³
attached to the latter, and by the coupling of these pieces by means of a
nut M², which is worked by a weighted lever M. M', and M³, are vulcanized
india-rubber washers which are inserted in grooves made for them at the
points where the ends of the two union pieces approximate. The flexible
tubes N communicate with reservoirs of compressed air (filled or charged by
any convenient means) one of which is placed in close proximity to the engine
driver, and the other within reach of the guard. Each reservoir is sur-
mounted by valve gearing of the description shewn in Figure 8. O' is a valve
by which the compressed air is admitted through the series of passages N,
L, and L, to the oscillating cylinder L; and 0%, a handle by which it is
worked. 03 is an escapo valve which is worked by the handle 0. 0%, 0%, are
springs which serve to keep the valves 0¹ and 03 closed when not acted on by
their respective handles.
The mode in which the apparatus which has been thus described is
worked is as follows:-Supposing the intended direction of the carriage
to be from right to left, as indicated by the arrow P, the bevil wheel D
on the shaft D is first put into gear with the bevil wheel II' by means
of the screw rod K, and its forked guide K³. When it is desired to
bring the break into action the engine driver or guard (as the case may
be) by means of the handle O*, opens the valve 0', which allows the com-
pressed air to flow from the air vessel into the oscillating cylinder L, where,
overcoming the force of the spring L, it drives the piston forwards to the top
of the cylinder. The piston rod again presses in its turn the lever W³ forward,
and that brings the friction cone W into close contact with the friction cone B
on the axle A¹, and as that cone (B) revolves with the axle it communicates
through the cone W a like rotary motion to the shaft D', which sets tho
wheels D and H³, the endless screw H, the worm wheel H³, and the tube H,
all in motion. The tube H next draws back the rod H' (acting as a nut upon
it), and that rod, by means of the levers jointed to it at II, brings the break
into action against the wheels. As soon as the proper strain of the break
upon the wheels has been attained the driver or guard shuts the valve O', and
so far opens the escape valve O³ as to reduce the pressure of the air on the
piston sufficiently to allow the spring L to draw the friction cones at one end
of the shaft D out of contact, but without throwing the sliding clutch G¹ into
gear
with the boss of the bevil wheel F at the opposite end. The break still
continues to act upon the wheels, and so it would continue to act till it

page_text: brought them to a stand; but before allowing the retardation to reach so far,
the driver or guard takes care to throw open the escape valve O³, and let out
the whole of the air, when the piston is driven by the force of the spring L'
quite to the bottom of the cylinder, and the piston rod draws back the lever
W³, and along with it the connecting rod W and lever G', which last pushes
the sliding clutch G' into gear with the boss of the bevil wheel F, and so
brings the wheel E on the axle A*, which is in constant gear with F, into
action. The motion derived from the wheel E is, however, in the reverso:
direction to that produced by the friction cone B, and this causes the rod H³;.
which is connected at H to the break, to recede till a stop upon it (H"}
comes in contact with the arm G of the lever G³, which draws the sliding
clutch G out of gear with the wheel F, and so brings the whole apparatus
to a state of rest. Should it be required to propel the train. of carriages in
the direction of the arrow R, that is from left to right, the wheel D² must then
be brought into gear with the wheel H³; then the same results as have been.
described, in so far as respects the retardation of the carriages, will follow.
from the opening and shutting of the valves O' and Os.
Secondly, my Invention consists in certain improvements in balances. The
first portion of these improvements have principally for. their object such an
arrangement of the steel-yard; the weights, and the index in platform.
balances, that the results may be read off on dials free from any of that
incorrectness arising from friction. or from the want of ultimate exactness of
level which is. so frequently experienced in the balance apparatus as now
ordinarily used with dial plates. and platforms connected, and that the said
results may be read off moreover at different and moderately distant places..
A platform balance or weighing machine on this improved plan is represented
in Sheet B of the Drawings hereunto annexed.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine, and Figure 2 is a transverso
section on the line q, r, of Figure 1. A is the standard which carrics the
steelyard (B) and the other parts of the apparatus. The upper edge of the
steelyard is made straight and supported by the knife-edged spindle 6, which
has its bearings a³, a³, in the standard. The knife-edged spindle is shewn
separately in Figure 3. S is a shackle, which is suspended from knife-edged
centros S' inserted in the end of the steelyard, and connected to the levers of
the platform in the usual manner. D is a screw, resting in bearings d¹ and
d, which keep it in parallelism with the top of the steelyard B. This screw.
works in a nut &, to which the counterbalance weight d is attached..
ds, d³, are two carrying pulleys which serve to facilitate the movement of the
weight d. a is a shaft which passes through the standard A, and has a

page_text: wheel as in front, with another wheel a³ at the back of the standard fastened
to it. a is a handle for turning the shaft a. E is a spur wheel which turns
loosely on the spindle 6, and gears into the wheels a and e', the latter of
which communicates motion to the wheel 6', which gearing into the wheel d'
turns the screw D. e' is a supplementary bevil wheel, which turns loosely
on the shaft e. The wheel a forms the first of a series of wheels for
working the index hands of the 'dial plates. which are fixed upon the frame P;
and which frame is fixed to the standard. A. The machine shewn in the
Drawing (by way of exemplification) is supposed to be capable of weighing
up to five tons. The upper dial plate indicates tons; the central one, hundred-
weights; the lower one, quarter of hundredweights and pounds, so that when
the index hand of the upper dial plate has reached the mark indicating one
ton the index hand of the central dial plate must have made one completo
revolution, and the index hand of the lower dial plate twenty complete revo-
lutions. And to produce these results the wheel a³, in making four revolu-
tions, causes the wheel d' (through the wheels E, e', and e³) to make sixteen
revolutions, and thereby to move the weight d' on the steelyard, by means of
the screw D; through a distance calculated to counterbalance one ton. At
the same time and by the same action the movements of the indexes are
effected through the wheel a³. Thus, if the wheel a³ has eighty teeth, then
the wheel g must have sixteen teeth, and the' pinion g' ten teeth, the wheel g³
fifty teeth, and the pinion gten teeth, the wheel & forty teeth, and the
pinion g³ ten teeth, and the wheel 9 sixty teeth, the wheelf and the wheel f¹
(on the axle), being intermediate wheels for the purpose of causing the
index hands to move in one direction, may have any convenient number of
teeth. The whole of the parts which I have just described (excepting the
index dials and the handle a') are enclosed in a case to protect them from
being interfered with, as also from dust, &c. To be able to ascertain exactly
the true point of balance to which the steelyard has been adjusted, I attach
to it a small proof apparatus composed of the parts marked m, m', m³,
n, n³, n³, and n³. m is a light lever centred at m³, which is connected at one
end by a silk cord m³ to the end of the steelyard, and at the other end to the
bell-crank lever n by a cord n'. The bell-crank lever has its fulcrum at n³, and
its upper end n³ reaches to the graduated scale n* and forms a pointer to it.
When the steelyard stands at its true point of adjustment the pointer n³
should point to zero on the scale.. The improvements which have been just
described may be used with a scale beam instead of a platform, and in that
case it will be sufficient to attach the scalo to the shackle S, and then pro-
portion the other parts to suit this arrangement. By suitable intermediate

page_text: gearing and shafting connected to the axle a¹ two or more indexes may be
applied to the same machine, and indicate at different and moderately distant
places the same results, neither the number nor distance of such indices at all
impeding or interfering with the correct working of the balance...
In Sheet C of the Drawings annexed I have shown another improved:
arrangement, in which a platform weighing machine is combined with a spring.
balance.
Figure 1 is a side elevation, and Figure 2.a front view, of this compound'
apparatus. A, A, is the framework. B, the compound lever with. which the
scale lever is generally connected.. .C, a cord which connects this lever with
the spring part D of a common spring balance.. In..the common machines
of this class the upper part of the spring case E is usually made a fixed point
from which the weight is suspended, but here this point is moveable, being
connected by a cord F to a flanged pulley G, which is securely fixed on
the shaft of a worm wheel H, which has its bearings in the top of the frame-
work. I is an endless screw which gears into the worm wheel H, and is.
acted upon by the crank handle K. L. is the index plate which is free to
move up and down upon the upright guides l', . M is a light lever for the
purpose of ascertaining when the compound lever has been brought to the truc
point of balance to which the machine is adjusted; this lever. has its fulcrum.
at the point M, and it is connected to the lever B by a cord M³, as shewn in
Figure 1, so that when the lever B is either raised or lowered, it exhibits.
a corresponding rise or fall.. N'is a bell-crank lever, the upper end of which.
points out on the index plate N¹ when the true. point of balance is attained..
If the lengths of the compound levers be so proportioned that one pcund
applied at the end of the longer arm of the lever B shall sustain ten pounds.
upon the platform, then the strength of the spring and the graduation of the
dial should be such, that the index hand should, with the 10 pounds weight.
on the platform, stand opposite to the mark ten on the dial; but as the
proportioning of the levers and the graduation of the dial form no part of my
Invention, and are well understood, I need not enter into farther explanation
respecting them. To use this machine, the goods to be weighed are put
upon the platform when it is resting upon its bed on the framework, the crank
handle K is then turned round by hand till, by the action, of the endless.
screw I upon the worm wheel H, the lever B is drawn up to its adjusted point
of balance, the true place of which will be shewn by.the upper end of the:
bell-crank lever N pointing to zero on the scale N'. When the index plate
has been properly graduated, the index hand will at that instant point out
upon the dial plate L the exact weight of the goods upon the platform..

page_text: Whatever may be the weight of the goods weighed, the platform must always
be brought to exactly the same level in order to ascertain their weight, and
this it is which constitutes one of the peculiar features of this machine, and
distinguishes it chiefly from other spring platform balances, in all of which
the greater the weight of the goods upon the platform, the greater is the
deflection of the platform from the level, and consequently the greater the risk
of inaccurate results.
In Figure 3, Sheet C, I have shewn certain arrangements by which the
weighing machine just described may have its index placed at some con-
siderable distance from the platform. B is the compound lever, as before
described, which is connected with the spring part D of the spring balance by
the bell-cranked levers B, B, and the gut bands C and C. The band C' if
long, is carried by supports C³, C³. The bell-crank levers and the supports
are all knife edged at their working points. The whole of the upper part
connected to Dis the same as in Figures 1 and 2 (Sheet C) and the action
will be the same, except that instead of the true adjusted point of balance
being ascertained by means of the pointer and index N', it is ascertained by an
electro-galvanic arrangement now to be described. O is a dial plate. O¹, a
magnetic needle. P, a wire which connects the lever B with one end of a
galvanic battery. Q is another wire which connects the dial plate O with the
opposite end of the battery. R is a wire from the dial plate O which ter-
minates in a ball S fixed at some definite point coinciding with the level
of the lever B. When the ball T upon the end of the lever B comes in
contact with the other ball S, the metallic circuit is completed, on which the
magnetic needle will be deflected, and continue so deflected as long
as the
balls maintain their contact. The example given as to the mode of using the
machine in Figures 1 and 2 applies equally to the one now described, only
that instead of the true point of balance being indicated on the scale N¹, it is
indicated by the deflection of the needle O¹.'
31
Another improvement in balances, which is represented in Figure has
for its object the acting upon the dial so as to give the results at places
distant from the platform of the machine. B is the compound lever as before.
AA are two of four columns which are securely fixed at their lower ends
to a basement, and at their upper ends carry and are fastened to a plate A¹.
To the projecting ring A on the lower side of the plate A', there is attached 3
an expanding tube D, which is formed by rings of tinned copper placed at
equal distances apart over a tube of india rubber, and then fastening these
rings by means of a thin india rubber tube put over them and fastened to the
inner tube, when the whole is subjected to tho well-known process of

page_text: vulcanizing. E is a plate which forms the bottom of the tube D, and has a
projecting ring on the upper side of it to which the lower end of the tubo
D is fastened. The fastening of the tnbe to the rings A and e' is effected
by means of convex rings which are formed in two parts and bolted together
by flanges. These rings press that part of the tube with which they come
into contact into the concavity formed in the rings A2 and e', and thus form
a perfectly fluid-tight point; es, es, are two of four arms which are bolted at
bottom to the plate E, and attached at top by chains or rods e, e', to the
compound lever B. F is a pipe which communicates with the tube Dat
one end, and at the other is joined to a metal cylinder G, which forms the
basement of the indicating apparatus. H and I are two iron or glass tubes
bolted to. the top of the vessel G, the tube H being placed within and
concentric to the tube I. The joints at bottom, if made in two parts, must be
perfectly tight, so as to hold mercury. K is a glass tube which takes into the
space between the concentric tubes H and I. At top it is fastened by an air-
tight joint to the rod K', which is guided by and slides in bearings K³ and
K. K is a boss which is fastened on the rod K', and has two projecting
arms, to which the upper ends of the springs K³, K', are attached, while the
lower ends are fastened to the bottom of the vessel G. Near to the upper
end of the rod K¹ there is a rack formed on one side of it, which gears into
a pinion fixed on the spindle L, to which the index hand is also attached. M
is the framework to which the index plate N is attached, the two cross bars
of which frame carry the pinion L. Q is a cylinder which also communicates
with the vessel G by the pipe O³, and is provided with a piston and piston rod
O', which are capable of being moved up and down in the cylinder by
means of the rack 03; the pinion P and the crank handle Q are fixed on
the same spindle. The same spindle also carries an index hand R, which
points to a graduated index plate S fastened on the fixed frame T.
In preparing this apparatus for use the tube D, with the connecting pipes
and the vessels G and K, are filled with water or some other suitable fluid,
and the space between the concentric tubes H and I is filled with mercury to
the height of the line x, z. The pressure produced on the tube D by any
weight being placed on the platform of the machine is transmitted through
the medium of the pipes to the glass tube K, and this tube is held from moving
by the springs K, K³, except in exact proportion to the pressure employed.
These springs serve the same purpose as the springs in the balance last herein-
before described, forming, in fact, the opposing and yielding forces by which
the weight of the goods is measured, and the fluid with which the apparatus
is filled serving only to transmit the pressure to the tube K and to make a

page_text: frictionless joint to that tube. As the vessels G and K will be, for con-
venience, generally placed some few feet above the tube D, this tube will
become expanded by the pressure of the column of fluid above it. The
lever B must now be adjusted to carry the platform, and the weight of the
lever be so arranged as to leave some pressure in the vessel K through the
medium before described. When the lever B is in its exact level of adjusted
balance, this pressure acts on the springs K³, K, and the hand on the dial
must be so arranged as at this point to stand at zero. It will now be plain
that any weight placed on the platform will, as before explained, act on the
springs K³, K', and so on the hand of the dial plate, which may now be
graduated in the usual manner: .
The office of the cylinder O.and its piston is to bring back the fluid into
the tube D when displaced in raising the column of fluid which supports the
pressure produced on that tube by the weights added to the platform, so that
when the ultimate result of the weight is read off, the lever B may be at its
exact adjusted level. The dial plate R belonging to this part of the arrange-
ment must be graduated to suit. Thus on the dial plate of the weight' index
N, having reached say for example twenty pounds, then the handle Q must
be turned until the lever, B is brought back to its normal point (it is assumed
that at this time 'the piston o' stands at the top of the cylinder). The dial
plate R of the cylinder O must now be marked where the hand points,
shewing that when the hand of the dial plate N of the weight index stands
at twenty pounds, the hand of the plate R must be brought to this marked
point for producing on the weight index more exact results. The other
divisions of the dial R may be graduated in a similar way. In cases where
it may be desired to fix the index apparatus at a considerable height above
the tube D, I make use of an air vessel such as is represented in Figure 6,
Sheet C, which consists of two hemispherical parts divided by a diaphragm
of vulcanized india rubber, which is made large enough to allow of its being
pressed, without loss of power, to one side or other of the vessel. I place
one such vessel at the bottom and another at the top of an upright tube,
which tube can be made to work with air instead of water, by which means
the inconvenience which attends the use of a high column of water is avoided.
The diaphragm may be made of any light material (provided it be perfectly
air-tight). The pressure on both sides being equal, there is no danger of
its being ruptured.
Thirdly, my Invention consists of certain improvements in spring apparatus
which are represented in Sheet D of the Drawings annexed.
.
Figure 1 is a sectional clevation of a spring apparatus suitable for being

page_text: applied to a carriage. A, A, is a ring of metal, part of the upper surface of which
(a', a') is hollowed out, and which terminates at its upper edges in flanges a", a³,
upon which there is bolted another ring of metal B, on the under side of
which there is fixed a thick ring of vulcanized india rubber b', 6'. The ring
A, A, rests and is fixed upon: the framework of: the carriage by the flanges
as, a³. C is a hollow cylinder of metal, which is truly bored out inside, and
has a projecting circular flange c', c', which takes into the cavity left between
the rings A and B.. The flange c', c', where it rests on its lower side upon.
the ring A, is turned of a circular form, so that it. may be free to move
thereon as a universal joint. The upper edge of the flange c', c', rests in
contact with the india-rubber ring 6, 6, but with a plate of metal interposed
between them. D is a hollow piston, which is affixed at its upper end to
the body of the carriage, and is made air-tight with the cylinder C by the,
packings d, d. The cylinder is partially filled with oil or other suitable
fluid. When the piston D is put into the. cylinder the oil passes up into the
hollow cavity within it, and compresses the air, and so forms a spring.
A combination of three or more of such springs in one carriage will allow a
free springing action in all directions, the gravity of the carriage always
bringing the springs back to a perpendicular line.
A modification of the spring apparatus just described is represented in,
Figures 2. and 3. Here the spring: is obtained. by a reverse action, that is,
by producing a vacuum inside the cylinder, instead of..by.compressing the air,
therein. A and B are rings, similar to those described in reference to
Figure 1, and attached to the carriage in the same manner.. c', c', is a
flange with its under surface of a spherical form, to facilitate its, movement.
upon the' ring A. Instead of this:flange having the cylinder C pendant from.
it, there is a pipe c, c; which forms. a guide to the piston rod d³. C is the
cylinder fixed to the .flange c', c'; it is bored: perfectly. true throughout a
portion of its length, while the remaining portion at top is of a conical shape.
D is the piston, which is packed so as to resist the admission of. air.. Tho
piston rod d is secured to a feross bar d'or bracket, which is fixed to the
body of the carriage. This spring apparatus is prepared for use: as follows:-
The piston is placed inside of the cylinder, and forced up. to, the top. of the
parallel part. The conical part: is entirely filled with oil or other. suitable
fluid' introduced through the aperture c³, which is then made a perfectly air-
tight joint. The body of a carriage .being attached to a combination of these
springs, the weight falls upon the pistons, and has a tendency to press the
pistons downwards.. .The moment this.effect is.produced a vacuum is formed

page_text: above the surface of the fluid by its following the piston, and the space
occupied by the fluid being conical, the further the surface of the fluid falls
the greater is the area against which the atmospheric pressure on the lower
side of the piston is exerted. By this means there is up to a certain point
(which is determined by the area of the piston) a constantly encreasing spring
power.
Figure 4 is a sectional elevation of another modification of this spring
apparatus. C, C, is a conical vessel corresponding to the top of the cylinder.
in Figure 2. A, A, are its. bearings. D is an india rubber ring of an
irregular form, which is connected to the cone C by two metal rings c¹ and c²,
and to the piston or plate by another ring c. is a rod which forms
the connecting link of the spring apparatus at one end, the bearings A, A, being.
considered at the opposite end of the spring apparatus. The spaces c³, c',
are filled with some suitable fluid. The action of this apparatus is the same
as that last herein-before described.
Figure 5, Sheet D, is a plan, and Figure 6 a sectional elevation, of an
improved spring apparatus which may be applied with advantage to the
buffers of a railway carriage. A, A, are the cylinders, with flanges a¹, a', by.
which they are attached to the carriages. B, B, plungers, with the buffing
cushions b¹, 6, on the outer ends. C is a pipe which connects the two
cylinders A, A, together, so that there is a free communication between both
cylinders. D is an air pump which is worked by means of two friction
cones d¹, d², one of which d¹ is placed on the axle of the carriage, and the
other d² on an upright spindle d³, on which it is free to move up and down.
d', d*, are the bearings of the spindle. d³ is a crank attached to the upper
end of the spindle d³, which gives motion to the air-pump piston by a con-
necting rod do. F is an expanding tube made in a similar manner to tho.
tube D before described in reference to Figure 4, Sheet C. This tube is
connected with the pipe C by a pipe F¹.
the top of the tube F, and at the other to a lever G. H is another lever fixed
upon the same axle I as the lever G. K is a spring which presses upon the
lever H, and always keeps the cone & in gear with the cone d', so long as the
pressure in the cylinder remains below some determined and definite amount
to which it is desired to compress the air in the buffers. The moment
however the pressure exceeds that amount, the expanding tube F pushes back
the lover G, overcomes the power of the spring K, and puts the friction cones
out of gear, when the air pump ceases to act.. If the pressure in the cylinders
and expanding tube gets below the fixed amount, then the expanding tube
F is a rod attached at one end to

page_text: necessarily ceases to act upon the lever G, and the spring K causes the air
pump to work. is a safety valve which is loaded to the pressure at which
it is advisable to work the cylinders; and, a stop valve to prevent the
return of air from the cylinders, when it is compressed as in buffing. Onc
great advantage obtained by this arrangement is, that an equal pressure is
borne by both buffers, in whatever degree of curvature the line of rails may
be laid.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, 1 declare that the improvements which
I claim as constituting my said Invention are as follows:-
First, I claim the addition to or combination with the breaks of railway
carriages (of whatever form and construction the same may be) of the
retarding apparatus before described, and also the employment, in manner
before described, of compressed air (for which exhaustion of air may be
substituted, with corresponding alterations in the arrangements) for the
purpose of throwing breaks in and out of action when deriving their motion
from the axles of the carriage wheels.
Second, I claim the improved weighing machine first herein-before described,
in so far as regards the wheelwork by which the weights ascertained aro
communicated to the index hands of the dial plates.
Third, I claim the improved spring platform weighing-machine before
described, in so far as regards the arrangements whereby the platform is always
brought to the same level, whatever may be the weight of the goods.
Fourth, I claim the modification of the spring platform machine last herein
referred to, wherein the deflection of a needle, by a current of electricity, is
employed to indicate the true point of balance as before described.
Fifth, I claim the improved weighing-machine represented in Fguire 4,
Sheet C, and before described, wherein the dial is made to indicate to places
at a distance from the platform the weights ascertained by the machine,
that is to say, in so far as regards the points essential to such distant
indication.
Sixth, I claim the improved spring apparatus herein-before described, in so
far as regards the employment of compressed air in combination with pistons
having a universal action, whether the same is applied to carriages in manner
5 herein-before exemplified, or to any other machine or purpose.
Seventh, I claim the two modifications of the preceding apparatus, wherein
the spring is produced by means of a vacuum, in so far as regards the arrange-
ments for producing such vacuum. And,
Eighth, I claim the buffer spring apparatus before described, whereby both

page_text: buffers are made to sustain in all cases an equal pressure in so far as regards
the peculiar means by which such equal pressure is produced.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Alliott, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of September, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight.
ALEXANDER (L.B.) ALLIOTT.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fourteenth day of September,
in the year of our Lord 1848, the aforesaid Alexander Alliott came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Speci-
fication aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.