AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SPRINGS FOR CARRIAGES AND OTHER USES
Year: 1859

page_text: or Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE
MANUFACTURE OF SPRINGS FOR CARRIAGES AND OTHER USES."-A communi-
cation from Charles Goodyear, junior, residing at New York, in the
United States of America.
Sealed the 1st July 1859, and dated the 4th January 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles de Forest at
.the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
4th January 1859.
I, CHARLES DE FOREST, of Leicester Square, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IM-
PROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SPRINGS FOR CARRIAGES AND OTHER USES," to
be as follows:-
This Invention relates to the use of vulcanized india-rubber or other vul-
canized gum in combination with levers for the purpose of forming springs for
various purposes, whereby the yielding motion obtained is moderated by the
elastic resistance of the vulcanized material.
Hitherto a great and insuperable objection to the use of vulcanized gum for
springs to light carriages has been that the material has been too stiff and
unyielding for an easy and comfortable spring when the weight of the car:
riage rests directly upon the masses of vulcanized gum, though in the case of
railway carriages and very heavy vehicles (in which it is necessary. to use, very
thick and heavy masses of vulcanized gum in order to obtain the requisite
degree of motion and elasticity), it has been successfully used.
By the present Invention, however, a comparatively small quantity of vul-
canized gun may be made to yield a greater amount of elasticity with a given

page_text: weight than a much larger mass as heretofore applied. To attain this end the
vulcanized rubber or other elastic medium is interposed between the weight
to be supported, and sustaining levers (which are themselves connected to
the axle or other bearing surface by shackles or by pins working in slots),
or the elastic medium may be placed between the bearing surfaces and the
sustaining levers. In either case the varying pressure on the levers will
cause them to rock and yield to the elastic counter-pressure of the vulcanized
increased compression
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Charles De Forest in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 1
4th July 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
DE FOREST, of Leicester Square, in the County of Middlesex, Gentleman, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters 1
Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of January in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Charles de Forest, Her special license that I, the said Charles de
Forest, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Charles de Forest, 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 "AN, IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SPRING FOR CARRIAGES AND
OTHER USES," being a communication from Charles Goodyear, junior, residing
at New York, in the United States of America, upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Charles de Forest, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles de Forest, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following

page_text: statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to
the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention, as communicated to me from abroad, relates to an improved
mode of applying vulcanized india-rubber or other vulcanized gum for the
purpose of obtaining an elastic bearing suitable mainly for carriage and buffer
springs.
Hitherto a great and insuperable objection to the use of vulcanized india-
rubber or other elastic gum for springs to light carriages, has been that the
material has been too stiff and unyielding for an easy and comfortable spring,
where the weight of the carriage rests directly upon the masses of iudia-
rubber, though in the case of railway carriages and very heavy vehicles (in
which it is necessary to use very thick and heavy masses of the vulcanized
gum in order to obtain the requisite degree of elastic sustaining power), it has
been successively employed.
By the present Invention, however, a comparatively small piece of the vul-
canized gum may be made to yield a greater amount of elasticity with a given
weight than a much larger mass as heretofore applied. To attain this end the
vulcanized india-rubber or other elastic gum is interposed between the weight
to be supported and sustaining levers (which are themselves connected to the
carriages, frame, or other bearings surface by shackles or pins), or the india-
rubber may be placed between the bearing surfaces and the sustaining levers.
In either case the varying pressure of the load will bring the levers to bear
with more or less force on the india-rubber, and cause the india-rubber at all
times to give out the required amount of elastic sustaining power.
In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn one mode in which the
Invention may be applied, but it will be obvious that it is susceptible of a
variety of modifications. In this example the india-rubber springs are sup-
posed to be mounted on a carriage frame for the purpose of sustaining the
carriage body. a, a, are cylindrical blocks of vulcanized india-rubber set in
metal cups b, b, bolted to the carriage framing c. Jointed to short standards
which are bolted to the framing care levers d, d.
These levers cross each
through the slots a bolt
other at their inner ends which are slotted, and
projecting from a lug e on the carriage body is passed, for the purpose of
connecting the body of the carriage to the levers: Over this bolt the levers
are free to slide to allow of their rocking on their fulcrum pins. Jointed to
the levers are cups *, *, which bear upon the elastic blocks a, a, and
transmit the weight of the load to these blocks. If now by a sudden irre-
gularity in the road a tendency is given to the carriage frame and body to
approach each other the levers will be depressed, and caused to compress the

page_text: elastic blocks a between the cups 6, 6. By reason of this pressure, and
consequently the counter-pressure of the resilient blocks being transmitted
through the lever the motion due to the compression of the blocks will be
multiplied, and this multiplied motion will constitute the amount of play given
to the carriage body. For the purpose of increasing or diminishing the force
of the springs it may be desirable to fit the compressing cups or their equi-
valent, so that their position together with the enclosed elastic blocks may be
adjusted with respect to the fulcrum pins of the levers to suit varying circum-
stances. In the Drawing I have shewn vertical guide pins f, f, (which are
fixed to and pendent from the carriage body) for preventing the body from
swaying laterally by sliding in guides fixed to the carriage framing. These
will not; however, be required when the slotted levers are made to cross cach
other & extend to the opposite sides of the carriage body, in which case they
will work over independent pins. The like remark applies when the levers and
springs are applied to the sides of the carriage framing, and this may perhaps
be the more preferable mode in general of adapting the Invention to the
support of carriage bodies. From the above description it will be obvious
that this system of applying the sustaining pressure of elastic blocks through
levers may be employed for a variety of uses.
Having now set forth the nature of the Invention of "An Improvement
in the Manufacture of Springs for Carriages and other Uses," as communicated
to me from abroad, and explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited Letters
Patent, I claim combining elastic blocks of vulcanized india-rubber or other
elastic gum with levers for the purpose of forming springs for sustaining
pressure in the manner above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles De Forest, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Fourth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
T. NOLAN,
66, Chancery Lane.
CHAS. DE FOREST. (L.s.)