Improvements in Springs for Railway Vehicles.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 22nd June, 1889-Accepted, 27th July, 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Springs for Railway Vehicles.
I ILLIUS AUGUSTUS TIMMIS of No. 2 Great George Street, Westminster London
S.W. Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The objects of my Invention are to give a maximum of power and range with a
minimum of weight and also to provide for side strains.
The springs that have had the greatest range with a given length up to the present
time have been conical volutes but they have been wanting in power. Flat section
steel volutes have less proportionate rango and both are liable to take a permanent
set from the want of resiliency.
The best results that I have obtained heretofore as far as regards power and
resiliency bave been with my unequal section coiled springs helical and coned
(Patent No. 3325175) but the range in them is limited comparatively and this
necessitates long and heavy and costly springs if a long stroke is required.
This Invention deals with an improvement in these.
With this experience and the above objects in viow I make unequal section
conical volute and also spiral springs and thus obtain.
(1). A maximum of rango
(2). A minimum of length
in the
conical volutes.
(3). An unequal temper which gives
a. great power.
b. perfect resiliency and a security against permanent set.
(4). A resistance to canting or side strains while the weight and cost are kept at
a low limit in all of them, conical volutes & spirals.
There are many sections of steel bars that can be rolled to make conical volutes
and also spirals so that the section shall be unequal and the temper also.
One of these sections for conical volutes has a inain thick body part, with straight
parallel sides and a web at right angles at the top in one direction and at the bottom
in the other direction-if there are no webs it is a simple conical volute but then the
resistance to torsion is comparatively small and the power much less. The soft
temper of the thin web or webs increases the power and protects the thick body
part from fracture.
One web projects over the coil below it and the other below the coil above it. The
only loss that occurs is the reduction in the length of the range by the thickness of
the web multiplied by the number of coils that the web is on.
By having two webs additional resistance is given to the spring and additional
security and the range is the same or perhaps rather more than if there were only one
web on account of the greater resiliency.
The thick body part may have curved sides or be of any convenient form and with
or without grooves or corrugations and the web or webs plain or otherwise may not
be at right angles to the body part without interfering with the objects of my
Invention.
I also use the above section coiled spirally and if the web or webs are at right angles
to the thick part then the coils must increase in diameter sufficiently to allow the
Of course in this case
thick part of two adjacent coils to bed the one on the other.
the bars are rolled so that the sides of the thick part will be parallel after coiling..
If the webs are not at right angles a spiral spring may be coiled helically but this
increases the distance of the thick part from the centre.
The objects I have in view are to give the greatest range with a maximum of

page_text: and resiliency in both conical volutes and spiral springs and a bar of steel with two
webs at or nearly at right angles and of unequal section as described above has never
before been used for making springs.
A. ITAMIN.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Springs for Railway Vehicles.
I ILLIUS AUGUSTUS TIMMIS of No. 2 Great George Street Westminster London
S.W. 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 :-
The objects of my Invention are to give a maximum of power and range with a
minimum of weight and also to provide for side strains.
The springs that have had the greatest range with a given length up to the
present time have been conical volutes but they have been wanting in power. Flat
section steel volutes have less proportionate range and both are liable to take a
permanent set from the want of resiliency.
The best results that I have obtained heretofore as far as regards power and
resiliency have been with my unequal section coiled springs helical and coned patent
No. 33257 but the range in them is limited, comparatively and this necessitates long
and heavy and costly springs if a long stroke is required.
This invention deals with an improvement in these.
With this experience and the above objects in view I make unequal section conical
volute and also spiral springs and thus obtain.
(1). A maximum of range
(2). A minimum of length
in the conical
volutes.
(3). An unequal teniper which gives-
a. great power.
•
b. perfect resiliency and a security against permanent set.
(4). A resistance to canting or side strains while the weight and cost are kept at a
low limit in all of them conical volutes and spirals.
There are many sections of steel bars that can be rolled to make conical volutes and
also spirals so that the section shall be unequal and the temper also.
One of these sections for conical volutes has a main thick body part, with straight
parallel sides and a web at right angles at the top in one direction and at the bottom
in the other direction-if there are no webs it is a simple conical volute but then the
resistance to torsion is comparatively small and the power much less. The soft temper
of the thin web or webs increases the power and protects the thick body part from
fracture.
One web projects over the coil-below it and the other below the coil above it. The
only loss that occurs is the reduction in the length of the range by the thickness of the
web multiplied by the number of coils that the web is on.
.
By having two webs additional resistance is given to the spring and additional
security and the range is the same or perhaps rather more than if there were only one
web on account of the greater resiliency.
The thick body part may have curved sides or be of any convenient form and with
or without grooves or corrugations and the web or webs, plain or otherwise, may not
be at right angles to the body part without interfering with the objects of my
invention.
I also use the above section coiled spirally-and if the web or webs are at right angles
to the thick part then the coils must increase in diameter sufficiently to allow the
thick part of two adjacent coils to bed the one on the other. Of course in this case
the bars are rolled so that the sides of the thick part will be parallel after coiling.
If the webs are not at right angles a spiral spring may be coiled helically but
this increases the distance of the thick part from the centre..

page_text: The objects I have in view are to give the greatest range with a maximum of
power with a given length and weight in a conical volute and the greatest power
and resiliency in both conical volutes and spiral springs and a bar of steel with
two webs at or nearly at right angles and of unequal section as described above
has never before been used for making springs. The bars are rolled with the
flanged one if any are required on the springs.
The following description of the accompanying drawings will enable the invention
to be clearly understood.
Fig. 1 represents in cross section a bar of steel after coiling with two webs at
right angles to the main body. The sides of the main body may be parallel as
shown or not.
groove
There may be a groove in the body or more than one as shown in figs. 2, 3, 4
and 5. A
lessens the weight without decreasing the power. The webs
may be at any other angle than a right angle see figs. 4 and 5. Fig. 4 shows a
spring light and fig. 5 a spring pressed home. If the webs are not at a right angle
see fig. 5 then all the edges top and bottom when the spring is pressed home may be
in the same plane. The webs may be of any width, thickness and form grooved,
corrugated or otherwise.
Fig. 3 shows one of the above sections turned the contrary way and coiled spirally
as described herein before. These webs may be at any angle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is.
First The manufacture of steel conical volute springs from bars which after
coiling have flanges or webs at any suitable angle and grooved or otherwise substan-
tially as and for the purposes herein before described.
Secondly-The manufacture of steel spiral springs-helical or coned-from bars
which after coiling are grooved or otherwise and have flanges or webs at any suitable
angle substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described.
Dated this 22nd day of June 1889.
I. A. TIMMIS.