IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGE SPRINGS
Year: 1874

page_text: ETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane,
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGE SPRINGS."-A com-
munication from abroad by John Styles and George Artemus
Barney, both of the County and State of New York, Peter
Valentine, of Susquehanna Depôt, County of Susquehanna, State
of Pennsylvania, all in the United States of America, and Alfred
Dewing Fox, of Prescott, County of Granville, in the Dominion of
Canada.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Melville
Clark at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 12th June 1874.
I; ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of

page_text: the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGE
SPRINGS," to be as follows:
This Invention has for its object to reduce the weight and expense of
car and carriage springs and to permit the use of sheet metal as material
for such springs.
The body of the improved spring may be arranged either in one length
or in two lengths joined at the ends. The spring is made of sheet metal
with flanges projecting at about right angles to its body, said flanges
imparting great strength and durability to the body of the spring.
These flanges, in order to make them take part in the springing motion
of the spring, are corrugated to produce alternately outward and inward
undulations, but instead of being corrugated they may be slit or
otherwise properly prepared for the purpose named. The flanges are
formed on the body of the spring, either by means of rollers.or in proper
dies or otherwise, and may be corrugated in the act of being formed or
subsequently.
f.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said Alexander Melville Clark in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 10th December 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lanc, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, send greeting.
.
2
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her.
Letters Patent; bearing date the Twelfth day of June, in the year of our 3

page_text: "
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-seventh
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Alexander Melville Clark, Her special
licence that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexander Melville
Clark, 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
IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGE SPRINGS," a communication
to me from abroad by John Styles and George Artemus Barney, both
of the County and State of New York, Peter Valentine, of Susquehanna
Depôt, County of Susquehanna, State of Pennsylvania, all in the
United States of America, and Alfred Dewing Fox, of Prescott,
County of Granville, in the Dominion of Canada, upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, 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 statement, reference being had to the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that
is to say) :-
'This Invention has for its object. to reduce the weight and expense of
car and carriage springs and to dispense with the expensive manifold
leaf springs now in use.
The Invention consists in the production of a sheet metal car or
carriage spring, whose body is strengthened by having formed projecting
flanges at the sides. These flanges in order to take part in the springing
motion of the spring are corrugated to produce alternately outward and
inward undulations,

page_text: Figure 1 is a side view of the improved spring, showing two leaves
connected to form an elliptic spring; Figure 2 is a. top view; and
Figure 3, a cross section of the same; and Figure 4 is a perspective view
of a single leaf spring of this Invention. Similar letters of reference
indicate corresponding parts in all the Figures.
In the accompanying Drawing the letter A represents the body of the
improved spring being arranged in one length, as in Figure 4, to be
semi-elliptic, or in two lengths that are joined at the ends, as in
Figure 1, to be full elliptic. This spring A is made of sheet metal, or
from bar metal, with flanges a, a, projecting at about right angles to its
body, as shown in Figure 3, said flanges imparting great strength and
durability to the body of the spring. These flanges, in order to make
them take part in the springing motion of the spring, are corrugated, as
shown, but instead of being corrugated they may be otherwise properly
prepared for the purpose named.
The flanges are formed on the body of the spring, either by means of
rollers or in proper dies or otherwise, and may be corrugated in the act
of being formed or subsequently.
Instead of having the body of the spring made with two flanges a, a,
it may be made double, lengthwise, of two pieces, each piece having but
one flange.
It should be understood that by the term sheet metal I mean sheet
steel, sheet iron, or any other metal rolled or shaped in the manner
described.
The flanges a may project either upwards or downwards.
Rubber or other substance may be placed within the hollow of the
spring, between the flanges, to prevent dirt from entering said hollow
to deaden sound, and for other évident
purposes.
Having described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be
protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-

page_text: 1st. A sheet metal railway or other carriage spring made with one
r more projecting flanges a, as described.
2ndly. Corrugating said flange or flanges as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of December,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy-four.
Witness,
H*. SWALES,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
A. M. CLARK. (L.S.)