IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRINGS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR MAKING THE SAME.
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Baird Handyside and Thomas Richardson
Yarrow, both of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Engineers, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRINGS, AND IN
APPARATUS FOR MAKING THE SAME.
"
Sealed the 8th November 1870, and dated the 14th May 1870.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Baird Handyside
and Thomas Richardson Yarrow at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 14th May 1870.
We, JAMES BAIRD HANDYSIDE and THOMAS RICHARDSON YARROW,
both of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineers,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SPRINGS, AND IN APPARATUS FOR MAKING THE SAME," to be as follows, that is
to say :-
This Invention relates to the construction of springs in certain
improved modes so as to have a superior action, and so as to yield a
better duty relatively to the metal employed than springs as hitherto
made.

page_text: One part of the Invention consists in making the spring in what may
be termed a conoido-helical form, a strip of metal being twisted into a
helical coil whilst each single convolution of the coil is in the form of a
frustrum of a cone. This conoido-helical form is obtainable by twisting
a flat, annular, or segmental strip of metal; and such strip is made
either of uniform thickness or tapering, or, as is preferred, with a bead or
thickened rim on one or on both edges. For making a spring of this
kind a mandril is provided with a conoido-helical thread formed on it.
A clutch is adapted to the end of the mandril, and the end of the metal
strip for the spring is fixed to it by a hooked bolt which is put through
a hole passing obliquely across the clutch. One or more rollers is or
are set to keep the metal strip against the mandril, and the strip becomes
folded upon the mandril by turning the latter.
By another modification the spring is a helical coil formed from a rod
of metal of a cross section shaped like a lozenge or parallelogram, the
obtuse angles being on the inner and outer sides of the coils, whilst the
diagonal joining those angles is inclined so as to make unequal angles
with the axis.
By a further modification two coils like that last herein-before
described are combined one within the other, the inner one being of a
smaller section and lying in the angular hollows of the other coil.
When the spring is much compressed the two coils bear continuously
on each other before the convolutions of the outer coil come into close
contact with each other. This last described improvement is applicable
with helical coils made of rods of circular and other cross sections.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said James Baird Handyside and Thomas Richardson
Yarrow in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 12th November
1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES 30
BAIRD HANDYSIDE and THOMAS RICHARDSON YARROW, both of Glasgow,
in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Engineers, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria,, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of May, in the year of

page_text: our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-fourth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto us, the said James Baird Handyside and Thomas Richard-
son Yarrow, Her special licence that we, the said James Baird Handy-
side and Thomas Richardson Yarrow, our executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as we, the said James Baird Handyside and
Thomas Richardson Yarrow, our 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 SPRINGS, AND IN APPARATUS
FOR MAKING THE SAME," upon the condition (amongst others) that we,
the said James Baird Handyside and Thomas Richardson Yarrow, our
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under our; 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 immediately
after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said James Baird Handyside and
Thomas Richardson Yarrow, 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 state-
ment in writing, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings,
that is to say:-
Our said Invention relates to the construction of springs in certain
improved modes so as to have a superior action and so as to yield a
better duty relatively to the metal employed than springs as hitherto
made.
One part of our Invention consists in making the spring in what may
be termed a conoido-helical form, a strip of metal being twisted into a
helical coil, whilst each single convolution of the coil is approximately
in the form of a frustrum of a cone.
By another modification the spring is a helical coil formed from a rod
of metal of a cross section shaped like a lozenge; and by a further
modification two coils like that herein-before described are combined one

page_text: within the other, and this is applicable with helical coils made of circular
and other cross sections.
And in order that our said Invention and the manner of performing
the same may be properly understood, we have hereunto appended two
Sheets of explanatory Drawings to be herein-after referred to, and
representing various modifications of our conoido-helical and other
springs and apparatus for making the same.
Figures 1 to 6 on Sheet 1 of the Drawings are plans or end views,
and corresponding sectional side elevations of conoido-helical springs,
made of strips of steel of various sections. A great variety of sections
may be adopted, but we prefer the one shown in Figures 5 and 6, which
has a bead or thickened rim on its inner edge, whilst the thickness of
the remainder or wing increases with a slight taper towards its outer
edge. With this form when the spring is compressed until the outer
edges of the successive convolutions touch each other, the spring will
not become dead or solid, but a new action will commence, consisting of
the slight expansion of the convolutions by each other as the spring
is more and more compressed, until at last the thickened beads at the
inner edges come together. An excessive load will thus bring an
additional elastic resistance into play, and will not at once close and
deaden the spring. The conoido-helical form is obtainable by twisting
a flat annular or segmetal strip of metal, and such strip is made either
of uniform thickness or tapering, or with a bead or thickened rim at one
or both edges, and by preference at the inner edge, as shown in
Figure 6.
Figures 7 and 8 are an end view and a sectional side elevation of our
improved modification of the common helical spring, the improvement
consisting in making the spring out of a rod of a lozenge-shaped section,
'the obtuse angles being on the inner and outer sides of the convolutions,
whilst the diagonal joining these is inclined so as to make unequal angles
with the axis. This spring possesses a peculiarity similar to that referred
to in connection with our conoido-helical springs. The action of the
spring is not terminated by the first contact of the convolutions, as
they may be still further compressed but with a greatly increased
resistance.
Figures 9 and 10 are an end view and a sectional side elevation,
showing the combination of a spring such as is shown in Figures 7 and 8,

page_text: with an inner coil of a similar but somewhat smaller section; whilst
Figures 11 and 12 are similar views showing the same combination, but
with two helical springs made out of metal of the ordinary circular
section; and in both these modifications the same feature is present,
namely, the extra compressibility of the spring after the first contact
of the adjacent convolutions, but with increased resistance, the two
coils coming to bear continuously on each other before the convolutions
of the outer coil come into close contact with each other. For making
a conoido-helical spring, and more particularly one of the section and
form shown in Figures 1 and 2, a mandril is used of the kind shown in
side elevation in Figure 14 on Sheet 2 of the Drawings, and which has
a conoido-helical thread formed on it. A clutch shown in plan in
Figure 13 and in section in Figure 14 is adapted to the end of the
mandril, and the end of the metal strip A. is fixed to it by a hookeḍ
bolt B, which is put through a hole passing obliquely across the clutch.
One or more rollers is or are set to keep the metal strip against
the mandril, and the strip becomes folded upon the mandril by turning
the latter.
These arrangements for twisting the springs are shown in a more
› complete form in Figures 15, 16, and 17, and as modified to suit springs
of the kind shown in Figures 5 and 6; Figure 15 being a plan; Figure
16 a longitudinal section; and Figure 17 an end elevation. The strip
of steel for making the spring is first rolled in a straight length, and
of a cross section designed to suit the form and section finally assumed
5 by the spring. Thus for a spring of the kind shown in Figures 5 and 6
the cross section of the original straight strip or bar has to be what is
shown in Figure 18, from which Figure it will be observed that the
wing or outer part O has more thickening taper than that of the finished
spring. The straight bar of the section, Figure 18, is passed between a
O pair of rolls mounted so as to overhang from their bearings, and set so
as to reduce the taper of the wing to the finished size or nearly so, and
in so reducing the taper the excess of metal previously in the tapered
part causes the bar or strip, as it is being rolled to assume a flat or
nearly flat annular form. The bar will in general extend to more than
5 one complete circle or convolution when in the annular form, and the
end that first comes from the rolls is bent aside, so that the second
circle or convolution may overlie it, and the result is that a small
pitched helical coil is formed, but of much larger inside and outside

page_text: diameters than those of the finished spring. It is this flatish coil (as it
may be termed) which is twisted into the form of the finished spring
by means of the machinery shown in Figures 15, 16, and 17. This
machinery comprises a long horizontal mandril or shaft 1 carried in
bearings on standards 2, 3, 4, which are bolted down to a bed frame 5.
The mandril 1 has a helical groove 6 formed on it to fit the inside of
the bead D of the metal strip (Figure 18), and an internal helical or
screw thread is formed in the bushes of the standard 2 to work in the
groove, and cause the mandril to move on end when turned. The
mandril 1 has a square projection formed on its end to fit a socket in
the end of a short shaft 7, which is thus partly supported by the
mandril 1, and which is also supported in bearings in a standard 8. A.
conical head 9 is formed on the end of the shaft 7 where it is connected
to the mandril 1, and immediately over this conical head 9 there is a
conical roller 10 upon an inclined shaft 11 carried by a standard or
bracket 12. The shaft 11 has fast on it a bevil wheel 13, which is in
gear with a bevil wheel 14 on the shaft 7, the latter wheel 14 being
formed with a long boss which rests in the bushes of the standard 8,
whilst it is geared to the shaft by a key and groove which admits of the
shaft 7 moving on end. The mandril or shaft 1 is similarly geared by a
key and groove to a clutch block 15, which is between two bevil wheels
16, 17, formed with elongated bosses which are loose on the shaft 1, and
which are held in the bushes of the standards 3, 4. The bevil wheels
16, 17, are driven by a bevil pinion 18 on a shaft driven by any suitable
prime mover and a lever 19 is arranged for shifting the clutch block 15,
so as to make it gear with either wheel 16 or 17. A lever 20 is arranged
to act on the short shaft 7 for shifting that shaft on end when required.
The flatish coil of steel being suitably heated is placed on any con-
venient support under the bearing 2, which is made to overhang, and
its end being turned up and over, and so entered between the roller 10
and the conical head 9 of the shaft 7, the machinery is set in motion
in the direction indicated by the. arrows, and causes the steel strip to be
coiled up into its finished form. During this operation the shafts 1, 7,
move towards the bearing 8, and on the strip of steel being all coiled up
the shaft 7 is moved a little further out by means of the handle 20, so
as to disengage it from the shaft 1. The shaft 1 is then reversed and
screwed back out of the spring which drops or is removed.
Steel has been herein-before referred to as the material of which our
improved springs are made, but it will be obvious that as our Invention

page_text: relates principally to the form the springs may be made of any suitable
metal.
Having thus particularly described our said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, we have to state that
we do not restrict ourselves to the precise details herein described or
delineated, but that what we believe to be novel and original, and claim
as the Invention secured to us by the herein-before in part recited
Letters Patent is,―
1. The making of metal springs in a conoido-helical form as herein-
before described.
2. The making of conoido-helical springs by means of apparatus,
substantially such as is herein-before described.
3. The making of helical springs out of rods of lozenge-shaped section
and the disposing them angularly as herein-before described, and as
shown in Figure 8 on Sheet 1 of the accompanying Drawings.
4. The making of helical springs with inner coils as herein-before
described with reference to Figures 9 to 12 on Sheet 1 of the accom-
panying Drawings.
5. The constructing of conoido-helical and helical springs in any of
the modes herein-before described so that they are capable of further
compression and resistance after the first contact between their different
parts.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Richardson Yarrow, on
behalf of the said James Baird Handyside and myself, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of November,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
seventy.
Witness,
80
EDMUND HUNT,
Patent Agent,
Glasgow.
THO³. R. YARROW. (L.s.)