IMPROVEMENTS IN BUFFERS FOR RAILWAY VEHICLES
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL
SPECIFICATION.
We, ROBERT HILL of Glasgow in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Writer
to Her Majesty's Signet and JOHN DARLING of Glasgow aforesaid, Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BUFFERS
FOR RAILWAY VEHICLES" to be as follows:-
This Invention, which relates to improvements in buffers for Railway Vehicles,
has for its object to cushion the shocks of Railway collisions or other strains in, or
amongst, or upon, Railway Vehicles, by taking up and retaining, by means of the
improved buffers, the force of blow resulting from collisions or other shocks or
strains, so as to prevent the said shocks or strains acting destructively to a train or
trains, or injuriously to the passengers therein.
1
This object is effected by causing the buffer springs to be caught by. an auto-
matically acting hook, or by a spring, or by the mechanical equivalent of either of
these, at the instant when the springs are at their position of maximum com-
pression, and to release the said springs from that position gradually by means of
the retaining spring, or by gradually releasing the compressed.springs of the buffer
from the hold of the automatic retaining book or its equivalent.
It is to be understood that the springs used in connection with the improved
arrangement of buffers may be either plate or spiral metallic springs or air springs.
Dated this twenty seventh day of February 1884
J. H. JOHNSON, DAY & JOHNSON,
Petitioners' Agents,
115, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow.

page_text: We, ROBERT HILL, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain,
Writer to Her Majesty's Signet, and JOHN DARLING, of Glasgow aforesaid, Engineer
do hereby declare the nature of our said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
BUFFERS FOR RAILWAY VEHICLES and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
Our Invention, which relates to improvements in Buffers for Railway Vehicles,
has for its object to cushion the shocks of Railway collisions, or other strains in,
or amongst, or upon Railway vehicles, by taking up and retaining, by means of the
improved buffers, the force of blow resulting from collisions or other shocks or
strains, so as to prevent the said shocks or strains, acting destructively to a train
or trains, or injuriously to the passengers therein.
We effect this object, by causing the buffer springs to be caught or arrested by an
automatically acting hook, or by a spring, or by the mechanical equivalent of either
of these, at the instant when the springs are at their position of maximum
compression, and to release the said springs from that position gradually by means
of the retaining spring, or by gradually releasing the compressed springs of the
buffer from the hold of the automatic retaining book or its equivalent.
We desire it to be understood, that the springs, used in connection with our
improved arrangement of buffers may be either plate or spiral metallic springs,
or air springs.
.
In order that our said Invention may be more fully understood and readily
carried into effect, we now proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed:-
Figure 1, represents in side elevation, an arrangement of mechanism constructed
according to and constituting our present Invention.
Figure 2, is a plan of the underside of the same.
In carrying our present Invention into practice, we provide around the rod a, of
the buffer b, the spiral spring c; or, we may use, in place of the spring c, a spring
of volute form or a vulcanised spring as hitherto usually employed upon the buffers
of Railway Vehicles, or, a spring of other analogous form. The inner end of the
buffer rod a, is supported and free to slide longitudinally within the bracket d,
secured at any convenient part of the vehicle.-This bracket d, is provided with
the pin e, extending into the slot f, formed in the buffer rod a.-This arrangement
admits of the rod a, being moved longitudinally, while secured against any rotary
movement, but any arrangement of parts, for effecting these ends, may be employed,
such for example as a squared buffer rod a, passing through a correspondingly
square opening formed in the bracket d.-The spring c, or its equivalent bears, at
its inner extremity, upon the face of the bracket d, and at its outer extremity the
said spring c, bears upon the collar g, which is secured, against longitudinal motion,
by the pin h, or its equivalent. Upon the buffer rod a, we secure the block i,
preferably of the form represented more particularly at Figure 2.-This block i, is
secured upon the said rod a, by the pin j, or by other equivalent means.-
spring k, secured within the bracket 7, is so situated that the buffer on being
pressed inwards causes the curved face m, of the block i, to impinge upon and pass.
over the rounded friction piece n, constituting the inner terminal of the spring k.-
It is to be understood that the positions of the bracket I, and spring k, are so
related to that of the rod a, and block i, that, when the buffer spring c, has arrived
at its position of maximum compression, the terminal n, bears against the outer
side of the curved face m, and gradually allows the buffer spring c, to extend
-The

page_text: outwards while the said face m, is passing over the terminal n.-This gradual
relaxation of the spring c, is prolonged by virtue of the resistance to yielding of
the spring k, which, as it were, conveys its breaking properties outwards with and
upon the block i, until such time as the curved face m, of the said block i, has
passed wholly across the terminal n, at which time the higher degrees of com-
pression of the buffer spring c, have been spent, and thereby allow the buffer to
regain its normal position with little, or no, shock.
We desire it to be understood, although we have hereinbefore described and
shewn upon the annexed sheet of drawings, a construction of mechanism, for
carrying out our present Invention, that we may vary the same in many ways
without departing from the essential features thereof, for example we may employ
an automatically acting hook to catch and arrest the outward or extending motion
of the buffer b, and we may further use springs other than of the form represented
at k, such for example as spiral metallic springs, or air springs.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
First. Buffers for Railway Vehicles, wherein the springs compressed by the
force of blow resulting from collisions or other shocks or strains are retained and
gradually released substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth
with reference to the annexed sheet of drawings.
Second. The mechanism for retaining and gradually releasing buffer springs in
and from their degree of maximum compression, consisting of the block i, and
spring k, and their connections substantially as hereinbefore set forth with reference
to the annexed sheet of drawings, or the mechanical equivalent of all or any of
the said parts.