IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRINGS
Year: 1885

page_text: I, EDWARD SPAULDING, of 43 Exchange Place, in the City and State of New
York in the United States of America, but at present of 115 St. Vincent Street,
Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Machinist and Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of the said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRINGS, to
be as follows: —
This Invention consists of a spring made of one or more flat steel plates of much
shorter and somewhat wider diminsions than springs commonly made of steel
plates, and being so contrived that a single plate may be used alone, as a semi-
elliptic spring, or two or more may be used together in the same form, or as a
semi-elliptic or complete elliptic spring; said springs being merely placed in a box
or case loosely, in which they are confined without being fastened together, or to
the box, or case, so that whenever it is desirable to make the spring stronger or
weaker, it may be done by adding more plates or removing some from the box
or case; also if a plate breaks it may be removed and a new one replaced without
disturbing the others and without any refitting; and the spring may be readily
graduated by placing more of the plates or thicker ones, on one side than the other,
so that one side will be adapted for a lighter load and the other side for a heavy
load. These cases are so constructed as to hold the plates of an elliptic or semi-
elliptic spring in position one above the other without the use of bolts or bands;
it also keeps two or more springs in position, parallel with each other, that is, side
by side; and it forms a joint or pivot at each end of the spring without the aid
of bolts.
This Invention also consists of a novel contrivance of the form of the plates,
whereby springs of great power and considerable range are obtained from short
and very thin plates.
The object of this Invention is more particularly to provide simple, light and
cheap springs for freight cars, but this improved spring may be applied to other
cars or vehicles, and may be used for other purposes.
Dated this 11.
T 100
J. H. JOHNSON, DAY & JOHNSON,
Petitioner's Agents,
115, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow.

page_text: Improvements in Springs.
I, EDWARD SPAULDING of 43 Exchange Place, in the City and State of New
York in the United States of America but at present of 115 St. Vincent Street,
Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Machinist and Engineer do
hereby declare the nature of my said invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN SPRINGS and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:—
My Invention consists of a spring made of one or more flat steel plates of much
shorter and somewhat wider dimensions than springs commonly made of steel
plates, and so mounted that a single plate may be used alone as a semi-elliptic
spring, or two or more plates may be used together in the same form, either as a semi-
elliptic or complete elliptic spring. The spring being so mounted within a box or
case that the spring is not fixed to the box or case nor are the plates of the spring
fastened together so that whenever it is desirable to make the spring stronger or
weaker, it may be done without having to unfix any fastenings by simply adding
more plates or removing some from the box or case, also if a plate breaks it may
be removed and a new one replaced without disturbing the others and without any
refitting, and the spring may be readily graduated by placing more of the plates
or thicker ones on one side than the other of the spring, so that one side will be
adapted for a lighter load and the other for a heavy load. The boxes or cases are
so constructed as to hold the plates of an elliptic or semi-elliptic spring in position
one above the other without the use of bolts or bands; two or more springs can
also be kept in position, parallel with each other, that is, side by side, and a joint
or pivot at each end of the spring is or may be formed without the aid of bolts.
My Invention also consists of a novel contrivance of the form of the plates,
whereby springs of great power and considerable range are obtained from short
and very thin plates.
The object of my Invention is more particularly to provide simple light and
cheap springs for freight cars, but this improved spring may be applied to other
cars or vehicles, and may be used for other purposes.
In order that my said Invention may be properly understood and readily carried
into effect, I will now proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
Figure 1, is a longitudinal sectional elevation of an elliptic spring constructed
according to my invention.
Figure 2, is a plan of one of the plates.
Figure 3, is an end elevation of the same, the plate being shown of less bend
than in Figure 1.
Figure 4, is a transverse section of the plate as on the line x, x, Figure 2.
Figure 5, is a sectional elevation of a modified arrangement of the device for
confining the spring.
Figure 5, is a similar view shewing a graduated spring of greater strength on
one side than on the other.
For freight car springs I take steel plates about one foot long, eight inches wide,
and one eighth of an inch thick, but varying the proportions as may be required,

page_text: and strike them up in dies as spring plates are usually formed, the dies being
constructed to produce the semi-elliptic form represented in Figure 1; also to
produce the transverse-concave as at a Fig. 3. and the transverse groove b, in the
back or crowning side, with the corresponding transverse convexity a¹, and the
rib b¹, of the under or inner side of the plate; the concavo-convex form being
greatest at the crown of the plate, where it is crossed by the groove b, and dimi-
nishes therefrom and .vanishes at the ends c, as at Fig. 3, which are straight across
from edge to edge of the plates.
Whilst a spring plate concaved transversely on the crowning side of the longi-
tudinal curve is the best form for strength, because the tension is sustained by.the
middle web of the transversely convex side, and the edges of the plate are subject
to compression only, yet the plates must be correspondingly long and narrow to
obtain much range of motion in the spring; for the tendency of the edges of the
plates to buckle is such that in a plate of much width the conflicting forces of
tension of the middle web and compression of the edges will rend the spring unless.
relieved by corresponding length.-By means of the transverse groove or depression
which I make in the concave side, and the corresponding rib on the other side
resulting therefrom, the necessary relief of the edges of the plates is afforded by
the transverse contraction and expansion of the rib to allow of the desired range
of motion of the spring, with plates of half or less than half the length that must
be used without such depression and rib, and the plate is materially strengthened
thereby.
By the graduation of the transverse concavo-convex form of the plates from
said depression to the ends, the plates are rendered uniformly elastic from the
middle to the ends, and thus the effect of the load is equally distributed over the
plates, and all parts contribute alike to the support of the load, without the
overstrain of any part.
The groove b, also serves as an excellent means of connecting the spring to the
car-body or bolster, or to the bottom of the box in which it is preferred to
arrange the spring as shown in the drawings in which the bolster or rib d, is made,
to fit the groove or depression, so that the plates will rest on and be confined by
their grooves b, and ribs b¹.
When a single plate is used, the ends will rest on any suitable bearing connected
with the axle-box or boxes, and the bolster will rest on the plate with its rib
or projection d, in the depression of the spring; but when two plates are used in
the elliptic form, the plates will preferably have a bearing between them at the
ends, unless the plates are made with sufficient curve to allow the necessary spring
motion when bearing on each other at the ends; and they will preferably be
arranged in a box E as shown in Figure 1 the said bearings preferably being made
of thin steel plates having a half-round bend f, between the short end sections f¹,
which end sections lie in one and the same plane, and form angles or recesses at f³,
in which the ends of the spring plates rest.
When the said bearers are supported by the ends of the box against the end
thrusts of the plates, and the said bearers rise and fall with the motion of the
spring, the bends f, also act as springs to some extent, and thus enlarge the range
and increase the elasticity of the spring in some measure. The bearers however
may be dispensed with, and the plates may rest on each other instead. The bearers
may consist, also as shown in Figure 5 of solid oval ribs g, formed on the end bars
of the band h, and projecting through the ends of the box, the band in this case
being disconnected from both parts of the box and free to play independently of.
either part. In Figure 1 the band h¹, is attached to the bottom part e, of the box
to form an overlapping flange to the upper part el, which plays up and down within
the band. The edges of the two parts of the box close together, and the spring
plates are supported by contact with the bottom and top of the box respectively,
when the spring has closed to the limit of its range.
To increase the power of the spring by additional plates requires only to add
other plates by placing them on the plates already in place, which added plates

page_text: will be secured the same as the others, without being connected or attached in any
way, as in other elliptic springs, the ribs of the added springs resting in the grooves
of the others. It will be seen that springs of this improved construction may
be made much shorter than other elliptic springs of the same power and range,
although a little wider; but this is not objectionable.
In case it may be required to use springs of greater power than may be practi-
cally made of plates placed one upon another, duplicate springs may be placed side
by side, the said springs being arranged in suitably widened boxes or other suitable
means being employed for holding the springs.
To make springs for both light and heavy loads, more plates are arranged on one
side than the other of the spring as shown in Figure 6, or plates of different
thicknesses may be employed so that the weak side will serve for the light load,
and when a heavier load is on, the weak side will, when sprung down to a proper
limit, be sustained by the box E. and bearers f, the stronger side of the spring
then coming into operation.
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 spring having its plate (or plates) bent longitudinally and curved
transversely, and having a transverse groove b at the middle and in the crowning
side of the longitudinal bend.
Second. The spring plate bent longitudinally and concaved transversely on the
crowning side of the longitudinal bend, and grooved across the middle of the
crowning side, the concaveness being greatest at the middle and vanishing at
the end of the plate.
Third. The combination with longitudinally curved spring plates of a casing or
box formed with ribs & fitting the grooves b of the plates.
Fourth. The curved bearers (f, g,) having end sections forming bearing angles
or recesses f³, to receive the ends of the spring plates, in combination with the
plates and the box or casing and supporting band (h, h², h²).
Fifth. In graduated elliptic springs, the plates bent longitudinally, concaved
transversely, and grooved across the middle of the crowning side, and arranged in
greater numbers or with thicker plates on one side than the other of the springs
and with a support for the weaker side when compressed to its limit, as described
with reference to Figure 6.