An Improved Torsion Spring for Vehicles.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Mar., 1887.
Specification Accepted, 22nd Apr., 1887.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Torsion Spring for Vehicles.
We, BENJAMIN DAVID SHAW, of Waterford in the County of Washington, and
State of Ohio, Farmer and Mechanic, and ARTHUR WINCHESTER HAYWARD, of 197,
199, and 201, Fifth Avenue, Chicago, in the State of Illinois, Wholesale Boot and
Shoe Dealer and Commercial Traveller both of the United States of America, 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:
Fig. 1 of the drawings is a perspective view showing our torsion-spring applied to
a vehicle, and Fig. 2 a detail view of the spring itself.
are a
In the drawings, A, represents the coupling-pole or the body of a waggon, both
being unnecessary on the same vehicle; B, the axles, and C the wheels. D D
pair of cross-bars rigidly attached to the body or coupling-pole, and E is our improved
torsion-spring.
Each spring consists of only one steel rod, d, or of two steel rods, d d', of which
With an
the first is bent to go through the bore of wheel where no axle is used.
axle, rod d is attached thereto at 1, carried thence to 2 on the front cross-bar, where
it is secured to turn, thence along said bar to 3, where it is also secured to turn,
thence alongside or along under the bed or body.
The second rod, d, is first started at 5, carried across to the cross-bar D', where it
is secured to turn, and thence along said bar to a suitable distance and fastened so as
not to turn, or to turn only with a little play. The ends of the bars d d' are connected
by a link, 10, which is movable along the arms 11 and 12 from 13 to 4 or from 5
to 14, in order to regulate the length and stiffness of the spring. The other springs
are similar and attached in a corresponding manner, one for each wheel.

page_text: The load rests on the cross-bars D D', and the axle as well as cross-bars are all
connected by the springs. This gives the desired strength and allows the wheels to
move independently or together, up and down, without jolting the load.
If the right-hand wheel moves up, the end of spring in its bore must also go up,
thus twisting the first rod from 2 to 3, while the arm I of rod d cannot rise if the
link runs from 4 to. 14. This makes a short stiff spring, while one with a minimum
of stiffness is obtained by arranging link 10 on arms 11 and 12, so as to give the same
torsion on each rod. A man soon learns by practice to regulate the torsion with
great nicety, so that the rods will twist proportionately to their size and length alike
along their whole length, the rod d from 2 to 3 and the rod d¹ from 5 to 6, where it
joins onto cross-bars B¹.
In order to place the load at different heights from the axles, links of different
length are employed. The shorter the link the higher will the load be raised from
the axle, and the reverse.
The axles are coupled so that they may move independently and accomodate the
motion of any wheel at its centre, as the end of the spring-arm is made to move back
and up in passing over an obstacle.
The advantages of our torsion vehicle-spring are: First, each wheel has its own
independent spring; second, the climbing motion of the springs assists materially
in surmounting obstacles and producing a more pleasant action; third, the load or
bed of vehicle can be let down low for low wheels or raised high for large wheels, so
that the latter will run freely under the bed or body; fourth, the springs may be made
more or less stiff to suit circumstances; fifth, the fore and hind wheels will have
their own springs when they are un-coupled; sixth, our torsion-spring can be used
on any vehicle, from a baby-carriage to a lumber-waggon.
We do not have to use the second rod, d, in making the spring unless we desire
the lengthening of the spring, as we can get the climbing motion and also the power
to place the bed at different lieights, from the axle by the use of the first rod only, in
this case running the link from 4 to bed or back cross-piece at or near 14. Again,
the second rod, d, may be placed on same side of axle as the first rod, d, or on the
opposite side, its arm 12 extending forward toward the first rod, d, or back away
from it, so that the bearing of the load (which is on the cross-bar D₁ this rod is
attached to) may be close to the hind end of the bed, or farther forward, enabling the
body to extend well behind the axle or only about to it, as the nature of the vehicle
demands, and for the front axle it enables us to place the wheels or axle back of the
king-bolt, so that we can turn shorter with same width of bed when we use wheels
which do not turn under the bed. The arm 12 of this second rod, d, may or may
not be connected to the axle by another arm hinged to it at 5, and extending down to
the axle or to first rod, d, where it enters the bore of the wheel, or where it is attached
to the axle. Then by allowing some play or turn to the rod where it is fastened
to cross-bar D', or some play of the arin 12 where it is hinged or secured to axle-arm,
and by running link from 4 to cross-bar at or near 14, we will get this kind of a
spring first, the torsion or strength of the first rod, d, only until the arm 12 at
point 5 comes to its bearing, where it is fastened to the axle-arm; then we get the
torsion or strength of the second od, , added to that of the first rod; by using iwo
links, one link between the arms 11 and 12, so as to start with an even torsion, the
whole length of both rods, (the longest and easiest spring) then another link running
from 4 to 14, thus giving three powers of spring. To make more plain, suppose we
have a link running from 13 to 5 which is taut and another running from 4 to 14
which is slack when we commence loading. As I load the bed the arm 12 at point 5
moves up, letting point 4 move up until link from 4 to 14 is taut. Then as we load
heavier point 5 goes down with the bed until it comes to its bearing, where it is
connected with the axle-arm. It will be noticed that we get, first, the torsion of both
rods, or a spring which is equal to the length of both rods; then when the load
tightens the link from 4 to 14, the torsion of the second rod is taken off, and we only
get the length of spring in first rod, which is twice as stiff as we started with; then

page_text: when the load bears down until arm 12 at point 5 comes to its axle-bearing we add
the stiffness of this second rod to the first. Hence as we commence loading we get,
first, the torsion of the first rod as relieved by the torsion of the second rod, more
load gives the torsion of the first, rod only, and still more load gives the torsion or
strength of the second rod added to that of the first rod-that is, three powers of
spring, or from a baby spring (as it were) to a ton spring or more-without changing
links or connections.
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 :-
1. The combination, with the axle, of the cross-bars D D and the springs E E, all
connected together and adapted to operate in the manner described.
2. In a vehicle torsion-spring, the link 10, made movable along the arms 11 and 12
from 13 to 4 and from 5 to 14, to regulate the length and stiffness of the spring, as
set forth.
Datad this 15th day of March 1907
HORN & SON,
Agents on behalf of Applicants.