IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CARRIAGE BUFFER AND OTHER SPRINGS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Frederick Henson, of New Cavendish
Street, Portland Place, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CARRIAGE BUFFER AND OTHER
SPRINGS"
Sealed the 12th September 1861, and dated the 16th March 1861..
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Frederick Henson
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 16th March 1861.
I, WILLIAM FREDERICK HENSON, of New Cavendish Street, Portland
Place, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CARRIAGE
BUFFER AND OTHER SPRINGS," to be as follows:-
My improvements consist in combining the action of a conical or conoidal
spiralsteelspringwiththat of a flat spiral or volute steelspring insuch a manner
that when being acted upon simultaneously by one and the same plunger the
conical spring shall be compressed while the flat volute spring is at the same
time extended. These two springs may be either formed in one piece by
means of a steel bar being in part coiled round a cylindrical mandril so as to
form a flat volute spring, while the remaining portion is coiled round a conical
mandril so as to form a conical spiral spring, or the two springs may be formed
separate from each other. The bar of steel of which these springs are formed

page_text: may be either of a rectangular or of a circular section, or the section may be
grooved or trough shaped, either parallel or tapering, or the springs may be
formed of tubular bars of steel, or they may be of any other suitable sectional
form, and such combined conical or conoidal and flat volute springs may be
employed either for buffer or draw bar springs for railwaycarriages, or for any
other purpose to which they are applicable.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Frederick Henson in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 14th September 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
FREDERICK HENSON, of New Cavendish Street, Portland Place, in the County
of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said William Frederick Henson, Her special licence that I, the said William
Frederick Henson, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Frederick Henson, 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 CARRIAGE BUFFER AND OTHER SPRINGS,"
upon. the condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Frederick
Henson, 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 immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Frederick Henson, 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 thereof, reference 'being had to the accompanying
Drawing and to the figures marked thereon (that is to say):-

page_text: My improvements consist in combining the action of a conical or conoidal
spiral steel spring with that of a flat spiral or volute steel spring in such 'a
manner that when being acted upon simultaneously by one and the same
plunger the conical spring shall be compressed whilst the flat volute spring is
at the same time extended. These two springs may be either formed in one
piece by means of a steel bar being in part coiled round a cylindrical mandril
Iso as to form a flat volute spring, whilst the remaining portion is coiled round
a conical mandril so as to form a conical spiral spring, or the two springs may
be formed separate from each other. The bar of steel of which these springs
are formed may be either of a rectangular or of a circular section, or the section
may be grooved or trough shaped, either parallel or tapering, or the springs
-may be formed of tubular bars of steel, or they may be of any other suitable
sectional form, and such combined conical or conoidal and flat spiral or volute
springs may be employed either for buffer or draw bar springs for railway
carriages, or for any other purpose to which they are applicable.
Figure 1 on the accompanying Drawing shewsa longitudinal section through
a buffer apparatus with my combined conical and flat spiral spring. The conical
spring a is formed in one piece with the flat spiral spring a¹, and is supported
on the rim 6 fixed to the casing c. The buffer rod d has a disc e áttached to
.it, which bears against the conical spring a; it is also provided with a collar'f,
which bears against the flat spiral spring a¹. The rod d is guided in its
motion by the guide piece g. When the buffer h, and with it the rod d is
pressed backwards, the disce compresses the conical spring a at the same time
that the collar fextends the flat spring a¹.
In Figure 2 is shewn a longitudinal section of a buffer apparatus in which
the conical spring a and flat spiral spring a' are formed separate from each
other, but are both acted upon at the same time by the buffer rod'd. The
flat spiral spring a' is here fixed by its centre coil to a fixed conical support b,
for the construction and application of which Letters Patent were granted to
me, and bearing date 16th July 1860, No. 1711, and the outer coils of this
spring are depressed on to this support 6 by the ring c, fixed to the buffer 'rod'd
at the same time that the conical spring a is compressed by the disc e, also
attached to the buffer rod d, owing to the pressing back of the buffer h.
In Figure 3 is shown a similar arrangement to Figure 2, with the difference
that the conical plunger 6 is fixed to the buffer rod d, and moves 'with 'the
same, depressing the inner coils of the flat spiral spring a¹ at the same time
that the disc e, fixed to the buffer rod d, compresses 'the conical 'spiral
spring.a.
In Figure 4 is shewn a longitudinal section of a draw bar apparatus, 'in

page_text: which the draw bar is made to act simultaneously upon a conical and a
flat spiral spring. a is the draw bar to which is attached firstly, the disc b,
acting upon the conical spring c; secondly the conical plunger d, acting upon
one side of the flat spiral springe; thirdly the conical plunger facting upon the
other side of the flat spiral spring e; and fourthly, the disc g acting upon the
conical spring h. Thus if the draw bar is pulled in one direction, the disc b
will compress the conical spring c at the same time that the plunger d will
extendt he flat spring e in the direction of the conical spring h. If the bar a
is pulled in the reverse direction the disc g will compress the conical spring h
at the same time that the plunger fextends the flat spring ein the direction of
the conical spring c.
In Figure 5 is shewn a longitudinal section through another draw bar
apparatus, in which the draw bar acts alternately upon two combined conical
and flat spiral springs. a is the draw bar having attached to it firstly, the
disc b and collarc acting upon the combined conical and flat spiral spring d, ďª,
and secondly, the disc e and collar facting upon the combined conical and flat
spiral spring g, g. Thus, if the draw bar is pulled in one direction the
conical spring d will be compressed by the disc b at the same time that the flat
spring d¹ will be extended by the collar c, and if the draw bar is pulled in
the reverse direction the disc e will compress the conical springg at the same
time that the collar f will extend the flat spring g¹.
Figure 6 shews a transverse section of a combined conical and flat spiral
or volute spring formed of a bar of a rectangular tapering section.
Figure 7 shews a section of a combined conical and flat spiral or volute
spring formed of a bar of an upright oval section.
Figure 8 shews a section of a combined conical and flat spiral or volute
spring of a flat oval section.
Figure 9 shews a section of a combined conical and flat spiral or volute
spring of a tubular section.
Figure 10 shews a section of a combined conical aud flat spiral or volute
spring of a semicircular grooved section.
.
Figure 11 shews a section of a combined conical and flat spiral or volute
spring of a rectangular grooved section.
Figure 12 shews a section of a combined conical and flat spiral or volute
spring of a grooved section at the centre coils, but flattened out towards the
outer coils.
Figure 13 shows a section of a combined. conical and flat spiral or volute
spring of a grooved section at the outer coils, but flattened out towards the
centre coils.

page_text: Figure 14 shews a section of a combined conical and flat spiral or volute
spring of a circular tubular section at the centre coils, but gradually flattened
together towards the outer coils.
Figure 15 shews a section of a combined conical and flat spiral spring of a
circular tubular section at the outer coil, and gradually flattened together
towards the centre coils.
Having now described the nature of my Invention, and the best means I am
acquainted with of performing the same, I wish it to be understood that I do
not limit myself to the exact details as shown on the accompanying Drawing
but what I claim is,-
Firstly, the construction of combined conical or conoidal and flat spiral or
volute springs formed of bars of steel of a rectangular, circular, elliptical,
tubular, or grooved section.
Secondly, the construction of combined conical or conoidal and flat spiral
or volute springs formed of bars of a tapering section.
Thirdly, the construction of combined conical or conoidal and flat spiral or
volute springs of a grooved or tubular section at the inner coils, but flattened
out towards the outer coils.
Fourthly, the construction of combined conical or conoidal and flat spiral or
volute springs of a grooved or tubular section at the outer coils, but flattened
out towards the centre coils.
Fifthly, the combination in buffer or draw bar apparatus of conical or
conoidal and flat spiral or volute springs, whether formed of one piece or
whether formed separate from each other, and that are so arranged that they
are acted upon simultaneously by the buffer rod or draw bar.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Frederick Henson, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
WILLIAM FREDERICK HENSON. (L.s.)