AN IMPROVED MODE OF SUSPENDING CARRIAGE BODIES
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Smith, of Bartholomew Close, in the City
of London, Patent Door Spring Maker, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED MODE OF SUSPENDING CARRIAGE BODIES"
Sealed the 14th June 1853, and dated the 12th April 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Smith at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th April 1853.
I, JOHN SMITп, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "AN IMPROVED MODE OF SUSPENDING CARRIAGE BODIES" to be as
follows:-
This Invention relates to a novel mode of connecting together the
body and axles of carriages. It has hitherto been the practice, in
the construction of carriages for common roads, to throw the draught
of the carriage upon the springs themselves; and to enable the springs
to offer sufficient resistance to this draught they have been made of a
greater weight than was required to give the requisite vertical play to
ensure an easy motion. To avoid the necessity of this unduly strength-

page_text: ening the springs, I connect the axles of the wheels by jointed rods or
arms to the carriage framing and to each end of the axles, or to the
axles boxes. I loosely joint a rod which is connected at its upper end
to a cross bar, from which two or more rods, which dip into spring
barrels, are rigidly pendent. These barrels are carried by a box which
encloses a plate or block having a A-shaped recess on its under surface,
and projecting from a scroll iron or other connection of the carriage
frame. A knife-edge, with which this box is provided, bears against
the under side of the plate, and allows of the carriage body and the
box and its connections having a slight independent backward and
forward motion. The rods pendent from the cross bar are surrounded
by helical or spiral springs contained in the barrels already mentioned,
and play up and down in these barrels, causing the compression or
allowing for the expansion of the springs (as the case may be) when the
wheels meet with irregularities in the road.. Thus it will be understood
that an elastic connection at each wheel is made between the carriage
body and the axle by means of the rods of the cross head, the springs,
and the box with its knife-edge; and the draught of the carriage is
communicated through jointed rods or arins to the axle or axles, instead
of through draw springs. In some cases the knife-edged box may be
dispensed with, the oscillating motion of the carriage being allowed for
by employing suspending leathers or straps in lieu thereof.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Smith, in the Great Seal Patent Office, on
the 12th October 1853. .
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
JOHN SMITH, of Bartholomew Close, in the City of London, Patent
Door Spring Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the six-
teenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said John Smith. Her special license

page_text: that I, the said John Smith, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said. John Smith, 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 "AN IMPROVED MODE OF SUSPENDING
CARRIAGE BODIES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
John Smith, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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 John Smith, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the drawings hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say):
This Invention of. "an improved mode of suspending carriage
bodies" relates to a novel mode of connecting together the body and
axles of carriages, and of adapting the springs thereto. It has hitherto
been the practice, in the construction of carriages for common roads, to
throw the draught of the carriage upon the springs themselves; and
to enable the springs to offer sufficient resistance to this. draught, they
have been made of a greater. weight than would otherwise be required
to give the requisite vertical play.to ensure an easy motion. To avoid
the necessity of thus unduly strengthening the springs, I connect the
axle-trees of the wheels by jointed rods or arms to the carriage framing;
and to each end of the axles, or to the axle-boxes, I loosely joint a rod
which is connected at its upper end to a cross bar, from which two or
more rods, which dip into spring barrels, are rigidly pendent. These
barrels are provided with coiled or helical springs, and are carried by a
box which encloses a plate or block having a A-shaped recess on its
under surface, and projecting from a scroll-iron or other connexion of

page_text: the carriage frame. A knife-edge, with which this box is provided,
bears against the under side of the plate, and allows of the carriage body
and the box and its connexions having a slight independent backward
and forward or rocking motion. The rods pendent from the cross bar
are surrounded by the helical, coiled, or spiral springs contained in the
barrels already mentioned, and which springs play up and down in these
barrels, thereby causing the compression, or allowing for the expan-
sion, of the springs (as the case may be) when the wheels meet with
irregularities in the road. Thus it will be understood that an elastic
connection at each wheel is made between the carriage body and the
axle, by means of the rods of the cross head, the springs, and the box
with its knife-edge; and the draught of the carriage is communicated
through jointed rods or arms to the axles or axle-trees, instead of
through draw springs.
In some cases the knife-edged box may be dispensed with, the
oscillating motion of the carriage being allowed for by employing
suspending leathers or straps in licu thereof.
Having now generally explained the nature and object of my im-
provements, I will now proceed to describe more in detail the arrange-
ment or construction of parts, whereby my novel mode of suspending
carriage bodies may be carried into effect. Fig. 1, in the accompany-
ing drawings, is longitudinal sectional view, shewing the mode of
connecting the jointed arms to the axle-tree and under framing of the
carriage, and shewing also the operation and mode of applying the
springs. Fig. 2, is a sectional plan view of the same, and Fig. 3, is a
transverse vertical section, shewing the axle-tree, and the under part
of the carriage framing, in elevation. u, u, is the axle-tree; b, b, the
under part of the carriage framing. A sweep or arm c, is attached at
one end, in any convenient manner, to the axle-tree, as shewn in the
Figures, and at the opposite end of this arm is a joint d. To the
framing b, is attached a second sweep or arm e, e, which is also jointed
at d, to the arm c, so that the framing b, and axle-tree a, may be
allowed to approach towards each other. The ends of the under
framing b, b, are provided with bearing pieces f, also shewn detached
in Fig. 4; and these pieces f, are inserted in a hole or socket g, made

page_text: in the box h, h, and are made to rest upon a kind of A, or knife edge,
as seen best in the detached view. To the under side of the box h, h,
are secured the two spring barrels i, i, provided with coiled or helical
springs, as shewn.
Vertical rods j, j, are introduced into the spring barrels i, i, and are
surrounded by the coiled spring contained therein; these rods are pro-
vided at their lower ends with discs, to receive the pressure of the
springs, and at their upper ends they are screwed or otherwise attached
to the cross arm or bar k, which is connected to the axle-tree by the
central rod 1, and double action joint m, which will admit of a slight
motion either way. It will now be seen that the parts j, k, l, and m,
being connected to the axle-tree, are fixed, and cannot have any ver-
tical or up and down motion; while the parts g, h, and i, being con-
nected with the framing b, of the carriage, may and will have a vertical
motion communicated to them, and will thereby compress the coiled
or helical springs in the spring barrels i, i, when a load is placed in
the carriage, which (being suspended upon and supported by the
springs) will have an easy motion, even upon very rough roads. It
will also be seen that there is no tractive force upon the springs, as the
draught is imparted direct to the axle-tree by means of the arm c, and
the short arm n, which is bolted to the arm e, as shewn in the drawing,
and to which the shafts or splinter bar is attached in any convenient
manner. Instead of employing plain and simple coiled or helical
springs, as shewn in the Fig. 1, I sometimes propose to employ com-
pound springs of the kind shewn in the detached view, Fig. 5; in this
instance three coiled springs, of different strengths and diameters, are
placed one within the other, and may either be compressed simulta-
neously, or in succession.
Fig. 6, is a side elevation of a four-wheeled carriage, with my Inven-
tion applied thereto, both to the fore as well as the hinder portion of
the carriage. The peculiar construction and operation of the various
parts having been particularly described above, it will only be necessary
to say that similar letters are placed upon corresponding parts in this,
as in the other Figures, so that no further or more detailed explanation
will be required.

page_text: Fig. 7, is a side elevation, and Fig. 8, a partial end view of a gig,
in which the body is suspended upon the improved plan set forth
in the Figures 1, 2, and 3. Fig. 9, is a partial elevation of a
coach, carriage, or four-wheeled vehicle, in which the improvement is
applied to the fore part of the carriage in a different manner to that
shewn in Fig. 6. Fig. 10, is a front view of the same, the coachman's
seat being shewn in section. In this instance the improved mode of
suspension is adapted to the under part of the coachman's seat, the
spring barrels being concealed within or under the box. From the
part b, of the framing, rise two standards. o, o, which support, at their
upper ends, the horizontal rod or bar p, from which are suspended the
rods. The spring barrels i, i, are attached to a horizontal rod q
which is secured in any convenient manner to the coach box, or to
the scroll irons y, which support the body. It will now be seen that
when the box or body of the carriage is pressed down by any weight,
the coiled or helical springs inside the spring barrels i, i, will be com-
pressed as before.
Fig. 11, is a side elevation of a gentleman's carriage, with the
Invention applied thereto, but in a somewhat different manner to
that already described. Fig. 12, is a partial sectional plan view of
the same. In this instance the whole apparatus is placed within
the body of the carriage immediately under the seat, instead of being
connected with or attached to the axle-tree, or fixed part of the
framing, as in the former instance. The body of the carriage is, as
usual, suspended from scroll irons c, c, made somewhat in the form of
the ordinary C-springs of carriages; these irons, however, are rigid,
and have no elasticity, and the carriage body is suspended therefrom
by shackles or straps x, which pass round pins or bolts at the ends of
the scroll irons c, c, and the levers 7, 7, which have their fulcrums in
the body of the carriage at s. The opposite ends of these levers are
made to bear against and act upon coiled springs in the barrels i, i,
which are shewn by dots in Fig. 11; and, as the body of the carriage
moves up and down, the lever and other parts will be made to assume
the position shewn by red lines in Fig. 11, and thereby act on the
springs contained in the barrels.

page_text: Fig. 13, is a partial elevation of a carriage shewing another modifi-
cation. In this instance the spring barrel i, is placed horizontally, and
the body of the carriage is connected to the scroll iron c, c, by means
of a long strap t, of leather or other suitable material, which is secured
at the other end to the rod j, of the spring barrel. In order to cause
the strap t, to act properly on the spring, the strap is made to pass
under a sector lever u, which guides it, and vibrates with the strap
as the body of the carriage moves up and down.
Having now described my Invention, and the best means with which
I am at present acquainted for carrying the same into effect, I would
observe, in conclusion, that I do not mean or intend to confine myself
rigidly to the precise arrangement or construction of parts herein shewn
and described, as they may, perhaps, be varied without departing from
the nature and object of my improvements; but that which I claim
as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent, is the improved
mode herein set forth of suspending carriage bodies, or any mere
modification thereof, in which the carriage is suspended from coiled or
helical springs, as herein shewn and described.
I also claim the arrangement shewn in Figures 9, 10, 11, 12, and 18,
of suspending carriage bodies.
I likewise claim the arrangement of jointed pulling irons c, c, n,
Figures 1, and 2, whereby the draught is effected direct from the
axle a, instead of from the springs, as is now the case.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Smith, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twelfth day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
Witness, J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane, London.
JOHN SMITH. (L.B.)