Improvements in the Construction of Bodies and Carriages or Under- parts and Door Hinges for Road Vehicles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Dec., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 14th Sept., 1899-Accepted, 14th Oct., 1899
INUVIDIONAL DINITIVATION.
Improvements in the Construction of Bodies and Carriages or Under-
parts and Door Hinges for Road Vehicles.
I, CHARLES GRIEVE MCDOWELL, of Rylands Street, Warrington, in the County
of Lancaster, Coach Builder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
I propose to reduce the strength of the edge plates, and body timbers, to a
convenient size to allow of their being framed together in a substantial manner,
and instead of depending upon the strength of the edge plates, and body timbers,
for the weight carrying, and strain resisting capabilities of the finished vehicle,
to truss the pillars, boot sides, rockers, short bottomsides, and any other part
where it may be found there is any want of rigidity, with light rods of steel,
wire rope, or other suitable material, after the manner well known and used in
building construction. And also to use diagonal bearers of wood, or other suit-
able material between the hind standing pillars, and short bottomsides, thereby
securing a rigid foundation for the pumphandles, and by this means construct-
ing a vehicle body, much lighter, but at the same time much stronger, than
those constructed in the ordinary way.
I also propose to use tee, channel, or other section of rolled steel, or other
suitable material, cased in wood, or otherwise, as found most suitable, in place
of the heavy solid forgings at present in use, in the carriages, or underparts,
such as bed plates, pumphandles, and in any other desirable position, thus
reducing weight, and cost of production, without reducing the strength or work-
ing load.
I also propose to improve the construction of hinges used for the doors of
broughams, clarences, and other covered carriages as follows. At present there
are two kinds of hinges in general use for this purpose, viz., the ordinary "butt"
hinge, and that known to the trade as the "concealed" hinges, these latter being
the most generally used in the best class of work, but these concealed hinges
have a very weakening effect upon the standing pillars, as they have to be let
into the pillar bodily, the cavity usually extending right through the pillar on
two sides, thereby nearly cutting it in two, and as there are usually two hinges
inserted in each hind standing pillar, it will readily be seen that the strength
of the pillar is reduced to the strength of the weakest places. Now to obviate
this, I propose to make a hinge to work something after the same manner as
the concealed hinge, but to have its fulcrum behind the pillar in the inside of
the body, and instead of working in the pillar, to work round it, in the inside
of the body, so as to be entirely out of sight from the outside of the vehicle,
and only visible from the inside, thus allowing of a great reduction in the width
and thickness of the pillars, at the same time gaining an advantage in actual
strength.

page_text: Improvements in the Construction of Bodies and Carriages or Under-
parts and Door Hinges for Road Vehicles.
I, CHARLES GRIEVE MCDOWELL, of Rylands Street, Warrington, in the County
of Lancaster, Coach Builder, 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:-
The chief object of the present invention is to so construct road vehicles, such
as broughams, clarences, and analogous vehicles, that whilst their weight is
considerably reduced their strength or weight carrying capability is materially
increased.
In effecting the object of my invention I reduce the dimensions of the edge-
plates and body timbers below the standard usually adopted, and I supplement
the weight carrying and strain resisting capabilities of these parts by means
of light rods of steel, wire rope, or their equivalent, which operate as stays or
tie-rods, and wooden struts, the said tie-rods, stays, and struts serving to truss
and strengthen the finished vehicle.
Another object of my invention is to construct the door hinges of the vehicles
above referred to in such a manner that the standing pillar to which the door is
hinged is not cut into to the extent required by that type of hinge known as
the concealed" hinge, whilst at the same time I obtain all the advantages
afforded by such type of hinge.
Reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a brougham,
constructed according to my invention, and Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5 are detail
views thereof.
Figures 6 and 7 are a side elevation and a plan, illustrating my improved form
of door hinge.
The effect of lessening the dimensions of the edge-plates a, the rockers b and
the front and hind standing pillars c and d is to render the brougham, when
loaded, liable to give way in its centre to such an extent that the standing pillars
are forced inwardly, and so bind the door. To guard against this liability and
to supplement the strength of the diminished edge-plates and body timbers, I
truss or stay the vehicle as follows:-The front pillar c is stayed by means of
a light steel rod A which extends from the edge-plate a to the cantrail e.
rod A is led over a buttress f (Figures 2 and 3) which is disposed on the pillar c
in line with the boot-side. The ends of the rod A are screwthreaded and pass
through brackets 7 (Figures 4 and 5), and tension is exerted upon the rod A
by the nuts h. It will thus be seen that the rod A acts in the manner of a bow
string and counteracts any tendency of the pillar c to bend inwardly.
The
Similarly the pillar dis stayed by the rod B, which leads from the edge
plate a over a buttress f to the cantrail e.
Besides staying the pillars c and d the stays A and B give support to the
edge plate a, the rockers B and the short bottom-sides i.
The edge-plates a in the region of the boot-sides and neck, are further
strengthened by the steel rod C which extends from the rocker b to the neck k,
and by the steel rod D). The stay C is attached at one end to the edge-plates a
whilst the other end passes through a bracket g also on the edge plate, and is
put under tension by a nut h. Where it extends along the boot-side the edge-
plate is strengthened by the steel rod D which reaches from end to end of the
boot-sides, and passes over a buttress of thereon. Tension is put upon the rod D

page_text: by nuts h on the brackets g whereby the rod acts in the manner of a bowstring
and supports the centre of the boot-side and neck.
In a modification I lead the stay to the stay D instead of providing the
latter with a buttress f. The stay C takes the place of the buttress. In this case
the stay D will possess an eye or other provision for the reception of the stay C.
To strengthen the short bottom sides i and afford a sure foundation for the
pump handles, I employ a diagonal bearer which may be of wood or metal and
which extends from the hind standing pillar to the rear of the short bottom-
sides.
My improved form of hinge will be understood upon reference to Figures 6
and 7. The pivot of the hinge is disposed to the rear of the standing pillar d
and the hinge-arm o is curved around said pillar, the pivot being the centre from
which such curve is described. Consequently in opening or shutting the door,
the hinge arm o moves around the pillar. I thus obviate the necessity for cut-
ting into the pillar, and am enabled to employ a pillar of smaller dimensions
than are usual. The hinge bracket p lies in the corner formed by the pillar d
and cantrail e to which parts it is secured.
It must be understood that I do not confine myself to the particular method
of trussing or staying a vehicle herein described. The number and the dis-
position of the stays will vary according to the type or size of the vehicle under
construction. Nor do I confine myself to the particular means described for
putting tension upon such stays.
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:—
1. The herein described method of road vehicle construction, which methods
consists in supplementing the strain-resisting capabilities of vehicle body timbers
and edge-plates by means of light metallic stays, arranged and operating sub-
stantially in the manner herein described.
2. The particular method herein described of strengthening the standing pillars
of covered vehicles, which method consists in trussing said pillars by bowstrung
stays such as A and B, whereby they are prevented from bending and binding
the vehicle door, when under a strain, substantially as described.
3. The employment in combination, in brougham and analogous vehicle con-
struction, of the stays A and B for strengthening the standing pillars and
supporting the edge-plates, the stays C and D) for reinforcing said edge-plates in
the region of the boot-sides and apron, and the struts for strengthening the
short bottom sides, all arranged and operating substantially in the manner herein
described.
4. The novel arrangement and form of the vehicle door hinge herein described,
the characteristic features of which are the disposition of the hinge pivot in
rear of the hnd standing pillars, and the curving of the hinge arm around
said pillar, substantially as and for the purpose herein described.
Dated this 19th day of September 1899
J. A. COUBROUGH,
Chartered Patent Agent,
10, St. Georges Crescent, Liverpool, Agent for the Applicant.