IMPROVEMENTS IN BUFFING SPRINGS AND PARTS CONNECTED THEREWITH, AND IN THE MODE OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Lee Corlett, of Monkstown, in the County of
Dublin, Associate of the Institution of Civil Engineers, for the Invention of
IMPROVEMENTS IN BUFFING SPRINGS AND PARTS CONNECTED THEREWITH, AND
IN THE MODE OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME."
Sealed the 19th March 1878, and dated the 17th November 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Lee Corlett at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 17th November 1877.
.
HENRY LEE CORLETT, of Monkstown, in the County of Dublin, Associate of the
Institution of Civil Engineers. IMPROVEMENTS IN BUFFING SPRINGS AND PARTS
CONNECTED THEREWITH, AND IN THE MODE OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME.
My Invention has reference to a mode or modes of connecting together more
securely the parts of buffing springs known as the buffer head and rod, and the
casing or cylinder.
And my Invention consists in forming the wrought-iron or steel cylinder from a
plain plate, bent and welded into the form of a cylinder or a coned cylinder, which
is subsequently finished by means of hydraulic pressure, and by rolling until cold,
or nearly so. This external cylinder has at the front end thereof an internal surface
projecting slightly into the interior of the cylinder.
The buffer cord or piston may be made either tubular or solid. When the rod
or piston is made solid a hole is drilled a short distance into the end of the rod,
which on being inserted in the cylinder, the part around the said drilled hole is
set over or spread out to correspond with the projecting surface inside the external
cylinder, thereby uniting the parts and preventing future separation. This buffer
rod or piston may however be made tubular, in which case the drilled hole is not
required.
Any suitable form of coiled, volute, coned, or other steel spring, or any suitable
form of india-rubber spring, may be used in the buffer casings described; or a com-
bination of both a block or cylinder of india-rubber and steel springs, whether-such
steel springs be divided from each other or placed in a position to enable the steel

page_text: spring to impinge on the india-rubber, so as to prevent the fracture of the steel
spring on being suddenly and forcibly driven home by concussion.
In order to effect a portion of the process of manufacture above referred to I
propose to make use of a hydraulic press in combination with steel or other metal
dies of suitable form, by means of which a portion of these buffers will be brought
to its finished form in such an accurate manner as to enable the usual boring to be
dispensed with.
I also propose to roll the above-named cylinders to their finished form and size in
a machine mainly comprising a suitable frame and a shaft driven by power in con-
junction with rollers so arranged as to admit of their being caused to advance
towards and recede from each other as required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry Lee Corlett in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 16th May
1878.
HENRY LEE CORLETT, of Monkstown, in the County of Dublin, Associate of the
Institution of Civil Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN BUFFING SPRINGS AND PARTS
CONNECTED THEREWITH, AND IN THE MODE OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME."
My Invention of "Improvements in Buffing Springs and Paris connected there-
with, and in the Mode of Manufacturing the
23
same,
has reference to a mode or
modes of connecting together more securely the parts of buffing springs known as
the buffer head and rod, and the casing or cylinder.
And my Invention consists in forming the wrought-iron or steel cylinder from a
plain plate, bent and welded into the form of a cylinder or a coned cylinder, which
is subsequently finished by means of hydraulic pressure and by rolling until cold.
or nearly so. This external cylinder has at the front end thereof an internal
friction surface projecting slightly into the interior of the cylinder.
The buffer rod or piston may be made either tubular or solid. When the rod or
piston is made solid a hole is drilled a short distance into the end of the rod, which
on being inserted in the cylinder the part around the said drilled hole is set
over or spread out to correspond with the projecting surface inside the external
cylinder, thereby uniting the parts and preventing future separation. This buffer
rod or piston may however be made tubular, in which case the drilled hole is not
required.
Any suitable form of coiled, volute, coned, or other steel spring, or any suitable
form of india-rubber spring, may be used in the buffer casings described, or a com-
bination of both a block or cylinder of india-rubber and steel springs, whether such
steel springs be divided from each other or placed in a position to enable the steel
spring to impinge on the india-rubber, so as to prevent the fracture of the steel
spring on being suddenly and forcibly driven home by concussion.
In order to effect a portion of the process of manufacture above referred to
propose to make use of a hydraulic press in combination with steel or other metal
dies of suitable form, by means of which a portion of these buffers will be brought

page_text: to its finished form in such an accurate manner as to enable the usual boring to be
dispensed with.
I also propose to roll the above-named cylinders to their finished form and size
in a machine mainly comprising a suitable frame and a shaft driven by power in
conjunction with rollers so arranged as to admit of their being caused to advance
towards and recede from each other as required.
Having thus stated the said Invention I will proceed to describe more par-
ticularly in what manner the same is to be performed, by the aid of the accom-
panying Drawings, in which are represented several forms of the paris connected
with buffing springs, and also machinery for forming such parts as herein-before
referred to.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a section shewing a buffer head A. and piston or plunger B combined
with a casing or cylinder C. In this case the piston or plunger is cylindrical, and
the casing or cylinder C is formed from a plain plate of wrought iron, bent and
welded into the form of a cylinder, which is afterwards finished by means of the
machine herein-after described, and rolled into the form shewn at D), so as to adapt
it for retaining the piston or plunger B and preventing it from being withdrawn
as required. Or the front portion or smaller diameter of the external cylinder may,
after the insertion of the piston or plunger, be compressed into the form shewn by
means of hydraulic pressure; Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same; Fig. 3
represents a similar form of buffer with the ordinary india-rubber springs contained
therein; Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the same.
Fig. 5 shews a similar form of buffer with a different arrangement of springs,
being steel springs E, E, at each end, and india-rubber springs F between them, and
separated from them by metal plates or dises G, G.
Fig. 6 represents also a combination of steel and india-rubber springs, but with
the steel springs reversed in position, such combination of springs being contained
in a buffer of similar form to those above referred to.
Figures 7, 8, and 9 shew respectively a casing C in the form of a conical cylinder,
with a shoulder formed at 1) to serve as a retainer for the piston or plunger B,
which may be either tubular or solid so long as the end of it farthest from the
buffer is adapted in form to correspond with the internal form of the casing or
cylinder at the part thereof marked D). The said parts of the buffer may also be
varied in form to any extent required, provided that the relative forms of the piston
or plunger and the casing or cylinder be respectively adapted to fit one within the
other in the manner described.
I will now proceed to describe the machine represented in Figures 10 and 11,
which is primarily intended to effect the accurate rolling as regards diameters and
thicknesses of the casings or cylinders, and pistons or plungers of buffers such as
those above described, while such parts are more or less in a plastic condition, owing
to being heated.
The peculiarity of the arrangement of rollers is such that both the inside and
outside surface of the paris rolled can be made so accurate as to dispense with much
of the turning and machine working hitherto generally required.
The cylinder of iron, welded by preference from an ordinary plate, after having
been heated in a furnace is slipped over a cast-iron mandril a, and both are then
pushed on to a spindle held at one end in a journal at c. The rollers and e are
geared, so as to be kept revolving in the same direction.
After lowering the journal suspended from a hinge into its position on the
spindle a pressure is applied through the hand wheel g and screws hand, and the
cylinder or part to be rolled is tightly squeezed between the mandril and the
rollers d and e.
After the thickness of metal has by this process been made uniform the roller
is brought into position by means of the hand wheel m and screws n and o, and a

page_text: slight pressure is applied to the revolving cylinder, just sufficient to make it truly
circular. The Drawing shews the position of the parts of the machine when at
this stage of the process. This rolling process is continued until both the external
and internal diameters of the cylinder or article being rolled become of the size
required, when on turning the hand wheels g and m the said cylinder is released
from pressure, and can be withdrawn from the spindle b.
The machine above described can be adapted for rolling and reducing to form
various sections besides that shewn in the Drawing by varying the form of the
mandril to suit the required section of the cylinder or article to be rolled, so as to
finish the surfaces accurately and dispense with more or less machine working.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I hereby declare that what I claim as of the said Inven-
tion is,
First. The forming of the wrought-iron or steel cylinder from a plate bent and
welded into the form of a cylinder, with corresponding parts in the casing or
cylinder and the piston or plunger respectively adapted to fit together for the
purpose herein-before described.
Secondly. The formation by hydraulic pressure of the front end and smaller
diameter of the cylinder C after the insertion of the piston or plunger B.
Thirdly. The combination of steel and india-rubber springs for buffers, as herein-
before described.
And, lastly. The means and mechanism described for rolling and finishing
cylinders adapted to form parts of buffers, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Lee Corlett, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Ninth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
Witness,
WILLIAM SPENCE,
8, Quality Court,
Chancery Laue.
H. L. CORLETT. (L.S.)