A NEW SPRING CUSHION.
Page 13
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A Special Type of Seat for Use on Passenger-carrying Vehicles.
ANEW spring seat for buses and motor coaches has been produced by the Bowden Brake Co., Ltd., of Tyseley, Birmingham. On a light rectangular metal framework there is sprung into position a number of spring bows, in the case of a double seat 12 of the.se bows being employed, the eye at each end of the haw being of a bayonetfitting shape, so as to permit the rapid removal and replacement. of a spring should it get broken, which, however,
is a rather unlikely occurrence. The springing is upholstered. first with a layer of black linenette, then a thick layer of felting, over which is fastened
the outer covering material, the ends of which are tacked down to a wooden framework secured to, the metal foundation.
In the construction of the seat, therefore, no stuffing is employed. This stuffing invariably gives .trouble in course of time, what is generally used being cocoanut fibre, which pulverizes and gets out of shape, necessitating the entire dismantling and restuffing of the cushion after a few months' service.
In the manufacture of the normal type of cushion a base has to be provided upon which the coil springs are mounted, even if the coil springs are secured together in a metal framework and ' lashed " together bymetal clips— which is not a good method of making a spring seat, although, as a compromise, 'it, is quite a practicable one-..--so that, by dispensing with the need for a base, considerable weight can be saved upon a. complete set of cushions for a bus.
We have ourselves tested the Bowden spring seat and found it extremely comfortable. We should have expected this, because we have, for many years, remarked upon the comfort of the spring seats of the chairs with which the Champs Elysees, in Paris, is dotted, althotigh these are not covered with any felting or other material. "
It. is obvious that the Bowden spring seat must be extremely hygienic' because there is very little material to hold the dust, and there is no space in which it can be retained, as there is in the case of a seat, with a covered foundation. There can be no displacementS of springs
and, therefore, the seat does not.get out of shape. The normal arching of the bow is quite suitable for bus seats, and when the weight of the person comes upon the seat the forward edge will bulge slightly and provide that support under the thigh which adds materiallyr to comfort. This bulge can be accentuated by the use of additional light springs for private-car work, but the addition is not necessary in bus-cushion work.
The cushion retains its shape and does not suffer from local depressions, as is often the case with the coil spring seat. On the whole. the Bowden spring seat seems to us to offer material advantages, and we understand that its adoption is being considered by more than one omnibus manufacturer. .