Patent GB-375352-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in brake systems for marshalling railway wagons
IPC: B61K7/04
Filed: 1931-03-20
Abstract: 375,352. Brakes. RABOURDIN, J., 195, Avenue du Maine, Paris. March 20, 1931, No. 8622. Convention date, March 20, 1930. Addition to 359,393. [Class 103 (i).] The brake apparatus described in the parent Specification is provided with means whereby the association of the several positions of the rotary commutators of the standing wagon rail sections, with the several relays which control the timing devices of the braking rail sections may be separately adjusted for each rotary commutator so that allowance is made for the fact that a wagon running with a given speed on a standing wagon section will not stop on the same farther section irrespective of the weather conditions. In one device, Fig. 1, each contact or group of contacts of the bank C1a of a rotary commutator, such as RC6, of a particular standing wagon section' is connected to the brush or arm of a group of contact banks BC<1>6 &c., there being a separate group of such. banks for each rotary commutator and the contact arms of each group being keyed on a common manually-operated spindle. The contact banks Bc<1>6 &c. are connected to the relays RCR1 &c. which control the timing devices of the braking sections. The relay selected for a given position of the contact arm FrIa of a rotary commutator and thus the degree of retardation applied to a wagon at the braking sections is thus varied according to the position at which the arms of the banks Bc<1>6 &c. is set. The number of connected contacts of the commutators Rc6 &c., and thus the number of manually-controlled contact banks in each group decreases as shown from the first to the last standing wagon section. In the alternative device for the same purpose shown in Fig. 2, the main contact bank Cla and arm FrIa of each rotarv commutator described in the main Specification, is replaced by as many banks C1<1>a &c. and arms FrI<1>a &c. as there are weather conditions to be provided for, the several arms being keyed on a common spindle and being connected to a bank of contacts Bc6 the contact arm of which is manually operated and connected to the positive pole of the battery. The contact banks C1<1>a &c. are connected to the relays RCR1 &c. and the particular relay selected for a given position of the contact arms FrI<1>a &c. and thus the degree of retardation depends upon the particular arm that is connected to the +ve pole by the arm of the bank Bc6. The Specification as open to inspection under Sect. 91 (3) (a) describes also the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 (Cancelled) which includes the following modifications of the apparatus described in the parent Specification :-Means whereby the track relays of the standing wagon sections other than those of the last three are automatically de-energized to economize current ; the setting of the apparatus effected by the passage of a wagon over section (n) only disappears when the wagon has reached the (n + 2) section or has stopped on section (n + 1) ; the time during which the rotary commutators of a standing wagon section functions is dependent upon the time during which the front axle is on that section and is independent of the distance between the two axles. The equipment comprises for each standing wagon track section, relays RV, RVA, RVA<1>, a rotary commutator RC with three brushes on a common spindle and for the whole track a manually-operated controller or combiner Bc having a series of brushes on a common spindle and a bank of contacts for each track section. A series of relays RCR each determines a different degree of retardation by energizing contacts on the rotary commutators or timing devices Rot each of which controls the brake shoe motor of a braking section. With the brushes of the combiner Bc in the position shown and with the track unoccupied or only occupied at the end part SC, relay RCR1 is energized by +ve; BC6 contacts 25 of all the relays and -ve. All the contacts of relav RCR1 are thus closed and -ve connected to a contact on each of the commutators Rot. Thus when these commutators are actuated their brushes will find -ve on the connected contacts. If a wagon stops on section 5, track relay RV5 is energized over the track rails and wagon axle and contacts 15, 16 of relays RVA<1>2-RVA<1>0. Relay RVA5 is thus also energized, and closes the circuit of the motor RM5 of commutator RC5 so that it receives intermittent currents of regular frequency through a motor-driven cam-operated switch K. As soon as the commutator brush I reaches the first contact, it connects +ve to the combiner BC6 thus energizing relay RCRI and the corresponding contacts of the commutators Rot. When the wagon has remained so long on section 5 that it may be regarded as stationary, brush II of commutator RC5 reaches the connected contact of its bank thereby energizing relay RVA<1>5 and breaking the circuit of motor RM5. But as the brush I has also reached the corresponding contact of its bank, relay RCR2 is energized through the combiner Bc5 thus connecting -ve to a fresh set of contacts of the commutators Rot while the opening of contact 25 of relay RCR2 breaks the circuit of the relay RCR1 thereby disconnecting its associated set of contacts of the commutators. In a similar manner if a wagon stops on another section, for example 4, the relays RCR1, RCR2, and finally RCR3 are successively energized as the brush I of commutator RC4 rotates until it is stopped by the brush II reaching its connected contact. If a wagon passes over a section, for example 2, without stopping, relays RV2, RVA2 are energized as soon as the front axle reaches this section and the circuit of the motor RM2 of the commutator RC2 is closed through relays RVA2, RVA3, RVA<1>2, and conductor Cl until when the front axle reaches section 3 this circuit is broken at contacts of relay RVA3 which is then energized. The commutator RC2-is thus set in motion for an interval dependent upon the time taken for a wagon to traverse the section and independent of the distance between the wagon axles. The brushes of the commutator thus stop short of the last connected contact of brush I and one or other of the relays RCR1 to RCR4 is energized. After the wagon has traversed section 2 and has come to rest on, say secton 3, commutator RC2 is returned to normal position in the following manner:-the relays RV3, RVA<1>3 being energized the circuit of commutator motor RM2 is closed through +ve, RM2, RVA2, contact x, brush III, RVA<1>3. The armature is thus actuated, and opens the contact x, the armature returns and the contact is reclosed thereby. This sequence continues until the brushes are returned to normal position in which t'he brush III, has finally broken the motor circuit. If the wagon comes to rest on section 4 and not section 3, the circuit of the motor RM2 from its brush III is completed through relays RVA3, RVA4 instead of relay RVA<1>3. It follows from this that the indications given by the passage of a wagon over a section only disappear when the indications given by this wagon on the following section have been completely registered. To prevent too large a number of relays from remaining energized and thus to economize current, the occupation of a given section is arranged to open the circuit of the relays RV beginning with that of the third section following. Thus the energizing of relay RVA<1>2 consequent upon the occupation of section 2 breaks the circuit of the relav RV5 at contacts of RVA<1>2. Each relay RCR is connected to a number of the banks of contacts of the combiner Bc so that by varying the position of the brushes of the combiner according to weather conditions, a different relay RCR and thus a different degree of retardation for a given position of a commutator RC is obtained. This subjectmatter does not appear in the Specification as accepted.