Patent GB-1025130-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in automatic axially-acting two-way slack adjusters for vehicle brake riggings
IPC: B61H15/00
Filed: 1965-02-22
Abstract: 1,025,130. Brake rigging. SVENSKA AB BROMSREGULATOR. Feb. 22, 1965 [Sept. 17, 1964], No. 7515/65. Heading F2E. In a slack adjuster for the brake rigging of a rail vehicle, of the kind wherein a rear threaded rod 19 connected to a brake is telescopically displaceable within a front tubular rod 18 connected with the brake-applying mechanism, and wherein a feeding nut 24 and a locking nut 23 threaded on rod 19 are adjustable automatically on the occurrence of excessive slack, the former on brake application and the latter during brake release, and wherein a traction sleeve 30 transmits the braking force to the locking nut when the braking force is above a predetermined value and a barrel spring 42 normally urges the parts together whereby both nuts can be rotated by manually rotating outer casing 15, the barrel spring bears on a lift ring 39 which is engaged by a spider sleeve 27 such as to allow relative axial movement but prevent relative rotation therebetween, the spider sleeve 27 being urged by the traction sleeve against an abutment ring 26 on the front rod 18. The parts are shown in the rest position in which strong spring 35 acting between a sleeve 33 and a coupling sleeve 29 at the forward end of traction sleeve 30 causes collar 20 carried by the rear end of rod 18 to engage a sleeve 33 at clutch a-a, spring 42 causes sleeve 33 to engage the locking nut 23 at clutch b-b, and a spring 53 causes element 50 of a three part sleeve assembly 50, 51, 52 to abut locking nut 23 and feeding nut 24 to be engaged with the casing 15 via a toothed clutch e-e. A fixed stop 14 is positioned at a distance A in front of the forward end of the casing to determine the normal slack in the rigging. The rigging may be of conventional design, e.g. comprising a motor 1 (Fig. 1, not shown) acting between a line lever 3 and a dead or coupling lever 10 connected to the former by link 11, a rod 4 connecting lever 3 to the slack adjuster rod 18, and a rod 5 connecting rod 19 of the slack adjuster to live and dead levers 6, 7 of a brake assembly comprising shoes 8 engaging a wheel 9 of the vehicle. Stop 14 is carried by a rod 13 supported by the pivot or coupling pin of dead lever 10. In normal operation, when wear is not excessive, initial movement of rod 18 compresses spring 42 sufficiently to release clutch a-a and engage clutch d-d after which the shoes are applied to the wheel through the transmission of force via traction sleeve 30 and locking nut 23. During further application of force spring 35 is compressed, so releasing clutch b-b but rotation of nut 23 is still prevented by the engagement of sleeve 50. When end plate 16 of casing 15 engages stop 14 the clutch e-e is released and the parts of the sleeve assembly 50, 51, 52 collapse, whereupon spring 53 acts via bearing 49 on the nut 24 causing it to spin rearwardly. On brake release clutch e-e engages with nut 24 at a new position, but subsequently nut 24 returns to the old position since prior to the re-engagement of clutch b-b the end plate 16 leaves the stop 14, whereby the barrel and nut 24 spin together about bearings 38, 49 until clutch a-a re-engages following re-engagement of clutch b-b. Meanwhile, sleeve 50 will normally remain in contact with nut 23. However, if excessive wear has occurred then a gap will be created between sleeve 50 and nut 23 during brake release when clutch a-a engages, but prior to re-engagement of clutch b-b, thus allowing light spring 37 to spin the nut 23 to a new position. Nut 24 is then automatically set also to a new position. The result will be to maintain gap A constant. If, e.g. when new linings are fitted, there is too little slack the distance A will be too large and in this case brake application produces little or no rearward spinning of nut 24 whereas on brake release nut 24 is able to spin, together with casing 15 to a position further forward on rod 19 and, owing to collapse of sleeve assembly 50, 51, 52, spring 53 is able to spin nut 23 also to a position further forward prior to re-engagement of clutch b-b, so that slack is increased. Owing to engagement of all the clutches on completion of brake release both nuts can be adjusted by manual rotation of casing 15. Spring 35 may be dispensed with if only low traction forces in the rigging are required to apply the brake since spring 53 is then adequate to control the operation of clutch b-b.