Patent GB-191129250-A (GB)
Title: Improvements relating to Means for Simultaneously Closing Doors of Railway Carriages.
Inventor: WILSON JOHN
IPC: E05F15/02
Filed: 1911-12-29
Granted: 1912-05-09
Abstract: 29,250. Wilson, J., [Wilson, J. II.]. Dec. 29. Operating doors pneumatically and by lever mechanism.-In a pneumatic system for simultaneously closing the doors of railway carriages, each door is provided with a pivoted operating- cylinder, the piston-rod of which is connected by a pin-and-slot joint to a lever pivoted at one end to the door and slidably engaging at the other end with the side of the carriage. The apparatus may be used in conjunction with door locking and unlocking apparatus of the kind described in Specifications 4031/11 17,945/11, and 17,946/11, [all in Class 44, Fastenings, Lock &c.], in which case a valve is provided for controlling the pressure in the door-operating cylinders; the valve being itself controlled by the action of the locking-apparatus. The door-operating apparatus is shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The cylinder a is mounted upon pivots a<1> in a casing a<3> in the carriage side b. The piston shown is of the diaphragm type but may be of the usual kind and is provided with a slotted piston-rod a<18> engaging pins d<1> on the door-operating lever d pivoted to the door b<4> and carrying an antifriction roller d<3> mounted upon a pivot d<4> the ends of which move in slotted brackets d<8> on the carriage side. The outer side of the piston is in communication with the atmosphere by a small port a<7> and non- return valve a<9> of any suitable type, and the inner side is connected by a port a<4> and flexible pipe c<3> with a pipe c<1> which may be a trainpipe or a branch therefrom. When the trainpipe is connected to the atmosphere by an official, the doors may be freely opened, the air in front of the piston escaping through the valve a<9> and port a<7>. Upon establishing a vacuum in the train-pipe, the doors are slowly closed by the atmosphere entering the port a<7>. In a modification for closing the doors by compressed air admitted to the train-pipe, the pipe c<3> is connected to the outer side of the piston, and the port a<7> and non-return valve are arranged on the inner side, the valve a<9> being modified to allow free passage of the atmosphere into the cylinders. Fig. 5 shows the doorlocking apparatus described in Specification 17,946/11, in which the locking bolts are actuated by a shaft e<4>, oscillated by a crank-arm e<1> through levers, the crank being actuated by a pneumatic motor e of the kind described in Specincation 17,945/11. Figs. 8 and 10 show two views of the controlling-valve which is fixed to the crank-arm e<1> and is arranged in the branch pipe e<1> from the train-pipe, the passages f<1>, f<2> leading to the train-pipe c and door cylinders respectively. The plug of the valve is provided with two ports f<6>, f<8>, and normally the valve is in the position shown in Fig. 10, and the piston-rod e<2> of the motor is in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, the train-pipe being connected to the atmosphere. During the first unlocking stroke, obtained by establishing a vacuum in the train-pipe, a projection e<3> on the piston-rod e<2> strikes an arm f<5> on the valve and the valve is turned so as to cut off the communication between passages f<1>, f<8> and to connect the door cylinders with the atmosphere through passages f<2>, f<6> and a passage f<3> in the valve casing. During the second unlocking stroke of the motor e, by breaking the vacuum in the train-pipe, the crank-arm e<1> is lowered to the dotted position in Fig. 5, thereby unlocking the doors, and returning the valve to its normal position by the engagement of an arm e<7> on the bracket e<8> with a second arm f<7> on the valve. The doors may be opened freely since atmospheric pressure is behind the piston. During the first locking stroke of the motor e, by reestablishing a vacuum therein, the position of the valve is unchanged so that a vacuum is formed in the door cylinders and the doors are closed. During this second locking stroke, by again breaking the vacuum in the train-pipe, the crank-arm e' is returned to its normal position, thereby locking the doors, the position of the valve remaining unchanged. By the provision of a non-return g arranged in the passage f<1> and preferably in the controlling-valve casing, a vacuum is maintained in the door cylinders until the doors are again unlocked.