Patent GB-596816-A (GB)
Title: Fluid pressure control mechanism
IPC: B62D5/06
Filed: 1945-07-03
Abstract: 596,816. Fluid-pressure servomotor-control systems. BENDIX-WESTINGHOUSE AUTOMOTIVE AIR BRAKE CO. July 3, 1945, No. 16882. Convention date, July 5. 1944. [Class 135] In fluid-pressure control mechanism of the kind in which the energization of a power actuator is controlled by a lost motion connection arranged between a controlling member and a controlled member, and effective to render direct manual operation of the one member by the other if the fluid pressure fails; additional fluid-pressure control means are provided for cutting off or limiting the supply of pressure fluid to the power actuator when the demand therefor is in excess of that required in response to actuation of the controlling member for normal operating movements of the power actuator. Fig. 1 shows the invention applied to fluid-pressure operated steering mechanism similar to that described in Specification 424,668, [Group XXXI]. The steering shaft 5 operates a lever 8 through worm gearing 6, 7. The lever 8 is linked to a floating lever 16 pivoted at 21 on a lever 22 rotatable about a fixed shaft 23. The lever 16 is connected to the usual drag link 10 of the steering mechanism through a link 14 and a lever 12 having a fixed pivot 13. The lever 16, however, has a hub 24 movable with clearance on the shaft 23. A ring rotatable on the hub 24 is fixed to a valve-operating rod 32 which through a rocker (not shown) actuates two pairs of interconnected inlet and exhaust valves 44, 45 as described in Specification 424,668. The latter control the supply of pressure fluid through passages 46, 47 to the two sides of a power piston 35 connected to the drag link 10 through a connecting rod 36 and the lever 12. A valve mechanism 70 is interposed in the supply conduits 72, 74 between a fluid-pressure supply reservoir 69 and the control valves 44, 45. The conduit 72 is connected to the conduit 74 by a bifurcated passage 77 opening into passages 75, 76 joined by a bore 78, the opposite ends of which are controlled by valves 80, 81 respectively and an intermediate point in which connects with the conduit 74. The valves 80, 81 are closed against the action of the respective springs 85, 89 by the pressures on the two sides of piston 35 acting in chambers 83, 87 on diaphragms 84, 88 respectively. The chambers 82, 86 on the adjacent sides of the diaphragms are vented through passages 91. If the steering shaft operates on the control valves 44, 45 so as to move the piston 35 to the right, pressure simultaneously increases on the left of the piston 35 and in the chamber 87 closing the valve 81. A fluid-pressure supply, however, is still available past the valve 80 and it is only when there is a tendency to auto-reciprocation or " shimmy " that the pressure on the other side of the piston 35 increases simultaneously and the valve 80 cuts off or substantially reduces the fluid pressure supply. Similarly, if the piston 35 is moved to the left, the valve 80 is closed and the valve 81 remains open so long as there is no auto-reciprocation. In a modification, auto-reciprocation is prevented - by limiting the rate at which pressure fluid can be continuously supplied to the power piston to a rate below that necessary to cause autoreciprocation. - Thus, the control valves are supplied through a conduit from the main reservoir by way of a choke and an auxiliary reservoir, the capacity of which is not great enough to sustain auto-reciprocation.