The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-05-01
RAILROAD news.
Foreman Davis Announces I'M
portant Inventions
For Repairing Worn Out Air
Brake Appliances.
SAVE TIME AND MONEY.
Substitutes Rolling For Ham
mering the Brass Castings.
Devices Now in Use at the To-
peka Santa Fe Shops.

A. R. Davis. general foreman Of the
Santa Fe shops in this city. has Just
perfected some important inventions for
the repair of air brakes. So important
are the inventions considered that the
railroad papers are devOting much
space to full descriptions OF them.
The repair Of air. brakes is an import
ant matter in modern railroading. Much
of this sort Of work Is necessary, and
heretofore there has been a great deal
of waste in making repairs. 1t has been
impossible to do satisfactorily the work
which M. Davis new inventions render
simple and inexpensive The basis for
Mr.. Davis system of repair devices IS
the operation Of rolling damages cylIn-
ders and packing-ring grooves instead
of hammering them
The inventions which are mentioned
have been made since Mr.. Davis has
been at Topeka, and are all in use at
the Topeka shops. The work of making
the tools was done at the shops here,
under the Santa F'e plan of encouraging
new inventions by the employees.
Mr. Davis has been granted patents
on one of the inventions. and applica-
tions are pending for patents on the
others.
One of Mr.. Davis new inventions for
repairing worn cylinders of air brakes
is a circular -roller-cage of machine steel,
having provision for 13 hardened tool
steel tapered rollers. through its center.
cOincident with its axis, a shaft OF tool
steel, having head or collar on its low
er end and threaded on the upper end.
Within the cage and mounted on the
shaft is a center roller, tapered to CORE
spond to the outer rollers, against which
it bears.
The cage has a cover, through which
the shaft passes and on which there is a
knob screwed on to the end Of the shaft.
Tightening up on this knob raises the
vol
rollers. An expansion Of 1854 in. is pro-
vided for.
The result to the cylinder from the
use of this tool is smooth hardened
surface and consequent reduction OF fr1c-
ton. A much nearer perfect MT OF the
piston is obtained, thus reducing leakage
past the piston. This is shown by the
leakage test, in which the piston IS
blocked on center and subjected to an
air pressure of 80 lbs. on one side. For
merly all triples that did not show
leakage exceeding 80 lbs. at the expira-
ton of one minute were passed The
new cylinder treatment has reduced this
leakage by about one-half.
Another tool does away with hammer
in restoring worn or injured piston
packing ring grooves. like the first by
rolling. It consists of three parts: a
roller, a piston clamp and circular base.
The tool was designed for use in drill
press.
The work the tool does is very sat
lSIaGIOEY4 EfSEO1S LuaL Formerly were
thrown away because of their badly
worn or damaged condition, can now
be restored to service.
By the use Of these two tools the re-
pairs are made in about One-half the
time; or, IN other words, they double
the capacity of the department for
triple valve repairs of the kind men
toned. The cylinder roller costs about
S1S to make in a shop tool room. As
the rolling operation requires only
about three minutes the tool pays for
itself in a very short time. Mr. Davis
has been granted a patent on the cylin-
der roller and has applied for a patent
on the piston roller.
Mr.. Davis is also engaged in bushing
with brass the check valve castings OF
the old triples that have cast-irOn valve
seats. All new triples have this brass
bushing. It's insertion was found to be
necessary because of the trouble that
was experienced from cutting of
the iron valve seat. Many of the roads
are throwing away the old castings and
substituting new ones for them. It
costs the Santa Fe about 10 cents to put
in one of these bushings. To ream out
casing preparatory to bushing, a z
angle-plate is bolted to the table of
drill press. The upper leg of this plate
has a hardened steel bushing fitted II
it, which acts as a guide for the ream.
Two pins hold the casing central and a
wedge is driven beneath to hold it tight
against the angle-plate. A ream of spe-
cial form is used to give a square seat
for the bushing and also to give the re-
Cvirp7 deuth