Improvements in Apparatus for Facilitating the Stopping and Starting of Tramway Vehicles.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Nov., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 16th Aug., 1890-Accepted, 20th Sept., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Facilitating the Stopping and
Starting of Tramway Vehicles.
I, JOSEPH WILLIAM LEE, of Causeway, Cambridge, in the County of Cambridge,
Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to improved apparatus for storing the energy of momentum
which a tram-car possesses when being brought to a standstill, and for utilizing such
energy for again starting the car so as to relieve the horses from the great strain to
which they are subjected under ordinary circumstances.
In carrying out my invention I provide a spring-drum which is mounted upon a
shaft arrangerl parallel with the axle of the travelling wheels; one end of the spring
in the said drum being secured to the drum itself and the other to the said shaft. A
gear-wheel on the travelling axle gears into a gear-wheel on the drum shaft and gives
motion to the drum. A second gear-wheel on the drum shaft also engages with a
larger gear-wheel running loosely on the travelling axle, on each side of which large
gear-wheels is a disc with a V-groove, one of which discs is fixed and the other loose.
Means are provided for forsing the loose disc against the gear-wheel, so that the latter
is forcibly pressed against the fixed disc and thus held firmly, and therefore caused to
rotate with the travelling axle. Motion is then imparted to the drum whereby the
spring is coiled. The drum has fixed to one side of it a ratchet-wheel with which
engages a pawl, so that the drum is held while the spring is being coiled.
When the wheel between the discs is released the spring acts upon the car wheels
and causes the rotation of the same, whereby the car is propelled.
Duted the 11th day of November 1880
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Facilitating the Stopping and
Starting of Tramway Vehicles.
I, JOSEPH WILLIAM LEE, of Causeway, Cambridge, in the County of Cambridge,
Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :-
My invention relates to improved apparatus for storing the energy of momentum
which a tram-car possesses when being brought to a standstill, and for utilizing such
energy for again starting the car so as to relieve the horses from the great strain to
which they are subjected under ordinary circumstances, a portion of the apparatus
also serving as an ordinary brake.
In carrying out my invention I provide a spring-drum which is arranged upon one
of the axles of the travelling wheels; one end of the spring in the said drum being
secured to the drum itself, and the other to a wheel or boss on the said axle inside the
drum, the said wheel being arranged on a spline on the axle, so that while rotating
with the axle, it can move longitudinally thereof together with the drum.
A gear-
wheel on the axle gears into a gear-wheel on a counter-shaft, and a second gear-wheel
on the said counter-shaft also engages with a gear-wheel running loosely on the
travelling axle at the side of the spring-drum, on one side of which latter gear-wheel
is a disc with a V-shaped projection adapted to enter and engage in a corresponding

page_text: groove in the spring-drum (any other desirable form of clutch may, however, be
used). Means are provided for forcing the drum and disc together, so that the said
drum is caused to rotate with the disc and as the gear-wheels are so proportioned that
the disc rotates at a quicker speed than the axle, the spring will be wound up in
consequence of its outer end rotating faster than the inner one. The periphery of the
drum is provided with ratchet-teeth with which engages a pawl, so that the said drum
is held while the spring is being uncoiled to drive the car, the disc and drum being
released from contact with each other for this purpose.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe how it can be carried
into practice by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which :-
Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of one end of the lower part of a tram-car
provided with apparatus constructed according to my invention.
Figure 2 is a plan partly in section of the same.
Figure 3 is a view of a part detached drawn to an enlarged scale.
a is the spring-drum arranged on the axle b, c is the spring contained in the drum,
one end c¹ of which spring is secured to the drum while the other end c² is secured to
the wheel or boss d arranged on the said axle inside the drum. e is the spline on the
axle 6 on which spline the wheel or boss & can slide while, at the same time, it rotates
with the axle. is the gear-wheel on the axle b, and g is the disc with which it is
provided, the said wheel and disc being driven by but at a greater speed than the axle,
through the medium of the gear-wheels h, i, counter-shaft and gear-wheel kis
the V-shaped projection on the disc g, and a¹ is the corresponding groove with which
it is adapted to engage. To enable the said projection and groove to engago, I
provide two levers 1, 1 fulcrummed at m, m to a connecting link n. One end of each
of the said levers is provided with rollers o designed to bear against the drum a and
gear-wheel so as to force them together, while the other ends of the said levers are
connected to racks p, p arranged as shewn, so as to both engage with a spur pinion 7
on the lower end of a vertical shaft r, the upper ond of which is provided with a
handle, not shewn, so as to enable it to be operated. p³, p¹ are pins on the tram-car
frame, which engage with slots p², p³ in the racks p, p thereby serving as "guides for
the said racks. 8, s are the ratchet-teeth on the periphery of the drum a, and is the
pawl engaging therewith, the said pawl being pivoted to the frame of the car.
By this construction, it will be seen that, when the car is running in the direction
of the arrow Figure 1, and it be required to stop, the shaft r must be turned so
that the levers, bear against and force the drum a and disc g together, thereby
allowing the momentum of the car to wind up the spring c, the said winding being
effected by reason of the end c' of the spring rotating faster than the end c², the
said spring when fully wound up, arresting the rotation of the axle and con-
sequently the movement of the car.
To start the car the shaft r must be operated in the reverse direction so as to
relieve the pressure on the drum a and disc g, and as the pawl t is in engagement
with the ratchet-teeth s, s of the drum a the energy due to the unwinding of the
spring c is communicated to the axle 6 through the medium of the wheel d.
The mechanism described also serves as an automatic brake, if the car should by
any means move accidentally in the opposite direction to that described, as the pawl
would prevent the rotation of the drum a and the spring c would therefore be wound
up by the rotation of the axle b, such rotation being arrested when the spring is fully
wound.
From the foregoing description it will be evident that the momentum of the car
when stopping can only be utilized for starting when running in one direction,
therefore, in order to utilize the momentum of the car for starting when running
in the reverse direction, I make use of another apparatus, similar to that described,
arranged in connection with the other axle of the car; but as the one apparatus
would counteract the effect of the other one, I connect the pawls of each apparatus
to a suitable handle so that by operating the latter, one pawl will be lifted out of
engagement with its drum when the other one is put into engagement with its
drum.

page_text: To prevent the clicking noise which would be caused by the pawl t on the ratchet-
teeth, as the drum rotates when the car is running, I provide at the side of the
said pawl, and working on the pivot-pin of the same, a slotted-piece u of the shape
shewn clearly in Figure 3, which bears at its lower end on the smooth periphery of
the drum a, and 1 also provide a pin on the side of the pawl t, which pin projects in
the front of the piece u.
By this arrangement it will be seen that, when the drum is rotating in the direction
of the arrows Figures 1 and 3, the friction between the piece u and the said drum will
cause the foriner to take a position approximating to that shewn by the dotted lines in
Figure 3, and at the same time lift the pawl t clear of the teeth s, s.
By dispensing with the wheels f, h, i, shaft j, wheel k, drum a, pawl t and one of
the levers L, and substituting for the drum a disc having a V-groove to engage with
the V on the disc g and by fixing the said disc to the frame of the car, I obtain a very
efficient brake, the former disc being forced against the disc g by means of the
remaining lever when it is required to stop the car.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. Apparatus for storing the energy of momentum of tramway vehicles, for starting
the same, comprising a spring located in the drum adapted to rotate, when inoperative,
with the shaft or axle carrying it, and which is wound by causing the said drum to
rotate at a greater speed than the said shaft or axle, the drum during the time that the
power of the spring is being given off remaining stationary, substantially as
described.
2. In apparatus of the kind referred to in the preceding claiming clause, the
combination with the spring-drum of a disc provided with a rib or projection adapted
to enter a corresponding groove in the drum, and levers for enabling the said drum
and disc to be moved into and out of contact, the said levers being arranged and
operating substantially in the manner described.
3. The improved apparatus for storing the energy of momentum of tramway
vehicles, for starting the same, substantially as herein before described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawing.
Dated the 1500
AUNISE LUOVA
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.