Improvements in Apparatus for Propelling Vehicles by Friction Drums Acting on Rails Carried by the Vehicles.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Propelling Vehicles by Friction
Drums Acting on Rails Carried by the Vehicles.
I, CHARLES DE MOCOMBLE, of No. 23, Boulevard de Strasbourg, Paris, France,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
According to this invention a winch driven by an electric or other motor is
suspended by an adjustable spring with a roller driven by the winch, gear bearing
against the rail of a truck or other movable body above it.
This roller being pressed upwards by the spring has such friction on the rail
that it propels the truck or other movable body to which the rail is attached.
Hatod this 2nd day of Mov 1899
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in Apparatus for Propelling Vehicles by Friction
Drums Acting on Rails Carried by the Vehicles.
I, CHARLES DE MOCOMBLE, of No. 23, Boulevard de Strasbourg, Paris, France,
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:
According to this invention a winch driven by an electric or other motor is
suspended by an adjustable spring with a roller driven by the winch, gear bearing
against the rail of a truck or other movable body above it.
.
This roller being pressed upwards by the spring has such friction on the rail
that it propels the truck or other movable body to which the rail is attached.
I will describe the said invention with reference to the accompanying drawings

page_text: in which Figs. 1 and 2 shew front views thereof, Fig. 3 a section on line XX
Fig. 1; Fig. 4 a section on line YY, Fig. 5 a section on line ZZ Fig. 3 and
Fig. 6 a plan.
The apparatus is carried by a framing consisting of a base A with two
standards A'A' firmly bolted and stayed together so as to be perfectly rigid.
This frame carries the electromotor B which works the winch, the power
and
speed of the motor being made to vary according to the requirements of the
winch. In place of an electric motor a steam, hydraulic or other motor engine
may be employed.
The motion of the motor B is transmitted through suitable gearing DD
to a shaft Q on which is fixed a roller C adapted to propel by friction any moving
body, such for instance a rail R which is fixed to the underside of the framing T
of a truck T'.
The
The entire winch is suspended from an axis E carried by any fixed supports,
such as indicated at U so that the winch can turn freely on such axis.
platform A of the framing is connected by the rod H and screw nut I to the
middle of a very flexible blade spring F the ends of which are attached by side
rods G to the supports of the axis E, the spring being so arranged as to exercise
an upward pull on the platform A, and thereby cause the roller C to be pressed
with elastic pressure against the moveable object. T which it has to propel. This
pressure is rendered adjustable for regulating the propelling force of roller C,
by screwing the nut 1 up or down on the rod H.
When once adjusted, the said propelling force will remain practically con-
stant. The spring is made sufficiently elastic to always keep the roller C
pressed against the object R notwithstanding any vertical oscillations to which
it may be subject.
'
The above described winch can be employed alone, but it can also be arranged
to actuate one or more other propelling mechanisms such as that shewn at
Figs. 1, 3 and 5. In this case a frame J carries the frictional motor roller K
driven by an extension of the shaft Q and serving like roller C to propel by
friction any moving object, such as the rail R¹ fixed on the underside of a
truck framing. The frame is suspended at one end from an axis L carried on
any fixed support, so that, the frame and roller K can turn upon such axis;
the other end of the frame J is carried by a flexible blade spring M, which in
pressing upward also, presses the roller K against the object R' to be propelled
The spring M is suspended from screwed rods 0 and the end of the frame J
bears upon it by means of a screwed rod with nuts P, whereby the tension of the
spring and consequently the pressure of the roller K against the object R¹ can
be regulated as may be required.
Although I have described my invention as applied to the propelling of trucks,
it will be evident that it may be used for propelling other objects in the manner
described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, declare that what
I claim is: -
1. In frictional motor winches for propelling objects by frictional contact,
arranging the motor with its transmission gear and frictional propelling roller
on one and the same rigid framing which is adjustably supported by a flexible
spring, so as to cause the propelling roller to bear with elastic pressure against
the object to be propelled substantially as described.
2. In frictional motor winches such as are referred to in the preceding claim,
the herein described arrangement of the framing A carrying the motor B, gear-
ing D, and frictional motor roller C, the framing being suspended on the
one hand from a fixed axis E, and on the other hand by a rod H and screw nut I
from the middle of a flexible blade spring F, whose ends are suspended by rods G
from a fixed support, so that by adjusting the nut I on the bolt H, the elastic

page_text: pressure with which the roller C bears against the object to be propelled can
be varied, substantially as described with reference to the drawings.
3. The construction of frictional motor winches for propelling objects com-
bined and operating, substantially as herein described, with reference to the
5 drawings.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant..