Improvements in Railway Brakes.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Mar., 1895-Accepted, 1st June, 1895
Improvements in Railway Brakes.
We GUSTAV ADOLPH LYNCKER of 94 Schleissheimerstrasse, Lieutenant in
the German Army, Retired List, and ANTON SCHROPP of 26 Schwindstrasse of
no occupation both of Munich in the Empire of Germany 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 :-
Among the accidents occurring in railway traffic are especially to be mentioned
collisions and running off the rails, which are in most cases accompanied by the
gravest consequences. The only arrangement for preventing or lessening the
frequently terrific effect of such accidents, consists in the excellent brakes of more
recent date, but unfortunately they are in many cases actuated too late, and there
are also cases on record, where just in moments of danger these brakes failed
to act.
The object of this invention now is to offer a remedy in all such cases or at
least to lessen the accident as much as possible and mitigate its terrible
consequences.
The improved arrangement is shown in the annexed drawing, in which
Fig. 1 is a side view Fig. 2 a front view Fig. 3 a modification shown on a buffer
for actuating the brake device while
Figure 4 represents two car wheels resting on the rails, in one, the brake block
is under action, and in the other in a lifted position i.e. disengaged.
Figures 6 and 7 represent details.
The braking of the cars is effected in the present case by brake blocks a (see
Fig. 5) which are hung freely in front of the wheels of all the cars closely
beneath the present brake blocks in such a manner that the said blocks present
themselves, as near as possible to the tyre and about 10 centimeters above the
track.
The side of these brake blocks a which is turned towards the wheel corresponds
in its form exactly to the periphery of the wheel and their thickness, likewise
corresponds to the width of the running-surfaces of the wheels, whilst the bottom
surface is grooved out to fit the head of the rail (Fig. 4).
The points of the brake blocks a are cut off obliquely so as to taper about 8 to
10 centimeters in order that during their operation the cars may be prevented
from running up and in order that said blocks when meeting the wheels are gripped
by the latter with their whole braking surface whereby the first and most intense
impact is diverted from the brake blocks to the rails.
The bottom surface of the brake blocks which corresponds to the shape of the
upper surface of the rail head is filled up with a soft metal filling, such as lead,
copper or alloys thereof (Fig. 5) whereby the brake blocks are pressed into the
rails and the first vehement impact received upon the rail can not possibly take
place without intermediation of soft metal and thus the impact is materially
lessened. Moreover the lower surfaces of the blocks will slide along upon the
rail until the ris virá of the car has been absorbed by the friction.
For locomotives the arrangements of these improved brake-blocks at the front
and rear wheels is of important value also for all cars which at present run without
brakes.

page_text: uere of the connecting rod c (Figs. 2 and 7) passes a chain or wi
rope b to the bottom of the car over the bearing pulley f located in the bearin
box g and axially with regard to the pulley f there are two stop pulleys ii arrange
at both sides into which engage pawls m with arms, 1 and 1'. The suspended guid
rods e (Figs. 1 and 2) at the sides of the car bottom have in their ends which ar
made inclined towards the wheels, slits as shown in Fig. 6 into which the abov
mentioned connecting rod c of the brake blocks a engages to an extent of abou
6 centimeters whereby any forward and backward rocking and also any latera
displacement of the brake blocks is prevented, and to the latter the exact direction
is imparted when going down. To the lever arms of the above mentioned
rectangular pawls m balls or circular disks n are arranged which close the pawls by
their own weight whereby the use of any spring is rendered superfluous. Here the
two rods o are inserted, which are connected with the cross bar p arranged at the
inner face of the car between the two buffers (Fig. 1 and 2). The cross bar p is
at its extremities connected with the two double armed vertical levers g pivoted on
pins or trunnions carried in bearings s.
behind the buffer rods and arranged in such a manner that their upper arms are at
These vertical levers q are directly
an exact distance of 8 centimeters from the ends of the respective buffer rods
(Fig. 1).
The disk u arranged inside the buffer, on the buffer rod serves for the
compression of the buffer springs. There are here at an exact distance of
8 centimeters from this disk, 3 or 4 pins v laterally screwed into the wall of the
buffer box which freely project from the interior of said wall about 4 to 5 centi-
meters (Fig. 1) or there are, as shown in Fig. 3, 4 brackets w with inwardly bent
prongs fixed at the inner part of the car, and at the same time (in both cases) the
end of the buffer rod is connected to the concussion disk u.
During ordinary operations when the cars, that is to say their buffers are pushed
together, the disk after the buffer spring has been compressed to the necessary
extent of 8 centimeters, exerts the further pressure as in Fig. 1, upon the lateral
pius v, and thereby upon the car itself, or, as in Fig. 3 the concussion disk u acts
against the prongs of the brackets w and thereby upon the car.
it is only necessary that the lateral pins and the prongs respectively, offer a sufficient
For this purpose
resistance.
In Fig. 1 on the left hand the buffer spring is shown in non-tensioned
condition the disk u having the same distance from the pins v, as the disk u has
from the levers 9; on the right hand the springs are shown in compressed
condition, that is to say, when the pressing force is transmitted by the pins v,
during which operation the disk u' presses onto said pins, whilst the concussion
disk u lies against the levers q.
But in case of an accident by collision or the like as soon as forcible impact
takes place, first the ends of the lateral pins vor in the other construction, the
prongs on the brackets w are broken, that is to say knocked off, but thus in both
cases the concussion disks u press back the vertical levers
themselves in front thereof pushing away said levers so that the pawls are
9, which present
attracted, that is to say released and thereby all break blocks are simultaneously
brought upon the rails and underneath the wheels of the cars. The special object
is that the first forcible impact be diverted from the cars to their wheels, and thence
to the rails; and as moreover all the wheels become automatically blocked the cars
are stopped in their running motion and are consequently prevented from riding
upon one another.
5
But as at the same time all the following cars become automatically blocked, in
their movement and as insurmountable hindrances are placed in their way by the
respective brake blocks from both sides, any destruction of the car frames and
especially the smashing of the car walls is rendered practically impossible. 1 his
automatic brake device (especially if perhaps even in the last moment, also the 5
ordinary brakes are applied in addition) is intended to render accidents and
catastrophies previously of terrible effect no longer possible.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
g
An automatic brake device comprising two double-armed levers 9 placed behind
the buffer rods, by which levers, by the medium of 1 or 2 thrust bars o, 2 or
4 pawls m, connected with said thrust bar or bars by levers 1, can be released so
that the brake-blocks a are enabled after the stop disks i with the wire-rope
pulley fare allowed to turn, to slide down in guides, on to the rails, the lever q being
operated upon by a concussion disk u when the disk u¹ arranged upon the buffer-
rod t has displaced under forcible impact screws or prongs respectively, substantially
as, and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 18th day of March 1895.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicants.