IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY BREAKS AND IN THE FRAMING AND PARTS OF CARRIAGES SUITABLE FOR USE WITH THE SAME
Year: 1873

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by George Spencer at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 20th June.
1873. A communication from abroad by William Buckwell, of
48 bis., Via Scala, Florence, Italy.
I, GEORGE SPENCER, Civil Engineer, of 77, Cannon Street, London,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN RAILWAY BREAKS AND IN THE FRAMING AND PARTS OF CARRIAGES SUITABLE FOR
USE WITH THE SAME," to be as follows:
-
My improvements relate to the application of breaks or checks to
velocity in using the force of velocity for checking same, as may be
required, to completely stopping the rotation of wheels or rollers, and
applying auxiliary break surface from the load and its framed supports
to the surface rolled over or surface of that forming the supports of the
wheels or rollers.
I will now describe the practical application of the principle of my
improvements by way of example, as such admits of many modifications
adapting it to the usual requirements of checking or stopping, of
velocity.

page_text: First. To check the velocity of wheels or rollers on the axles or shafts
of which a load is carried, I prefer to apply the break surface or action
to such wheels or rollers below the axle, whereby the weight of the load,
the weight of the framing carrying load, and the weight of the wheels
or rollers are all on the breaks; and in addition thereto when required
I cause a break surface to rest on the surface rolled over or the surface
support of the wheels or rollers.
To effect this in locomotives and rolling stock I construct the frame
to and in which all is combined to be suspended under the axles of the
wheels or rollers, as hereafter explained.
I actuate one of the applications of the breaks or checks by a skew
tooth cam worked by a worm put in motion by a spur wheel worked
from a pinion on an axle carrying a friction disc wheel; this disc
friction wheel is placed in contact with one or other of two friction discs
wheels on one of the axles of the wheels or rollers, by which the velocity
will actuate the movement required either way, and the same movement
I provide for actuating by mitre gear on the worm axle, which axle and
also that of the lever throwing the transverse friction wheel or disc into
contact with one or other of the two friction wheels or discs on the axles
of the wheels or rollers I make continuous by couplings from one
carriage to another, so that the breaks or checks of any number of the
carriages can be put on at any one carriage or released by the force of
velocity applied from the axles of the wheels or rollers or by the mitre
gear.
I prefer to hold the breaks against the wheels or rollers by rods in
tension, releasing by the same rods in thrust, these rods being actuated
by any of the usual methods from the skew tooth cam or by two eccentric
(teethed) cams worked by a pinion from the same axle, which axle serves
to actuate as a break block on to the surface rolled over, or the same or
other blocks are caused to act against the wheel surface and the surface
rolled over.
The second part of my Invention I will now describe. I suspend the
framing or construction to which all is combined under the axles in new
constructions, obtaining thereby firmness and strength (in the appli-
cation of the breaks or checks) and great diminution of the oscillating
motion of the carriages. And I apply springs or obtain clasticity to the
load, and to traction and shunting by an arrangement of much less cost,

page_text: greater strength and efficiency with safety, facilitating the traversing of
curves, and rendering the practical application of the great break power,
as will be readily understood by reference to the description given.
I will now describe the third part of my Invention in the practical
application of the principle of which steadiness is given to the grip of
the break blocks, and the wear and destruction of the wheels and rollers
and of the surface acted on by traction or rolled over is materially.
lessened, as will be understood by reference to the description given.
Heretofore the wheels or rollers of locomotives and rolling stock have
been made more or less conical, but the lesser circumference is fixed
or forced to travel the same distance as the greater circumference of the
bearing portion, which can only be practically in operation by a des-
tructive grinding friction or slipping, materially lessening the grip of
traction and increasing the resistance of the rollers to the tractive force
or power, and facilitating the flanges of wheels and rollers rising up on
the surface rolled over without faciltating rolling in the direction from a
straight line to or on a curve line, but more or less the contrary, while the
rotation of a cone from one line of circumference to another is the
rolling of an oval giving a gradient equal to the difference of diameter on
the circumference or distance described by the circumference.
I make the wheels and rollers to be cylindrical in their bearing
surface horizontally, so that a surface may be rolled over without the
destructive friction or grinding caused by conc surfaces, and without the
vertical movement of the oval described by the same. The cylindrical
traction wheels bear on a line across the whole surface
cone bears on an axial point by two different circumferences having to go
the same distance, and which rollers give a large amount of resistance
and the major part of the wear and destruction of the rollers and wheels
and surface rolled over.
borne on. The
The foregoing explanations will be easily understood by reference to
the description given by way of example of the practical application of
my Invention, but I do not confine myself to the same, as many modifi-
cations may be made from that given by way of example of the practical
application of my improvements and Invention.
But what I claim is the application of breaks or checks as herein
described; the framing, construction, or combination for carrying of

page_text: loads (on wheels or rollers) suspended under the axles as herein
described; the making of wheels and rollers cylindrical, as economical
and useful combined, and the breaks or checks and framing one with
the other, or solely or all applied to stock already made, or one or other
parts applied to ordinary locomotives or rolling stock, or adapted to new!
stock.