Improvements in Supply and Exhaust Valves for the Jam Cylinders of Railway Air Brakes, and in the Means for Controlling Brakes on Trailer Cars.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Mar., 1896-Accepted, 8th Aug., 1896
KAAVALT TILE STECITATION.
Improvements in Supply and Exhaust Valves for the Jam Cylinders
of Railway Air Brakes, and in the Means for Controlling Brakes
on Trailer Cars.
I, GEORGE SANFORD LEE, of Hawthorne, in the County of Passaic, in the
State of New Jersey, United States of America, Civil 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 has relation to air brakes for railway cars, and particularly for the
cars of cable or electric railways, and has for its object the provision of novel
means for controlling the supply of air to or from the brake or jam cylinder and
rendering the supply and exhaust valve or valves operable from the platform of
the car.
My invention has for its further object the provision of means for controlling
the operation, simultaneously or practically so, of the piston of a main brake
cylinder on a motor car and of supplementary brake cylinders on one or more
trailer cars.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a central, longitudinal, sectional view of a part of a brake cylinder
embodying my invention.
Figure 2 is a similar view of a modified forin.
Figure 3 is an end view of the brake cylinder shown in Figure 2.
Figure 4 is an underside plan in outline, of a motor car and trailer, provided
each with a brake cylinder communicating by means of a train pipe and branches.
In the embodiment of my improvement in brake cylinders, illustrated in Figure 1
of the drawings, A designates one of the cylinder heads, having a centrally bored
and screw-threaded boss B, in which is fitted an elbow pipe connection C. D is a
pipe leading from said elbow to a cylindrical valve chamber E, which is bolted on
or otherwise secured to the cylinder head A or flange a. The chamber E is formed
with the lateral ports F, G, H, having screw-threaded bosses, and with a number
of lateral ai escape openings c, in its wall. To the port F, is connected a pipe,
leading from the air reservoir containing compressed air. To the port G is
connected the pipe D, while to the port H, is connected a branch K leading to the
train pipe. A threaded plug L, is inserted in the open correspondingly threaded
rear end of the chamber E, and this may, when desired, be removed and the air
inlet pipe, connected, the port F, being then closed by the plug.
Within the chamber E, is fitted a suitably packed, air tight piston valve M, the
rod or stem N, of which passes through the cap O, closing the forward end of the
chamber and is connected to a rod or chain leading to the platform of the car on
which is mounted the valve operating lever. A strong spiral spring P, encircles
the piston valve stem and tends to force the valve towards the rear end of the
chamber, its normal position being at a point between the inlet port F, and the
port G, leading to the brake cylinder. When the valve is in this position the brake
cylinder is exhausting, the air then escaping in front of the valve and issuing
through the openings c. The openings c, are covered by a cup shaped muffler R,
formed with numerous apertures S, through which the escaping distributed air
issues without hissing or other disagreeable noise.

page_text: When it is desired to admit air to the brake cylinder to propel the piston and
operate the brakes, the valve is pulled forward through the medium of the chain
and platform lever, until it passes the port G, whereupon the air under pressure
passes from the inlet pipe, by way of the valve chamber into and through the
pipe D.
The port G. is formed of a series of small openings and the distance which the
valve is moved regulates and controls the amount of air admitted to the brake
cylinder. The ports being under the control of the motorman or driver the
operation of the brakes may be gradual and under a limited acting force or may
be sudden and under full force as in emergency stops.
In Figure 2 of the drawing which illustrates a modified construction and arrange-
ment of supply and exhaust valves, A designates the brake cylinder of the usual
general construction, B is the piston, B', the piston rod, C, the retracting spring,
and D, the connecting rod to the float lever by which the brake shoes are operated
from the brake cylinder and piston.
For the purpose of my invention, I form the rear head D', of the brake cylinder
with two diametrically opposite ports, E, E', one of which is an inlet and the
other an outlet port and to the head D', in axial alignment with these ports,
I attach the valve casings F, F1, consisting of metallic cylinders having their
outer ends closed by screwed caps G, G, through which the stems G', G, of the
valves, play, and outside of which the stems are conne "ted to an operating lover H,
fulcrumed on a bracket H', which is screwed into a boss H2, in the centre of the
cylinder head D¹.
The casing F, which is part of the inlet valve, is bossed at f, for connection
with the supply pipe leading from the air reservoir. The valve stem G', carries a
balanced valve consisting of two packed heads or discs g, gl, the former seating on
the rim or flange of the inlet port and the latter located beyond the inlet boss f, so
that the air pressure on both is the same. The stem G₁, of the inlet valve has
attached to its outer end a block y³, slotted at g', for the play of the lever H,
which is allowed a certain amount of motion without affecting the inlet valve, so
that the outlet or escape valve may be closed tightly before the inlet valve is
opened. A spring 4 is located between the disc g and the cap G, of the inlet
valve casing.
The outlet valve casing F, is formed with a series of air openings h, around its
base, and at this point is embraced or encircled by a bell shaped cage I, also
pierced or slotted so that the escaping air from the cylinder will be distributed
and caused to issue at a number of ports so as to avoid the noise incident to the
sudden and forcible escape of air at one point. The valve stem is made in two
relatively movable parts, the inner part G, having attached to its inner end the
packed valve head à, seating on the edge of the cylinder port and having on its
onter end a head or collar 9. A hollowed yoke g, having inwardly projecting
flanges or lugs, 9, is coupled to the stem section G, and to the outer end of this
yoke is connected the outer section G", of the stem. Within the slotted or
recessed portion g', of the yoke, a spring i, is arranged so as to bear on the
bead g.
The lever H, being connected to the chain leading to the valve operating
mechanism on the car platform, when it is desired to admit air to the brake
cylinder to operate the brakes, the first or initial pull on the chain closes the
outlet valve, the yoke, spring and inner section of the valve all moving together.
While the valve is being closed the lever moves through the slot g', in block g³,
and does not, therefore, operate the inlet valve. But as soon as the escape valve
is fully closed, the continuation of the pull on the valve chain opens the inlet
valve, admitting air from the reservoir to the cylinder to operate the piston, and
this continuation in the movement of the lever is taken up in the escape valve by
the independent movement of the yoke g, and spring, the valve proper being
incapable of further closing movement.
A powerful spring K, is located between an
attached at opposite ends to the

page_text: cylinder head and lever, and when the pull on the chain is released this spring
closes the inlet valve and at once opens the outlet valve, thus discharging the
cylinder and allowing the piston to be retracted by its spring.
Trailer: In order to adapt the brake cylinder shown in Figure 2 to the
breakage of trailers, I provide in the head a port J, and connect thereto a
branch J, leading to a train pipe J", located under the car. Each car is provided
with a like section of train pipe leading to both ends of the car and the trailers
are each provided with an ordinary brake cylinder without valves, and the train
pipe communicates with each brake cylinder. The train pipes are furnished with
suitable stop cocks at each end, and the sections of train pipe are coupled together
when a train is made up by suitable hose and flexible connections such as are
usually employed in air brake systems in steam operated railways. The train
pipe cocks on the extreme ends of the train are closed when the train is in running
order. Now when the motorman operates the valves on the main brake cylinder,
the air is first admitted to the latter and from the same a part escapes to the train
pipe and is admitted to each brake cylinder on the train, so that all the brake
cylinders on the train are operated simultaneously by the valve mechanism under
the motor car.
When the valve shown in Figure 1 is used, the same arrangement of train pipe
and supplementary brake cylinders is employed, but the branch from the train
pipe leads into the casing or chamber E, Figure 1 through port H, instead of into
the head of the brake cylinder.
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 :-
First. In air brakes, the combination with the brake cylinder and air reservoir,
of a valve cylinder located adjacent to the former and having an inlet port and
pipe communicating with the reservoir, and inlet port and pipe communicating
with the brake cylinder, an exhaust port and a reciprocating retractable piston
valve, with connections between said valve and operating lever on the car platform,
substantially as described.
Secondly. In air brake systems, the combination with the brake cylinder, of an
air controlling valve chamber with a reciprocating valve adjacent thereto com-
municating with the brake cylinder and reservoir, a train pipe, a branch leading
thereto from the valve chamber, and a brake cylinder located on a trailer and
communicating with said train pipe, substantially as described.
Thirdly. A controlling valve for brake cylinders of air brakes comprising a
cylindrical valve chamber having an inlet port for connection to an air reservoir,
an outlet port for connection to a brake cylinder, an exhaust port, a supplementary
port for connection to a train pipe and a reciprocating piston valve arranged and
adapted to admit air to a series of brake cylinders simultaneously, and to allow
the air to escape from said series, simultaneously, substantially as described.
Fourthly. A jam or brake cylinder for air brakes having supply and exhaust
valves attached to one of its heads, in combination with a manually operable
lever coupled to both valves, for operating them in one direction and a retracting
spring to retain the valves to normal, substantially as described.
Fifthly. The combination with a jam or brake cylinder for air brakes, of supply
and exhaust valves, coupled together for conjoint action, and mechanism whereby
the exhaust valve will be fully closed before the supply valve is opened.
Sixthly. The combination with a jam or brake cylinder for air brakes, of
reciprocating supply and exhaust valves, coupled together by an operating lever,
the exhaust valve being formed with a divided telescopic stem, and an interposed
spring, so constructed and arranged that the parts move together when the valve
is approaching its seat and that the movement of one section of the stem may be
continued, after the seating of the valve, substantially as described.
Seventhly. The combination with the jam or brake cylinder of an air brake, of

page_text: reciprocating supply and exhaust valves, coupled together by an operating lever
for conjoint action, the supply valve being connected to the operating lever by a
yielding connection which will allow the lever to be partially moved without
operating the valve, and the exhaust valve provided with a divided telescopic
stem, substantially as described.
Eighthly. The combination with the jam or brake cylinder, having supply and
exhaust, or controlling valves attached thereto, and coupled together by an
operating lever, of a controlling lever mounted on the platform of the car, and
connected to said valve operating lever, substantially as described.
Ninthly. The combination with the jam or brake cylinder having supply and
exhaust valves attached thereto, and having a supplementary outlet port, of a
train pipe running lengthwise of the motor car and coupled to said port and
provided with means for connecting the same with corresponding pipes in the
trailer cars, the latter being in connection with brake cylinders, the whole being so
constructed that the brakes on each car are simultaneously operated when the air
is admitted to the main brake cylinder by the operation of a single inlet valve,
substantially as described.
Dated this 30th day of March 1896
GEORGE SANFORD LEE,
By Henry Skerrett,
24 Temple Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.