AN IMPROVED BRAKE WASHER
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Gedge, of the Firm of John Gedge
and Son, of No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, in the County of
Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED BRAKE
WASHER."-A communication from abroad by Arthur Dillon-Corneck,
Engineer, of No. 15, Passage des Petites Ecuries, Paris, France.
Sealed the 26th May 1868, and dated the 30th November 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Edward Gedge
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th November 1867.
I, WILLIAM EDWARD GEDGE, of the Firm of John Gedge and Son, of No.
11, Wellington Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED BRAKE
WASHER," a communication to me from abroad by Arthur Dillon-Corneck,
Engineer, of No. 15, Passage des Petites Ecuries, Paris, France, to be as
follows:--
On railways their apparatuses, engines and carriages, and in many other
constructious subject to great vibration and shocks, a great number of nuts
are employed, these nuts easily unscrew, and then. if there is not complete
dislocation of the structure there is always a partial dislocation which becomes
worse in proportion to the time during which the nut remains loose.. The
object of the stop or brake washer is to prevent any dislocation of this kind,
even the most partial, by always maintaining the primitive tightening given

page_text: to the nut. To obtain the constant tightness of a nut it is sufficient that
the washer be always fixed on the object to be tightened up by a spur or
otherwise, and that thus the washer be no longer loose around its bolt. The
washer thus fixed and tightened or squeezed by its nut any rotary movement
of this latter will be stopped by raising one of the segments of the washer
upright with one side of the nut; this nut is henceforth-a prisoner, can no
longer unscrew, and its primitive tightening is forcibly maintained. Tho
washer thus treated constitutes the brake washer, the piece raised against
one side of the nut forming the brake. To unscrew the nut it is only
necessary to press down the raised segment of the washer, and the nut is
free to turn; should this segment break there are five others to be used before
the washer need be rejected. It is desirable that the washer slightly exceed
the greatest radius of the nut. The washer may be of any shape and it
may be fixed in various ways; if the. bolt hole is round it is only necessary to
make a notch at the mouth of this. hole and a. corresponding spur or pro-
jection on the edge of the hole in the washer; if, it is to rest against wood a
few. strokes of any cutting tool on that surface of the washer which is to
come against the wood will suffice; where the surfaces are not plane, the
washer may be fixed by hammering; finally the bearing surfaces may be
naturally rugous or wrinkled, or rendered so artificially, and numerous other
means present themselves for fixing the washer.
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawing, forming part of this Provisional
Specification, Fig. 1 is a section of a fish plate bolt furnished with a brake
washer; Fig. 2 front view of a brake washer, and Fig. 3 section of bolts and
screw in wood. All these Figures are drawn full-size, and the brake washer
is shewn in black, a indicating the raised segment which forms the brake.
To fix the washer, in the fish, plate as at Fig. 1 the ogival hole in the fish
plate is turned to account; this ogival shape. is given to the hole in the washer
by, forcing a fish bolt through it up, to the head, or by using a special mandrel
having two spurs, or projections similar to those of the bolt (but more
cutting) this passage forced either by the mandrel or by the bolt forms in the
hole of the washer two, chipped edges or spurs, which are placed in the
elongated parts, of the hole, of the fish plate; the, washer, can now turn neither,
one way, nor. the, other,; the nut is placed, screwed tight, and a segment
raised, by auy, sharp, tool against one side of the nut which cannot turn until
this segment or brake be bent down, again.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Edward Gedge in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 28th May 1868.
}
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I; WILLIAM
EDWARD GEDGE, of the Firm of John Gedge and Sun, of No. 11, Wellington;
Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex; Patent Agent; send greeting:
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters:
Patent; bearing date the Thirtieth day of November, in the year. of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirty-first year,
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors; give and grant. unto
me, the said William Edward Gedge, Her special licence that I, the said
William Edward Gedge, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such.
others as I, the said William Edward Gedge, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with; and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of,
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an In-
vention for "AN IMPROVED BRAKE WASHER," a communication to me from
abroad by Arthur Dillon-Corneck, Engineer, of No: 15, Passage des Petites
Ecuries, Paris, France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said,
William Edward Gedge, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should. par-
ticularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the.
Great Seal Patent Office within six., calendar months next and immediately.
after the date of the said Letters Patent:
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Gedge, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following,
statement:-
Object of this Invention.-On railways their apparatuses, engines and,
carriages, all of which are subject to great. vibration and shocks, as also in
metal bridges and roofing, a great number of nuts are employed; these nuts
easily loosen, and then if complete dislocation does not result, there is always
a partial dislocation, which becomes worse in proportion to the time during
which the nut remains loose. The object of the stop or brake washer is to

page_text: prevent any dislocation of this kind, even the most partial, by always main-
taining the primitive tightening given to the nut.
Principle Constituting the Brake Washer.-To secure the constant tightness
of a nut it is sufficient that the washer be always fixed on the object to be
tightened up, by means of a spur or otherwise, and that thus the washer be
no longer loose around its bolt. The washer being thus fixed and pressed
upon by its nut, any possible rotary movement of this latter will be stopped
by raising one of the segments of the washer upright with one side of the
nut. This nut is thenceforth a prisoner, can no longer unscrew, and its
primitive tightening up is forcibly maintained. The washer thus treated
..constitutes the brake washer.
Application to Railway Fish Plates.-There are two things to be obtained,
namely, 1, fixity of the washer; 2, stoppage of any rotary movement of the
nut. To obtain the fixity of the washer in fish plates the ogival hole in
the fish plate is turned to account; this ogival shape is given to the hole in
the washer by forcing a fish bolt through it up to the head, or by using a
special mandrel having two spurs or projections similar to those of the bolt
(but more cutting); this passage forced either by the mandrel or by the bult
forms in the hole of the washer two chipped edges or spurs which are
placed in the elongated parts of the hole of the fish plate; the fixity of the
washer is thus obtained, that is to say, it can no longer turn either in one
.direction or the other; the nut is then placed on and screwed right up and a
segment of the washer is raised by any suitable tool against a corresponding
side of the nut. The nut is thus rendered unscrewable, and its original
tightness is constantly preserved. By heating the washers the passage of
the mandrel is easier and the spurs are better made. There are some very
small fish plate bolt washers, and if such are used it will be sufficient to
rivet as it were one of the segments to stop the nut, but it is better to
-use washers slightly exceeding the greatest radius of the nut.
Unscrewing. To unscrew the nut at will is very easy; it is only requisite
to press down the raised segment of the washer and the nut is free to turn in
the usual manner. Should this segment break there are five others to be
used before the washer need be rejected.
Various Applications.-The brake washer finds its application on railways
in the crossing apparatuses, turntables, engines, and carriages, bridges and
iron roofing; it is also applicable to square bolt headed screws, the same
principle acting (the stoppage of any rotary movement of a nut or of the
head of a bolt headed screw "tirefond").

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
On the accompanying Sheet of Drawing, forming part of this Specification,
Fig. 1 is a section of a fish plate bolt provided with a brake washer. A, fish
plates; B, rail; C, brake washer. Fig. 2 front view of a brake washer, one
segment raised up against and securing the nut; Fig. 3 section of bolt and
bolt headed screw applied to wood. D spurs or projections made on washer
as herein-before described; and Fig. 3* bolt and brake washer applied to
iron. All these Figures are drawn full size, the sections of the brake washer
being shewn in black.
To sum up, claim is made to the exclusive right of applying the brake
washer, the subject of this Invention, to the following constructions, all of
which are exposed to great vibrations, and consequently possess bolts the
nuts of which easily loosen, to railway plant such as rail joints, points and
crossings, turntables, loading cranes, iron or wooden framings of bridges or
roofs, stationary and locomotive engines, and passenger carriages or goods
trucks; also to metal and wooden bridges and roofs, and metal framings
generally, to carriages of every description used in common roads, and to
all stationary or locomotive steam engines.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Gedge, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of May in the year of
our Lord, One thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight.