Improvements in Gas or Oil Traction Cars.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Feb., 1596-Accepted, 10th Oct., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Gas or Oil Traction Cars.
1, HENRY PERCY HOLT, of No. 22 Chancery Lane, in the County of London,
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 relates to the construction and arrangement of the engines and
driving gear of a gas or oil traction car of a kind especially adapted for narrow
gauge, the arrangement of the parts being such that the car body is separable from
the engine and gear, and that its weight can be made to bear more or less on the
driving wheels. I shall describe my invention referring to the accompanying
drawings.
Fig. 1 is a side view, Fig. 2 is an end view and Fig. 3 is a plan of the undercarriage
and framing carrying the engines and driving gear.
and
Fig. 4 is a section through one of the driving wheels and its axle and gear wheel.
Fig. 5 is a section of the double speed clutch and speed wheels.
Fig. 6 is a part section shewing the connection of the pressure pipes.
Fig. 7 is an elevation partly in section of the end part of the car and its support,
Fig. 8 is a section of the car body with end view of its end support.
The car body may be of any suitable form supported on springs of the form shown
or of other suitable form, and having arranged in any convenient parts as for
instance under the seats, reservoirs Z of compressed gas or of oil for working the
engines.
On a rectangular frame A I fix two gas motor cylinders B B' having their pistons
connected to two opposite eranks CC upon one shaft C carrying a flywheel D at
one side as shewn, or there might be one on each side: Owing to the position of the
two cylinders and their connection to opposite cranks they balance each other in
respect of weight and also in driving force so that a fly wheel of moderate dimension
suffices. At C is a double clutch which is constructed and operated as follows.
On the shaft C2 is fixed a disc E on each side of which there is a spiral coil of
flexible tubing F F. To the disc E are fixed two rings G. G¹ by bolts g passing
through distance pieces.
At the side of the coil F there is a disc H which has notches in its circumference
engaging the distance pieces on the bolts g so that as E and G revolve together, the
dise H revolves with them. At the side of the coil F¹ there is a similar disc H¹
connected in the same way to E and G. The discs H and H' are pressed against
the coils F F by springs h. Beyond the discs H H' there are rings K K' in holes
in which are held plugs k k of wood or equivalent material. Free on the shaft C
are two toothed wheels L L' of different diameters, with the teeth of which
engage internal teeth of the rings KK' When fluid under pressure, which may
be compressed gas or water is forced into either of the coils F or F¹, the coil is
expanded pressing the disc H or H' against the wood plugs kor k¹ and thus
clamping the plugs k between H and G or the plugs k' between H' and G', as the
case may be.
By the frictional pressure on the plugs k or k² the ring K or K' is caused to
revolve driving the toothed wheel L or L. Instead of the spiral coils F F¹ flexible
diaphragms may be employed. The fluid under pressure is supplied to and

page_text: discharged from either of the coils F F in the following manner. The shaft C
is bored up from its end, and in the bore is fixed a tube c of such external
diameter as to leave an annular passage around it. The coil F is attached to a
tube which communicates with this annular passage, and the coil F' is attached
to a tube which communicates with the space at the end of the tube c. By a
screw (formed on a collar having grooves for passage of fluid) the end of the
tube is pressed against packing at which prevents communication between
the space at the end of the tube and the annular passage around the tube. A
ring made in halves and fixed on the end of the shaft C2 engages a circular
groove in a sleeve c to which is fixed a cap c. A lateral tube c leads fluid under
pressure into or out of the annular space within the sleeve around the tube c, and
a lateral tube c makes a like communication to or from the cap c and the interior of
the tube c.
Double cup leather packings prevent communication between the two fluid
passages, and a cup leather e prevents leakage at the junction of the sleeve c' with
the shaft c².
The two wheels L L', either of which can be clutched to the shaft C as above
described gear with two other wheels of different diameter, I gearing with L,
and L gearing with L, both on a countershaft on which is fixed a toothed
wheel L gearing with two wheels L' I fixed respectively on the front and rear
axles M M¹.
The two front road wheels N are rigidly connected together by a tubular axle N
within which the axle M has freedom to play, and the two rear wheels N2 are
similarly connected by a tubular axle N3. Each of the road wheels N and N is
made of dish form hollowed externally and within the hollowed part there is a
boss N which is fixed on the axle, and attached to the toothed wheel L and which
has on its periphery a pneumatic tyre N. By the frictional pressure of this tyre,
when it is inflated, the road wheel is driven, the tyre being sufficiently yielding
and elastic to operate as a spring. To prevent the tyre and road wheel from
relatively slipping, driving pins O are preferably engaged in free holes in the side
of the wheel.
S is a casing which encloses the gear wheels L L and L. S' is a bearing for
the axle, which may be bushed or arranged as a ball or roller bearing.
As the ear body may be of considerable length, I provide a pair of front
wheels P and a pair of rear wheels P' having their axles carried by angle
bars QQ which have arms R R pivotted at r to the main frame A, so that
they can move as bogies within certain limits to allow for curves of the track.
The middle part of the car body rests on four springs T, the end parts rest each
on a hydraulic cylinder U fitted with a plunger U having within it a spring
resting on the bottom of a casing U.
The underside of this bottom is curved and rests on a curved bed U³ fixed on
the angle bar Q. The cylinders U are connected by a pipe to a pump V
situated on the driver's platform.
When the driver desires to relieve the under carriage A of part of the loud upon
it, he works the pump V and thereby forces water into the evlinders U pushing
down the plunger U and compressing the spring within it, thus throwing more load
on the front and rear wheels P P and proportionately relieving the pressure on the
springs T. When he desires to throw less load on the front and rear wheels, he
presses a treadle e thus lifting the suction and discharge valves of the pump V and
allowing water to flow back from the cylinders U to the cistern of the pump.
The movement of the front and rear bogies too far to the one side or the other
tis restrained by the curvature of the bed U³ and casing U2 being such that when
the bed moves to either side under the casing, the casing U2 is necessarily raised,
causing additional pressure on the bed U which impedes its lateral motion.
The pump V may be connected by two pipes to the coils of the friction clutch
with suitable cocks or valves so that the driver can bring either or neither of the
-speed gears into operation.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim in respect of a gas or oil motor car is :-
1. In combination with a gas or oil motor engine having two cylinders facing
one another, their pistons connected to opposite cranks on a crank shaft, driving
gear consisting of a double clutch engaging wheels for two different speeds,
substantially as described.
2. Mounting the engine shaft, the counter shaft worked from it, and the driving
wheel axles all on a rigid frame which partly supports but is not fixed to the car
body, substantially as described.
3. The herein described method of driving a pair of driving wheels by
pneumatically tyred wheels fixed on an axle which extends free through a tubular
axle on which the driving wheels are fixed, substantially as described.
4. In combination with the frame carrying the engine and gear a front and a
rear bogie radially connected to the frame and arranged to support through
a spring and hydraulic cylinder an end part of the car, together with a pump for
adjusting the load so supported, substantially as described.
5. The herein described arrangement of double speed clutch worked by fluid
pressure with or without a pump for producing the same substantially as described.
6. The herein described arrangement of under truck carrying machinery, and a
car body, each on separate springs, substantially as described.
7. The car driven by gas or oil motor, substantially as described and shewn on
the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 25th day of February 1896.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.