AN IMPROVED HYDRAULIC BREAK FOR RAILWAY AND OTHER PUR- POSES
Year: 1865

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Jeremiah Murphy, of Lady's Well Brewery,
Cork, in the County of the City of Cork, Ireland, for the Invention of
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Jeremiah, Murphy
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
12th September 1865.
I, WILLIAM JEREMIAH MURPHY, of Lady's Well Brewery, Cork, in the
County of the City of Cork, Ireland, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVED HYDRAULIC BREAK FOR RAILWAY AND OTHER PUR-
POSES," to be as follows:-
This Invention is intended to be used chiefly upon railway trains for the
purpose of retarding and stopping the same when required, but with slight
modifications. it is equally applicable to other similar purposes where the
retarding or stopping of the revolution of a wheel shaft or axle is desired.
The Invention consists principally in a means of employing the impetus or
momentum of the wheel, shaft, or axle to act upon a hydraulic ram in a
cylinder, or, in other words, to throw the load or pressure of the hydraulic ram
upon the wheel shaft or axle to be retarded or stopped. For example, in
applying my Invention as a break for railway carriages I fix on the top of each
of the wheels (or on as many as may be thought necessary) an excentric, the
strap of which is in direct connection with a plunger working water-tight in a
hydraulic cylinder. In connection with this cylinder is a water supply pipe, fur-
nished with a cock and suitable valves, and leading from a small tank or reser-
voir, and on the other side is a small hydraulic ram or a valve acted upon by

page_text: powerful spring. The hydraulic cylinder is also furnished with an air cock.
'When the latter is opened, and the cock of the water supply pipe closed
simultaneously, the plunger merely draws air into the cylinder, and forces it
out again as the wheels revolve, and does not exert any pressure or friction
upon the latter; but as soon as the air cock is closed and the water supply
pipe is opened, then the plunger draws water into the cylinder, and forces
out the ram or valve against the pressure of the spring, and thus the whole
force and pressure of the hydraulic ram and spring are thrown on to the
wheels, and the train is thus immediately retarded or stopped without the
wheels skidding or sliding upon the rail. To prevent the bursting of the
cylinders by over pressure there is a small escape opening, which is uncovered
as soon as the ram has been forced_out_against. the-spring a-certain-distance,
by which the excess of water in the cylinder can escape,, and which may
conduct it back into the tank.
In the above arrangement it will be perceived that the excentrics and
plungers are always in motion, so, long as the carriage is travelling, but, if
thought desirable the excentrics might be coupled to the wheels or axles by
clutch boxes, which would only be in gear when the break was to be applied,
in, which case the water supply pipe might always remain open, and the air.
cocks be dispensed with..
SPECIFICATION, in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,-filed
by the said William Jeremiah: Murphy in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 12th March 1866. . .
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I WILLIAM
JEREMIAH MURPHY, of Lady's Well Brewery, Cork, in the County of the City
of Cork, Ireland, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria; by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twelfth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, in the twenty-ninth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the s
said William Jeremiah Murphy, Her special licence that I, the said William
Jeremiah Murphy, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
I, 'the said 'William Jeremiah Murpliy, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, should at any tinie 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 Invention for
Y :

page_text: "AN IMPROVED HYDRAULIC BREAK FOR RAILWAY AND OTHER PURPOSES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said William Jeremiah Murphy, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, 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 Jeremiah Murphy, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, and on reference to the accompanying Sheet'
of Drawings, that is to say
This Invention is intended to be used chiefly upon railway trains for the
purpose of retarding and stopping the same when required, but with slight
modifications it is equally applicable to other similar purposes where the
retarding or stopping of the revolution of a wheel shaft or axle, or a number
or combination of them, is desired.
The Invention consists principally in a means of employing the impetus or
momentum of the wheel shaft or axle to act upon a hydraulic ram in a
cylinder, or, in other words, by the action of its own impetus to throw the load
or pressure of the hydraulic ram upon the wheel shaft or axle to be retarded
or stopped. For example, in applying my Invention as a break for railway
carriages I fix on, the boss of each of the wheels (or on as many as may be
thought necessary) an excentric, the strap of which is in direct connection
with a plunger working water-tight in a hydraulic cylinder. In connection
with this cylinder is a water supply pipe, furnished with a coek and suitable
valves, and leading from a small tank or reservoir, and on the other side is a
small bydraulic ram or a valve acted upon by a powerful spring. The
hydraulic cylinder is also furnished with an air cock. When the latter is
opened and the cock of the water supply pipe closed simultaneously the plunger
merely draws air into the cylinder, and forces it out again as the wheels revolve,
and does not exert any pressure or friction upon the latter;, but as soon as
the air cock is closed and the water supply pipe is opened, then the plunger*
draws water into the cylinder, and forces out the ram or valve against the
pressure of the spring, and thus the whole force and, pressure of the hydraulic:
ram and spring are thrown onto the wheels, and the train is thus, imme::
diately retarded or stopped: To prevent the bursting of the cylinders by over>
pressure there is a small opening, which is uncovered as soon as the ram or

page_text: valve has been forced out against the spring a certain distance, by which the
excess of water in the cylinder can escape, and may be conducted back again
into the tank.
'
In the above arrangement it will be perceived that the excèntrics and
plungers, are always in motion so long as the carriage is travelling, but if
thought desirable the excentrics might be coupled to the wheels or axles by
clutch boxes, which would only be in gear when the break was to be applied,
in which case the water supply pipe might always remain open, and the air
cocks be dispensed with.
Another modification of my Invention might be made by employing merely a
plain-cylinder filled-with-water, in-which-works a perforated piston-(in-place-of
the solid plunger), the said piston being connected to the excentric, by the
strap as before described, and the pressure being obtained by the resistance.
of the water (confined in the cylinder), to the passage to and fro of the per-
forated piston through it whenever the excentric is thrown into gear, with the
axle or wheel by means of the clutch box:
$
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention for "An Improved
Hydraulic Break for Railway and other Purposes, I will now proceed to
describe more in detail the manner in which the same is, to be or may be
performed or carried into practical effect, and in order that the same may be
distinctly understood I have annexed hereunto a Sheet of Drawings illustrative.
thereof, and, have marked the same with figures and letters of reference.
corresponding with those in the following explanation thereof, that. is,
to say
In the annexed Drawing Figure 1 represents a vertical section of my
improved hydraulic break, and Figure 2 a horizontal section of the same;
Figure 3 is a plan view, and Figure 4 a side elevation, showing the applica-
tion thereof to the axles or wheels of a railway carriage.
'
:
a, a, (Figures 3 and 4) are the wheels of the railway carriage; upon, the
boss of each of which (or upon as many as required) is keyed or otherwise
fixed an excentric b, b, the strap, c, c, of which is in direct communication,
with a ram or plunger d, d, (see Figures: 1 and 2) working water-tight
in a hydraulic cylinder, e, e; f, f, is the water supply pipe, which is provided
with a stop-cock, and communicates with a small reservoir or cistern 'g, g,
placed at the end of the carriage. A passage h, h, froin this supply pipe,
furnished with a valve i, i, leads to the interior of the hydraulic cylinder. A
second passage k, k, furnished with a valve 1, 1, passes round the cylinder, and
communicates with the face of the valve m, m, against the back of which a
powerful spring n; n, presses. The hydraulic cylinder is also furnished with

page_text: The stop-
an air passage at o, o, and an escape pipe for the water at p, p.
cocks of the water supply pipe and the air passage are so connected together,
by rods and levers, or otherwise), that the opening of one simultaneously
closes the other, and vice versâ, and the whole of the stop-cocks on the train
may be so connected together (if thought desirable) that the moving of one
handle or lever in the guard's van or other part of the train shall act upon all
the stop-cocks, and thus apply or withdraw all the breaks at once. So long
as the air passage 0, 0, remains open, the action of the ram or plunger d, d,
merely draws air into the cylinder, and forces it out again, but as soon as this
passage is closed, and the water supply pipe f, f, opened, the ram draws in
the water through the valve i, i, and forces it through the valve 1, 1, and
passage k, k, against the face of the valve m, m, thus compressing the spring
n, n, and throwing its whole force or pressure (by means of the ram d, d, and
excentric b, b,) on to the wheel a, a, thus retarding or stopping the same.
Should an undue amount of pressure be thus applied, the valvė m, m, will be
forced back until its rod 2, 7, uncovers the passage p, p, through which a
portion of the water will escape, and thus the pressure will be relieved, and
the bursting of the bydraulic cylinder or the breaking of any of the working
parts is thereby prevented.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention for
"An Improved Hydraulic Break for Railway and other Purposes," together
with the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried
into practical effect, I would. remark in conclusion that I claim as my Inven-
tion the improved, hydraulic break as above described and illustrated in the
Drawings annexed, or any mere modification or imitation thereof constructed
and operating in substantially the same or a similar manner, and in particular
1 claim the application of the impetus or momentum of the train being
employed to retard or stop its own progress through the resistance of bydraulic
pressure.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Jeremiah Murphy, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-six.
W. J. MURPHY. (L.S.)