Improvements in Brakes for the Wheels of Carriages, Velocipedes, and other Wheel Vehicles.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Nov., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 13th Aug., 1895-Accepted, 23th Sept., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Brakes for the Wheels of Carriages, Velocipedes,
and other Wheel Vehicles.
I, EDMUND JOSEPH BYRNE, of The Byrne Bros. India Rubber Co. Manor
Rubber Mills, Aston Cross, Birmingham, in the County of Warwick India
Rubber and Gutta Percha Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
My invention has reference to brake blocks to be used principally with
pneumatic tyred wheels of carriages, velocipedes and other vehicles and has for
its object to obviate or diminish the undue wear on the pneumatic tyres which is
occasioned by the use of brake blocks of the ordinary construction. My invention
is principally applicable to the pneumatic tyred wheels of carriages, dog-carts, and
like vehicles and I will describe it in connection with carriage wheels having
pneumatic tyres.
In order that my invention may be the better understood I remark that
ordinary brake blocks are made of slightly curved vulcanised india rubber blocks
the curve corresponding in radius with that of the wheel with which the brake
block is to be used. The acting face of the said brake block is plain, and the top
and bottom ends meet the said acting face at a sharp angle. When the said brake
blocks are fitted to vehicles they are arranged so that when applied to the wheels
they are concentric with the said wheels; but when the said vehicles are occupied
the parts of the tyres in contact with the ground are flattened more or less and
the other parts are distended or raised. The said tyres are consequently forced on
to the top angular edges of the brake blocks and great wear on the pneumatic
tyres results. Further, in wet and muddy weather mud picked up by the wheels is
carried by them to the brake blocks consequently great wear takes place on the
tyres by the action of the grit or mud which gets between the surfaces of the
blocks and tyres.
In order to obviate the first named objection, I remove or round the top angular
edges of the brake blocks so that when the said brake blocks are in action
curved or rounded surfaces at the tops of the brake blocks are presented to
the tyres.
In order to obviate the other objection to the use of ordinary brake blocks,
I preferably make their acting faces V shaped or concave in cross section and ou
the said V shaped or concave faces I form series of V shaped or angular ribs, the
said ribs inclining downwards towards the middle of the blocks. At the middle of
the blocks I make channels, or gutters extending from top to bottom of the said.
blocks into which the depressions between adjacent inclined ribs open.
When the said brake blocks are in action during muddy or wet weather the mud
on the tyres is scraped off by the ribs of the brake blocks and flowing down the
depressions between adjacent ribs escapes by the middle channels or gutters without
being pressed upon the tyres by the brake blocks.
Although I prefer to make the blocks in the manner hereinbefore described yet
I do not limit thereto. For example the ribs and channels herein before described
may be applied to brake blocks the acting faces of which are flat in cross section
but I prefer to make the said acting faces V shaped or concave as hereinbefore
described. Further, the ribs may be inclined downwards from the middle to the
sides and the middle channels or gutters may be dispensed with. When the ribs

page_text: are inclined downwards from the middle to the sides the mud escapes from
between the brake blocks and wheels at the sides of the said brake blocks.
My improvements may be applied to wheels of vehicles having ordinary tyres as
well as to the wheels of velocipedes.
Dated this Twenty-first day of November 1894.
:
UMLM DT MEDIATION.
Improvements in Brakes for the Wheels of Carriages, Velocipedes,
and other Wheel Vehicles.
I EDMUND JOSEPH BYRNE, of The Byrne Bros. India Rubber Co. Manor
Rubber Mills, Aston Cross, Birmingham in the County of Warwick, India Rubber
and Gutta Percha Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of my 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 reference to brake blocks to be used principally with pneumatic
tyred wheels of carriages, velocipedes and other vehicles and has for its object to
obviate or diminish the undue wear on the pneumatic tyres which. is occasioned by
the use of brake blocks of the ordinary construction, and at the same time to
increase the efficiency of the brake.
My invention is principally applicable to the pneumatic tyred wheels of carriages
dog-carts, and like vehicles and I will describe it in connection with carriage wheels
having pueumatic tyres.
In order that my invention may be the better understood I remark that ordinary
brake blocks are made of slightly curved vulcanized india rubber blocks, the
curve corresponding in radius with that of the wheel with which the brake block is
to be used. The acting face of the said brake block is plain and the top and bottom
ends meet the said acting face at a sharp angle. When the said brake blocks are
fitted to vehicles they are arranged so that when applied to the wheels they are
concentric with the said wheels but when the said vehicles are occupied the parts of
the tyres in contact with the ground are flattened more or less and the other parts
are distended or raised. The said tyres are consequently forced on to the top
angular edges of the brake blocks and great wear on the pneumatic tyres results.
Further, in wet and muddy weather, mud picked up by the wheels is carried by
them to the brake blocks, consequently great wear takes place on the tyres by the
action of the grit or mud which gets between the surfaces of the blocks and
tyres.
:
In order to obviate the first named objection, I remove or round the top
angular edges of the brake blocks so that wheu the said brake blocks are in action,
curved or rounded, surfaces at the tops of the brake blocks are presented to the
tyres.
In order to obviate the other objection to the use of ordinary brake blocks
I preferably make their acting faces V shaped or concave in cross section and on
the said shaped or concave faces I form a series of V shaped or angular ribs the
said ribs inclining downwards towards the middle of the blocks. At the middle of
the blocks I make channels or gutters extending from top to bottom of the said
blocks into which the depressions between adjacent inclined ribs open.
When the said brake blocks are in action during muddy or wet weather the
mud on the tyres is scraped off by the ribs of the brake blocks and flowing down
the depressions between adjacent ribs escapes by the middle channels or gutters
without being pressed upon the tyres by the brake blocks.
. Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawing represent respectively in side

page_text: elevation, longitudinal section and front elevation, a vulcanised india rubber brake
block constructed according to my invention, Figures 4 and 5 represent the said
brake block in plan of upper side and plan of under side respectively.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of
the drawing.
The front or acting part a of the brake block consists of elastic vulcanised
india rubber and the back part a², that is, the part by which the brake block is
attached to the brake lever, is of hardened or non-yielding vulcanised india rubber.
The acting or bearing face of the part a of the brake block has a concave figure
with a series of downwardly inclined V shaped ribs b, b, bb projecting therefrom,
the said ribs inclining from the sides towards the middle. Instead of making the
acting face of the brake block concave in cross section, it may be made of a V or
angular figure in cross section with the same or nearly the same effect. A shallow
channel or trough e extends from top to bottom of the middle of the acting face of
the brake block, as is best seen in the front elevation Figure 3, and the top of the
brake block passes into the acting face by a curved surface d.
When a brake block constructed according to my invention is in action the
V shaped ribs, b on the concave face of the brake block press into the tyre of
the wheel and thereby offer a retarding effect or brake action which it would be
practically impossible to obtain with a brake having a plain or unribbed acting
surface. Further, mud or grit picked up by the tyres of the wheels instead of
being pressed on the tyres by the brake blocks, to the great wear and tear of the
tyres, is by my improved brake blocks scraped off those parts of the tyres acted on
by the brake blocks by the ribs b, b, b and passes down the space between each pair
of the series of inclined ribs and escapes by the middle channel c.
Although I prefer to make the blocks in the manner herein before described and
represented in the accompanying drawing yet I do not limit myself thereto. For
example the ribs and channel herein before described may be applied to brake
blocks the acting faces of which are flat in cross section but I prefer to make the
said acting faces concave or V shaped as herein before described. Further, the ribs
may be inclined from the middle to the sides, that is, in the opposite direction to
that shown in the drawing; or the said ribs may be inclined from one side to the
other of the acting face of the block. In the last described modifications, the
middle channel or gutter may be dispensed with. When the ribs are inclined.
downwards from the middle to the sides, the middle channel being omitted, the mud
escapes from between the brake blocks and wheels at the sides of the said brake
blocks.
My improvements may be applied to wheels of vehicles having ordinary tyres as.
well as to the wheels of velocipedes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I claim as my
invention of; "Improvements in brakes for the wheels of carriages, velocipedes
and other wheel vehicles" ;-
First. Forming the vulcanised india rubber brake blocks for the wheels of
carriages, velocipedes and other wheel vehicles with inclined ribs on their acting
faces, whether the said acting faces be flat concave or V shaped in cross section and
with or without a middle channel substantially as hereinbefore described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Secondly. Making the top or upper side of vulcanised india rubber brake blocks
for the wheels of carriages, velocipedes and other wheel vehicles pass into the
acting face of the block by means of a curved or rounded surface substantially as
bereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
Dan
1
EDMUND JOSEPH BYRNE.