IMPROVEMENTS IN BRAKE AND STOP APPARATUS FOR VEHICLES
Year: 1884

page_text: "
I, WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of No 46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BRAKE AND STOP APPARATUS FOR VEHICLES
(a communication to me from Mr Huvé-Lemoine, of Paris, France, Merchant,) to
be as follows:-
This invention has for object improvements in brakes and stop apparatus for
vehicles and relates chiefly to the employment in connection with these apparatus
of hemp ropes lined with leather these ropes being wound upon the naves of the
wheels when the invention is applied to carriages or upon the axle when it is
applied to railway, tramway or other like vehicles.
Referring to the accompanying sheet of drawings which is appended by way of
example Fig 1 represents a front elevation and a plan of the improved brake
apparatus applied to a carriage wheel, Fig 2 represents similar views of the
apparatus applied to the axle of a railway wheel.
Fig 3 represents a vertical and a horizontal section of the improved brake
apparatus applied to the axle of a wheel and provided with a pulley preferably of
bronze, fixed to the said wheel. These views illustrate the leather lining which is
by preference employed in practice, in combination with the apparatus.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the figures.
The ropes a are of conical or tapering shape as shewn on the drawing. They
are connected by two rods or links fixed to the brake beam b carrying the brake
shoe, placed behind the wheels, in accordance with the direction in which the said
wheels rotate. When the wheels are in motion, these ropes, when they are slightly
tightened at their extremity cause the brake shoes to press upon the wheel tyres,
this pressure increasing with the number of turns of the rope. This pressure
retards the rotation of the wheels and will entirely stop their motion as soon as
the extremities of the ropes are sufficiently tightened. Instead of applying the
apparatus directly upon the axle of the wheel, it may be arranged upon a bronze
pulley c as shewn in Fig 3, the rope being lined with the leather d.

page_text: In combination with this apparatus there may be employed the props or stops
which are generally fixed to the axles of non-suspended carriages and the arrange-
ment of which is well known and need not be described. The props employed in
this case, are fixed to the body of the carriage, which is suspended; the object of
their application being to reduce upon inclines the tractive power required at
starting which, for tramways is about 60 kilos per cent.
When starting upon an incline, the effort exerted by horses is always reduced
by 60 kilos per ton by the employment of these props, which, for 4 tons for example,
effects a tractive economy of 240 kilos.
It may be observed, that when a vehicle is stopped on an incline by means of a
brake, the re-starting is seldom effected at the same time that the brake is loosened,
the result is that the horses have to overcome, beyond the ordinary traction required
at re-starting, a part of the resistance offered by the brake. If the brake is loosened
too soon the horses have to overcome the recoil of the vehicle which increases with
its weight. The combination of these props with the brake apparatus effects an
economy upon inclines not only of the tractive power but also of the resistance
resulting from the pressure of the brake used to effect a stoppage, when the
re-starting and the loosening of the brake do not take place simultaneously.
There may be substituted, for the leather or any other lining designed to prevent
the rope from wearing out, the arrangement sliewn in figure 4 which consists in
applying to the rope a commencing at the end which has the largest diameter, first
a block e of wood or other suitable material, then another similar block f shaped
in the manner shewn on the drawing and lastly a metallic attachment g.
The respective positions of these three pieces e. f. g. is so determined that they
fit exactly upon the axle or nave of the wheel the rotation of which requires to be
retarded, thus preventing the rope from wearing out by friction.
The two blocks ef are fixed upon the rope a by means of a plate h with which
they are connected by screws, the screws which connect the plate h with the blocks e
or f passing through the rope a through which passes also the screw that fixes the
fastening piece g upon this cable or rope.
The thinnest extremity of the rope a terminates with a metallic rod k. which is
attached thereto by means of a ligature or in any other suitable manner and is
provided at its free extremity with several eyes or rings serving to attach thereto
the pull-rod which actuates the brake.

page_text: "
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, WILLIAM LLOYD WISE, of N° 46 Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature
of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BRAKE AND STOP APPARATUS FOR
VEHICLES (a communication to me from abroad by Mr Huvé Lemoine of
85 Boulevard d'Italie, Paris, France, Merchant,) and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
This invention has for object improvements in brakes and stop apparatus for
vehicles and relates chiefly to the employment in connection with these apparatus
of hemp ropes lined with leather, these ropes being wound upon the naves of the
wheels when the invention is applied to carriages or upon the axle when it is
applied to railway, tramway or other like vehicles.
Referring to the accompanying 2 sheets of drawings which is appended by way
of example, Fig 1 represents a front elevation and a plan of the improved brake
apparatus applied to a carriage wheel. Fig. 2 represents similar views of the
apparatus applied to the axle of a railway wheel. Fig 3 represents a vertical and
a horizontal section of the improved brake apparatus applied to the nave of a
wheel and provided with a pulley, preferably of bronze, fixed to the said wheel.
These views illustrate the leather lining which is, by preference, employed in
practice, in combination with the apparatus.
The ropes a are of conical or tapering shape as shown in the drawing. They
are connected by two rods or links to the brake beam b carrying the brake shoe,
placed behind the wheels in accordance with the direction in which the said wheel
rotates.
When the wheels are in motion these ropes, when they are slightly tightened at
their extremity cause the brake shoes to press upon the wheel tyres, this pressure
increasing with the number of turns of the rope. This pressure retards the
rotation of the wheels and will entirely stop their motion as soon as the extremities
of the ropes are sufficiently tightened.
Instead of applying the apparatus directly upon the axle of the wheel, it may
be arranged upon a bronze pulley c, as shewn in Fig 3, the rope being lined with
the leather d.
In combination with this apparatus there may be employed the props or stops
which are generally fixed to the axles of non-suspended carriages the arrangement
of which is well known and need not be described.
The props employed in this case are fixed to the body of the carriage, which is
suspended; the object of their application being to reduce upon inclines the tractive
power required at starting which, for tramways, is about 60 kilos per ton.
When starting upon an incline, the effort exerted by horses is always reduced
by 60 kilos per ton by the employment of these props, which for 4 tons for example
effects a tractive economy of 240 kilos. It may be observed, that when a vehicle..

page_text: is stopped on an incline by means of a brake, the re-starting is seldom effected at
the same time that the brake is loosened, the result is that the horses have to
overcome, beyond the ordinary traction required at re-starting, a part of the
resistance offered by the brake. If the brake is loosened too soon, the horses have
to overcome the recoil of the vehicle which increases with its weight. The com-
bination of these props with the brake apparatus effects an economy upon inclines
not only of the tractive power, but also of the resistance resulting from the pressure
of the brake used to effect a stoppage, when the re-starting and the loosening of
the brake do not take place simultaneously.
There may be substituted, for the leather or any other lining designed to prevent
the rope from wearing out, the arrangement shewn in figure 4, which consists in
applying to the rope a commencing at the end which has the largest diameter,
first a block e of wood or other suitable material, then another similar block f,
shaped in the manner shewn on the drawing and lastly a metallic attachment g.
The respective positions of these three pieces e. f. g is so determined that they
may fit exactly upon the axle or nave of the wheel the rotation of which requires
to be retarded, thus preventing the rope from wearing out by friction.
The two blocks e. f are each fixed upon the rope a by means of a plate h with
which they are connected by screws, the screws which connect the plate h with the
blocks e orf passing through the rope a through which passes also the screw that
fixes the fastening piece g upon this cable or rope.
The thinner extremity of the rope a terminates with a metallic rod k which is
attached thereto by means of a ligature or in any other suitable manner and is
provided at its free extremity with several eyes or rings serving to attach thereto
the pull rod which actuates the brake. Fig 5 is an end view of a cross bar with
the brake block fixed thereto. Fig 6 is a detail of one of the bolts. Fig 7 is a
plan of the back plate or washer for the bolts to be tightened against, and Fig 8
shews a section and an elevation of the improved brake block. Fig 9 shews a
diagrammatic view of a mode of suspension of the brake blocks, designed to
enable them to exert a maximum pressure with a relatively feeble initial power.
It will be seen from the drawing that the brake block is composed of a metallic
shoe a in which two chambers bare formed to receive the ends of the hooked
bolts c.
These hooked ends d are wider than the body of the bolt, and terminate each in
an inclined plane accurately fitting upon a similar plane of the chamber b formed
in the said shoe.
By aid of these hooks and the back plate f the brake shoe is secured to the
cross bar 6.
The curve 1-2 (Fig 8) is a limit of the maximum wear of the brake block; it
will be seen from that curve that the operation of the said block remains efficient
until the material is almost completely worn out.
Instead of suspending the brake apparatus by a rod which is vertical or there-
about, as heretofore practised, the said rod is arranged at an inclination varying
from 30 to 40 degrees with the horizon. By this device the brake block is caused
to exert a maximum pressure when a moderate force is applied to it. The
diagrammatic view Fig 9 clearly illustrates this mode of suspension in the two
cases met in practice, that is to say, in front and at the rear of the wheel relatively
to the direction of the motion.
When the improved brake apparatus is applied in front of a wheel (as shewn
at N in Fig 9) a spring is provided for separating the brake block from the wheel,
when the brake apparatus is not in use, the said brake block leaving the wheel by
reason of its own weight when it is suspended at the rear (as in R. Fig 9) relatively
to the direction of the motion of the vehicle.
The extreme inclinations of 30 and 40 degrees above indicated are those which,
as dictated by experience, should not be exceeded in order to obtain the required
result.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1. In a brake apparatus the use in combination of a brake shoe, a rope a wound
either upon the nave or upon the axle of the wheel to which the brake is applied
and a connecting link joining the rope to the shoe, substantially as described and
illustrated.
2. In a brake apparatus wherein the pressure is applied to the brake shoe by a
rope wound either upon the nave or upon the axle of the wheel to which the brake
shoe is applied, the use of a conical or tapered rope substantially as described and
illustrated.
3. In a brake apparatus fixing the brake block by means of two bolts with
booked ends fitting into chambers formed in the shoe substantially as described.
W. LLOYD WISE.