Improvements in Brake Apparatus for Railway, Tramway, and similar Vehicles.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 26th July, 1893—Accepted, 28th Oct., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by ONORATO CHIOZZA, of 8, Via Gioberti,
Sampierdarena, Dear Genoa, in the Kingdom of Italy, Barrister.]
Improvements in Brake Apparatus for Railway, Tramway, and
similar Vehicles.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 brake apparatus for railway, tramway and similar
vehicles.
The brakes which have heretofore been applied to railway, tramway and similar
vehicles have blocks of hard wood placed against the tyres of each wheel upon
which they exert their pressure when the brake is in action. This necessitates a
number of levers, draw rods and the like which are proportionate to the number of
wheels. By the present invention it is proposed to simplify the parts of the brake
apparatus and to render their action more energetic.
Up
Upon the turning axle of the wheels is firmly fixed, or made in one piece with the
same, a pulley or disc of a suitable diameter and width so as to obtain the frictional
surface necessary for producing the desired effect. Against this surface is applied
a single brake or block which serves for the two wheels. From this it will be seen
that the parts of the brakes are reduced by one-half.
This arrangement is applicable to compressed air brakes as well as to brakes of
any other kind. The brake block may be formed by a steel band with an interior
covering of hard wood. The frictional surfaces may be provided with grooves or
made smooth. In lieu of a block use may be made of a chain which exerts its
pressure upon grooved pulleys.
The accompanying drawings show various applications of my aforesaid invention.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a tramway vehicle provided with a brake
constructed according to the present invention. Upon each of the axles A and B
is fixed a pulley A' and B¹ of cast iron formed of two parts which are fixed together
by bolts. The brake applied to the pulley is formed of a steel collar F upon'
which are fastened pieces of hard wood. The upper extremity of this collar is
secured to the bracket S and the lower extremity to the draw rod C terminating
in a screw for regulating the tension of the same. These draw rods C C arc
articulated to the common lever D which is set in action by the aid of the chain E
fixed at its other extremity to the bell crank lever L. This lever can be displaced
by the movement of the brake handle M through the medium of the rod N and
screw O. As will be seen the movement by which the brake is applied may be
caused from the two extremities of the vehicle. When the action of the brake has
ceased the helical spring R frees the pulley from the pressure of the collar F.
Figures 2 and 3 represent in longitudinal section and plan an arrangement similar
to that shown in Figure 1 with this difference that the levers, instead of working in
a vertical plane, operate in a horizontal plane. This arrangement enables some of
the parts of the brakes which have hitherto been employed to be utilized. As in
these brakes, the chain E is wound upon a vertical shaft of the brake handle M,
but the arrangement of the levers D and rods C and N is slightly different.
Figure 4 represents an arrangement similar to that just described, but the brakes
are operated independently of each other. The movement of the brake handle,
through the intervention of the rod N and screw O causes the upward movement of

page_text: the lever R which, as will be clearly seen in the drawing, forces the brake against
the pulley A or B¹.
The arrangement shown in Figure 5 is a modification of that illustrated in
Figure 4. It possesses the advantage that when the action of the brake has ceased
the steel band F recedes from the pulley without requiring the helical spring shown
in Figure 1, which is necessary in the other two arrangements.
Figures 6 and 7 show in section and plan the application of the improved brake
to a tender. Upon the axles A, B, C are pulleys A' B'C' surrounded by the steel
collars F F F with their interior coverings of hard wood. The extremities of
these collars are fixed to the levers D E G Fig. 7 which in their thrn_are
articulated to the draw rod K. The latter is attached by the connecting rod H to
the bell crank lever L which is jointed to the link N and follows the movement of
the sliding nut O along the vertical rod which carries the brake handle M. It
will be readily understood that by the movement of the handle M the brakes Fare
applied. In this case the helical springs R shown in Figure 1 are also necessary
for releasing the brake.
A brake which is particularly suitable for railway vehicles is shown in Figures 8
and 9.
In this arrangement the friction on the pulleys A¹ A B¹ B" fixed upon
the axles A and B of the wheels is produced by four steel bands F, each placed
round a pulley. One extremity of these bands is fixed by brackets to the frame of
the vehicle, while the other extremity is held between two nuts carried by the
draw rods H H. These draw rods are fastened by chains K K which pass round
grooved pulleys L L to the extremities of the vehicle. Motion is imparted to these
pulleys by the brake handle M, pinion J and the toothed sector N, and it will be
understood that the chain, by reason of the movement of the pulleys, forces the
draw rods H H in the opposite direction so as to cause the four bands F to adhere
firmly to the pulleys keyed upon the axles.
The brake apparatus illustrated in Figures 10 and 11 comprises a long lever
arm L the fulcrum of which is at one extremity of the vehicle. This lever Lis
provided with two blocks S S which embrace a little less than half of the
pulleys A B keyed upon the axles A and B. The brake is caused to act by the
rotation of the handle M which forces the nut O and consequently the extremity of
the lever L downwards.
Figures 12 to 21 represent a brake arranged to be applied simultaneously to all
the axles of the vehicles of a train. Each vehicle is provided with a chain C made
of the length of the vehicle itself, and suspended by three or more rods D. All the
chains may be hooked one to the other so as to form a continuous chain along the
train. Each rod D, which is shown in detail in Figure 17, is articulated at its
extremity close to the frame of the vehicle and the chain is fixed to the same by
a pivot at its lower extremity. Upon every axle of the vehicles is keyed a
grooved pulley B (Figures 14 and 15). On the locomotive engine, the tender of
which is also furnished with this brake, is arranged a windla. E (Figures 19
and 20) actuated by an endless screw i carrying the handle m. The last vehicle of
the train is also provided with a similar windlass (Figures 12, 13, 18). These
chains are hooked one to the other, as shown in Figure 21. Their length is such
that when the distance between the consecutive vehicles is greatest they will remain
freely suspended. For setting the brake in action the windlass on the last vehicle
is operated, the chain C being pulled and the rods D caused to incline, which
produces the pressure of the chain C against the pulleys B. For relaxing the
chain it is needful to operate it at both extremities of the train. If the length of
the train and therefore that of the chain does not enable the brake to operate
properly the brake apparatus of the train may be divided into two parts one part
serving for approximately one half of the train and the other for the other half.
In this case the brake must be set in action from the two extremities of the train,
and for relaxing the chain it is necessary to operate also the windlasses in the
middle of the train, which can be effected by a single person the two windlasses
being placed so that they are both within his reach.

page_text: Figures 22 and 23 represent a continuous brake actuated by means of a chain
and Figures 25 and 26 are details of the same. Each axle has two pulleys K and L
and the chain H parting from the point A of the cross-piece A B, after passing
along the whole train so as to form a tangent to all the pulleys L, is conducted at
the extremity of the train round a horizontal grooved pulley P and passing along the
train again so as to form a tangent to the pulleys K is fixed to the point B of
the cross piece A B. The chain is held below the vehicles as in the preceding case
with this difference that it is free to move at the extremity of the said rods. The
movements of the vehicles relatively to each other can have no influence upon the
tension of the chain by reason of the jointed levers DEF (Figure 25). The
cross piece A B is fixed to the rods of two pistons c c which are adapted to move
in two vertical steam cylinders C C₁ attached to the locomotive engine. It will be
seen that for setting the brake in operation it will be sufficient to let steam into the
cylinders C C. Then the cross piece A B will exert a traction upon the chain and
the latter will exert its pressure upon all the axles of the train. Dash-pots M M'
are provided for the purpose of lessening the shocks which may take place in the
operation of the brake.
Figure 24 shows how in a similar manner to that in the preceding case a steel
band brake may be applied either to two pulleys placed on each axle of the wheels
or to a flange provided on the inner side of such wheels, as illustrated in Figures 27
and 28.
It will be easily understood that these last two kinds of brake with chains and
bands may also be applied to tramway vehicles. Figures 29 to 32 show the
arrangement of the same. The operation may be effected from the two extremities
of the vehicle by the help of a brake handle. The rod N of the latter is connected
directly to the grooved pulley G in the hand brake (Figures 29 and 30), while in
the chain brake (Figures 31 and 32) it acts upon the pulley G through the medium
of a toothed sector H and a pinion L. The chain which passes round the grooved
pulleys G is attached to the pivoted rods placed in the middle of the vehicle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
First. A brake apparatus for railway, tramway and similar vehicles, comprising
a pulley or disc fixed upon the axle of the wheels, against which a steel collar with
an inner covering made of pieces of hard wood is forced for producing the friction,
and actuated by the aid of levers, chains, handles and other like means from one or
from both extremities of the vehicle.
Second. In the brake apparatus specified in the first claim the employment of
pulleys or discs having surfaces provided with grooves or made smooth.
Third. In the brake apparatus specified in the first claim the employment of two
pulleys or discs upou each axle for the simultaneous action of a collar upon each
pulley or disc (Figures 8 and 9).
Fourth. In the brake apparatus specified in the first claim the employment of a
single lever carrying two blocks, (Figures 10 and 11), one being designed for each
pulley or disc.
Fifth. A continuous brake apparatus for a train, which has a chain extending
along the whole train and passing through grooves of pulleys placed upon each
axle (Figures 12 to 21), the chain being operated from the extremities of the train
by means of two windlasses.
Sixth. A continuous brake for a train, having a chain which parting from the
extremity of a cross piece passes over grooved pulleys placed upon the axles, in
order to return to the other extremity of the same cross piece after having passed
over other grooved pulleys on the same axles (Figures 22 to 26), the cross piece
being actuated by two steam cylinders in connection with dash pots designed to
lessen the shocks produced in the operation of the brake.

page_text: Seventh. In the brake apparatus specified in the preceding claims the employ-
ment of a flange or rim on the inner side of each wheel (Figures 27 and 28) in lieu
of pulleys or discs fixed upon or forming one piece with the axle, substantially as
herein before described and represented in the drawings.
Dated this 26th day of July 1893.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.