Improvements in Electric Break Apparatus.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Mar., 1899- Accepted, 15th Apr., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Electric Break Apparatus.
I, THOMAS BURTON KINRAIDE, of 38, Spring Park Avenue, Jamaica Plain, in
the State of Massachusetts, one of the United States of America, Electrician, 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:
Eletric breaks as heretofore provided have been subject to considerable spark-
ing, which is not only destructive of the apparatus but is very objectionable in
its effects on the current and system being operated, this being especially true of
rotary breaks which operated by means of a brush in frictional engagement with
a rotating surface.
Accordingly I have invented a break in which there is no chance for arcing as
there is no surface to are over, and also a leading object of my break is to provide
a means for making an exceedingly quick break with a relatively long period of
closed circuit, my break rendering it possible to regulate the period of closed
circuit accurately.
In the drawings Fig. 1 is a top plan view of one form of my break.
Fig. 2 shows the same in elevation.
On a suitable base D I journal in a central post or bearing d a spindle d' of an
iron plate or armature d², having two or more regions of varying mass of magnetic
material, herein shown in the form of eccentric edges d³, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.
My object is to provide regions of increasing magnetic attraction to cooperate
with one or more suitable electro magnets or solenoid devices, so located as to suc-
cessively attract these regions of varying mass of magnetic material, for rotating
the armature, as will now be explained.
Mounted on or otherwise connected to rotate with the armature
are one or
more small antifriction rolls d, two being herein shown mounted at the opposite
ends of a hard clamped adjustably on the plate
These rolls or circuit interrupters are preferably of indurated fibre.
Mounted to extend into the path of the rolls is an arm shown as a wire
carrving a hammer d to contact with an anvil 5 on a post do, and limited in its
movement by a fibre stop 10 on the end of an adjusting screw (".
The wire is carried by a hub 12 loose on a più d and held under tension by
a spring coil, Fig. 2, fastened at one end to said hub and at its other end to
a nut carrying an adjusting or set screw d¹0; so that by loosening the set screw
and swinging its handle one way or the other the resistance of the arm d may be
varied.
Preferably adjacent the periphery of the armature d², I place attracting means,

page_text: herein shown in the form of solenoids or electro magnets d¹, dis, connected with
the main or other source of current by wires 9, which enter the solenoids at
their inner terminals, so that as the magnets 17, 18 are energised, they attract
the armature or plate d², and by the increasing pull exerted thereon, on account
of the eccentric surfaces d³, they cause the plate to rotate with a speed only
checked by the striking of the interrupters d' against the end of the arm do, said
rolls being placed relatively to the highest points of the surfaces d', so that they
cut off the current just before said highest points get opposite the propelling mag-
nets, thereby permitting the momentum of the plate or armature d² to carry
said highest points beyond the magnets sufficiently to prevent the latter exerting
any retarding influence on the rotation of the break.
Preferably I mount the anvil and hammer on a swinging ledge or carrier 20,
journaled on the post d, so that I am enabled to regulate the speed of the break
simply by swinging the carrier 20 one way or the other.
The same effect may be obtained by shifting the roll or rolls on the
plate, provided they are carried, as preferred, on a bar d³, so that they can
be shifted.
This adjustment cannot of course take place while the apparatus is in operation,
and therefore for instantaneous regulation of the apparatus I provide the swinging
carrier d20
A movement of the carrier from right to left causes the current to be broken
before the armature has reached its point of greatest attraction, and as it is moved
further toward the left, the pull on the armature exerted by the magnets is
diminished more and more, and the speed of rotation of the armature is corre-
spondingly reduced, thereby reducing the number of breaks, and at the same
time lengthening the time which the circuit being interrupted is closed.
I place the arm or wire da slightly tangential to the armature, as will be seen
viewing Fig. 1, in order that the rolls d may strike the extreme end thereof with
least friction, striking outward instead of square against the end.
The arm is connected to the main or branch therefrom, at by means of any
suitable conductor, and the anvil has a connection to the delivery
end of the circuit as will readily be understood.
In operation the magnets being energised attract the eccentric surfaces or other
varying masses of magnetic material so as to cause the armature to rotate over
to the left, Fig. 1, the circuit being completed at di, d³, until the very moment
when the interrupter d' strikes the free end of the arm do, whereupon the circuit
is instantaneously broken and as this time occurs slightly before the highest points,
or places of greatest attraction of the armature, come opposite the solenoids, the
latter are rendered inactive merely during the moment when the momentum of the
armature is carrying the latter by the solenoids so as to bring the region of least
magnetic mass again opposite the solenoids in position for the latter, upon becom-
ing active by the making again of the circuit, to renew their pull upon the arma-
ture and thereby continue its rapid revolution.
This action is rapidly repeated at every make and break of the instrument.
I prefer to provide opposite solenoids in order to render the device perfectly
balanced and smooth running, although it will be understood that variations in
this and in all other details of my invention may be made.
By the use of my invention the time period of closed circuit may be made as
considerable as desired.
With any usual break this would be impossible for the reason that in order
to give an equivalent period of closed circuit the brush would of necessity remain
upon the surface of the break so long as to heat frictionally the surfaces so as to
produce a constant arc, ultimately destroying the break as well as the efficiency of
the circuit.
In my break there is not only no chance for it to arc, as there is no surface for
it to arc over, but the break itself is so exceedingly quick that there is not evem
a spark at the time of break, but there is merely occasionally a residual spark upon
the closing of the break.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. An electric break comprising a rotating member, an electro magnet, a break
device, and means driven by said rotating member for interrupting said break
device, said rotating member presenting a surface of attraction to said magnet
eccentric to the centre of rotation of said member, substantially as described.
2. An electric break comprising a rotating member, an electro magnet, a break
device, and means driven by said rotating member for interrupting said break
device, said rotating member presenting a surface of attraction to said magnet
eccentric to the centre of rotation of said member, and means for varying the
time of interruption of said break device relatively to the point of highest attrac-
tion of said eccentric surface, substantially as described.
3. An electric break comprising a rotating member, an electro magnet, a spring,
a break device, means to vary the resistance of said break device, and means driven
by said rotating member for interrupting said break device, said rotating mem-
ber presenting a surface of attraction to said magnet eccentric to the centre of
rotation of said member, and means for varying the time of interruption of said
break device relatively to the point of highest attraction of said eccentric surface,
substantially as described.
4. An electric break comprising a rotating member having regions of varying
mass of magnetic material producing regions of increasing magnetic attraction, an
electro magnet adjacent said rotating member, a break device, and an interrupter
driven by said rotating member for interrupting the break device, substantially
as described.
a
5. An electric break comprising rotating member having regions of varying
mass of magnetic material producing regions of increasing magnetic attraction,
an electro magnet adjacent said rotating member, a break device, and an inter-
rupter carried by said rotating member for interrupting the break device,
substantially as described.
6. An electric break comprising a rotating member having regions of varying
mass of magnetic material producing regions of increasing magnetic attraction,
an electro magnet adjacent said rotating member, a break device, and a pivoted
rell carried by said rotating member for interrupting the break device, sub-
stantially as described.
7. An electric break comprising a rotating member having regions of increasing
magnetic attraction, an electro magnet adjacent said rotating member, a break
device, and a pivotted roll carried by said rotating member for interrupting the
break device, and means for adjusting said roll on said rotating member, sub-
stantially as described.
S. An electric break comprising a rotating member having regions of increasing
magnetic attraction, an electro magnet adjacent said rotating member, a break
device, and a bar fixed on said rotating member and provided with rolls pivotted
thereon at its opposite ends in line with and to interrupt said break device,
substantially as described.
9. An electric break comprising a rotating member having regions of increasing
magnetic attraction, an electro magnet adjacent said rotating member, a break
device, and an interrupter carried by said rotating member for interrupting the
break device, said break device being mounted on a carrier movable concentrically
to said rotating member, substantially as described.
10. An electric break comprising a rotating member having regions of increas-
ing magnetic attraction, an electro magnet adjacent said rotating member, a break
device, and a revolving interrupter driven by said rotating member, said break
device including a yielding arm projecting obliquely into the path of said inter-
rupter, substantially as described.
11. An electric break comprising an arm carrying a hammer, an anvil opposite
said hammer, said arm being yieldingly supported and provided with means for

page_text: regulating the tension or resistance thereof, an interrupter for engaging the free
end of said arm, and automatic means operated by the current being broken for
driving said interrupter, substantially as described.
Dated the 14th day of March 1899.
WM. BROOKES & SON,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.