Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Apr., 1888
Specification Accepted, 1st June, 1888
We, THOMAS COWBURN, of Moedling, Factory Manager, FLORIAN TENTSCHERT, of
Vienna, Civil Engineer, both in the Empire of Austria, and ARTHUR CHARLES
BONSALL, of Wyldewoods, Waltham Abbey, in the county of Essex, Newspaper
Proprietor, 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 :--
Our invention relates to improved continuous brake apparatus for railway vehicles,
and it comprises the improvements hereinafter described.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is an underside view of portions of a railway vehicle having our
improvements applied thereto.
Figure 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same.
Figure 3 is an elevation, drawn to an enlarged scale, of the reverse side of a portion
of the vehicle to that shown in Figure 2.
Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 but illustrating a modification of our
invention.
Figure 5 is a section on the line x, x, Figure 1, drawn to an enlarged scale.
Figures 6, 7, 8 and 9 are views of details hereinafter referred to.
Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating the operation of our apparatus.
Figures 11 and 12 are views illustrating another modification of our invention.
a is the frame of the vehicle, b, bare wheels upon which the same is mounted,
and G, c are draw-bars and couplings for connecting adjacent vehicles together, all the
above parts being of any ordinary or suitable construction.
d, d are brake-blocks or shoes which are supported by links e, e and connected by
rods ff to the lever-arms g g upon a shaft / carried in suitable bearings.

page_text: i, i are two bars or levers pivotted at j, j and having their ends, and bent
inwardly as shown in Figures 1 and 10. Each of these levers is connected by two
ropes or chainsk, to an arm on the shaft the said ropes or chains being attached
to their respective levers on opposite sides of their pivots (as shown at m, m Figure 1)
and passing around guide pulleys n, n, n, n (Figures 1 and 3) so that when the two
levers i, are inoved upon their pivots their motion will be transmitted through one
or other of the ropes or chains, (according to the direction in which the vehicle
is travelling) to the arm and thence through the shaft h, the arms g, g and the
rods to the brake-blocks d, dio force the same against the wheels.
Instead of employing the ropes or chains k, k³ for transmitting the motion of the
levers i, i to the shaft h, we sometimes employ an arrangement of levers illustrated at
the lower part of Figure 1 and in Figure 4. In this arrangement the said bars or
levers have connected to them links ³, which are also attached to bell crank
levers, The latter are also connected by rods, to joint pieces, between
two seis of toggle-bars, connected to the frame a and to one end of a connecting
rod, the other end of which is attached to the arm l.
When the levers i, i are moved, they act upon one or other of the sets of toggle-
bars i, in a well known manner to raise the arm and apply the brake.
Any other suitable means may be employed for transmitting the motion of the
levers i, i to the brake blocks.
0, 0, 0, o are two pairs of bars which are respectively jointed at p, q and which are
connected together at r, to form a parallelogram. This parallelogram is arranged
between the levers i, i and at the lateral angles r, is provided with rollers adapted to
bear against the said levers.
s is a cross-bar which is attached to the angle p and which has jointed to its ends
two rods t, t extending beyond the end of the vehicle as shown in Figure 1, and
serving for the connection of the brake mechanism of different vehicles.
11, are two bars similar to the bars t, t, the said bars t¹, t being jointed to a cross
bars which latter is connected to the angle of the bars o¹, o¹ by a rod u.
q
The ends of the rods t, t and t¹, t' are so formed that they can be readily connected
to and disconnected from the corresponding bars t', t¹ and t, respectively of adjacent
wagons, in order that the said rods may form a continuous connection throughout the
length of a train.
Figures 6 and 7 show in side elevation the ends of two adjacent bars adapted to be
connected, the solid part 2 of one being adapted to fit into a recess t³ in the other as
shown in figure 8. is a hinged cap adapted to close over the bars after they have
been united as shown in figure 9 which represents in plan two bars coupled together.
The operation of my improved apparatus is as follows, that is to say :-
The rods t, t, t, t' of a series of carriages are connected and the rods t, t of the fore-
most carriage are united by any suitable means to the rod of a piston working in a
cylinder upon the locomotive so that when steam is introduced into the said cylinder
the rods t, t will be drawn forward in the direction of the arrow, figure 1. The motion
of the rods t, t is communicated to the rods t¹, t (through the medium of the cross-
bar 8, the pairs of bars o, o, o¹, o¹, the rod u and the cross-bar s¹) and thence to the
rods t,t of the adjacent carriage, and so on throughout the length of the train.
As the bars o, o, o¹, o¹ are moved forward, their rollers act upon the inclined end i¹,
of the levers, i, i to separate the same, so that the opposite ends, of the said levers
act
upon the
ropes or their equivalents to apply the brake blocks as hereinbefore
described.
From the foregoing description it will be noticed firstly that the bars o, o, o, o' are
jointed and form a parallelogram and, secondly, that the connecting rods t, t, t¹, t, are
respectively connected thereto at the point most remote from the end of the vehicle
from which they project. The object of the first part of this arrangement is to allow
the rollers to move more or less relatively to the levers i, i, for instance as shown in
figure 10, to compensate for any variation of the distance between the various
vehicles; and of the second part to maintain the rollers at the angles r, always in

page_text: contact with the levers i, i whatever may be the position of the former relatively to
the said levers, as, during the operation of the apparatus, the points p, q have a
tendency to move towards each otlier and to force the rollers against the levers, the
pull of the rods at the forward end of the vehicle being on the rear angle of the
parallelogram and the resistance offered by the rear rods on the forward angle of
the parallelogram.
The rods of the last carriage of a train are prevented from moving forward
more than sufficient to operate the levers i, i, by means of a rope or chain secured to
the said rods and to the frame of the vehicle; or any other suitable means may be
employed for the purpose.
It will be obvious that the operation of our apparatus will be the same in whichever.
direction the vehicles may be running.
v, v, u, v, are plates between which the bars of the parallelogram work, the former
being preferably attached to the levers i, i and moving therewith.
w is an arm attached to the shaft hand to which suitable rods and levers may be
connected for operating the apparatus independently of the levers i.
In cases where it is unnecessary to provide a carriage or other vehicle with brakes,
the levers, and their connected parts can be stationary, the rods t, t and the
parallelogram enabling the rods t, t¹ of carriages provided with brakes to be connected
so as to make a continuous connection throughout the length of a train.
In the modification of our invention shown in figures 11 and 12, only two bars o, o¹
are employed which are connected with the rods t, t¹ in the same manner as the pairs
of bars hereinbefore described and form what we term a half parallelogram.
a, are rollers at the ends of the bars o, o¹ and y is a guide bar against which the
said rollers bear to prevent them from moving laterally when the roller is in contact
with the lever i.
}"
It will be understood that with this modification one lever and its connected parts
are dispensed with.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said -inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what wo
claim is
1. In continuous brake apparatus for railway vehicles the employment of a lever or
levers pivotted beneath the vehicle and connected with the brake-blocks by ropes,
chains, levers, or other suitable means in such a manner that the movement of the
said lever or levers in either direction will be transmitted to the brake-blocks,
substantially as described.
2. The combination with a pivotted lever or levers of the kind referred to in the
preceding claiming clause and arranged in connection with the brake blocks, of a
series of bars jointed together in the form of a parallelogram or half parallelogram,
the lateral angles or angle of which are or is adapted to bear upon the pivotted levers
or lever while the other angles are respectively connected with rods extending through
the end of the vehicle most remote therefrom, substantially as, and for the purpose,
specified.
3. In continuous brake apparatus for railway vehicles, a series of bars jointed
together in the form of a parallelogram or half parallelogram in combination with
rods extending through the ends of the vehicle and respectively connected with
the angle of the parallelogram or half parallelogram most remote from the end
of the vehicle through which they extend, substantially as, and for the purpose,
described.
4. The improved means for uniting the ends of adjacent connecting rods,
substantially as described with reference to figures 6 to 9 of the accompanying
drawings.
5. The modification of our invention wherein a half parallelogram is employed in

page_text: combination with a fixed guide bar, substantially as described with reference to
figure 11.
6. The manufacture and use of the improved apparatus consisting of the parts
constructed and combined substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to
the accompanying drawings and operating as, and for the purposes, setforth.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London.
Agents for the Applicants.