Improvements in Locomotive Brakes.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Jan., 1892-Accepted, 6th Feb.. 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by CHARLES GOODWIN EMERY, of New York City,
New York, in the United States of America, Manufacturer.]
Improvements in Locomotive Brakes.
I, OLIVER IMRAY of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in the
County of London, Chartered Patent Agent, 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:-
This invention relates to locomotive brakes of that kind wherein an equalizing
lever is connected to pivotted hangers on which the brake shoes are mounted for
the purpose of equalising the pressure of all the brake shoes on the several
wheels.
As heretofore constructed, the equalizing lever is pivotted to the brake-operating-
lever and the adjusting devices employed to compensate for wear of the brake shoes
are connected with one of the crank arms of the equalising lever. In consequence
of this, when the adjusting devices are operated, the equalizing lever is moved and
its position is varied relatively to the brake-operating-lever which carries such
equalizing lever.
The object of my invention is an arrangement in which the equalizing lever is
mounted on the hanger which carries a brake shoe, and the adjusting devices are
connected with the equalizing lever in such manner that they can be operated to
compensate for wear of the brake shoes without in any way moving the arms of
the equalizing lever from their normal working position. I also provide a spring
arrangement for keeping the face of a gravity brake shoe concentric with the
wheel; this spring device is so arranged on the hanger as to avoid any such
forward projection as would interfere with the mounting of the bogie wheels near
to the driving wheels of the locomotive.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings is an elevation shewing part of the side of
a locomotive sufficient to illustrate my invention.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the equalizing lever, hanger and devices for
compensating for wear of the brake shoes.
Fig. 3 is a side view on an enlarged scale shewing the arrangement of spring and
brake shoe.
I is part of the framework of a locomotive, 2 are the driving wheels and 3 the
bogie wheels. 4 are the pendulous hangers on which the gravity brake shoes 5 are
mounted, their backs 6 being pivotted at 7 to the hangers 4. To the lower end of
the hanger 4 which is between the driving wheels 2, is pivotted one crank arm 8 of
an equalizing lever 9, its other arm 10 being connected by a rod 12 with the lower
end of the other hanger 4.
The two crank arms 8 and 10 are preferably arranged to stand upright and
etween them is pivotted an eye bolt 13 forming part of a turn buckle, the
ther part 14 of which is pivotted to the lower end of an oscillatory brake operating
ever 15 pivotted at 16 to a bracket on the framework.
The lever 15 may be worked by fluid pressure or by hand or otherwise. When
is moved in the one direction it transmits power through the adjusting device 13
nd 14 to the equalizing lever so as to force the brake shoes against the wheels
ith an equalized pressure.
The adjusting device is preferably composed of a turn buckle which, by
rning 14, is lengthened or shortened to adjust for wear of the brake shoes.
In order to maintain the acting faces of the brake shoes concentric with the
riving wheels, I provide each hanger 4 with a spring carrying block 17 mounted
a stud 18 projecting from the hanger, so that the block can heze

page_text: oscillating movement on the stud. The block has at one end a projecting
shoulder 19 and at the other end a tail piece 20 through which passes a set
screw 21 which bears against the shoe back near its pivot 7.
A blade spring 22 passes through the stud 18 and bears against the shoulder 19,
its free end bearing against the lower part of the brake shoe and sustaining it in
the position such that its face is concentric with the periphery of the driving
wheel. The force of the spring can be regulated by the set screw 21 on which
provide a lock nut 23.
By pivotting the block 17 on the laterally projecting stud 18 of the hanger 4,
and arranging the set screw to bear against the shoe back near its pivot, I avoid
undue projection of the set screw in front of the hanger. This is important with
respect to the hanger which is between the front driving wheel and the bogie
wheels, as it enables the latter to be arranged close to the front driving wheels
without liability of their striking the adjusting device of the spring carrying
block.
The drawings shew the arrangement at one side of a locomotive, the parts being
practically the same at the other side, and the forward hangers being connected by
a cross beam 24. I have described a turn buckle for adjusting, but any connection
adjustable in length may be employed to connect the brake-operating-lever with
the equalizing lever.
Having thus described the nature of this invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a locomotive brake in combination with a brake-operating-lever, and
pendulous hangers carrying pivotted brake shoes, an equalizing lever having one
crank arm connected to the one hanger and its other crank arm connected to the
other hanger and an adjusting device connecting the brake-operating-lever to the
equalizing lever, substantially as described.
2. In a locomotive brake the combination of a pendulous hanger having a laterally
projecting stud, a gravity brake shoe pivotted to the hanger, a spring carrying
block pivotted on the lateral stud, a spring sustained by the block and acting on
the brake shoe, and an adjusting set screw bearing against the shoe back near its
pivot, substantially as described.
Dated this 5th day of January 1892.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.