An Automatic Brake for Carts, Carriages, and other Vehicles.
Year: 1888

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Automatic Brake for Carts, Carriages, and other Vehicles.
1, GEORG CHRISTOPH WENING, of Neuendettelsau, in the Kingdom of Bavaria and
Empire of Germany, Manufacturer, 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 an automatic brake which can be applied to carts and othe
load-carrying vehicles, and to carriages, sledges and other conveyances; the object
being to provide a brake which, upon a rising gradient or approximately level ground'
is normally held out of action but automatically applied whenever, in going downhill
there is a tendency for the vehicle to travel faster than the animal or animals by which
it is drawn. This end is effected by means of a draw-rod secured to the shafts or
pole and moving in a longitudinal direction; the said rod, as a backward pressure is
exerted thereon by the draught animal or animals, serving to apply the brake-blocks
to the tyres of the wheels with greater or less pressure according to the extent of the
declivity upon which the vehicle may under such circumstances be travelling.
The present invention differs chiefly from the brake apparatus heretofore employed
on account of a varying pressure being automatically applied to the brake-blocks,
which pressure is greatest on the steepest hill and is only entirely removed when an
approximately level surface is being driven over.
The brake-blocks are, moreover,
gradually applied and gradually withdrawn by the automatic mechanism, instead of
being comparatively speaking suddenly put on and suddenly taken off by hand. In
addition, means are provided whereby the brake apparatus may be thrown out of.
action whilst the cart or other vehicle is being backed.
In order that this invention may be fully understood, I will proceed to describe the
same with reference to the accompanying drawings, whereof
Figs. 1 to 7 shew the way in which I prefer to arrange my improved brake-
mechanism for use with carts or other load-carrying vehicles."
Figs. 8 to 12 illustrate the manner of applying the same to lighter vehicles, such
as gigs.
Figs. 13 to 15 represent a sledge fitted with the improved construction of brakę
apparatus.

page_text: Figs. 1 and 1 shew in longitudinal section (on the line A B, Figs. 2 and 2ª) and
Figs. 2 and 2 in plan the application of this invention to a cart.
Fig. 1 is a view of the rear end of the shaft, with the brake-wheel, and Fig. 1ª a
view of the front end of the shaft aforesaid.
Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line CD in Fig. 1.
Figs. 4 and 5 are a top view and a vertical section respectively of the means
employed for automatically and slowly releasing the brake-blocks.
Fig. 6 is a rear view of the brake apparatus.
Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view of the front end of the shaft with the sliding
rod and the stop-ring.
Figs. 8 and 8 are views shewing in sectional elevation the application of this
invention to a gig.
Figs. 9 and 10 are plan views shewing this method of construction.
Fig. 11 is a transverse sectional view of the shaft and the sliding rod.
Fig. 12 is a sectional view of the hand-lever for enabling the vehicle to be backed
without the brake being applied.
Figs. 13, 14 and 15 shew in side elevation, transverse section and plan respectively
a sledge to which the improved brake apparatus has been fitted.
The mode of carrying out this invention when applied to carts as in Figs. 1 to 7
differs from that shewn in Figs. 8 to 12 for gigs or private carriages in so far that
in the former the pivot of the crank-lever operated by the sliding rod is arranged
outside the axis of the wheel, whilst in the latter the said pivot is placed upon the
axis aforesaid.
In Figs. 1 to 7, the shaft a of the cart carries on its under side the draw-rod b,
which may be made either of metal or wood. The forward extremity of the said
rod terminates in a ring c, called the stop-ring, which surrounds the shaft a; the
rod being moved to and fro along the shaft within guides dd. To the rear end
of the sliding rod is attached a curved bar to which is fixed the yoke-bar f
Each draught animal is yoked on one side by a chain g to the front end of the
sliding rod band on the other side by means of traces attached to the yoke-bar
aforesaid. The sliding rod is connected to a bent and bifurcated lever in such
a manner that the forward end of the said lover embraces the curved bar.e.
Through the end / two pins are inserted, one on each side of the bar e. The
rear end of the lever
is divided into two arms h¹² jointed to a rod m carried by
means of angle-pieces no, which are respectively connected to the shaft at p and
to the axle at q. The arms and 2 terminate in two upright limbs and . The
latter are connected to the brake-shafts by means of two connecting rods ; the
brake-blocks tt being fixed to the extremities of the said shaft. The brake-shaft is
pivotted to the rod №³ (Fig. 6) by means of the two rods d¹ and d². The thumb-
screws y* serve to adjust the brake-blocks as wear takes place.
.
In Fig. 1, the brake-apparatus is shewn out of action; the dotted lines indicating
the position the parts assume when the brake-blocks are applied to the wheels of the
vehicle. In the withdrawn or normal position, the brake is held out of action by
reason of the pin engaging with a notch in the upper end of the curved bar e.
At the end b (Fig. 4) of the sliding rod is arranged a pawl which is bent into a
rectangular shape and at its rear end slides over the teeth of a ratchet-wheel w when
the sliding rod is pushed back. The ratchet-wheel is fixed, between the bars w¹²,
to the shaft a; the bar w² being pressed more or less against the ratchet-wheel w by
the thumb-screws y.y. The ratchet-wheel is supported on an axis w³. As the
screws yy are more or less tightly screwed, whereby the bars w² ² are correspond-
ingly pressed against the ratchet-wheel, a proportionate resistance is opposed to the
motion of the said wheel owing to the friction set up between the latter and the
bars to. When the cart is travelling downhill, a backward pressure is exerted
by the draught animals through the chains g to the rod so that the said rod
together with the curved bar e may be moved into the position shewn in dotted lines
in Fig. 1. During this movement, the pin leaves the notch in the upper end of
the bar e and the end of the lever moves downwards along the said bar. The

page_text: slight extent
limbs are hereby moved forward, in consequence of which the brake-shaft is
caused to partially rotate, whereby the brake-blocks are pressed against the wheel-
tyres. With the draw-rod & the pawl is also caused to move rearwards, so that the
part may slide over the teeth of the ratchet-wheel w (Fig. 4) whilst the brake-
blocks are being applied. As the movement of the ratchet wheel is restricted
owing to it being gripped between the bars ww, the sliding rod b and consequently
the lever is held by means of the pawl in the depressed position as long as
necessary for relieving the draught animals from undue strain. When the inclination
of the road diminishes so that the cart ceases to roll any further under the influence
of gravity alone, the draught animals then commence to draw again. As the
result of the small force exerted at first by them, the sliding rod is moved forward
far enough to so turn the ratchet-wheel that the lever is raised to a
and the brake is partly taken off. When the draught animals exert enough force
in the forward direction to draw the vehicle along a level road, the ratchet-wheel
is caused to rotate far enough backwards to enable the pawl and draw-rod b to
return to their normal position. The lever is then so raised that the pin
engages once more in the notch in the end u of the bar e, whereupon the brake is
entirely taken off. The brake is not immediately withdrawn, but only gradually,
according to the extent to which the inclination of the road varies. By regulating
the proportions of the ratchet-wheel wand of the screws y, the frictional resistance
between the two can be considerably increased or decreased, and the brake can thus
be adapted for light or heavy vehicles. In order to be able to apply or withdraw
the brakes by hand, a lever may be arranged upon the pawl by means of which
the latter can be disengaged from the ratchet-wheel w. To enable the backing
of the vehicle to take place without the brake being applied, a pin z is arranged
on the front end of the shaft a, which pin may be inserted in the shaft behind
the ring c on the draw-rod b, when such backing is contemplated, so that the said
rod may be prevented from moving whilst, under such circumstances, backward
pressure is exerted thereon by the draught animals. When the vehicle is being
drawn in a forward direction, the pin is moved so that the ring c may be able to
slide freely upon the front end of the shaft a.
The brake-mechanism illustrated in Figs. 8 to 12 is intended for use with the lighter
class of vehicles. In this modification, the lever is jointed, by means of its
arms, directly to the axis q of the gig; the ends of the said lever being
coupled by means of connecting rods to the brake-shafts. The rear end of the
sliding rod carries a rack which gears with the ratchet-wheel w.
The latter,
as before, is fixed between two adjustable bars, such as w¹². When a hill is being
descended, the rack 2 slides over the teeth of the ratchet-wheel w whilst the sliding
rod is being pushed back. When the draught animals again commence to draw, the
rack and sliding rod are moved slightly forward; the brakes being cor-
respondingly loosened. To enable the ratchet arrangement to be disconnected when
the vehicle is being backed, a lever is provided which is pivotted at to the
shaft a and carries on its lower arm a bolt 3 which engages behind the pin
on the sliding rod b when the lever z¹ is turned from the position indicated in dotted
lines into that shewn in the illustration. Under such circumstances, the sliding rod
cannot move backwards but bears, through the pin a, against the bolt ³, so that the
carriage can be backed without the brake being put on.
The method of applying this invention to a sledge will be readily understood on
reference being made to Figs. 13, 14 and 15 of the accompanying drawings, without
further description being necessary.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I claim :-
1. In brake apparatus applied and taken off by the force exerted by the draught
animals by which the vehicle is drawn, a lever h which engages with the curved bar e
upon the sliding draw-rod b and is pivotted about the wheel-axle y or the rod m and
formed with limbs coupled to the brake-shaft s, so that, through the rearward

page_text: movement of the draw-rod b, the said lever, by sliding downwardly along the curved
parte of the bar b, presses the brake-blocks against the wheel-tyres, whereupon the
pawl attached to the draw-rod bis held by the ratchet-wheel w and prevents a sudden
release of the brake mechanism, substantially as described.
2. In brake apparatus of the kind described in the preceding claiming clause, the
use, for regulating the release of the brakes, of the ratchet-wheel w arranged between
two bars ww, the latter being adjusted by means of the screws y, substantially
as described.
3. The modification of the mechanism described and claimed in the first claiming
clause, whereby, instead of the pawl v, a rack hinged to the draw-rod b is arranged
to gear with the ratchet-wheel w.
G. G. M. HARDINGHAM,
191, Fleet Street, London, E.C.,
Agent for the Applicant.