IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CARRIAGE AND OTHER BRAKES
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jean Aubert, of No. 10, Rue de la Fidélité, Paris,
Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CARRIAGE
AND OTHER BRAKES."
Sealed the 18th May 1864, and dated the 8th December 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jean Aubert at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
8th December 1863.
I, JEAN AUBERT, of No. 10, Rue de la Fidélité, Paris, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
BAILWAY CARRIAGE AND OTHER BRAKES," to be as follows, that is to say :-
My Invention consists in the construction of a brake by which at a given
moment of time the traction motion of the locomotive is changed into a
friction motion around the wheels; the degree of friction varies according to
the gradients and curves, but in case of danger it can be of very great use as
an auxilliary to an ordinary brake which can be made to work with it. This
principle can be applied to any kind of vehicle, for which I make use of the
speed obtained from the horses or from the steam engine, and convert the
speed into friction; it does not dispense, however, with the usual brake, which
this main brake causes to act.
The nature of the Invention will be better understood by reference to the
accompanying Drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a plan of a tender, Fig. 2

page_text: èlevation of tender, and Fig. 3 a plan of a locomotive with my brake
attached.
In Figs. 1 and 2, a is the framing of the carriage; b, wheels; c, axles;
d, shaft-carrying levers; e, piece for moving the brake; f, lever worked by
the centre rod; g, connecting rods for pressing on the brake, which act what-
ever may be the direction of the carriages; h, brake guides; i, box to receive
the connecting rods; j, traction connecting rods acting on the clogs of the
brake; k, support of the traction rods fixed to the cross piece a; 1, coupling
box with screw nut for locking the carriages so as to stretch the joints m;
m, jointed rods carrying a grooved pin n; o, pin with knob moveable by
hand; p, key for connecting 2 carriages together; q, 4 handles which move
the coupling boxes by means of the endless chains and gearing r, s; S¹, sup-
ports receiving the ends of the springs; v, key for locking, moveable by hand;
t, brake clogs.
Fig. 3, a, connecting rod following the speed of the locomotive; c, shaft
put in motion by the cranks b, and which carries two excentrics; d, screw nut
locking the brake; e, rack of the nut d receiving the release catch f; g, screw
passing through the nut; h, wheel of the endless chain for receiving and
transmitting motion to the pressure screw; i and m, cross pieces; j, sup-.
porting plate; k, excentrics for applying the pressure of the brake when
required; 1, framing of the locomotive; n, main shaft supported on the cross
pieces; m, o, levers worked by the rod e; p, clog rods; q, screw nut of the
clogs; r, box receiving the clogs, and containing a spring which regulates
the pressure; t, u, supports of the shaft c; u, key for locking, moveable by
hand.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Jean Aubert in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th June 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JEAN
AUBERT, of No. 10, Rue de la Fidélité, Paris, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said Jean Aubert, Her special license that I, the a
said Jean Aubert, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such

page_text: others as I, the said Jean Aubert, my executors, administrators, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man,
an Invention for"" IMPROVEMENTS IN RAILWAY CARRIAGE AND OTHER BRAKES,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Jean Aubert, my
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, or under the hand and seal of one of them, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great
Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Jean Aubert, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the fol-
lowing statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereto annexed, and to
the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
My Invention consists in the construction of a brake which serves both
as an apparatus for constant use for stopping carriages at stations of a railway,
and as an apparatus for preventing accidents.
The peculiar feature of my Invention is, that the brake is worked by the
locomotive itself, for as soon as the steam is shut off from the cylinders of
the locomotive, the propelling force which is accumulated in the train causes
the putting on the brake to the wheels.
The brake can be applied at will, firstly, to the locomotive alone and to the
tender; secondly, to any number of carriages by means of a simple trans-
mission of movement and by a putting on or putting off easy to execute. By
giving a twisting movement to the axis for putting on I avoid accidents from
the direct traction operating on a brake where there are ascents, gradients,
and curves. This twisting is obtained by means of levers and chains acting
on a shaft. I make use of two levers for carriages and one only for tenders;
this arrangement allows me to back the train.
I will now proceed to describe the manner in which I carry my Invention
into execution, reference being had to the letters contained in the several
Figures of the annexed Drawing, in which Figure 1 is a side view of a
locomotive with my brake mechanism attached; Figure 2, plan of same;
Figure 3, side view of a tender and one carriage; Figure 4, plan of the
same; and Figure 5, elevation of the apparatus adapted for the key.

page_text: In Figures 1 and 2, f shows the main shaft moving in the four bearers d
and c bolted and fixed on the cross piece set at the back of the engine close
to the wheels; two connecting rods 9 give the movement to the shaft f con-
jointly with two cams fitted on it. The guard moves a nut by means of a
screw, and can at the desired moment place the said nut before the cam j,
which turns constantly, and will produce the pressure, and its continuation
will be ensured by means of a paul m. The working of the nut takes place as
follows: The crank arm r moves the chain p, which communicates move-
ment to the screw k by which the nut is made to advance, and upon its
advancing depends the degree of the power put on. The paul m falls one
cog on the ratchet wheel for each turn of the cam; I replace the nut by a key
provided with three notches.
I wish it to be understood that for the working of the brake it requires
merely to have it put on, by which the labour of the guard is lessened and
the action of the brake itself greatly accelerated. In all cases, when using
either keys, excentrics, chains, or nuts, care must be taken to dispose them
so as to be no impediment to the stoker, and this can easily be effected by
pullies set on the side. To put off the brake the nut 1 must be drawn back,
and the catch m be raised by its lever; if the key is employed instead of the
nut it must be raised up. The rod of the skids acts on the boxes, having a
free joint, and the springs of the skids bring forward all the gearing. The
rods can be lengthened to make up for the wear of the skids. The proper
elevation of all the shafts on the carriages results from their suspension on the
axletrees. I make use also of an indicator for measuring the pressure, and
which is moved by the screw of the crank arm r.
In Figures 1 and 2, a represents the cross piece set on the back of the
engine; 6 is a cast-iron plate supporting the journals of the main shaft and
the guides for the pressure; c, bearings; d, bearings to prevent the deflexion of
the main shaft; 6, slides; f, main shaft having two crank arms; g, g, con-
necting rods; h, stays for the pressure; i, cog of the rack; j, cams; k, adjusting
screws, nut; m, paul; n and o, wheels for the chain; o, corresponding
wheel; p, endless chain; q, bearings; r, crank arm; s, lever to raise the
paul m; t, lever, serving to uncog the paul m; u, nut serving to regulate the
pressure; x, indicator nut; y, sliding ferrule; z, indicator serving to guide
the guard and to stop the brake at certain limits, and indicates the mean
pressure for the requirement of the ordinary service and the extreme
pressure required in case of accident. The pressure received by the loco-
motive is transmitted to the carriages by means of the levers m, Figures 3
and 4, the shaft n, the twisting of the shaft q, the chains and lever p, and,

page_text: lastly, by levers h, h, the action of the skids is graduated and regulated on
account of the jointed springs acting on the diameter of the wheel according
to the power exerted on fastening the safety plates. The coupling of the
carriages is performed by extensible coupling boxes united round the key x,
and capable of yielding to all the various curves.
In Figures 3 and 4, a represents the framing; b, the wheel; c, the axles;
d, cross pieces supporting the main shaft and bearing on the axle boxes;
f, boxes of the rods i; g, springs; h, levers; j, nut to lengthen the rod;
k, skid; l, chain for pressing on lever causing the axis n to rise; o, lever;
p, lever putting in movement the shaft q, which sets in action the arm r; r, arm
acting on the lever 8; e, main shaft; t, couplings yielding to every move-
ment; u, bearers; x, key of the couplings; y, chain serving to keep safe the
coupling box t from the last carriage; z, hook of the chain.
And having now described the nature of my Invention, and the best mode
I am acquainted with of putting the same into execution, I wish it to be
understood that I do not confine myself to the precise details herein-before
described, as the same may vary without deviating from the principle of my
Invention; but what I claim is,-
Firstly, the several arrangements of mechanism for the construction of a
graduated brake applicable to gradients and curves, as herein-before described,
reference being had to the Figures of the annexed Drawing.
Secondly, the mode of applying to an ordinary brake the power increased
in the locomotive, as herein-before described, reference being had to the
annexed Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jean Aubert, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Third day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
0
Witness,
Hr. GILBEE,
10, Rue de la Fidélité,
Paris.
AUBERT JEAN. (L.B.)