A NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR TESTING AND INDICATING THE LOAD OF RAILWAY AND OTHER TRUCKS
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Imray of N° 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex for an Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR TESTING AND INDICATING THE LOAD OF RAILWAY AND OTHER
TRUCKS" communicated to him from abroad by Julius Ferdinand Rudolf
Siebelist and Carl Johann Friedrich Steibelt, both of Berlin in the German
Empire
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Imray at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 12th September 1883.
JOHN IMRAY of N° 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex "A NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR TESTING AND INDICATING THE
LOAD OF RAILWAY AND OTHER TRUCKS" [communicated to him from abroad by
Julius Ferdinand Rudolf Siebelist and Carl Johann Friedrich Steibelt, both of
Berlin in the German Empire]
This invention relates to apparatus, applicable to railway and other, trucks, for
the purpose of testing and indicating the extent to which they are loaded, one
main object of its use being to prevent such overloading as might be dangerous or
damaging. On the side of the underframe of the truck is fixed a case provided
with a door which can be locked. Within this case, on a central axis therein, is
fixed a pinion gearing with a rack which can slide vertically through guides and
which terminates in an adjustable foot resting on one of the axle boxes, or on a
longitudinal bar which rests on the two axle boxes. On the axis of the pinion is
fixed an index which points to divisions on segments of a dial that can be adjusted
in position. When the truck is empty, the rack is moved to such a position that
the index points to zero, and the adjustable foot of the rack is then set accurately
to rest on the axle box or bar above mentioned, and is secured by a setting screw.
As the truck is loaded, the yielding of its springs allows the body of the truck to
descend to an extent approximately proportional to the load, while the rack

page_text: remains stationary. The relative movement of the truck body and of the case
fixed on it thus causes the pinion to revolve and to carry the index more or less
round the dial, so that the division to which it points indicates the load. The
pinion and index can be held stationary by inserting through a hole in the face of
the case a pin engaging between teeth of the pinion, and the setting screw which
holds the foot of the rack can be loosened so as to allow the rack to play freely up
and down with the oscillations of the truck, without tending to move the pinion.
The door of the case may be secured by a lock to prevent access to the apparatus
except by officials having keys, also the setting screw for adjusting the foot may
be covered by a locked or sealed slide for the same purpose.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Imray in the Patent Office on the 10th March 1884.
"
JOHN IMRAY of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the county of
Middlesex A NEW OR IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR TESTING AND INDICATING
THE LOAD OF RAILWAY AND OTHER TRUCKS" A communication to me from
abroad by Julius Ferdinand Rudolf Siebelist and Carl Johann Friedrich Steibelt,
both of Berlin in the German Empire
This invention relates to apparatus, applicable to railway and other trucks, for
the purpose of testing and indicating, the extent to which they are loaded, one
main object of its use being to prevent such overloading as might be dangerous or
damaging. On the side of the underframe of the truck is fixed a case provided
with a door which can be locked. Within this case, on a central axis therein, is
fixed a pinion gearing with a rack which can slide vertically through guides and
which terminates in an adjustable foot resting on one of the axle boxes or on a
longitudinal bar which rests on the two axle boxes. On the axis of the pinion is
fixed an index which points to divisions on segments of a dial that can be adjusted
in position. When the truck is empty, the rack is moved to such a position that
the index points to zero and the adjustable foot of the rack is then set accurately
to rest on the axle box or bar above mentioned and is secured by a setting screw.
As the truck is loaded, the yielding of its springs allows the body of the truck to
descend to an extent approximately proportional to the load, while the rack
remains stationary. The relative movement of the truck body and of the case
fixed on it, thus causes the pinion to revolve and to carry the index more or less
round the dial, so that the division to which it points indicates the load. The
pinion and index can be held stationary, with the rack in a raised position, when
not in use, by inserting through a hole in the face of the case a pin engaging
between teeth of the pinion.
The door of the case may be secured by a lock to prevent access to the
apparatus, except by officials having keys, also the setting screw for adjusting the
foot may be covered by a locked or sealed slide for the same purpose.

page_text: Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings shews a side view of a railway truck,
having the above described apparatus applied thereto; fig. 2 shows a cross section
of the same; fig. 3 shews a modified arrangement; fig. 4 shews a front sectional
view of the apparatus; fig. 5 shews a cross section; fig. 6 shews a front view, and
fig 7 shews a side view of the stem of the rack.
8
A is a casing of cast iron or other metal, closed by a door or cover B hinged
thereto at a and secured at b by a lock or seal. In the centre of the casing is an
axis & carried in a bracket c and having fixed thereon a pinion and pointer m.
In gear with the pinion i is a toothed rack D which passes through the casing A
in which it can work up and down in guides n. The lower end of the rack D
is hollow and in it slides the rod g, that can be secured in any position by the
setting screw f; w is a dial of metal or other material having curved slots 8 8¹; of
which a contains a moveable index for indicating zero, while s¹ contains a moveable
index for indicating the maximum load. Both indexes can be fixed in position by
screws t t. z is a pin which is inserted in the bracket c, between the teeth of the
pinion, when the apparatus is to be put out of action; when this is in action, the
pin is inserted in the hole l. The apparatus may be conveniently fixed to the
longitudinal beam of the truck framing by means of screw as at fig. 5, either in
the middle of the truck as at fig 1 in which case a bar p attached to the axle boxes
is provided for the stem g to rest upon, or the apparatus may be fixed over the
axle box, as at fig. 3, in which case the stem g rests upon the strap of the spring
or upon the top of the axle box..
The action of the apparatus is as follows:
When the truck is to be loaded, the pin z is removed from the pinion, so that the
rack D which has been held in a raised position by the pinion can drop down the
pointer m assuming the zero position. The screw fis then released, and the stem g
is drawn down until it rests upon the bar p or on the axle box as described, where-
upon the stem is again fixed in position by the screw f, after which the truck is
loaded until the pointer m indicates the maximum load on the dial. When the
truck is unloaded again, the stem g and rack D are pushed up and secured by the
pin Z, the stem g being then at such a height from the bar p or axle box, that no
oscillations of the truck can bring them in contact.
When the apparatus is in operation, and the stem g has been adjusted in
position and secured by the setting screw f, care must be taken that this cannot
be loosened, for which purpose the screw may have a peculiarly formed head as at
fig 4 to be turned by a special key, or an ordinary screw with countersunk head
may be employed, which is then covered by a slide y having a loop which is secured
to a corresponding loop on the rack D by a seal at figs 6 and 7.
The indexes 88 are, as before described, made adjustable in the slots in the dial in
order that they may be adjusted accurately in position, according to the strength
of the springs of the particular truck to which the apparatus is applied. For this
purpose, the truck is, in the first instance, loaded with a test maximum load to
which the maximum index 8' is then set, while the index s is set to the position of
the pointer m, when the truck is empty. The testing of the indexes should be
repeated from time to time. In some cases, where it is desired to obtain an
increased amount of motion for the pointer, so as to facilitate the indications of
small differences of load, the rack D, instead of gearing direct with the pinion i, is
made to gear with an intermediate wheel or train of wheels, whereby its motion
will be multiplied in being transmitted to the pinion i.
It will be evident that the above described apparatus may also be employed for
indicating the strength of the springs and the alterations that may take place in
their strength in the course of time.

page_text: c
Having thus described the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed as communicated to me by my foreign correspondents,
I claim.
-
First: The use of apparatus for testing and indicating the load of railway and
other trucks consisting of a casing A containing an axis d, carrying a pointer m
and a toothed pinion with which gears a rack D of adjustable length, so that by
fixing the casing A upon the framing of the truck and causing the rack to bear
with its lower end upon the axle box or part connected thereto, the downward
motion of the casing consequent upon the loading of the truck, will cause the
pointer to move to a point on a dial indicating the extent to which the truck is
loaded.
Second In testing and indicating apparatus such as is referred to in the
..preceding claim the construction of the toothed rack D with adjustable stem g and
setting screw f, substantially as described.
Third: In testing and indicating apparatus such as is referred to in the pre-
ceding claims, constructing the dial w with slots s s¹ in which are adjustable
indexes for indicating the zero point and the maximum load.
Fourth In combination with the pinion i and rack D the use of a pin Z for
securing the rack in a raised position when not in use, and of a guide n for keeping
the rack in gear with the pinion.
Fifth In combination with the screw f that holds the stem g the use of a slide y
covering the head of the screw and secured by loops u and a seal.
In Witness whereof, I the said John Imray have hereunto set my hand and seal
this tenth day of March in the year of our Lord, one thousand, eight hundred and
eighty-four.