Improvements in or Applicable to Apparatus for Actuating Brakes for Railway Vehicles.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Dec., 1886.
Complete Left, 4th July, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 5th Aug., 1887.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Applicable to Apparatus for Actuating Brakes
for Railway Vehicles.
I FRANCIS WILLIAM WEBB, of Crewe, in the County of Chester, Mechanical.
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the said invention; to be as follows:-
:-
My invention relates to brakes for railway vehicles which are actuated by a partial
vacuum, commonly termed vacuum brakes in which one side of a diaphragm, sack or
piston in a cylinder or casing is acted upon by the pressure of the atmosphere, when
the atmosphere is withdrawn from the cylinder or casing on the other side of the
diaphragm, sack or piston-The diaphragm, sack or piston is attached to one end of a
rod which then passes and slides through a stuffing box the other end of which rod is
connected with the lever through which motion is transmitted to the brake blocks.
The object of my invention is to permit the rod, connected with the diaphragm,
sack, or piston, to oscillate slightly in any direction, so as to accommodate itself to
the irregularities of the motion arising from its being connected at one end with the
lever actuating the brake blocks directly or by links and at the other end to the
diaphragm, sack, or piston, and my invention consists in making the stuffing box, or
arrangement for making piston, sack, or diaphragm rod air tight, separate from the
cylinder, or casing and in connecting it therewith, by a short pipe flanged tube or
diaphragm of india rubber or india rubber and canvas or other suitable compound or
leather, which is flexible and air tight, and which will permit the packing gland
or stuffing box to move to the extent required.
Dated this Fourteenth day of December 1886.
PETER J. LIVSEY,
Agent.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or Applicable to Apparatus for Actuating Brakes
for Railway Vehicles.
I FRANCIS WILLIAM WEBB of Crewe, in the County of Chester, Mechanical Engineer,
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:-
My invention relates to brakes for railway vehicles which are actuated by a partial
vacuum commonly termed vacuum brakes, in which one side of a diaphragm, sack or
piston in a cylinder or casing, is acted upon by the pressure of the atmosphere, when
the atmosphere is withdrawn from the cylinder or casing on the other side of the
diaphragm sack or piston-The diaphragm sack or piston is attached to one end of a
rod which in the case of a piston should be attached to it by means of a hinge or ball
joint but is immaterial in the case of a diaphragm as it is itself flexible which then
passes and slides through a stuffing box the other end of, which rod is connected with
the lever through which motion is transmitted to the brake blocks.
The object of my invention is to permit the rod connected with the diaphragm,
Back or piston, to oscillate slightly in any direction, so as to accommodate itself to
the irregularities of the motion arising from its being connected at one end with the
lever actuating the brake blocks directly, or by links and at the other end to the
diaphragm sack or piston, and my invention consists in making the stuffing box, or
arrangement for making piston sack or diaphragm rod air tight, separate from the
cylinder or casing and in connecting it therewith by a short pipe, flanged tube or
diaphragm of india rubber or india rubber and canvas or other suitable compound
or leather, which is flexible and air tight, and which will permit the packing gland
or stuffing box to move to the extent required.
Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are each sections taken in the line of the lengthway of the
diaphragm or piston rod of a vacuum brake cylinder or casing, and each figure
illustrates one mode of carrying out my invention.
In each figure a is a part of the diaphragm where it is attached to the rod bone
end of which passes through a hole in a disc or plate a¹ and through a hole in the
diaphragm a and then screws into a disc or plate a² the diaphragm being held air
tight between the discs or plates a' and a² parts of which are only represented as they
are of ordinary and well known construction.
c is part of the ordinary cylinder or casing for the diaphragm, and it has a projecting
neck through which the rod b passes and in which it is free to move in any direction-
This neck is not used in fig. 3.
There is the ordinary india rubber or other similar elastic washer a³ round the
rod b coming between the casing c and the disc a' when the diaphragm a is in the
position in which it is shown in each figure.

page_text: This elastic washer makes a joint and prevents the passage of air when the
diaphragm a is in the position shown, and is well understood and in use in the ordinary
arrangement of vacuum brakes.
The rod b is of the desired length and is jointed directly or through a link with the
end of the ordinary lever which actuates the brake blocks that operate upon the wheels
of the vehicle.
There is a stuffing box or a packing gland or part d upon the rod b that acts to
prevent air from passing between the box d and the rod b.
The stuffing box d is separate from the diaphragm cylinder or casing c as shown in
each figure.
It is formed by a casting d, through a hole in which the rod 6 can pass freely this
casting having a seating for a ring d of india rubber or other suitable elastic material
of the section shown so that the pressure of the atmosphere acting from the outside
will tend to press the lip of the ring of india rubber, close to the side of the rod b.
There is a ring of brass or other metal, which is pressed upon by one end of an
helical spring d³ the other end of which abuts against a plate d' through a hole in
which the rod 6 passes, this plate d' being secured by screws d³ as shown to the
casting d which has a disc or flange d* to which one edge of a disc of india rubber
or other flexible composition or material de is secured by a ring d and bolts & the
inner tubular part of the disc de being secured by a clamp d' upon the neck c¹ from
the casing c.
In fig. 2 there is a tube of india rubber or other suitable flexible composition or
material de between the neck c¹ of the diaphragm casing c and the casting d for the
stuffing box, each end of the elastic tube being secured by a clamp d to the neck c¹
of the casing cat one end and to the casting d forming the stuffing box at the
other end.
In fig. 3 there is no neck c¹ on the diaphragm casing c, the outer edge of a disc d
of india rubber or other flexible composition or material being secured by a ring d
and screws d to the end of the casing e for the diaphragm and the centre part of the
elastic disc d³ is secured between a flange part d that screws into the casting d for
the stuffing box and the edge of the latter, the flange part d" being prevented from
unscrewing by a set screw (d1) screwing through the side of the casing d.
The disc forming the abutment for the spring d³ also screws upon the exterior
of the casting d for the stuffing box.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is.
1. In vacuum brake cylinders or casings, making the arrangement acting as the
stuffing box for the diaphragm or piston rod (b) separate from the cylinder or
casing (c) and connecting the said stuffing box (d) and cylinder or casing (c) by a
tube or disc or diaphragm of elastic material (d) substantially as hereinbefore described
and illustrated by the drawings.
2. The combinations with the diaphragm or piston rod (d) and with the casing or
cylinder (c) of the diaphragm or piston of a stuffing box (d) and elastic tube or
disc (d) connecting the stuffing box with the cylinder or casing (c) substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated by the drawings.
3. The combinations and arrangements substantially as and for the purpose herein-
before described and illustrated by figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings.
1
0
PETER J. LIVSEY,
Agent.