Improvements in Brakes for Railway Vehicles.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 17th May, 1892-Accepted, 9th July, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Brakes for Railway Vehicles.
I, HOWARD HINCKLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at 219 West
State Street, Trenton, in the County of Mercer, and State of New Jersey, United
States of America, Civil 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:-
In practically operating railway car brakes a difficulty is always encountered
owing to what is known as the lost or slack motion caused by the wearing away of
the brake shoes on the car wheels.
The object of this invention is to provide means for taking up this slack motion
automatically while the brakes are in operation, instead of having to adjust the
connections from time to time by hand when the train is at rest, as is customary.
The invention is herein shown in connection with a well known automatic air
brake system; it is well adapted, however, for use with any other power brake, or
may be used with hand-operated brakes.
In the annexed drawings
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the entire apparatus ;
Figure 2 a longitudinal section of the connecting sleeve;
Figures 3 to 6 detail views of the pawl and ratchet mechanism for operating the
sleeve;
Figures 7 and 8 views of a modification of the actuating cam ;
Figure 9 a view of a further modification of the cam, showing also the other
parts of the apparatus.
The brake cylinder is denoted by 1; 2 indicates the brake levers; 3 the rod
connecting the levers; and 4 the rods or links connecting the levers 2 with the brake
beam levers (not shown) in the usual manner. The rod 3 is divided into two parts,
as shown, the adjacent ends being provided with screw threads running in reverse
directions. The inner ends of the rods are joined together by an adjustable
connection, consisting in this instance of a tubular rod or sleeve 5 having its ends
provided with internal reversely set screw-threads corresponding with those on the
rod. This connecting sleeve is in effect a double turn-buckle. Ratchets 6 and 7
are carried by the sleeve, the former being an advancing or screwing-up ratchet
and the latter a reversing or unscrewing ratchet. They are rigidly connected to
the sleeve, as by a key 9. As a protection to the threaded portions of the rods,
short tubular pieces or collars 10 are secured to the ends of the sleeve 5 and
covered by caps 11, these caps having central openings permitting the free passage
of the rods. Rubber or leather washers 25 are interposed between the caps and
the collars, which, fitting the plain portions of the rods closely, effectually prevent
the entrance of dust, dirt, &c., to the threaded portions.
The lever for operating the ratchets is denoted by 8. It may be of any form or
construction, and is pivoted concentrically with the ratchets, being shown in the
drawing as journaled on the sleeve between the ratchets. It may, however, be
journaled outside the ratchets, or in any other manner. The cam-guide for
operating the lever is shown at 12. It is secured to the framing under the car, and
is arranged parallel with the rod 3. A spring 13 is connected with the cam-guide,
bracket or to the car framing at its upper end, and is connected with the lever 8 at
its opposite end. The action of this spring is to hold the arm up to its cam as it
travels to and fro, causing the arm to be restored to and held in its original
position when not working on the inclined portion of the cam.
In the construction just described the arm is arranged to work in a substantially

page_text: Horizontal position.
It may if desired, however, be arranged to hang vertically as
shown in Figure 9.
Actuating pawls 14 and 15 are pivoted to the lever in operative relation to the
ratchets, the former acting upon the ratchet 6 to screw up the sleeve and shorten
the rod 3 so as to take up slack, and the latter adapted to engage the ratchet 7
only when it is desired to unscrew the sleeve so as to restore the length of the rod,
as will be hereinafter described. The pawl 14 is weighted at a point inside of its
pivot, as shown in Figures 1 and 5, so that when the operating arm is in operative
position it will normally engage its ratchet 6. A stop 16 on the arm just back of
the pawl prevents the latter from being thrown out of operative position. The
pawl 15, is pivoted on the opposite side of the arm in position to engage the
ratchet 7. It is provided with a weight 17 beyond or outside of its pivot, whereby,
when the arm is held up in operative position, it is normally out of engagement
with the reversing ratchet 7, so that the arm may oscillate freely within certain
limits when in this position without throwing the pawl onto the ratchet.
As the levers move in the application and release of the brakes, the connecting
rod moves to and fro parallel with the cam guide 12, the arm 8 travelling over and
upon the edge of the cam. In applying the brakes the arm moves in the direction
of the arrow in Figure 1, travelling upon the incline 18 of the guide a greater or
less distance according to the throw of the piston caused by the slack motion, and
correspondingly lowering the end of the arm as denoted in dotted lines in Figure 1.
As the shoes wear away the extent of movement of the arm 8 upon the cam guide
increases, and the arm descends far enough to allow the pawl 14 to fall into a new
tooth of the ratchet 6. Upon releasing the brakes the arm 8 travels back on the
cam as before explained, and the spring 13 pulls upon the arm and turns the ratchet
and sleeve forward a distance equal to one tooth of the ratchet. This operation is
repeated upon successive applications of the brakes.
In Figures 7 and 8 I have shown a modification of the cam guide 12, this form
being designed to minimize the friction between the same and the operating arm.
In this construction the cam-bracket carries a roller 19, having its periphery
depending below the straight portion of the cam and corresponding to the inclined
part 18 shown in Figure 1. The action of this roller on the arm 8 is essentially
the same as that of the inclined cam 18 in the other form of guide.
In the modified arrangement of the cam and lever shown in Figure 9, the arm 8
stands vertically when in operative position. In this construction the cam is of
double form as shown, and moves the arm positively in each direction, whereas in
the other arrangement the cam moves the arm only in one direction, the spring
moving it in the other. The double cam 12 may be secured to the car framing in
any convenient manner. Instead of arranging it, however, in substantially the
same horizontal plane as the rod 3, it is arranged below the rod, parallel therewith
and practically in the same vertical plane.
When the brake shoes are worn out, and it becomes necessary to renew them,
the rod 3 must be restored to its original length. This generally has to be done
by hand, using a wrench; but in the form of the invention shown in Figures 1 to 8
I provide a means for doing it easily and quickly, without the use of a wrench or
other tool. In this arrangement I make the connection between the arm and the
spring releasable, so that the arm may be disengaged from the cam 12 and allowed
to fall into a vertical position. The pawls being weighted as above described, this
change in position of the operating arm changes their positions relative to their
respective ratchets, the advancing or screwing up pawl 14 falling out of engagement
with its ratchet 6, and the reversing or unscrewing pawl gravitating into
engagement with its ratchet 7. When the arm and pawls are in this position it
will be seen that, by working the arm to and fro by hand the connecting sleeve
will be turned in a reverse direction to that caused by oscillating the arm when in
its horizontal cam-operated position. This will be clearly understood upon
reference to Figures 3 and 4 of the drawing, where the operating arm is shown in
its different positions. The necessary re-adjustment in the connections having been

page_text: made, the arm is raised into the horizontal position and again connected with the
spring, whereupon the weighted pawls resume their former positions with respect
to their ratchets.
In the form of the invention shown in Figure 9 the double ratchet and pawl
arrangement is not necessary, it being sufficient to have a single pawl 14 which
inay be either weighted or spring actuated. No provision is made in this form of
the apparatus for reversing the connecting sleeve, and it may be done in the usual
way. In this form it will be found advisable to provide the arm 8 with a friction
spool or roller where it contacts with the cam 12, as shown in Figure 9. In either
arrangement a single turn-buckle may be used, but the double one will give the
best results.
The invention is not limited to the exact construction or arrangement of parts
herein illustrated, nor to the use of all the parts together; as the form, as well as
arrangement, of the same may be considerably varied without departing from the
spirit of the invention; and some of the features and combinations are capable of
use in other relations.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In a car brake system, the combination of a connecting rod, a turn-buckle or
sleeve connected therewith, a pivoted arm or lever connected with the turn-buckle,
and a fixed cam guide. acting on the arm to cause it to oscillate back and forth in
a plane transversely to the rod, so as to screw up the buckle or sleeve and shorten
the rod as the latter moves, substantially as described.
2. In a brake system, the combination of a connecting rod, a turn-buckle
connected therewith, a pivoted operating arm for the turn-buckle, a cam acting on
the arm to move it in one direction, and a spring to move the arm in the opposite
direction, substantially as described.
3. In a brake system, the combination of a connecting rod, a turn-buckle
connected therewith, and a pivoted operating arm connected with the turn-buckle
so that it may be operated to turn the latter in either direction at will, substantially
as described.
4. In a brake system, the combination of a connecting rod, a turn-buckle
connected therewith, a pivoted operating arm for the turn-buckle, a cam acting on
the arm to move it in one direction, a spring to move it in the opposite direction,
and a ratchet or clutch connection between the arm and the turn-buckle, whereby,
when the arm is in operative position with relation to the cam, its action will be to
screw the turn-buckle in one direction; but when released from the cam it may be
actuated to reverse the turn-buckle, substantially as described.
5. In a brake system. the combination of the two part rod having reversely
threaded ends, the connecting sleeve with correspondingly threaded portions, and a
pivoted arm adapted to operate the sleeve in either direction, substantially as
described.
6. In a brake system, the combination of the two-part rod having reversely
threaded ends, the connecting sleeve with correspondingly threaded portions, the
reversely set ratchets fixed on the sleeve, and the pivoted operating arm carrying
oppositely disposed pawls, substantially as described.
7. In a brake system, the combination of the two part rod having reversely
threaded ends, the connecting sleeve with correspondingly threaded portions, the
reversely set ratchets fixed on the sleeve, and the pivoted operating arm carrying
oppositely disposed pawls, the pawls being weighted so that only one ratchet is
engaged at a time, substantially as described.
8. In a brake system, the combination of the two part rod having reversely
threaded ends, the connecting sleeve with correspondingly threaded portions, the
reversely set ratchets fixed on the sleeve, the pivoted operating arm carrying
oppositely disposed pawls, and a cam acting on the arm; the pawls being weighted

page_text: as described, so that, when the arm is, in operation position with relation to the
cam, the ratchet acting to screw up the sleeve shall be engaged, the reversing pawl
being meanwhile normally out of engagement, as and for the purpose set forth:
9. The combination of the two-part rod having reversely threaded ends, the
connecting sleeve with correspondingly threaded portions and reversely set ratchets,
the pivoted operating arm carrying oppositely disposed pawls, the cam, and the
spring for releasably holding the arm up to the cam, substantially as described.
10. The combination of the connecting sleeve having reversely threaded ends,
the screw threaded rods working therein, the protecting collars on the ends of the
sleeve, and centrally perforated caps on the collars, and the washers, the latter
being held in place by the collars or caps and fitting the rods, substantially as
.described.
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HOWARD HINCKLEY,
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.