Improvements in Brake Apparatus for Road Vehicles.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Mar., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 5th Dec., 1894-Accepted, 12th Jan., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Brake Apparatus for Road Vehicles.
I, GEORGE PEET of 204 Clowes Street, West Gorton, Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Wheelwright and Coachbuilder do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to two and four wheeled carriages, carts, tramcars, and
other road vehicles having wheels turning on their axles, and consists in improved
arrangements of the brake apparatus of said vehicles, the object of my invention
being to suspend or support and operate the brake block in such a manner that its
brake surface remains parallel to the circuinference of the wheel as the vehicle
body or frame approaches to or recedes from the axle under varying loads, and as
it wears.
As ordinarily made the brake blocks when the vehicle body becomes
lowered or raised under varying loads retain their position relatively to the same
and in consequence the position of their brake surface relatively to the wheel is
altered so that the brakes when put on do not bear evenly against the tyres except
in one position of the body or frame above the axle or for one load, and bear only
on the upper or lower part of the blocks when the load is altered, and are thereby
reduced in efficiency.
To remedy this defect, I suspend the bar to which the brake blocks are fixed
from the vehicle body by means of two shackles or links and forge or fix to said bar
one or more bars hereinafter called radius bars, at a right angle to the former and
extending beyond the axle, and guide the same in guides formed in blocks mounted
on the axle so that they can turn on it, or otherwise guide the radius bars so that they
always remain tangential to a circle described from the centre of the axle; or I may
form said radius bars with forks embracing the axles so that they always remain
radial to the same.
In consequence of this arrangement the brake surface of
the block as the vehicle body sinks or rises remains parallel to the circumference
of the tyre.
The brake levers are hinged to the transverse bar carrying the brake blocks
near to the end of the same and connected as usual to a chain in the middle of the
vehicle and each lever is fulcrumed upon a rod hinged to brackets fixed on the axle
near to the wheels, or the rods may be forked or formed with eyes and embrace the
axle. In consequence of this arrangement the brake block retains its distance from
the tyre under all conditions of loading and need not be moved off the tyre for as
great a distance as is necessary with the usual brake arrangements, so that with my
improved arrangements the brake can be put on more rapidly and also more
effectively as the entire block surface is brought to bear upon the tyre in the
manner before described, besides which the tendency of ordinary brakes to push
the axle off the spring blocks is entirely obviated.
Dated this 2nd 1
1004
R. J. URQUHART,
57, Barton Arcade, Manchester, and 5, Clayton Square, Liverpool,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent.

page_text: Improvements in Brake Apparatus for Road Vehicles.
1 GEORGE PEET of 204 Clowes Street, West Gorton, Manchester, in the
County of Lancaster, Wheelwright and Coachbuilder, 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 two and four wheeled carriages, carts, tramcars and
other road vehicles, and consists in improved arrangements of the brake apparatus
of said vehicles.
As ordinarily made or arranged, the brake blocks when the vehicle body or frame
becomes lowered or raised under varying loads retain their positions relatively to
said body and in consequence the position of their brake surface relatively to the
wheel is altered, so that the brakes when put on do not bear evenly against the
tyres except in one position of the body or frame above the axle or for one
particular load, but bear only on the upper or lower part of the blocks when
the load is altered and are thereby reduced in efficiency. In consequence of this
varying position relatively to the wheel when the vehicle body rises or sinks under
varying loads or shocks, the brake blocks have also to be moved sufficiently far
from the tyre when not in use that no part thereof will come into contact with the
tyre and farther than would be required if the brake surface of the blocks
remained parallel to or equi-distant from the tyre in all the various positions of the
vehicle body. The object of my invention is to remedy these defects by supporting
and operating the brake blocks in such a manner that their acting surface remains
parallel to the circumference of the wheel and at the same distance therefrom, as
the vehicle body or frame approaches to or recedes from the axle under varying
loads or in consequence of shocks, and therefore bears upon the tyres and is worn
off evenly and retains the aforesaid characteristics.
On the drawing appended hereunto,
Fig. 1 represents a side view of part of a wheel and the improved brake.
apparatus, sectioned along line A A of Fig. 2.
Fig. 2, a plan of the same, sectioned along line of Fig. 1.
On the drawing a a represents the wheels, 6 the axle on which they mounted,
6161 the flanges on the axle supporting the spring blocks, c c the brake blocks, d a
part of the vehicle body or frame.
From the body or frame da cross bar e is suspended by means of two shackles
or links which are hinged to brackets d¹ fixed to said body d, and are connected
by means of pins to two arms e¹ formed on or fixed to the cross bar e, or are
connected thereto by any other suitable means. Upon the ends of the cross bar the
brake shoes c' c' are fixed by means of set screws or equivalent means and the brake
blocks c c are secured thereto in the usual way. To the crossbar e a bar 9, herein-
after called radius bar, is forged or fixed at a right angle to the former in plan and
extending beyond the axle b. The end of the bar may be formed into a bow glas
shewn resting on the top of the axle and connected by a tie-rod g² at its ends so as
to hold the end of the radius bar g on the axle while allowing it to slide thereon.
Instead of the bar as shewn, the end of the radius bar may be formed with a fork
embracing the axle, or may be guided in blocks mounted on the axle so that they
can swivel thereon, or otherwise guided so that the radius bar remains radial, or
tangential to a small circle described from the centre of the axle. In consequence
of this arrangement, the curved surface c* of the brake blocks c will remain parallel

page_text: to itself and to the tyre as it is approached to or withdrawn from the tyre of the
wheel, and retain its position relatively to a radius drawn from the centre of:
the axle 6 to the centre of the cross bar e, as the vehicle body rises or sinks.
The entire surface c³ is consequently always brought to bear upon the tyre when the
brake is put on, in any position of the vehicle body.
When it is not convenient to fix one radius bar g'in the centre, as in the case
of cranked or curved axles, the lugs e³ forged on the crossbar may be extended
to form radius bars sliding on the ends of the axle near to the wheel, or where
this is inconvenient, they may slide on the connecting rods 7 hereinafter described
near to the axle.
To the crossbar e two lugs e e³ are forged or fixed near to the ends of the
crossbar, to which lugs the brake levers h are attached by pins at one end and at
their other ends to a fork h¹ which is connected to the drawbar or chain h² of the
mechanism for putting on the brake. Springs i may be hooked to the brake
levers and the end g of the radius bar g, the springs pulling back the levers when
the rod h² or chain is released. Or, instead thereof a spring or springs may be
connected to the bar e and the vehicle body for withdrawing the brake blocks from
the tyre. The mechanism for putting on or taking off the brake may be arranged
in any convenient manner and does not form part of my invention.
Each brake lever his fulcrummed on one of the rods 1, which are hinged to
lugs i forged or fixed on the axle, or instead thereof the rods I may be forked or
formed with eyes and embrace the axle b so as to swivel thereon. In consequence
of these arrangements the crossbar e remains at the same distance from the centre
of the axle and the wheel tyre as the vehicle body or part d from which the said
bar is suspended moves up or down. As the radius bar at the same time holds the
blocks in the same position relatively to a radius passing from the centre of the
axle to that of the crossbar, the block surfaces e² will remain equidistant from and
parallel to the circumference of the tyre as the vehicle body moves up or down
under different loads or in consequence of shocks. The blocks therefore do not
need to be moved away from the tyre to so great a distance as is necessary with
the usual brake arrangements; but only sufficiently to clear the tyre, so that with my
improved arrangements the brake can be put on more rapidly and also more
effectively, as the entire block surface c² is brought to bear upon the tyre in the
manner herein before described in any position of the vehicle body or frame
relatively to the axle.
The improved arrangement of brake apparatus hereinbefore described has the
further advantage that the pressure between the brake blocks and the tyres is
taken up by the crossbar and axle through levers h, rods and lugs b³ or their
equivalents, so that the tendency of ordinary brakes to push the axle off the spring
blocks is entirely obviated.
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 1
claim is :-
1. The general arrangement of brake apparatus for road vehicles substantially
as hereinbefore described and illustrated by the drawings.
2. In brake apparatus for road vehicles the use and arrangement of a crossbar
carrying the brake blocks and supported by links from the body or frame of
the vehicle and a radius rod or radius rods forged or fixed on said crossbar and
guided on the axle substantially as and for the purpose set forth and illustrated
by the drawing.
3. In brake apparatus for road vehicles the use and arrangement of brake levers
fulcrumed on rods which swivel on the axle or on lugs or brackets on the same,
and are each connected at one end to a crossbar carrying the brake blocks and at
the other end to the drawbar or chain of the apparatus, substantially as hereinbefore
described and illustrated by the drawing.

page_text: 4. The combination of the improvements set forth in the second and third claim
in one brake apparatus.
Dated the 3rd December 1894.
R. J. URQUHART,
57, Barton Arcade, Manchester, and 5, Clayton Square, Liverpool,
Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent.