A NEW OR IMPROVED METHOD OF AND CONTRIVANCE FOR 'TAKING UP' OR ADJUSTING THE BRASSES THE BRASSES OF LOCOMOTIVE AND OTHER ENGINE CONNECTING RODS
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Leonard Hunt of Princes Street Westminster
in the county of Middlesex, for an Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED
METHOD OF AND CONTRIVANCE FOR 'TAKING UP' OR ADJUSTING THE BRASSES
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Leonard Hunt at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th October 1882.
WILLIAM LEONARD HUNT of Princes Street Westminster in the County of
Middlesex "A NEW OR IMPROVED METHOD OF AND CONTRIVANCE FOR 'TAKING
UP' OR ADJUSTING THE BRASSES OF LOCOMOTIVE AND OTHER ENGINE CONNECTING
RODS
"
33
My Invention has for its object to obviate the continual necessity and consequent
expense and trouble of disconnecting the connecting or coupling rods of
Locomotive and other Engines for the purpose of " taking up or reducing and
refitting or adjusting their brasses as hitherto more or less the case.
According to the present system where the brasses meet at the centre of the
journal or are "brass to brass" as soon as they become worn they have have to
be "taken up" or reduced on their meeting edges and refitted to their bearings or
journals.
Now my Invention consists according to one arrangement in forming the brasses
so as to leave a vertically arranged dovetail space between their meeting edges on
each side and for the entire length of the bearing or journal. Into each portion
of such space at the flanges only of the brasses is fitted a dovetail piece or wedge
the opposite wedges in horizontal line with the bearing or journal being connected
by a bar or bridle piece extending over and across the fork or strap of the
connecting rod and confined thereto by a set screw or bolt provided with
adjusting nuts.
To take up the brasses the wedges are slightly withdrawn from their spaces and
the brasses tightened or drawn closer together at their meeting edges when the

page_text: wedges are again set to the spaces by the adjusting screws thereby obviating the
necessity of disconnecting and reducing the brasses as is now generally the case.
According to another plan I form the brasses so as to leave horizontally
urranged dovetail spaces between their meeting edges in the plane of their bearing
or journal and into these spaces I insert correspondingly shaped tongues or wedges
from the outside faces of the brasses each tongue or wedge being confined to its
space by a set screw passing through a lug or ear on the outer end of the wedge
and screwed into the fork or strap of the connecting rod.
In those forms of connecting rods where the strap slides or follows up the
brasses when taken up by the cotters slots are made in the bridle bars and lugs of
the respective wedges so as to allow the necessary play to the set screws in taking
up the brasses.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Leonard Hunt in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
25th April 1883.
WILLIAM LEONARD HUNT of Princes Street Westminster in the County of
Middlesex A NEW OR IMPROVED METHOD. OF AND CONTRIVANCE FOR "TAKING
UP" OR ADJUSTING THE. BRASSES OF LOCOMOTIVE AND OTHER ENGINE CONNECTING
RODS
"
My Invention has for its object to obviate the continual necessity and consequent
expense and delay of disconnecting the connecting or coupling rods of locomotive
and other engines for the purpose of "taking up." or reducing and refitting or
adjusting their brasses as hitherto more or less the case.
According to the present system where the brasses meet at the centre of the
journal or are "brass to brass" as soon as they become worn they have to bo
'taken up" or reduced on their meeting edges and refitted to their bearings or
journals
On the accompanying sheet of drawings Figures 1. and 2. represent one form of
my Invention and Figures 3 to 8. modifications thereof like letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in their respective figures.
My Invention consists according to the arrangement shewn by figures 1 and 2
in forming the brasses a of the connecting or coupling rod b. so as to leave a
vertically arranged dovetail space c between their meeting edges on each side and
for the entire length of the bearing or journal d.-Into each portion of such
space c at the flanges e only of the brasses a is fitted a dovetail piece or wedge f
the opposite wedges ff in horizontal line with the bearing or journal d. being
connected by a bar or bridle piece 9 extending over and across the fork or strap h.
of the connecting or coupling rod b. and confined thereto by a set screw or bolt i
provided with adjusting nuts as shown.
To "take up" the brasses a the wedges f. f. are slightly withdrawn from their
spaces c in the flanges e and the brasses a tightened up. when the wedges ffare
again set to the spaces c in the flanges e by the adjusting screws i thereby
obviating the necessity of disconnecting and reducing the brasses as is now
generally the case.
According to another plan as shewn by figures 3 to 6. I form the brasses a' so
as to leave horizontally arranged dovetail spaces c'. between their meeting edges
in the line of the bearing or journal d'. and into these spaces c' I insert corre-
spondingly shaped tongues or wedges k (seen more particularly in detached views
figures 5 and 6) from the outside of the brasses a' each tongue or wedge k being
confined to its space c¹ by a set screw passing through a lug or ear m on the
outer end of the wedge k and screwed into the fork or strap h¹ of the connecting
or coupling rod b-On slacking the set screws and withdrawing the tongues or
wedges k horizontally from their spaces c' the brasses a can be tightened up as
required and the tongues or wedges k again set thereto by tightening up the set
Screws l
เ
_Slots 8. are
Figures 7 and 8 shew the application of my invention to those forms of
connecting or coupling rods n in which the strap o slides or follows up the
brasses p when the latter are "taken up" by the key g and cotter T.-
made in the bridle bars t, or in the lugs or ears u (as the case may be) of the
respective tongues or wedges v. w. so as to allow the necessary play to the set
screws in "taking up" the brasses p.

page_text: My Invention is also applicable to bearing and any other kind of brasses
requiring to be "taken up or adjusted.
"
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect I would observe in conclusion that what I consider novel and original and
therefore claim as my invention is
"Taking up" or adjusting engine brasses substantially as and for the purpose
bereinbefore described and illustrated by the accompanying drawing.
In witness whereof I the said William Leonard Hunt have hereunto set my
hand and seal this 21st day of April in the year of Our Lord One 1
thousand eight hundred and eighty three