A Starting Implement for Setting Vehicles in Motion.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Jan., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 17th Oct., 1892-Accepted, 12th Nov., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Communicated from abroad by G. SCHMIDT & RHEINE'SCHE MASCHINEN
FABRIK WINDHOFF & CIE., all of Rheine, Westphalia, Germany.]
A Starting Implement for Setting Vehicles in Motion.
I, HAROLD IMRAY, of No. 28, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the
County of London, Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to an improved construction of lever implement for
starting or setting in motion stationary vehicles, and it has mainly for its purpose
to reduce as much as possible the power required for such setting in motion.
The improved starting implement differs considerably from other implements of
a similar kind now in use. All such implements are almost exclusively so arranged
with a long and a short lever arm that the latter acting against the rim of the
carriage wheel, is made to raise upward the point on which it acts and conse-
quently it does not act with a direct pushing motion, so that an excess of power
has to be exerted which is lost for the actual purpose of propelling the carriage
horizontally.
The present improved construction is designed to obviate this defect and it is
based on the fact that every point of the wheel's periphery in rolling describes a
cycloidal curve and that the expenditure of power for propelling the carriage by
acting on the wheel will be a minimum when the short arm of the lever is made
to follow up the point of the wheel which it acts upon, that is to say, to move
in the same cycloidal curve as that described by the said point of the wheel.
The construction of the said starting implement is shewn on the accompanying
drawing in which
Fig. 1 shews a side view of the implement in the position for operating.
Fig. 2 shews the same with one of the side cheeks removed and Fig. 3 shews a
plan.
The implement consists of 2 side cheeks a fixed to a long lever arm and kept
a distance apart by distance bolts c and d corresponding to the width of the rail-
head on which the carriage stands. The fulcrum of the lever is formed either by
a prismatic piece / fixed between the checks or by a roller which can be prevented
from rotating by a catch, which prism or roller rests upon the rail and does not
alter its position while the implement operates. Above such fulcrum, also between
the cheeks, is arranged a tongue piece Z in such manner that when applied with
its one end against the rim of the wheel, it will, on actuating the lever arm, be
made to move in a definite path. This tongue at its rear end is made of a fork
shape .. and carries a roller and also a pin i parallel to h, the ends of which
pin project into grooves or slots m
m formed in the checks a a. The front end
of the tongue is also forked and has a claw which is carried in the fork in such
manner that when it is applied to the rim of the wheel it automatically applies
itself in a tangential position to the periphery and remains in that position during
the movement of the wheel. The claw is sharply serrated to prevent any slipping
on the wheel rim.
The part of the tongue which is contiguous to the fork n' is so formed on its
underside that its curvature o corresponds to the cycloidal curve described by the
claw in following up the motion of the wheel, and the same also holds good as
regards the curvature of the grooves or slots m. m. of the checks a u. As the
starting implement is mainly used for railway carriages the wheels of which have
го

page_text: accurately determined diameters, there is no difficulty in determining accurately
the cycloidal curves o and m.
Between the checks a a is furthermore arranged a roller g on which the tongue
rests with its cycloidal curve o, and on which it is consequently pushed forward in
the path of such curve when the long arm of the implement is depressed. This
roller consequently forms the guide for the tongue with reference to the cycloid o
while the rear end of the tongue is led in the grooves or guides m and thus the
tongue is made to perform an accurately prescribed cycloidal motion.
With the construction of the implement shewn, it is placed with the edge of the
prism bearing on the rail as shewn at Fig. 1. the claw k. being at the same
time made to hear against a suitable point of the rim of the wheel, with the
tongue in a backward position relatively to the cheeks a a. The long lever arm
is then depressed, the fulcrum remaining in its place the claw & bears firmly
against the wheel and in consequence thereof the tongue will be pushed forward,
with the roller running along the rail. Owing to the cycloidal curvature of o
and m. m. corresponding to the cycloidal curve described by the point of the wheel
attacked by, it follows that the claw will always remain in contact with one
and the same point of the wheel rim, following the motion thereof and always
maintaining its tangential position to the periphery, so that by the above means
the maximum transmission of power from the implement to the wheel will be
attained.
Dated this 21st day of January 1892.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Starting Implement for Setting Vehicles in Motion.
I, HAROLD IMRAY, of No. 28, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in the
County of London, Chartered Patent Agent, 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 :-
This invention relates to an improved construction of lever implement for
starting or setting in motion stationary vehicles, and it has mainly for its purpose
to reduce as much as possible the power required for such setting in motion.
The improved starting implement differs considerably from other implements of
a similar kind now in use. All such implements are almost exclusively so arranged
with a long and a short lever arm that the latter acting against the rim of the
carriage wheel is made to raise upward the point on which it acts, and consequently
it does not act with a direct pushing motion, so that an excess of power has to
be exerted which is lost for the actual purpose of propelling the carriage
horizontally.
The present improved construction is designed to obviate this defect, and it is
based on the fact that every point of the wheels periphery, in rolling, describes a
cycloidal curve, and that the expenditure of power for propelling the carriage by
acting on the wheel will be a minimum when the short arm of the lever is made
to follow up the point of the wheel which it acts upon, that is to say, to move in
the same cycloidal curve as that described by the said point of the wheel.
The construction of the said starting implement is shewn on the drawings
accompanying my Provisional Specification in which
Fig. 1 shews a side view of the implement in the position for operating,
Fig. 2 shews the same with one of the side cheeks removed, and Fig. 3 shews
a plan.
The implement consists of two side cheeks a fixed to a long lever arm and kept
a distance apart by distance bolts c and d corresponding to the width of the rail
head on which the carriage stands. The fulcrum of the lever is formed either by

page_text: a prismatic piece of fixed between the cheeks, or by a roller which can be
prevented from rotating by a catch, which prism or roller rests upon the rail and
does not alter its position while the implement operates. Above such fulcrum, also
between the cheeks is arranged a tongue piece Z in such manner that when applied
with its one end against the rim of the wheel, it will, on actuating the lever arm,
be made to move in a definite path. This tongue at its rear end is made of a fork
shape and carries a roller and also a pin parallel to h, the ends of which
pin project into grooves or slots mm formed in the cheeks a a. The front end "
of the tongue is also forked and has a claw which is carried in the fork in such
manner that when it is applied to the rim of the wheel, it automatically applies
itself in a tangential position to the periphery and remains in that position during
the movement of the wheel. The claw is sharply serrated to prevent any slipping
on the wheel rim.
The part of the tongue which is contignous to the fork n, is so formed on its
underside that its curvature o corresponds to the cycloidal curve described by
the claw in following up the motion of the wheel, and the same also holds good
as regards the curvature of the grooves or slots m m of the cheeks a a. As
the starting implement is mainly used for railway carriages, the wheels of which
have accurately determined diameters, there is no difficulty in determining
accurately the cycloidal curves o and m.
Between the cheeks a a is furthermore arranged a roller g on which the tongue
rests with its cycloidal curve o and on which it is consequently pushed forward in
the path of such curve when the long arm of the implement is depressed. This
roller consequently forms the guide for the tongue with reference to the cycloid o,
while the rear end of the tongue is led in the grooves or guides m, and thus the
tongue is made to perform an accurately prescribed cycloidal motion.
With the construction of the implement shewn it is placed with the edge of the
prism bearing on the rail, as shewn at Fig. 1, the claw being at the same time
made to bear against a suitable point of the rim of the wheel, with the tongue
in a backward position relatively to the cheeks a a. The long lever arin is then.
depressed, the fulcrum remaining in its place; the claw k bears firmly against the
wheel, and in consequence hereof the tongue will be pushed forward with the
roller running along the rail.
Owing to the cycloidal curvature of o and mm, corresponding to the cycloidal
curve described by the point of the wheel attacked by k, it follows that the claw k
will always remain in contact with one and the same point of the wheel rim,
following the motion thereof, and always maintaining its tangential position to the
periphery, so that by the above means the maximum transmission of power from
the implement to the wheel will be attained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
clain is :-
1. An implement for starting vehicles when at rest, consisting of a two-armed
lever so constructed that on the depression of the long arm of the same, a move-
able piece carried in the shorter arm is moved forward according to a cycloidal
curve so that its front end, which is continuously applied tangentially to the wheel
tyre, will move through the same cycloidal path as the point of the wheel with
which it is in contact, while the fulcrum of the lever, which is at the same time its
centre of motion, will maintain a fixed position during the entire movement of the
lever, substantially as described.
2. In an implement for starting vehicles such as is referred to in the first claim,
constructing the said moveable piece in the form of a tongue so arranged between
two parallel cheeks a a at the front end of the lever, that it is guided on the one
hand in cycloidal grooves m m in the cheeks a a, and on the other hand, by a
roller and curve o, so as to move in a cycloidal curve, which coincides with that

page_text: described by the point of the wheel with which it is in contact, substantially as
described.
3. In an implement for starting vehicles such as is referred to in the first
claim, the connection of the moveable tongue at its front end with a claw & in
such manner that the claw, which engages with the wheel tyre, is continuously
applied in a tangential direction to one and the same point of the latter, an
effective contact between the two being insured by forming deep notches on the
face of the claw, which prevent the slipping thereof, substantially as described.
4. In an implement for starting vehicles such as is referred to in the first claim,
so arranging the lever that its centre of motion coincides with its fulcrum and is
formed either by a knife edge situated between the cheeks a a and resting upon
the rail, or by a roller which is prevented by a ratchet device from rolling back-
wards, the said fulcrum being consequently kept in one and the same position
during the motion of the lever, substantially as described.
Dated this 17th day of October 189”
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.