Improved Apparatus for Stopping and Starting or Helping to Start Tramcars and other Vehicles.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Aug., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 7th May, 1895-Accepted, 15th June, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Stopping and Starting or Helping to Start
Tramcars and other Vehicles.
I, HARRY THOMAS GOODWIN, of 48 South Street, Greenwich, Kent, Surveyor,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
My invention has reference to an improved construction of apparatus applicable
to-vehicles of various kinds and in particular to tramcars and whereby when the
progress of the vehicle to which the apparatus is applied is being arrested power
may be stored to be afterwards utilised for starting or helping to start such
vehicle. I arrange the wheels to run freely upon the axle, aud provide friction
clutches or part clutches that may be caused to act by friction against other
part clutches or the wheels when suitably actuated as for instance by braking
gear of any suitable construction so that then the axle will be caused to rotate
with the wheels. Upon the axle I provide eccentrics or an eccentric in such a
manner that as the axle rotates a load will be lifted, the subsequent descent of
which, when released at the proper time, will cause the axle and with, it the
wheels to move in a rotary sense, thus starting the vehicle. In one arrangement
the weight lifted is that of the vehicle body or a portion of it, and the eccentrics
are located in ball or antifriction bearings at the ends of the axle, the clutch
arrangement comprising a couple of discs or plates able to move lengthwise of
the axle but not to rotate independently of it; so that they always rotate with
it, and can, by an arrangement of rods and levers, be caused each to bear against
one of the wheels to compel the same to rotate the axle when necessary, as
already mentioned. A stop or catch with means for actuating it is provided for
preventing rotation of the loaded axle until it is desired to start the vehicle
whereupon the axle is released (the wheels being still held to it by the clutches)
and the load acts as aforesaid to cause the axle and wheels to cominence rotating,
after which the clutches are moved out of gear.
The throw of the eccentrics may be made adjustable.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Stopping and Starting or Helping to Start
Tramcars and other Vehicles:
I, HARRY THOMAS GOODWIN, of 48 South Street, Greenwich, Kent, Surveyor,
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 has reference to an improved construction of apparatus applicable
to vehicles of various kinds, and in particular to tramcars, and whereby when the

page_text: progress of the vehicle to which the apparatus is applied is being arrested, energy
may be stored to be afterwards utilised for starting or helping to start such vehicle.
I arrange the wheels to run freely upon the axle, and provide friction clutches or
part clutches that may be caused to act by friction against other part clutches
or the wheels when suitably actuated, as for instance by braking gear of any
suitable construction, so that then the axle will be caused to rotate with the
wheels. Upon the axle I provide eccentrics or an eccentric in such a manner
that as the axle rotates, a load will be lifted, the subsequent descent of which,
when released at the proper time, will cause the axle and with it the wheels to
move in a rotary sense, thus starting the vehicle. The throw of the eccentrics
may be made adjustable if desired.
In lieu of eccentrics or an eccentric, their or its known equivalent, namely crank
pins or a crank pin may advantageously be used.
In the accompanying drawings,
Fig. 1 is a side elevation, with parts removed, of so much of a vehicle, for
example a tram car, as is necessary to illustrate the application to each axle thereof
of stopping and starting apparatus according to this invention.
Fig. 2 is a plan of the apparatus together with the wheels and axles of the
vehicle to which it is applied..
Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line of Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a cross section on the line y, Fig. 2.
In the arrangement shown, the weight lifted is that of the vehicle body 1 and its
contents, and the means used for directly lifting it, are crank pins 2 which are
formed at the ends of both of the axles 3 and are journalled in blocks or axle
boxes 4, each of which is arranged to slide vertically in a horn plate 5 (one only of
which is shown in Fig. 1) carried by the under frame of the vehicle, a cushiouing
spring 4 being preferably placed between each block or axle box and its horn
plate to lessen or prevent shock as well understood.
The carrying wheels 6 are mounted to rotate freely upon the axles 3, which are
normally stationary, and in connection with each wheel there is provided a clutch
arrangement comprising two friction dises one of which, namely 7, is fixed to or
formed in one with the corresponding wheel 6, whilst the other, 8, is so mounted
upon and connected to the corresponding axle 3, as for example by a feather, that
it can move end ways thereon to and from the disc 7, but cannot turn independently
of the axle, so that the two always rotate together. Each disc 8 is provided on
its inner side with a projecting boss upon which is fitted. a clutch ring 9 that is
held in place end way by a detachable ring 10 on the boss, and is provided with
diametrically arranged pins ga by which it is jointed to a pair of links 11, or it may
be to the forked end of a single link. The two pairs of links 11 corresponding to
the pair of movable discs 8 on each shaft, are jointed together at 12 so as to form in
effect a pair of toggle arms, and one of them, which is made longer than the other,
is connected by a link 13 to a lever 14, the two links 13, corresponding to the two
sets of clutches, being connected to opposite ends of the said lever so as to be
similarly operated. The lever 14 is pivoted at 14" to a longitudinal rod 15, and is
normally held in the position shown, so as to hold the two pairs of discs 8 out of
engagement with the corresponding discs 7, by a spring 16, one end of which is
connected to the lever and the other to a suitable fixed part connected with the
vehicle under-frame. 17 is a hand lever pivoted at 17ª to the rod 15, and
connected by a rod 18 to one end of the lever 14, so that by operating it in one
direction, both pairs of clutch discs 8 can be forced into contact with the discs 7,
whilst by moving it in the opposite direction the clutches can be thrown out of
action. 19 is a spring catch in the form of a bar secured to the rod 15 at 19ª and
provided at its free end with a shoulder or projection 19b adapted to hold the
fever 14 in the operative position after the same has been moved sufficiently to
throw the clutches into effective action. 20 is a supplementary support for the
spring catch bar. 21 is a screw carried by the vehicle underframe and adapted to
normally hold the spring catch out of effective engagement with the lever 14.

page_text: 22 is a stop or catch lever in the form of a bar fixed to a pair of plates 23 by which
it is pivoted to a bracket 24 on the vehicle underframe, and pressed by a spring 25.
towards the two axles 1 between which it extends as shown. This lever is formed
at opposite sides with two recesses 25, 25* that are respectively adapted to receive
and bold two projecting pins 26, 26* fixed to the two coupling discs 8 located at
one side of the vehicle, the said recesses being so arranged, as shown, that they
will not arrest the pins, to stop the motion of the discs 8, until the crank pins 2
have passed slightly beyond their upper dead centres. 27 is a foot lever connected
with one end of the lever 22 and by operating which the lever 22 can be moved.
away from the axles 3 so as to release the pins 26, 26°.
The rod 15, which may conveniently be built up of two metal bars spaced apart
by distance pieces and connected by bolts or rivets, serves to connect together the
two axles 3 and ensure their moving in unison when the stopping and starting
apparatus is in action. For this purpose the said rod is provided with bearings
at 15 through which the axles extend. As will be obvious the throw of the crank
pins, which will usually be a few inches, can be raised to suit the normal speed and.
weight of the vehicle to which the apparatus is applied.
The operation of the apparatus is as follows:-
When it is desired to stop the vehicle and store up energy to restart it, the
lever 17 is operated to move the clutch discs 8 into frictional contact with the
discs 7, whereby these discs, together with the axles 3 and crank pins 2, are partly
rotated until the latter have passed over their upper dead centres and the pins er
projections 26, 26ª have been engaged. by the recessed portions of the locking
lever 22. By this partial rotation of the axles, the momentum of the vehicle will
be utilized in raising the vehicle-body and its contents and so storing up energy for
subsequently restarting the vehicle. By the rising of the vehicle, the screw 21
releases the spring catch 19, which then automatically acts to engage the lever 14
and hold the clutches in gear. To restart the vehicle, the lever 22 is operated by-
the foot lever 27 so as to release the pins 26, 26" and permit the vehicle body with
its contents, which is carried by the crank pins 2, to descend, thereby causing the
axles 3 and clutched wheels 6 to rotate together under the action of the weight of
the falling vehicle-body, until the descending screw 21 forces the spring contact 19
out of engagement with the lever 14, whereupon the spring 16 will automatically
act to throw the clutches out of action and permit the wheels 6 to revolve.
independently of the axles, which will then be held stationary, with the crank pins.
in their normal and lowest positions.
When eccentrics are used in lieu of crank pins, they may be fixed on the axles.
inside or outside the carrying wheels 6 and be arranged within ball or antifriction
bearings carried by the vehicle. The arrangement of the apparatus in other
respects may be like that herein before described.
As will be obvious, stopping and starting apparatus according to this invention
can be used in connection with one only of the two axles, the vehicle in this case-
turning about the centre of the other axle as a centre when the apparatus is in
action to stop and restart the vehicle. In such an arrangement, one eccentric or
crank pin only, arranged between the pair of carrying wheels on the axle carrying
it, may be used. Also instead of mounting the carrying wheels 6 to turn freely
upon an axle 3, and providing the latter with eccentrics as herein before described,.
the said wheels and axle may be fixed together as usual, and the eccentric or each
of them be carried by one of the part clutches which is then mounted to rotate.
upon the axle and is arranged to be engaged with the other part clutch rotated by
the axle. Fig. 5 is a part cross section of such an arrangement and Fig. 6 a section
on the line of Fig. 5.
In this arrangement the wheel 6 is fast on the axle 3 and the part clutch 8.
feathered upon the axle and operated by rods and levers as in the arrangement
herein before described is arranged to engage a part clutch 7 that is not fixed to
the axle and has no endways movement thereon. The boss of this part clutch
is made eccentric at 2, or is provided with an eccentric arranged to work in a.

page_text: block fitted to slide in the horn plate 5 attached to the underside of the vehicle
body. In this case when each part clutch 8 is thrown into gear, the corresponding
part clutch 7 will be partly rotated to lift the vehicle body, a stop or catch such
as 22 (Figs. 1, 2 and 3) being provided to arrest the rotation of the part clutch or
clutches 7 at one side of the vehicle until it is desired to restart the vehicle.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The employment of the whole or a portion of the weight of the body of a
tramcar or other vehicle as a means of retarding and arresting or helping to
retard and arrest the rotation of the carrying wheels for stopping the vehicle
and as a means of causing or helping to cause rotation of the said wheels for
the purpose of starting the vehicle.
2. Apparatus for stopping and starting or helping to start tramcars and other
vehicles in which the carrying wheels of the vehicle, or some of them, are arranged
to run freely upon an axle provided with eccentrics or an eccentric, or their or
its equivalent, arranged to act upon a body capable of being lifted, and there are
provided friction clutches or part clutches that can be caused by suitable means
to act by friction against other part clutches connected to or bearing the said
wheels so that the axle will then rotate with the wheels, the arrangement being
such that upon putting the clutches in action to stop the vehicle, the axle will
be partly rotated and a load lifted and held in the raised position, and upon
releasing the axle, the said load will descend and restart or help to restart the
vehicle, substantially as herein described.
3. For stopping and starting a tramcar or. other vehicle providing one or each
of several axles of the vehicle with an eccentric or eccentrics or a crank pin or
pins adapted, when partly rotated, to lift the body of the vehicle, and also with
clutch mechanism adapted by an arrangement of rods and levers to be engaged
at will with the carrying wheels (these being loose upon the axle) there being
also provided a stop or catch and means for actuating it whereby rotation of
the loaded axle can be arrested and prevented until it is desired to restart the
vehicle, a stop or catch for holding the clutches in action whilst the body of the
vehicle is raised, and means for automatically releasing the clutches and returning
them to their original positions on the descent of the vehicle-body, substantially
as hereinbefore described.
4. Stopping and starting apparatus for tramcars and other vehicles constructed
arranged and operating substantially as described and shewn.
Dated this 7th day of May 1895.
Dated this 7th day of May 1895.
For the Applicant,
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Chartered Patent Agent.