IMPROVEMENTS IN PNEUMATIC BRAKE APPARATUS
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Westinghouse, junior, of Canal Road, King's
Cross, in the County of Middlesex, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PNEUMATIC BRAKE APPARATUS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Westinghouse, junior,
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 18th November 1881..
GEORGE WESTINGHOUSE, junior, of Canal Road, King's Cross, in the County of
Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN PNEUMATIC BRAKE APPARATUS."
This Invention relates to an improved construction of check valve apparatus
applicable to all arrangements of pneumatic brake apparatus, wherein the brakes
can be operated either by an automatic train pipe communicating with an auxiliary
air reservoir, or by a non-automatic train pipe communicating directly with the
brake cylinder; such an arrangement was described in my Patent, No. 5120
of 1880.
According to this Invention a valve casing communicating at one end with tho
triple valve apparatus of known construction, through which the automatic train
pipe and auxiliary reservoir communicate with the brake cylinder, and at the
other end with the non-automatic train pipe, has at or about its middle a side
branch by which it communicates with the brake cylinder. The middle part of the
casing has a cylindrical lining, surrounding which is an annular passage that com-
municates with the branch leading to the brake cylinder and also with the space
within the cylindrical lining through a number of small holes formed all round the
latter. Within the lining is a piston valve having a packing ring fitting the lining
closely and made of such a width that when in the middle position it overlaps the
said small holes on each side, and thus effectually closes the communication with
the brake cylinder, while it all times effectually prevents any passage of air from
the one end communication of the casing to the other. The piston valve has also
on each side a caoutchouc or other elastic facing, one of which facings at the one
extreme position seats against a raised seating so as to close the communication

page_text: with the triple valvo apparatus and automatic pipe, while the other face at the
other extreme position seats against a second raised seating so as to close the com-
munication with the non automatic pipe. The piston has a stem passing into a
chamber in that end of the casing which communicates with the automatic train
pipe, which chamber has a side channel leading to the atmosphere, and the piston
stem has a slide pressed against the face of the chainber by a spring, which slide is
in such a position relative to the piston that when this is at its one extreme stroke,
closing the communication with the non-automatic train pipe and opening the
communication between the nutomatic train pipe and the brake cylinder, the slide
closes the said passage leading to the atmosphere, but when the piston is in the
other extremo position closing the communication between the automatic train pipo
and the brake cylinder and opening the communication between the latter and the
non-automatic pipe, then the slide leaves the passage leading to the atmosphere full
open. Thus the action of the apparatus will be as follows:-First. For applying the
brakes through the automatic train pipe. Air pressure being let off from this, the
triple valve is actuated so as to admit air pressure from the auxiliary reservoir to
the one end of the before described valve casing. The piston in the latter being
moved by this pressure first causes the slide to close the passage to the atmosphero,
then uncovers the opening communicating with the brake cylinder so that the air
pressure can enter the latter, and lastly scats with its caoutchouc face on the
seating of the passage leading to the non-automatic train pipe, which was however
already cut off before from communication with the brake cylinder by the tightly
fitting packing ring of the piston. Second. For applying the brakes through the
non automatic pipe, air pressure being admitted from the latter to the valve casing;
the piston is moved over so as to uncover the side holes therein and allow the air
pressure to pass to the brake cylinder; the piston then seats against the seating
to the passage leading to the automatic pipe, which is already cut off by the packing
ring, and also causes the slide to open the communication with the atmosphere.
Third. Assuming the brakes to have been applied accidentally by leakage or rupture
of the automatic train pipe, then to take them off without having to go to oach
separate carriage for that purpose; if pressure be applied through the non-automatic
pipe, the piston of the valve apparatus will be moved so as to cause the slide to
open the communication with the atmosphere, whereupon the air pressure will
escape through the latter from the auxiliary reservoir, the air pressure being there-
after set off from the non-automatic pipe for taking off the brakes in the usual
manner.
The object of this improvement is to provide a valve apparatus forming the com-
munication between a set of automatic and non automatic brake pipes in such a
way that one brake cylinder serves for both systems; and in providing means for
releasing the brakes of every carriage from the engine if the brakes should be
automatically applied in a locality where it is inconvenient to get access to each
carriage for that purpose.
It is obvious that a valve operating in the manner described may be used for
simply releasing the automatic brakes by means of a second line of pipes without
such second line of pipes having any communication with the brake cylinders, but
as the connection with the brake cylinder requires no additional parts that arrange-
ment is preferred.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said George Westinghouse, junior, in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 4th April 1882.
GEORGE WESTINGHOUSE, junior, of Canal Road, King's Cross, in the County of
Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN PNEUMATIC BRAKE APPARATUS."
This Invention relates to an improved construction of check valve apparatus
applicable to all arrangements of pneumatic brake apparatus, wherein the brakes
can be operated either by an automatic train pipe communicating with an auxiliary
air reservoir or by a non-automatic train pipe communicating directly with the
brake cylinder; such an arrangement was described in the Specification to my
Patent, No. 5129 of 1880.
The accompanying Drawing represents a section of the check valve apparatus
which I employ for this purpose. A is a casing which is in communication at B with
the triple valve apparatus connected to the auxiliary reservoir and train pipe of the
automatic system, while at the other end C it is connected to the non-automatic
train pipe, and at the middle it is connected by the branch D to the brake cylinder.
Within the casing an annular passage F is formed by the insertion of a cylindrical
lining E, which passage communicates with the branch D and also with the interior
of the cylinder through a ring of small holes G. Within the cylinder E is a piston
valve H having a packing that fits the cylinder closely, and that is somewhat
greater in width than the diameter of the holes g, so that when the piston valvo is
in the middle position the packing will effectually close the holes. The piston
valve has furthermore on both sides a facing I, I, of caoutchouc or other elastic
material, of which I seats against the raised seat K when the piston is in the one
end position, thus cutting off the communication between the non-automatic train
pipe and auxiliary reservoir and the cylinder E, while at the other end position of
the piston valve the face I' seats against the raised seating K³, and thus cuts off
the communication between the cylinder E and the non-automatic pipe. The piston
valve has also a stem L passing into the chamber A' of the casing A, where it
carries a slide Al pressed against the side of the chamber by a spring, and serving
to open or close a passage N in the said chamber leading into the outer
atmosphere.
The slide is so arranged relatively to the passage N and the piston valve that
when this is in the one end position closing the communication between the
chamber A' and cylinder E the slide leaves the passage N full open, while when
the valve moves over to the other side the slide closes the passage before the
packing G of the piston valve opens the communication between the brake cylinder
and the chamber A'.
From the above arrangement it will be seen that while at all times the packing h
effects a complete separation of the two end communications of the valve casing
this soparation is rendered doubly secure at the end positions of the piston valve by
the faces I and I' seating against K and K¹.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-First. For applying the brakes
through the automatic train pipe. Air pressure being let off from this pipe, the
triple valve apparatus in connection there with and with the auxiliary reservoir is
actuated so as to admit air pressure from the latter to the chamber A¹ of the valve
casing A. The piston valve H being moved by this pressure away from the
scat K, the slide M first closes the passage N so as to prevent any escape of air
pressure through it, after which the packing h uncovers the holes G, so that the air
pressure can flow from the auxiliary reservoir into the brake cylinder; and, lastly,
the face I' seats against the seating K². On admitting air pressure to the automatic

page_text: train pipe again the triple valve is actuated in the known manner so as to close
the communication with the auxiliary reservoir and open a passage to the open air,
so that the air pressure can escape back from the brake cylinder through the
chamber A', thus releasing the brakes, the piston valve H remaining during this
time in the position last described.
Second. For applying the brakes through the non-automatic pipe. Air pressure
being admitted from the latter to the valve casing, the piston is moved over so as
to uncover the holes G, so that the air pressure can pass from C into the brake
cylinder, the release of the brakes being effected by letting off the pressure from
the_non-automatic train pipe, while the piston valve H remains on its seating
at K.
Third. Assuming that the air pressure has accidentally been admitted to the
brake cylinder from the auxiliary reservoir so as to apply the brakes owing to the
lenkage or rupture of the automatic train pipe, then in order to release the brakes
without having to go to each separate carriage for that purpose, if air pressure be
applied through the non automatic train pipe, the piston valve H in in being moved
over to the position shewn in the Drawing (as the pressure admitted direct from the
main reservoir through C would be greater than that admitted from the auxiliary
reservoir through B) would cause the slide M to open the passage N, and the com-
munication between the auxiliary reservoir and the chamber A¹ being open, the air
pressure from the latter would escape through N.
The air pressure being afterwards discharged from the non-automatic pipe, that
in the brake cylinder would also escape, and the brakes would thus be released.
It is evident that a valve apparatus and a non-automatic train pipe operating as
above described might be used for simply releasing the brakes when applied by the
automatic train pipe, as last described, without providing the described communication
between the non automatic pipe and the cylinder, that is to say, the piston valve H
being of such a depth that it does not uncover the openings G when moved over
to the seating K; but as it requires no additional appliances to connect the non-
automatic pipe with the brake cylinder this arrangement is preferred.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I claim in respect of pneumatic apparatus for working
brakes on railway trains either automatically or non-automatically the use of check
valve apparatus, constructed and operating substantially as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the George Westinghouse, junior, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this First day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
ARA