AN IMPROVED BRAKE FOR ARRESTING OR RETARDING THE WHEELS OF RAILWAY AND OTHER VEHICLES, WHICH IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE n
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Stevens, of Maycliffe, St. Luke's Road
North, Torquay, in the County of Devon, Gentleman, for the
Invention of "AN IMPROVED BRAKE FOR ARRESTING OR RETARDING THE
WHEELS OF RAILWAY AND OTHER VEHICLES, WHICH IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE
n
U
33
Sealed the 2nd April 1874, and dated the 29th January 1874.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Stevens at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th January 1874.
I, EDWARD STEVENS, of Maycliffe, St. Luke's Road North, Torquay,
in the County of Devon, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for. "AN IMPROVED BRAKE FOR ARRESTING OR RETARDING
THE WHEELS OF RAILWAY AND OTHER VEHICLES, WHICH IS ALSO APPLICABLE TO
THE ARRESTATION OR RETARDATION OF OTHER ROTARY MOTION," to be as
follows:-
This Invention consists of an improved brake or apparatus which may
be applied to one or any number of wheels, one brake to each wheel, or

page_text: it may be applied to any revolving body, such as the shaft of a steam
engine or other machine.
The brake consists of two or more picces made of wood or other
suitable material, which pieces are joined together by means of a hinge
or joint constructed in the interior so as to form a portion of the brake
itself, and which brake is shaped or constructed so as to embrace about
three-quarters of the circumference of the wheel or other revolving body
to which it is applied, or when necessary the brake may be made to
embrace nearly the whole circumference of the revolving body.
The advantage of a brake constructed in this manner is that when
used on a wheel no screw is required for keeping it fixed, pressing on the
periphery of the wheel, for when once applied by the pressure of an
ordinary lever the draught of the wheel itself in revolving is sufficient
to keep the brake tightly pressed upon its periphery until removed by
the brakesman.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Edward Stevens in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 28th July 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDWARD
STEVENS, of Maycliffe, St. Luke's Road North, Torquay, in the County
of Devon, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four, in the thirty-
seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Edward Stevens, Her special licence
that I, the said Edward Stevens, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Edward Stevens, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED BRAKE FOR
ARRESTING OR RETARDING THE WHEELS OF RAILWAY AND OTHER VEHICLES, WHICH

page_text: IS ALSO APPLICABLE
TO THE ARRESTATION OR RETARDATION OF OTHER ROTARY
MOTION," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edward
Stevens, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing,
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edward Stevens, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the several Draw-
ings hereunto annexed and the figures and letters marked thereon
(that is to say) :-
This Invention consists of an improved brake or apparatus which may
be applied to one or any number of wheels, one brake with its appliances
being applied to each wheel, or the said brake with its appliances may
be applied to any revolving body, such as pulleys on revolving shafting,
or the shafting itself, if suitable in size, to have the said brake applied
to it.
The brake consists of two or more pieces of wood, iron, or other suitable
material, which pieces are jointed together either by a hinge or joint con-
structed in the interior so as to form a portion of the brake itself, or when
the brake has an outside shoeing of iron or other metal the pieces are
attached to such shoeing, and I sometimes form the hinge in the said
shoeing. This brake is shaped or constructed so as to embrace about
two-thirds or three-quarters of the circumference of the wheel or other
revolving body to which it is applied, or when necessary the brake may
be made to embrace nearly the whole circumference of the revolving
body, leaving only enough space between the meeting ends to allow of
the brake being sufficiently tightened on the revolving body to retard or
stop its motion.
The advantage of my improved brake is that when used on a wheel
no screw is required for keeping it fixed, pressing on the periphery of the
wheel, for when once applied by the pressure of an ordinary lever or
chain and pulley the draught of the wheel added to a light pressure
obtained therefrom is sufficient to keep the brake tightly pressed upon

page_text: the periphery of the wheel until the rotation of the wheel has been.
arrested and the brake removed by the brakesman.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, I will now
proceed to describe by the aid of the Drawings hereunto annexed a
mode of carrying the same into practical effect, the same letters of 5
reference indicating similar facts throughout all the Figures of the
same Drawings.

page_text: the pieces separating far enough from the wheel when the brake is off so
as to be quite free from it. The shoulders of the two pieces forming the-
other side of the hinge is cut to a semicircle, the centre of which is the
pin-hole through which a pin is put, and thus the two pieces are joined
together.
It is obvious that if the brake is made of more pieces than two the
pieces are joined together in the usual way, or as a wheelwright would'
adopt, except that part which forms the hinge or joint B.
To give extra strength to brake I sometimes line the exterior or top
side with iron. To each side of the brake so constructed I attach a
plate carrying an eye, as shewn at C, C, with either a round hole in it,
or if the brake is required to be raised for more than an inch from off
the wheel or revolving body this eye has a slot cut in it in a downward
direction so as to be acted on by the pin of the actuating apparatus, by
which the brake is applied to or taken off the wheel or revolving body.
Instead of making the brake as above described I sometimes make it
as represented in Figure 4 of two or more pieces of wood, iron, or other
suitable material A, A, A, A, A, A', shaped so as to embrace the wheel
or revolving body, on the exterior or top side of which is a shoeing of
iron or other metal a, a, to which the pieces of wood, iron, or other
suitable material are attached, but when so made the hinge B, as repre-
sented in Figure I., is to be made in the shoeing of iron or other
metal.
Figure 3 represents a mode in which my improved brake may be
applied to a revolving pulley or the shaft of stationary machinery. In
this Figure I have shewn the plummer blocks which carry the levers of
the actuating apparatus mounted upon pedestals which rest on the floor,
but it is obvious that these plummer blocks may be equally well
attached to the ceiling of the room or mounted in any other suitable
manner.
Figure 5 represents a mode in which my improved brake may be
applied to the four wheels of a railway waggon or carriage. In this
Figure I have shewn the brake actuated by improved actuating apparatus,
the details of which will be easily understood by an inspection of the
said Figure 5.
Having now described my said Invention of "An Improved Brake for
Arresting or Retarding the Wheels of Railway and other Vehicles, which

page_text: is also applicable to the Arrestation or Retardation of other Rotary
Motion," and the manner in which the same may be performed or
carried into effect, I declare that what I claim and desire to have secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the said
improved brake herein-before described and shewn in the Drawings!
hereunto annexed or any mere modification thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Stevens, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of July, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.