Improvements in Brakes for Railway and other Vehicles, or for other purposes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Nov., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 27th Sept., 1897-Accepted, 24th Dec., 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Brakes for Railway and other Vehicles, or for
other purposes.
I, WILLIAM CHARLES AMES, of Roade Vicarage, Roade, in the County of
Northampton, Contractor, lately of Marrickville, near Sydney, in the Colony of New
South Wales, carrying on business there in the name of Charles Clifford Clifford, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
This invention has reference to improvements in brakes for railway and other
vehicles or for other purposes where it is required to arrest or retard rotary motion of
a shaft or body. For the purpose of enabling the nature of my invention to be clearly
understood I will in the following description assume its application to a railway
vehicle.
The brakes are operated from an eccentric or eccentrics (or a cam or cams) fixed on
an axle of the vehicle through a couple of levers hereinafter called the first and second
levers. When using a series of eccentries they are arranged in a step like manner,
the portion of smallest eccentricity of one springing from near the portion of
maximum eccentricity of another. The first lever is pivoted to a rock shaft whose
axis is parallel to that of the axle and which constitutes the fulcrum of the second
lever.
An arm or part of the first lever is provided with an anti-friction roller adapted to
bear against the periphery of the eccentric or of that eccentric of the series to which
it is for the time being opposite. The weight of the first lever (added to which may
be an adjustable weight) tends to move its anti-friction roller opposite the largest
eccentric where there is a series, a flange on the axle preventing excessive movement
of the lever. The first lever can be operated from either side of the vehicle or from
any part of a train provided throughout with my brakes. For this purpose in
connection with the first lever I provide a cord or chain that passes round an
anti-friction roller carried by the lever and is at one end connected to a windlass
whose axis is arranged longitudinally of the vehicle, and at the other end to the
second windlass whose axis is transverse to the vehicle so that the lever is as it were
supported in a loop. By turning either windlass in one direction the lever can be
lowered into its operative attitude or by turning the windlass in the reverse direction
the lever can be raised into an inoperative attitude. The windlass shafts are provided
with means such as ratchet wheels and pawls to prevent their being turned by the
weight of the lever. The second lever is suitably and adjustably connected to the
brake blocks or their shoes which may be suspended to hangers of ordinary kind.
In one arrangement the second lever is connected by a chain to one end of a lever
arranged transversely of the vehicle and formed with holes at different points in its
length through either of which the pivot pin about which the lever is to turn as a
fulcrum can be passed, such pin being fixed in a cross bar carried by a couple of
brake shoes. The other end of this transverse lever is connected through a rod with
interposed screw adjustment to one end of a similar transverse lever whose pivot is
carried by a cross bar supported by another pair of brake shoes. The other end of
this second transverse lever has connected to it a rod which passes through a bracket

page_text: In
between any pair of eccentrics so as to be held thereby in the position into which
it has been moved by the preceding eccentric or eccentrics. A concentric ring 4b
is also placed between the largest eccentric 4 and a stop rim or flange 4.
the example shown there are only two eccentrics 4, but it will be obvious that
there may be more. Also that in some cases the concentric rings 4* 4b may be
omitted, the portion of the periphery of maximum eccentricity of one eccentric
then springing directly from or being flush with the portion of the periphery of
minimum eccentricity of the next larger eccentric.
The lever 5 is mounted on a horizontal pivot pin 5 that is carried by and is
arranged at right angles to a rock shaft 7 whose axis is parallel to that of the axle 1
and which constitutes the fulcrum of the lever 6 which is fixed to it. The rock
shaft is formed or provided with a fixed enlargement 6 that carries the pivot pin 5*
of the lever 5. On the lever 5 is an arm 8 provided with an antifriction roller 8ª
adapted to bear against the periphery of that eccentric 4 of the series or, it may be,
of that concentric ring 4 to which it is, for the time being, opposite. The weight
of the lever 5, which may be fitted with an adjustable weight 5, tends to move its
antifriction roller 8" opposite the largest eccentric, the flange 4° preventing excessive
movement of the lever 5. For the purpose of enabling the lever 5 to be operated
from either side of the vehicle, or from any part of a train provided throughout with
brakes actuated from the axles of the vehicles through eccentrics or cams according
to this invention, a flexible connector, such as a cord, chain or wire rope 9, is passed
round an antifriction roller 5b on the lever 5 and is at one end connected to a
windlass 10 whose shaft 10 is arranged longitudinally of the vehicle, and at the other
end to a windlass 11 whose shaft 11 is transverse to the vehicle, so that the lever
is as it were supported in a loop. By turning either windlass in one direction, the
lever can be lowered into its operative attitude, or, by turning the windlass in the
reverse direction, the lever can be raised into an inoperative attitude. The wind-
lasses 11 are employed when the vehicles are being shunted, and can be operated by
a person at either side of the vehicle, whilst the windlasses 10 are only used, when
the vehicles are coupled up, for the purpose of regulating the brakes when running.
The windlass shafts 10 and 11 are provided respectively with ratchet wheels 10b
and 11b aud pawls 10 and 11e to prevent their being turned by the weight of the
lever. In connection with the pawl 10° there is provided means, such as a rod 10°
and hand wheel 10', whereby it can be lifted out of engagement with its ratchet
wheel 10 when desired, the connection between the pawl and rod being made by a
claw or crank or equivalent lifting means that will not interfere with the pawl
moving independently of such rod, on the shaft 10 being rotated the reverse way.
The pawl 11 is held in its normal position by a strong spring or springs that will
permit the pawl to yield when the ratchet wheel is turned in either direction but will
act to hold the wheel in any position into which it is moved.
The lever 6 is adjustably connected to the brake blocks 3 in any suitable inanner.
In the arrangement shown the lever 6 is connected by a chain 12 to one end of a
lever 13 formed with holes 13 at different points in its length through one of which
is passed its pivot pin 14. The point of connection between the lever 6 and the chain
can be varied, a series of holes 6b being for this purpose formed through the
lever at different points of its length through any one of which the shackle pin of the
chain can be passed. The pin 14, which forms the fulcrum of the lever 13, is fixed in
a cross bar 15 extending between and carried by the corresponding pair of brake
shoes. The other end of the lever 13 is connected through a rod 16 to one end of a
similar lever 17 whose pivot 17 is carried by a cross bar 18 supported by the pair of
brake shoes at the other end of the vehicle. The other end of the lever 17 has con-
nected to it a rod 19 which passes through a bracket 20 and is screw threaded and
provided with nuts 21 between which and the bracket a spring 22 is interyosed; by
means of the nuts 21 the resistance offered by the spring 22 to the movement of the
levers 13 and 17 can be adjusted according to requirement.
For operating the brakes of one vehicle from another, the brake shaft 10 on each
vehicle is formed in three parts. The middle part has a crank 23 at each end, and

page_text: Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate in front and side elevation respectively brake mechanism
for use with winding drums.
24 is the winding drum and 25 the winding rope, which passes through a fork 26
pivoted at 26 and having a trigger arm 26 adapted to engage an extension 5° of
the lever 5 and so hold the roller 8 clear of the cams. The lever 6 is connected
to one end of a brake band 3 that encircles a brake drum attached to the shaft of
the winding drum. The fork 26 is so arranged relatively to the drum that should the
drum be slightly overwound the rope will come into contact with the aid of
the fork and release the brake mechanism, which will stop the winding drum
before any serious damage can be done. In some cases, the rock shaft 7 or other
convenient part of the brake mechanisin may be connected to the link motion or
to the throttle valve of the engine, so as to automatically cut off steam as the
brake is applied. Means may advantageously be provided whereby the driver can
move the trigger arm 26b at any desired time, so as to apply the brake.
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. Brake apparatus wherein the brake proper is operated from an eccentric or
eccentrics on the axle of the vehicle or body the motion of which is to be arrested
or retarded, through a couple of levers and a rock shaft, one of the said levers
being fixed to the shaft and connected to the brake proper, and the other lever
being hinged or jointed to the said shaft in such a manner as to be capable of being
raised and lowered in a direction transverse to the eccentric or eccentrics and of
turning about an axis parallel to that of the eccentric or eccentrics, the arrangement
being such that when the vertically movable lever is released, it will fall by gravity
into a position in which it will be acted upon by the periphery of the eccentric, or
of that eccentric of the series to which it is for the time being opposite, whereby
both levers will be partly rotated and the brake applied, and upon raising the
vertically movable lever out of contact with the eccentric or eccentrics the brake
will be released, substantially as described.
2. In brake apparatus of the kind specified in the preceding claim, the combin-
ation with the vertically movable lever, of a cord for chain passed round an
antifriction roller on the lever, and two windlasses to which the ends of the cord or
chain are connected so that the lever is as it were supported in a oop, one of the said
windlasses being arranged with its axis longitudinally of the vehicle or body to which
the brake apparatus is applied and the other with its axis transverse to the said
vehicle or body, the arrangement being such that the cord or chain can be unwound
or wound up from either side or end of the vehicle or body for the purpose of
lowering the lever into its operative position or raising it into its inoperative position,
substantially as described.
3. In brake apparatus of the kind referred to in the preceding claims, providing
the longitudinal shaft carrying one of the windlasses with cranks, each crank arm
being prolonged beyond the shaft to which it is attached and made in two parts
jointed together and provided with a spring, the arrangement being such that the
jointed part will by the spring be kept nomally in line with the part fixed to
the shaft, but will permit its crank to be rotated in one direction independently of the
crank of an adjacent vehicle, but if rotated in the reverse direction will cause such
other crank to rotate also, substantially as described and shown.
4. Brake apparatus for railway and other vehicles comprising an eccentric
or eccentrics fixed on one of the rotary axles of the vehicles, a trans-
verse shaft provided with two lever arms one of which is fixed to the said shaft
and the other of which is pivoted thereto in such a way that it can be lowered into
a position to be acted upon by the said eccentric or eccentrics and can be raised out
of contact with such eccentric or eccentrics, means whereby the vertically movable
lever can be lowered or raised from either side or end of the vehicle, pairs of
suspended brake blocks arranged to act against the peripheries of the wheels of