Improved Means for Preventing the Slipping of the Driving Wheels of Locomotives.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Sept., 1886
Complete Left, 16th June, 1887.
Complete Accepted, 29th July, 1887.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means for Preventing the Slipping of the Driving
Wheels of Locomotives.
We LOUIS HUBER, Engineer, and PHILIPP KIPPENHAN, Engineer, both of Manu-
heim in the Empire of Germany, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
It is well known that the wheels of locomotives are liable to slip on the rails, when
the rails are wet and that this is also liable to occur when the locomotive is passing
through tunnels and over curves. The damage liable to arise from this slipping, such
as the breakage of crank pins, &c., is well known. The engine driver has two means
at his disposal for stopping the slipping, viz. :-Throwing sand upon the rails and
shutting off steam, but as he has no warning he is practically unable to avail himself
of the means at his disposal until the slipping action has taken place to such an
extent as to cause damage.
The object of our Invention is to provide means for arresting the slipping at the
moment it occurs and before damage can take place, and this we accomplish in such
manner that as soon as the slipping takes place, steam is shut off and sand is thrown
on the rails, these two operations taking place automatically and independently of the
driver.
The Invention consists essentially in the employment of an apparatus placed between
one of the driving wheels and one of the running wheels of the engine and so
arranged that as soon as slipping takes place, the difference of speed which results
between the driving and running wheels is used to automatically shut off steam and
open the sand box.
The apparatus may be constructed in a variety of ways and we will describe one
method of construction by way of example. Upon a shaft carried in bearings
between the axles of the driving and running wheels are mounted a pair of chain
wheels which are respectively connected to the two halves of a clutch. The chain
wheel around which the chain from the driving axle passes is rigid with its portion of
the clutch and the shaft, while the chain from the running wheel passes around a chain
wheel which is connected to the other portion of the clutch by a pawl on the chain

page_text: wheel engaging with a ring of teeth on the clutch. The teeth on the clutch are
boxed in by a flange on the chain wheel within which the pawl is contained, said
pawl being pressed into engagement with the ring of teeth by means of a spring.
The adjacent faces of the clutch are undulating or of such a form as to engage
with one another in their normal position, but to cause the separation of the two
halves of the clutch when one part of the clutch is rotated independently of the
other, the faces of the clutch are pressed against one another by a spring interposed
between the laterally moving portion of the clutch and the bearings of the shaft.
In order to provide for the backward motion of the locomotive, the pawl has a
thrust piece which is in one with the pawl and extends to a cone on the shaft and
is moved radially so as to raise the pawl out of engagement with the teeth by a sliding
motion given to the cone by a hand lever.
If the driving wheeis slip, that half of the clutch which is revolved by them will
rotate at a greater speed than the other half of the clutch, the result of which will be
that the faces of the clutch will move over one another and cause the halves of the
clutch to separate, thereby imparting a lateral movement to the shaft which is con-
nected with the throttle valve and the sand box, the movement of this shaft shutting
off steam and opening the supply of sand to the rails. The chain wheels are of
such proportion that when the locomotive is running normally the portion of the
clutch rotated by the driving shaft will revolve slower than the other portion.
As already mentioned, the above is merely given by way of example, and the
apparatus is susceptible of modification. The essential feature of the Invention
consists in preventing slipping by utilizing the difference of speed between the
driving wheel and a wheel running on the lines and not driven by the engine.
Dated this 16th day of September 1886.

page_text: Improved Means for Preventing the Slipping of the Driving
Wheels of Locomotives.
We LOUIS HUBER Engineer and PHILIPP KIPPENHAN Engineer both of Mann-
heim in the Empire of Germany 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:-
It is well known that the wheels of locomotives are liable to slip on the rails when
the rails are wet and that this is also liable to occur when the locomotive is passing
through tunnels and over curves. The damage liable to arise from this slipping, such
as the breakage of cranks and crank pins &c. is well known. The engine driver has
two means at his disposal for preventing the continuance of the slipping viz.-
throwing sand upon the rails, and shutting off steam, but as he has no warning that
the slipping is about to occur, he is practically unable to avail himself of the means
at his disposal until after the slipping action has taken place to such an extent as
perhaps to cause damage.
The object of our invention is to provide means for arresting the slipping at the
moment it occurs and before damage can take place; and this we accomplish in such
manner that as soon as the slipping takes place, steam is shut off and sand is thrown
on the rails, these two operations taking place automatically and independently of the
driver.
The Invention consists essentially in the employment of an apparatus intermediate
of and operated by the driving and running wheel axles and so arranged that as soon
as slipping takes place, the difference of speed which results between the driving and
running wheels is caused to automatically shut off steam and open the sand-box.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specifi-
cation, wherein figure 1 is an elevation and figure 2 a plan of so much of a locomotive
as is necessary to illustrate the mode of application of the invention. Figures 3 and 4
are front and end views of the apparatus detached (parts being shewn in section)
Figures 5, 6, and 7, shew details of the pawl and ratchet gear. Figures 8 and 9
shew a modified arrangement.
The apparatus may be constructed in a variety of ways, and we will first describe
one method of construction by way of example. Upon a shaft B carried in bearings A
between the axles of the driving and running wheels, are mounted a pair of chain
wheels E, F, which are respectively connected to the two halves CD of a clutch. The
chain wheel E is driven by an endless chain from another chain wheel on the driving
axle, and is rigid with its portion D of the clutch and the shaft, while the chain
wheel F driven by another endless chain from the running wheel axle is connected to
the other portion of the clutch by a pawl R on the chain wheel F engaging with a
flat ring & provided with ratchet teeth H and attached to the clutch. The ratchet
toothed ring is boxed in by a flange J on the chain wheel within which is contained

page_text: a steel spring Qrivetted to the flange at one end and almost completely encircling
the ratchet ring G, the pawl being attached to its free end, said pawl being pressed
into engagement with the ring of teeth by means of a spring O. The adjacent faces
of the clutch are undulating or of such a form as to become disengaged and forced
apart when one part of the clutch is rotated faster than or independently of the
other, the faces of the clutch being pressed together by a spring K interposed between
the laterally-moving portion E of the clutch and one of the bearings of the shaft.
The pawl has a radial arm N attached to it which extends to a cone L on the shaft B
whereby the pawl is thrown out of engagement with the teeth H, as shewn in
figure 7, (during the backward running of the locomotive) by a sliding motion given
to the cone L which is connected by a quill M, with a lever P. Y is a weight of
annular form attached to arm N which is of greater thickness at the part opposite
to N for the purpose of counteracting the centrifugal force of the arm N and its
adjuncts.
The operation is as follows;-The chain wheel E is rotated by the driving wheel T
normally at a somewhat slower speed than the chain wheel F which is rotated by the
running wheel S so that the pawl R slips over the ratchet teeth H. If the driving
wheels T slip, the half D of the clutch which is revolved by them will rotate at a
greater speed than the other half C of the clutch which is prevented from partaking
in such increased speed by the ratchet teeth H engaging with the pawl R, the result
being that the face of the part D of the clutch will move over that of the part C
and cause the part D to move away from the part C, thereby imparting a longitudinal
movement to the shaft B which is connected by a lever Z with the throttle valve and
the sand box, the movement of this shaft shutting off steam and opening the supply
of sand to the rails.
Figures 8 and 9 shew a modification whereby the steam and sand are automatically
controlled irrespective of the direction in which the locomotive may be running. A
pair of cupped bevel wheels R R¹ are journaled in the bracket A¹ which is fixed in a
similar position to the apparatus last described. In gear with these wheels is a
pinion keyed to a shaft G mounted in the yoke D¹ which encircles the body of the
wheel R and upon which it is free to rotate. Upon the shaft G are a pair of ratchet
face clutches M1 and M2, the former being
66 feathered" on to the shaft G and the
latter being loose thereon and having a cam surface d which when rotated acts on a
collar on the push rod B¹ which is mounted in and free to be thereby slid through
the journals of the wheels R R¹. To the end of this push rod is connected one
member of the elbow lever Z the other member being coupled to the sand box and
steam valve. The chain wheel E¹ driven from the running wheel axle of the locomo-
tive, is keyed to the wheel R whilst the chain wheel F¹ driven from the driving axle
of the locomotive, is keyed to the wheel R¹, so that if the locomotive be in forward
gear, the chain wheels E F will be driven in the same direction, but E¹ will revolve
quicker than F and this differential motion revolving pinion C on its axis and
thereby causing the clutches M¹ and M² to slide over one another, but should the
driving wheels slip, the rotation of F1 will become momentarily greater than that of
E and pinion C and consequently the clutch M₁ will revolve in the other direction
carrying the clutch M² with it, thereby causing the cam d to act on the push rod B¹
and lever Z in such manner as to shut off the steam and allow sand to run on the
rails. The clutch M¹ is pressed towards clutch M2 by a spiral spring f, a similar
spring keeping the collar in contact with the cam d. When the engine is reversed,
a double conical disc W carried by a sleeve V (which is coupled to the reversing
lever) is pushed inwards and its inner cone face acts against a bevelled flange on the
clutch M, and moves the latter out of gear with clutch M². The appositely coned
part of disc W bears against a coned flange on another clutch M³ similar to the
one M², which by this inward motion of the disc W is allowed to be pressed by a
spiral spring into engagement with a clutch M similar to the clutch M², these
clutches being mounted on their shaft G₁ in the same way as M¹ M². A pinion C²
keyed to the shaft G¹ gears with wheels R R¹, the action under like circumstances,
being the same as that of the corresponding parts before described.
g"

page_text: As already mentioned, the above are merely given by way of examples and the
apparatus is susceptible of modification. The essential feature of the invention
consists in preventing slipping, by utilizing the difference of speed between the driving
wheel and a wheel running on the lines and not driven by the engine.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is;-
In a locomotive, the combination with the driving wheel or axle and with a running
wheel or axle, of mechanism substantially as herein specified, deriving motion from
both and being connected with the regulator and sand box, so that when, owing to
the slipping of the driving wheel, the motion derived from the driving wheel exceeds
that derived from the running wheel, the steam will be shut off and the sand box
opened, substantially as specified.