AN IMPROVED BRAKE FOR ARRESTING OR RETARDING AT WILL THE MOTION OF LOCOMOTIVE AND OTHER ENGINES AND REVOLVING MACHINERY
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Parsons, of Pensnett, near Dudley, in the
County of Worcester, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED BRAKE FOR
ARRESTING OR RETARDING AT WILL THE MOTION OF LOCOMOTIVE AND OTHER
ENGINES AND REVOLVING MACHINERY."
Sealed the 10th June 1856, and dated the 10th December 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Parsons at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 10th
December 1855.
I, DAVID PARSONS, of Pensnett, near Dudley, in the County of Worcester,
do hereby declare the nature of the said. Invention for "AN IMPROVED BRAKE
FOR ARRESTING OR RETARDING AT WILL THE MOTION OF LOCOMOTIVE, AND OTHER
ENGINES AND REVOLVING, MACHINERY" to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in certain novel and improved mechanism actuated
by steam, and constituting an apparatus designated a "brake," to be employed
for arresting or retarding the motion of revolving machinery. The follow-
ing is a convenient, arrangement of apparatus for the above purpose,
supposing it, for example, to be applied to the fly wheel of a stationary.engine,
that is to say To the borizontal framework which supports the shaft on
which the fly wheel is keyed, and in about a line with the outer periphery of
said. wheel, one end of a link or lever is attached by a pin, the other end of

page_text: said lever being connected by another pin to a curved bar of wrought iron
lined with hard wood, the surface whereof is formed of the same curvature as
the periphery of the aforesaid fly wheel; the other end of said curved bar is
connected by a pin to one end of a short vibrating lever, the fulcrum whereof
is in a casting bolted to a piece of timber fixed crosswise of the framework.
There is a screwed nut or collar attached to the other end of the said short
lever, into which the screwed end of a vertical rod is fixed; the lower end of
said rod being connected by a pin to one end of a long lever, the fulcrum
whereof is so placed with respect to the weight as to give a power of about
twelve to one, more or less; the longer end of such said lever being connected
by a rod to a piston in a cylinder into which steam may be admitted (by a
suitable arrangement of hand levers) for imparting motion to the brake; and
this mode of operating upon brakes applies also to locomotives and other
engines, and revolving machinery, the parts being connected together in any
convenient manner.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said David Parsons in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
10th June 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DAVID
PARSONS, of Pensnett, near Dudley, in the County of Worcester, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Tenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
'me, the said David Parsons, Her special licence that I, the said David
Parsons, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said David Parsons, 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 AT WILL THE MOTION OF Loco-
MOTIVE AND OTHER ENGINES AND REVOLVING MACHINERY, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said David Parsons, my executors or adminis-
trators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their

page_text: 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 David Parsons, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, that is to say:-
My Invention consists in certain novel and improved mechanism actuated
by steam, and constituting an apparatus designated a "brake," to be employed
for arresting or retarding the motion of revolving machinery. The following
is a convenient arrangement of apparatus for the above purpose, supposing
it, for example, to be applied to the fly wheel of a stationary engine, that is
to say: To the horizontal framework which supports the shaft on which
the fly wheel is keyed, and in a line with the outer periphery of said wheel,
one end of a link or lever is attached by a pin, the other end of said lever
being connected by another pin to a curved bar of wrought iron lined with
hard wood, the surface whereof is formed of the same curvature as the
periphery of the aforesaid fly wheel; the other end of said curved bar is
connected by a pin to one end of a short vibrating lever, the fulcrum whereof
is in a casting bolted to a piece of timber fixed crosswise of the framework.
There is a screwed nut or collar attached to the other end of the said short
lever, into which the screwed end of a vertical rod is fixed; the lower end of
said rod being connected by a pin to one end of a long lever, the fulcrum
whereof is so placed with respect to the weight as to give a power of
about twelve to one, more or less; the longer end of such said lever being
connected by a rod to a piston in a cylinder, into which steam may be admitted
(by a suitable arrangement of hand levers) for imparting motion to the brake;
and this mode of operating upon brakes applies to revolving machinery
generally, the parts being connected together in any convenient manner.
In order to explain my said Invention as completely as possible, I now
proceed to describe the best means I am acquainted with for carrying the same
into practical effect, reference being had to the illustrative Drawing hereunto
annexed, and to the numeral figures and letters of reference marked thereon
respectively, as follows:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.

page_text: represents brickwork and framing supporting the axis of the fly wheel B; C, a
band of wrought iron, to which is securely fixed in any convenient manner a
wood curb C'; one end of the band C is connected by a pin é to links D, 'D;
(only one of which is shewn by the Drawing), said links being attached to the
framework A by a pin d; the other end of the band is connected to one end of
a short vibrating lever E, the fulcrum whereof is a pin e in a casting G fixed
to a cross piece of timber H; the other end of the lever E has a swivel screw
nut or collar I connected thereto, through which passes the upper and screwed
end of a rod K, the lower end of said rod being connected to the short arm of
**
a vibrating lever L, whose fulcrum is a pin at l. The longer arm of the said lever
is connected to a piston rod M; to which is affixed a piston working steam-
tight in a cylinder N of the ordinary kind; O is a lever handle for actuating
the slide valve or cock which admits steam into the cylinder; P, a steam pipe
one end whereof is connected with the slide box of the cylinder, and the
other end to an ordinary steam boiler; Q is a hollow column, the upper part
whereof has a screwed collar or hole fixed to or formed therein, through which
passes the upper and screwed end of a rod R, to the lower end of which the
piston rod M (which passes through the piston) is connected.
MODE OF OPERATING.
!
Suppose the brake to be out of action, and the wood curb C¹ out of contact
with the periphery of the wheel B: When it is desired to operate upon the
brake, the same may be effected by raising the lever handle o, by which' stean
will be admitted into the cylinder beneath the piston; the elastic force of
the steam forcing the piston upwards, and thus drawing up the long armi of
the lever L connected thereto, and bringing the wood curb into forced contact
with the periphery of the wheel B, and arresting or retarding the motion
thereof and of the parts connected thereto or therewith. 'By moving the lever
handle o in an opposite direction the steam is shut off from the boiler and
allowed to escape from the cylinder, thus throwing the brake out of action.
Suppose from any cause or accident the communication by the steam pipe
with the boiler should be shut off or not perform properly, in such case the
brake may be operated upon by the attendant turning the wheel "S'round so
as to raise the screw s and piston and lever connected therewith as effectively
as if steam had been employed for that purpose.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention of "An
Improved Brake for arresting or retarding at will the Motion of Locomotive
and other Engines and Revolving Machinery," together with the best means I
am acquainted with for carrying the same into practical effect, I would remark,

page_text: in conclusion, that what I claim as my Invention is, the general combination
and arrangement of mechanism above referred to, and represented by the
Drawing hereunto annexed, as constituting an improved brake, applicable to
revolving machinery, and operated upon by the elastic force of steam.
In witness whereof, I, the said David Parsons, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six.
Witness,
CHARLES JOSEPH COOPER, Draper,
Pensnett.
DAVID PARSONS. (L.B.)