Improvements in Automatic Cut-in Valves for Air-brakes.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd June, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 10th July, 1891-Accepted, 15th Aug., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Cut-in Valves for Air-brakes.
1, LEWIS SIDNEY RIGGS, of Selma, Dallas County, State of Alabama, United
States of America, Locomotive Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the valves used in the compressed air pipes on railway
vehicles for applying and releasing the brakes; and it consists in an automatic
valve to be used in connection with the couplings and blind couplings, whereby all
failure to open the air valves after the couplings are made is avoided.
Ordinarily, plug valves are employed which require to be turned off to retain
the air before uncoupling the coupling heads of the flexible connections. The
turning on of these plug valves, after the coupling is made again, is liable to be
overlooked and, the line of pipe being left obstructed, the brakes are rendered
inoperative.
My automatic valve is designed to obviate this contingency.
According to my invention, I interpose, between the air pipes and the flexible
connections, a valve consisting of a casing the lower portion of which is divided
into two chambers each having a port at the top and the upper portion of which
is a single cylindrical chamber fitted with a vertically-sliding piston valve. This
valve has a stem which rises through the upper head of the casing and is jointed
to a lever which is fulcruned upon a standard or offset upon one side of the casing
and guided in a slotted upright upon the other side and has a cord that passes
through an eye and extends to a position near the coupling heads. The piston has
a small vent immediately above the port in one of the lower chambers, and the
valve stem has a groove which in a certain position allows a leakage of air through
the upper head of the valve casing.
Now, when uncoupling the heads the air pipes must be shut off from the flexible
sections and the air contained in the latter must first be allowed to escape before
the coupling heads can be separated. For this purpose, the lever is forced down
by pulling the cord so that the piston is caused to shut off the air between the air
pipes and their flexible sections, the vent in the piston at same time allowing the air
in the flexible sections to escape. The heads can now be easily uncoupled, tension
still being maintained, however, on the cords. When the cars are to be detached,
blind couplings, which are in the nature of terminal plugs, are then taken from
points of convenient suspension close by on the car and are fitted to the heads of
the couplings so that air cannot escape from the air pipes. To couple again, the
cords are drawn tight again and, the terminal blind couplings being removed, the
heads are connected together. The tension on the cords being then removed, the
pressure of air forces up the piston and closes the vent by forcing it against a
washer and the connection is then complete.
With this construction it will be seen that, after the act of coupling the pipes is
effected, the valves automatically open up air communication through the pipes so
that by no means can the pipes be left in an obstructed or inoperative condition.
Dated this 2nd day of June 1891.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Automatic Cut-in Valves for Air-brakes.
I, LEWIS SIDNEY RIGGS of Selma, Dallas County, State of Alabama, United
States of America, Locomotive Engineer, 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:--
My invention relates to the valves used in the compressed air pipes on railway
vehicles for applying and releasing the brakes, and it consists in the construction
and arrangement of automatic valves to be used in connection with the couplings
and blind couplings whereby all failure to open the air-valves after the couplings
are made is avoided, as hereinafter fully described.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
Specification, wherein
Figure 1 is a side view of the pipe connections between cars shewing the valves
in their positions in relation to the couplings and
Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view of one of the valves.
A and B are the sections of air pipe which between the cars are connected by
the flexible sections A and B' the ends of which are provided with coupling
heads H H of the ordinary construction. CC are the automatic valves which are
placed at the ends of the pipes A. and B where the flexible sections A' and B' join
on to the same.
C
Ordinarily plug valves with cranks are employed at these points which require
to be turned off to retain the air before uncoupling the heads H H. The turning
on of these plug valves after the coupling is made again is necessary in order to
permit the transmission of the pneumatic force through the line of pipes and as
this turning on requires the thought of attention and involves an act of memory
on the part of the brakesman it has been found that in some cases these plug valves
are not turned on after the coupling is effected and the line of pipe being left in
this obstructed condition the brakes are rendered inoperative, involving great
liability to accidents. My automatic valve is designed to obviate this act of
memory on the part of the brakesman and render it impossible for the pipes to be
left in an obstructed or inoperative condition. At the end of the pipes A and B
are arranged valve casings C and C¹ the lower portion of each of which is divided
into two chambers c¹ with ports e e' in the top thereof and whose upper portion is
a single cylindrical chamber in which slides vertically a piston valve D. This
valve has a stem d' that descends into a corresponding guide hole in the middle
partition d and a stem d which rises through the upper head of the casing and is
jointed to a lever E. This lever is suitably fulcrumed upon a standard or offset
upon one side and is guided in a slotted upright upon the other side and has attached
a strong cord F that passes through an eye G and extends to a position near the
coupling heads H. The piston D has a small vent opening through it immediately
above the port e and the valve stem d² has a groove 9 which in a certain position
allows a leakage of air through the upper head of the valve casing. Now, when
the uncoupling of the heads HH is to be effected the pipes A and B must be shut
off from the flexible sections A and B' and the air contained in the latter must
first be allowed to escape before the coupling heads can be separated. For this
purpose the brakeman seizes a cord of each valve in each hand and applying a
tension thereto effects the following changes in the positions of each valve. Lever E
is forced down, and brings the piston D over port e which shuts off the air between
the pipes A and B and their flexible sections. At the same time the outlet fallows
the air in the sections A and B' to escape from c¹ to the top of the cylinder and
thence through the duct g to the outer air. The heads H H can now be easily
uncoupled, tension still being maintained, however, on the cords. When the cars
are to be detached, blind couplings HH' which are in the nature of terminal

page_text: plugs are then taken from points of convenient suspension close by on the car and
are fitted to the heads H of the coupling, so that air cannot escape from the pipes A
and B. To couple again, the cords F are drawn tight again and the terminal blind
couplings H' being removed, the heads H H are connected together. The tension
on cords F being then removed, the pressure of air through ports e forces up
piston D, closes the vent by forcing it against a washer and the air then passes
from the locomotive through pipe A to valve chamber c through port e down e¹ to
chamber c' thence through the flexible pipes A' and B' and through the other
valve on throughout the train of cars. With this construction, it will be seen that
after the act of coupling the pipes is effected, the valves automatically open up
air communication through the pipes, so that by no means can the pipes be left in
an obstructed or inoperative condition.
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. The combination, with the pipes A and B and their flexible sections A¹ B¹
with coupling heads HH, of automatically opening valves placed between the
pipes A and B and their flexible sections and blind couplings H¹ H', substantially
as shewn and described.
2. The valve C consisting of an outer casing with a single chamber above and
two chambers below opening above into the single chamber, a piston arranged to
fit within the upper chamber and cover both the openings of the lower chambers
and means for operating the same, substantially as shewn and described.
3. The valve C consisting of an outer casing with a single chamber above and
two chambers below, a piston having vent and piston rod having groovey for a
leakage of air through one of the chambers c while the other one is closed,
substantially as shewn and described.
4. The valve C consisting of an outer case with a single chamber above and
two below opening into the one above, a piston D with vent and piston rod
having groove g, the soft washer or packing ring the lever E, cord F, and guide
eye G, substantially as shewn and described.
Dated this 10th day of July 1891.
Dated GIS FOR tay on uy
L. S. KIGGS.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.