Improvements in and relating to Brake-beams and Brake Shoe-heads for Railway Cars.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Dec., 1891-Accepted, 16th Jan., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Brake-beams and Brake Shoe-heads
for Railway Cars.
I, CHARLES THOMAS SCHOEN, a Citizen of the United States of America,
residing at No. 220 Western Avenue, in the City and County of Allegheny, and
State of Pennsylvania, one of the United States of America, Manufacturer,
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:—
The first part of this invention relates to the construction of a diamond-shaped
brake-beam for use especially on railway cars. The second part of the invention
relates to the head which is applied to the ends of the brake-beam to receive the
brake-shoes or blocks; and the third part of my invention relates to a guide to be
applied to the brake-beam to engage the wheel of a car in rounding a curve, to
prevent the brake-beam from being displaced laterally.
These beams and their described appurtenances are made from plate-metal,
preferably steel, shaped by "pressing" or striking-up in dies.
In the accompanying drawings, in the several figures of which like parts are
similarly designated-
Figure 1 is a plan view of part of a diamond-form brake-beam embodying my
invention.
Figure 2 is an elevation.
Figure 3 is an elevation of the strut or king-post, showing also the cross-sections
of the compression and tensile members in the plane of the strut.
Figure 4 is an end elevation showing my pressed-steel shoe-head adapted for
what is known in the United States of America as the "Christy shoe.".
Figure 5 is a section taken in the plane of line x-x of Figure 1.
Figure 6 is a section taken through the meeting ends of the compression and
tensile members.
Figure 7 is a side elevation, and Figure 8 an end elevation of my pressed-steel
shoe-head adapted to what is known in the United States of America as the
"Collins shoe."
Figures 9, 10, and 11, show in side, top and end elevation, respectively, my guide
applied to what is known in the United States of America as the "National Hollow
Brake Beam."
Figures 12, 13 and 14 show in plan, top view, and cross-section a portion of my
brake-beam with a modified and preferred form of strut.
The compression bar, a, is struck up from steel plate, and is provided with a
central longitudinal rib or corrugation, a', which increases in height from midway
between its ends towards its ends thus making the bar wider at its centre than at
its ends. The increase in height of the rib towards its ends is made to render the
bar more efficient in resisting the strain of the shoes, and this feature in connection
with the decrease toward the centre effects so equable a distribution of the metal
as to result in an increase of about twenty per centum in the capacity of the beam.
The increase of width of the bar at the centre adds to its lateral stiffness. The
tensile bar, b, has its stiffening ribs, c, starting from nothing midway between the
ends of the bar and rising gradually toward the ends until they coincide, substan-
tially in height and shape, with the inside of the rib of the compression bar, as seen
in Figures 1, 2, and 6. In order to stiffen the tensile bar where the ribs have little
or no projection, I flange the sides, d, d, as seen in Figures 1 and 3. The meeting
ends of the compression and tensile bars are united by overlapping the ends of the
tensile bar upon the compression bar, as seen in Figure 1, or vice versa, although
they may be otherwise united,

page_text: The strut or king-post, e, is constructed of a piece of wrought metal doubled
upon itself to form the loop, f, to receive the brake-rod connection, and having its
ends welded and drawn out to support the compression bar and provided with two
tongues, 9, 9, which are passed through a slot, h, in the compression bar and bent
over in opposite directions upon the compression bar to secure the two together.
The butt end of the strut rests in the trough of the tensile member, between its
flanges, d, d, and ribs, c, and may be secured by an eye, i, which may be further
utilized for suspending the brake-beam. A strut constructed in this manner is.
economically made, readily applied, and very durable.
The strut I prefer to employ is shown in Figures 12, 13, and 14, and it is forged,
but instead of being drawn out flat and its upper end slit and passed through a slot
in the upper member and the slitted portion bent over as just described, I draw it
out square, and rounded at the upper end, which end is screw-threaded, and this end
I supply with an inner nut, f, to bear against the under side of the upper member,
then pass it through a hole in such upper member and apply a washer, f, and a
nut, f, outside the upper member to bind all together. The advantage of this
construction is that the strut can be set at any angle without trouble; and as different
railroads adopt different ways of setting their brake-beam levers, it is a matter of
considerable importance to have the strut adjustable to meet their requirements;
and this is accomplished by my strut. Thus I avoid reversing of the beam and the
necessity for making the struts rights and lefts, a matter of economy in the repair
stock.
The shoes most commonly used in the United States of America are known as
the "Christy" and the "Collins," and I have adapted the pressed steel shoe-head
to these forms of shoe. For the Christy shoe, j, which has the shoulders, k, k, and
perforated lug, 1, I use a shoe-head, m, of the general configuration shown in
Figures 1, 2, and 4, having the arms, m', to engage the shoulders, k, and provided
with the clip, n, to straddle the lug, l, a key or wedge, o, being passed longitudinally
through the shoe-hend, clip, and Ing to unite them. The clip also receives the
hanger link, p, through slots, m³, in the sides of the shoe-head. The shoe-head is
provided with the hollow projection, m, into which is fitted the clip, n, and which
projection fits into the hollow of the ribbed compression and tensile members, and a
bolt, q, is used to unite them all. The shoe-head has a cross section much
resembling an inverted U, to insure sufficient rigidity and strength.
The shoe-head, ", for the Collins shoe, as shown in Figures 7 and 8 also is struck
up or pressed from steel plate, and is constructed with the arms, r, which are made
with dove-tail sockets, as indicated in dotted lines, , in Figure 8, to receive a
correspondingly shaped tongue, s, on the shoe, s'. The shoe is provided with a
shoulder, s, against which one arm, r', of the shoc-head abuts, and at the other end
of the shoe there is a transverse slot, ³, to receive a key or pin, s, to lock the shoe
and shoe-head together. One of the arms, r¹, is made with a bend,, to receive
the hanger link, p. The shoe-head, r, is constructed similarly to the shoe-head, m,
with facilities for securing it to the brake-beam, as clearly indicated by corre-
sponding letters in Figures 7 and 8, and is curved in cross-section to insure rigidity
and strength.
The guide, t, is designed to prevent the lateral displacement of those brake-beams
which are hung on the outside of the wheel, when going around curves. In this
instance it consists of a strip of metal bent to conform to the diverging compression
and tensile bars and lapped around them near their angle of meeting at each end,
as shown in Figures 1, 2, and 5. The eye-bolt, u, is passed transversely through
the guide and rests in the angle formed by the bars and thus not only unites the
parts but also prevents displacement of the guide toward the end of the beam;
displacement in the other direction being prevented by the divergence of the bars.
The eye-bolt also serves as the safety hanger-link. This guide is designed to strike
against the flange of the wheel in going around curves. In Figures 9, 10, and 11, I
have shown my guide as applied to the National Hollow Brake Beam. It is lapped
about its compression member and secured by a bolt. I have shown in these figures

page_text: the guide corrugated or ribbed longitudinally, in order to increase its strength, and
obviously this same feature may be applied to the guide shown in Figures 1, 2,
and 5. In both forms of guide, the projecting effective finger and the clasp for
engaging the beam are in one piece, and struck-up or pressed from wrought metal,
preferably steel-plate.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
1. A compression member for brake-beams, constructed of wrought metal having
a longitudinal rib or corrugation increasing in height from about midway of the
member towards its ends and thereby leaving the member widest at its central
portion, substantially as described.
2. A tensile member for brake-beams, constructed of wrought metal, preferably
steel plate, and having longitudinal strengthening ribs rising toward the ends from
nothing at midway between the ends, substantially as described.
3. A tensile member for brake-beams, constructed of wrought metal, preferably
steel plate, and having longitudinal strengthening ribs rising toward the ends from
nothing at midway between the ends, and constructed with side flanges at the
central portion, substantially as described.
4. The combination with the compression and tensile members, of a strut of
wrought metal, provided with the loop, f, to receive the brake-lever, and having
one end drawn out and fitted to the compression member, substantially in the
manner and for the purpose set forth.
5. As an improved article of manufacture, a railway-brake shoe-head having arms
to engage the shoe, a hollow projection to fit the brake-beam and receive the
fastening bolt and curved in cross section, and struck up or pressed from plate
metal, preferably steel, substantially as described.
6. A pressed-steel shoe-head having arms to engage the shoe, a hollow projection
to fit the brake-beam, and slots to receive the hanger-link, combined with a clip
fitted in said projection, and a bolt passed through the clip and projection by which
the shoe-head is secured to the brake-beam, and a key by which the shoe is connected
with the shoe-head, substantially as described.
7. A guide for preventing the lateral displacement of brake-beams in rounding
curves, consisting of a piece of metal lapped about the brake-beam and united
thereto by a transverse bolt, and having a projecting finger, the parts of the guide
being integral, substantially as described.
8. A guide for preventing the lateral displacement of brake-beams in rounding
curves, consisting of a piece of inetal lapped about the brake-beam and partaking
essentially of the divergence of the compression and tensile members to prevent
movement in one direction, and having a fastening bolt passed through it and the
beam at or near the juncture of the compression and tensile members to prevent
escape in that direction, substantially as described.
Dated this 8th day of December 1891.
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.