IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC CARDI
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Joseph Hirsiger, of Castle Street, Leicester Square, in
the County of Middlesex, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC
CARDI
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Joseph Hirsiger at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th June 1880.
JOSEPH HIRSIGER, of Castlo Street, Leicester Square, in the County of
Middlesex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN AUTOMATIC AND CONTINUOUS BRAKE APPARATUS
FOR RAILWAY AND OTHER CARRIAGES."
This Invention has for its object the means of enabling a train of railway
carriages of any length to stop in the shortest possible time, a brake being applied
to each carriage, and acting in an automatic and continuous manner with graduated
bar or steelyard.
By this improved arrangement of apparatus the pressure of the blocks on the
wheels of the carriages is produced by the action of the graduated bar or steelyard,
which is provided with a weight which will produce a pressure on the wheels of
the carriage of from 50 to 2000 pounds and upwards.
Between the two axles of the wheels of the carriage a transverse horizontal
shaft is placed, carried by suitable supports, and on the shaft a graduated steelyard
or bar is placed for actuating two rollers which act direct on the brake blocks.
The bar or steelyard is supplied with a rolling weight, and the rolling weight is
acted on by a continuous longitudinal shaft running boneath and connected with
all the carriages of the train. This shaft is armed with two rollers, one roller has
a chain or other suitable contrivance connected with the two ends of the steelyard
or bar which lets the balance down; the other roller has two chains or other
suitable contrivanco, one of which lifts the balance up, and the other keeps the
balance in a graduated position, according to the wish of the driver or other person
for the pressure required to be put on throughout the train instantaneously.
The connections of the longitudinal shaft between carriage and carriage are so
arranged that if a tyro of a wheel break, or a carriage leave the metals, or if a train
break in two, the connection will be broken, and the longitudinal shaft will turn
and produce the same result as if the driver or other person had caused the
longitudinal shaft to turn by using the graduated lever. The pressure on the
wheels of a railway or other carriage, according to this part of my improvements,
is made by brako blocks consisting of flint or other suitable mineral substance.

page_text: Figuro 1 shows an elevation of brake apparatus arranged and constructed so as
to act in accordance with my Invention, showing the action of the blocks and 2
system of working the same by hand.
Figure 2 is a plan of Figure 1, and Figure 3 is an end clevation.
•
a is a transverse shaft supported in bearings d, d, fixed on the side framing of
the carriage; b, b, are levers fixed in the transverse shaft a. c is the graduated
bar, weighted lover, or steelyard. d, d, are brackets which support the axis a on 2
which the steelyard c is supported. e, e¹, are chain wheels or pulloys fixed on the
longitudinal shaft g. f is a guide for the end of steelyard or weighted lever c to
move up and down in. g is the longitudinal connecting shaft. h and i are links
which connect the ends of the longitudinal bars 9, 9, of two adjoining carriages
together. is the brake lever and toothed quadrant to actuate the brake by hand,
and k is a cog wheel or pinion fixed on longitudinal shaft actuated by the brake
lever j and toothed quadrant. L, L, are brackets which support the brake block
hangers or links m, m. n, n, are truss or connecting rods to the brake blocks on
opposite sides of a carriage. o, o, are the brake block levers fixed on the rods n, n.
P. P, are the short pull rods, and q, q, are the long pull rods. is the weight
which moves to and fro on the steelyard or weighted lever c. 8, 8, are the chains,
one end of each being fixed to the pulleys e, e', for drawing the weight to and fro
on the lever or steelyard c, and t is the chain for lifting and lowering tho'steelyard
or lever c. u, u, are weights on the connecting links h, i, causing them to fall over
at right angles to the longitudinal shaft g when disconnected, to give a partial
revolution thereto to put on the brako automatically. v, v, are the brake blocks.
w, w, are springs which act on the links i to cause them to fall over when
disconnected.
Between the two axles of two pairs of wheels of a carriago the transverse
horizontal shaft a is placed, carried by the supports d, d, and on the transverso
shaft a the graduated steelyard, lever, or bar c is mounted, actuated by the two
pulleys or chain wheels c, c', fixed on the longitudinal shaft g governed by the
lever and quadrant ; to put on the brako blocks v.
=
The bar, lever, or steelyard c carries a rolling weight 7, which is acted upon by
the continuous longitudinal connecting shaft g, supported beneath and connected t
with all the carriages of a train. The longitudinal shaft g has two rollers e and el
mounted thereon; the roller e has two chains t and s attached to it. The chaint is
for lifting and lowering the steelyard or lever c, whilst the other chain s is for
drawing the weight to and fro with it. The other roller e¹ has only one chain 8,

page_text: which is connected with the weight for bringing it back to its place, according to
the will of the person having charge of the train, for the pressure required to be
put on throughout the train instantaneously.
The connections of the longitudinal shaft g between carriage and carriage are so
arranged that if a tire or a wheel break, or a carriage leave the metals, or if a train
break in two, the connection will be broken, and the longitudinal shaft will turn
automatically, caused by the gravitating descent of the weighted link i, and thus
produce the same result as if the driver or other person had caused the longitudinal
shaft g to turn by means of the actuating lever j.
The pressure on the wheels of a railway or other carriago according to this part
of my improvements is made by brake blocks v, composed or consisting of a
composition of flint and other suitable mineral substanco.
It will thus be seen that by means of this improved brake apparatus the driver
has every facility for stopping the train or setting it in motion as required. It also
enables the driver to stop the train either on straight, curved, ascending, or
descending lines, and acts automatically in case of accident.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of carrying
the same into practice, I would remark that I do not claim any of the mechanical
parts separately which are well known and in common use, but what I claim is,-
First. The improved arrangement, combination, and construction of railway
brake apparatus, in which the longitudinal shaft g connected with every carriage is
caused to give motion to the steelyard or lever c and movable weight r to actuate
the brake blocks v, whereby a regulated pressure can bo put upon all the wheels of
each carriage of a train, substantially in the manner hereinbefore described and
represented in the Drawings hereunto annexed.
Secondly. I claim the improved arrangement, combination, and construction of
railway brake apparatus, by the use and application of the pulleys c, e', mounted
on the longitudinal connecting shaft g, acting in union with the said graduated
lever or apparatus c to actuate the brake blocks, substantially in the manner
hereinbefore described and represented in the Drawings hereunto annexed.
Thirdly. I claim the improved general arrangement and construction of railway
brake apparatus, in which the action of the longitudinal shaft g, by means of the
weight attached to the steelyard c (and weight u attached to coupling link i
acting automatically), causes the shaft a to turn, and thereby stop the train,
substantially in the manner herein before described and represented in the Drawings
hereunto annexed.
Lastly. I claim the improved construction of the blocks of railway brakes
from a compound of flint and other suitable mineral substance, as herein before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Joseph Hirsiger, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Seventeenth day of December, in the year of our Lord One
Witness,
J. G. TONGUE,
Patent Agent,
34, Southampton Buildings,
Chancery Lano,
W.C.
J. HIRSIGER, M.D. (L.S.)