Improvements in Air-resistance Devices for Railway and other Vehicles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Aug., 1898-Accepted, 23rd Dec., 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Air-resistance Devices for Railway and other
Vehicles.
I, GEORGE JOSEPII CAPEWELL, of 903, Asylum Avenue, Hartford, County of
Hartford, State of Connecticut, 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:-
:―
This invention relates to devices adapted to be applied to railway locomotives,
motor cars and similar vehicles designed to travel at high speeds, which can
be arranged in positions to minimize air resistance to the movement of the
vehicles or trains to which they are applied and which can be moved from those
positions so as to increase the air resistance to such an extent that they can be
utilized to slacken the speed of travel.
The object of the invention is to provide a simple apparatus which can be
either permanently or removably attached to or connected with the front of a
locomotive or motor car in which steam, electricity, compressed air or other
motive power is utilized, in such manner that it can be readily and quickly
moved by the action of the engineer, driver or motorman from a position in
which it will minimize the resistance offered by the atmosphere to the move-
ment of the locomotive or motor car to a position which will so act as to greatly
increase the atmospheric resistance, thus enabling a reduction from a very rapid
rate of speed to a less rate without the application of wheel or track brakes,
and a further object is to provide a simple apparatus that can be applied to the
sides or tops of locomotives, motor cars or trailing cars of a train in such
manner that it can be quickly and easily operated to increase the resistance of
the air to the moving vehicle or train.
This invention has a wedge shaped or pointed deflector so connected with the
forward end of the vehicle that it will turn aside air which it meets when
traveling at a rapid speed but which can be moved upwardly or opened out-
wardly by the action of the engineer, driver or motorman from its position of
minimum resistance so as to expose the front end of the vehicle and form a
pocket that will greatly increase the air resistance, and it further has wings
connected with the vehicle in such manner that they can be turned from posi-
tions of minimum resistance so as to greatly increase the air resistance.
Of the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an electric motor
car fitted with the invention. Fig. 2 is a view of the same car, with a portion
of the body broken away and the air deflector cut in section in order to show
an arrangement of mechanisms for moving the deflector and the resistance wings
which are in positions of maximum resistance. Fig. 3 is a plan with the
deflector and wings in positions of maximum resistance. Fig. 4 illustrates
resistance wings of a different form. Fig. 5 is a view with these wings closed
against the roof of the vehicle. Fig. 6 is a plan of these wings. Fig. 7 is a
side elevation of a motor car fitted with another form of the invention showing
the deflector and wings in positions of minimum resistance. Fig. 8 is a plan

page_text: of this latter form. Fig. 9 is a front elevation of the car with the deflector
and wings in positions of minimum resistance. Fig. 10 is a side elevation of the
front end of the car with parts broken away to expose the mechanisms employed
to operate the resistance devices. Fig. 11 is a front elevation with the deflector
and wings in positions of maximum resistance. Fig. 12 is a plan showing the
deflector closed to reduce resistance. And Fig. 13 is a plan of the deflector with
a portion of the top wall broken away and with the side walls opened to increase
resistance.
The apparatus constituting the invention may be applied to any class of
locomotive or motor car utilizing steam, electricity, compressed air or other
motive power and having a body of any desired design, but the invention is
shown in connection with an electric motor car that has ordinary motor trucks 2
and closed body 1, connected with the forward end of which is the deflector 3.
The first form of deflector shown is arched and declines forward from below
the lookout windows 4 that are near the top of the body to a point well in
advance and just above the track. This deffector is mounted on a horizontal
pivot shaft 5 that is held in bearings secured to a part that projects forward
from the front platform. If desired, a pilot truck may be placed beneath this
part of the platform.
The pivot shaft is located just above the center of gravity of the deflector
so that the tendency will be for the forward end of the deflector to tip down,
but the pivot is so near the center that the deflector can be easily oscillated.
The rear end of this deflector is fitted to the forward and of the body so that
when in the position shown in Fig. 1 it provides a smooth curved inclining
surface for the forward end of the car that, when moving, parts and throws
aside the air which it meets, allowing the car to travel with but comparatively
little air resistance. The deflector declines forward and curves down on each
sido so that most of the air is thrown to the sides and but little is thrown
directly upward to meet the front lookout windows or be caught beneath the
storm cap 6 that projects over the windows, and that air which is met by the
lookout windows is thrown to the sides, as they are arranged either on a curve
or on angles, as shown by the dotted line 7 of Fig. 3.
To the pivot shaft of the deflector a rocker arm 8 is secured, and joined to
this arm is a rod 9 that extends back to the body in which it may be connected
with a lever 10 or with other means whereby the rod may be reciprocated by
hand or by power and the rocker arm oscillated and the deflector turned. When
the deflector is in the position shown in Fig. 1 it throws aside the air, and when
in the position shown in Fig. 2, the front end of the car and the wall 11 are
exposed so that a large surface consisting of the blunt end of the car and this
wall beneath is presented to the air in such manner as to offer considerably
more resistance than was offered by the deflector when in the first position.
Mounted upon the roof 12 of the car are resistance wings 13 which can be
turned from a position of minimum resistance to a position greatly increasing
the air resistance. These wings are pivoted upon vertical arbors 14 which are
supported by bearings in the roof and in a bridging brace 15. The arbors are
provided with rocker arms 16 which are connected by a rod 17 that extends
longitudinally beneath the roof, and this rod is connected with a rocker arm 18
projecting from a vertical shaft 19 which has a rocker arm 20 that is connected
with the rod 9. When the deflector is moved the vertical shaft 19 is by these
connections oscillated and the rod 17 reciprocated in such manner as to rotate
the vertical arbors which carry the wings.
When the wings extend longitudinally of the vehicle, as in Fig. 1, they
offer but slight resistance, but when they are rotated to the positions shown in
Figs. 2 and 3 so as to extend transversely of the vehicle, they offer great resist-
ance when running at high rates of speed.
The resistance wings may be curved, as shown in Fig. 6, and mounted upon
horizontal arbors 21 so that they will normally lie close to the roof of the

page_text: vehicle. These resistance wings may be elevated or lowered by means of sprocket
and chain mechanisms. The arbors 21 are shown as provided with sprocket
wheels around which passes a chain 22, which chain may also run about a
sprocket wheel on a shaft 23 that can be rotated by the chain 24 that passes
about a sprocket wheel on this shaft and a shaft provided with a crank handle 25.
With these connections, when the handle is revolved in one direction the
resistance wings are lifted from the roof of the vehicle so as to stand in positions
to offer resistance, and when the handle is revolved in the opposite direction
these are, of course, moved from the resistance positions and caused to lie close
against the roof of the car.
The first form of deflector is so arranged that it moves about a horizontal
axis in changing from a position of minimum to a position of maximum resist
ance. In the second form illustrated the deflector walls move about a vertical
axis from positions of minimum to maximum resistance. Connected with the
front end of the second form of car shown and projecting forwardly is a verti-
cally arranged frame 26. Held by bearings attached to this frame are vertical
shafts 27, and borne by these shafts near the top and bottom are brackets 28.
The inner ends of these brackets are provided with gear teeth and they are
arranged so that the gear teeth of the two brackets in the same plane will
intermesh.
Attached to the outer ends of the brackets are the movable portions 29 of the
side walls of this second form of deflector. The stationary portions 30 of the
side walls of this form of deflector fill in the spaces between the back edges of
the movable portions and the front corners of the car body. The side walls of
the deflector extend vertically from just above the plane of the rails to just
below the roof of the body." Projecting forwardly from the body just below.
the lookout windows to the front end of the frame is the top wall 31 of the
deflector. This top wall is formed of triangular sections that decline toward
the front and slope downwardly toward the sides. Attached to the front end.
of the body of the vehicle back of the frame is the rear wall 32 of the deflector.
The walls of both forms of deflector are formed of as thin light metal as possible,
having the requisite strength so that they will not weigh down the forward
ends of the cars to which they are attached.
A sprocket wheel 33 may be mounted upon one of the vertical shafts 27,
and passing around this sprocket wheel and a sprocket wheel 34 on the shaft 85,
in the interior of the car is a sprocket chain 36. A hand wheel 37 is provided
for rotating the shaft 35 but the shaft may be so connected as to be rotated by.
electric power or compressed air.
The rotation of the shaft 35 through the sprocket wheels and chain rotates
one of the shafts 27 which, through the toothed segments, rocks the brackets 28.
and swings the movable portions 29 of the side walls of the deflector. When
these connections are moved in one direction the movable walls are swung so
as to meet along their front edges and form a sharp vertical wedge. When the.
connections are moved in a reverse direction the movable walls are swung away
from each other so as to open a pocket between them and the top and rear
walls of the deflector. A spring 38 may be connected with the movable wall
of the deflector to aid in the opening.
Brackets 39 are secured to the outside of the roof of the car, and borne by
these brackets are shafts 40 upon which are mounted wings 41. On the ends of
these horizontal shafts are rocker arms 42 which are connected by a rod 43 so
that the wings may be moved together. Engaging with one of the rocker
arms 42 is an arm 14 that is supported by bearings in the roof of the car and
is adapted to be oscillated by a rocker arm 45 that is connected by a rod 46
with one end of the lever 47, the other end of which is connected with the
rod 48 that is attached to one of the brackets 28.
When the movable portions of the side walls of this wedge shaped deflector
are opened the wings will be simultaneously rotated upon their horizontal axes

page_text: and made to stand vertical and offer resistance to the atmosphere, and when the
deflector side walls are closed the wings are rotated so as to lie horizontal with
their top edges toward the front of the car in positions of minimum resistance.
When trains are running at very high rates of speed, that is, ninety miles
or more an hour, particularly if the speed reaches above one hundred miles an
hour, the air resistance is considerable. With a locomotive or motor car fitted
with this invention, the resistance is minimized, and with the same apparatus
the speed can be, slackened from the high rates to less rates so that it will be
unnecessary to apply wheel or track brakes until the speed is reduced to such
an extent that the friction brakes will not be severely worn or burned.
All of the parts can be easily moved conjointly or independently through the
medium of levers. or sprockets and chains operated either by hand or by power,
and when the parts are moved they at once perform their functions of increasing
the air resistance and retarding the movement of the vehicle or train. The
application of the apparatus embodying the invention will enable locomotives,
motor cars or trains to run at higher rates of speed than at present without
necessitating a great increase of power to overcome air resistance and at the
same time without necessitating an increase of brake applying power.
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 railway vehicle having a resistance part movably connected with and
arranged to deflect air from its end when in motion, and mechanisms for moving
the resistance part from a position in which it deflects air from the end of the
vehicle to a position in which the end of the vehicle is exposed to the air when
moving.
2. A railway vehicle having a deflector for air movably connected with its
front end, mechanisms for moving the deflector from a position which will
minimize the air resistance to a position which will increase the air resistance
to the vehicle, resistance wings movably connected with the body of the vehicle,
and means for moving the wings from positions of little resistance to positions
of great resistance to the air.
.3. A railway vehicle having resistance wings pivotally supported by its top,
and mechanisms for oscillating the resistance wings from positions of no resist-
ance to positions of great resistance.
4. A railway vehicle having a wedge shaped deflector with horizontally
movable walls connected with its front end, and mechanisms for opening the
front edges of the deflector walls from and closing them against each other.
5. A railway vehicle having a vertically arranged wedge shaped deflector
with movable side walls connected with its front end, mechanisms for moving
the side walls, wings horizontally mounted upon the roof of the vehicle, and
connections between the wings and the walls of the deflector whereby they are
moved simultaneously.
Doted the 15th day of July 1800