Improvements in Means for Stopping and Starting Vehicles.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Oct, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 24th Aug., 1896-Accepted, 3rd Oct., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means for Stopping and Starting Vehicles.
I, WILLIAM GEORGE HAY, of 61, Hawkstone Street, Liverpool, Engineer, do
bereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows
--
This invention relates to apparatus for stopping and starting vehicles, such as
tramcars, wherein the momentum which is usually lost m stopping the car is taken
up and stored in a spring, compressed air cylinder or hydraulic 1am, which is
compressed or operated by the axle of the car, through rack and pinion gearing.
Such stored power is then available for and is made use of to re-start the car by
iencting through such rack and pinion gear upon the axle of the car.
According to this invention I so ai range the rack and pinion gear above referied
to that the leverage or purchase excited by the car axle upon the spring or other
device which it compresses, is considerably in excess of the leverage o puchase
excited by the spring when it is allowed to 1c-act on the axle. That is to say, in
order to compiess the spring or other device the car must travel approximately
about twelve times as far as the distance which it will be caused to travel by the
reaction of the spring For example, if the distance from the point where
compression of the spring commences to the point where the spring is fully
compressed is thirty-six feet then the distance which the reaction of the spung will
cause the car to travel on restarting will be three feet
In order to accomplish this object I may employ a gear arranged as hereunder
described
Upon one axle of the car is loosely mounted a small pinion wheel connected with
the loose half or member of a fuction of segmental clutch, the other member of
the clutch travelling on a feather formed on the axle. Gearing with this pinion
wheel is a spur wheel caned on a secondary shaft mounted in bearings on ch
bracket which may be suspended from the axles of the car. Forming part of said
spur wheel is a pinion wheel which gears with a rack arranged horizontally under
the car axles and tunning in the direction of the length of the car. Canned on
the bracket above referred to is a casing containing a spual spring which encircles
a continuation of the before mentioned rack, which continuation is provided with a
piston working within said casing, so that as the rack moved forward by the
pinion wheel the piston compresses the sping within the casing
The action of
this part of the gear is that when the fixed member of the clutch is put in gear
with its fellow member, upon which is formed the small pimon wheel, the latter
engages with the spul wheel on the secondary shaft, which in tin and by means of
its small pinion wheel moves forward the tack and so compresses the spring.
The purchase exerted by this gear upon the spring may be roughly stated as
24 to 1.
The reaction of the spring upon the cai axle takes effect through a single spur
wheel gearing with the rack and mounted on the car axle so as to turn loosely in
one duection, and provided with one or more pawls which engage with a ratchet
wheel keyed on the car.axle. Being mounted loosely on the car axle this spur
wheel revolves idly as the rack 16 moved forward by the compressing gear, but
upon said compiessing gear being disconnected by the clutch above mentioned the
spring actuated rack reacts upon the spur wheel so as to evolve it in the reverse
direction which causes its pawls to engage with the ratchet wheel keyed upon the

page_text: axle and so the power of the spring is exerted directly upon the car axle. The
purchase exerted by the spring upon the car axle is as 1 to 2.
There are thus two gears employed, one of considerable purchase for compressing
the spring, and one of small purchase by which the spring reacts upon the car axle,
one geni evolving idly when the other gear is in operation.
lu a modification the spur wheel upon which the spring reacts may be mounted
on the forward axle of the car, the sping compressing gear being upon the rear
axle, the sping being disposed midway between the axles; and in place of this
spur wheel being provided with pawls and a fixed ratchet wheel, it may be provided
with pivotted fiction pieces which bear upon a fiction dium keyed on the car axle,
when evolved in one duection.
The clutch for putting the spring complessing gear into and out of gear with the
car axle 16 preferably operated by a lever through suitable bell crank levers, and
connected with these levers may be a suitable device consisting of a strap or cono
which is adapted to engage with the pawls above mentioned so as to hold them out
of gear when the car is running free
I also prefer to connect the rack with the ordinary brake gear of the car in such
a manner that when the spring is sufficiently compressed, the brakes will be
applied to the car wheels and to prevent any possibility of stram or fracture of
the gear.
Dated this 21st day of October 1805
J. A. COUBROUGHI,
Registered Patent Agent,
10 St George's Crescent, Liverpool. Agent for the Applicant
I, WILLIAM GEORGE HAY, of 61, Hawkstone Street, Liverpool, 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 :-
This invention relates to apparatus for stopping and starting vehicles, such as
tramcars, wherein the momentum which is usually lost m stopping the car is taken
up and stored in a spring, compressed an cylinder o hydraulic ram, which is
compressed or operated by the axle of the car, through rack and tooth wheel
gearing. Such stored power is then available for and is utilized in re-starting the
cai by reacting, through suitable gear, upon the axle of the car.
According to this invention I so atringe the rack and pinion gear above referred
to that the leverage or purchase exerted by the car axle upon the spring or other
device which it compresses, is considerably in excess of the leverage or purchase
exerted by the spring when it is allowed to react on the axle. That is to say, in
order to compress the spring or other device the car must travel approximately
about ten times as far as the distance which it will be caused to travel by the
reaction of the spring. For example, if the distance from the point where
compression of the spring commences to the point where the spring is fully
comessed is buty six feet then the distance which the reaction of the sping
will cause the car to travel on restarting will be three feet seven inches
approximately.
In putting this invention into practice I prefer to employ a gear arranged as
hereunder described with reference to the annexed drawings.
In the drawings hereto annexed
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation and Figure 2 a sectional plan illustrating the
appliation of a geal according to this invention to one of the axles of a tramcar,

page_text: Figures 3 and 4 being an elevation and plan of the general arrangement of same,
and
Figure 5 a detail view of the supporting structure.
Upon the axle a of the car is loosely mounted a small pinion wheel b connected
with the loose half or member c of a segmental clutch C, the other member o¹ of
the clutch travelling on a feather formed on the axle a. Gearing with the pinion b
is a spur wheel carried loosely on a secondary shaft e which is mounted in
bearings on a bracket suspended from the two axles a of the car.
Pawls g.on
the spur wheel d engage with the ratchet wheel which is fixedly mounted on the
shaft e Also fixedly mounted on the shaft e is a pinion wheel which gears with
a lack j arranged under the car axles. Carried by the bracket ƒ is a casing k
containing a spital spring which abuts against a piston me on the end of the
rack j
C
The action of the above described gear is that when the fixed inembet c¹ of the
clutch C is put in gear with its fellow member c the pinion b with which it 18
connected causes the spur wheel d to revolve, which in turn-by means of its
pawls g-causes the latebet wheel and consequently the shaft e and pinion i to
revolve. As the pinion meshes with the teeth of the rack j the latter is moved
lengthways and so compresses the spring within the casing h. The purchase
exerted by this gear upon the spring may be roughly stated as 24 to 1, and the
work thus performed by the momentum of the cai serves as the retarding or
braking action of the car.
To restart the car the reaction of the spring is caused to take effect through a
single spur wheel n gearing directly on the rack and mounted on the car axle a
so as to turn loosely in one direction and provided with two or more pawls o which
engage with a ratchet wheel p keyed on the car axle. Being mounted loosely on
the axle a the spur wheel n revolves idly as the rack is compressing the spring 1,
but upon the compressing gear being disconnected by the clutch C the spring
actuated lack reacts upon the spur wheel n so as to revolve it in the reverse
direction, which causes its pawls to engage with the ratchet wheel p keyed upon
the axle a and so the power of the spring is exerted on the axle a through the
し
medium of one wheel (n) only. The purchase exerted in such reaction may be
roughly stated as 1 to 2.
There are thus two geais employed, one of considerable purchase for compressing
the spring, and one of small purchase by which the spring reacts upon the
car axle.
The clutch is preferably operated by the lever q upon the driver's platform,
and the rod and bell crank lever s, and coupled to the levers by the rod t is a
lever u whose function is to press the coned ring v under suitable projections on the
pa also of the spur wheel and so lift them out of gear with the ratchet wheel p-
when the car is running fieo.
I also prefer to connect the ordinary brake gear of the car with the spring
compressing gear above described in such a mauuer that when the sping is
sufficiently compressed the ordinary brakes will be applied to the car wheels and
Eo prevent any possibility of strain or fracture of such compressing gear, and this
I prefer to do by keying a winding barrel w on the shaft e and leading a chain w
from thence over a pulley w³ to the brake lever w³, it being understood that the
chain w will be sufficiently slack to allow the barrel w to make a sufficient number
of revolutions whilst the spring 13 being compressed to the normal extent before
such biake lever is actuated.
It will be seen that when the clutch C is disconnected, and the pawls o held out
of gear by the coned ring a, the entire gear is disconnected from the car axle and
the car may thus run free in either direction.
For cars which may be horsed at either end I duplicate the gear, placing one set
on each axle, but I prefer to employ one spring for both gears, the piston m of
one gear forming the abutment for the other gear. Two actuating levels will be
employed, one on each platform of the car, and the lever of the gear which is for

page_text: the time being in disuse may be locked in the "out of gear
catch or other device on the conductors platform.
53
position by a hook or
In a modification the spur wheel n may be mounted on one axle of the car and
the compressing gear mounted on the other axle, the sping being disposed
between the axles, and the rack j continued on each side of it, and in place of this
spar wheel being provided with pawls and a fixed ratchet wheel it may be provided
with pivotted friction pieces, which bear upon a fiction drum keyed on the car
axle when revolved in one direction.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invcu-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I would have it understood
that I am aware that a spring has been heretofore compressed through rack and
pinion motion by a vehicle in the act of stopping and that the reaction of such
compression has been utilized for the purpose of restarting the vehicle, and
I declare that what I claim is :—
1. In apparatus for stopping and restarting vehicles in which a spring is
compressed by rack and pinion gear operated by the vehicle in the act of stopping,
and the reaction of such spring is utilized for restarting such vehicle, the employ-
ment of a gear possessing considerable punebase for the purpose of effecting such
compression, and causing such spring to react upon the vehicle axle through the
medium of an independent gear possessing considerably lesser purchase than such
compression gear, substantially in the manner herein described with reference to the
accompanying diawings
2. In apparatus for stopping and restarting vehicles in which a spring is
compressed by rack and pinion gear operated by the vehicle in the act of stopping,
and the reaction of such spring is utilized for restarting such vehicle, the employ-
ment of a last-and-loose clutch C, a pinion wheel on the loose portion of said
clutch and gearing with a spur wheel d mounted on au auxiliary journal e, a
ratchet wheel h and a pinion wheel both keyed on said journal e aud driven by
pawls g on said spur wheel d, forming a gear whereby considerable purchase may
be exerted by the axle a-upon the ack j and spring 1, and a spur wheel n
loosely mounted on the axle a and provided with pawls o gearing with a ratchet
wheel p keyed on said axle a, forming an independent gear of small purchase
whereby the reaction of said spring takes effect on said axle a, all in combination
and adapted to operate substantially in the manner heiem described with reference
to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 22nd day of August 1896
J. A. COUBROUGHI,
Registered Patent Agent (qual. by exam.),
10, St. George's Crescent, Liverpool, Agent for the Applicant.