Improvements in Brakes for Cycles and other Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Improvements in Brakes for Cycles and other Vehicles.
I, WALTHER CONRAD of IX Pelikangasse 18, Vienna, Austria, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
As is well known the brakes heretofore employed for cycles and other vehicles
act either upon the pneumatic or other tyre, or, more rarely, upon the rim of the
wheel, with the resultant drawbacks, in addition to others, of causing rapid wear
of and injury to the tyre or rim, and the speedy wearing out of the brake block.
Elastic wheel tyres are particularly liable to be quickly destroyed by the use of
any of the constructions of brakes employed hitherto, none of which constructions
have, as a matter of fact, proved practically useful. Now the present invention
relates to a new brake which is designed to remedy the drawbacks above alluded
to and which I will now proceed to describe in a form suitable for cycles.
The distinguishing feature of this brake consists in the arrangement of brake
blocks which are composed of elastic comb-like material and are arranged at the
outermost ends of the spokes, near to the rim preferably on both sides of the
plane of the wheel. The brake blocks are adapted to be moved against and away
from the spokes by means of suitable mechanism such as the usual brake lever,
the arrangement being such that when moved against the spokes the blocks will
be caused to engage with them to an extent proportionate to the degree of pressure
applied. By this means the spokes experience an elastic resistance to their motion
which effects the rapid and joltless braking of the wheel without any injurious
effect upon the spokes resulting.
In the accompanying drawings, Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate in side and front
elevations respectively one construction of spoke brake according to this invention.
Figs. 3, 4 and 5 illustrate various suitable constructions of comb-like elastic
brake blocks; and
Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9 illustrate apparatus for increasing the leraking action upon
vehicle wheels fitted with rubber tyres.
As shown, on both sides of the wheel there are arranged bent levers a pivoted
to the wheel fork e of the cycle frame on an axle which is arranged at right angles
te the axis of the wheel. The longer arms (bent downwardly and inwardly) of
each of these bent levers carry brake block holders 6 (of which the number may
be varied to suit requirement) and are normally pressed outward, that is to say
are kept away from the spokes b, by means of springs c.
The short arms of the bent levers a are connected by means of the rod dd with
the brake lever handle f which is arranged in the usual manner and by operating
which the rod is raised and consequently the longer arms of the bent levers are
moved inwards towards the spokes.
In the holders b are fixed the comb-like brake blocks g which are by this move-
ment of the bent levers pressed into the spokes and caused to engage in comb-
fashion in one another. These brake blocks consist of elastic material and may

page_text: be constructed for example in the form of brushes (Fig. 3), or of caoutchouc strips
serrated in a comb-like manner (Fig. 4) or of spring tongues placed next to one
another in comb-fashion. The spokes which are situated between the elastic
interengaging brake block portions, and pass between said portions when the
wheel is rotated, must therefore, in order to be able to pass out of the brake blocks,
overcome the elastic resistance of these latter and bend the brush tufts, serrations
or teeth or tongues to one side, so that the momentum of the moving cycle is very
rapidly destroyed and the cycle brought to rest. If desired, the elastic comb-like
brake blocks may be arranged only on one side of the plane of the spokes, in which
case however a less powerful braking effect is. produced. For the purpose of fixing
the bent levers a on the wheel fork e as near as possible to the wheel rim there
may advantageously be employed, clamping-cases k made in one or two parts,
these being arranged in the manner known in the case of cycles for fixing or
connecting other constructional parts.
If two oppositely placed brushes be used the oppositely located ends of the brush-
tufts can be notched or cut out in a wave-like manner as shown in Fig. 3 in order
to facilitate the forcing-in of the spokes between the brushes and a better inter-
engagement of the later.
When the brake is used for braking waggon or carriage wheels that are provided
with rubber-tyres, there must, on account of the small number of spokes, be placed
between them a special appliance for receiving the braking-force. This can, for
example, be constructed, as shewn in Figs. 6 and 7, as a grating h¹ fastened to the
wheel rim or as in Figs. 8 and 9 as a comb h2, but always in such a manner that the
grating bars or combs pass the brake-block perpendicularly to their own longi-
tudinal direction.
What is essential in any such part that receives the braking force is that it.
presents an intermittent resistance to the spring parts of the brake-blocks, so
that the latter experience bending out which is frequently repeated but which
does not remain uniform during the application of the brake.
Dated this 16th day of December 1896.
I, WALTHER CONRAD of IX Pelikangasse 18, Vienna, Austria, 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:-
As is well known, the brakes heretofore employed for cycles and other vehicles
act either upon the pneumatic or other tyre, or, more rarely, upon the rim of the
wheel, with the resultant drawbacks, in addition to others, of causing rapid wear
of and injury to the tyre or rim, and the speedy wearing out of the brake block.
Elastic wheel tyres are particularly liable to be quickly destroyed by the use in
conjunction therewith of any of the constructions of brakes employed hitherto,
none of which constructions have, as a matter of fact, proved practically useful.
Now the present invention relates to a new brake which is designed to remedy
the drawbacks above alluded to and which I will now proceed to describe in a
form suitable for cycles.
The distinguishing feature of this brake consists in the arrangement of brake
blocks which are composed of elastic comb-like material and are arranged at the

page_text: outermost ends of the spokes, near to the rim, preferably on both sides of the
plane of the wheel. The brake blocks are adapted to be moved against' and
away from the spokes by means of suitable mechanism such as the usual brake
lever, the arrangement being such that when moved against the spokes, the blocks
will be caused to engage with them to an extent proportionate to the degree of
pressure applied. By this means the spokes experience an elastic resistance to
their motion which effects the rapid and joltless braking of the wheel without
any injurious effect upon the spokes resulting.
Referring to the drawings filed with my Provisional Specification Figs. 1 and 2
illustrate in side and front elevations respectively one construction of spoke brake
according to this invention.
Figs. 3, 4 and 5 illustrate various suitable constructions of comb-like elastic
brake blocks; and
Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9, illustrate apparatus for increasing the braking action upon
vehicle wheels fitted with rubber tyres.
As shown, on each side of the wheel there is arranged a bent lever a pivoted to
the wheel fork e of the cycle frame so as to turn about an axis which is arranged
at right angles to the axis of the wheel. The longer arms (bent downwardly and
inwardly) of each of these bent levers carry brake-block holders & (of which the
number may be varied to suit requirement) and are normally pressed outward,
that is to say, are kept away from the spokes b by means of springs c.
The short arms of the bent levers a are connected by means of the rod d d¹ with
the brake lever handle f which is or may be arranged in the usual manner and by
operating which the rod is raised and consequently. the longer arms of the bent
levers are moved inwards towards the spokes.
In the holders are fixed the comb-like brake blocks y which are by this move-
ment of the 'bent levers pressed into the spokes and caused to engage in comb-
fashion in one another. These brake blocks consist of elastic material and may
be constructed for example in the form of brushes (Fig. 3), or of caoutchouc
strips serrated in a comb-like manner (Fig. 4), or of spring tongues placed next
to one another in comb-fashion (Fig. 5). The spokes which are situated between
the elastic inter-engaging brake block portions, and pass between said portions
when the wheel is rotated, must therefore, in order to be able to pass out of the
brake blocks, overcome the elastic resistance of these latter and bend the brush
tufts, serrations or teeth or tongues to one side, so that the momentum of the moving
cycle is very rapidly destroyed and the cycle brought to rest. If desired, the
elastic comb-like brake blocks may be arranged only on one side of the plane of
the spokes, in which case however a less powerful braking effect is produced.
For the purpose of fixing the bent levers a on the wheel fork e as near as possible
to the wheel rim, there may advantageously be employed, clamping-cases k made
in one or two parts, these being arranged in the manner known in the case of
cycles for fixing or connecting other constructional parts.
If two oppositely placed brushes be used, the oppositely located ends of the
brush-tufts can be notched or cut out in a wave-like manner as shown in Fig. 3,
in order to facilitate the forcing-in of the spokes between the brushes and a better
inter-engagement of the latter.
When the brake is used for braking waggon or carriage wheels that are pro-
vided with rubber-tyres, there must, on account of the small number of spokes,
be placed between them a special appliance for receiving the braking-force.
This can, for example, be constructed, as shewn in Figs. 6 and 7, as a grating
fastened to the wheel rim or as in Figs. 8 and 9 as a comb 12, but always in such
a manner that the grating-bars or combs pass the brake-block perpendicularly
to their own longitudinal direction.
What is essential in any such part that receives the braking-force is that it
presents an intermittent resistance to the spring parts of the brake-blocks, so that
the latter experience a bending out action which is frequently repeated but which
does not remain uniform during the application of the brake.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
1. A brake consisting of brake-blocks g which are divided in a tooth-like manner
and which engage in a part that presents an intermittent resistance and which
either forms, as a system of spokes a part of the wheel to be braked, or is firmly
connected therewith and forms a grating h¹ or a comb h³ whose bars or teeth are
perpendicular to their direction of movement.
2. The construction of the brake-blocks y mentioned in the preceding claim,
in the case of their employment as a cycle-brake, in the form of brushes (Fig. 3),
jagged caoutchouc cheeks (Fig. 4) or spring comb-like shaped tongues (Fig. 5).
3. A cycle brake constructed, arranged and operating substantially as herein-
before described with reference to and shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings
referred to.
Dated this 26th day of August 1897
F. WISE HOWORTH,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.