Improvements in and relating to Brake Apparatus for Railway and Tramway Vehicles.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Apr., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 7th Jan., 1895-Accepted, 9th Feb., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by CARLO MARGUTTI, Civil Engineer, and the Firm
of MIANI, SILVESTRI & Co., Railway Carriage Makers, all of Milau, in the
Kingdom of Italy.]
Improvements in and relating to Brake Apparatus for Railway and
Tramway Vehicles.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to brake apparatus for railway and tramway vehicles.
In the brake apparatus constructed according to the said invention the device by
which the brake blocks are applied to the wheels consists of a band brake, similar
to those employed in lifting apparatus, but the mode of operation is altogether
different. In the trials made up to the present time with the object of applying
these devices to the braking of vehicles, the lever to which the ends of the hand
are attached has its centre of rotation at a fixed point of the frame of the vehicle.
The effect, as in lifting apparatus, is to slacken or stop the rotation of the axle to
which the brake is applied. These trials have not been successful, for the
instantaneous stoppage of the axle causes the wheels to become loose in time.
In my improved apparatus the band brake exerts no direct action upon the axle
on which it is mounted, the braking takes place by pressing the blocks of
ordinary brakes against the tyres of the wheels. The band brake intervenes only
to establish instantaneously a connection between the axle upon which it is mounted
and the parts actuating the blocks of known brakes and which may be arranged in
any desired manner.
In this arrangement, while avoiding the inconvenience of the before-mentioned
loosening of the wheels, I utilize the energy stored up in the axle and wheels
for forcing the blocks against the latter. Under these circumstances the force
whereby the band brake is set in action, which may be effected by hand with
the aid of a direct-acting pedal through the intervention of any suitable
mechanism, an electric engaging device or the like, has only to overcome a very
small resistance.
In carrying this invention into practice I place a flexible band round a drum
keyed upon the axle of the vehicle. One end of the band is attached to one of
the extremities of a bell-crank lever, while the other end terminates at the centre
of rotation or pivot of the said lever. This pivot is susceptible of being displaced
through an arc of a circle concentric with the axle, being mounted upon two collars
which are loose on the axle or on the said drum. To the same pivot I attach one
extremity of a rod the other extremity of which actuates a lever for operating the
blocks of the brakes. By exerting a small pressure upon one arm of the bell-crank
lever in one direction by any suitable means, which may be varied at will according
to circumstances, I cause the said pivot to turn about the axle and to carry away
the before-mentioned rod and lever. By this means the band brake is first applied,
whereupon the blocks are forced almost instantaneously against the tyres, the band
brake being carried away and the energy which is stored up in the axle and wheels
being utilized. When the force transmitted to the bell-crank lever is removed the
rod connected therewith will be actuated in its turn by the blocks which recede

page_text: from the tyres and bring the band brake back to the original position in which it
may be actuated as before. As the force producing the brake action is derived
from the axle in motion and transmitted through the flexible band of the brake
the momentum of the vehicle to be slackened may attain such great values as to
render it necessary in some cases to employ several bands mounted one by the side
of the other, or one or more articulated chains operating in the same manner, or a
band strengthened by wires or other equivalent devices.
Dated this 5th day of April 1894.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in and relating to Brake Apparatus for Railway and
Tramway Vehicles.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45 Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 brake apparatus for railway and tramway vehicles.
In the brake apparatus constructed according to the said invention the device by
which the brake blocks are applied to the wheels consists of a band brake similar to
those employed in lifting apparatus, but the mode of operation is altogether
different. In the trials made up to the present time with the object of applying
these devices to the braking of vehicles, the lever to which the ends of the band
are attached has its centre of rotation at a fixed point of the frame of the vehicle.
The effect, as in lifting apparatus, is to slacken or stop the rotation of the axle to
which the brake is applied. These trials have not been successful; for the
instantaneous stoppage of the axle causes the wheels to become loose in time.
In the improved apparatus the band brake exerts no direct action upon the axle
on which it is mounted; the braking takes place by pressing the blocks of ordinary
brakes against the tyres of the wheels. The band brake intervenes only to
establish instantaneously a connection between the axle whereon it is mounted and
the parts, arranged in any desired manner, which actuate the blocks of known
brakes.
In this arrangement, while avoiding the inconvenience of the before-mentione !
loosening of the wheels, I utilize the energy stored up in the axle and wheels for
forcing the blocks against the latter. Under these circumstances the force whereby
the band brake is set in action, which may be effected by hand, with the aid of a
direct-acting pedal or through the intervention of any suitable mechanism, an
electric engaging device or the like, has only to overcome a very small resistance.
In the accompanying drawing I have represented by way of example how the
improved apparatus may be applied to a vehicle.
Figures 1 and 2 are a plan and elevation showing the general arrangement.
Only one half of the vehicle is shown by reason of the similarity hetween the
front and rear half.
When the band of the brake mounted on the front axle is being tightened,
the band surrounding the brake applied to the rear axle is slackened. This
contrivance may therefore be employed for vehicles proceeding in both directions.
Figures 3 and 6 represent an elevation and plan of the band brake apart in the
position which it occupies when the band is slackened.
Figure 4 is a plan showing the band brake, the band having been removed.

page_text: Figure 5 represents the improved apparatus in the position for braking the
vehicles and
Figure 7 shows an intermediate position between that of Figure 3 and that of
Figure 5.
In carrying this invention into practice I place a flexible band n round the
periphery of a drum a a keyed upon the axle y y of the vehicle. One end of the
band n is attached to one of the extremities of a bell-crank lever b, c, b¹, while
the other end terminates at c which is the centre of rotation or pivot of the said
lever. This pivot is susceptible of being displaced through an arc of a circle
concentric with the axle, being mounted upon two collars d d' which are loose on
the axle yy or on the said druin a a. To the same pivot c is attached one extremity
of a rod the other extremity m of which actuates a lever zal for operating the
blocks of the brakes. By exerting a small pressure upon the arm cb of the bell-
crank lever in the direction of the arrow X by any suitable means, such as for
example by the levers W T, V TV, V, I cause the said pivot c to turn about
the axle (the brake passing from the position indicated in Figures 3 and 6 first to
that indicated in Figure 7 and then to the position shown in Figure 5), and to carry
away the rod lm and lever x x².
By this means the band brake is first applied, (Figure 7) whereupon the blocks
are forced almost instantaneously against the tyres, the band brake being carried
away to the position indicated in Figure 5 the energy which is stored up in the
axle and wheels being utilized for this purpose.
When the force transmitted to
the bell-crank lever in the direction of the arrow X is removed the rod lm will
be actuated in its turn by the blocks which recede from the tyres and bring the
band brake back to the position indicated in Figures 3 and 6 in which it may be
actuated as before. As the force producing the brake action is derived from the
axle in motion and transmitted through the flexible band of the brake the
moinentum of the vehicle to be braked may attain such great values as to render it
necessary in some cases to employ several bands mounted one by the side of the
other or one or more articulated chains operating in the same manner or a band
strengthened by wires or other equivalent devices.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner, the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
A brake apparatus for railway and tramway vehicles, designed for rapidly
applying the blocks of ordinary brakes to the wheel tyres, in which a flexible band
brake or other equivalent device is combined with one or two axles of the vehicle
in such a manner that a small power derived from any source will apply the band
brake and at the same time cause the axles and the wheels keyed thereto to be
firmly connected with the levers for operating the blocks, in order that the energy
stored up in the said axles and wheels may be utilized for pressing the blocks
against the tyres.
Dated this 5th day of Tanverv 1805
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.