Improved Means or Apparatus for Starting Tramway and other Vehicles.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 10th June, 1891-Accepted, 1st Aug., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Means or Apparatus for Starting Tramway and other
Vehicles.
I, FRANCESCO PAOLO GARZIA, of 152 Piazza Cavour, Naples, in the Kingdom
of Italy, 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 the starting of tramway and other vehicles and its
purpose is to diminish the effort of force necessary to be used to overcome the
resistance or inertia at the moment of starting the vehicle whatever may be the
mode of traction employed.
The invention consists in combination or arrangement of mechanism so that a
leverage shall be automatically applied to the wheel at the time of starting the
vehicle for the bringing of the vehicle into movement by the expenditure of less
effort than is required where such leverage is not used.
Where the wheels of the vehicle are fixed upon a revolving axle or axles the
lever or levers is or are supported upon the axle or one of them, where however
the wheels revolve upon fixed axles two levers are arranged to operate on the hubs
of a pair of wheels preferably the two front wheels of the vehicle.
The mechanism is substantially the same in either case.
To the outer ends of the levers are attached chains connected together into a
single chain and passed through a slot in a frame in the front of the vehicle and
fastened to the tree or equivalent harness frame by which the vehicle is drawn so
that when the said chain is pulled in the action of starting the vehicle the levers
are moved, thrown into engagement with the shaft or wheel hubs by suitable
means and the wheels are revolved through the leverage thus produced until the
vehicle is in motion after which the levers are thrown out of engagement and the
vehicle is drawn in the usual manner. When the vehicle stops the chain becomes
slack and the levers returned to their original position in readiness for operation
when the vehicle is again started.
The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention as applied to a tramway
car having revolving axles to which the wheels are fixed.
Fig. 1 is a broken longitudinal section of the lower frame of the car showing
one of the axles with the lever gear applied thereto.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the said lever gear and connections.
Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are similar views of the lever gear in different positions.
Fig. 6 is an enlarged broken plan view of the levers and clutch by which they
are brought into temporary engagement with the axle.
A is an axle carrying a pair of wheels of the car. On this axle is keyed a
disc a having clutch teeth on each of its faces. The corresponding parts of the
clutch €, slide loosely upon the axle A, preferably on the sleeves 6 6' forming
the hub of the disc a.
The discs care toothed so that when brought into engagement with the
disc a they revolve the latter in one direction when moved appropriately for that
purpose.
"
To the discs care respectively fixed the arms d d¹ of convenient length to the
outer ends of which are attached two chains e uniting in one chain passing around
the pulley conveniently placed under the frame of the car and attached at the
other end to the sliding bar g supported under the floor of the car and extending
to the end of the car where it is provided with an eye i projecting through a slot
in the iron frame plate for attachment of the harness or contrivance of whatever
nature by which the car is drawn. On the bar g is the block the opposite side
faces of which are inclined so that the block forms in effect a wedge adapted when

page_text: .
the bar g is drawn, to enter between the upper ends of two levers n n' pivoted in
hangers mm fastened on the frame of the car, and thus push the upper ends of
these levers n n' apart so that their lower ends which, govern the clutch discs c c¹
are brought together and the clutch is brought into engagement.
The action of
the apparatus is as follows: The harness of the horse being attached to the eye i
when the horse is driven forward to start the car the bar y will be drawn until
the wedge enters between the ends of the levers » n' and moves the clutch into
engagement, the chaine and levers & d¹ moving with the bar g are thus caused
to revolve the axle A with a 'everage proportional to the length of the levers d d¹.
By this means the car is started by the exercise of a comparatively small effort
and the axle is moved by or through the leverage until the ends of the levers d d¹
arrive against or nearly against the floor of the car and the eye i has been drawn
to the end of the slot in the plate h. The continued pull of the horse then draws
the car in the usual way so that the continued movement of the axle causes the
teeth of the disc a to over-run the teeth of the discs c c¹ and these teeth being
inclined as shown the discs c c are by this action pushed apart and out of the
path of the teeth of the disc a so that the axle moves without impediment from
the clutch. This movement of the discs c c¹ is permitted without hindrance from
the levers n n' since the wedge k will have passed beyond the ends of the levers n n'
as shown in Fig. 4. It will thus be seen that the car is after starting drawn in
the usual way until it is again stopped.
When the car comes to rest the tension upon the bar 9 is removed owing to the
removal of the tractive force and the weight of the levers d d' or of suitable
retractive springs or weights, if the weight of the levers be insufficient, draws back
the parts to their original position the wedge & passing idly over the ends of the
levers n by being made inclined to ride over them or by the use of any well
known and suitable construction to this end.
It is obvious that a similar arrangement but made to work in the contrary
direction may be placed upon the other axle for traction from the other end of
the car.
In place of two discs c c¹ levers d d', levers n n' and double acting wedge k it
is obvious that one disc c lever d, lever n and a single acting wedge may be used
with the same effect, also that any suitable form or construction of clutch may be
used.
Having now particularly described and 'ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. In a vehicle, the combination of one member of a clutch a fixed to 'revolve
with the wheel or wheels, the complementary member or members of said clutch c c
adapted to revolve idly with regard to the member or to be brought into
engagement therewith, lever arm or arms d d¹ attached to said member or
members c c and connected to the traction chain, bar, or equivalent whereby the
wheel or wheels may be revolved by said clutch and levers at or immediately
after the commencement of the traction.
2. In a vehicle, the combination of one member of a clutch a fixed to revolve
with the wheel or wheels, the complementary member or members of said clutch c c
adapted to revolve idly with regard to the member a or to be brought into
engagement therewith, lever arm or arms d d₁ attached to said member or
members c'e' and connected to the traction chain, bar, or equivalvent e g, and a
wedge or equivalent device adapted to operate the engagement of the clutch
whereby the wheel or wheels may be revolved' by said clutch and levers at or
immediately after the commencement of the traction.
HERBERT & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.