Improvements in Apparatus for Starting Vehicles.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Starting Vehicles.
I, PERCY RUSKIN ALLEN, of 113, Greenway Road, Runcorn, in the County of
Cheshire, Mechanical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My invention relates to apparatus applying auxiliary power to start cars, loco-
motives, and the like.
I prefer to use as an auxiliary motive agent, compressed air, stored in a reser-
voir carried on the vehicle, this at the moment of starting being made to act
upon the wheels independently of the ordinary driving gear. I employ a cylin-
der, the piston of which moves either directly or through gearing racks working
toothed clutches on the axles or on counter shafts when geared motors
employed. These clutches can be turned wholly or partially in either direction
by the air piston and when they are clutched to the axle or counter shaft they
cause it to rotate thus starting the vehicle.
are
Where electric motors are used to propel the vehicle, it is convenient to use a
magnetic clutch which may be energised by a current derived from the motor
circuit, and the windings of these magnetic clutches may form part of the start-
ing resistance connected to the controller. A portion of this starting resistance
may also be used to heat the compressed air betore it acts upon the piston.
When the clutches have rotated to some extent, the circuit is broken or short
circuited, and the clutch can disengage itself and return to a central position
ready for another start.
Instead of magnetic clutches, friction clutches may be employed or clutches
actuated by compressed air and capable of gripping the axle or shaft and impart-
ing motion to it in either direction.
The supply of compressed air to operate the auxiliary gear may be obtained
from the reservoir used to operate the air brakes or from a separate reservoir
kept charged by a pump worked by the motor of the vehicle or by an indepen-
dent electric motor deriving its current from the main circuit.
The valve motion for the air cylinder may be connected to the controller, so
that the starting may correspond with the sequence of the electric switching
operations, effected through the controller.
Where Trailler cars are connected to a motor car, the auxiliary gear on them
may be controlled on the motor car.
בוי
L hd day of Wobruary 1898
:
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: I, PERCY RUSKIN ALLEN, of 113, Greenway Road, Runcorn, in the County of
Cheshire, Mechanical 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:-
My invention relates to apparatus applying auxiliary power to start cars, loco-
motives, and the like.
I prefer to use as an auxiliary motive agent, compressed air, stored in a reser-
voir carried on the vehicle, this at the moment of starting being made to act
upon the wheels independently of the ordinary driving gear. I employ a cylin-
der, the piston of which moves either directly or through gearing racks working
toothed clutches on the axles or on counter shafts when geared motors are
employed. These clutches can be turned wholly or partially in either direction
by the air piston, and when they are clutched to the axle or countershaft they
cause it to rotate thus starting the vehicle.
Where electric motors are used to propel the vehicle, it is convenient to use a
magnetic clutch which may be energised by a current derived from the motor
circuit and the windings of these magnetic clutches may form part of the start-
ing resistance connected to the controller.
A portion of this starting resistance may also be used to heat the compressed
air before it acts upon the piston.
When the clutches have rotated to some extent, the circuit is broken or short
circuited, and the clutch can disengage itself and return to a central position
ready for another start.
Instead of magnetic clutches, friction clutches may be employed or clutches
actuated by compressed air and capable of gripping the axle or shaft and impart-
ing motion to it in either direction.
The supply of compressed air to operate the auxiliary gear may be obtained
from the reservoir used to operate the air brakes, or from a separate reservoir
kept charged by a pump worked by the motor of the vehicle, or by an indepen-
dent electric motor deriving its current from the main circuit.
The valve motion for the air cylinder may be connected to the controller, so
that the starting may correspond with the sequence of the electric switching
operations effected through the controller.
Where Trailler cars are connected to a motor ear, the auxiliary gear on them
may be controlled on the motor car.
-
A
Sheets 1, 23 and 4 of the accompanying drawings shew various applications
of my invention. Sheet 1, shews the compressed air starting gear used in con-
nection with an electric motor acting directly on on axle of a railway vehicle.
Fig. 1 is an elevation partly sectional and Fig. 2 is a plan of the underframe,
Figs. 3, 4 and 5 shew to an enlarged scale details of the magnetic clutch and rack
and pinion. A are electro magnetic clutches which when energised, attach them-
selves to the bosses A¹ of the wheels, it might be of discs keyed on the axles.
toothed wheel B is fixed to the back of each clutch. Racks which gear with
the wheels B are connected to the rod of a piston D working in a cylinder E.
By means of suitable valve gear, compressed air may be admitted to either side
of the piston so as to communicate an impulse through the racks C and wheels B
to the magnetic clutches A. The valve gear of the cylinder E may be so
arranged that such impulse may be given at the moment of starting the car:
thus when the electric controller is on the first or starting notch, the valve may

page_text: be opened, admitting compressed air from reservoir F to the cylinder E. When
the car has started, moving a distance due to nearly half a revolution of the
toothed wheels B the piston D may be brought back into middle position by
means of compression springs G. To disengage the clutches when the piston
stroke is completed, a stud H attached to each clutch may as it revolves come
in contact with an incline upon the framework of the truck, the currents which
energise the magnetic clutches being at the same time interrupted or short cir-
cuited.
On Sheet 2 a starting arrangement is shewn applied to an electrically driven
railway vehicle Fig. 6 being a side view and Fig. 7 a plan. In this case, the
piston rod instead of having racks geared to the clutches is connected to them
by a rope or chain which passes round pulleys on the ends of the piston rod and
is wound on barrels on the clutches so as to form a multiplying device whereby
one or more complete rotations can be imparted to the clutches and wheels before
the piston reaches the end of its stroke. The chain or rope may have a spring
inserted in some part of its length so as to take up slack and allow for the slight
angular movement of the motor trucks.
Fig. 8, Sheet 3, shews a double acting starting cylinder in which the valve
arrangements and electric clutch circuits are controlled by connections to the
ordinary controlling mechanism so that the attendant is not burdened with an
extra duty. The condition to be fulfilled are these: That as the controller handle
is moved towards the first or starting notch, the circuit of the magnetic clutches
is closed and compressed air is admitted on the one or the other side of the
piston, this being determined by the position of valves Q and Q connected to the
reversing switch Q².
The piston then communicates motion to the clutches and through them to the
wheels, simultaneously and in conjunction with the turning effort of the electric
clutches, and when the piston has made its full stroke the clutches are demag-
netised, and simultaneously the air supply is cut off, the exhaust is opened, and
the piston is returned by the springs to the middle position ready for another
start. The diagram Fig. 8 and part plan Fig. 9 shew the arrangement of start-
ing and locking device, and means of energising the magnetic clutches by the
mere movement of the controller handle.
The lever M is connected to the rod N of the slide valve V and has an arm 0
forming the brush of an electric switch moving over contact segments PP¹. The
other end of the lever M is shaped as a quadrant R and is kept in the position
shewn by a spring S. On the quadrant R is a projecting tappet T which on the
lever M being pushed over to the right by a spring crank pin U on the spindle
of the controller acting on the incline M on the lever M raises a spring bolt b
and, after passing it, holds the lever M to the right keeping the valve V in posi-
tion to admit air to the cylinder until one of the wedge tappets WW enters a
slotted hole in the bolt b and raises the bolt whereupon the spring S immediately
draws the lever M to the left moving the valve V to its position for exhaust, and
the brush to position opening the circuit of the magnetic clutches and simul-
taneously the piston D is brought by the springs in the cylinder to its middle
position, forcing the exhaust air, if desired between the clutches and the bosses
of the wheels. When the controller is turned backwards the spring crank pin U
rides over an inclined edge of the projection M¹ without moving the lever M.
On Sheet 4, Fig. 10 is an elevation partly sectional and Fig. 11 is a plan of
a motor truck in which one, A, of the clutches is actuated directly from the
piston rod of an oscillating cylinder B the other clutch A¹ being coupled to it
by a connecting rod C.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
fantation arabiala
comprising aniston moved by compressed

page_text: air and retracted by springs, its rod being connected to magnetic clutches arranged"
to act on the wheels or axles of the vehicle, and provided with means of being
energised and de-energised, substantially as described with reference to the
drawings
2. The arrangement of starting apparatus of the kind referred to in the pre-
ceding claim wherein the magnetic clutches have on them toothed wheels gearing
with racks on the piston rod, substantially as described with reference to Sheet i
of the drawings.
3. The arrangement of starting apparatus of the kind referred to in Claim 1,
wherein the piston rod is connected to the clutches by ropes or chains, substan-
tially as described with reference to Sheet II.
4. In starting apparatus of the kind referred to in Claim 1, the combination
of the cylinder valves and switch for the clutches with the reversing lever and
the controller spindle, substantially as described with reference to Sheet III.
5. The arrangement of starting apparatus of the kind referred to in Claim 1,
wherein one of the clutches is directly actuated by the piston rod of an oscillating
air cylinder, and is linked to the other clutch, substantially as described with
reference to Sheet IV.
Dated this 21st day of December 1898.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.