IMPROVEMENTS IN FRICTION BREAK APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY TRAINS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Fairholme, of No. 9, Gracechurch Street, in the
City of London, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN FRICTION BREAK
APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY TRAINS." A communication from abroad by
Wilhelm Bandel, of Munich, in the Kingdom of Bavaria.
Sealed the 3rd February 1880, and dated the 14th August 1879.
t
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Fairholme at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th August 1879.
[A
CHARLES FAIRHOLME, of No. 9, Gracechurch Street, in the City of London.
'IMPROVEMENTS IN FRICTION BREAK APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY TRAINS.
communication from abroad by Wilhelm Bandel, of Munich, in the Kingdom of
Bavaria].
In the Specifications to Letters Patent granted to Jacob Heberlein, on the 11th April
1872, No. 1071, and to Charles Fairholme, for a communication from the said Jacob
Heberlein, on the 24th August 1878, No. 3340, were described arrangements of
Friction Break Apparatus for Railway Trains of the following kind :-On a running
axle is fixed a drum, and near this is mounted a friction.drum on a lever which can
be moved so as to bring the two drums into contact. The friction drum being
caused to revolve by its contact with the axle drum winds up a chain connected to
the break levers, and so causes the breaks to be put on. The present Invention
relates to break apparatus of this kind, its object being to render it more durable
and efficient and to simplify the connections for working the breaks. It is found
practically advantageous to employ a moderate amount of frictional pressure at the
contact of the two drums, the friction drum being caused to revolve a proportionally
great number of times in order to obtain the power requisite for applying the
breaks. There is therefore, according to this Invention, introduced between the
friction drum and the chain which works the breaks, speed reducing gear which
may be of various kinds. For example, according to one arrangement a worm on
the axis of the friction drum gears with a worm wheel on a vertical axis on which
the break chain is wound in either direction according to the direction in which the
train is travelling. In order to release the breaks the friction drum axis has on it
a barrel on which is wound a chain, strap, or cord attached to a weight or spring, so
that when the-drums are taken out of contact, the friction drum is caused by the
weight or spring to turn backwards, so reversing the worm wheel and unwinding
[Price 6d.1

page_text: the break chain from its axis. According to another arrangement, a chain is
attached to a small barrel on the axis of the friction drum and to the periphery of
a wheel of considerably greater diameter, on the axis of which is wound the break
chain, so that it requires a number of revolutions of the friction drum to turn the
wheel one revolution, and the break chain is consequently wound on the axis of the
latter with proportionally increased tension. For the barrel on the axis of the
wheel winding on the break chain may be substituted a crank or pair of cranks,
connected by rods to the break blocks, the wheel being of such size as to make
about half a revolution, turning the crank nearly from one dead centre where the
breaks are off, nearly to the opposite dead centre when they are on. Also, instead
of a barrel and chain for working the wheel from the axis of the friction drum, a pinion
on the latter may gear with a toothed wheel, having on its axis the barrel or cranks for
the break chains or rods, or a small pulley on the axis of the friction drum may
drive by a band or strap, a larger pulley operating the break chains or rods. Any
of the above described arrangements admit of the connecting gear being mounted
on the same lever that carries the friction drum, requiring only one fulcrum or
point of suspension to the carriage frame; thus the apparatus is rendered simple
and compact, and it can be cheaply and easily applied to the vehicle. In apparatus
of the kind described in the Specifications above referred to, the levers carrying the
friction drums are described as being moved by the tightening and slackening of a
cord or chain extending along the train. For this, according to the present Invention,
may be substituted a revolving spindle, coupled up from carriage to carriage by
joints allowing of the relative oscillations of the carriages. By the rotation of this
spindle the levers carrying the friction drums are moved, the connections being
so arranged that when the spindle is turned by hand the levers are raised taking
off the breaks, but when it is left free, the levers descend and bring the drums
in contact, whereby the breaks are put on. Thus in case of the accidental fracture
of the spindle or its couplings, or of the separation of the train, the breaks become
automatically applied.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Charles Fairholme, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 11th
February 1880.
A
CHARLES FAIRHOLME, of No. 9 Gracechurch Street, in the City of London.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN FRICTION BREAK APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY TRAINS."
communication from abroad by Wilhelm Bandel, of Munich, in the Kingdom
of Bavaria.
In the Specifications to Letters Patent granted to Jacob Heberlein, on the 11th
April 1872, No. 1071, and to Charles Fairholme, for a communication from the said
Jacob Heberlein, on the 24th August 1878, No. 3340, were described arrangements
of Friction Break Apparatus for Railway Trains of the following kind :—On a
running axle is fixed a drum, and near this is mounted a friction drum on a lever
which can be moved so as to bring the two drums into contact. The friction drum
being caused to revolve by its contact with the axle drum winds up a chain
connected to the break levers and causes the breaks to be put on.
The present
Invention relates to break apparatus of this kind, its object being to render it more
durable and efficient, and to simplify the connections for working the breaks. It is
found practically advantageous to employ a moderate amount of frictional pressure
at the contact of the two drums, the friction drum being caused to revolve a
proportionally great number of times in order to obtain the power requisite for
applying the breaks. There is therefore, according to this Invention, introduced
between the friction drum and the chain which works the breaks, speed reducing
gear, as shewn on the accompanying Drawings. Fig. 1 is a side view, and Fig. 2 an
end view of a break carriage, such as is suitable for forming part of a goods train ;
and Figs. 3, 4, and 5 shew to an enlarged scale the apparatus for working the
breaks; Fig. 3 being a side view; Fig 4 a front view, and Fig. 5 a plan thereof. a is
one of the running axles on which is fixed a drum A; B is the friction drum, the
axis of which is mounted in bearings on a double lever d, which is pivotted at e to
the underframing of the carriage. On the axis of the drum B is a barrel b, to which
is attached one end of a chain E. This chain is passed over and attached to the
circumference of a pulley C, the axis of which is mounted in bearings on the lever
d. On the axis of C is a barrel c, to which is attached one end of a chain F, the
other end of which is attached to a rod f, connected to the break lever. The lever
d can be raised or lowered by means of a rod k, which may be moved up and down,
either by a cord communicating throughout the train, as described in the Specification
No. 3340, of 1878, above referred to, or as will hereafter be explained. When the
lever d is raised so as to separate the friction drum B from the axle drum A, the
chains E and F are free and the breaks are taken off the wheels by their own gravity,
or by a weight or spring in the usual way. When the lever d is lowered so as to
allow the friction drum B to come in contact with the axle drum A, then the drum
B being caused to revolve by its frictional contact with A the chain E is wound on
the barrel b, and the pulley C being thus caused to revolve, the chain F is wound
upon its barrel c pulling the break rod f and so causing the breaks to be applied.
Owing to the large proportions which the radii of the pulley C and drum B bear to
the radii of their respective barrels c and b a moderate amount of friction at the
point of contact of A and B suffices to produce a considerable tension of the chain
F so as to apply the breaks with considerable force, and the tension of the chain F
is so directed as by reacting on the lever d to press the drup B against A with
greater force the greater the tension. It has been stated above that the lever d
may be moved up for taking off the breaks, or let down for putting on the breaks,
by the action of a continuous cord connected throughout the train, as described in
the previous Specification above referred to. According to the method described in
the said Specification the cord was wound on a reel by the engine driver, and until
the cord was so wound by him raising all the levers d throughout the train, the
breaks were on and he could not start the train. Also each guard throughout the

page_text: train had it in his power to slacken the cord and thus could cause all the breaks to
be applied. Moreover, in case of accident, the breaking of the cord at any part of
its length had the like effect of letting all the levers & descend and so causing the
breaks to be applied. This system of operating the breaks is equally applicable
when the apparatus shewn in Figs. 3, 4, and 5 is employed, and it is particularly
applicable to passenger trains. For goods trains it is generally unnecessary to provide
such continuous cord communication throughout the train, it being generally sufficient
to arrange two or three break carriages about the middle of a goods train, having
their breaks under the control of the guard in one of them, and also under the
control of the engine driver. The breaks of these two or three carriages along with
those of the engine and tender and also the independently worked breaks of
several carriages at the rear of the train are practically sufficient for goods trains.
For the two or three middle break carriages employed in such cases the break
controlling gear is of the kind shewn in Figs. 1 and 2. The lever d is linked to a
lever g carrying two guide pulleys under which is passed a rope t, a bight of the
rope being led over a pulley s which is suspended by a rod h. The rope t, when
the break gear of one break carriage is to be worked independently of any other, is
attached at both ends to hooks at the ends of the carriage, so that the raising or
lowering of the rod h by tightening or slackening the rope t raises or lowers the
lever d taking off or putting on the breaks. When several break carriages are to
have their breaks worked simultaneously, the rope t has one of its ends hooked at
the end of one carriage, it is then led over a guide pulley p at the other end of the
carriage and connected to another rope t similarly arranged on the next break
carriage, and in like manner, if required, to a third break carriage, the end of the
last of the ropes t being hooked to the end of the last carriage of the set. The
raising or lowering of the rod h on any one of these carriages has then the effect of
tightening or slackening all the ropes t, and consequently of raising or lowering all
the levers d so as to take off or put on all the breaks simultaneously. The rod h is
suspended by a chain wound on a reel v, which is provided with a ratchet wheel
and pawl worked by a handle w. The guard can by means of this handle release
the pawl, whereupon the rod h descends causing the breaks to be put on as above
described. Also by connecting the handle w by a cord x extending to the engine,
the engine driver can by pulling the cord x cause withdrawal of the pawl and so
effect the putting on of the breaks. In separating and making up trains in a
station or yard it is often convenient to provide ready means of applying the breaks
by the action of an attendant on the ground. For this purpose the end of the rope
instead of being merely attached to a hook at the end of a carriage, may be carried
partly round and attached to a reel u which is held by a catch pawl with a
projecting handle. An attendant on the ground, even when the carriage is
moving past him with some speed, can by means of this handle release the catch, so
that the rope t becomes slackened and the breaks are put on.
t
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent,
I claim,
The use of friction break apparatus constructed and operating as herein described,
with reference to Figs. 3, 4, and 5 of the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Fairholme, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Tenth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty.