IM- PROVEMENTS IN BREAKS FOR RETARDING THE PROGRESS OF WHEELED CARRIAGES
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander M°Neile, of John Street, Pentonville,
in the County of Middlesex, Engineer, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN BREAKS FOR RETARDING THE PROGRESS OF WHEELED
CARRIAGES."
Sealed the 22nd February 1870, and dated the 31st August 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander M'Neile
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 31st August 1869.
I, ALEXANDER MCNEILE, of John Street, Pentonville, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREAKS FOR RETARDING THE PROGRESS OF WHEELED
CARRIAGES," to be as follows:-
My Invention of" Improvements in Breaks for Retarding the Progress
of Wheeled Carriages" relates to that class of breaks in which the skid'
or friction surface is brought to bear on the periphery of the wheel by
means of an arrangement of levers and rods sometimes worked by a
screw but frequently by means of a treadle lever which is depressed by
the foot of the driver.

page_text: The object of the Invention is to simplify the mechanism, to increase
the power of the break, and to render its use less laborious to the
driver.
The break or friction surface is adapted in the usual manner to the
end of an arm mounted on a horizontal axle, which is worked by a lever
also keyed on to the same shaft. Instead, however, of working this arm
by a complicated arrangement of levers extending up to the driver,
I connect the break lever, in any convenient manner to the moveable
part of a pneumatic lever, which acts like an ordinary bellows, one part
of which is fixed while the other is moveable. A flexible tube of
sufficient strength to resist considerable pressure extends from the
pneumatic lever or bellows to a collapsible air vessel conveniently
situated to be acted upon by the foot, hand, or shoulders of the driver.
Upon the collapsible air vessel being compressed by the driver the air
will be forced therefrom into the bellows or pneumatic lever, which will
then act on the break lever and bring the break or friction surface with
considerable pressure against the periphery of the wheel, and will be
maintained there while the collapsible air vessel remains compressed.
But when the driver releases this vessel from compression it will resume
its normal state, and in so doing will draw the air out of the pneumatic
lever and release the break. In the case of omnibuses or other vehicles
having guards or conductors, additional break power may, if desired,
be obtained by connecting an additional collapsible air vessel to the
pneumatic lever, and so arranging the air vessel that it may be con-
veniently acted on by the conductor or guard.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexander McNeile in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 28th February 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
MONEILE, of John Street, Pentonville, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirty-first day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give

page_text: and grant unto me, the said Alexander McNeile, Her special licence
that I, the said Alexander McNeile, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexander McNeile, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN BREAKS
FOR RETARDING THE PROGRESS OF WHEELED CARRIAGES," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Alexander McNeile, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander McNeile, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawings here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say) :-
:-
My Invention of "Improvements in Breaks for Retarding the Progress
of Wheeled Carriages" relates to that class of breaks in which the skid
or friction surface is brought to bear on the periphery of the wheel by
means of an arrangement of levers and rods sometimes worked by a
screw but frequently by means of a treadle lever which is depressed by
the foot of the driver.
The object of the Invention is to simplify the mechanism and to
increase the power of the break, and also to render its use less laborious
to the driver.
The forms and construction of vehicles to which my Invention is
applicable vary so greatly that it would be impossible to show the
apparatus applied to vehicles of all kinds; it will also be understood that
in consequence of the variation in the form and construction of the
vehicle the arrangement in the construction of the apparatus will require
to be considerably modified to suit different cases.

page_text: In the accompanying Drawings I have shewn two arrangements of
apparatus for carrying out my Invention.
In Sheet I. Fig. 1 is a side view of a carriage with my improved break
apparatus adapted thereto. This arrangement of apparatus is more
particularly intended for private carriages and a light class of vehicles.
The break or friction surface a is adapted in the usual manner to the end
of an arm a¹ mounted on a horizontal axle or shaft b, which is worked
either by a continuation of the lever a¹ or by a lever c, also keyed on to
the same shaft. Instead, however, of working this arm a¹ by a com-
plicated arrangement of levers extending up to the driver, I connect the
break lever c in any convenient manner to the moveable part of a
pneumatic lever d, d, which acts like an ordinary bellows, one part of
the lever being fixed while the other is moveable. This pneumatic
lever consists of a cylinder or square box d, in which is secured a fixed
block d², the face of which is covered with a thick sheet of india-rubber,
which is secured at the edges by a metal ring or frame 1, 1. A moveable
plate or piston d¹ jointed to the end of the lever c bears against the
back of the sheet rubber. A flexible or other tube e (shewn by dots in
the Figure) of sufficient strength to resist considerable internal pressure
extends from the pneumatic lever d to a collapsible air vessel f, which
rests on the fixed footboard f¹. On this collapsible vessel f rests a
treadle lever g, so that the collapsible vesself may be compressed by the
foot of the driver. Upon compressing the air in the vesself by
depressing the treadle g the air will pass along the pipe e into the box d,
and through the hole in the fixed block d, and will force back the sheet
of rubber, and with it the piston d¹ which rests against it. The area of
the diameter of the collapsible vessel fis about nine and a half inches,
whereas the area of the fixed block d² of the pneumatic lever is thirty-
six inches. It will be evident, therefore, that very considerable pressure
can be brought to bear on the moveable piston or plate d', and through
it on the break block a. I would here remark that the collapsible
vessel may be situated in any convenient position so as to be acted
upon by the foot, hand, or shoulders of the driver or other person. In
the Drawing it is shewn as arranged to be acted on by means of a treadle
lever g, as just explained.
In Sheet II., Fig. 2, I have shewn another arrangement but con-
structed upon precisely the same principle. In this instance instead of
the collapsible vessel f and the pneumatic lever d provided with sheet

page_text: rubber, as shewn in Fig. 1, I employ a rigid cylinder with a piston f'
working therein. The pneumatic lever also consists of a rigid cylinder d
and moveable piston a jointed to the end of the lever c.
It will be seen
that the area of the cylinder for the superficies of the piston f¹ working
therein is only one-third of that of the cylinder d, and therefore the
driver can, by placing his foot on the treadle g, exert considerable force
on the piston of the cylinder d'. Upon the air in the vessel or cylinder f
being compressed by the driver placing his foot, on the treadle g the air
will be forced therefrom into the pneumatic lever d, and will force down
the piston d' therein, and thus act on the break lever c and bring the
break or friction surface a with considerable pressure, as in the former
instance, against the periphery of the wheel, where it will be maintained
while the air in the vessel fremains compressed; but when the driver
releases the treadle g the air in this vesself will be relieved from com-
pression, and will resume its normal state, and in so doing will draw the
air out of the cylinder d of the pneumatic lever, and will release the
break a.
In most cases the pneumatic arrangement just described will
be found sufficient for ordinary purposes, but should additional power be
required it may be obtained by means of an additional air cylinder h.
In the arrangements shewn in the Drawings it is intended that the
driver shall bring the break into operation by depressing the treadle g
and forcing air from the vesself through the pipe e into the vessel or
cylinder d, and thereby depressing the piston and its rod d', and acting
on the break. When the treadle g, Fig. 2, has been forced down to its
lowest point, and all the air forced from the vessel or cylinder finto the
pipe e and cylinder d, the treadle g will be held down by means of a
ratchet and catch g' shown also in front elevation in the detached view,
Fig. 3; the driver may then remove his foot from the treadle g, and if
additional break power be required he may obtain it by placing his foot
on and depressing the second treadle i, by which means the air from the
vessel or cylinder h will be forced into the cylinder d, and by still
further compressing the air therein will cause the break a to bind more
firmly on the periphery of the wheel. It will be seen that the area of
the cylinder is very much less than that of the cylinder d, an enormous
power may therefore be brought to bear upon the break a.
In the case of omnibuses or other vehicles having guards or conductors
this additional break power may, if desired, be obtained by connecting
the additional air vessel to the pneumatic lever d, as shewn, but so

page_text: placing or arranging the air vessel h with its lever i that it may be
conveniently acted on by the conductor or guard.
In the instance shewn in the Drawing all the break apparatus is under
the command of the driver exclusively, but it will be easily understood
that in the case of public vehicles the additional vessel or cylinder / and
lever i might be placed behind, so that it may be conveniently acted on
by the guard or conductor. Or, if desired, a collapsible vessel or air
cylinder provided with the necessary accessories may be placed in some
convenient situation inside the vehicle, so that the break might be
worked by the occupant of the carriage in case of need.
Having now described my Invention of "Improvements in Breaks for
Retarding the Progress of Wheeled Carriages, and having explained
the manner of carrying the same into effect, I claim as the Invention
secured to me by Letters Patent aforesaid, acting upon the break block or
lever of apparatus for retarding wheeled carriages by means of a
confined column of air, as herein set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander McNeile, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-eighth day of February, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
Witness,
W. E. NEWTON,
66, Chancery Lane.
ALEXR. MCNEILE. (L.S.)