Improvements in Track-sanding Apparatus.
Year: 1898

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Track-sanding Apparatus.
1, WASHINGTON HARVY KILBOURN, of Greenfield, in the County of Franklin and
State of Massachusetts, United States of America, Inventor, 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 an improvement in a feeding device for sanders adapted
to be used in connection with street and steam railways, and consists essentially of a
box or trap located in the sand-conveying conduit, constructed so as to normally
prevent gravity feed of the sand therethrough, and having a movable section, which
when reciprocated tends to raise the level of the sand in the box or trap and cause
a portion of it to overflow into the discharge pipe.
This invention also consists in certain improvements having for their object to
prevent the sand in the trap and reservoir from absorbing moisture from air
admitted through the discharge-outlet, the latter being a spout which extends
downwardly into close proximity to the track and is therefore in communication
with the external air, which, particularly in stormy weather, is saturated with
moisture to such an extent that the sand is liable to become moistened and solidly
packed, while in the winter season the moistened sand is liable to be frozen during
periods of temporary disuse of the car.
Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,―
Figure 1 represents a partial side elevation and partial section of a portion of a
street-car on which the improved sanding device is located.
Figure 2 represents a perspective view of the box or trap disconnected from the
car and from the reservoir or hopper.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
In the drawings,―
a represents a reservoir or hopper, which is adapted to contain a supply of sand.
b represents a box or trap which is located below the reservoir and communicates
with the latter through a contracted throat 4 the edges of which are indicated at 2
and 3. The box or trap, as here shown, has four substantially vertical side walls,
and a substantially horizontal bottom, in one end of which is an outlet-opening or
spout c through which sand may pass from the box to a track-rail below the box.
Between the spout or opening and the main portion of the bottom is a bridge-
wall 5 which extends between the side walls and is of less height than said side
walls. The throat 4 is located in the top of the box, over the main portion of the
bottom, and at one side of the bridge-wall, as shown in the drawings, the arrange-
ment being such that sand passing through the throat 4 will be retained on the
main portion of the bottom by the bridge-wall. The hopper, trap, and outlet con-
stitute a sand-conduit. At some point in the outer portion of the box b is provided
a movable section, which is connected with mechanism by which it may be given a
As shown
reciprocating notion, to decrease and increase the volume of the box.
in the drawings, this movable section is placed at one end of the box, and consists
of a flexible diaphragm e, which forms one of the side walls of the box and is
adapted to be moved inwardly to decrease the volume of the box and thus displace

page_text: a part of the sand accumulated therein, the displaced sand overflowing the bridge-
wall into the outlet c. Means are provided for moving the diaphragm e, said means
as here shown comprising a foot-pedal e¹ on the car platform, a bell-crank lever e²
pivoted at e³ to the platform and engaged with the pedal e¹, a rod et connecting the
lever e² with a lever e which is pivoted at e6, and a rod e' connecting the lever e
with the diaphragm e. A spring es connected at one end with the lever e³ and at
the other end with the body of the car, normally holds the diaphragm and its
operative mechanism in the position shown in Figure 1, the arrangement being such
that a depression of the pedal e' will force the diaphragm inwardly and thus dis-
place a portion of the sand. Upon release of the pedal, the spring es retracts the
diaphragm, and thus the volume of the box is increased.
This is only one form of operating means for my feeding device. Any other
form of operating meaus desirable may be substituted therefor. Sand being a semi-
fluid will flow under the influence of the moving diaphragm e. As the direction of
least resistance is toward the outlet c, the sand will be moved in that direction
instead of up the supply-throat 4. It is evident that the location of the diaphragm e
is immaterial, so long as it is placed in that portion of the box which is filled by
the sand. The essential idea of my device is the movement of the sand due to the
compression and expansion of the box b.
The reservoir a and box or trap b, when applied to a street-car, are usually
located in the chamber r formed between the seat 8 and the bottom s¹ of the car.
A discharge-spout c extends through the bottom s¹, and is in communication with
the external air.
b
To prevent the sand in the box or trap from absorbing any considerable amount
of moisture from the external air that may pass upwardly through the discharge-
spout c,
I provide an opening in the top of the box, above the spout c and at one
side of the throat 4, said opening being arranged so that the moisture which may
find its way upwardly through the spout c is diffused in the chamber r, and as said
chamber is usually of considerable area and is moreover in many cases warmed by
the heating apparatus of the car, it follows that the moisture will be diffused and
evaporated, and will not be absorbed to any material extent by the sand.
It will be seen that provision is thus made for keeping the sand relatively dry in
the box b, and preventing it from becoming saturated by moisture to such an extent
as to be unduly heavy or soggy, and from freezing when the car is temporarily
in disuse.
I prefer to incline the diaphragm e, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, so that its upper
edge will be farther from the discharge-spout c than its lower edge. This
arrangement causes the diaphragm, when it is pressed inwardly, to push the sand
upwardly and toward the opening between the bridge-wall 5 and the edge 3 of the
supplying throat, so that the material in the box is not compacted by the displacing
action of the diaphragm, as would be the case if the diaphragm pushed the material
directly against the bridge-wall. The apparatus is thus enabled to be used to
distribute salt or a mixture of salt and sand, if desired, salt being a material which
would be so closely packed by a horizontal movement of the diaphragm that it
would be difficult for the diaphragm to displace it.
I do not limit myself to the form and relative arrangement of the parts here
shown, as the same may be variously modified, particularly as to the box or trap,
the essential features of which are that it should extend horizontally a sufficient
distance, which taken with the relative location of the lower edge of the part 3 and
the upper edge of the part 5-these being the bottom end edge or overflow of the box
and the upper edge under which the sand flows to the feeding device-will prevent
the sand from flowing through the box by gravity. The bridge 5 which extends across
the bottom of the box next to the outlet c may be omitted, if desired. In this case,
however, the box 6 should extend a greater distance horizontally, such distance
being such that the sand flowing under the part 3 will not flow out through the
discharge-outlet c under the influence of gravity alone.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A feeding device for sanders, comprising a box or trap, a supply-pipe opening
iuto said box or trap, and a discharge-outlet placed to receive the overflow from
said box or trap, said box being provided with means by which its volume may be
rapidly varied, whereby the sand is made to overflow into the discharge-outlet,
substantially as described.
2. A feeding device for sanders, comprising a box or trap forming a part of a
sand-conduit and adapted normally to prevent the flow of sand through said conduit,
a movable section in said box or trap, and means for giving said section motion,
whereby the volume of said box or trap is alternately increased and decreased,
substantially as described.
3. A feeding device for sanders, comprising a conveying conduit having a
horizontally extending portion adapted to prevent gravity feed therethrough, a
section in said horizontal extension being movable to raise the level of the sand and
to cause it to overflow into the discharge-outlet, and means for giving said section
a reciprocating motion, substantially as described.
4. A feeding device for sanders, comprising a conveying conduit having a trap or
box therein adapted to prevent gravity feed therethrough, a flexible diaphragm
forming a portion of the wall of said box, and means for giving it a reciprocating
motion, whereby the sand is made to overflow into the discharge-outlet, substantially
as described.
5. In a track-sanding device for railway vehicles, a sand-holding box consisting
of four side walls and a bottom, an opening near one end, through which saund may
pass from said box to the rails of a track, and a bridge-wall extending between the
side walls and of less beight than said last-named walls.
6. In a track-sanding device for railway vehicles, a sand-holding box consisting
of substantially vertical side walls, a substantially horizontal bottom, an opening in
the bottom near one end, through which sand may pass from the box to the rails of
a track, and a bridge-wall extending between the side walls and between said
opening and the main portion of the bottom, said bridge-wall being of less height
than the side walls.
7. In a track-sanding device for railway vehicles, a sand-holding box consisting
of substantially vertical side walls, a substantially horizontal bottom, an outlet-
opening in the bottom near one end, through which saud may pass from the box to
the rails of a track, a bridge-wall extending between the side walls and between
said opening and the main portion of the bottom, said bridge-wall being of less
height than the side walls, a receiving mouth in the top of the box, located
over the main portion of the bottom and at one side of the bridge-wall, and an
opening in the top of the box located at one side of the said mouth and above the
Baid outlet-opening.
8. A sanding device comprising a box or trap having a receiving mouth or
throat located over one end of the box, a discharge-spout or outlet communi-
cating with the other end of the box and located at one side of the throat,
and a diaphragm at the opposite side of the throat, said diaphragm being
inclined as described, and means for moving the diaphragm.
Dated this 26th day of October 1898.
WASHINGTON H. KILBOURN,
Per Samuel Hey,
Agent.