IMPROVEMENTS IN MAGNETO-ELECTRIC BREAKS AND IN THE ARRANGEMENT OF THE SAME, APPLICABLE TO RAILWAY TRAINS, TRAM-CARS, CARRIAGES, AND OTHER VEHICLES, ALSO TO RETARDING THE SPEED OF OR STOPPING MACHINERY IN MOTION, AND FOR CONTROLLING AND ARRESTING THE RECOIL OF HEAVY GUNS OR ORDNANCE
Year: 1880

page_text: "
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Charles Groombridge at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th March 1880.
CHARLES GROOMBRIDGE, of Paternoster Row, in the City of London, Publisher.
IMPROVEMENTS IN MAGNETO-ELECTRIC BREAKS AND IN THE ARRANGEMENT OF
THE SAME, APPLICABLE TO RAILWAY TRAINS, TRAM-CARS, CARRIAGES, AND OTHER
VEHICLES, ALSO TO RETARDING THE SPEED OF OR STOPPING MACHINERY IN
MOTION, AND FOR CONTROLLING AND ARRESTING THE RECOIL OF HEAVY GUNS
OR ORDNANCE."
My Invention relates to improvements in magneto-electric breaks, and in the
arrangement of the same, applicable to railway trains, tram cars, carriages, and
other vehicles, also to retarding the speed of or stopping machinery in motion, and
for controlling and arresting the recoil of heavy guns or ordnance, and consists in
utilizing for such purposes the power possessed by the electro-magnet, by means
of the enormous friction created between the poles of such magnet and its armature
or keeper on the drawing or sliding of the magnet on the face of its armature or
keeper, or vice-versa.
In applying my Invention to railway trains, tram-cars, or other vehicles travelling
upon rails, I employ any suitable number of powerful electro-magnets, which I
arrange in a bearing secured longitudinally between any two pairs of wheels to the
longitudinal frame or other suitable part of the carriage, the poles of such magnets
resting lightly and longitudinally upon the face of the rails at all times and in such
manner as to expose the entire surface of the poles of the magnet to the rails which
for the purposes of my Invention act as the armature or keeper to the magnet.
The magnets are so arranged in their bearings as to work up and down to allow
for-any-inequality-on-the surface of the rail.
In this arrangement when the train, car, or other vehicle is in motion the break
or breaks will be inactive, but when it is desired to retard or arrest the motion of
such vehicle, the electric current (supplied by wires leading from a battery placed in
the vehicle) is passed and causes the magnets to bite the rails, which rails becoming,
as before stated, the armature or keeper of the magnetic brake or brakes, electric
contact is established, and great friction being created the motion of the vehicle
will at once be retarded or arrested.
Each carriage should be fitted with its own electro-magnetic break and battery,
and the normal condition of such carriage when at rest is that the break is on or

page_text: in action, and when progress is desired the guard or conductor, by a magnetic
arrangement, or by operating a lever, or other suitable contrivance, may release all
the breaks at once, and allow the train or car to proceed.
The normal condition of the carriages being that of the breaks on, and all the
carriages having independent breaks, it follows that should any of the carriages
become detached or separated, as in the case of a railway train, for instance, each
carriage would instantly apply its own break and would thus come to a standstill of
its own accord.
For railways, tram-cars, or the like, the poles of the magnets should be furnished
with flanges or shoes to enable them to readily pass over switches or points. These
flanges or shoes will also protect the insulated coils from friction in the event of
the coils slipping down on to the rails, which this would possibly do without some
such protection; these flanges or shoes may also carry uprights to assist and
strengthen the magnet in its attachment to its bearings.
For arresting the too rapid motion of carriages, carts, wagons, and other vehicles
travelling on common roads, a slight modification in the arrangement of the break:
is necessary, and for this purpose the electro-magnetic breaks are applied longi-
tudinally to the metal tires of the wheels, and the magnets when in action will bite
and hold the tires of the wheels and thus arrest the revolution of such wheels. One,
two, or all the wheels of the vehicle can be fitted with the breaks if desired.
For retarding the speed of machinery in motion or for arresting the same, a
somewhat similar arrangement to that employed for vehicles travelling on common
roads is employed, and for this purpose the poles of the longitudinally arranged
electro magnets are applied to the periphery of the fly-wheel, and by varying the
intensity of the electric current to such breaks the speed can be retarded or
diminished at will.
For controlling and arresting the recoil of heavy guns or ordnance the electro-
magnetic break is applied in manner similar to that for retarding or arresting the
progress of a railway train or tram-car by the breaks working longitudinally on
the face of the rails.
In gunnery practice the break power should be applied previous to firing, and
released or taken off previous to running the gun forward again.