US1300468A - Hand-brake. - Google Patents

Description

J. F. OCONNOR.

HAND BRAKE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-8.1918.

1,30OA68. Patented Ap1'.15,1919.'

I/NVENTOR. dab/7 E Odo/mar 3' I. OCONNOR, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 WILLIAM H. MINER, OF CHAZY,

NEW YORK. I

HAND-BRAKE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Apr. 15, 1919.

Application fi1ed .|anuary 8, 1918. Serial No. 210,885.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. OCoNNoR, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Hand-Brakes, of

. which the following is a full,-clear, concise,

and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in hand brakes.

In making up trains of freight cars in switch yards and hump-backs,-it is the custom to shunt the individual freight cars onto the variou tracks at comparatively high speed with a brakeman thereon whose duty it is to so apply the brakes that the cars will be stopped or spotted accurately at Various points. Heretofore, with the or dinary types of hand-controlled brakes in use, the brakeman has had to apply his brakewith such power as he felt necessary and when it has been found that the brakes were too strongly applied and would stop the car too soon, the only recourse has been to release the brake entirely and again apply the brakes with less force. This takes a great deal of unnecessary effort on the. part of the brakemen and requires long experience and skill to be able to spot the cars properly.

The object of my invention is to provide a hand brake for railway cars which i so designed that the brakeman may apply any braking force he desires in the first instance and should events prove that the brakes are too strongly applied to permit the car to reach its designated position, the brakeman can then effect a graduated release of the brakes, at all times under his control, so as to obtain the exact braking effect to spot the cars properly.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is an elevational view of a hand brake embodying my improve ments. Fig. 2 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 22 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 3 is a sectional view, taken substantially on theline 3-3 of Fig. 4 and looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 4 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line H of Fig. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows. p

the friction pawl 25 will be wedging engagement with the clutch flange is provided at its inner end with an integral.

wall 12 and near its outer end with what may be termed an intermediate wall 13. The inner wall 12 is provided with a bear- 'ing 14 for the inner end of a chain winding drum 15 and the Wall 13 is providedwith a corresponding bearing 16 for the outer end of the drum 15. The casing 10 is cut away at the bottom, as indicated at 17, to permit entrance of the chain 18. The upper link 19 of the chain i caught over a hook 20 formed integrally with the drum, said link 19 being held against accidental removal by a bolt 21.

To the outer end of the casing 10 is applled a cover-plate 22 suitably provided with a peripheral flange 123 to fit the rim of the casing 10, as clearly indicated in Figs. 2 and 4. The plate 22 and wall 13 together form a chamber within which is located the operating and controlling means. 1

To rotate the drum 15 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2, that is, to wind or tighten the brake-chain, the drum 15 is provided with a flange 23 having an annular V-shaped peripheral groove 24. With the groove 24 is adapted to cooperate a wedge-shaped friction pawl 25 detachably but permanently mounted on the upper end of a gravity controlled, normally depending operating lever 26. Said lever 26 is pivotally supported, as indicated at 27, to the lower end of a link 28, said link 28 being oscillatably mounted within a suitable bearing 29 formed at the outer end of the drum 15. As will be understood, the plate 22 and link 28 are held in operative position by said bolt 21.

By oscillating the lever 26 to the left, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 3, it is ap arent that orced into of the drum 15 and the latter rotated step by step in the manner of a pawl and ratchet mechanism. In normal position of the parts, the friction pawl 25 is in inoperative position, as indicated in Fig.1.

To automaticallyl hold the drum 25 against reverse rotation, t at is, to prevent unwinding of the chain after it is tightened, a

v friction clutch is provided, the same comprising a friction block 30 loosely mounted in the upper portion of the casing, said block 30 having a Wedge-shaped edge 31, adapted to fit within and coact with the V-shaped clutch 24. Said block 30 is provided with a pair of wedge surfaces 32-32 and the interior of'the casing is provided with a reinforcement 33-having corresponding oppositely disposed wedge surfaces 34-34. Between the sets of wedge surfaces 32 and 34 are interposed anti friction rolls 35 so that, as the drum tends to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction, due to the tension on the chain, the friction block 30 will be tightly wedged into engagement with the friction flange of the drum and automatically hold the latter against unwinding movement.

To release the friction clutch and hence the drum 15, I have provided a pivoted release lever 36 pivotally mounted on the wall 13 of the casing, as indicated at 37 Said lever 36 has a loose single gear tooth connection 38 with the friction block 30.

With the arrangement above described, it is apparent that the chain Will be automati cally locked in its tightened c0nd1t1on and when the operator desires to effect a complete release of the chain,he can do so by merely pushing the release lever 36 in a counter-clockwise direction to its full extent.-

When, however, the operator desires to effect only, a partial release of the chain, he can do so by pushing the release lever 36 only partially and thereby vary the friction between the block 30 and the friction flange of the drum. As will be understood, the antifriction rolls 35 greatly facilitate the control of the release action since said rollers minimize the frictional eflect 'between the block- 30 and the cooperating fixed portion of the casing. When the operator has per-' mitted the chain to Y unwind the desired amount, he can either immediately release the lever 36 which will cause the friction clutch to operate automatically, or he can throw the friction clutch positively into engagement, as will be understood.

The device herein shown and describedis exceedingly simple and effectively accomplishes the objects of the invention heretofore stated. At the same time, the parts are compactly arranged and are relatively inexpensive to manufacture and the operation is such that only one hand of the operator is required at any time to effect either the winding action or release action with consequent increase in the safety of opera- 7 tion.

in a direction to tighten a brake, chain, of

means, including a friction clutch member having a wedge-shaped friction face rotatable with said elements and a cooperable friction member having a wedge-shaped friction face for holding said element when the chain is tightened, and means for effec'ting a variable release of said holding means to thereby permit slackening of the chain under control. I

2. In a brake forrailway cars and the like, the combination with a 'rotatablewelement, and means for rotating said element in a direction to tighten a brake chain, of combined means for automatically holding said element against reverse rotation and to permit graduated reverse rotation under control, including a friction block, a stationary member and anti-friction elements between said block and member.

3. In a brake for railway cars and the 1 like, the combination with a casing adapted to be secured to the wall of a car, of a chain-winding element rotatably mounted within said casing, means for rotating said element step-by-step in one direction, and means for preventing accidental reverse rotation of said drum and adapted to control said reverse rotation, said lastnamed means including a stationary member on the interior of the casing having wedge faces thereon, a movable friction block having opposed wedge faces, anti-friction rollers interposed between said sets of wedge faces, and a pivoted lever for actuating said block.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 29th day of Dec., 1917.

JOHN F. ocoNNoR.-

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