US1442061A - Locomotive sander - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 16, 1923.

. FRANTZ.

LOCOMOTIVE SANDER.

FILED NOV. 7, 1922.

Patented Jan. 16, 1923.

UNITED STATES i 1,442,061 PATEN'II oFFl'cE.

JAMES FRANTZ, OF.ROANOKE, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO WHITE AMERICAN LOCOMO- TIVE SANDER COMPANY, INC., OF ROANOKE, VIRGINIA, A

GINIA.

LOCOMOTIVE SANDER.

Application filed November 7, 1922. Serial.No. (599,591.

skilled in the art to which it appertains to` make and use the same.

This invention relates to a sander primarily adapted for use with locomotives. The principal object of 'the'invention, generally stated, is to provide a pneumatic or fluid pressure sander having a valve arrangement whereby the amount of sand delivered by the sander is Within the control of the engineer.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sander and valve mechanism therefor whereby there will be provided a heavy flow of sand when needed, a light flow of sand when the train is running under speed, or a combined iiow due to the joint action of both heavy and light flows when necessary.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a sander and valve mechanism so arranged as to automatically provide a cleaning flow of compressed air before and after each operation of the sander by an arrangement of the valve mechanism, the valve mechanism also being adapted in various positions to provide a plurality of variations in the amount of` sand delivered by the sander, said variations being selectively within the control of the operator.

There are other objects of the invention as will hereinafter appear from a more detailedr description of the single embodiment of thev device which has been chosen to illustrate the invention, the novel features whereof will be pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in vertical section of a sander and valve mechanism constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure. 2 is a view in horizontal section of the valve mechanism, parts being broken 'away to more clearly illustrate the device.

F1gure 3 is a view in plan of the operating mechanism for the valve.

While I have illustrated but a single sander it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that in modern locomotives there are four Sanders, two on either side of the locomotive, these Sanders 'being respectively adapted to apply sand adjacent the driving wheels of the locomotive in either direction of travel of the same.

Referring now to the drawings,- the nu-l meral 1 indicates, generally, a valve casing which is suitably located in convenient reach of the engineer or operator of the locomotive. This casing consists of a base member 2 and a housing member 3, the housing member being bolted or otherwise secured to the base member and there is interposed between the base and housing CORPORATION 0F VIR- member a gasket 4 to prevent the escape of the Huid pressure means hereinafter described. .'Ihe housing member is adapted lto form with the base member a valve casing or chamber substantially circular in .form and rotatively mounted within this casing or chamber 5 is a valve. disk 6, said disk being provided with a single orifice 7 extending therethrough and on its upper face with apair of ears or lugs 8. Located between the said ears is the squared end 9 of the operating member 10, the latter be` ing provided with a collar/l1 adapted to engage the inner face of the topwall of the casing 5 through which the operating member extends. To the outer end of the operating member 10 there is connected an operating handle 12, said operating handley being preferably pivotallyv connected to the operating member so as to permit a slight rocking movement between the operating handle and the member. The casing 5 is provided at a convenient point with an inlet orifice 13 to which is connected in any suitable manner a pipe 13a from the fluid pressure reservoir. *Y

In the base member there are provided a plurality of openings 14, 15, 16 and 17 on each side of the'center line or the closed position of the operating handle. Each set` a single valve is used for'the complete sand- Y ing equipment. If two valves are utilized, each set of openings is connected to elther the forward or rear sander, 'as desired.

Since these pipes are similar it will only be necessary for a full understanding of the invention. to describe in detail'the connec tion between the same anda single sander. The opening 14 is connected by a suitable pipe 14a to an air passage 18 in the sander casing 19, as will hereinafter be more fully described. The opening 15 is connecte-d by a suitable pipe,vas shown in dot and dash lines, with a pipe 20, the latter being con veniently connected to a nozzle 21 which lies adjacent the lower wall of the sander casing 19. The opening 16 is connected by a suitable pipe with a pipe 22, the latter being also connected with an air nozzle 23, which is positioned above the nozzle 21 and within the sander casing 19. The opening 17 is connected by an inverted Y pipe 24 with the pipes leading from the openings 15 and 16, as clearly shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, and hence leads to the pipes 20 and 22 and likewise to the nozzles 21 and 23, re spectively.

The sander. casing 19 preferably comprises an L-shaped member having a pair of connected chambers or legs 25 and 26, the chamber 25 being adapted to be suitably connected to the sand dome or sand reservoir of the locomotive. the opposite end from the air nozzles with a downwardly directed orifice 27 for the escape of sand. The air passage 18 is preferably formed in the upper wall of the chamber 26 and is provided with an opening 28 immediately above and' in line with the orifice 27 so as to permit the cleaning blast of compressed air from the opening 14 of the valve to clean the orifice 27 and the sand pipe leading therefrom, when desired.` Adjacent the orifice 27 there is provided a shoulder 29 which is adapted to entrap the sand within the chamber 26 and to prevent the gravity flow of the sand through the orifice 27. The sand from the sand reservoir filling the chamber 25 and flowing into the chamber 26 normally occupies the position shownin Figure 1 of the drawings.

The sander casing 19 isconveniently pro vided with a number of screw plugs 30, 31 and 32 to permit access to the interior of the casing for cleaning when necessary.

The operation of the device is as follows: Upon a rotation of the handle 12 from closed position there will be a corresponding rotation of the valve disk 6 and the orifice 7 thereof will come in alinement with the opening 14, whereupon a cleaning blast of compressed air will pass through the port 14, through the air passage 18, through the opening 28, and the orifice 27 to clean out obstructions which may form within the orifice 27 or the pipe leading therefrom. Upon a further rotation of the handle in lthe same direction, the orifice 7 will leave the port 14 and register with the port 15 vnozzle 23 and, owing The chamber 26 is provided at Vwhereupon the compressed air will flow through the pipe 2O and the nozzle 21. It is to be observed that the nozzle 21, owing to its position adjacent the lower wall of the chamber 26 and the distance from the surface of the entrapped sand, will cause a large volume of sand to be forced out of the orifice 27, the object of this large flow of sand being to provide a sufficient amount for the starting of the train or-for any other condition when a large quantity of sand is needed. 'A further rotation of the handle 12 in the same direction will bring the orifice 7 of the disk in register with the opening 16, whereupon the flow of air through the pipe 20 will be stopped and the compressed air will flow through the pipe 22 and the to the position ot' the latter at a point adjacent the opposite wall ofthe casing or chamber 26 and lying nearer.

the surface of the entrapped sand, a material decrease in the flow of sand from that occasioned by the nozzle 21 will take place. This position of the operating handle is intended when the engine is running and a small amount of sand is needed to compensate for the condition of the track. A further rotation of the handle will bring the port 7 in register with the opening 17, whereupon the compressed air will pass through the ingiving a 'simultaneous flow through both nozzles 21 and 23 and a correspondingly greater flow than from either of the nozzles 21 or 23, singly. The: purpose of this increased flow is for emergency stops when a large amount of sand is necessary. There may be other occasions when the combined liow of sand is desired and the application of this simultaneous flow of both nozzles is not to be limited to such emergency stops.

The top of the valve casing is conveniently provided with a series of V-shaped notches corresponding in number and location to the ports 14, 15, 16 and 17, and into these notches is adapted to seat the spring-pressed plunger 33 carried by the handle 12.

It will be obvious from the foregoing description that the operator oli-the improved sander device may selectively, control the amount of sand passing from the sander to the track as desired to suit various conditions and it is within his option to provide either a light or a heavy or a maximum flow as desired. It will be also apparent that on both the opening and closing movements of the valve mechanism a cleaning blast of air is directed through the orifice 27 so as always to maintain this orifice and the sand delivery pipe open Jfor the passage of sand. By the use of my device the amount of sand used by the engineer is materially reduced and at the same time provision is made for adequate amounts of sand to suit various conditions.

verted Y pipe 24 and Ainto pipes 20 and 21, A

being adapted to admit air to either of said nozzles singly or to a plurality of said nozzles simultaneously.

2. A sander for locomotives, comprising a casing having a plurality of connected chambers, a shoulder formed on the Wall of one of said chambers to trap the 'sand therein, said chamber being provided With an outlet orifice adjacent said shoulder, and a plurality of nozzles extending through. one of said chambers and into the other, one of said nozzles lying adjacent a Wall of said chamber, another of said nozzles lying adjacent the opposite Wall of said chamber, and valve means for admitting compressed air to said nozzles.

3. A sander for locomotives comprising a plurality ofA connected chambers, one of said chambers being connected to a sand reservoir, the other chamber having an orifice for the escape of the sand, a pair of air nozzles extending Within said last named chamber, said nozzles being spaced apart and adapted to extend unequal distances Within the said chamber, and means for admitting compressed air to said nozzles singly, and means for admitting compressed air to said nozzles simultaneously.

4. A sander for locomotives comprising a casino havin connected u right and longib b D ftudinally extending chambers, said upright chamber being connected to a sand reservoii, means formed on a Wall of said longitudinally extending chamber tolimit the gravity flow of the-sand, a pair of nozzles extending Within said last named chamber, said nozzles having their open ends located at different distances from the surface of the sand Within said chamber, and valve means for admitting compressed air to said nozzles either singly or simultaneously.

5. A sander for locomotives comprising a hollow L-shaped casing, one leg of said cas- .ing being adapted to be connected to a sand reservoir, the other leg of the casing being provided with an orifice for the escape of sand, a pair of air nozzles extending Within said last named leg of said casing and each adapted to lie adjacent opposite Walls of said leg, and valve means controlling the admission of compressed air to said nozzles, said valve means being adapted to admit air singly to either of said nozzles and being adapted also to admit air simultaneously to both of said nozzles. n

6. A sander for locomotives comprising an L-shaped casing provided With sand inlet and outlet orifices, said casing also being provided With an air passage opening adj acent said outletorifice, a pair of nozzles extending into said casing and directed toward said outlet orifice, and valve means for controlling the admission of compressed air to said casing, said. valve means being adaptedin one position to admit air to said air passage and in another position to admit air singly to either of said nozzles, and in a third position to admit air simultaneously to both of said nozzles.

In testimony whereof I aiix mysignature.

JAMES FRANTZ.

Images