US1761649A - Car retarder - Google Patents

Description

June 3, 1930. V A. VENCILL 1,761,649

I C R RETARDER FiledvApril 25, 1925 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v Reduction. gearing 1 kNVENTOR Patented June 3, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ALBERT L. VENGILL, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIG-NOR TO THE UN ION SWITCH & SIGNAL COMPANY, OF SWISSVALE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA CAR RETARDER Application filed April 25, 1925. Serial No. 25,775. A

My inventionrelates to car retarders, that is, to devices located in the traokway for reducing the speed of railway cars.

I will describe two forms of car retarders ii embodying my invention, and will then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a top plan view showing one form of car 1 retarder embodying my invention. Fig. 2

is a vertical sectional view on the line II-II of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line III-III of Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is a view similar to Fig.' 3 but showing a modified form of operating mechanism also embodying my invention.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in each of the several views.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the reference character 1 designates one of the running rails of a railway track, and in Fig. 3 a portion of a car wheel 2 is shown on this rail 1. The car wheel is omitted from Figs. 1 and 2 to simplify the drawings.

Mounted on opposite sides of the track rail 1 are two retarder bars 3 and 3 which bars are parallel to the trackway and are so located as to engage with the two opposite side faces'respectively of the car wheel 2. These retarder bars are supported in such manner that they may move toward and away from the car wheel. As here shown, (see Figs. 1 and 2), each retarder bar is supported by a pair of vertical arms 5, which arms are attached to opposite ends of the retarder bar by bolts 6. The lower ends of the arms 5 of each pair are bent toward each other and are pivotally attached at point 5 to a bracket 7 which is fixed to a 40 tie 11 by means of bolts 8. It will be seen, therefore that each bar 3 and 3 is free to swing in an arc of a circle around an axis passing through the pivotal points 5 and so each bar is movable toward and away from a corresponding side face of the car wheel 2. As here shown, the inner face of each retarding bar 3 and 3 is provided with a wearing plate 4 and A, which comes in direct contact with the car wheel 2, and so takes all the friction due to contact between the wheel and the bars. When this plate has become sufliciently worn it can be replaced.

The operating mechanism for the retard- 7 ing bars 3 and 3 comprisestwo arms 9 and 9 the upper ends of which are attached to the bars 3 and 3*, respectively, by bolts 13. These arms 9 and 9 extend downwardly and are attached at their lower ends to ahorizontal rod 16. The arms 9 and 9 are preferably of highly resilient material, such as spring steel. These arms are provided intermediate their ends with means for drawing them toward each other. As shown in Fig. 3, this means comprises a disk 14 pivotally mounted at its center 14. The left-hand arm 9 is connected with a point 22 on this disk by a link 15, and a right-hand arm 9 is connected with a point 22 on the disk 14 by a link 15?- The points 22 and 22 are so chosen that whenthe retarder bars 3 and 3 are in their retracted or 'nonbraking positions, these points occupy substantially the positions shown in Fig. 3. It follows that if the disk lt is turned in clockwise the arms 9 and 9 will be drawn toward each other and so the retarder bars will be drawn into braking position against the opposite side faces of the car wheel 2. The disk 14 is operatively connected with an electric motor 10 through'the medium of reduction gearing 12.

The operation of the apparatus shown in Fig. 3, is as follows: When the motor 10 is de-energized, the disk 14 "occupies the position in'which it isshown in the drawing, and. so the retarder bars 3 and 3 are in retracted or non-braking positions. When the motor 10 is energized in one direction, the disk 14 is turned in clockwise direction, thereby drawing the arms 9 and 9 toward each other, and so shifting the retarder bars 3 and 3 into braking positions. When the motor 10 is energized in the opposite direction. thedisk 14 is rotated in counter-clockwise direction, thereby releasing the arms 9 and 9 and so moving the retarder bars 3 and 3 to non-braking positions.

If desired, springs2l and 21' may be interposed in the links 15 and 15 although direction,

these springs may not be necesary in all cases.

Referring now to Fig. 4c, the operating means for the retarder bars 3 and 3 comprises two spring steel arms 9 and 9, as in Fig. 8, but the means for operating these arms 9 and 9 is different. The motor 10 operates a gear wheel 17 through the medium of reduction gearing 12, and this gear wheel 17 is fixed to a screw 18 which passes freely through suitable holes in the two arms 9 and 9 The screw 18 is provided with screw threads 19 which co-act with a nut 20 attached to one bar 9, and the screw 18 is further provided with screw threads 19 which co-act with a nut 2O fixed to the other arm 9 The screw threads 19 and the threads in the nut 20 are right-hand threads, whereas the screw threads 19 and the threads in the nut 20, are left-hand threads. It follows that when the motor 10 is operated in one direction, the nuts 20 and 20 and so the arms 9 and 9 are drawn toward each other to move the retarder bars 8 and 3 into braking positions, whereas when the motor 10- is operated in the opposite direction the nuts 20 and 20 and so the arms 9 and 9 are spread apart to move the retarder bars into their retracted or non-braking positions.

One function of the spring steel arms 9 and 9 is to avoid the necessity of making each retarder bar 3 and 3 in two sections separated by coiled springs. One purpose of the structure as a whole, is to simplify the operation of two retarder bars which are located on opposite sides of the car wheel.

Although I have herein shown and described only two forms of car retarders embodying my invention, it is understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A car retarder comprising a pair of retarder bars mounted on opposite sides of a car wheel, a pair of resilient operating arms one attached to each bar, means coacting with said arms at points a considerable distance from said bars for drawing the arms together, and a rotating electric motor for operating said means.

2. A car retarder comprising a pair of retarder bars mounted on opposite sides of a car wheel, a pair of resilient operating arms one attached to each bar, a disk, links connecting said disk with said two arms, and an electric motor for turning said disk.

3. A car retarder comprising a pair of retarder bars mounted on opposite sides of a car wheel, a pair of resilient operating arms one attached to each bar, and means co-acting with each arm at a point a considerable distance from the retarder bar for drawing the arms together and thereby compressing said retarder bars against a car wheel.

at. A car retarder comprising a pair of retarder bars located on opposite sides of a car wheel and mounted for movement toward and away from the wheel, a pair of substantially parallel resilient opera-ting arms the upper ends of which are attached to said two retarder bars respectively, means for rigidly spacing the lower ends of said arms, and means including an electric motor for drawing said arms toward each other at points intermediate their ends.

5. A car retarder comprising a pair of retarder bars located on opposite sides of a car wheel and mounted for movement toward and away from the wheel, a pair of substantially parallel resilient operating arms the upper ends of which are attached to said two retarder bars respectively, means for rigidly spacing the lower ends of said arms, and means coacting with each arm at a point intermediate its endsv for drawing the arms together.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

' ALBERT L. VENCILL.

Images