US206046A - Improvement in barriers for draw-bridges - Google Patents

Description

A. R. SHERMAN. Barrier for Draw-Bridges.

No. 206,046. Patented July 16, 1878.

INVENTOR.

NFETERS. PHDT-LYMOGRAFHER. WASHINGTON, D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIGE.

ALBERT R. SHERMAN, OF NATICK, ASSIGNOR TO STEPHEN A. JENKS, OF LINCOLN, RHODE ISLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN BARRIERS FOR DRAW-BRIDGES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 206,046, dated July 16, 1878; application filed June 22, 1878.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT R. SHERMAN, of Natick, in the county of Kent and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draw-Bridges, which improvements are fully described in the following specification and illustrated in the aecompanying drawing, making apart of the same, in Which- Figure l represents, in perspective, one-half of a draw-bridge having my improvements. Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of the hooked bar used in operating the barrier to be placed acrossthe thor-oughfareapproaehingthebridge. Fig. 3 represents, in perspective, a portion of the said barrier. Fig. 4 shows, in perspective, the counter-weight and goose-neck hook suspending the same upon a chain; and Fig. 5 represents a vertical section of a portion of the bridge and abutment, showing position of barrier, hooked bar, and suspended counter- Weight when the thoroughfare is closed and the bridge ready to be swung.

The improvements hereinafter described have reference to that class of draw-bridges which are moved in a horizontal plane, the same being known as swinging draw bridges; and they particularly relate 7 first, to the placing of barriers upon the abutments of the bridge to close the thoroughfare or road approaching the bridge when the same is to be swung to allow of the passage of vessels, and to the removal and suspension of the said barriers when the draw has been returned to place that travel may proceed; second, to an ar rangement by which the barriers may be deposited upon and removed from the abutments by the attendant who swings the draw, he being located upon the central portion of the draw and operating the barriers from such position, the said, arrangement affording great convenience of manipulation and saving a great amount of time in closing and opening the thoroughfare.

Devices have been 1u use for the purpose of closing the roadway leading to a draw-bridge; but they have required attendants to be located upon the abutments, or ,have necessitated the presence of the draw-operator or other person at each end of the bridge before the draw could be swung, causing either considerable expense or much loss of time to both land and water travel.

The objects, therefore, of my invention are, first, in connection with a draw-bridge, to furnish barriers which, when deposited upon the abutments of the bridge, shall completely close the thoroughfare to both vehicles and pedestrians; and, second, to provide arrangements by which the attendant who works the draw may conveniently and without loss of time deposit upon and remove the said barriers from the abutments while in his position upon the central portion of the draw.

Referring to the drawing, it will be seen that but one abutment and one-half of the draw is shown, and for convenience will only be considered; but it is to be understood that both ends of the draw and both abutments are furnished with the devices shown and now to be described.

As illustrated at Fig. l, A represents lthe draw, which is supplied with the usual suspension-trusses B B, and has the usual central support to allow of rotation. At each end of the draw is located a gallows-frame,7 composed of uprights C, and cross-beam C', each pair of uprights being supplied with two sprocket-wheels, as at D, which engage with endless chains E E, the two upper wheels being upon a shaft, F, which operates to transmit motion from one pair of wheels to the other. Located upon the shaft F is another sprocket-wheel, as at D1, which engages with an endless chain or equivalent, El, which also passes around and is engaged by a sprocketwheel, as at D2, located at the center of the draw upon the truss B, and operated by means of the endless chain E2, or any preferred mechanism. Securely attached to the chains E E is a cross-bar, as at G, Figs. l and 2, having dependent hooks g g, whose office is to engage with eyes h h on the barrier H, Figs. 1 and 3, the said bar G, hooks g g, and chains E E operatin g, when worked, to raise, hold suspended, and lower the said barrier H, which, to close the thoroughfare, is to be deposited uponposts, as at I, located upon the abutment K, the barrier being provided with socketed projections h to receive the said posts. To assist in raising thc barrier, and to obviate the necessity' of a Stop mechanism to prevent the chains from ruiming back by force of the gravity of the barrier Il when it is in a raised position, the chains E E are each supplied with a counterweight, L, each weight being attached to a two-part goose-neck hook, Nl, Figs. 1 and 4, which straddles the chain l and is securely attached thereto, hanging the weights L between the uprights as shown in Figs. 1 and 5. A pair ot' these weights L exactly balances the barrier ll, so that the operator in raising or lowering it only has friction to overcome; or the said weights may be made to slightly overbalance the barrier to pcrt'ectly insure its remaining up, aml the operator thereby be assisted in raising the barrier and be obliged to exert but little more toree in loweringl it. \Vhen, however. the barrier has been deposited on the posts l preparatory to swinging the draw, it is necessary before the operation can be performed to clear thc hooked bar (l from engagement with the. barrier by so lowering the said bar that the hooks f/ 1/ pass ont ot' the eyes /i l`i, assuming the position shown at Fig. 5. rlhe weight ot' the barrier is therefore removed from the chains E l; and when it is remembered that the weights L act as a counter-balance to the barrier, it will be seen that, to prevent the hooks r/ y from becoming again engaged by a retrograde motion ot' the Weights and chains. it is either necessary for a locking device to be applied to the mechanism directly operated by the attendant or for the chains li E to be relieved ot' the t'orce ot` the weights L. Either lnethod may be adopted; but l prct'er the latter, and accomplish the object through the agency ot' the goose-neck hooks M, which. inst betbre the barrier is seated upon the posts I, gradually take bearing upon the upper sprocket-wheels D D, so that bythe time the hooks g1g are cleared from the eyes on the barrier the up per or curved portion of the hooks M will be found seated upon the said sprocket-wheels, as shown at Fig. 5, and the weights L sus pended thereon, and their t'oree removed t'rom the chains E 1, allowing the attendant to immediately give his attention to working the draw. The weights, however, may be sus pended in any other manner, as, t'or instance,

by Seating them on pins, hooks, or other dcvices attached to the uprights (T t.

Having described my improvements, l will proceed to their operation.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that when the draw is closed the I barrier is carried by the end ot' the draw and held suspended on the gallows-frame. When it is desired for any reason to close the thor- 1' oughfare, the attendant upon theI central portion of the bridge, by working the chain E2, 1 revolves thc sprocket-wheels l)l and l), and i consequently the chains El and E E, thereby lowering the barrier and depositing it upon l the posts l. The chains E E, with their accoml panying hooked bar G, are then still farther lowered to clear the hooks g g from the barriereyes li l1, which operation raises the weights L and carries the upper portion ot' the goose-neck hooks M over and onto the sprocket-wheels, thereby suspending the weights.

'hen it is desired to open the thoroughfare the operation is the reverse, the mechanism being worked to raise the hooks g g into engagement with the barrier-eyes h h, during which time the goose-neck hooks M pass ott' the sprocketwheels, and the force ot' thc counter-weights L is brought into play to balance the barrier, which is just 011 the point ot being raised. A still further operation ot' the mechanism in the same direction raises the barrier into the desired position as shown by full lines at 1"ig.1 of the drawing, where it is held suspended by the counter-weights L.

In the description above given the closing ofthe thoroughfare at but one end ot' the bridge has been considered; but it is to be understood, as tirst stated, that the draw is supplied with barriers at both ends, alnl with duplicate mechanism to Work them. Those portions ot' such mechanism directly operated by the attendant are located in close proximity at the center ot' the draw, so that he may conveniently and without loss ot' time raise or deposit both barriers at one aml the sametimc, it being onlynecessary tbr him to grasp the endless chains E2 each with a haml to perform the operation.

Should the position ot' vehicles or pedestrians, or any other cause, render it undesirable to lower both barriers at the same time, either may be worked separately Without the attendant movingt'rom his position at the chains E2.

It is to be understood that I do not claim the exact mechanism for operating' the barriers herein shown and described, for this may be varied without departing from the spirit ot' my invention; but

'hat l do claim, and desire to secure by Letters latent, is-

1. For closing the thoroughfare leading to a draw-bridge, a barrier which, when in a raised position, is suspended upon and carried by the draw, and which, when the thoroughfare is to be closed by it, is deposited upon the bridge-abutment and disconnected from the said draw by mechanism contained upon and operated from the draw, substantially as described and shown.

2. In combination with a drawfbridge, a barrier for closing the thoroughfare leading to the bridge, and mechanism wholly contained upon the draw for depositing the said barrier upon the bridge-abutment and removing it therefrom, substantially as described and shown, and l'or the purposes specified.

ALBERT R. SHERMAN. \`\'itnesses:

XY. ll. TmTRsToN, J. t`. I3. \\'oons.

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