US2194825A - Traction increasing means - Google Patents

Description

March 126, 1940. J. 1.. EARL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 25, 1938 J. L. EARL TRACTION INCREASING MEANS Filed July 23, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 26, 1940 IJNI'TED STATES PATENT OFFICE This invention relates to improvements in means for increasing traction of wheeled structures, particularly structures having metallic wheels which operate on metallic rails such as locomotives and like vehicle's. --The present invention has for its primary object to -provide an improved traction increasing means through the use of improved electromagnetic devices whereby a magnetic adhesion is established between the metallic wheels of the vehicle and the metallic rails upon which the wheels move.

Another object of the invention is to provide in an improved means of increasing adhesion of metallic wheels with supporting metallic rails, an improved form of induction coil designed to set up a magnetic field adjacent to the metallic wheels and rails, in which field such wheels and rails serve as conductors, obtaining great reduction in loss or feed-back of the magnetic force through brakes and brake rigging as would be the case in the use of magnetic coils of ordinary construction.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improved means for increasing mag-' means upon the application of friction brakes to the wheels.

A further and more specific object of the invention is to provide an improved and novel means of closing an electric circuit through an induction coil disposed adjacent a metallic wheel and supporting rail therefor simultaneously with the application of friction brakes to the wheel and for opening such circuit when the friction brake actuating means is operated to release the brake.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of. the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, with the understanding, however, that the invention is not to be confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings but may be changed or modified so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a pair of locomotive drive wheels showing the relation of the solenoid coils thereto and to the supporting tracks' i Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the lay-out of the coils in association with .four pairs of wheels pair 'of locomotive wheels where the coils are" mounted at the inner side of the wheels.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view similar to Fig; 3 and illustrating the-manner of supporting the coils at the outer sides of the wheels.

Fig. 5 is a view in front elevation of a coil.

Fig. 6 is a View in side elevation of a coil.

Fig. I7 is a sectional view through a switch showing the same in associationwith a'portion of an-airbrake by which it is operated to automatically energize and de-energize the coils.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is illustrated in Fig. l a portiono-f the lower part of a locomotive showing portions of driving wheels,indicated by the numeral I supported upon the usual metallic rail 2, in asso.

ciation with which driving wheels there are shown induction coils indicated generally by the numeral 3, constructed in accordance with the present invention. In Figs. 3 and 4, there are shown two possible mountings for the induction coils 3. In Fig. 3, the coils are shownmounted upon the inner sides of the wheels I by employing brackets 4 which are secured to a suitable adjacent part of the car mechanism such, for example, as the frame which is diagrammatically shown and indicated by the numeral 5. -This figure may represent diagrammatically a pair of locomotive driving wheels I between which portions of the locomotive frame 5 are located. In attaching the coils to the locomotive sufiicient room may be had to place them at the inner sides of the wheels in the manner illustrated. Under some conditions, as when mounting the coils upon coaches, there may not be sufficient room at the inner sides of the wheels or there may not be .a suitable supporting structure at the inner sides of the wheels for attaching the inin Fig. 4, where the wheels, such as car or coach wheels, are indicated by the numeral 6, and the journal supporting'frames are indicated by the numeral 1.

end of the coil will terminate above but be spaced from the crown of the track 2 in a manner hereinafter more specifically described.

Each of the induction coils 3 is longitudinally arcuate, as shown, and at its upper end has an- M As here shown, the upper end of each coil is attached to a frame so that thejlower attaching plate 8 while at its lower end there extends from it a core 9 which is in the form of a fiat plate which terminates in a straight portion II! which is horizontally disposed above the crown of the rail 2 when the coil is attached to a support at the inner or outer side of a wheel, as shown in either Fig. 3 or Fig. 4.

Secured to the straight portion ll) of each coil core is a metallic induction brush II which has its free ends directed downwardly and in close proximity to the rail but free or" contact therewith. By the use of this metallic brush, the efiloiency of the system is increased by reason of the fact that the flow of current from the end of the magnet to the rail is brought about without loss of the magnetic flux to other parts of the car understructure. This improved operation is obtained by reason of the fact that the magnetic flux or current of the magnet follows the metallic bristles of the brush and passes directly from the ends of the bristles to the rail, it being well known that electric currents will flow more easily from smallor pointed terminals to an adjacent object than from larger bodies.

Referring to Fig. 2, the distribution of the induction coils with respect to several wheels of a car or locomotive is shown together with the electrical hook-up or circuit in which the coils are connected. It will be seen upon reference to this diagram that each pair of car wheels has four coils associated with it, there being two coils at one side of each wheel. These coils are preferably connected in series, as shown, although it is possible to operate them efficiently by connecting them in parallel. In the series connection shown for the coils, a suitable source of electric potential such as a generator l2, which forms a part of locomotive equipment,- has one side connected to a current conducting line It and the other side connected to a similar line 14 in which is located a control switch 15 and a current measuring meter it. One of the coils of each group of four is electrically joined at one side with the line Ht as indicated at H, and another one of the group is joined at one side. as indicated at 8, with the opposite line 13, the intermediate coils being connectedin series relation so that the current flowing from the generator will pass through each of the four coils before returning to the generator by the opposite current conducting line.

It will be understood that the diagram set out in Fig. 2 illustrates the arrangement of the coils when they are associated with the driving wheels of a locomotive or with the wheels of a car in which suiiicient room exists for the location of the coils at the inner sides of the wheels and that where the coils must be placed at the outer sides of the wheels, the same grouping arrangement will be made use of.

t will be readily apparent from the foregoing that since the energization of the coils 3 sets up a magnetic field which includes the track rails 2 and the wheels of the vehicle, the vehicle wheels will be made to more firmly adhere to the rails due to the magnetic attraction caused by the current and thus when the coils are energized at the same time that the brakes of the vehicle are applied, it will be seen that the efficiency of the braking system will be greatly increased as the magnetic effect of the coils will greatly reduce slipping of the wheels on the rails.

While the diagram set forth in Fig. 2 shows merely a conventional type of switch for controlling the flow of current to the coils, it is contemplated to provide means for automatically closing the electric coil circuit simultaneously with the application of the wheel. brakes. In order to accomplish this automatic closing of the electric circuit with the application of the brakes, there is provided a switch unit indicated generally by the numeral H! which is mounted upon the air brake cylinder 2|] by means of a supporting bracket 21 secured in any suitable manner to the cylinder. The switch consists of the housing 22 having terminal posts 23 and 24 secured in and projecting from its ends and insulated from the housing by insulation material 25. The forward side of the switch housing, the side opposite from the cylinder 20, is closed by the removable plate 26 and secured in an aperture in the central part of this plate is one end of a sleeve 21 in which is slidably positioned a plunger 28, the rear end of which carries an insulation head 29 which extends from the end of the sleeve into the switch housing. 1 he switch I9 is mounted at one side of the air brake cylinder piston rod 30 and secured to the rod is a collar 3! which carries a laterally extending finger 32 which moves along a path alined with the plunger 28 so that when the piston rod is moved back toward the cylinder 20 when the air brake is inoperative, this finger 32 will engage the plunger 28 and force it into the switch housing.

When the plunger 28 is forced into the switch or free end of the blade free from contact with a short switch blade 34 which is attached to the other terminal post of the switch unit.

By connecting the air brake operated switch unit i9 in circuit with the coils 3 in place of the switch 15 shown in Fig. 2, it will be seen that whenthe air pressure is raised in the brake cylinder in order to apply the brakes so that the piston (not shown) and the piston rod 30 are moved outwardly, the trip finger 32 will move away from and release the plunger 28, thus permitting the resilient switch blade 33 to move over into electrical contact with the blade 34 and thereby close the circuit in which the coils are connected to elfect energization of the coils and produce the desired magnetic adhesion between the track rails and the vehicle wheels at the same time that the vehicle brakes are applied. As soon as the brakes are released, the rod 3!) will move back so that the finger 32 will engage the plunger 28 and force it against the switch blade 33 to efiect the opening of the electric circuit.

From the foregoing, it will be readily apparent that with the novelly designed solenoid coils illustrated and described, it is possible to establish the desired magnetic field in the vicinity of the vehicle wheels and rails so as to include the latter and produce the desired magnetic adhesion between them without leakage of the magnetic force through adjacent metallic parts of the vehicle such as the brake shoes and the like and also by combining these improved coil structures with the novel automatic means for effecting the closing of the electric circuit in which they are connected, simultaneously with the application of the vehicle brakes, the maximum of braking efficiency will be obtained as the desired adhesion will become efiective as soon as the brakes are applied and will be ineffective as soon as the brake mechanism is made inoperative.

By the use of permanent magnets of suitable size and properly charged to be efflcient, it would be possible to obtain at least some of the results obtained by the energized coils described. It will, therefore, be understood that the present application contemplates the use ofsuch permanent magnets constructed and arranged in the same manner as the electromagnets described, which could be re-charged as and when necessary. Such magnets would not be wired or connected together but would be arranged so as to have their ends with the north poles thereof in one horizontal plane adjacent the metallic wheels and their south poles in another horizontal plane.

What is claimed is:

1. Mechanism for increasing adhesion between metallic wheels of a vehicle and a metallic rail on which the wheels travel, wherein such wheels are adapted to be engaged by a friction brake operated by an air brake mechanism, including a cylinder and piston rod, comprising a solenoid coil suspended at one end at one side of a wheel and having its other end disposed in close proximity to and between the wheel and supporting rail, an electric circuit having said coil connected therein and including a source of electric potential, a switch unit in said circuit including a pair of switch blades one of which is adapted to be moved into electrical engagement with the other to close the circuit, an actuating member for one of said blades which when shifted in one direction efiects the electrical disengagement of the 7 blades, and means carried by said piston rod engaging said switch blade actuating means when said brake is unapplied to maintain said blades separated and said electric circuit open, the shifting of said piston rod in applying the brake effecting the closing of the electric circuit for the energization of said coil.

2. Mechanism for increasing adhesion between metallic wheels of a vehicle and a metallic rail on which the wheels travel, wherein such wheels are adapted to be engaged by a friction brake operatedv by an air brake mechanism, including a cylinder and piston rod, comprising a solenoid coil suspended at one end at one side of a wheel and having its other end disposed in close proximity to and between the wheel and supporting rail, and an electric circuit having said coil connected therein and including a source of electric potential, a switch unit in said circuit including a pair of switch blades one of which is adapted to be moved into electrical engagement with the other to close the circuit, an' actuating member for one of said blades which when shifted in one direction efiects the electrical disengagement of the blades, means carried by said piston rod engaging said switch blade actuating means when said brake is unapplied to maintain said blades separated and said electric circuit open, the shifting of said piston rod in applying the brake effecting the closing of the electric circuit for the energization of said coil, and a metallic brush

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