US431418A

US431418A - Brake for vehicles

Info

Publication number: US431418A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1890-07-01
Anticipated expiration: 1907-07-01

Description

(No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 1.

E. TBIOKETT.

BRAKE FOR VEHICLES.

No. 431,418. Patentd July 1, 1890.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 (No Model.)

B. TRIOKETT.

BRAKE FOR VEHICLES.

N0.431,418. Patented July 1, 1890.

1 lllillllllljll' j 3%" //IIIIIIAIIIA A A (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet, 3.

B. TRIGKETT. BRAKE FOR VEHICLES.

N0.431.418. v P.atent-edJu1y 1,1890.

1, III"!!! mun? "III

m UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDIVARD TRICKETT, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

BRAKE FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 431,418, dated July 1, 1890.

Application filed December 9, 1889. Serial No. 333,097. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARDTRICKETT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brakes for Fire Apparatus and other Vehicles; and I do herebydeclare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in brakes more especially adapted for hose-reels, coal-wagons, and fire apparatus, although it can be advantageously used on all kinds of vehicles; and the objects of my invention are to provide a simple and inexpensive brake which shall be effective and thoroughly reliable in operation and capable of adjustment to compensate for wear and to automatically clear and avoid obstructions in its path without liability of injury or damage to its parts.

With these and other ends in view my invention consists in the combination of a depending hanger or guide which is fixed to one of the axles of a vehicle or fire apparatus, a drag-lever supported and guided in said depending hanger and adapted to have contact wit-h the surface of the ice or ground over which the vehicle is moving, a drag chain or rod connected to the drag-lever and a part of the vehicle, and suitable mechanism for operating the drag-lever.

My invention further consists in the provision of means for normally elevating the drag-lever out of contact with the surface of the ground or ice and to enable said lever to automatically clear obstructions in its path; to provide adjustable means for positively raising or lowering the drag-lever to compensate for wear thereon; to provide means for bracing and strengthening the depending hanger or guide; to provide the drag-lever with a reversible and adjustable friction-shoe, and in the several combinations of devices and peculiar constructions and arrangements of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described,

and particularly pointed out in the claims.

To enable others to more readily understand my invention, I will now proceed to a detailed description thereof, in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figurel is a side elevation of an ordinary hose-roel,showing my improved brake applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view, in side elevation, of the brake removed from the hose-reel or other apparatus to which the brake is applicable. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the hanger, the drag-lever, and the several adjusting-levers of the form of brake shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the hanger. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of another form of brake contemplated by my invention, and which is especially adapted for use on long coal-wagons for firedepartment service or other vehicles; and Fig. 6 is a detail view of a part of the brake shown in Fig. 5. Figs. 7 and 8 are detail views of the drag-lever, showing different forms of friction-shoes.

My improved brake, which forms the subject-matter of this application,is more espe-.

obvious that the brake can be applied or adapted for efficient service on any kind of a vehicle.

Like numerals of reference denote corresponding parts in all the figures, in which i designates the depending hanger of my improved brake, which is provided at its upper end with a clip 2, of any optional make, and by means of which clip the hanger is firmly andrigidly secured to one of the axles (preferably the rear axle) of a hose-reel or other fire apparatus or any kind of avehicle. This hanger is firmly braced and strengthened by a diagonal brace 3, which is united at-one end to the lower end of the hanger, and at its other end said brace is clipped, as at 4, to the axle at a point a short distance at one side of the clip 3. This lower extremity of the depending hanger l is provided with a foot 5, which extends horizontally from the hanger, and the outer extremity of which is bifurcated or slotted at 6. This bifurcated or slotted hanger receives a vertically-movable upright lever 7, and it sustains said lever 7 and the drag-lever S'against lateral play or movement, while at the same time it serves as a guide to the vertical play of the upright lever 7. The drag-lever is arranged ina horizontally-inclined position, as shown, and the lower end of the upright lever 7 is pivoted to the drag-lever at a point intermediate of the length thereof. T0 the forward upper end of the drag-lever is connected a chain, rod, rope, or other device, as at 9, which'is in turn secured to the frame or other part of the hosecarriage or vehicle, and which serves to take up the strain of the drag-lever when the latter contacts with the ground, and thus relieve the hanger and the devices for operating the drag-lever of undue strain and the liability of injury. The upper extremity of the upright lever 7 is pivoted to a horizontal lever 10, which has its fulcrum 11 in a fixed bracket 12 on the axle of the vehicle, and to this horizontallever 10, at a point intermediate of its length, is pivoted another vertical lever 13, which serves as a means for operating the drag-lever.

14 designates an endwise-movable rod,which is pivoted at its rear end to the upper end of the vertical lever 13, and this rod extends forward of the vehicle and is connected to a hand-lever 15. The hand-lever 15 is fulcrumed at'its lower end on the frame of the hose-reel or other vehicle, within convenient reach of the driver occupying the seat, and it carries a pivoted pawl 16, adapted to engage any one of a series of teeth formed in a fixed segmental rack 17, said pawl being operated by a rod 18, that runs to the pivoted hand-piece 19 on the up er end of the handlever 15.

20designates a continuous cord or line, which is connected at one end to the upper end of the vertical lever 13, thence runs to and around a guide pulley or sheave 21 on the frame of the hose=carriage or other vehicle, and thence down to the upright lever 7, to which lever the other end of said cord 20 is connected at a point below the pivotal connection of the levers '7 and 10, as shown. A coil retracting-spring 23 is connected at its ends'to the frame of the hose-carri age or other vehicle and to the upper end of the vertical lever 15, said' spring being arranged in rear of the lever 15 to pull the latter rearwardly away from the pulley 21, and thus maintain or holdthe cord or line 20 under tension or strain, and this spring and the line operate to lift the drag-lever above the surface of the ground or ice, and thus cause it to swing clear of the'same. Should the vehicle be traveling over a rough road and the free end of the drag-lever strike an obstruction, the spring and the cord will yield or give to enable said drag-lever to clear the obstruction, and the lever 13 will be thrown forward, and thus likewise operate the rod 14 and hand-lever 15. To depress the free end of the drag-lever into contact with the surface of the ice or ground, it is only necessary to depress the hand-lever 15, which pulls the lever 13 forward and depresses the front end of the lever 10 and the upright lever 7, so that the draglever is forced upon and into the ice or ground to retard and arrest the motion of the vehicle. Intermediate of the

levers

10 and 13 is an adjusting-rod 25, which is secured at one end to the rear extremity of the lever 10 and at its other end to the lever 13 at a point intermediate of the length thereof, and this rod can be adjustably connected to the lever 10 by fitting the pin in either of the series of apertures therein to raise or depress the front end of the lever 10, and thus adjust the lever 7 and the drag-lever to compensate for wear in the friction-shoe of the drag-lever or on the free end of said drag-lever itself.

The brake hereinbefore described, and shown in Figs. -1 to 4:, inclusive, is especially adapted for hose-reels, fire-engines, or other like apparatus or to other vehicles; but in Figs. 5 and 6 I have illustrated another form of the brake especially adapted for use on long coal-wagons in the fire-department service or on large heavy freight-wagons, lac. In this form of my invention I employ the draglever 8, the depending hanger 1, fixed on one of the axles of the vehicle, and the dragchain 9, intermediate of the drag-lever and the body or other part of the vehicle to which the brake is applied. The hanger is secured to the axle and braced in the manner hereinbefore described; but in lieu of forming a slot in the foot of the hanger to permit a part of the brake to play vertically in the hanger I pivot the drag-lever directly to the lower end of the hanger, as shown. To the rear extremity of the drag-lever I pivot an arm 30, to which the drag chain, rod, orother connection 9 is secured, and this chain 9, &c., runs and is secured to a fixture 31 on the body or other substantial part of the vehicle. On the body of the vehicle or other substantial part thereof I fulcrum a bell-crank lever 32, and one of the arms of this lever is connected by a depending sustaining-chain or other suit able connection to the front end of the draglever, while the other arm of the bell-crank lever is connected by an endwise-movable rod 34 to a foot-lever 35, fulerumed at the front end of the vehicle in proximity to the seat thereon. To depress the free end of the draglever into contact with the ground, the footlever 35 is forced down by the drivers foot, which movement of the foot-lever turns the bell-crank lever and elevates the front end of the drag-lever and depresses the rear end thereof upon the ice or ground,and the backward pull or draft of the drag-lever is sustained by the drag-chain 8, the arms 30, and the body or other part of the vehicle to which the drag-chain is connected, thus relieving the hanger and other parts of the brake from undue strain.

The drag-lever is normally elevated, so as to clear the surface over which the vehicle moves, by means of a trip-cord 36, which is connected to the forwardend of the drag-lever 8 and to a tripping device 37, supported on the body or other suitable part of the vevicle to which the brake is applied. This tripping device connects with the trip-cord, andit operates to hold the cord under strain and to raise the drag-lever out of contact with the ice or ground.

The tripping device (shown in Figs. 5 and 6) consists of a sliding piece 38, which is guided in a fixed tubular guide 39, and said guide is provided with lateral ears, through which screws or other suitable means are passed to rigidly secure the guide on the ve hicle-body to which the brake is applied. The sliding piece 38 is provided at one end with an eye 40, to which the trip-cord is secured, and it is formed with a recess or annular groove 41 near or at its rear end to receive the hook 42 of a pivoted lever 43, which is fulcrumed on the guide 39. This lever is normally held by means of a spring 44, so that the hooked arm 42 thereof engages the shoulder formed by the recess or groove on the sliding piece, whereby the sliding piece is prevented from rearward movement and the trip-cord is held under strain and taut to normally raisethe shoe of the drag-lever above the ground and enables said shoe to clear obstructions, which is highly desirable, especially when traveling over rough surfaces-as, for instance, cobblestone streets in cities. The spring-controlled trip-lever 43 has connected to it a cord orline 44, which leads to a suitabledevice 45 at the front of the vehicle, so that the driver can release the hook or arms of said trip-lever from the sliding piece, and thus apply the brake to the surface of the ground or ice. I do not, however, confine myself to any particular mechanism for holding the trip-cord under tension, as I am aware that other contrivances can be substituted for the particular form of the tripping device herein shown and described.

Should the drag-lever strike an obstruction in its path which is elevated sufficiently above the surface of the groundto impart a sudden strong jerk to the drag-lever, the latter will pull on the trip-cord and draw the sliding piece 38 rearward, thus easing up the strain on the trip-cord and the drag-lever and obviating damage to the brake.

The free end of the drag-lever, which comes in contact with the ice or surface of the ground, is provided with a friction-shoe 50, and in Figs. 7 and 8 I have illustrated two ditferent modifications of this friction-shoe. In Fig. 7 I have shown the friction-shoe as made of a single flat disk or plate of steel or other metal, which is fitted in a slotted or bifurcated rear end of the drag-lever and clamped in place bya bolt, as shown. WVhen one side of the disk or plate which forms the friction-shoe becomes Worn, the disk or plate can be reversed or turned to present another edge to the ground, and so on until the shoe is worn out, when it can be replaced, or the shoe may be loosely fitted on the bolt and allowed to rotate or turn freely on said bolt; In Fig. 8 I have shown the drag-lever formed with integral friction-shoe, which maybe of the form shown, or it may be made of a separate piece and securely united to the drag-lever. The edge of the shoe may be beveled orV-shaped, as shown, or fiat, as is obvious.

I do not confine myself to the use of the drag-lever pivoted at a point intermediate of its length to the lower end of the upright lever, which operates in the slotted guide of the hanger, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, as said drag may be dispensed with, and in lieu thereof the parts may be arranged and combined for operation in the following manner: The friction-shoe may be applied directly to the lower end of the upright lever, as shown in Fig. 7, and said lever fitted in the guide of the hanger and connected to the horizontal lever, and the drag-chain is then connected to an arm or lug on the lower end of said upright lever, which, in effect, constitutes the drag-lever.

I have found by experiment that the brake which forms the subject-matter of this application is highly beneficial to vehicles which are compelled to travel at speed over icy surfaces, as the brake acts effectually to arrest the motion of the vehicle when on slippery surfaces, and Without strain or pulling back on the horses, the brake acting efficiently. under conditions where the ordinary wheel-brake is inoperative.

The operation and advantages of my invention will be readily understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings.

Changes in the form and proportion of parts and details of construction can be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the advantages of my invention, and I would therefore have it understood that I reserve the right to make such modifications as fairly fall within the scope of my invention.

No claim is herein made to the specific device for adjusting the friction-shoe, consisting of the endwise-movable slide connected to the suspending bar or lever which carries the friction-shoe, a fixed guide for said slide, and a locking device for confining the slide in place, as said device forms the subject-matter of an application filed by me January 22,1890, Serial No. 337,834.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a brake, substantially as described, the combination of a fixed hanger, a drag lever supported by said hanger and movable thereon, so as to contact with the ground or other surface, a drag-chain secu red to the dragleverand fixed to a part of the vehicle to which the brake is applied, and manually-operative surface of the ground or ice, and manuallyoperated devices for forcibly depressing said drag-lever, as and for the purpose described.

3. In a brake, substantially as described, the combination of a rigid hanger fixed to the axle of a vehicle, a drag-lever carried by said hanger, a drag-chain connected to the drag-lever and a part of the apparatus or vehicle to which the brake is applied, a'cord connected-with the drag-lever for normally holding the lever out of'contact'with the ground or other surface and adapted to give or yield when the lever strikes an obstruction in its path, and manually-operated devices for positively depressing the drag-lever,

as-and for the purpose described.

4. In a brake, the combination of a fixed hanger, the diagonal brace secured to the axle or other part of a vehicle and said hanger, a drag-lever supported in the hanger and hav- 0 ing a friction-shoe adapted to contact with the ground or other surface, a drag chain or rod connected to the drag-lever, a manuallyoperated lever, and connections intermediate of .the manual lever and the drag-lever, as

and for the purpose described.

5. In a brake, substantially as described, the combination of a fixed hanger having a slotted or bifurcated foot, an upright lever fitted in said slotted or bifurcated foot and capable of vertical movement therein,a draglever pivoted to said upright lever, a drag chain or rod connected to the drag-lever, the

horizontal and vertical levers, and a manually-operated device connected to the system of levers, as described, for positively forcing the drag-lever upon the ground or other surface, as and for the purpose described.

6. In a brake, substantially as described, the combination of a fixed hanger, a draglever supported therein, a drag-chain connected to said drag-lever, a manually-operated lever, and a system of levers intermediate of the manual lever and the drag-lever, as and for the purpose described.

7.'In a brake, substantially as described, the combination of a fixed hanger, a draglever supported therein, a drag chain or rod connected to the drag-lever, a'manually-operated lever, a system of levers and connections intermediate of the manual and drag levers, a guide-pulley,'a cord or other connection which passes over the guide-pulley and is connected to two levers of the system of levers, and a spring, substantially as and for the purpose described.

8. In a brake, substantially as described,

the combination of a fixed hanger, a draglever supported therein, a drag-chain connected to said lever, a manually-operated lever, and a system of levers and connections intermediate of the drag-lever and the manual lever, two of the levers of the system'being adj ustably connected to each other to adjust the parts and compensate for wear on the drag-lever, substantially as and for the purpose described.

9. In a brake, substantially as described,

the combination of a fixed hanger, a drag--,

lever supported therein,- a drag-chain connected to said drag-lever, the upright and vertical levers 7 13, a horizontal lever 10 intermediate of said levcrs7 13, alongit-udinallyadjustable bar intermediate of the levers 1O 13, a manually-operated lever 15, and a rod 14, intermediate of the levers 13 15, as and for the purpose described.

10. In a brake, substantially as described, the combination of a fixed hanger, a drag-lever supported therein at a point intermediate of its length and having a friction-shoe at its rear extremity, a drag-chain connected to the front end of the drag-lever and fixed to a part of the vehicle or apparatus to which the brake is applied, and devices for adjusting the drag-lever, as and for the purpose described.

11. Ina brake, substantially as described,

the combination of a rigid fixed hanger having a slotted guide-foot at its lower end, a suspending bar or arm connected with the hanger and fitted in the slotted foot thereof, a friction-shoe connected directly to the lower end of the suspending-bar, a drag-chain for relieving the shoe and hanger of strain when the brake is applied, and means for holding the bar and shoe in a raised position, for the purpose described, substantially as set forth.

12. The combination of a fixed hanger, a vertically-movable suspending-bar guided by said hanger and carrying a friction-shoe, which is connected directly to the lower end of said suspending-bar, a system of levers, one of which is connected to the hanger and the suspending-bar, a cord or cable connected to one of said levers and to the suspendingbar at an intermediate point of its length, means connected to one of the levers for normally holding the same in a position to raise the suspending-bar, and 'a drag-cham- EDWARD TRICKETT;

'Witnesses: I p Y W. HORMANY,

T. P. Asneaoox.

IIO