US447236A - Air-brake - Google Patents

Description

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C. R. JAMES. AIR-BRAKE.

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Patented Feb. 24,1891.

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` C. R. JAMES.

AIR BRAKE.

No.- 447,236. Patented Feb. 24, 1891.

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AIR BRAKE.

No; 447,236. Patented Feb. 24,1891.

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`.CHRISTOPHER R. JAMES, OFy JERSEY CITY, NEY JERSEY.

AIR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 447,236, dated February 24, 1891.

l Application iiled February I4. 1890. Serial No. 340,462. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern:

Be 1t known that I, CHRISTOPHER R. JAMES,

a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, andl Brakes, of which the following is a specifica' tion.

My invention consists of improvements in air-brake mechanism, having for its object to effect the application of the brakes of the rear cars of the train prior to or not later than the application of the brakes of the for-l ward cars.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a plan View of an inverted car and part of a locomotive, showing the application Fig. 2 is a larged scale. Fig. 3 is a detail showing the arrangement of the pipes and the engineers controlling-valve at the locomotive. a horizontal section of the apparatus as arranged without the auxiliary reservoir, and

also without the .secondary valve for apply? ing the brakes when the air-supplying pipes I break.

The brake-actuating piston a in the cylinder b Ais subject to the action of compressed air from the auxiliary reservoir c, and eX- haust through port c, controlled by the operation of the piston-valve consisting of two heads of different sizes connected at a suitable distance apart by a stem and` arranged in a case or cylinder bored in two different sizes correspondingly, and hereinafter called valvef,theheadsbeingdesignatedaslarge and small, respectively. The small head of this valve opens communication between auX- iliaryreservoirc and brake-cylinder b through ports cl' and e, and closes the exhaust from the brake-cylinder and the reverse, according as it is shifted from the position in which -it is represented in Fig. 2 between said ports d c to the right hand of port c and back again. The space or chamber between the heads of said valve f is in constant communication with the reservoir c through port d. The normal action of the air in the saidreservoir closes the communication between'the reservoir and the brake-cylinder and keeps the exhaust-passage from the brakecylinder open Eig. lis

through the overbalancing effect on the larger head of the valve f, which is soplaced as to maintain the small head between the portsd and e. The auxiliary reservoir cis in communication with the main reservoir 7L on the locomotive, or it may be directly connected with the compressing-pump by the pipe fi. I make such communication through the cham- -ber between the heads of valvef, as in Fig. 4, or through another piston-valve consisting of similar larger and smaller heads coupled ata suitable distance apart by a stem in a correspondingly-bored case, and hereinafter called valve g, and arranged side by side with valve f. The pipe i' is connected to the oase of this valve behind the large head, in which -there are passages p, through which the air enters to the space between the two headsand thence into the space between the heads of valve f through the open passage between the said spaces of these two valves. A disk q and spring 7.9 are provided to close these passages p in case pipe e' becomes disrupted, and there is a port s opening from the case of valve g into the space behind the large head z motive or with the compressing-pump, if preferred, by the pipe j, subjecttothe engineers controlling-valve Z, so that compressed air is admitted thereto by the engineer to apply the brakes by overbalancing the air from the pipe 11 on said valve.

In operation the chamber between the large and the small heads of valve f, being always in communication with the main tank through pipe t, and the pressure being allowed to escape from behind the large head of valve f through pipe j by the engineers valve, the overbalancing pressure on the large head of valve f shifts said valve, so as to open the brake-cylinder port to the exhaustand nor- IOO mally holds it in that position; and when the engineer admits compressed air through pipe y to the chamber behind said largehead such it is thought that in the common arrange ments, in which they are applied through the escape of the air from the engineers valve, it is the brakes of the forward cais that are applied first, as before stated. This different action is supposed to be because in the eX- haust arrangement the pressure is first diminished at the exhaust-cock l, and thencebackward gradually along the brake-controlling valves of the cars, so that they act successively from the front backward, while the compressed air admitted into the exhausted or partly exhausted pipe j must first flow back to the end and fill and back up, so to speak, in the pipe before pressure will rise in the brake-controlling valve sufhcient to actuateihein. Itfollows,therefore, that the brakes ofthe rear cars must be first affected, or, if not first, certainly as soon as the others and so that the hind cars will be slowed before or as soon as the others, and thus be effectually prevented from colliding` with those in advance. a

Vhile it is preferred to employ the auxiliary reservoir c for the benefit of a reserve of air in close proximity to the valve, it may of course be dispensed with, as represented in Fig. 4, because the pipe t', connected with the valve, or as shown, will give good results, and particularly in this arrangement for the release of the brakes by the normal action of the air admitted to the valve from the tank or pipe e it is not so important to have a reserve, because it is not so necessary fo have quick action for the release of the brakes as for the application of them.

The purpose of the connection of the airsupply pipe i through the valve g is to provide for the automatic application of the brakes when it may happen, through any accident, that the pipe i' may be broken, in which case, the air being exhausted from behind the large head of valve g through the broken pipe, the spring k instantly closes passages p by the disk q, and the overbalancing pressure of the compressed air in the valves on the larger head of valve g shifts said valve so as to open eominunica-tion through port s to the space behind the large head of valve f and equalize the pressure on said head and enable said valve to be shifted by the confined air the same as when other air is admitted through pipe j, so as to admit air from the main reservoir to the. brake-piston, and thus apply the brakes, escape from behind piston-valve f, through pipe j, when broken, being prevented by the clieck-valve 0in said pipe. The brake-piston is connected by. the levers n to therods m, that actuate the brake-levers; but this forms no part of what I claim in this application.

I claiml. The combination, with the brake piston and cylinder, of the piston-valve controlling the bi'akeeylinder port, the constantly-open main compressed-air pipe connected to the case of said valve in the arrangement for opening and normally keeping the brakecylinder port open to the exhaust by the pressure of the main tank and for admitting conipressed air from the main tank to the brakecylinder to apply the brakesvvhen said 'valve is reversed, and the pipe connecting said valve-case behind the large end of the valve with the main tank subject to the engineer-s valve in the arrangement to overbalance the pressure on said valve through the main pipe and reverse the valve to open the brake-cylinder to the compressed air from said main pipe by the air admitted by the engineers valve through the pipe connected with the valve-case behind said large vend of the valve, substantially as described. A

2. The combination, with the valve c ontrolling the brake-cylinder port for admitting the compressed air to apply the brakes and for exhausting it to release the brakes, of the constantly-open pipe connecting the case'of said valve between the heads thereof with the main tank, the pipe connecting said case behind the large head with the main tank through the engineers valve, said first-mentioned pipe admitting the air for opening and keeping the brake-cylinder port open to the exhaust and admitting air to the brake-cylinder to apply the brakes when the 4valve is reversed, and the other pipe admitting air to reverse the valve for so applying the brakes IOO TCS

when the engineers valve is opened, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the brake piston and cylinder, of the valve controlling the brake-cylinder port, the main supply-pipe adinitting air to actuate said valve for normally exhausting the brake-cylinder and for filling said cylinder when the valve is reversed, also another supply-pipe subject to the engineers controlling-valve and admitting overpowering pressure to reverse said valve to open the brake-cylinder port and admit air from the main supply-pipe to apply the brakes, and also the secondary `valve intermediate to the main supply-pipe and the said valve controlling the brake-cylinder port and automati cally admitting overpowering pressure from the chambers of the two valves behind said valve controlling the brake-cylinder port to reverse it and apply the brakes when the supply through tlie main pipe fails.

4. The combination, with the brake piston and cylinder, of the valve controlling the brake-cylinder port, the main supply-pipe admitting air to actuate said valve Jfor normally exhausting the brake-cylinder and for filling said cylinder when the valve is reversed, also another supply-,pipe subject tothe engi- IIO neers controlling-valve and admitting opposin and overpowering pressure to reverse said valve and open the brake-cylinder port to apply the brakes, also the secondary valve' intermediate to the main supply-pipe and the said valve controlling the brake-cylinder port and automatically admitting overpowering pressure from the chambers of the two valves behind said valve controlling the brake-cylinder port. to reverse itand apply the brakes when the supply through the main pipe fails, the inlet-passages for the air from the main pipe through the large head of the secondary valve, and the disk and spring for closing said passage when said air-supply through the main pipe fails, said pipe connecting Wlth the main tank through t-he engineers valve, having a cheek-valve in close proximity to the chamber of the valve controlling the brake-cylinder port.

In testimony that I olaim`the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of two Witnesses, this 29th day of January, 1890.

CHRISTOPHER R. JAMES. Witnesses:

W. J. MORGAN, W. B. EDELL.

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