US661600A - Trolley-wheel. - Google Patents

Description

No. 66|,600- nted Nov. i3, |900. T. l. DUFFY & C. S. MGMAHA TROLLEY wHEEL.

[Application led July 16, 1900) (No Model.)

UNITED STATES" SPATENT OFFICE VTHOMAS I. DUFFY AND CHARLES S. MCMAHAN, OF CHICAGO, IIJLINOIS SAID DUFFY ASSIGNOR TO SAID MCMAHAN;

TROLLEY-WHEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming pm or Letters Patent No. 661,600, dated November 13, ieo. Application filed July 16, 1900. Serial No. 23,789. KNO model-3 To all whom t may con/cern: tail of our invention. Fig. 6 is la plan view Be it known that we; THOMAS I. DUFFY of the same.l Fig. 7 is a sectional View simiand CHARLES SIMS MCMAHAN, citizens of the lar to Fig. 5, illustrating means of applying United States, residing at Chicago, in the a supplemental washer thereto. 5 county of Cook and State of Illinois, have in- As shown in the said drawings, A indicates vented new and useful Improvements in Eleca trolleypole. trical Contact-Springs for Trolley-Wheels, of B indicates the trolley'sharp,of familiar form which the following is a full, clear, and eX- and secured on the outer end of said trolleyact description, reference being had to the acpole and provided with upwardly-extending 6o 1o companying drawings, and to the letters of lateral arms b b, provided at the upper ex reference marked thereon, which form a part tremities of the same with a transverse bore of this specification. adapted to receive the trolley-pivot b. A

Our invention relates to improvements in grooved trolley-wheel C,of familiar form,is roelectrical contact-springs for trolley-wheels tatively secured on said trolley-pivot. The t5 of that class adapted to hold said trolley-wheel width or distance between the outer ends of true upon its bearing and at all times to prosaid harp-arms b b is somewhat greater than vide a perfect electrical contact therewith the length of the axis of said trolley-wheel, and with the trolley-harp. Heretofore it has thereby providing a space between the inbeen usual to employ leaf-springs of conductner surface of said harp-arms and the hub 7o 2o ing material for this purpose, said springs beof said wheel sucient to receive the spring ing riveted in the lower part of a harp, on D. Said spring is preferably constructed of each side thereof, and extending upwardly spring-copper or other suitable conducting and adapted normally to press centrally on material and is provided with a central apeach side of said trolley-Wheel. Springs of erture adapted to receive the trolley-pivot. 25 this sort have been `subject to many objec- The spring is bowed or crowned outwardly tions, one of which was their short life, the near its center and adapted to press with its same being subject not only to the frictional outer side against the inner side of the harpwear at the axis of the trolley-wheel, butalso arm adjacent to the pivot-pin and equally inasmuch as the same extend' downwardly on spaced about said center. As'shown in Fig. 1, 8o 3o each side between the trolley-wheel and the a plurality of radial arms d d are provided, harp-arms the same were frequently subject which, as shown, are slightly upturned at the to wear from contact with the periphery of outer ends to afford a larger contact-surface the wheel. Said springs are in this way frewith the trolley-wheel, which said arms firmly quently cut in two, thereby destroying the engage near its rim. Obviously any desired 35 eiiciency of the contact, entailing in consenumber of arms may be employed; but prefquence not only a considerable item of eX- erably three or more are used to hold the pense for repairs, but when delays are controlley-wheel true upon its pivot after the sidered a serious and vexatious source of ansame has become slightly worn. noyance as well. Our invention obviates With the construction described any de- 9o 4o these difficulties and consists in 'the matters sired pressure may be brought to bear upon hereinafter described,and more fully pointed the trolley-wheel and in the inner side of the out and defined in the appended claims. harp-arm, thereby assuring at all ktimes per- In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective fect contact. Said springs will not be subview of a device embodying our invention. ject to wearing contact with the rim of the 45 Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same, taken wheel, inasmuch as the frictional area is apon a plane of the axis. Fig. 3 is a side eleproximately equal to that at the center bearvation provided with one form of the contacting. The distance of the extremities of said spring. Fig. 4 is a similar View showing said arms from the pivot afford a considerable levelectrical contact-spring as provided with erage, thereby insuring that with approxiroo 5o three radial arms. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal mately equal .frictional contact said spring sectional view of the spring,illustratingade will turn against the inner surface of the harp-arm. Means are provided for protecting said central part of the spring-from wear against the inner side of the arm as follows:

One or more small apertures are providedv through said spring adjacent to the pivot-aperture, and av Washer E, apertured to corre-v spond with said pivot-aperture, is pro-vided with lugs e e, adapted to be inserted in said contact-surface between said two parts is of' necessity, owing to their frictionalcontact at all times, bright, and said parts being pressed firmly together, the said washer, if desired, may be made materially Yharder than the spring propelI without afecting its conducting power. If preferred,said washerfmay be retained in a central depression similar to that illustrated in Fig. 7 and when placed Within the same maybe efcientl'y held thereinby contact with said spring and the harparm. lt' preferred, however, the same may obviously be secured in said depression by means of lugs, as before described, or any other preferred means of securing the said washer in position maybe used as preferred, Obviouslyif said Washer is not-securedrigidly to said spring the same may be renewed at intervals ata materially less cost than'the cost of said spring.

We claim as our inventionl, An electrical contact-spring fortrolley-` Wheels, comprising a plate of conductingmaterial provided with a central pivot-aperture and adapted to pressvagainst thev inner'side of a harp-:arm adjacent to-said pivot,a contact-Washer also of conducting material -secured centrally on said spring y,'mdiadapted for contact with said harp-arm anda plurality of electrical conducting radial spring-arms integral with said plate and curvedon one side of the plane of the sameand adapted to engage with theiry outer ends a trolley/:Wheel near its periphery at a point equally spacedabout the Wheel andacting to press said wheel oppositely from the harp-arm.

l2.' An electrical contact-spring for trolleywheels, com prisingan outwardly-.dished plate of conducting material adapted to be secured ona-trolley-pi-vot between'the harp-arm and the trolley-wheel and provided on its outer side with a depression adapted to receive a Washer also of conducting material adapted for contact with a harp-arm at apoint adjacent-t0 the trolley-pivot, a plurality of inwardly-curved radial spring-arms integral with said plate and adapted to engage with theironter ends and press inwardly a trolley'- wheel 'or the like, said arms being spaced at equal distances around the Wheel.

3, The combination with a trolley-harp hav; ing a trolley-wheel pivoted therein, ol' an electrical vcontact-spring centrally apertured and adapted to be secured on each side of said trolley-Wheel between the hub -of thesame and-an arm .of saidharp and ysprings being eutwardlydished near the center/,and adapted to pass outwardly against the harp-arm and having plurality of inwardly-.bent 'radial arms .adapted `t0 engage Iand pressing inwaIIllyon-said trolley-wheel near the periphery ef the s-ame,.aud a washer of conducting material removably secured on the trolleypivot between .the t\ =olleywheel and the harp and acting rtto-afford electrical contact with each, While obviating wear on the spring.

4. .The combination witha trolley-harp having atrolley-wheel pivoted thereon, of an electrical contact-spring centrally apertured-and adapted .to -be secured on-eachside 'of said 'trolley-wheel between the hub of the same and .said harp-:arm said springs being outwardly dished near 'the center and 4adapted te press outwardly onthe harp-arm and havy ingla lplurality vof equally-spaced inward lybentiadial arms adapted to engage and pressing inwardly on said trolley-heel near the periphery of the saine, and a hardened washer i of conductingmateral bedded in said spring and removablylsecured 4.to the same between the samefand the harp-arm.

In testimony whereof we have heren nto subi scribed our nam-es in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS I. DUFFY. CHARLES S. MCMAHAN. In presence of- ;CHARLEVS W. HILLS,

LOUIS J. DELsoN.

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