US811622A - Air-cushion for vehicles. - Google Patents

Description

No. 811,622. PATENTED FEB. 6, 1906.

' M. DOWNER.

AIR CUSHION FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 7, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHBET 1.

WIZ'i'YmfiSQ/S 1727/672607 No. 811,622. PATENTED FEB. s, 1906. M. DOWNER.

AIR CUSHION FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 7. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

T I f :43

JMT /-I' 2 fizwenor.

v the bolsters D .citizen of the United States,

MURILLO .DOWNER, O

F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MIR-CUSHION FOR WEHIICILIES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 6, 1906.

Application filed May 7, 1904:. Serial No. 206,842.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MURILLO DOWNER, a

residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Air-Cushions for Vehicles, of

which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to air-cushions for cars and like vehicles, and has for its object to provide new and improved constructions for devices of that class.

It is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein-- Figure 1 is a side view of a car-truck with my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the truck, and Fig. 4 a vertical section through one of the cylinders.

Like letters of re erence indicate like parts in all of the drawings.

A A are the wheels of the car, and B B the axles, which are mounted in any suitable manner on the truck. The truck may be made of the side bars (1 C in the manner shown, connected by the channel-bar C and the uprights C C.

represents the body of the car, having 1!) at the sides with hearingfaces thereupon.

D is a central car-bolster having a circular bearing-plate.

Between the car-body and the truck is a floating bolster made to support the cushioning devices'and the car-body. This bolster is preferably made of the transverse bars E E and the longitudinal connecting-braces E E. It has centrally thereon the plate E pro vided with a circular bearing E to engage with the bearing-face of bolster D on the vehicle-body. At each end of the floating bolster is a cylinder F, secured between the transverse bars E E by the bolts F F or in any desired manner. The cylinders are provided each with a removable top piece or cap F which carries the bearing-plate F to en gage with the bearing-face on one of the side bolsters D of the wagon+body, there being a sliding connection between these parts, as shown. If preferred, a roller-bearing might be inserted at this place. The cylinders F F are supplied with air by the pipe G, having therein the pressure-regulating valve G and a flexible part G so as to provide for the turning of the truck. Beyond the flexible part the ipe has two branches G" G, having therein t e check-valves (1 G one branch leading to each of the cylinders. To provide against the possibility of too great a pressure of air in the cylinders, each of such cylinders is provided with a blow-ofl' valve H, operated by a pivoted crank-arm H, which is conneet-' -ed to a pin H on the channel-bar C by the slotted link 11. The parts of this device are so adjusted that when the cylinder is raised to a predetermined distance above the truck. the link H automatically opens the valve to permit the escape of air fromthe cylinder. Within each cylinder is a plunger J, having on the upper side the disk J and a suitable packing-ring J It is the purpose of my cushioning device to use air as a cushioning means; butto provide for the energency which would arise if the supply of air should give out or if the piston or cylinder should become leaky and defective I have in readiness an auxiliary or emergency cushioning device which is adapt- ,ed to be brought into play if need be. This deviee consists of a spring or other elastic part which is placed within the air-cushion, preferably seated upon the plunger. To this end I provide the plunger with the stud K, land around this stud are placed, preferably, two spiral springs K K one within the other. These springs do not normally engage with the upper end of the cylinder; but should the air-supply fail or become considerably diminished the cylinder will in consequence be lowered and find a flexible support upon these springs. The attaching device for the plunger is also made elastic and is preferably composed also of two spiral springsL L, one with. in the other. proper position by the stud M, extended from the plate M on the lower side of the piston, and by a similar stud N 011 a similar plate N o n the channel bar 0. These springs are made, preferably, very heavy and ordinarily do notad (1 much ion, but come into play as a cushioning device when the air gives out in the cylinder. In order to prevent the swinging lon itudinally or from side to side, a king-bolt F) may be used. This bolt passes through the bottom of the vehicle-body and through the central bolster-plate E and the channel-bar (1, thus forming a pivot upon which the wagonbody may turn and also insuring true vertical motion of the cushioning devices.

In addition to the blow-off valve H, which limits the upward travel of the floating bolster by the diminution of to the elasticity of the cushair-pressure, I also.

These springs are held easy repair of such I placing of packing, when that becomes necestransverse bars E and These" cured to one of the passing through the channel-bar'C.

bolts are threaded at their ends and provided with nuts P P and the Washers P P. Be tween the washers and the channel-bar C are interposed spiral springs or other elastic members P 'P I have thus illustrated and describ d with some particularity the application 0 my in vention to use in air-cushioning devices for car-trucks and similar vehicles; but the invention could obviously be e uall y well used in other sorts of vehicles. so the particular forms and constructions set forth are merely by way of illustration of a particular application of my invention and might be greatly varied without departing from the broad spirit of my invention, and therefore I do not limit myself to the particular forms and constructions above set forth.

The use and operationof my invention are as follows: A supply of'air is admitted to the cylinders by pipe G through the pressureregulating valve G and is held in such cylinders by the check valves G G. The springs L L, as has been said, give, preferably, but little elasticity to the cushioning devices, but are useful in taking up'any side motion of the vehicle-body, so that the plunger will operate in the cylinder without hindrance and also come into play if for any reason the air-supply gives out. In this event the cylinders sink down upon springs K K which provide thereupon a suffic ently elastic support for the vehicle; The devices P P are also useful to put a positive limit upon the upward travel of the floating bolster and its supported parts, without, however, causing 'olt or strain. These deany destructive 1 vices also come into play when the air-sup- P r in place against the springs K K in the event of a sudden ar. Therefore it Will be seen that my device provides, in conjunction with a complete system of air-cushions, an equally-complete system of springs adapted to come into action whenever the air-cushions fail to work. The removable caps F I? of the piston admit of cylinders, such as the resary.

I claimf l 1'. In an air-cushioning device for vehicles an air-cushion to normally carry the load and a spring within such cushion adapted to pro vide an elastic support for the vehicle Whenthe pressure of air is diminished in the cush ion.

2. An air-cushion for vehiclescomprising a cylinder and a plunger m combination with a spring normally in engagement with but one of the parts of such cushion, and adapted to adapted to nation of a floating bolster,

gives out, operating to retain the bolster recoil of the substituted engage with the other so as to support the vehicle when the air-pressure in the cylinder is diminished.

3. In an air-cushion for vehicles the combination of a cylinder, a plunger therein, a spring upon the plunger normally out of engagement with the end of the cylinder and adapted to be brought into engagement there with when the pressure of air in the cylinder is diminished. V

4; An air-cushioning device for vehicles be interposed between the body of the vehicle and its running-gear, comprising an aircylinder associated with one of such parts of the vehicle, a plunger in such cylinder such plunger and cylinder adapted to exib'le coact to'normallycarry the load and a connection between the plunger and the other of such parts.

5. In an air-cushion for vehicles the combination of an air-cylinder, a plunger in suc cylinder, a spring on each side of such plunger, the one withln the air-chamber normally not under tension, the one on the other side ofthe plunger being adapted to form a conplunger and one of the nection between the parts of the vehicle to be cushioned.

6. In an air-cushion for'vehicles the combination of a floating bolster, a cylinder on such bolster having a removable cap and adapted to form a support for the vehiclebody, a plunger in the cylinder and a connection between the plunger and the runninggear of" the vehicle.

7. In an air-cushion for vehicles the combisu'ch bolster having a removable cap and adapted to form a support for the vehiclebody, a plunger in the cylinder, and an elastic support between the plunger and the runninggear of the vehicle,

8. In an air-cushion for vehicles the combination of a floating bolster, a cylinder on such bolster, a bearing-plate on the cylinder adapted'to provide a sliding bearing for the vehicle-body, a plunger in such cylinder, and a flexible support interposed between the plunger andthe running-gear of the vehicle. 9. In an air-cushion forvehicles the combination of a floating bolster, a cylinder on such bolster, a .bearing plate on the cylinder ada ted to provide a sliding bearin vehicle-body, a plunger in such cy inder, a flexible support interposedbetween the plunerandthe running-gear a device adapted to of the floating bolster.

10. In an air-cushioning device for vehicles the combination of a floating bolster, an airoushion interposed between such bolster an the running-gear of the vehicle, and a device for limiting the upward travel of the bolster comprising a bolt and an elastic device thereon adapted to be put under tension when the bolster is raised. V

for the of the vehicle, and limit the upward travel a cylinder on v 11. In an air-cushioningde'vice forvehicles the plun ers and the running-gear of the vethe combination of a fioatlng bolster with a hicle, an a support for the vehicle-body cencylinder at each end, sliding bearings for the trally of the bolster. I5

vehicle-body on such cylinders, plungers in 13. In a cushion device for vehicles, the

g the cylinders, and flexible connections becombination of an air-cushion to normally tween the plungers and the running-gear of carry the load, with an auxiliaryspring adaptthe vehicle. ed to provide an elastic support when the 12. In an air-cushioning device for vehicles pressure of air is diminished in the cushion. 20

the combination of a floatini bolster with a MURILLO DOWNER.

o cylinder at each end, sliding earings for the Witnesses:

vehicle-body on such cylinders, plunger-s in 'HOMER L. KRAFT, the cylinders, flexible connections between PEROIVAL W. TRUMAN.

Images