US847453A - Ice-remover. - Google Patents

Description

No. 847,453. PATENTED MAR. 19. 1907.

v G. P. AYERS.

ICE REMOVER. APPLICATION FILED n. so. 1900,

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t i 3 "f 7 TE 2 PATBNTBD MAR. 19

Nor I G. P. AYERS.

ICE RBMOVER.

' APPLICATION FILED APR. 30, 1906.

GERALD P. AYERS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ICE-REMOVER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 19, 1907.

Application filed Apri 30, 1906. Serial No- 314,393.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, GERALD P. AYERs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ice-Removers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in ice-removers, and more particularly to an ice-remover adapted to, remove ice from third rails of electric railways.

I'Ieretofore considerable difficulty has been encountered by the accumulation of ice upon third rails of electric railways, which ofttimes forms to such an extent as to seriously delay or entirely stop traffic. Various scraping devices attached to the car have been resorted to to remove the ice; but these are generally inefficient when the ice is solid on the rails, in which case it has been necessary for workmen to precede the train and break up or loosen the ice with hammers or the like. This method is not only costly, but is also very slow and causes great inconvenience to travel.

The object of this invention is to provide power-operated means adapted to be attached to the motor-car and to break up the ice and remove it from the rail as the car moves along the track, thereby not only greatly reducing the expense, but greatly economizing in time.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described, and more fully pointed out and defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a car provided with an iceremover embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same. Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the car-trucks and attached ice-remover. Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of the remover. Fig. 5 is a bottom plan or face view of the hammer, and Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the hammer at the lower limit of its movement and showing the rail in section.

As shown in said drawings, A represents a car of any preferred construction, and A represents one of the trucks thereof, the equalizing-bars a of which are each provided with an insulator-bar a, on which at the rear end thereof is a contact-shoe A of any preferred construction, through which the current is transmitted to the motor A At the forward ends of said equalizing-bars a and separated therefrom by said insulator-bars are the ice-removers B, each of which, as shown, comprise a pneumatic cylinder of any preferred construction which is rigidly engaged to said equalizing-bar and insulator by means of apertured lugs 12 b integral with said cylinder and through which said cylinder is rigidly bolted to the bar. A supplypipe 19 leads from a main pressure-pipe B, connected with the main pressure-cylinder of the brake system (not shown) through the motormans cab and downwardly to near each cylinder 1), to which it is connected by means of a rubber hose or the like 6 thereby insulating the pipes from the cylinder. Said pipes b are provided in the motormans cab wlth controlling-valves b, by means of which the passage of air to said cylinders is controlled. The piston-rod projects from the lower end of said cylinder directly above the third rail, and rigidly engaged thereon is the head or hammer C, which, as shown, comprises a rigid block of metal of a width ap proximately equal to the width of the railhead and of any preferred length. The face of said hammer, as shown more clearly in Figs. 4 and 6, is curved upwardly at its end and is provided throughout the length thereof with a plurality of sharpridges or edges 0, which, as shown, extend diagonally across said face to enable the same to more readily break the ice from the top of the rail, though obviously any other desired configuration for the face of said hammer may be provided.

Intermediate the contact-shoe A and the ice-remover B is the scraper or brush D, of any desired or usual construction, adapted to remove any particles of ice which may be left upon the rail after the passage of the hammer C, thereby leaving the rail clean for the passage of the contact-shoe.

The operation is as follows: Inasmuch as the ice-remover is detachably engaged upon the car, it is obvious that when not required it may be removed and stored away or carried within the car, as preferred. When, however, it is desired to utilize the same, it is attached to the equalizer-bar of the truck, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and is connected with the air-supply or other power used in operating the same. By means of the valve 1) in the supply-pipe the hammer may be set in motion, and the throw thereof is such that when at its lower limit it just contacts the top of the rail E, thereby cutting through the ice for its entire thickness. Owing to the rapid reciprocation of the hammer, the ice is thoroughly chopped or broken from the top of the rail, and such particles thereof as are not thrown oif by the action of the hammer are removed by the passage of the scraper or brush D, thereby leaving the rail thoroughly cleaned.

While I have shown my device operated by pneumatic power, it is obvious that, if preferred, it may be operated by electric or any motive power used to drive the car, and obviously the car may be provided at each end with the remover B to enable the car to be run in either direction without turning around.

I claim as my invention v 1. In an ice-remover the combination with a ear-truck of a power-operated hammer carried thereon directly above the third rail and means for operating said hammer to force it downwardly into close contact with the top of the rail.

2. In an ice-remover the combination with a car-truck of a hammer supported thereon above the third rail and having its ends rounded on the under face and means for reciprocating said hammer.

3. In an ice-remover for third rails, the combination with a car-truck of a verticallyreciprocating hammer carried thereon and adapted to break ice from the rail said hammer having an elongated roughened face curved upwardly at the ends.

4. In a device of the class described the combination with a car of a verti rally-reeip rocating hammer carried on the truck thereof an elongated head on said hammer extending longitudinally of the third rail and having its ends rounded on the under face and means for operating said hammer.

5. In a device of the class described the combination with a car of a pneumatic cylinder carried thereon, a reciprocating piston in said cylinder, an elongated hammer on the end thereof provided with a roughened face and upwardly-curved ends and a pressurepipe adapted to supply power to said cylinder.

6. In a device of the class described the combination with a car and the trucks thereof, of a pneumatic cylinder engaged on the side of the trucks above the third rail, a reciprocating piston in said cylinder, an elongated hammer thereon extending longitudinally of the rail, means for supplying air to said cylinder and a valve controlling the air-supply.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GERALD P. AYERS.

WVitnesses W. W. WITHENBURY, W. O. BARNHART.

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