US850202A - Slack-adjuster. - Google Patents

Description

No. 850,202. 7 1 PATENTED APB.16,1907.

'0. 0. ANDERSON.

SLACK ADJUSTER.

APPLICATION IILEDJUNE'I, 1906. 1

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Witnesses% y, 1 Jig PATENTED APR. 16, 1907.

C. 0. ANDERSON. SLACK ADJUSTER.

AY'PLIOATION FILED JUNE 7, 1906.

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Witnesses r'" No. 850,202. 1 PATENTED'APR. 1'6, 190?.

c. o. ANDERSON.

SLACK ADJUSTER.

APPLIQLTION FILED JUNE 7, 1906.

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IUNITED -sTAgns PATENT FFIOE.

CHARLES O. ANDERSON, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO A. T. AUSTIN, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

SLACK-ADJUSTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 16, 1907.

Application filed June 7.1906. Serial No. 320.520.

To all 10/1/0711, it natty concern-.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES O. ANDER- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Omaha, county of Douglas, and State of Nebraska, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Slack-Adjusters, of which the following is a description.

My invention relates to means for auto-- matically adjusting the members or taking up the slack in brake-rigging, and may be advantageously employed upon any of the usual kinds of hand or power operated brakes.

The object 'of my invention is to provide a simple, accurate, and durable. device of the kind described and one requiring practically no attention, except when it is necessary to renew the brake-shoes.

To this end my invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement, and com.- bination of parts, herein shown andde scribed, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein like or similar reference characters indicate like or corresponding parts, Figure 1 is a plan view of the mechanism, showing it in operative relation to one form of brake-beams. Fig. 2 is a section taken substantially on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an end elevation. Fig. 4 is an elevation taken from the opposite end. Fig. 5 is a plan view of a slightlymodified form of my device. Fig. 6 is a plan view ofa modified form of my device, showing the same applied to connect the brakelevers of a railway-car. Fig. 7 is a section taken substantially on line 7 7 of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a section taken substantially on line 8 8 of Fig. 6. Fig. 9 is an end elevation of the form shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 10 is another slightly-modified form of my device.

While my improvement may be adapted to substantially any kind of brake-rigging upon any style of vehicle, I have shown in the drawings, Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, a form particularly applicable to a well-known form of street-car brake-rigging and in the remaining figures a form which may be conveniently employed upon the ordinary brake mechanism used upon steam-railways and the heavier class of electric railways.

In the forms shown in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, 1 and 2 are transversely-extended beams of the brake-rigging, 1 being the beam. to

which the brake-shoes are attached at one end of the car or truck, and 2 being a beam which is connected by means of side rods or equivalent means with a beam at the opposite end of the car or truck similar to and carrying the brake-shoes, the same as the beam 1. In operation the beams 1 and 2 move toward each other as the brakes are applied and separate or move away from each other when the brakes are released, the latter movement being in some cases assisted by the use of the well-known release-springs. (Not shown.) Obviously, as the brake shoes and other parts become worn in service unless the parts are almost constantly adjusted a greater movement of the beams 1 and 2 is required to apply the brakes, and my device is provided to make such adjustment to the parts before the change in movement of the beams becomes noticeable. The beam 1 is connected to the operating mechanism by which the brakes are applied by a lever 3, pivotally attached to the beam l by means of a part 4 and to the operating mech anism by a rod 5 or other suitable connection. The lever 3 is also connected to the beam 2 by means of a pin 6 and clevis 7, which embraces both the beams, as shown. Any suitable means may be employed to adjust the operative length of the clevis 7. As shown, a screw Sis provided at the closed end of the clevis extending longitudinally thereof, with one end in position to engage the beam 2, and thus control the distance between the beam 2 and the pin 6. The position of the screw 8 may be automatically adjusted in any suitable manner to control the relative position of the bars 1 and 2. In the form shown a shaft or rod 9 is slidably mounted in suitable bearings 10 and 11 upon the clevis 7, and a bracket 12, having a part 14 positioned in the path of the lever 3, is rigidly attached to the shaft 9. A collar 15 is mounted near the 0pposite end of the shaft 9 to limit the movement or the shaft toward the bearing 11, and

a spring 16 or equivalent means is provided, tending normally to maintain the shaft and associate part at the limit of their movement toward the bearing 11. A transverse slot 17 is provided near the end of the clevis 7, and a ratchet-wheel 18 is mounted within the slot 17 upon the screw 8, suitable means being provided to provent rotation between the screw and the ratchet-wheel. A bell-crank 19 20 is pivotally mounted upon the clevis 7 at 2 1, with its arm 19 attached to apart 22 upon the collar and with a hook-shaped dog 23, provided near the free end of the arm 20, arranged to engage the teeth upon the ratchet-wheel when the bell-crank 19 is oscillated and rotate the ratchet-wheel 18 and screw 8, a fixed pawl 24 being also provided to prevent any backward movement of the ratchetwheel.

Under normal conditionthat is, with the brake-rigging properly adjusted the movements of the lever 3 to set or release the brakes will not disturb the bracket 12 or other associated parts of my device. When, however, through wear or other cause the movements of the beams 1 and 2 become excessive, the increased movement of the lever 13 to setthe brakes will cause the lever to engage the part 14 of the bracket 12, which is preferably provided with an adj Listing-screw 25, thereby moving the shaft 9 in the direction of the bearing 10 against the tension of the spring 16 until the dog 23 has passed one or more teeth upon the ratchet-wheel and setting the mechanism in position to operate to take up slack as soon as the brakes are re leased, thus permitting the spring to move the parts back to their normal position, ro-

tating the screw to bring the beams 1. and 2 toward each other.

In the form shown in Fig. 5 the spring 16 is omitted, and a shoulder 26 is provided upon the bracket 12 in position to be engaged by the lever 3 when the same is in release position to hold the parts of my device in proper normal position. When so constructed, the device is set by excessive movement of the lever 3 to set the brakes and operated to take up the slack by the lever 8 when moving to release the brakes engaging the. shoulder 26 and forcing theparts into their normal position as before.

In Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9 my device is shown attached to and forming a part of the bot tom rod in a common form of brake-rigging employed upon steam-roads and the like. In this form the clevis 7, which may be considerably shortened, as shown, is preferably attached directly to the live lever 27, and the screw 8 is formed upon the end of the bottom rod 28, the opposite end of which may be attached to the dead lever 29 in the usual or any desired manner. In this form in place of rotating the screw by the movements of the ratchet-Wheel 18 the center of the wheel is suitably threaded and turnsupon the screw, the opening in the clevis 7 being smooth and of suitable size to permit free longitudinal movement between the screw and clevis. The form of bracket 12 and position of the screw 25 is also altered to suit the changed conditions, and the dog 23 and pawl 24. are formed to rotate the ratchet- Wheel 18 in the opposite direction, the remaining portions of the device remaining substantially the same as heretofore de scribed, except that it is arranged to operate upon the opposite movement of the parts.

The form shown in Fig. 10 operates substantially the same as the form just described, but is somewhat simplified in that the bearings 10 and 11, shaft 9, and collar 15 are entirely dispensed with and the bracket 12 is attached directly to or formed integral with the arm 19 of the bell-crank 19 20, the operation being the same as heretofore described.

My device, as heretofore explained, maybe employed with any form of brakerigging; but in order to secure the best results in each particular form slight modifications in the construction and arrangement of the parts may often be desirable, and it is obvious that various slight or immaterial modifications may be made in my device without departing from the spirit of my invention. Hence I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact form and construction shown.

Having thus described the preferred form of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a slack-adjuster for brake-rigging, an adjustable clevis adapted to connect a pivoted lever of the brake-rigging to other parts of said rigging, means for controlling the operative length of said clevis, and means positioned in the path of said pivoted lever for controlling the operation of said adjusting means.

2. In a slack-adjuster for brake-rigging, an adjustable clevis adapted to connect a pivoted lever of the brake-rigging to other parts of said rigging, means for controlling the operative length of said clevis and means mounted upon said clevis with a part positioned in the path of said lever for control ling the operation of said adjusting means.

3. In a slack-adjuster for brake-rigging, an adjustable clevis adapted to connect a pivoted lever of the brake-rigging to other portions of therigging, com rising a member provided with a longitudina o ening, a screw fitted to said opening, and y its position controlling the operative length of the clevis, a ratchet mounted upon said screw and adapted to operate the same and means positioned in the path of said lever for o erating said ratchet when the movement 0 said lever exceeds a certain limit.

4. In a'slack-adjuster for brake-rigging, an adjustable clevis adapted to connect a pivoted lever of the brake-rigging to other parts of the rigging, comprising a member provided with a longitudinal opening, a screw fitted to said opening and by its osition controlling the operative length 0 said clevis, and means positioned in the path of said lever for changing the position of said screw when the movement of said lever exceeds a certain limit.

In a slack-adjuster for brake-rigging, an adjustable clevis adapted to connect a pivoted lever of the brake-rigging to other portions of said rigging, comprising a member provided with a longitudinal opening, a screw fitted to said opening and by its position controlling the operative length of said clevis, a screw-threaded ratchet mounted upon said screw and engaged by said member, whereby the longitudinal position of said screw in said opening is controlled by said ratchet, and means positioned in the path of said lever for rotating said ratchet.

6. In a slack-adjuster for brake-rigging, the combination with two beams and an operating-arm pivoted on one of the same, of a connecting member pivoted to said arm, a screw operating in the connecting member and engaged with the second beam, a ratchet adapted to operate the screw, a pawl coacting with the ratchet, an elbow-lever pivoted to the ratchet, a sliding member having connection with theelbow-lever, a bracket at tached to said sliding member and adapted to be engaged by said operating-arm upon excessive movement of the same, and means adapted to operate said pawl.

7. In a slack-adjuster for brake-rigging, the combination with two brake-beams and an operating-arm pivoted to one, of a clevis pivoted to the operating-arm connected to the second beam, a screw operating. in the clevis, and means for automatically operating the screw to take up the slack in the brake-rigging.

S. In a slack-adjuster for brake-rigging, the combination with two brake-beams and an operating-armpivoted to one, of a clevis pivoted to the arm and connected to the second beam, a screw operating in the clevis, a

ratchet mounted upon the screw to operate the same, and means operated by the excess ive movement of said arm for turning the ratchet.

9. In a slack-adjuster for brake-rigging,

the combination with two brake-beams and an arm pivoted to one, of a clevis pivoted to the arm and connected to the second beam, a screw operating in the yoke, a ratchet mounted on the screw, a pawl coacting with the ratchet, a lever carrying the pawl to operate the same, and devices in connection with the lever for operating .it upon excessive movement of said arm of the brake-rigging. 10. In a slack-adjuster for brake-rigging, the combination with two brake-beams and an arm pivoted to one, of a clevis pivoted to the arm and connected to the second beam, a screw operating in the clevis, a ratchet mounted on the screw, a pawl coacting with the ratchet, a levercarrying the pawl to operate the same, and devices in connection with the lever for operating it upon excessive movement of said arm of the brake-rigging, said devices comprising a sliding member having connection with the elbow-lever, a bracket attached to said sliding member and having shoulders lying at opposite sides of the arm, whereby to move the sliding member upon excessive movement of the arm, and means For returning said sliding member to its normal position upon releasing the brake.

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

CHARLES O. ANDERSON.

/Vitnesses:

A. A. MGCLURE, M, ENGLER.

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