US1131420A - Air-controlling valve. - Google Patents

Description

H. L. RIDER. AIR CONTROLLING VALVE. APPLICATION 11.21: ooT. 21, 1913.

1,1 3 1 ,420. Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

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H. L. RIDER. AIR CONTROLLING VALVE. APPLICATION FILED OUT. 21, 1913.

13 1 ,420. Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

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UNITED STATES PATENT UFFlCE.

HARRY L. RIDER, OF OIL CITY, PENNSYLVANIA.

AIR-CONTROLLING VALVE.

Application filed October 21, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY L. RIDER, a citizen of the United States residing at Oil City, in the county of Venango and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in AirControlling Valves, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in aircontrolling valves, and relates particularly to that type of valve employed in connection with railway signaling systems and used for automatically applying the air-brakes of the train in event the engineer fails to observe a stop signal displayed against the train.

These valves are sometimes designated in the art as air-release valves, and the broad object of my invention is to provide a valve of this type having a piston normally mechanically held in position to shut off the escape of air from the train line, but which piston is normally under train-line air pressure whereby the movement of the piston whenoperated will be rapid and effective to promptly exhaust air from the train line to apply the brakes of the train.

A further object of the invention is to provide a valve of this type with means for automatically returning the piston of the valve to normal position so as to shut off the escape of air from the train line.

With the above and other objects in view which will hereinafter more fully appear as the invention is described in detail, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter specifically described and then claimed, and in describing the mvention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and wherein like numerals of reference will be employed to designate like parts throughout the dilferent views of the drawings in which Figure 1 is partially in side elevation and partially in vertical section of an air controlling valve constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the valve seat of the valve mechanism, the air chest with which the train line communicates being removed. Fig. 3 is an underneath plan View of the valve removed from the air chest. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional View of a part of the cylinder of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 9, 1915.

Serial No. 796,506.

controlling valve. Fig. 5 is a detail side elevation of the trip lever and its support. Fig. 6 is a view in side elevation of a controlling valve partially in section and partially broken away showing a modified form of construction in which the piston is returned to normal position by means of a spring in lieu of the air-return form shown in Fig. 1, and, Fig. 7 is a similar view of an air controlling valve showing how the device may be constructed to utilize either air or a spring or both air and the spring for returning the piston to normal position.

In connection with railway signals wherein means is provided for automatically applying the air brakes of a train in event the engineer disregards a stop signal, it is the practice to provide means (such as a valve mechanism) carried by the engine, and which has a trip or lever adapted to be engaged by a track instrument for operating the valve mechanism to apply the brakes. The track instrument is under control of the signal, so that normally, that is when the signal is clear, the instrument is held out of the way of the trip or lever of the traincarried valve mechanism.

The present invention is confined to the valve mechanism per 86, and since it may be employed with various forms of track instruments the latter is not shown or described in detail in this application, a track instrument such as shown and described in mv application, Serial No. 480,506 being applicable for the actuation of the trip or lever of the device. Devices of the character herein involved are suitably supported at a desirable point on the engine, and they are so located in practice, that the engineer has no control over same during the running of the train, that is, should the brakes be automatically applied by the device, the engineer cannot during the continued running of the train, reset the device, but must dismount from the engine in order to gain access to the device to reset same that the train may proceed.

The embodiment of the device herein shown consists of a cylinder 10 at the upper end of which is a valve chest 11 in communi cation with the train pipe 1:2 through a suitable connection, as pipe 14:, so that train line pressure normally obtains in the chamber 15 of the valve chest 11. The train pipe 12 is in communication with the engineers valve (not shown) through pipe 16. The bottom 17 of the valve chest 11 constitutes the upper head of the cylinder l0,'and also forms a valve seat through which is a port 18 establishing communication between the chamber and the chamber 19 in the cylinder 10. This valve seat 17 is also provided with grooves .40, 21, 22 and 23 respectively, the said grooves extending transversely of the bottom though of less length than the transverse width of the bottom, and being equally spaced from each other.

Mounted in the chamber 15 of the valve chest 11 is a valve 21 provided on the lower face thereof with channels or cavities 25 and 26 and which valve is also provided at one end with a stem or valve rod 28 which projects through a casing 27 carried by the valve chest 11 and is preferably provided at its outer end with a button or knob 29. Suitable packing 30 is provided in the casing 27 to prevent air from leaking along the rod, and on said rod within the casing 27, between a collar or abutment 31 on the rod and the inner end of the casing, is a spring 32, the function of which is to normally hold the valve 24 in the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

In the cylinder 10 is a piston 33, the rod 3% of which projects downwardly through the lower head 35 of the cylinder and is pro vided on its lower end with a head 86, the lower face of which head is preferably made segment-shaped as best shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings, and which bears upon the rounded upper end of the tripping lever or element 37. This tripping lever or element 37 is pivotally-hung in a suitable hanger 38 depending from the lower head 35 of the cylinder 10. The said tripping element is adapted to be engaged by the track instrument 39 and when so engaged be rocked on its pivot to remove the upper end from under the head 36 of the piston rod, and allow the air on top of the piston 33 to force the latter downward and permit escape of air from the train line to apply the brakes.

Tapped into one side of the cylinder 1.0 is a pipe 40 which at its outer end communicates with a tank 41 having a capacity sufficient to retain. enough air for utilization as means for returning the piston to normal or running'position, as will be hereinafter more fully described. In the pipe +10 is a check valve 42 to prevent air flowing back from tank 41 to the cyl nder 10 when communication is established between the said tank and cylinder, and'a globe valve 413 for regulating the quantity of air passing to the tank 11. The pipe -10 it is to be noted, communicates with the cylinder 10 at a point where the piston 33 normally acts as a valve to close the inlet end of the pipe t0 as clearlyseen in Figs. 1, 6 and 7 of the drawings.

A relief valve 4 1 is carried by the tank 41 1 said head into the chamber 19 through which all air in excess of the amount necessary for the return of the piston to normal position escapes to the atmoshere. With the apparatus as constructed in the illustration given in Fig. 1, the entrapped air in the tank 451 is led to the chamber 19 of the cylinder 10 (such chamber being below the piston 33) by a pipe 45 leading from the tank 41 to and connecting with a port a6 extending inwardly from one 2' side edge of the bottom plate or valve seat 17 of the valve chest 11 and communicating with groove 22 in said valve seat. In the same side edge of the valve seat 17 is a port 47 which, at its inner end, communicates with groove 21 of said valve seat, and at its outer end communicates with a vertical port as formed in a boss 19 on the wall of the cylinder 10, the port 18 at its lower end comiminicating with an inwardly-leading port 50 in the cylinder head and opening upwardly at its inner end through of the cylinder 10. An exhaust port 51 is also provided in the valve seat 17 of the valve chest which port communicates with the groove 20 of said valve seat.

Since the device is adapted to automatically set the air brakes if the engineer disregards a danger or stop signal, it is obvious that provision must be made so that the engineer has no control over the brakes until he stops his train and resets the device after operation by the track instrument. To accomplish this. I close the pipe 16 by providing a T 52 in the pipe 10 with which I connect pipe 54: leading to the engineers brake valve pipe 16, interposing between the pipe 5 1 and pipe 16, a check valve 55 which inav be of any desired or approved form.

With the device connected up and arranged as shown in Fig. 1, it will be observed that with the valve 24 in the position shown, train line pressure obtains in the chamber 19 above piston 83, by reason of port 18 in valve seat 1'? being open, the piston 33 being held in this position by the pivoted lever 37. In this position of the piston 33, the inlet end of pipe -10 is closed so that no air can pass to the tank 41. Then, however, in event the track instrument 39 is set so as to engage the trip lever 37, the said lever is rocked to one side, thus removing the support for the piston 33 and rod 3 1, allowing the piston to drop, such movement of the piston being accelerated by the pressure of air on top thereof, uncovering the inlet to pipe i0, and allowing the air from the train line to pass through pipe to, check valve 42, globe valve 43 and into tank 41 and escapes to the atmosphere through the safety or relief valve 4 1 which is set to allow the train line to blow down to the desired pressure, this exhaust of air from the train line applying the brakes in the usual manner. The relief valve 44 is adjusted'so as to retain a sutlicient quantity of air in the tank ll for the return of the apparatus to running position, or in other words, utilized to reset the apparatus ready for the next operation. To reset the apparatus, the engineer pushes the rod :28 inwardly until channel or passage in valve 2% registers with port 18 and groove 20 and channel or passage 26 registers with grooves 21, 22. This movement of the valve 2% closes port 18 to the train line air shutting off air pressure from the chamber 19 above the piston, and permitting the air which is in said chamber to escape to the atmosphere through port 18, channel. or passage 25, groove 20 and eX- haust port 51. At the same time, the entrapped air in the tank 41 leaves the tank by way of pipe and enters the valve seat through port 46 and groove 22, and escapes from said groove through channel or passage 26 and port 4-? to port a8 and through port into chamber 19 below the piston,

and pressure'of air having been relieved from the top of the piston, this air admitted into the cylinder below the piston, raises the latter to normal position, and the engineer resets lever 37 in its vertical or normal position. On relieving the pressure which has been applied to the valve rod or stem 28 to shift the valve 24 as above described, the spring 32 returns the valve 24 to its normal position, so that port 18 is again opened, channel or passage 25 registers with grooves 20 and 21 and channel or passage 26 registers with grooves 22 and 23, and train line air again enters chamber 19 on top of the piston 33 so as to force the head 36 firmly upon trip lever 37. The piston is now in its normal position again, and the air which was admitted to chamber 19 for resetting the piston is free to exhaust through ports 50, 48, L7, groove 21, channel or passage 25, groove 20 and port 51 to the atmosphere.

, It will be noted that by the use of pipe 5st and check valve 55 thebrake pipe is out of the control of the engineer when an automatic application of the brakes is made by the track instrument, since some of the train line air passing from chamber 19 when the device is operated, passes into pipe S l'and closes check valve 55 shutting off communication between the engineers valve and the train line, absolutely assuring a stopping of the train by the automatic application of the brakes. i

lVith the construction shown in Fi g. 6, the connection with the train line is the same as that shown in Fig. 1 and above described, though in this construction I dispense with the tank and all the cooperating means for entrapping and utilizing a quantity of the air for returning the piston to normal position. In lieu thereof, I provide a spring 56 on the piston rod as between the piston 33 andhead 35 andmountthe safety or relief valve 44: directly on the end of pipe 40. With this construction, when the valve 2% is forced inwardly so as to close port 18. the

p g 56 overcomes the pressure of the smallamount oi air remaining in chamber 19 and returns piston 33 to normal position. so that the trip lever 37 may be positioned under the head 36 to hold the piston elevated. The parts'being otherwise the same, the same reference numerals have been applied thereto.

Tn Fig. 7, I show the device equipped so that either air or the spring, or both, may be utilized for the return of the piston to nor mal position, or in other words for the resetting of the apparatus. In this arrangement, the construction is identical with Fig. .l, with the addition of the spring 56 employed in the form shown in Fig. 6, and the fur-- ther addition of a globe valve 57 in the pipe 5. \Vith this construction, when utilizing the spring 56 alone to return the piston 33 to normal position, the globe valve 57 is closed so as to shut off the flow of air from the tank 41 to chamber 1H and when using the air for return of the piston, this valve is opened so as to permit passage of air from the tank 4-] to the chamber 19 and the later exhaust of this air in the same manner as described for the construction shown in Fig. 1.

By providing the check valve 42 air is prevented from flowing back into the cylinder and the globe valve 4-3 permits of a reg ulation of the air so as to produce a slow setting of the brakes, an ordinary service application, an intermediate application, or an emergency application as may be desired.

The provision of the means for resetting the apparatus relieves the engineer or" any trouble whatever in again placing the parts in position so that he may proceed with his train under caution until he determines whether the succeeding signal block is clear.

While I have herein described in detail the preferable embodiments of the invention as the same has been practised by me, yet it is obvious that various changes in the details of construction may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. In an air controlling valve for air brakes, the combination. with a train line, a cylinder in communication therewith, a piston in said cylinder, an air outlet from said cylinder, a pivotally-supported. trip lever supporting the piston to normally hold the piston in position to close said outlet, a valve adapted when actuated to close communication between the train line and the cylinder, and constituting a means for returning the piston to normal position to permit resetting of the'trip-lever and means'for closing com munication between the'train line and brakepipe when said cylinder outlet is opened.

2. In an air controlling valve for air brakes, a cylinder in communication with the air brake train'line, a piston in said cyl inder having the rod thereof extending through the lower end of the cylinder, means pivotally suspended beneath thecyl inder for supporting the piston and normally holding said piston in an elevated position, means for shutting off thetrain line air pressure from the cylinder,- means' for returning the piston to itsnormal position after the cylinder is shut off from train line air pressureconsisting of a valve adapted to be actuated to close communication between the train line and said cylinder, and means for closing communication between the train line and brake-pipe when said cylinder outlet is opened.

3. In an air controlling valve for air brakes, an air receiving cylinder normally in open communication with the train line of the brake system and having an outlet port, means within the cylinder for closing said outlet port, pivotally-supported means beneath the cylinder for normally supporting the port closing means in closing position, a valve adapted to be actuated to close communication between the train line and said cylinder to return the port-closing means to normal position to permit re-setting said pivotally-supported means, and means for closing communication between the train line and brake-pipe when said cylinder outlet is opened.

4. In an air controlling valve for automatic application of air brakes, the combination with the train line and the brake pipe of a brake system, of a cylinder nor mally in communication with the train line and having an outlet, a piston in said cylinder normally held in position to close said outlet and normally subjected to train line air pressure, a piston rod, a trip lever engaging the piston rod and holding said piston in normal position, means for closing communication between the train line and the cylinder when the trip-lever is actuated to permit movement of the piston and consequent opening of the cylinder outlet, and means for closing communication between the train line and the brake pipe of the brake system when said cylinder outlet is opened.

5. In means for automatically applying air brakes, the combination with the train line and the brake-pipe of an air brake system, of an air receiving cylinder normally in communication with the train line and having an outlet port, means for keeping saidport 'normally' closed, a Iid IhanS where'- by'" when said outlet is opened, communication between the brakepipe and the train lineisclosed thus relieving the engineer of brakecontrol and insuring an automatic application of the brakes by the track device.

6. In means for automatically applying air brakes, the combination with the train line and the'brake pipe of an air brake systerm in communication one with the other, of an air receiving cylinder normally in communication' with the train line and having an outlet, a piston in said cylinder normally closing said cylinder outlet and normally subjected to' train line air pressure, means for normally holding said piston stationary and in a position to close said cylinder outlet, means for closing communication between the train line and the cylinder when the piston holding means is released and the piston is permitted to move in the cylinder to uncover the cylinder outlet, and means for automatically closing communication between the train line and brake pipe when the cylinder outletis opened.

7 In means for automatically applying air brakes, the combination with the train line of an air brake system, of an air receiving cylinder normally in communication with said train line and having an outlet, a piston in said cylinder, means for normally holding said piston in position to close said outlet, means for closing communication between the train line and said cylinder when the piston holding means is released and the piston has been permitted to move to uncover said outlet, and means for automatically returning said piston to normal position when communication between the train line and the cylinder has been closed.

8. In means for automatically applying air brakes, the combination with the train line and the brake pipe of an air brake system, of an air receiving cylinder normally in communication with the train line and having an outlet, a piston in the cylinder for normally closing said outlet, a trip-lever for holding said piston in normal position, a manually-operable valve for closing communication between the train line and cylinder after the trip lever has been actuated to permit movement of the piston and the resultant opening of the cylinder outlet, and means for closing communication between the train line and the brake pipe of the brake system when said cylinder outlet is opened.

In testimony whereof I alfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY L. RIDER.

Witnesses:

J. D. TRAX, l/VM. M. PARKER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C.

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