Suiter Swantz IP takes a look back at past inventions and inventors with our Patent Of The Day.
On this day in 1895, Howard H. Sessions was granted U.S. Patent No. 515,555 for a CAR BRAKE.
This invention relates to certain improvements in car brakes; and the object of this invention is to provide a powerful brake which can be applied without injurious shock or jar from either end of the car, and so constructed that if one or more of the parts break, the uninjured parts will still be effective to stop the car or train.
The improvements relate more particularly to the brake gear, said gear of being of that class generally designated “friction gear”and comprising in this improved construction two disks fixed upon the axle of the car truck and two disks loosely mounted and capable of sliding thereon, the sliding disks being moved by forcing between them a wedgeface disk, the later being mounted so as to swing on a horizontal axis and which may be actuated either by hand or by power, but a special construction has been provided of operating mechanism for applying the brake from a cab on the car roof. The trucks at each end of the car are preferably provided with friction gear and connect the gearing at opposite ends of the car by a chain, cable or other flexible connecting means which shall be adapted to be taken up and paid out by the setting or releasing of the brakes, said chain being connected with and adapted to move the brakes so as to force them against the wheels, their release being effected, preferably, by weight normally tending to move them away from the wheels. Of course the several cars of the train may have their brakes connected so that the application of the brake upon one car shall set all of those upon the train.
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