US2198571A - Locomotive - Google Patents

Description

April 23, 1.940. T. v. BUCKWALTER LOCOMOTIVE Filed Sept. l, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 /1//5 #Trop/verf.

April 23, 1940.

T. V. BUCKWALTER LOCOMOTIVE Filed Sept. l, 1958 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 PI''23, 1940- T. v. BUCKWALTER 2,198,571

LOCOMOTIVE Filed Sept. 1, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 E ai@ Patented Apr. 23, 1940 y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE to The Timken Roller Bearing Company,

Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application September 1, 1938, Serial No. 227,870

7 Claims. (Cl. 105-48) This invention relates to locomotivesparticularly steam locomotives. It has for its principal objects to provide means responsive to the speed of rotation of the driving wheels of the locomotive for automatically suspending the steam supply in the event that the driving wheel slip when running at high speeds, that is, rotate at predetermined speed in'excess of the fastest operating service speed to provide for incorporating the speed responsive means in the locomotive without material alteration thereof; and to attain other advantages hereinafter appearing. The invention consists in the locomotive and in the construction, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinaft-er described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a locomotive embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of the upper portion of the locomotive, with parts of the boiler and smoke box being shown broken away, y

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical cross-section through the smoke box on the line 3 3 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary horizontal section through the rear driving axle and one of the wheels therefor on the line 4 4 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical crosssection on the line 5 5 in Fig. 4, the governor being shown in inoperative position and the pilot valve closed;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section along the governor shaft .on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a cross-section on the line 1 1 in Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a cross-section similar to Fig. 5 on the line V8 8 in Fig. 7, the governor being shown in operative position and the pilot valve open;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary side elevation in the region of the governor actuated,throttle closing cylinder, with the cylinder shown in longitudinal section, and in operative position;

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 9 showing the cylinder in inoperative position; and

Fig. ll is a View showing the cylinder incorporated in the manually operable linkage for operating the dry pipe shut-off valve..

In the accompanying drawings, my invention is shown embodied in a conventional type of steam locomotive comprising a cab I, a steam boiler 2, a dome 3, a smoke box 4, cylinders 5, steam chests 6, a dry pipe 'l leading from said dome to a superheater 8, and steam pipes 9 leading from said superheater to the steam chests of the. respective cylinders. Communication between the boiler 2 and the cylinders 5 is controlled preferably by a rotary main throttle valve I0 located in the superheater 8 and an auxiliary throttle valve II recprocable in an elbow I2 on the rear end of the dry pipe 1. The auxiliary or dry pipe` shut-off valve II is manually operated by a throttle rod I3 having one end located in the cab I and its other end connected to one arm of a bell crank lever -I3a that is fulcrumed in the dome 3 and has its other arm connected to the stem I5 of said valve. The main throttle valve IB is operated by a throttle lever I 6 located in the cab l and provided with .a latch I1 adapted to engage a notched segment or quadrant for holding said lever in any position, bya latch. The throttle lever 56 is connected to an arm I9 on the rotary stem 2G of the main throttle valve IU by means of a throttle rod comprising a forward section 2| connected at its front end to the throttle valve arm I9, a rear section 22 connected at its rear end to said throttle lever and a lever 23 pivoted to the boiler 2 and connecting the adjacent ends of `said sections. This lever compensates for expansion or contraction of the parts due to variations in` temperature.

The locomotive is of the Pacific type, having pair .of main, front and rear driving wheels 24, 25, and 26, respectively, a four wheel leading truck 21 and a two wheel trailing truck 28, all supporting the main frame 29 of the locomotive. The tractive force is transmitted from the cylinder 5 on each side of the locomotive to the driving wheels on that side through the piston rod 30 of the piston (not shown) in said cylinder to a crosshead 3l that is mounted for reciprocating movement in guide bars 32 and is connected by means of a wrist pin 33 to the forward end of a main rod 38 whose rear end is connected to the crank pin 39 of the main driving wheel 2li. The connections between the main driving wheel and the front and rear driving Wheels comprises front and rear side rods Il and 4I Whose adjacent ends are pivotally connected to the main crank pin 39 and whose remote ends are pivotally connected to the crank pins 'i2 and 43, respectively, of said front and rear driving wheels.

According to the present invention, the hereinbefore described locomotive is provided with means responsive to the speed of rotation of the driving wheels of the locomotive for automatically cutting off the supply of steam to the cylinders 5 when said wheels rotate at a predetermined speed above the top or maximum operating speed vas of the locomotive. Said means comprises a uid cylinder 44 that is preferably incorporated in and forms part of the sectional throttle rod that operatively connects the throttle lever I5 to the main throttle valve l0. This cylinder is pivotally connected at one end to the throttle valve arm I9 and has a piston 45 therein whose piston rod 46 extends through a suitable stuffing box 41 in the rear end of said cylinder and forms part of the forward section 2| of the main throttle rod. The piston 45 is normally held against the rear end of the cylinder by means of a coil compression spring 48, which is stiff enough to prevent relative endwise movement of the cylinder and the throttle rod when the latter is manually shifted endwise to regulate the main throttle valve. The connection between the forward end of the cylinder 44 and the throttle valve arm I9 includes a stud 49 having one end threaded into one end of said cylinder and the other end threaded into a jaw member 59 whose branches are pivotally connected to said throttlevalve arm, whereby the relative positions of said arm and cylinder may be adjusted, nuts 5l being provided for locking said stud in the desired position of adjustment. Fluid, preferably air under pressure, is supplied to the cylinder 44 between the rear end thereof and the piston therein so as to cause relative endwise movement between said cylinder and piston, thereby shortening the throttle rod and moving the main throttle valve l to shut-01T position. A stop pin 35 is located in the forward end of the cylinder so as to limit the movement of the piston and air cylinder towards each other.

Air is supplied to the cylinder 44 through a suitable conduit 52 that leads from a governor controlled pilot valve 53 and has a exible section 52a.` that permits relative movement of said cylinder and valve. 'Ihis pilot valve, which is mounted in a housing 54 that is bolted and forms part of the housing 55 of a speed responsive device, seats against aseat B provided therefor atthe inner end of the air inlet passageway 51 of the valve housing and has a stem 58 that is reciprocable in said valve housing` and has an airtight connection With one end of a Sylphon bellows 59 whose opposite end has an air-tight connection with said valve housing. The valve housing is also provided with a discharge passageway Ell that communicates with the conduit 52 leading to the air cylinder 44, and a springclosed valve 60o', adapted to be opened by the pilot valve 53 in the closed position of the latter.

The housing 55 for the speed responsive device is bolted to the housing 6| for the axle 62 of one of the driving wheels (preferablythe rear drive wheels) and has va tubular extension 55a. that extends into said housing through an opening in one side thereof. K Journaled in suitable bearings 63 in the tubular extension 55a is a shaft 64 which is driven from the driving axle 62 by means of a spiral gear 65 thereon that meshes with a spiral gear 66 on said shaft. The shaft 64 projects into a chamber provided therefor in the governor housing 55 and has a spider 51 secured thereto upon which are pivotally supported centrifugal y weights 58 having lugs 68a. thereon adapted to engage the adjacent end of a sleeve 69 that isslidably mounted on said shaft. The axially slidable sleeve 69 has a thrust bearing 10 mounted thereon that has an annular peripheral groove 1| therein adapted to receive a pair of trunnions 'l2 carried by a yoke arm 13 that is pivotally mounted at its lower end on a cross-shaft 14 provided therefor in the lower end of the governor housing 54.

The yoke lever 13 terminates at its upper end in two laterally spaced lugs 15 and 16, respectively. The lug 15 is pivotally connected to the outer end of a pin 11 mounted in a coil compression spring 18 located in a bore 19 provided therefor in the governor housing 55. This spring bears against a shoulder 11a provided therefor on the pin 11 and serves to hold the sleeve 69 in yieldable engagement with the lugs 68a on the centrifugal y weights 68. The spring 18 seats in a recess in the inner end of a stud 80 that is threaded into the spring raceway bore 19 Whereby the tension of said spring may be regulated to control the force required by the governor weights to actuate the sleeve B9. The other lug 15 of the yoke lever 13 has a link connection 8l with the lower end of an arm 82 x-ed to a shaft 83 journaled in the governor housing crosswise of the governor shaft axis. A second arm 84 is fixed to this cross-shaft 83, and is pivotally connected at its outer end to the outer end of the stem 58 of the pilot valve 53.

By the arrangement described, when the locomotive is operating at high speed and the driving wheels slip, that is rotate at aspeed in excess of top operating service speed of the locomotive, the governor weights 68 swing outwardly'due to centrifugal force and actuate the sleeve 69, yoke lever 13 and the two arms 82 and 84 on the crossshaft 83 to open the pilot valve 53 and permit the exhaust valve 60a to close and thus permit air to enter the conduit 52 leading to the air cylinder 44 that forms part of the throttle rod for manually operating the main throttle valve Il). The air, upon entering the cylinder 44, causes relative endwise movement between the cylinder piston 45 therein, which has the effect of shortening said rod and moving said throttle valve to shut-ofi' position. This suspends the supply of steam to the steam cylinders 5 that transmit the tractive force to the driving wheels, thus slowing down the speed of rotation thereof.

When the speed of rotation of the driving wheels falls below the maximum wheel speed for which the governor is set but is stillabove the top operating speed of the locomotive, the governor weights 68 move inwardly and permit the spring 18 to actuate the governor yoke 13 in a direction that will close the pilot valve 53, thereby cutting off the flow of fluid to the air cylinder 44 and opening the exhaust valve 60a and thus permitting the spring 48 to force said cylinder 4forwardly until the rear end thereof abuts against the piston 45 therein. This forward movement of the air cylinder has the elect of lengthening the throttle rod, thereby opening the main throttle valve and permitting steam to again ow to the steam cylinders 5. In the extended position of the spring 48 in the cylinder 44, said spring is strong enough to permit manual operation of the throttle rod without changing the length thereof. When the main throttle valve is closed by the air cylinder 44, the throttle rod is locked against endwise movement by the engagement of the throttle lever I6 with the quadrant I8, whereby the expansion pivot 23 will remain stationary and thus permit the necessary shortening of the linkage by the relative movement between said rair cylinder and the forward section of the throttle rod.

.The primary purpose of the hereinbefore delocomctive at high speeds and thus prevent dam- 4scribed arrangement is to control the slip of the age to the connecting rods and the connecting rod bearings, the slip of the locomotive 'at lower speeds and when starting being readily detected by the engineman and easily controlled in the usual manner by the throttle lever. The above slip control mechanism may be readily incorporated in locomotives Without material alteration thereof. When the governor functions to cut off the steam, smoke will drift over Ithe cab and the feel of the engine will change, so that the engineer will know that the governor has functioned and that the driving wheels are slipping. The engineer will then unlatch and close the throttle. If the speed hasnot dropped below the governed speed, the throttle rod will still be under the tension of the spring 48 in the air cylinder and said spring Will assist in the closing movement of the throttle when the throttle lever is unlatched. If desired, a signal may be placed in the cab and operated by the pilot valvev to warn the engineer that the throttle valve is being closed by the governor.

In the modification shown in Fig. '11, the air cylinder forms part of the throttle rod [3 for actuating the dry pipe shut-off or auxiliary throttle valve ll. In this location of the cylinder i-t operates, upon a predetermined excessive speed of rotation of the driving wheels, to change the length of the rod I3 and thus actuate the bell crank lever |3a to close the valve Il and cut off the supply of steam to the steam cylinders.

Obviously, the hereinbefore described arrangement admits of considerable modification without departing from theinvention. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the precise construction shown and described.

What I claim is:

l. In a locomotive, driving wheels, steam cylinders for driving said wheels, a throttle valve for manually regulating the supply of steam to said cylinders, a fluid actuated device operatively connected' to said throttle valve7 `a valve for controlling the ow of fluid to said fluid actuated 4device to close said throttle valve, and means responsive to the speed of rotation of said Wheels for opening said last mentioned valve at a predetermined speed of rotation of said wheels in excess of the top operating speed of the` locomotive to thereby admit fluid to said iluid actuated device and cause the'latter to close said throttle valve.

2. In a locomotive, driving wheels, steam cylinders foi` driving said wheels, la throttle valve for regulating the supply of steam to said cylinders, manually and iiuid operated means for operating said valve .including a manually operable throttle rod and a fluid cylinder and spring pressed piston therein forming an operative connection between said lrod and Valve adapted to permit manual operation of said valve Without relative axial movement of said cylinder and piston, a valve for admitting fluid to said cylinder to impart relative axial movement to said cylinder and spring pressed piston and thereby close said throttle valve, and means responsive to the speed of rotation of said driving wheels for opening said cylinder valve at a predetermined speed of rotation of said wheel to thereby admit uid to said uid actuated device and cause the latter to close said throttle valve.

3. In a locomotive, a driving axle, a housing therefor, driving Wheels on said axle, steam cylinders for driving said Wheels, a manually operable throttle valve for regulating the supply of steam to said steam cylinders, a. fluid actuated device operatively connected' to said throttle valve, a pilot valve for controlling the now of iiuid to said fluid actuated device to close said throttle valve, and means for opening said last mentioned valve at a predetermined speed of rotation of said wheels to thereby admit fluid to said fluid actuated device Iand cause the latter to close said throttle valve, said means comprising 'a centrifugal governor mountedon said axle housing and continuously driven by said driving axle and operatively connected to said pilot valve.

4. In a locomotive, driving wheels, steam cylinders for driving said wheels, a throttle valve for regulating the supply of steam to said cylinders, a manually operable throttle rod, a fluid cylinder mounted on and slidable axially of said throttle rod and operatively connecting said throttle valve and lthrottle rod, a piston located in said cylinder and connected to said throttle rod, a spring in said cylinder for yieldably holding said piston and cylinder against relative axial movement during the manual operation of said throttle rod, a valve for controlling the supply of fluid pressure to said cylinder, and means responsive to the speed of rotation of said driving wheels for opening said last mentioned valve at a predetermined speed of said driving wheels to thereby admit fluid to said fluid' actuated device and cause the latter to close said throttle valve.

5. In a locomotive having driving wheels, steam cylinders for driving said wheels, a throttle valve for regulating the supply of steam to said cylinders, a manually operable throttle rod, a connection between said throttle rod and valve comprising a iluid cylinder mounted on and slidable axially of said throttle rod and operatively connected to said throttle valve, a piston located in said cylinder and connected to said throttle rod, a spring interposed between said piston and one end of said cylinder for holding the other end of said cylinder against said piston during f the manual operation of said throttle rod, means for locking said throttle in valve opening position, a valve for controlling the supply of uid pressure to said cylinder, and means responsive to the speed of rotation of said driving Wheels for opening said last mentioned valve at a predetermined speed of said driving wheels -to thereby admit iluid to said cylinder and cause the latter to move axially of said throttle rod and close said throttle valve.

6. In a locomotive, driving wheels, steam cylinders for driving said wheels, a throttle valve for regulating the supply of steam to said cylinders, a throttlelever, a throttle rod comprising a section operatively connected to said throttle lever, a fluid cylinder connected at one end to said throttle valve, a throttle rod section slidably engaging the other end of said cylinder and having a piston thereon for cooperation with said cylinder, a lever pivoted on said locomotive and connecting said throttle rod sections, a latch for said throttle lever, a spring located in said cylinder between said first mentioned end thereof and the piston therein and adapted to prevent relative movement between said piston and said cylinder during manual operation of said throttle valve, a normally closed pilot valve for controlling the admission of fluid to said cylinder between said other end thereof and said piston, and means responsive to a predetermined speed of rotation of said driving wheels for opening said pilot valve.

7. In a locomotive, a driving axle, a housing therefor, VdrivingA wheels on said axle, Vsteam cylinders forv driving said Wheels; a throttle valve for regulating the supply of steam to said cylinders, a throttle lever, a throttle rod comprising .a section operatively connected to said throttle lever, a fluid' cylinder connected at one end to said throttle valve, a throttle rod section slidably engaging the other end of said cylinder and having a piston thereon for cooperation with said cylinder, a lever pivoted on said locomotive and connecting said throttle rod sections, a latch for said throttle lever, a spring located in said cylinder between said first mentioned end thereof and the piston therein and adapted to prevent relative movement between said piston and said cylinder during manual operationof said throttle Valve,la normally closed; pilot valve for controlling the admission of fluid to said cylinder between said other ,end thereof and said piston, and means responsive to a predetermined speed of rotation of said driving axle for opening said pilot vajlVe,- said means comprising a governor housing xed to said axle housing and having a chamber therein for said pilot valve, a shaft journaled in said governor housing and driven by said driving axle, and centrifugal weights mounted on said shaft and operatively connected to said pilotvalve. y

kkTRACY v. BUCKWALTER. l

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