AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

A POWERFUL EMERGENCY BRAKE.

13th February 1923
Page 11
Page 12
Page 11, 13th February 1923 — A POWERFUL EMERGENCY BRAKE.
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Applied by the Downward Thrust of the Wheel, the Brake Grips the Road Smoothly, the Higher the Speed the Greater Being the Efficiency.

EVERY NOW and again an accident (recurs which emphasizes the need for the introduction and use of an emergency brake much more powerful than either a transmission brake or a brake acting on disams on the road wheels.

Drivers of commercial vehicles are extremely liable to be directed over roads with which they are not familiar, and which present dangers of which, in actual practice, they should. have been forewarned, and, in a lesser measure, the same kind of risk has to be taken by drivers of motor. coaches. Motorcoach touring has now developed td such an extent that parties are often being made up to travel into distant regions for the sake of picturesque surroundings, buildings, etc., and in this way it is net at all unusual for a driver thoroughly accustomed, we will say, to the level roads of the Fen district., to 5nd himself in the Highlands or amongst the_ hills of North Wales or Devonshire, and to be faced with a decline of unexpected severity, coupled possibly With other circumstances which place his vehicle in peril. Of course, with the gradual improvement of roads, the elimination of dangerous bends and the easing of those portions of the gradient -which are.exceesively steep, will tend, in course of time, to a reduotion of many of the problems

that to-day face the driver. Taking .matters as they are, however, there is undoubtedly a need on many vehicles, and in many circumstances, for "an emergency brake.

It yvill be remembered that we have contended, over and over again, that an emergency brake should be provided; and be available for operation, should a vehicle run backwards, and be cap

able or engaging without any risk of fracture of the mechanism or of permitting over-running.

A device which has recently been explained to us, and shown to us in model form, and which has been tested to a considerable extent, when fitted to a 3ton Albion lorry, would seem to comply with the need to which we have referred. It is the invention of Mr. Arthur Woodhead, of Caine, Lancashire, and

T. Westall, of Burnley. The inventors have gone to the root of the difficulty, and have arranged hinged -arms, which extend downwards from

pins or bosses secured to the chassis. frame, and carry a pair of shoes braced together by a cross-rod, the shoes dropping and coming into contact with the surface of the road, a roller at the end of the connecting rod then bearing up against each tyre well below the centre of the wheel, so that the friction syf the tyre exerts a downward thrust on the brake shoe, and increases the frictional resistance between the shoe and the road surface. The shoes themselves are supported

upon extensible portions of the hinged arm, and are spring-mounted. The extensible arms are normally maintained in Es raised or inoperative position by connection to a control lever, which is situated near the driver's seat.. The act of lifting the control lever 3 ins.•

releases a controlling catch, and thus allows the brake shoes to drop immediately to the ground, .the road wheels, through the medium of the rollers, then applying an amount of braking pressure, which is enormous and yet is extremely snmoth in its action.

The 3-ton Albion lorry, to which we have refereed, was fully loaded with cotton beams, and tested on Townhouse Brow, Nelson, Lancashire the surface of

the road being of macadam. It was also tested in Pine Street, Nelson. The gradient of the road on Townhouse Brow is 1 in 11. During the first test the speed of the vehicle had'worked up to 16 m.p.h., and the lorry was stopped in a distance of 16 yards, from the

moment of releasing the b-mke tch. In the course of the next test the speed was allowed to work up to 20 m.p.h., and it was then found that the vehicle could be pulled up in i3 yards. Further tests were made on the steeper gsaclient of Pine Street, in order to ascertain if the efficiency of the brake sistently increased with the raising of speed. The gradient in Pine Street is 1 in 10. In the coarse of the first test on this gradient, at the speed of 16 m.p.h., the vehicle was pulled up in 18 yards. A second test was merle, and the speed was allowed to rise to 20

on this occasion the vehicle stopped in acti yards, thus confirming

the results previously obtained. _

Probably the first point of objection —and possibly the only one which could be raised—would be the question of damage to the road surface, but it is an absolute fact that, on the day after the trials, one of the inventors went over the roads, and was unable to find any trace of the markings of the shoes on the surface. Of course, there is the other side of the question of damage, and that is as to which is the cheaper course to adopt. When such a brake as this is employed, an emergency will have arisen, and it is obviously better to have to face, we will say, damage to the extent of £.5 to .£10,tto the road surface than to run the risk of the vehicle getting out of hand, running away, and possibly causing considerable injury to persons and property. The brake could

be duplicated, the set placed at the rear of the wheels being used at a sprag.

It seems to us that it would be a very sound move for the insurance companies to undertake to meet claims for damage done to a read surface by an emergency brake of this kind, providing that it can be shown by the assured that the use of the brake in the circumstances was reasonable.

The illustrations which accompany this description show front and side elevations of the apparatus. It is desirable to mention that the pin upon which the extensible arm is carried on the chassis frame is that which was employed on the 3-ton Albion already referred to. In this case the owner of the vehicle would' only give permission for the fitting of a bracket pin employing holes already bored in the webs of the frame. In the case of the device as placed upon the market, a suitably strong boss would be provided to take the weight of each brake arm. Messrs. A. find E. Woodbead, of Leeds Road, Bradley Hall Road, Nelson, Lancs., are marketing the device.

Tags

People: Arthur Woodhead
Locations: Burnley

comments powered by Disqus