Spring brake

Claim 2

A brake assembly comprising inner and outer coaxial rotary members turnable each with respect to the other about their common axis, said outer member having a wall extending at least partly around and spaced from said inner member so that said wall of said outer member has an inner surface directed toward said inner member, and a cylindrical coil spring situated between said inner and outer members, frictionally engaging said inner surface, having an axis coinciding with the common axis of said members, and connected at one end to said inner member so as to turn at said one end together with said inner member, whereby when said members turn one with respect to the other in a direction tending to unwind said coil spring the frictional engagement of the latter with said inner surface increases while when said members turn one with respect to the other in a direction tending to wind said coil spring further so as to tend to reduce the diameter of the convolutions thereof, the frictional engagement between the coil spring and said inner surface decreases, said wall of said outer member being springy and yieldable, and adjusting means operatively connected to said wall of said outer member for adjusting the diameter of a cylinder which is defined at least in part by said inner surface, so as to regulate the frictional engagement between said inner surface and said spring.

Claim 3

The combination of claim 1 and wherein said wall of said outer member extends almost completely around said inner member and termintes in a pair of free edges which are parallel to the common axis of said members and which are spaced from but adjacent each other, and said outer member including a pair of extensions respectively fixed to said free edges and extending therefrom outwardly away from said common axis with said extensions defining a gap between themselves, said adjusting means being operatively connected to said extensions for controlling the width of said gap.

Claim 4

The combination of claim 2 and wherein said adjusting means includes at least one threaded member extending through one of said extensions and threaded into the other for drawing said extensions to each other to reduce the width of said gap or for releasing said extensions to move apart from each other due to the resiliency of said wall to increase the width of said gap.

Claim 5

A brake assembly comprising inner and outer coaxial rotary members turnable each with respect to the other about their common axis, said outer member having a wall extending at least partly around and spaced from said inner member so that said wall of said outer member has an inner surface directed toward said inner member, and a cylindrical coil spring situated between said inner and outer members, frictionally engaging said inner surface, having an axis coinciding with the common axis of said members, and connected at one end to said inner member so as to turn at said one end together with said inner member, whereby when said members turn one with respect to the other in a direction tending to unwind said coil spring the frictional engagement of the latter with said inner surface increases while when said members turn one with respect to the other in a direction tending to wind said coil spring further so as to tend to reduce the diameter of the convolutions thereof, the frictional engagement between the coil spring and said inner surface decreases, stop means coacting with said outer member For limiting the extent to which the latter can turn about the common axis of said members, said outer member extending almost completely around said inner member and terminating in a pair of free edges which are parallel to said common axis, said outer member having a pair of extensions fixed to said free edges, respectively, and extending outwardly therefrom away from said common axis, said extensions defining a gap between themsleves, and adjusting means operatively connected with said extensions for controlling the width of said gap and thus controlling the frictional engagement between said inner surface and said spring, said stop means including a stationary projection situated in the path of turning movement of said extensions to engage one of said extensions when said outer member turns in one direction and the other of said extensions when said outer member turns in an opposite direction, for thus limiting the extent to which said outer member can turn.

Claim 6

A brake assembly comprising inner and outer coaxial rotary members turnable each with respect to the other about their common axis, said outer member having a wall extending at least partly around and spaced from said inner member so that said wall of said outer member has an inner surface directed toward said inner member, and a cylindrical coil spring situated between said inner and outer members, frictionally engaging said inner surface, having an axis coinciding with the common axis of said members, and connected at one end to said inner member so as to turn at said one end together with said inner member, whereby when said members turn one with respect to the other in a direction tending to unwind said coil spring the frictional engagement of the latter with said inner surface increases while when said members turn one with respect to the other in a direction tending to wind said coil spring further so as to tend to reduce the diameter of the convolutions thereof, the frictional engagement between the coil spring and said inner surface decreases, stop means coacting with said outer member For limiting the extent to which the latter can turn about the common axis of said members, said outer member extending almost completely around said inner member and terminating in a pair of free edges which are parallel to said common axis, said outer member having a pair of extensions fixed to said free edges, respectively, and extending outwardly therefrom away from said common axis, said extensions defining a gap between themsleves, and adjusting means operatively connected with said extensions for controlling the width of said gap and thus controlling the frictional engagement between said inner surface and said spring, said stop means including a stationary projection situated in the path of turning movement of said extensions to engage one of said extensions when said outer member turns in one direction and the other of said extensions when said outer member turns in an opposite direction, for thus limiting the extent to which said outer member can turn.

Claim 7

A brake assembly comprising inner and outer coaxial rotary members turnable each with respect to the other about their common axis, said outer member having a wall extending at least partly around and spaced from said inner member so that said wall of said outer member has an inner surface directed toward said inner member, and a cylindrical coil spring situated between said inner and outer members, frictionally engaging said inner surface, having an axis coinciding with the common axis of said members, and connected at one end to said inner member so as to turn at said one end together with said inner member, whereby when said members turn one with respect to the other in a direction tending to unwind said coil spring the frictional engagement of the latter with said inner surface increases while when said members turn one witg respect to the other in a direction tending to wind said coil spring further so as to tend to reduce the diameter of the convolutions thereof, the frictional engagement between the coil spring and said inner surface decreases, said outer member including a transverse wall extending perpendicularly to said common axis and formed with an opening in which part of said inner member is located to provide a bearing between said inner and outer members, said transverse wall being formed with aperipheral arcuate notch situated beyond said opening thereof, and said wall of said outer member which extends around said inner member while being spaced therefrom having free end portions which respectively extend byond the ends of said notch toward each other.

Claim 8

A brake assembly comprising inner and outer coaxial rotary members turnable each with respect to the other about their common axis, said outer member having a wall extending at least partly around and spaced from said inner member so that said wall of said outer member has an inner surface directed toward said inner member, and a cylindrical coil spring situated between said inner and outer members, frictionally engaging said inner surface, having an axis coinciding with the common axis of said members, and connected at one end to said inner member so as to turn at said one end together with said inner member, whereby when said members turn one with respect to the other in a direction tending to unwind said coil spring the frictional engagement of the latter with said inner surface increases while when said members turn one witg respect to the other in a direction tending to wind said coil spring further so as to tend to reduce the diameter of the convolutions thereof, the frictional engagement between the coil spring and said inner surface decreases, said outer member including a transverse wall extending perpendicularly to said common axis and formed with an opening in which part of said inner member is located to provide a bearing between said inner and outer members, said transverse wall being formed with aperipheral arcuate notch situated beyond said opening thereof, and said wall of said outer member which extends around said inner member while being spaced therefrom having free end portions which respectively extend byond the ends of said notch toward each other.

Claim 9

The combination of claim 5 and wherein said free end portions respectively terminate in free edges which extend parallel to the common axis of said members, said outer members having a pair of extensions fixed to said free edges, respectively, and extending outwardly therefrom away from said common axis, said adjusting means being operatively connected with said extensions for controlling the distance therebetween so as to regulate the frictional engagement between said coil spring and said inner surface.