Brakes for vehicles

Claim 2

Brake equipment for a vehicle which is in use moves along a path adjacent to an anchored rail, comprising a number of co-acting brake elements slidable along the rail, resilient means for urging at least one of the brake elements into contact with the rail and fluid actuated means for urging the said brake element out of braking contact with the rail, at least one of the brake elements including a wedge assembly having a brake pad which upon contacting the rail is urged by relative movement of wedge components in the wedge assembly to increase the braking force of the brake equipment on the rail, wherein the brake equipment comprises a first relatively moveable jaw and a second relatively fixed jaw for contacting the rail, and wherein the relatively fixed jaw includes the wedge assembly and wherein the first and second jaws are mounted on opposite sides of the rail.

Claim 3

Brake equipment for a vehicle which is in use moves along a path adjacent to an anchored rail, comprising a number of co-acting brake elements slidable along the rail, resilient means for urging at least one of the brake elements into contact with the rail and fluid actuated means for urging the said brake element out of braking contact with the rail, at least one of the brake elements including a wedge assembly having a brake pad which upon contacting the rail is urged by relative movement of wedge components in the wedge assembly to increase the braking force of the brake equipment on the rail, wherein the number of coacting brake elements comprise a brake frame moveable along a rail, a pivot connected to the frame and mounted parallel to the rail, a first jaw member mounted on the pivot for relative movement to the frame and transversely to the rail, actuator means including said resilient means connected to the first jaw and to the frame for moving the first jaw into contact with the rail, and a second jaw connected to the frame and including said wedge assembly and said brake pad for contacting the rail opposite the first jaw.

Claim 4

Brake equipment for a vehicle which is in use moves along a path adjacent to an anchored rail, comprising a number of co-acting brake elements slidable along the rail, resilient means for urging at least one of the brake elements into contact with the rail and fluid actuated means for urging the said brake element out of braking contact with the rail, at least one of the brake elements including a wedge assembly having a brake pad which upon contacting the rail is urged by relative movement of wedge components in the wedge assembly to increase the braking force of the brake equipment on the rail, wherein the number of coacting brake elements comprise a brake frame moveable along a rail, a pivot connected to the frame and mounted parallel to the rail, a first jaw member mounted on the pivot for relative movement to the frame and transversely to the rail, actuator means including said resilient means connected to the first jaw and to the frame for moving the first jaw into contact with the rail, and a second jaw connected to the frame and including said wedge assembly and said brake pad for contacting the rail opposite the first jaw.

Claim 5

Equipment as claimed in claim 1 in which one of said wedge components is resiliently mounted to reverse along the rail with respect to the remainder of the brake equipment.

Claim 6

Equipment as claimed in claim 3, in which the rail contacting edge of the brake pad has a series of serrations for contacting the rail.

Claim 7

Equipment as claimed in claim 3, in which at least one of the co-acting edges of the wedge assembly has affixed thereto a layer of material having a low coefficient of friction.

Claim 8

The brake equipment of claim 1 wherein the brake pad is resiliently mounted with respect to the remainder of the brake equipment by a spring connected to the brake equipment and to the brake pad for urging the brake pad in a non-braking direction along the wedge assembly and along the rail.

Claim 9

The brake equipment of claim 2 wherein the actuator means comprises spring means urging the first jaw to move about the pivot into contact with the rail, and wherein the fluid actuated means operates to compress the spring means.

Claim 10

The brake equipment of claim 7 wherein the spring means comprises a plurality of spring washers in a recess in the first jaw, a pin within the recess extending through the washers and having a head contacting an outermost spring washer, and an adjustable abutment connected to the frame and contacting the head of the pin for causing the head push the spring washers into the recess, urging the first jaw into contact with the rail.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the fluid actuated means comprises parallel rams mounted on opposite sides of the spring washers parallel to the pin and contacting the frame and first jaw for rotating the first jaw about the pivot opposite to the spring washers.

Claim 12

Brake equipment for a vehicle which is in use moves along a path adjacent to an anchored rail, comprising a number of co-acting brake elements slidable along the rail, resilient means for urging at least one of the brake elements into contact with the rail and fluid actuated means for urging the said brake element out of braking contact with the rail, at least one of the brake elements including a wedge assembly having a brake pad which upon contacting the rail is urged by relative movement of wedge components in the wedge assembly to increase the braking force of the brake equipment on the rail, wherein the rail comprises a curved portion and a flat portion opposite the curved portion, wherein the brake pad contacts the flat portion and wherein another of the brake shoes is mounted opposite the brake pad and has a curved surface for contacting the curved portion of the rail and for urging the flat portion of the rail and the brake pad into contact.

Claim 13

Brake equipment for a vehicle which is in use moves along a path adjacent to an anchored rail, comprising a number of co-acting brake elements slidable along the rail, resilient means for urging at least one of the brake elements into contact with the rail and fluid actuated means for urging the said brake element out of braking contact with the rail, at least one of the brake elements including a wedge assembly having a brake pad which upon contacting the rail is urged by relative movement of wedge components in the wedge assembly to increase the braking force of the brake equipment on the rail, wherein the rail comprises a curved portion and a flat portion opposite the curved portion, wherein the brake pad contacts the flat portion and wherein another of the brake shoes is mounted opposite the brake pad and has a curved surface for contacting the curved portion of the rail and for urging the flat portion of the rail and the brake pad into contact.

Claim 14

A brake for a vehicle which in use moves along a path adjacent to an anchored elongated member, comprising a casing securable to the vehicle, two jaws for clamping the elongated member when the brake is applied, the jaws being fixed with respect to the casing in the direction of vehicle movement, pivotal mounting means connected to the casing and jaws and connecting the jaws for relative pivotal movement when the brake is applied and released, resilient means connected to the casing and jaws for urging relative pivotal movement of the jaws about the pivotal mounting means to apply the brake and clamp the elongated member with an initial braking force, and fluid actuated means connected to the casing and jaws for urging said jaws to release the brake, at least one of the jaws having a wedge assembly including two co-acting wedge components, one of which comprises a brake pad for contacting the elongated member and the other of which co-acts with said first wedge component to urge the brake pad towards the elongated member, the wedge components co-acting when the brake is applied with said brake pad in contact with the elongated member and said other wedge component tending to move with the remainder of the brake, the action of the brake when applied being such that upon the brake pad contacting the elongated member said initial braking force is applied and upon said remainder of brake tending to move relative to the brake pad the wedge components are urged to co-act to increase the braking force from said initial braking force.

Claim 15

A brake for a vehicle which in use moves along a path adjacent to an anchored elongated member, comprising a casing securable to the vehicle, two jaws for clamping the elongated member when the brake is applied, the jaws being fixed with respect to the casing in the direction of vehicle movement, pivotal mounting means connected to the casing and jaws and connecting the jaws for relative pivotal movement when the brake is applied and released, resilient means connected to the casing and jaws for urging relative pivotal movement of the jaws about the pivotal mounting means to apply the brake and clamp the elongated member with an initial braking force, and fluid actuated means connected to the casing and jaws for urging said jaws to release the brake, at least one of the jaws having a wedge assembly including two co-acting wedge components, one of which comprises a brake pad for contacting the elongated member and the other of which co-acts with said first wedge component to urge the brake pad towards the elongated member, the wedge components co-acting when the brake is applied with said brake pad in contact with the elongated member and said other wedge component tending to move with the remainder of the brake, the action of the brake when applied being such that upon the brake pad contacting the elongated member said initial braking force is applied and upon said remainder of brake tending to move relative to the brake pad the wedge components are urged to co-act to increase the braking force from said initial braking force.

Claim 16

A brake as claimed in claim 11, in which at least a portion of one of the jaws is constituted by a part of the side of the casing.

Claim 17

A brake as claimed in claim 12, in which said one wedge component is resiliently mounted with respect to the remainder of the brake.

Claim 18

A brake as claimed in claim 13, in which the brake pad has a series of serrations for contacting the elongated member.

Claim 19

A brake as claimed in claim 14, in which at least one of the co-acting wedge components of the wedge assembly has a layer of material having a low coefficient of friction.