Handbrake mechanism for railway wagons and steering wheel for a handbrake mechanism for railway wagons

A parking brake mechanism for railway cars, said mechanism being inside an internal cavity of a low profile housing that has a rear cover that closes said internal housing, wherein the mechanism allows applying a tension to a chain connected to the brake mechanism of a railroad car, wherein said parking brake mechanism comprises:

• a low profile housing with a maximum thickness of 4 inches, configured to contain a main gear, a ratchet mechanism, a clutch mechanism, a release mechanism, and a rotating drum, wherein said low profile housing limits the vertical and horizontal space occupied by the mechanism;
• wherein said main gear housed within the low profile housing and laterally aligned with the ratchet mechanism and the drum;
• wherein said ratchet mechanism that can be rotated from the outside of the housing only in a single direction, wherein said ratchet mechanism is attached to the internal walls of the low profile housing, said ratchet mechanism having a ratchet gear that meshes with the main gear;
• wherein said clutch mechanism associated with the ratchet mechanism and which can rotate together with the ratchet mechanism, said clutch mechanism having a connecting plate that is normally engaged with the ratchet gear;
• wherein said release mechanism to push the connecting plate of the clutch mechanism and release the main gear of the ratchet mechanism comprising:
• a cam shaft, rotatably mounted within the low-profile housing, having a first end with a gripping portion and a cylindrical shaft portion protruding from the external face of the housing;
• a second end with a cylindrical shaft portion housed within the wear plate, enabling rotational movement of the cam shaft;
• a cam located near the second end, configured to provide lateral motion upon rotation of the cam shaft;
• a double lever assembly including a connecting and pushing cross bar;
• two lever members pivotally mounted on the housing and positioned on opposite sides of the connecting plate of the clutch mechanism;
• thrust surfaces on each lever member configured to contact and push the connecting plate;
• and operational interaction, wherein the cam shaft, when rotated, causes the cam to push the connecting and pushing cross bar, which pivots the lever members to actuate the connecting plate of the clutch mechanism, compressing a spring and disengaging the clutch mechanism from the main gear;
• wherein said rotating drum coupled to a chain normally in contact and associated with the ratchet mechanism through the clutch mechanism and attached to the main gear, wherein one end of said chain is attached to the rotating drum, around which it is wound, thus tensioning the entire chain and actuating the brake mechanism connected to an opposite end of the chain, wherein the rotating drum includes a guide member to keep the chain in position and within the profile of the low profile housing;
• wherein when the main gear rotates, the rachet mechanism, the clutch mechanism and the drum mechanism also rotate;
• wherein the ratchet mechanism associated with the clutch mechanism and the drum allows the drum to rotate in one direction by winding the chain on it, applying tension to the chain and applying the brake mechanism of the railway car, preventing it from being released;
• and
• wherein by applying a force to the release mechanism from outside the casing, said release mechanism separates the rotating drum from the ratchet mechanism, thus allowing the drum to rotate, releasing the tension on the chain and therefore releasing the brake mechanism of the railroad car.