Brake apparatus with a combined brake cylinder and reservoir

A brake cylinder device comprising:

• a. a first hollow cylindrical member,
• b. a second hollow cylindrical member coaxially disposed within said first hollow cylindrical member,
• c. a first movable abutment disposed within said first hollow cylindrical member and cooperating therewith to form a first and a second fluid pressure chamber on the respective opposite sides of said first movable abutment,
• d. a second movable abutment disposed within said second hollow cylindrical member and cooperating therewith to form a first and a second fluid pressure chamber on the respective opposite sides of said second movable abutment,
• e. means operably connecting said first and second movable abutments, and
• f. a one-way flow valve means to enable flow of fluid under pressure from said first fluid pressure chamber at one side of said first movable abutment to said second fluid pressure chamber at the opposite side thereof upon the shifting of both of said movable abutments in one direction in response to the supply of fluid under pressure to the corresponding second chamber at the other side of said second movable abutment.

For use with a brake cylinder device having a pair of hollow coaxially-arranged cylindrical members of unequal length in the outer and longer of which is slidably mounted on one side of the smaller a first movable abutment carrying thereon a check valve to provide for flow of fluid under pressure from one side thereof to the other and being operably-connected to a second movable abutment slidably mounted in the inner cylindrical member, and a brake release spring that is interposed between the one side of the first abutment and one of a pair of pressure heads that are secured to the respective opposite ends of the outer cylindrical member whereby this pair of pressure heads cooperate with the outer cylindrical member and the first abutment to form on the respective opposite sides of this first abutment a pair of fluid pressure storage reservoirs, the brake release spring being effective to shift both of the movable abutments to a brake-release position in response to the release of fluid under pressure from one side of the second movable abutment and the supply of fluid under pressure to the other side of this second abutment, a brake control valve device comprising:

• a. fluid pressure operated valve means having one position in which fluid under pressure can flow from a source of fluid under pressure to the other side of the second movable abutment and the pair of fluid pressure storage reservoirs to effect the charging thereof, and shiftable to a second position in which said other side of the second abutment is open to atmosphere, and fluid under pressure flows from both of the storage reservoirs to the one side of the second abutment until equalization of pressure in the storage reservoirs and on said one side of the second abutment occurs, and
• b. an application and release control valve mechanism operative to effect the supply of fluid under pressure from one of the pair of storage reservoirs to said fluid-pressure-operated valve means to cause the operation thereof from its first position to its second position, and the release of fluid under pressure from the other storage reservoir to atmosphere to increase the differential fluid pressure force established by the fluid under pressure in the one storage reservoir on the first movable abutment whereby said abutments establish a fluid pressure braking force proportional to the degree of the reduction of the pressure in the other storage reservoir by the release of fluid under pressure therefrom to atmosphere.