Slide type exhaust brake

A slide type exhaust brake of the type having a housing which has a flow passage for exhaust gas defined by wall portions for connection with exhaust pipes which project in opposite directions at upstream and downstream sides of said housing, said housing further comprising a guide passage for receiving a plate-shaped valve member and guiding reciprocating motion thereof, said guide passage being in communication with said flow passage so that said plate-shaped valve member is selectively extendable into and retractable from said flow passage in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of said flow passage, and a piston rod of an air cylinder which is rigidly secured directly to said housing such that an end of said piston rod moves reciprocally in said guide passage, a portion of the piston rod being mounted to the upstream side of the plate-shaped valve member and thereby activating said plate-shaped valve member to open or close said flow passage and to perform an exhaust pressure regulating operation in response to the axial movement of said piston rod, wherein the improvement comprises:

• an exhaust pressure regulating passage formed in the wall portions of said housing and extending directly between an outlet at a location in said flow passage downstream of said plate-shaped valve member and an inlet at location in said flow passage upstream of said plate-shaped valve member, the inlet being at a location in said housing substantially opposite said guide passage and in line with the end of the piston rod;
• an exhaust pressure regulating valve disposed at the end of said piston rod and in alignment with the inlet of said exhaust pressure regulating passage, said exhaust pressure regulating valve being movable with the piston rod to alternately block and open the inlet to the exhaust pressure regulating passage;
• a block fixedly mounted to said piston rod at a location spaced from the end thereof;
• and
• first and second spaced apart walls extending rigidly from the upstream side of said plate-shaped valve member and generally transverse to the alignment of said piston rod, said first wall being disposed intermediate the block and the exhaust pressure regulating valve and at a location on said plate-shaped valve member such that the block urges said plate-shaped valve member into position for closing the flow passage substantially when the exhaust pressure regulating valve blocks the inlet to the exhaust pressure regulating passage, said second wall being disposed on said plate-shaped valve member intermediate the block and the cylinder, such that movement of the piston rod into the cylinder initially causes the exhaust pressure regulating valve to completely open the inlet to the exhaust pressure regulating passage, and such that subsequent movement of the piston rod into the air cylinder causes the block to contact the second wall and urge the plate-shaped valve member out of the flow passage, whereby initial movement of the piston rod into the air cylinder relieves pressure on the upstream side of the plate-shaped valve member and facilitates the subsequent opening of the plate-shaped valve member by the block and the piston rod.