Railway-track cleaner.

Application filed March 29,1916. Serial No. 87,474.

To dll whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Frank L. Warner, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, Rockaway 5 Beach, borough of Queens, in the county of

Queens and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Railway-Track Cleaner, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to roadbed cleaning devices and has particular reference to means tor cleaning streets, roadways or the like by pneumatic means.

Among the objects, therefore, of this in15 vention is to provide a machine including one or more mouthpieces adapted to be moved along the surface to be cleaned, and each comprising means to create both a suction and air blast xvithin or beneath such 20 mouthpiece, together with auxiliary agitating means to facilitate the loosening up and delivery of the dirt.

Another object of the invention is to provide a self-contained machine having one or 25 more of the aforesaid mouthpieces and power means for creating a continuous current of air acting upon and through the mouthpieces both as a blast and as suction, means also being provided in the current of air to 30 separate the dust therefrom without stopping the current of air.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the arrangement and combination of parts herein de35 scribed and claimed, and while the invention is not restricted to the exact details of construction disclosed herein, still for the purpose of illustrating a practical embodiment thereof reference is had to the accompany40 mg drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same parts in the several viexys, and in which—

Figure 1 is a side elevation of certain parts of the improvement; Fig. 2 is a rear 45 elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a vertical ti ans verse section or one of the mouthpieces; Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section on the line 4—4 of Fig. 5 showing a slight modification of mouthpiece; Fig. 5 is a partial ^υ plan view, partial horizontal section of the same, the section being on the line 5—5 of Fig. 4; Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are vertical transverse sections of other modifications of mouthpieces; Fig. 9 is a diagram in side ⁰ elevation of the complete apparatus including the air circulating means; Fig. 10 is a plan view of the same having reference partlcularly to the dost gathering means,-S ni: “Seating ^a preferred form of means for driving the agitator mechanism ot the mouthpieces.

Referring now more particularly to the ±or a detail description I show a platform i5 which may be regarded as the bottom of a special car 16 and mounted upon supporting trucks 17 for operation along a ξ? 7 *ad^way track as the case may be Attached to one end of the platform 15, as by a link or draw bar 18, is a trolley comprising a frame 19 supported upon trucks or xvheels 20 for operation upon the same Ll ct-Cli.

Supported upon the frame 19 and preferably between the front and rear xvheels 20 is a mam separator chamber 21 shown best in Figs 1 and 2. This chamber extends lengthwise across the railway track and is so arranged or designed as to receive all of the dust or dirt, wherein the heavier particles are collected and held and from which 80 said heavier particles are adapted to be discharged from end extensions 22 at either side the same being held normally closed by trap doors 23 under the force of springs 24 or the like. ⁶ 85

At 25 is shown a hand lever within reach ot the operator presumed to be stationed upon a platform 26, the lever bein°· fulcrumed on pivot 27. A pair of rods 28 extend from the lever 25 on opposite sides of the pivot 27 to a pair of cranks 29 extending upwardly from the trap doors 23, whereby , when the lever is operated around its pivot, both of the doors will be opened against the force of the springs 24 tending to keep them closed.

θ?θι·°^ ^maiⁿ features of this improvement lies in what I term a mouthpiece of peculiar construction. One form of this mouthpiece is shown in detail in Fig. 3 and other forms thereof are shown in Figs? 4 to 8. In all forms of the mouthpiece illustrated provision is made in the nature of ^a receptacle having an open bottom with facilities for introducing into the receptacle 105 at or above the open mouth or bottom, a blast of air for agitating or otherwise loosening the dirt or other impurities from the roadway and also there being provided air suction connections leading from the same HO cavity or receptacle.

In Fig. 3 I show a mouthpiece 30 com-

100 a

1,211,902 tively by the adjustment of the bar and bell crank, but when it is to be thrown up well out of contact with the roadway, a chain 54 extending downwardly from the extreme front end of the bell crank 51 to the hanger ₇₀46 will so operate. Each mouthpiece is preferably provided with a renewable plate 55 of wear-resisting properties which has direct contact with the roadway.

Mounted upon the platform 15 are any ₇₅suitable power devices for manipulating the current of air and dust (by the term “ dust ” will be understood to mean any particles of dirt or the like to be cleaned from the roadway and disposed of). ₈0

At 56 is shown a vacuum pump communicating through a pipe 57 with a dust separator 58 having a wind trunk 59 leading from the top of the gravity separator 21. The air by this time purified from all of the heavy ₈§ particles of dust, the main volume thereof in the separators 21 and 58 is forced forwardly through a pipe 60 either through a final separator 61 or to and through a compression pump 62 and thence back through ₉₀a pipe 63 conveying the blast through the several blast pipes 34 leading to the several mouthpieces 30. Any suitably arranged valves 64 may be provided in the air pipes to control the action of air therethrough. ₉₉If the blast from the pipe 60 goes through the final separator to be discharged through an exit pipe 65, the valve leading to the compression pump may be closed, or these valves may be so manipulated as to direct joo all of the blast from the vacuum pump to the compression chamber. The separator 61 comprises a main and auxiliary chamber, communication between which is had through a screen 66, and this separator is 105 filled or partially filled with water which lies in both chambers. A pump 67 is arranged to draw water from the auxiliary chamber through a screen 68, and this water is conveyed upwardly and is sprayed for- no wardly from a pipe 69 directly into the blast of air leading to the main chamber of the separator. Any finer particles of dust still contained in the air will thus be precipitated into the bottom of the main chamber 115 of the separator in front of the screen 66, and the air thus freed from the dust will be exhausted through the pipe 65. Ordinarily, however, a large portion or all of the blast of air from the vacuum pump will 120 be kept in continuous circulation through the compression pump 62, whereby the machine is rendered highly efficient with respect to the amount of power required for operating it. 125

The means disclosed herein for effecting a substantially continuous circulation of air through the separators and blast devices is not claimed herein broadly, but is claimed in my co-pending application for track and 130 prising a shell or body 31 having an open mouth or bottom 32, the longer axis of which is transverse to the line of movement of the trolley or supporting means for the 5 mouthpiece. Adjacent the rear portion of the body 31 is a nipple 33 to which an air blast tube 34 is connected, and the body adjacent said nipple is provided with a fanshaped blast chamber 35 having a wide ex10 tent longitudinally of the entire body, as indicated in Fig. '5. The outlet from this chamber 35 comprises a plurality of restricted openings 36 through which the blast from the chamber 35 is directed downwardly close 15 to the surface of the roadway and within the open bottom of the mouthpiece. Since the chamber 35 is spread out fan-shaped in both directions laterally from the nipple 33, it is preferable for the jets 36 adjacent 20 the center to be much more restricted than those toward the ends, whereby a proper proportion of the air blast will be exerted throughout all portions of the blast nozzle. On the opposite side or front portion of the 25 body 31 is provided a suction chamber 37 of a more open nature than the blast mechanism and leading through a nipple 38 from which a suction pipe 39 leads to the aforesaid separator 21.

Within the mouthpiece between the blast and suction connections is shown a rotary agitator or beater 40 which may be operated by the blast suction or by other positive means in connection with such forces. This 35 agitator comprises a cylinder having outwardly projecting fingers or blades 41 and is provided with end gudgeons journaled in arms 42 connected to a rock shaft 43 and from which rock shaft a bell crank leyer 40 44 projects and through which the elevation of'the agitator may be controlled by a rod 45/leading upwardly to any suitable controlIjfig lever (not shown).

The mouthpiece as a whole is suspended 45 from an overhead hanger 46 pivotally connected to the top of the mouthpiece 47. The front end of the hanger 46 is pivoted upon a pivot rod or shaft 48 journaled transversely in the front portion of the frame 19 50 directly above the front wheels 20. Each hanger is shown in the nature of an elbow member and to the angle of which is connected a rod 49 surrounded by a pair of coil springs 50 between which one arm of the 55 bell crank 51 is placed, said bell crank arm having free movement upon the rod 49 except for the force of the springs whose opposite ends are abutting against adjustable nuts 52. The other arm of the bell crank 60 51 is connected to a hand operated bar 53 within reach of the operator on the platform 26. Ordinarily each mouthpiece is adapted to glide upon or close to the surface being cleaned. The elevation, however, may be 65 controlled more or less resiliently or posi1,211,803 street cleaner, filed September 7,1915, Serial No. 49,379 and allowed November 27, 1915.

The pipes 59 and 63 may each be provided with a valve 70 to control the action of air § therethrough. The valve 70 in the blast pipe 63 is shown provided with a bar 71 through which the valve may be manipulated from the platform 26.

While under certain conditions I may use 10 ^only one of the mouthpieces for the cleaning of floors, walls or other surfaces, for use as a railway track cleaner I prefer to employ a plurality of these mouthpieces as indicated in Figs. 1 and 10, there being six 15 thereof indicated, three in each of two series, one series in front of the other and arranged to break joints. From what has been already stated, it will be understood, therefore, that each of the mouthpieces will have 20 its own independent controlling bar 53 and its inlet and outlet pipes. All of the blast or inlet pipes 34 for the different mouthpieces are branched from the single blast pipe 63, and all of the suction pipes 39 are 25 indicated as leading severally into the gravity separator 21. The agitator 40, as already intimated, may be rotated either in part or as a whole by the force of the blast and suction acting upon the fingers or blades 41. 30 As a means, however, for driving the same positively, I show gearing connected to the agitators and operated from the front wheels 20 in any suitable manner. This gearing may take the form indicated as in35 eluding a friction wheel 72 in direct contact with the periphery of one of the wheels 20, the friction wheel being journaled for rotation around the axis of the shaft 48. A gear or pulley 73 connected with the friction 4Θ wheel 72 operates a double gear 74 journaled upon the axle 75 above the mouthpiece to a belt 76. Another belt 77 leads around a wheel 78 mounted upon the axle of the agitator 40. By this type of gearing the agitator 45 will be rotated with its active blade moving forwardly, and the rotation of the agitator will be independent of any particular elevation thereof around the pivot shaft 48. Obviously the action of the friction wheel 72 50 upon the wheel 20 may be varied as may be required through adjustment means 79.

In Fig. 6 the mouthpiece 30^a is of a form having a substantially shallow cavity or where the blast is so convenient to the prqx55 imity of the surface as to act forcibly upon the dust in loosening the same and driving it toward the intake of the suction pipe.

The mouthpiece 30^b of Fig. 7 is also of a shallow form but has a transverse rib 80 ®0 projecting across the same just in the rear of the suction intake so as to provide a restricted intake opening.

In Fig. 8 I show a mouthpiece 30° having a central chamber between the blast and SS suction openings of sufficient capacity to house an agitator comprising a plurality of spring teeth 81 connected to a rock shaft 82 and the effect of the spring teeth may be varied up or down by means of an adjustment rod 45 connected to a bell crank 44.