Excerpt from The Westinghouse Air-Brake Handbook, Vol. 1: A Convenient Reference Book for All the Construction, Installation, Operation, Care, Maintenance, or Repair of the Westinghouse Air-Brake Systems, or in the Control of Trains by Means of the Air Brake Since the introduction of the quick-action brake, a growing yearly increase in passenger traffic has brought with it a growing increase in the length and weight of passenger trains, in the train speed, and in the frequency of service. Each increase reduced the comparative efficiency of the existing brake system and necessitated improvements. In freight service, the increase in the capacity of the cars, the tonnage, and the length of trains augmented the difficulty of brake control to such an extent that new brake apparatus for both engines and cars had to be devised in order that the brake could safely and efficiently control the train. These improvements have been so rapid and have resulted in such a multiplicity of airbrake systems and air-brake apparatus, and the apparatus is made in so many sizes, that today it is a difficult matter to distinguish the different pieces of apparatus and to tell accurately without special information on the subject, to what particular system a piece of apparatus belongs. The purpose of this handbook is to supply this special information and to present in convenient form complete reliable data relative to the different Westinghouse Air-Brake Systems. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
This book was written to help engineers to design safer brakes that can be operated and maintained easily. All the necessary analytical tools to study and determine the involvement of brakes in accident causation are included as well as all essential concepts, guidelines, and design checks.
"In Ontario, most large commercial vehicles are equipped with an air brake system. You must have an air brake endorsement on your driver’s licence to drive these vehicles. The purpose of this handbook is to introduce you to the knowledge and skills you need to drive a vehicle with air brakes in a safe and lawful manner. It contains the information you need to prepare for the air brake endorsement examination. Air brake examinations are conducted at DriveTest Centres." --