GB354640A - Improvements in and relating to the suspension of automatic couplings, more particularly automatic railway vehicle couplings - Google Patents

Abstract

354,640. Railway &c. vehicle drawgear. KURTOSSY, L., 14, Bellevuestrasse, Berlin. Nov. 6, 1930, No. 33375. [Class 103 (v).] In a suspension device for automatic railway vehicle or like couplings of the kind in which each couplerhead 1 is supported in its normal position by means of levers acted upon by springs 12 or other counterbalancing means so arranged that, when any deflection of the couplerhead in an upward or downward direction occurs, the restoring force is augmented, this augmentation is obtained by causing the point of application of one of the two forces acting upon the lever, i.e. either the weight of the coupler-head or the counterbalancing force, to be displaced in such a manner as to effect a relative increase in the leverage of the force that is tending to return the coupler-head to its normal position. In the arrangement shown in Fig. 1, which illustrates a balanced position, the rod 4 extending from the coupler-head 1 is associated at two points 6, 7 with half-open bearings 8, 9 on a single-armed lever 10 to which the spring-controlled rod 14 is connected at the point 14<1>. Should the couplerhead be deflected in an upward direction, the rod 4 bears upon the lever 10 at the bearing 8 only, thus increasing the leverage due to the weight of the coupling ; if the coupler-head is deflected downwardly the rod 4 bears upon the lever 10 at the bearing 9 only, thus decreasing the leverage due to the weight of the coupling. In a modification, Fig. 2, the rod 4 is connected at a single point 15 to the lever 10, while the spring 12 is associated with the lever at two points 18, 19. Further modifications, functioning similar to the arrangements of Figs. 1 and 2, are described in which a two-armed lever replaces the single-armed lever 10 ; while in a further construction, Fig. 5, both the rod 4 and the spring 12 are each associated at a single point with a lever 21, but the latter has two fulcra 22, 23. In order to produce in addition a centralizing effort in cases of lateral displacement of the coupler-head, two rods 4 extending downwardly and outwardly from the coupler-heads may be employed, each rod being associated with a spring and lever arrangement of the kind previously described.