US1138359A - Automatic train-pipe coupling. - Google Patents

Description

VHS. DURBIN.

AUTOMATIC TRAIN PIPE COUPLING. APPLICATION FlLED lAN. 6. I913.

Llfig gfigo Patented May 4, 1915.

3. SHEETS-SHEET I.

V. S. DURBIN.

AUTOMATIC TRAIN PIPE COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-6.19I3- Patented M way? z v. sinumsm.

AUTOMATIC TRAIN PIPE COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED mus. I913.

1,138,3596 Patent-ed m 4, 1915.

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snares rarnn r onrrnn VOTAW S. IDURBI1\T,,OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO DURBIN AUTOMATIC TRAIN PIPE CONNECTOR COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI; A CQRPORATION OE ARIZONA.

AUTOIVIATIG TRAIN-PIPE COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 4, 191

Application filed January 6, 1913. Serial No. 740,313.

To all whom it may] concern:

Be it known that I, VOTAW S. DURBILN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of St. Louis; State of Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automatic Train-Pipe Couplers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in automatic train pipe couplings, andhas for its object to simplify the construction of a device of this character and at the same time to increase the eflieienoy thereof by insuring reliability in operation under all normal conditions of service.

In addition to improvements relating to the devi as a whole the present invention in detail comprises a novel construction of supporting bracket and a novel manner of supporting the plunger of the coupler head therein; an improved construction of pipe section or nipple and novel means for holding the same in position in the coupler head; and a novel construction of the pyramidal projections of the coupler heads whereby. their meeting faces will mutually tendto guide the projections into the appropriate recesses or vopenings in the coupler head.

In the accom anying drawings l igure l is a view in side elevation showing two interlocked car couplers and two of my improved train pipe couplers interlocked and in the relative position they occupywith respect to the car coupler; Fig. 2 is a plan View showing two of my improved train pipe couplers interlocked, a portion of both couplers being broken away to illustrate the manner of automatically locking them in engagement; Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal sectional view of the san'ie; Fig. 4 is a view in front elevation of a car coupler and one of my improved'coupler heads; Fig. 5 is a face V161? o'f'a portion of the coupler head, the pyramr dal projection thereof being sectioned in a vertical plane to illustrate the construction of the inner face thereof ;'and Fig. 6 is a detail view of one of the nipples.

Referring now'to these drawings, the numerals l, 2, indicate, locked car couplers andthe. numerals 3, 4, two interlocked train pipe coupler heads which, as

shown, are positioned'below the car.couplers.'

generally, two inter' same way on the respective cars, and a description of one, and the manner of mountmg and operating the same, will apply to theother. The coupler head 3 is provided on its rear side with a projection 5 which is pivotally mounted in the outer end of a hollow plunger 6 by means of a pivot pin 7. The numeral 8 indicates a bracket whichis provided with a flanged top 9 suitably shaped and apertured whereby it may be securely fastened to frame members 10 depending from the car body. Two converging legs or webs 11 of the bracket are bifurcated in their lower portion to form yokes, the arms 12, 13, of which straddle the plunger (5, and at their point of convergence on either side of said plunger the said y'okes are provided with an aperture through which passes a pivot pin 1 which pivot pin likewise extends through slots 15 formed in. opposite sides of the plunger 6 at the rear end thereof. Mounted in the plunger is a coil sprin 15, the opposite ends of which encircle and rest against headed sleeves 1.7, 18, said sleeves being apertured to permit the passage therethrough of conductors 19 which pass to the electrical contacts 20. These latter form no part of the present invention. The headed end of the sleeve 17 rests against the pivot pin 1 1, and the opening in the head thereof is suitably flared, as indicated at 21, to permit the conductors 19 topass around the pivot .pin 14 and to prevent abradiug contact thereof with the pivot pin 14.- or sleeve 17. The head of the sleeve 18 is provided with a similar flared" opening to permit the conductors to pass around the pivot pin 7, this sleeve resting against the flanged inner end of theupper end of the plunger 2& is provided with.

a screw-threaded aperture 26 in which is screwed bolt 27 having ahead 28 which normallyengages the under side of the plunger 6 and supportsthe same. Alock nut 29 holds the bolt 27 in adjusted positions. By

' when the lock nut 29 is again turned home.

Normallythe coupler heads 3 and 4 pro- 'ject. some distance beyond the face of the respective coupler heads 1 and 2, so thatthe .coupler heads 3 and 4 are brought into engagement before the coupler heads 1 and 2. As the coupler heads 3 and 4 are thus brought into engagement the plunger 6 is pressed backward against the resistance of the spring 16, the slot 15 riding over the pivot pin 14. During the time, therefore, that. the said coupler heads are in interlocked relation the spring 1'6 of each plunger is exerting its force to maintain a firm contact between the meeting surfaces of the two heads. In order to prevent the accidental separation of the coupler heads 3 and 4 I provide the automatic locking means new to be briefly described, but which look: ing means are'not a part of the present invention.

As shown by Fig. 4, each coupler head is provided with a pyramidal projection and with an opening 31 which latter'is designed to receive the corresponding py-' ramidal rojection on the companion coupler head. I he pyramidal projections 30 are hollow, and pivotally mounted at 32 on the inner side'of each coupler head is a locklever-33 having a hook 34 which is adapted to project through an opening 35 in the wall of the projection 30 and to engage over the rim 36 surrounding the o ening 31 of the companion coupler head. v at 3 to the outer end of the lever 33 is a rod '38, the rear end of which is pivotally connected'at 39 to the outer end of a link vide a space for the play of the arm 40.

arm 40 has a hub 43 which is rotatably arm 40 which extends outward at right angles to a vertically disposed pin 41 which is mounted at the extreme inner end of the plunger 6, the said inner end of the plunger being cut away, as indicated at 42, to r}?- mounted on the pin 41. The numeral 44 indicates a coil spring which encircles the ivotally secured rear side thereof is a lug 47 which in operation is adapted to engage the inner side of the arm 40. This occurs when the cars are separated. In such operation the bracket 8 will, of course, first be moved backward by the car and in such movement the lug 47 will strike the arm 40 and draw the rod 38 backward, thereby turning the hook 34 out of engagement with the rim 36 so that in the continued separating movement of the cars the two coupler heads 3 and 4 may be drawn apart. As these coupler heads are brought together the plunger 6 is forced backward carrying the arm 40 out of engagement with the lug 47 and permitting the spring 44 to again force the rod 38 forward or toward the coupler heads to turn the hook 34 outward and into engagement with the rim 36.

An important feature of the present inventionrelates to the manner of securing'the pipe connectors or nipples in the coupler heads. These nipples are forthe purpose of connecting the various train pipes with the coupler head, and with a companion nipple to form a conduit through the interlock coupler heads, the numeral 48 indicates the nipple for the signal pipe, the numeral 49 that for the main train pipe and the numeral 50 that for the steam pipe. Each of these nipples has the same construction and a description of one'will sufiice. Each of these nipples is in the form of an elbow, hav ing an outer screw-threaded cap piece 51 for connection with the end of the train pipe, a collar 52 for resting against the face of the coupler head, and an engaging portion53 which is inserted in a suitable aperture in the coupler head and preferably bears against a rubber or other gasket 54, which gasket constitutes the engaging surface proper. At the behd of the nipple I provide a rounded lug 55 which engages in a socket formed in the end of a bridge piece 56, the other end of which, rests on a lug 57 on the rear side of the coupler head. A bolt 58 secured in the coupler head projects through the bridge piece and by means of a nut 59 and a washer 60 the bridge piece 56 may be screwed down into firm contact with the lug 55 to hold the nipple 48 in a fixed position in the coupler head. By loosening the nut 59 the nipple may be turned to any desired position to have the pipe secured thereto, after which the bridge piece will be securedin position as above described. In'the case of the nipples 49 and 50 a single bridge piece 61 answers for both nipples, engaging the lugs 62, 68, thereof. In order to insure that the pyramidal proection 30 shall enter the corresponding opening 31 of the companion coupler head,

1 provide the face of each pyramidal projecton ad'jacentto the opening 31 with a flattened depressed portion or recess 64, as

' shown in Fig. 5, which provides ribs 65 at either side thereof which tend to prevent the meeting faces from sliding laterally past each other.

I claim:

1. In a train pipe coupler, a bracket, a coupling member pivotally mounted therein, said bracket having a rigid portion extending downward under said coupling member, and a yieldable support for said coupling member on said downwardly extending portion ofthe bracket.

'2.-In a train pipe coupler, a bracket, a coupling memberpivotally mounted in said bracket, a casing carried by the bracket, a spring pressed plunger Working in said casing, and an adjusting bolt mounted in said plunger and adapted to support said coupling member.

3. In a train pipe coupler, a bracket, a hollow plunger mounted therein and having an elongated opening, a pivot pin mounted in the bracket and extending through said opening, a coil spring mounted in. the plunger and extending between said pivot pin and the end of the plunger, a coupler head mounted on said plunger, and a yielding support mounted on the bracket and engaging the under side of said plunger.

4. In a train pipe coupler, in combination with the coupler head, an elbow-shaped, pipe-connecting nipple having one end portion rotatably mounted in the coupler head, a lug on said nipple, a bolt mounted on the coupler head and having a screw-threaded outer end, a bridge piece slidably mounted on said bolt and having a socket for engaging said lug, and a nut for said bolt whereby to clamp the bridge piece in position.

5. In a train pipe coupler, in combination with a con )ler head havin an a erture an elbow-shaped, pipe-connecting nipple having a straight portion rotatably mounted in said aperture and provided on its exterior with a lug located substantially in the plane of the axis of said straight portion, bolt. mounted on the coupler head and having 'a screw-threaded outer end, a bridge piece slidably mounted on said bolt and having a socket for receiving said lug, and a nut for said bolt whereby to clamp the bridge piece in position.

adjacent to the openingprovided with a guide for the projection of the companion coupler head.

7 In a train pipe coupler, a coupler head having a pyramidal projection and adjacent thereto an opening for receiving a pyramidal projection on a mating coupler head, said pyramidal projection having its side adjacent to said opening provided with a depressed fiat portion to form a guide for the meeting face of the projection of the companion coupler head.

8. In a train pipe coupler, a bracket, a coupling member having a pivotal engagement therewith, said bracket having a rigid portion underhanging said coupling member, and a yieldable support on said underhanging portion of the bracket, said coupling member resting slidably on said support.

9. In a train pipe coupler, a bracket, a coupling member having a pivotal engage ment therewith, said bracket having a rigid portion underhanging said coupling member, a yieldable support on said underhanging portion of the bracket, and a member vertically adjustable on said yieldable support slidably engaging the under side of said coupling member.

10. In a train pipe coupler, a bracket, a coupling member having a longitudinal slidable and vertical pivotal engagement near its inner end with said bracket, said! bracket having a rigid extension under. hanging said coupling member a springpressed,vertically-movable plunger on said rigid extension, and a member verticallyadjustable on said-plunger slidably engaging the under side of said coupling member forward of the place of pivotal engagement of said coupling member with said bracket.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

VOTAW S. DURBIN. Witnesses:

Barron S. ELLIOTT,

STELLA HILL.

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