US1155097A - Draft appliance for railway-vehicles. - Google Patents

Description

I. REGAN. DRAFT APPLIANCE FOR RAILWAY VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8. 1915.

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W. J. REGAN. DRAFT APPLIANCE Fon RAILWAY VEHICLES.

n, APPLICATION FILED MAY 8. |915. Llw?. Pmndsepn 28, 1915.

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WILLIAM J. REGAN,

OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 THE MCCONWAY & TQRLEY COMPANY, OEIITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVANIA.

DRAFT APPLIANCE FOR RAILWAY-VEHICLES.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 28, 1915.

vAppiiaaimrinea may a, 1915. seran No. 26,772.

To (1H 'whom it may concern.: v

Be it known that I, WILLI/iat J. REGAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county-of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft Appliances for Railway-Vehicles; and I d0 hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention ielates to couplers for railway cars or other railway vehicles and more especially to those couplers whichare normally maintained in the longitudinal axis of the car by meansof centralizing devices which permit the couplers to swing or shift laterally when the cars upon which they are mounted are passing around curved track.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a durable and efficient device of the character indicated that shall afford means whereby the centralizing mechanism may be mounted on the stem of the coupler in a manner permitting it to be readily disassembled yand reassembled in case it becomes necessary to make repairs.

A further object of myinvention is to provide a construction in which the coupler head and coupler stein are detachably united in a simple and ellicient manner.

Stated generally, both these objects are accomplishial in a single structure by detachably and interlockingly connecting the coupler head and coupler stem and by providing vielding coupler centralizing means which are retained in assembled position by cooperating portions of the said head and stein.

In the drawings illustrating my invention, the scoie whereof is pointed out in the claims, liigure 1 is a plan view of a coupler embodying the invention.I Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of the rear portion of the coupler head. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 4, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5, Fig. 2.. Fig. (5 is a detail view in vertical section of tho rear portion of the coupler-head. Fig. T is a plan view of the forward end of the coupler stein; and Fig. 8 is a view in vertical central section of .the forward end of the coupler stem.

The stem I1 of Ithe coupler is .preferably formed as a single casting having at its rear end an aperture 2 adapted to receive a tail pin by which the coupler may be connected to the draft rigging devices in a well-known manner. To the rear of the centraliziiig devices tlie stem of the coupler is, as shown, preferably of hollow', box-like form, while forwardly of said centralizing devices the stein I is bifurcated, forming upper and lower arms, plates or bars 3 that are adapted to enter correspondingly shaped pockets or recesses 4 with which the coupler head 5 is provided. Near their outer ends, which are preferably somewhat thickened, the arms 3 are provided with vertically alined perforatons (3 which are adapted to receive a bolt 7 that passes through corresponding perforations in the coupler head, the coupler stein 1 and head 5 being thereby connected.

At the forward end of the box-like portion of the stem 1 said stein is preferably provided with a transversely extending wall or face S which, as will presently appear, serves to guide the spring-boxes or followers 9 when the spring l0 is compressed upon a lateral displacement or swinging movement of the coupler. On each side of the coupler stein, adjacent to the guiding face S thereof, are lugs 1l which are preferably made integral with the stein 1 and extend or project forwardly beyond the face 8. These lugs are adapted to overlappingly engage the corresponding flanges or lugs 12 that project rearwardly from the respective spring-boxes 9, to thereby limit the extent of separation or outward movement of the spring-boxes.` As shown particularly in Fig. 1, the engaging faces of thelugs 11 and 12 are preferably correspondingly inclined.

In order to maintain the spring-boxes 9 in assembled position with respect to the stein 1, as well as to provide means for elfectively preventing the coupler head 5 from rotating about the bolt 7 by which it is connected to the stem 1, the coupler head 5 is preferubly fashioned with a short, rearwardly extending shaiik or projection 13 which is adapted to occupy the space between the upper and lower arms 3 of the coupler stein l. The inner end of the projection 13 is formed at its sides with rearwardly extending lugs or stops 14 which preferably have inclined inner faces and which engage and overlap the corresponding flanges or lugs 15 on the forward sides of the respective spring-boxes 9 in the saine manner and for the same purpose that the lugs 11 on the stein l overlappingly engage the flanges 12 on the rear sides of the spring-boxes, as previously explained. The spring-boxes 9 are thus maintained in assembled relation on the stein l in a manner permitting them to be readily removed and replaced, as will be readily apparent. l

Between the stops 1l the projection 13 is preferably formed with a transversely extending vertical face 16 forming a guide for the spring-boxes which contacts with the forward faces of thelugs 15 when the spring boxes 9 reciprocate during lateral movements of the coupler.

The coupler stem 1 and the projection 13 extending rearwardly from the coupler head are preferably interlocked by a s lined or tongue and -groove connection. or this purpose it is preferred, as particularly illustrated in F ig. 5, to form the inner faces of each of the arms 3 for the coupler stem with a plurality of longitudinally extending ribs or lugs 17, and to fashion the upper and lower faces of the projection or shank 13 with similarly extendin' channels or recesses 1S that are adapte to receiveand engage corresponding pairs of the ribs 17 in an interlocking manner.

' In assembling the device the spring-boxes 9 are slipped upon the ends of the sprin 10 and'these parts are together assemble on the coupler stem l-iwith thefrear ilanges`12 of the spring-boXes-extending behind the corres ending lsto s or lugs 11 with which the stem is provi ed'. The coupler head is then placed in assembled position on the stem', the rearwardly projecting shank'13 extending between the upper and lower ai'ms 3 of the stem with the ribs or splines 17 of the latter extending into the corresponding channels or grooves 18`in the rearwardly extending irojection 13 of the coupler head, and the lugs or stops 14 at the rear end of the shank 13 having'overlappinnr engagenient with the outer faces of the flanges 15 at the forward sides of the spring-boxes 9. 'l`he bolt 7 is then passed through the openings therefor in theicoupler head and stem, and the nut is' applied .'to'it.

W lien in service a lateral movement of the coupler in either direction from its normal or central position will entail a compression of the spring 10 between the springhoxes or followers 9,`one of said springboxes through the engagement of the lu s 1l and-'14 of the stem therewith being shi tcd laterally with the coupler stem, while the other spring-box is prevented from retreat ing by engaging the inner face of the carry iron or4 other' like abutment in the car. W hen the force causing the lateral displacement ofthe'coupler`from its normal position ceases to act, the'expansion of the spring will restore the couplei' to its centralized position.

While the device canbe very readily taken apart for repairs, it will be seen that the centralizingmechanism is liriiily held 1u place in a simple niiinncr without the necessity of employing bolts or rivets, and that the coupler head 4and coupler stem are rigidly and strongly connected, the connecting bolt 7 being in quadruple shear.

I claim:

1. In a draft appliance for railway vehicles, the combination with a coupler head having a rearwardly extending projection and a plurality of rearwardly opening pockets, there being a. pocket'above and a pocket beneath said projection, of a coupler stem having arms extending into said pockets and having interlocking connection with said projection, means passing through said arms and projection for connecting said coupler head and coupler stem, and coupler eentralizing means maintained in assembled position by said stem and said rejection.

2. In a draft appliance or railway vehicles, the combination with a coupler head having a rearwardly extending projection, of a coupler stem rigidly connected to said head, and centralizing means for yieldingly controlling the position of said head and stem, said centralizing means being maintained in assembled position by said stem and said rearwardly extending projection of said head. i

3. Ina 'draft appliance for railway vehicles, the combination with a coupler stem and a coupler head having a. rearwardly extending projection, of a. spring, and relatively movable followers engaging the opposite ends of said spring and projecting outwardly beyond the corresponding sides of said' stein, said followers being adapted to be engaged and guided by said stein and aiclrearwardly extending projection of said ica 4. In a draft appliance for railway vehicles, the combination with a coupler head havin' a rearwardly extending projection provided with rearwardly extending stops, of a coupler stem rigidly connected to said head and having forwardly extending stops, followers (projecting outwardly beyond the correspon ing sides of said stem and adapted to have overlapping engagement with said sto s, and a spring interposed between said fol owers.

5. In a draftappliance for railway vehicles, the combination'witli a coupler head having rearwardly extending stops formed with inclined faces, of a con ler stem rigidly connected thereto and having forwardly extendingl stops formed with inclined faces, followers projecting beyond the corresponding sides of said stem and having inclined faces which respectively engage the inclined faces of the stops of said stem and head, and extending into said pockets, said arms ha va sp1-ing interposed between said followers. infr lugs on their inner faces which form a 10 G. In a draft appliance lfor' railway vesplined connection with said rearwardly exhiclcs, the combination witha coupler head tending projection ofsaid head, and means 3 having a rearwardly extendn projection for connecting said head and stem.

which is channeled longtudinaly and hav- In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ing a pocket below and a pocket above said projection, of a coupler stem having arms WILLIAM J. REGAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ave cents each, by 'addressing the commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C."

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