US1537451A - Engine coupler and pocket therefor - Google Patents

Description

May 12, 1925. 1,537,451

A. J. BAZELEY ET AL v ENGINE COUPLER AND POCKET THEREFOR Filed April 9, 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 glvwemtozs A. J. BAZELEY ET AL ENGINE COUPLER AND POCKET THEREFOR May 12, 1925. '1',"s37,451

Filed April 9, 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 12, 1925.

' A. J. BAZELEY ET AL ENGINE COUPLER AND. POCKET THBBEFOR Filed April 9. 191' 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 gme/wbozs Patented May 12, 1925.

UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR J. BAZELEY AND JOHN -\VILIJSON, O-F CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNORS, BY MALLEABLE AND STEEL CASTINGS COM- MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO NATIONAL FANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIG, CORPORATION OF OHIO.

ENGINE COUPLER AND POCKET THEREFOR.

Application filed April 9,

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ARTHUR J. BAZELEY, a citizen of the United States, and JOHN lViLmsoN', a subject of the King of Great Britain, both residing at Cleveland, Guyahoga County, Ohio, have jointly invented new and useful Improvements in Engine Couplers and Pockets Therefor, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a section showing the application of our improvements to acoupler pocket; Fig. 2 is a section of a modified form of our invention applied to a coupler-shank, Fig. 3 is a section of afurther modification thereof; and Fig. 4 is a detail of the bushing in the coupler shank.

Our invention relates to engine coupler shanks and pockets therefor, and comprises means for holding the head of an engine coupler in alignment with the horizontal axis of the coupler pocket. We have found that'when an engine coupler is applied to a pocket of the ordinary type, because of the clearance necessary between shank and pocket, the coupler head has a distinct droop, which increases as the coupler and pocket become worn. lVhen certain types of couplers are used, even with pockets having a coupler support forward of the pocket mouth, the centerof gravity ofthe'. coupler is forward of-this support, with the result that the coupler shank tipsup in the pocket and the coupler head has a corresponding droop. This droop causes a line bearing contact between the top of the shank and the rear of the inner upper surface of the pocket, and also between the depending portion of the head and the extended floor of the pocket. As a result of this droop, the pin, by which the coupler is secured in the pocket, and the buffing and pulling faces of the coupler are tilted out of perpendicular, so that with every operation of bufiing and draft the couplers are brought into alignment, and then as the pressure is relieved are permitted to sag down, all of which greatly increases the wear in both coupler and pocket. Our invention overcomes this droop without changing the height of the shank or of the pocket. Our invention also consists in the construction and arrange- 1921. Serial No. 460,050.

ment of parts which we shall hereinafter describe and claim.

Referring to the drawings, 2 indicates the coupler shank and 3 the pocket casting. The top and bottom surfaces of the pocket are indicated by the numerals 4, and 5, and the corresponding surfaces of the shank by the numbers Sand 7. The pivot pin 8 eX-' tends through the pocket casting and the shown by the region A the upper boundary of which is shown by a horizontal dotted line a, while the bottom 5 has been cut out to the extent shown by the region B indicated by the space between the shanksurface 7 and the surface 5 at the bottom of the pocket. This results in giving the same clearances that are now employed to allow for normal variations iii-shank and pocket mouth heights, and in effect merely trans-.

fers the metal from region B to region A, so that this form of pocket maybe used with any engine coupler having a shank of normal dimensions. 7

The top surface 4 of the pocket is tapered or bevelled downwardly from the front of the pocket approximately to the 'rear side of the pivot pin hole 9, and the portion 45 thereof, from the rear of the hole tothe rear of the pocket, is substantially parallel with the horizontal axis of the pocket and engages the upper face 6 of theshank from the pivot pin hole to the rear end of the shank. The bottom surface 5 of the pocket is provided with a portion 5 which is parallel to the portion 4 and then inclines down to the rear end of the pocket. It will be seen that we have shown the perpendicular distance between the surfaces 4 and 5 is substantially equal to the height of the coupler shank, but that clearance for the insertion of the shank is provided by the bevelled forward part of the surface 4 and by cutting away the floor 5 to the extent shown by the region B. p

When a coupler shank of the standard dimensions is inserted, its bottom face 7 bears on the surface 5 and'its top face 6 has a surface contact with the surface 4 so that the tendencyofthe coupler to droop is f overcome and the coupler 'is held in horizontal position.

7 I11 Fig. 2 we have shown a modified form of our invention in which the means for aligning the coupler in thepocket is placed on the shank instead of in the pocket. Here a region a above the dotted line g is added on the top of the coupler shank, terminatmg 111 a flat surface 6 to the rear of the pivot pin hole, and a region Z) is cut away from the bottom face of the shank, thus creating an upwardly inclined portion 7 to the rear'of the flat portion 7 In this form the distance from the fiat surface 6 on the top ofthe shank to the center line of the I coupler is equal to the distance between center line of the pocket.

the upper surface 4 of the pocket and the In Figs. 3 and 4 we have shown a further modificatlon of our invention, inwhich the upward bevel on top 6 of the coupler shank begins at, a pointin advance of the pocket, thus giving an extended bearing against the top surface of the pocket. lVith the bottom surface 7 of the shank the bevel also begins at a point forward of the pocket, so that the bottom 7 'of the shank does not engage the bottom 5 of the pocket, but the coupler is supported on the extended floor 11 by the depending portion12 of the head. A spe cial hardened steel bushing 13 is employed about the pin hole. The enlarged head 14 V of this bushinggives an increased bearing area which thus decreases the wear on the shank. 7 As wear will occur toward the rear end of the bushing, its life may be increased by turning it through 180 degrees.

The terms and expressions which we have employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and we have no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents, of the featuresshown and described, or portions zontal each having in one portion a surface engagement with corresponding portions of the top and bottom, respectively, of the pocket whereby drooping of the coupler head is prevented, and the ,top and bottom of the shank each having in another portion a face diverging relatively from corresponding faces on thetop'and bottom of the pocket, to facilitate insertion of the shank into the pocket.

2. In a device ofthe character described,

a coupler pocket, a shank for an engine coupler seated in said pocket,the roof of the pocket having a horizontal surface to the rear of the pivot pin hole and being inclined upwardlytherefrom to the forward edge of the pocket, the bottom surface of the pocket being inclined downwardly and rearwardly from a point forward of the pivot pin hole,

the coupler shank having its top and bottom surfaces parallel to the horizontal axis of the coupler, whereby the shank engages'a forward portion of the floor 'of the pocket and the rear portion of theroof of the pocket,'andis thereby maintained in alignment with the horizontal axis of the pocket.

3. A pocket for couplers comprising, in a unitary casting, a base portion, top, bottom and sidewalls extending forwardly from said base portion and forming a pocket for the reception of a coupler shank, the

top and bottom walls having alignedopem ings for ap-ivot pin, the inner faces of said top and bottom walls each being formed by inclined and horizontal surfaces, one of said horizontal surfaces being forward of the other horizontal surface, and the vertical distance between said horizontal surfaces being substantlally the'same as the vertlcal d11nens1on of said coupler shank.

ARTHUR J. BAZELEY] JOHN WILLISON.

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