US1564400A - Car coupler - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 8, 1925.

R. G. AVERILL CAR COUPLER Filed July 29. 1924 Patented Dec. 8, 1925 UNITED STATES 1,564,40il PATENT OFFICE.

REX G. AVERILL, 0F MANSFIELD, OHIO,.ASSIGI\TOR TO THE OHIO BRASS COMPANY, OF MANSFIELD, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

GAR COUPLER.

Application filed. July 2 1924. Serial No. 728,870.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that 1, Rex Gr. AVERILL, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Mansfield, in the county of Richland and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Car Coupler, of which the following is a. specification. 7

My invention relates to car couplers and has for its object means for preventing the coupling mechanism from reaching a totally uncoupled relation while the cars are in a. coupled relation. I

I find that with an automatic hook type of coupler, herein shown, that with smooth engaging faces on the coupler hooks that under certain abnormal. conditions the tendency is for the hooks to creep apart andto become uncoupled, therefore, I have provided means for preventing the hooks from reaching uncoupled relation under such abnormal conditions.

My invention resides in the new and novel construction, combination and relation of the parts shown in the drawing accompanying this specification and later described indetail.

in the drawing Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a coupler head suitable for attachment to a spring draft gear or other device for securing the head in position upon a car.

Fig. 2 is a side view in elevation of Big. 1.-

3 is an end view of Fig. 1. V 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 ig. 3, showing two couplers in normal coupled relation.

. 5 shows a sectional view on the line O l l two coupler heads when the coupled elements have moved apart a predetermined amount.

In my improved construction I employ a body member 1 which is recessed to receive .the coupling mechanism. To the coupling head 1 is an extension 2 which may be secured to the spring draft gear which in turn is secured to the car body, as is well known in th art, or the member 2 may be provided with means for securing it directly to car. The means for securing the coupler head to a car body is not shown in detail for the reason that such connection forms no part of my invention. Mounted within a recess 3 of the body member 1 is a coupler 3 and shows the relation of hook 4 secured in pivotal relation to the body member 1 by means of the pin 5. Also mounted within the recess 3 is an unlocking cam 6 provided with a handle 7 projecting outside the body member 1 and pivotally mounted in the body member '1 by means of the pin 8. The coupling member 4 is held in a normally advanced position and.

against the unlocking cam 6 by means of a spring 9 secured to the body member by means, of the bolt and nut 10. It will be noted that under normal conditions i the coupler hook 4 will be maintained against the unlocking cam. 6 and, when two heads are brought together by impact, each coupler book 4 on; the cooperating heads will tend to move the opposite coupler hooks 4 against the tension of the spring 9 in each head and permit the coupler hooks 4 to pass each other until the couplers assume the position shown in Fig. 4 in which the faces 11 of the coupler head 1 and the faces 12 of the coupler hooks 4 assume the position shown in Fig. 4. It will be noted that, there is practically no longitudinal movement of the heads relative to each other in this position as the faces 12 of the hooks 4 and the faces 11 of the bodies 1 are practically together and in parallel vertical planes which almost coincide. If it is desired to uncouple the two heads, this can be done by operating either cam lever 7 thereby forcing both cooperating coupler hooks 4 apart and into an uncoupled relation and under this condition the cars may be separated.

If while in the coupled relation shown in Fig. 4 there should be a tendency forthe coupler books 4 to creep apart, they may do so until the projection 13 on each coupling member drops into the recess 14 on the opposite coupling member, as shown in Fig. 5, thereby preventing further movement of the coupler hooks 4 to an unlocked position and preventing the uncoupling of the cars. While in this position the faces 11 of the coupler will be separated, as shown by the space 17 therebetween, but this space is quite small as the depth of the notch 14 may be very shallow. It is quite evident that if the couplers assume the position shown in Fig. 5 that they will retain this position so long as the coupler heads are acting under tension, but if the heads are brought into compression, in which case the space 17 willbe closed, then the coupler hooks 4 will be free to assume their normal position shown in Fig. 4 through the action of the springs 9. In attempting to uncouple two heads which have taken the position shown in Fig. 5, it is quite evident that it will first be necessary to bring the heads into a compressive relation thereby relieving the interlock of the members 13 and 1 1 after which the coupler hooks may be moved to an uncoupled relation by operating the handle 7 of the cam 6.

In order to maintain the coupler heads against lateral or rotative movement relative to each other when in a coupled relation, I provide in the face of the body member 1 two recesses 15 along one side and upon the other side and projectin from the face, I provide two pins 16 such that when two heads are brought into coupling relation, the pins 16 on one head will cooperate with the recesses on the opposite head thereby mainta ning the heads uncoupled agai-nst relative erse, lateral or rotative movement.

There are, of course, modifications which will be evident to those skil ed in the art, but l do not wish to be lim ted otherwise than by my claims.

I claim 1. A pair of coupler heads each comprising a body member and holding means for holding the heads in a coupled relation, means to yieldingly hold the said holding means in a coupled relation, engaging pulling faces on each holding means, each pulling face being provided with a transverse groove to receive means on the opposite head to limit and lock the holding means against relative lateral movement.

2. A pair of coupler heads each comprising a body member and means on each head for holding the heads in coupled relation, each means provided with cooperating pulling faces for normally engaging when the heads are in coupled relation and each face provided with a transverse groove, said grooves adapted to receive therein means on the oppositehead to limit the relative lateral movement of the holding means after the ioldingg; means have moved relative to each other a predetermined amount.

3. A car coupler comprising a body mem her, a hook member provided with a pullengaged by means on the hook of the cooperating coupler to prevent the hooks prematurely uncoupling after the hooks have moved relatively and laterally a predetermined amount.

a. A pair of counterpart coupler heads each comprising a body member having par allel impact faces and a hook "member for holding the heads in acoupljed relation, the hooks provided with like faces normally parallel. to the impact faces on the body member cooperating with each other to form pulling surfaces to hold the heads in coupled relation and resilient means to hold the hooks and the pulling faces in normal coupled relation, each hook provided with a transverse groove in the pulling face thereof and intermediate the inner and outer edges thereof to prevent premature uncoupling and means to move the hooks to an uncoupled relation at will.

A pair of coupler "heads each comprising a body member and a holding member cooperating with the holding member on the opposite head, each holding member pro vided with spaced and alined pulling faces cooperating with the like faces on the cooperating head, means to prevent the relative lateral movement of the holding means and means to yieldingly hold the alined faces in cooperative relation.

6. A car coupler comprising a body memher having an abutting face and holding means to engage with a similar means on a cooperating head, the holding means being provided with a pulling face in substantial alinement with the abutting face, the pulling face being provided with a transverse groove intermediate the inner and outer edges of the pulling face such that the normal pulling-strain'will heapplied'on the faces on each side of the groove and under abnormal conditions the outer projecting face on the cooperating holding means will come into engagement with said groove to prevent uncoupling.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

REX G. AVER'ILL.

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