US2258534A - Mining car bumper coupling - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 7, 1941. w. L. BRO/CK ET AL MINING CAR BUMPER CUPLINGl Filed Ag. 29, 1940 2 sheetssheet 1 Willie L. 151ml;

OCt. 7, 1941. W, BROCK.. ErAL l 2,258,534

MINING CAR BUMPERCOUPLING Filed Aug. 29, 1940 l 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 VII/1 Patented Oct. 7, 1941 UNITED STATES PATE-NT OFFICE` 2,258,534 I j MINING can BUMPER coUrLINo Willie L. Brock and Walter F. Jones, Bandy, Va. Application August 29, 1940, serial No. 354,756

1 Claim.

This invention relates to an improved `coupling especially adapted for use on mining cars `and aims particularly to provide a coupling by means of which one car may be drawnv by another car 4or by means of which one of the 'cars may beupushed by the other with the coupling elements'vforming abutments or bumpers.

Still another Vaim of the invention is to provide a coupling wherein the coupling elements are yieldably connected to the cars to iormgeither a yieldable draft vconnectionor a yiel-dable abutment.v v i More particularly, it is an aim of the invention to provide a coupling havingonovel means for automatically coupling the cars to thereby eliminate the, need for manually completing the coupling and the danger incidental to the worker in being disposed between the cars as they are being moved together. Y

`Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter becomemore fully apparent from the following description of the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein.:`

Figure 1 is .aside elevational view showing the coupling inV acoupled position, Figure 2 is atop plan view of the same,

Figure 3 is an enlarged'longitudinal vertical sectional view taken substantially along the plane of the line 3-3 ofFigure 2,

Figure 4 isa longitudinal horizontal ,sectional viewlof the coplingtaken substantially along the plane indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 3,

Figure 5 is a transverse verticalsectional View of the coupling taken substantially along the plane indicated by the line 5`5 of Figure 3,

Figure 6 is a fragmentary side elevational View of a yportion of one of the coupling blocks,

Figure 7 isa sectional view taken Vsubstantially along the plane of the line ,1 -'I of Figure 6,

Figure 8 is a plan view showing a plate used for attaching one of the coupling members to a car, and y Y Figure 9 is a sectional View taken substantially along the plane of the line Ii-.9 of Figure 1.

Referring more particularly to thedrawings, wherein like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the different views, I0 designates portions of adjacent ends of a pair of mining cars provided with depending flanges or aprons I I having openings I2, and

the invention, and which is adapted to'connect the two cars I0.

:The coupling'i3 includes a pair or coupling blocks I4 and I5 each of which is provided with a drawbar extending' from the rear end thereof. The drawbar I6 of the block I4'is slidably kmounted inlan `opening I1 of a plate :I8 which is attached tothe outer side lof one of the flanges fII over its opening `I2 by means of a plurality of faste'nings I9." `The drawbar I6 therefore extends not only through the opening I'I butalso through the` opening I2 ofthe iiange II to which the plate I3 is attached. An expansion coil spring 20 is mounted on the drawbar I6 and has one end abutting againstthe inner side yof the plate 'I8 and its opposite end abutting against 'a washer 2I which is mounted on the drawbar IB and retained in position thereon' by means of a pin 22.l The pin `22, as best seen in Figure 3, is in the yforr'n o'r shape of an inverted L` withlthe longer end thereof extending through an opening`23 Vin the drawbar 1.6. A `cotti-rr pin Z4 extends through the longer end of the pin 2-2 for retaining said end in engagement with `the opening 23. As 'best seen in Figure 8, the plate 'I8 is provided with a pair of indentations 25 to receive tits y26 which project from the back side 0f the block I'II"'to Aretain said block in substantially a horizontal position. The block I4 is provided with an arcuately shaped recess'1 2,1 which' opens outwardly offits forward end and lin which is disposed one end of a link 2B. pin 2'9 extends perpendicularly through the block` Ill andthrough the recess "21 and link 28 toconnect saidY link 28 to the block I4. A cotter pin 30, which extends through the lower end of the -pin 29y prevents accidental removal of said pin. p

Thedrawbar 3I of the block I5 is slidably mounted in an opening A32 of a plate 33 and is similarly connected by fastenings I9 to the flange I I of the other car .III and over its opening I2. The drawbar V3l also. extends through an opening, not shown, in a hanger 34. A pin 35 Yex" v ten-ds through andis nmounted in the drawbar 3| behind the` plate 33 to. limit the outward movement of the block I5 relatively to plate 33. A coil spring 36, of the expansion type, is disposed With one end abutting against the pin 35 and its opposite end abutting against the hanger 34 for yleldably urging the drawbar 3| out-- wardly. A `second pin 31 may be mounted in the drawbar 3l behind the hanger 314, yas illus- I3 designates generally the coupling, comprising 55 trated in kFigures l and 2. The drawbar 3l is preferably so mounted that it will not turn relatively to the plate 33 and the hanger 34 in which it is slidably disposed to retain the block I5 substantially in a horizontal position.

Blocks I4 and I5 diverge toward their outer, forward ends and the block I5 is provided with a recess 38 which diverges toward and opens outwardly of the forward end thereof for receiving the free end of the link 28 and for guiding said end toward the restricted portion of the recess 38. Recess 38 is provided with an elongated restricted portion at its inner end, designated 39, for receiving a slide 4I) which is slidably mounted therein and which is provided with the enlarged head 4I which projects-toward and extends into the enlarged portionof the recess 38. The slide 40 is also Nprovided with a perpendicularly disposed elongated opening 42, for a purpose which will hereinafter become v apparent. The block`I5 is provided with alined openings 43 in its top and bottomportions which open into the recess 38 and in which is adapted to be disposed'the ends of a pin 44 the intermediateportion of which extends perpendicularly through'theV recess 38. Theblock I5 is also provided with a perpendicular slot 45 which is disposed Ylongitudinally thereof and which intersects with the recess portion 39. A trigger 46, as best seen` in Figure 9, is mounted on and keyed to. the square intermediate portion of a pin` 4'I which is'journaledin the block I5 and which'extends through the'slot 45 above the slide40. A crank 48 is formed integral Awith one end' of the` pin 41 and is disposed on one side of the restricted rear Vend 49 of the block I5. 'The opposite endof'the pin 4'I extends beyondtheopposit'e side of the restricted end 49 and is squared to receive a portion of a spring latch member 50 which Vis keyed thereto and which is provided adjacent its free end with an inwardly extending rounded projection 5I which; as 4best seen in Figures 6 and 7, is adapted to engageone or the other of two spaced indentations 52 in the -last mentioned side of the portion'49, for a purpose become apparent. Y

'One end'of the"trigger 46 extends downwardly of? the slot 45 and through the opening 42 of slide 4U. The`opposite end of the` trigger 46 extends outwardly of the slot 45 and forwardly of the block I5 and is connected by means of a link53"to the upper end of the pin 44.

which will hereinafter a length that it will not quite contact the head 4I when the slide 40 is in a retracted position and when the blocks I4 and I5 are abutting. Obviously, when one of the cars is being drawn by the other car the blocks I4 and I5 will move out of abutting engagement and the free end of the link 28 will engage against the pin 44. To uncouple the cars I0, the crank 48 is swung forwardly of the block I5 to swing the upper end of the trigger 46 upwardly and rearwardly to raise the pin 44 above the link 28 to thereby release the link. At the same time, the lower end of the trigger 46 will be swung forwardly to move the slide 46 to a forward, projected position. This movement of the crank 48 will cause the latch 56 to swing in a counterclockwise direction, from its position, as seen in Figure 6, to cause its projection 5I to move into engagement with the forward, exposed recess 52 to thereby latch the trigger 46 in a retracted position to hold the pin 44 in a retracted position andthe slide 40 in a projected position. To recouple the cars VI0 the blocks I4 and I5 areV moved toward one another causing the link 28 to enter the recess 38 and be guided by its inwardly converging side walls into engagement with the head 4I 'Ihe impact of the free end ofthe link 28 withv the head 4I will drive the slide 40 to a retracted position to thereby swing the trigger 46 back toits position, as seen in Figure 3, to move the pin 44 downwardly and into aprojected position with its lower end in engagement with the lower opening 43. The pin 44 will pass through thelink 28 to thereby automatically couple the blocks I4 and I5. This will likewise cause thelatch member 50 to return to its position, asl seen in Figure 6, with the projection 5I engaging the recess 52, as illustrated in Figure 7, to retainthe trigger 46 and thepin 44 in projected positions. i l Y The tits 26 will normally engage the recesses 25 in the plate I8 to hold the block I4 in substantiallyna horizontal position corresponding to the position of the block I5. In order to enable either of the cars I Il to be dumped by means of a conventional cradle dump, not shown, the drawbar I6 is mounted to swivel in Vthe opening II so that the block I4 may be turned relatively to the plate I8 to permitY either of the cars I 0 From theforegoing it will-be obvious that y the two cars I 0-when coupled as illustrated in Figures 1 to Lthy-'means of the coupling I3, will be yieldably connected so that either of the cars may be drawn by the other andwhen the coupling -is thus employed for draft means the spring 20will provide yieldable means lto permit the blockl I4 to be resiliently drawn away from the plate VI8 to take up sudden jerks v which would otherwise beA imparted to the. cars Ill.` The blocks I4 and I5 are. also. adapted to abut.

to form a bumperbetweenthe cars III so that either of the cars4 ,may be pushed by theother and when thecoupling |3.is,thus employed the springA 36 'will provide resilient means to permit the b lock AI5` to yieldably move toward the plate 33 to-similarly take up sudden shocks and jerks. It will be noted that the spring 36 normally holds the drawbar 3I and the block I5 in an extended position relatively to the plate 33, as illustrated in Figures 1 to.4, to permit said parts to move toward the plate 33 which will thereby compress the spring 36. The link 28 is of such to be rocked in either vdirection for dumping. The spring 20 will be compressed slightly in this operation to p'ermit the tits 26 to ride out of the recesses 25 so that the block I4 may be rotated relatively to the plate I8 to accommodate the rocking, dumping movement of one or the other of the cars I0. When the car I0 which is dumped is returned to its normal, upright position the block I4 will be swung back to its original position and the spring 20 will retract the block I4 to cause the tits 26 to again engage the recesses 25 to hold the block I4 in substantially a horizontal position. Y

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and .may obviously be resorted to as only a preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed.

We claim as our invention:

A drawbar mounting comprising a block, a drawbar extending therefrom and adapted to be slidably and swivelly connected to an end of a mining car, spring means for yieldably urging the drawbar and block toward the car, a plate adapted to be attached to said end of the car and through which the drawbar extends and in which it is slidably and swivelly mounted, said plate being provided with horizontally spaced said spring means permitting the block to yield indentations in its outer side, said block being away from the plate to allow the projections to yieldably held by the spring means in engageride out of the indentations When the block is ment with the plate, and said block having proturned relatively to the plate.

jeotions arranged to seat in the indentations, 5

when the block is in a horizontal position, to re- WILLIE L. BROCK. leasably retain the block thus positioned, and WALTER F. JONES.

Images