US2666533A - Railway car coupler having means to prevent vertical disengagement - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 19, 1954 F. H. KAYLER RAILWAY CAR COUPLER HAVING MEANS TO PREVENT VERTICAL DISENGAGEMENT 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 21, 1951 Han/ H j' giig r Jan. 19, 1954 F. H. KAYLER RAILWAY CAR COUPLER HAVING MEANS TO PREVENT VERTICAL DISENGAGEMENT 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 21, 1951 INVENTOR. Emd flfii jer Jan. 19} 1954 KAYLER 2,666,533 RAILWAY CAR COUPLER HAVING MEANS -TO PREVENT VERTICAL DISENGAGEMENT Filed Feb. 21, 1951 5 SheetSSheet 4 INVENTOR.

71 0b fiiggler Jan. 19, 1954 F. KAYLER 2,666,533

RAILWAY CAR COUPLER HAVING MEANS TO PREVENT VERTICAL DISENGAGEMENT Filed Feb. 21, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 I A v/ ZZZ INVENTOR. T312111? ff ffaaler Patented Jan. 19, 1954 RAILWAY CAR COUPLER HAVING MEANS TO PREVENT VERTICAL DISENGAGEMENT Frank H. Kayler, Alliance, Ohio, assignor to American Steel Foundries, Chicago, 111., a corporation of New Jersey Application February 21, 1951, Serial No. 212,110

Claims. 1

This invention relates to railway car couplers and more particularly toautomatically operated knuckle type couplers such as are recognized as standard equipment by the Association of American Railroads, or as used in some foreign countries which have adopted the knuckle type of coupler.

A primary object of the invention is to prevent accidental uncoupling resulting fro-m relative vertical movement between mated coupler heads.

'Another object of' the invention is to prevent vertical separation by means adaptable to knuckle type couplers having certain special features of design, and also to provide an eificient design of interlock shelf with minimum obstruction to cleaning operations in the finishing of coupler castings.

Another object of the invention is to facilitate coupling of couplers which are at different levels.

A further object of the invention is to reinforce the throat of a coupler head at the midpoint between its guard arm and knuckle pivot cars.

A more specific object of the invention is to devise a novel coupler head having a shelf underlying its throat, said shelf having one or more levels or ledges engageable with the knuckle of a mating coupler to facilitate coupling and to prevent accidental uncoupling.

Another object of the invention is to devise an arrangement such as above described wherein relative vertical and vertical angling movements between the mated couplers are accommodated.

Still another object of the invention is to arrange the forward edge of the coupler head shelf in a vertical plane approximately tangential to the pivot openings in the coupler head ears, and to'connect the shelf between the bottom ear and the coupler front face at a point approximating the point of tangency of the flat front face portion with the base radius of the guard arm, thereby affording maximum strength for support of the nose of a mated coupler knuckle and accommodating all positions of mated couplers.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the, invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following specification and the accompanying. drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a bottom plan-view of mated coupler heads embodying a preferred form of the invention, theheads being shown in extreme position of horizontal angling;

H Figure 2 is a top plan view of the structure shown in Figure 11, under bufling conditions;

2 Figure 3 is a top plan view similar to Figure 2 but showing the mechanism under pulling conditions;

Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 3 with both couplers shown in condition of maximum upward angling;

' Figure 5 is a sectional view similar to that of Figure 4, but showing the couplers level under conditions of maximum vertical ofiset;

Figure 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-6 of Figure 1;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary front elevational view of one of the couplers shown in Figure-l; Figure 8 is a fragmentary side elevational view taken on the line 8--8 of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a top plan view of the couplers 7 shown in Figure 1 during a coupling operation;

Figure 10 is a side elevational view of the structure shown in Figure 9 partly in section on the line |0|0 thereof and showing the couplers under conditions of maximum vertical offset:

Figures 11 to 17 illustrate a modification of the invention, Figure 11 being a bottom lan view comparable to Figure 1, Figure 12 being a top plan view comparable to Figure 2, Figure 13 being a top plan view showing the mechanism under pulling conditions such as those shown in Figure 3, Figure 14 being a sectional view on the line M-I4 of Figure 13 with both couplers shown in condition of maximum upward angling, Figure 15 being a sectional view similar to that of Figure 14 but showing the couplers level under conditions of maximumvertical offset, Figure 16 being a fragmentary front elevational View of one of the couplers shown in Figure 11, and Figure 17 being a fragmentary side elevational view taken on the line l'l-Il of Figure 16.

Describing the invention in detail and referring first to the embodiment thereof illustrated in Figures 1 to 10 inclusive, mated couplers are generally designated in Figure 1 as I and'2 respectively. Each coupler comprises a head 3 having a guard arm 4 at one side thereof, and having top and bottom ears 6 and 8 at the opposite side thereof. A knuckle ID of each coupler extends between its ears 6 and 3 and is pivoted thereto by a pin l4. Each head also comprises a throat is between its guard arm i and its pivot pin 14, the throat having a contour complementary to and engageable with a nose l8 of the mating coupler knuckle i0 when the couplers are subjected to bufiing forces, as illustrated in Figure 2 and as is well known to those skilled in the art. It may be noted that the above described construction is conventional and is thus said pin. The forward edge of the shelf 20 extends linearly along this plane fromits juncture with the bottom ear 8 of thefcoupler headto :a point in the region of the guard arm 4 and then curves forwardly at 2| (Figure 1)'tomerge with the bottom of the guard arm. The rear" edge of the shelf 20 is connected to a web or leg 22 depending from the bottom ofthe. coupler; 1 6. 51

and extending arcuately from beneath the bottom ear 8 following approximately thecontour of the throat It to theforward edge ofthe guard arm lfaswillbefbst' underst'ood'by acompa'rison ofFig ures 1,4 and 7; andthe shelf '20 is reinforced by a rib depending therefrom and havifig a segment 25' extending diagonally with respecttothe longitudinal vertical center plane of the coupler head. The rib segment 25"extends across the "shelf beneath the throat l6 approximat'ely"m'idwaybetween the merger of thethroat with the guard. arm land the merger of the 'throat'withthe pivot ears '6 and 8. The ribsegment 25 is connected to an angularly related rib segment 261 which extends along the forward edgeof'shelf 20 and merges with the bottom ear 8. Each shelf 20 is adapted tounderlie the knuckle H] of a mated coupler, as clearly shown in Figure l .lgwherein it will be seenthat the shelves 20 of the respective couplers I and 2"underlie each other's knuckles Hl'und'er conditions of maximum angling. Figures 2 and 3 illustrate conditions of maximum buff and pulling, respectively,: and Figure 5 illustrates the manner in whichthe shelf 201'oficoupler 2 engages'the knuckle H] of coupler tunderpulling conditions" and maximum vertical offset indicated at A' in Figure 5. V .HFigureA illustrates both couplers l and 2 ma position of extreme upward angling and it will belseeniinthis figure that the upper rear edges of] the knuckles") contact each other and the .,.1ower.,forward edges of the knuckles in contact .lihefront facesofthemating coupler heads at 28 thereby limiting (such, upward angling without contact, betweentheforward edges of the shelves 2,0 thereby preventing damage thereto. It will also be apparentthat under a combination of vertical offset, as in Figure 5, with vertical angling, as in Figure 4, the limiting. contact of the lowerknuckle II! will, be against the web 22 of;the related shelf 20. Inasmuch as the webs 22 are set back from the, faces 28," increased angling, is permitted under these conditions, but clearance is still maintained between the adjacent faces of the. shelves 20.

Each shelf 20, as best seen in Figure 7 and in the illustration of coupler 2 in Figure Q, comprises an 'upper ledge or level 39 andjalso comprises, a loyverledge or level 3| connected by a, sloping diagonal wall or surface 32 to the upper ledge .30 alongtheforwarded e of the rihse finlll t The ledge extends at an angle to'the longitudinal vertical center plane of the coupler and joins the throat lB at a point inwardly of the juncture of. the throat with theguard arm, and {the sloping surface 32, as best seen in Figure 9, extends" to a point beneath the throat [5 at approximatelythe' tangent pointof the flat face of the tli'roat'tothebase radius'of the guard arm 4.

aecarsea a coupling operation.

It will be readily understood, as shown in Figures 9 and 10, that as the couplers are coupled or, mated the knuckle nose [8 of the coupler l whichis'lower"than'the coupler 2, slides up the slopingw'all"or surface 32 of the coupler 2 and i 's'eatson'the upper ledge or level 30 to engage the throat 1610f coupler 2 and complete the coupling operation as' shown in Figure 2.

.F i gures 11 tol'? illustrate a modification of the invention wherein parts corresponding to those of thepividusly described embodiment are illustrated by corresponding numerals. It will be noted that in the modification the shelf 2pis a one level structure which, as best seen in Figures 11 to 13, is adapted to underlie the nose I8'of the mated coupler in all positions of horizontal anlin /pu n andhll s r The extremeforwardedge of the shelf20 is in a plane approximately tangential to the coupler head pivot pinancl itscomplementary openings injthe ears e and 8 The forward edge of shelf 20 extends at anangle tothis plane to the throat l 6;joining the eb} 2 therebeneath at apointinwardly of the juncture of the throat 'with 'the guard arm 4, approxi mately beneath the tangent point of the flat face of the throat it to the'base radiusoftheguard arm V The. ea e 9f i he h lf. cbnficfid, the web or leg 22 depending from the bottom of the coupler head; and extending arcuately from beneath the bottoni ears following approximately the contour of the throat It to the end of the shelf 2|], aswill best'be'understo'od by a comparison ofFig ures 1 1, "l4' and 17; and the shelf 20 is reinforced by a rib '24 depending therefromand having a segment 25 extending diagonally along the edge of the shelf 20' whichfas above noted,

extends diagonallyiwith respect to the longitudinal vertical center -pla'neof the coupler head. U The rib'segment 25 exterids" along the edge of the shelf 20 beneath thethroat l6 approximately midway between the'longitudinal center plane of thecoupler head andt'he merger of the'front face of the throat I 6 'withthe guard arm base -radius.

Figure 14 illustrates both couplers l and 2 in a position'of extremeupward angling, and it will beHseen-in this figure'that the upper manages of theknuckles llfcontact each other and the lower forward edges of the'knuckles l0 contact the front.facesof theflinating coupler heads at 2 8 thereby limitingfs'uch upward ahgling' without contact btiveentheforward edges of the shelves 20, therebyjpreventing damage thereto. It will be apparent that under a combinationfof vertical offset as in' Figure 14 with vertical angling'as in Figure 15 the limiting. contact. of the knu ckleill shown at'the right'in Figure 15' Will'be against the web Ref-12h? Shelf 20, and the web being set back from the face 2 {permits increased angling while maintainingf clearance between the outer faces of the'shelves 20 g I As shown in Figuresll, l6 and 17 each knuckle l0 isprovided 'opithe underside thereof with a lug 50 for reception'of one end 52 of a c'oil torsion spring'54 'po'sitioned'around the lower end of the pivot p in i 4 The other end 56 ofthe is web""22'of'theshelf'whereby the spring is mainsaeeeysee tained under torsipn tending to throw the knuckle It to its open'position. 1

It will be apparent fromreferencejto the various figures of the modification that thisdesignof shelf provides satisfactory interlock byv overlap of the shelf with the nose of the knuckle and affords ample strength by providing a reinforcing rib directly beneath the point of'load while still maintaining proper clearance for full anglingof a knuckle incorporating ator'sion spring lug."

I claim:

1. A railway coupler head comprising knuckle pivot means and a guard'arm, said head havin a throat between the pivot means and guard arm, and a shelf carried by said head beneath the level of the guard arm and throat and projecting forwardly of the throat, said shelf comprising a rib depending therefrom and extending diagonally across the vertical center plane of the head beneath the mid point of the throat.

2. A railway coupler head according to claim 1, wherein the shelf comprises an upper surface, the forward edge of which is defined by said rib, said shelf comprising a surface sloping downwardly from said rib toward the guard arm.

3. A railway coupler head according to claim 1, wherein the shelf comprises an upper substantially horizontal surface, a lower substantially horizontal surface, and a surface sloping downwardly from the upper surface and connectin the latter to the lower surface.

4. A railway coupling comprising mated couplers, each having a coupler head with a knuckle engaged with a knuckle of the mated coupler along approximately vertical surfaces of said knuckles accommodating relative vertical movement between said knuckles during relative vertical movement of the heads, each head having a throat extending from its knuckle beyond its longitudinal center line and adapted to engage the knuckle of the other head, a substantially vertical web depending from each head and offset rearwardly from its throat, and a shelf connected to the web and underlying the knuckle of the other head and spaced therebelow a distance less than the knuckle depth, the lower forward edges of the knuckles being engageable with the throats above the webs of respective heads during interengagement of the upper rear edges of the knuckles under conditions of extreme upward angling of both couplers unaccompanied by relative vertical offset therebetween.

5. A railway coupler comprising a head, a knuckle pivoted thereto, a guard arm, said head having athroat between the knuckle and guard arm, and a shelf carried. by said head beneath the level of the guard arm and throat and projecting forwardly of the throat, said shelf comprising an approximately vertical rib depending therefrom and extending diagonally across the vertical center plane of the head beneath the mid point of the throat, said shelf having an upper level, the forward edge of which is aligned with the forward edge of the rib.

6. A railway coupler according to claim 5, wherein the shelf comprises a surface sloping downwardly from said upper level toward the uard arm.

'7. A railway coupler according to claim 6, wherein the lower edge of said downwardly sloping surface is connected to a substantially horizontal surface of said shelf, said last mentioned surface partially underlying the guard arm.

8. A railway coupler head having top and bottom knuckle pivot cars at one side thereof and having a guard arm at the other side there- :.-of;s'aid head having a throat extending from :the .ears to the guard arm, and a shelf integrally .:formed.with the head beneath-the level of the throat and projecting forwardly thereof, said shelf comprising a depending rib. extending diagonally. across the vertical center plane of the head :beneath the mid-point of. the throat.

. 9; A railway coupler head having top and bottom knuckle pivot ears at one side thereof and having a guard arm at the other side thereof, saidrhead having a throat extending from said ears to said guard arm and having a ledge beneath said throat, said ledge having a forward surface defining a vertical plane approximately tangential to the bottom ear, and said ledge having another forward surface defining a vertical plane approximately tangential to a pin hole through the bottom car.

10. A railway coupler head having top and bottom knuckle pivot ears at one side thereof and having a guard arm at the other side thereof, said head having a throat extending from said lugs to said guard arm and said head having a rib beneath said throat integrally formed with and extending between the lower surface of the bottom ear and the lower edge of the throat at a point on the throat approximating the point of tangency of the throat with the base radius of the guard arm.

11. A railway coupler head, according to claim 10, wherein the diagonal forward edge of the rib is disposed at an angle of between 30 and 40 with respect to the longitudinal vertical center plane of the coupler head.

12. A railway coupler head, according to claim 11, wherein the diagonal forward edge of the rib is so disposed that a straight line extended along this edge toward the bottom ear would pass outwardly of tangent to the ear edge, a distance between one-third and one-fourth of the depth from the center of the pivot hole in the ear to the edge of the ear.

13. A railway coupler head having top and bottom knuckle pivot ears at one side thereof, said head having a guard arm at the other side thereof, said head having a throat extending from said lugs to said guard arm and having a ledge beneath said throat integrally formed with and extending between the lower surface of the bottom ear and the lower edge of the throat at a point on the throat spaced from the longitudinal vertical center plane of the coupler head a distance less than the point of tangency of the throat with the base radius of the guard arm.

14. A railway coupler head having top and bottom knuckle pivot ears at one side thereof and having a guard arm at the other side thereof, said head having a throat extending from said lugs to said guard arm and having a substantially vertical web extending from the bottom ear and following the contour of the throat across the longitudinal vertical center plane of the coupler head, a ledge carried by said web and projecting forwardly beneath the throat, a knuckle having a portion between said ears, a pivot pin passing through aligned openings of said portion and ears, a torsion spring sleeved over the lower end of said pin, said spring having one end thereof anchored to the knuckle for resiliently urging the latter to open position thereof, and means on said web beneath the bottom ear anchoring the other end of said torsion spring.

15. A railway coupler head having top and bottom knuckle pivot ears at one side thereof and having a guard arm at the other side thereof. aligned pivot pin holes through said ears. said :amagusa a8 head zhav'ing a throat extending 'fromsaidjlugs *tosaid guard arm andehavingia, dedgei beneath References 011785 In the lfi p fi i a en said throat integrally formed .Wifihand:exten'ding m STATES PATENTS between the lower surfaceofithezbottnm ear-and N N te 'the lower-edge of the threat, the :extremeionward 5 gag v ame i face of the ledge "being substantially wtangential 33g g ff d with thefront-ofLiane1pivot pint'hd1e1;in:the bottom fi a 11909 ear, sa1d ledge havmg a dlagonaleface:connected 22141, 718 Christianson Sept. T10, 1940 to said forward face fbya iradialvr'section andzextending) th f th t 1:10 5 2: M t u u 1.951

H. KAXLER.

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