US3206039A - Car coupler - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 14, 1965 w. J. METZGER 3,206,039

CARYCOUPIJER Filed June 3, 1963 V 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. MA/IMJMZ'TZfZ p 1955 w. J. METZGER 3,206,039

OAR courmsn Fil n 3. 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTOR. MA/JMJMUZGI? United States Patent 3,206,039 CAR COUPLER William J. Metzger, East Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to National Castings Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed June 3, 1963, Ser. No. 285,453 9 Claims. (Cl. 213-166) This invention relates to automatic knuckle-type railway car couplers and more particularly to a lock operating mechanism and to an anti-creep means for the lock.

This invention comprises a novel rotary lock-lifter which permits easy operation of the lock to effect desired unlocking of the coupler and precludes undesirable unlocking thereof as a result of combined end and vertical shock. The car coupler herein-after disclosed is of the type primarily used on railway cars, e.g., cars in commuter service, that have buffers overhead and steam lines or other service line connections underneath the coupler that preclude the use of top or bottom lock operating mechanisms. Further, the coupler is for use on industrial equipment, such as charging cars, hot metal cars, ingot mould cars, etc., where shields are provided directly over the couplers to prevent the hot metal from entering the coupler which would otherwise fuse the mobile component parts together, thereby making the coupler inoperative.

Heretofore, an automatic knuckle-type coupler employed either atop or bottom rotor member journaled to the coupler head for rotation about a horizontal axis. Articulated members interconnected the rotor member to the lock to operationally engage and position the lock in one of several positions, i.e., unlocked, lock-set, and locked. In addition, means were generally provided on the coupler to preclude the unlocking thereof when the coupler was subjected to various types of shocks. Prior to this invention, such anti-creep means, which revented the upward creeping or movement of the lock, were interrelated with either the lock and coupler head, articulated members and coupler head or rotary lock-lifter.

Hence, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a knuckle type coupler having lock control mech anism occurring at an intermediate level along the coupler head to enable eflicient coupler operation on railway cars, the use or construction of which precludes the use of conventional couplers having top or bottom lock operating mechanisms.

It is also an object to provide the lock-control mechanism-of the foregoing object in a form providing anti-cree protection.

Another object is to provide a coupler lock that may be operated by either a conventional mechanism journaled to the underside or the upperside of a car coupler, or by the side-operated lock lifter journaled at the rear of the coupler chamber as herein disclosed.

The above objects and others apparent hereinbelow are fulfilled in a knuckle type car coupler having the usual knuckle, vertically-pivoted knuckle thrower, a lock, and a head having a chamber receiving the lock and providing a path of movement therefor between a lower locking osition and an upper unlocking position. The coupler differs from the prior art primarily in that it comprises a rotary lock lifter supported by the head along a general horizontal axis located intermediately lengthwise and rearwardly or horizontally-offset relative to the lock path. The lock has a cavity extending lengthwise thereof opening from the rear surface and .a portion such as a shelf or trunnion, providing 'a downwardly facing surface. The lock lifter has a lever which comprises a radial arm extending outwardly from its hub into the locks cavity and is of a length adapting it to remain in contact with the downward facing surface as the lock lifter is rotated to carry the lock to its unlocking osition.

3,206,039 Patented Sept. 14, 1965 In a preferred embodiment, the radial arm terminates outwardly in a pair of fingers, having in superjacent relation, oppositely spaced surfaces, the angular spacing of which relative to the lock lifter axis of rotation is greater than that between the upper and lower peripheral surfaces of the trunnion alternately engaged by the fingers. Anti-creep action is provided, for example, in this preferred embodiment by a vertical facing shoulder at-the lower end of the lock cavity disposed oppositely and adjacent the distal end of the arm at a level substantially below that of the axis.

In the drawings, with respect to which the invention is described below:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lock and a rotary lock-lifter in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary plan view in section of a car coupler, embodying the invention and illustrating the com ponent parts in lock position.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical section of the coupler, showing the component parts in locked position.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal vertical section of the coupler showing the lock-lifter in initial engagement with the lock during the process of opening the coupler.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view of the coupler along the plane of section similar to FIG. 4 but showing the lock in a lock-set condition.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view of the coupler along a plane of section similar to FIG. 4 but illustrating the component parts in a fully knuckle-thrown condition.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view in section of the coupler illustrating an anti-creep means thereof engaged.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate a coupler 1 comprising a head 2 and a knuckle 3 which is pivotally connected to head 2 by means of the usual vertical pin (not shown). The knuckle comprises a tail portion 4 having a shelf Sand a vertical lock engaging face 6 which, when the knuckle is in a closed position, extends into a chamber 7 in the coupler head 2. The knuckle is secured from rotation about the vertical pin by .a lock 8 on one side of the tail, engaging the face 6 of the knockle, and on the other side by an inner wall surface 9 of the coupler head 2.

The chamber 7 extends upwardly within the coupler head 2 to permit the lock 8 to move vertically and longitudinally to define a path of lock movement. Thus, the chamber 7 is artially bound by a forward buffing Wall 10 having a top internal planar surface 11, a top wall 12 having a downwardly facing surface or ceiling 13, a rear head wall 14 having a front facing surface 15, and a concave bottom wall 16 having an opening 17 therein adjacent the bufiing wall 10. Thus, buffing wall 10 further provides a lower rearwardly facing surface 18 of opening 17.

As viewed in FIG. 2, knuckle thrower 21,- having a knuckle engaging arm 22 and a lock engaging arm 23, is pivotally positioned within the head 2 rearward of the knuckle 3 so that the knuckle engaging arm 22 is disposed adjacent the wall surface 9 and subjacent the tail portion 4 in its normal operative position. The lock engaging arm 23 is disposed rearward of the knuckle tail 4.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the lock 8 comprises a head portion 25 and a depending leg 26 which extends into the opening 17 in the lower portion of the coupler head 2 in the coupled locked position. In this position, head portin 25 of the lock rests on the shelf 5 of knuckle 3 and on a top surface 27 of lock engaging arm 23.

In order to provide a means to operationally connect the lock 8 to a rotary lock-lifter 28, the head portion 25, as best viewed in FIG. 1, is providedwith a cavity 29 having oppositely facing interior side surfaces 30 and 31, respectively, and a rearward facing concave surface 32. The cavity 29 extends inwardly in the lengthwise'direction from a convex rear surface 33 toward a front face 34 and parallel to opposite side surfaces 35 and 36 of the lock. The head is further provided with a ridge 37 extending widthwise along the forward margin of its top surface 38. Ridge 37 provides pivotal engagement with the coupler head 2 as will be described hereinafter.

Referring to FIG. 3, a recess 40, contiguous with and forming a lower extremity of the cavity29 in lock 8, 'is provided to receive a finger of the rotary lock-lifter 28 when the lock is in its normally locked position. Recess 40 is partially bound by a vertical shoulder surface 41 which intersects concave surface 32.

To actuate the lock 8, the rotary lock-lifter 28 comprises a rotor member 45 having a shaft 46 horizontally journaled to the coupler head 2, rearward of the lock. The axis of the shaft is perpendicular to the length of the coupler and bridges the coupler chamber 7 at an'intermediate level along the vertical component of the path of movement of the lock 8. Hence, the axis of the shaft is horizontally offset with respect to the path. Journal portions 47, 48 and 49 of the shaft are disposed in complementary bearingportions 50, 51 and 52 of the coupler head 2. The shaft 46 has a radially projecting key 53 which operatively connects a lever 55 to the shaft. Rotor eyes 56 and 57 are spaced at the distal ends of the shaft to which conventional operating rods (not shown) carried on opposite sides of a car may be connected in the usual manner.

. The lever 55 of the rotary lock-lifter 28 extends transversely from the axis of the shaft 46 generally parallel to the vertical longitudinal plane of the coupler. The lever comprises a body having a hub 61 at one end in telescopic engagement with rotor shaft 46 rearward of lock 8 in the coupler chamber 7. The hub 61 is further provided with a slot 63 adapted to receive the key 53 to operatively connect the lever to an operating rod.

An arm 64' of the lever extends outwardly from the hub 61 a predetermined distance and is adapted to be received in the cavity 29 of the lock 8 to operatively connect the lock to the rotary lock-lifter 28. The arm 64 terminates in lower and upper fingers 64a and 64b respectively, which are spaced at an angle about the axis of the shaft 46. The fingers 64a and 64b have inner concave surfaces 65 and 66 respectively, which are usually in vertically spaced relation with surface 65 below the surface 66. When the lock is in its normally locked position of FIG. 3, surfaces 65 and 66, and especially the finger 64a, are disposed beneath the axis of the rotor shaft 46 and in spaced superposed relation to the lock engaging arm 23 of knuckle thrower 21.

It is to be noted that the plane which contains the vertical surface 41 defining the forward side of the lock recess 40, when extended upwardly, is disposed at a horizontal distance from the axis of shaft 46 less than the radial distance between the distal end of finger 64a and the rotor shaft axis.

Disposed within cavity 29 intermediately of both its horizontal and vertical dimensions and spaced upwardly from recess 40 is a lever engaging element 67 which connects with the interior surfaces 30 and 31 and bridges the cavity 29. The peripheral surface of element 67 provides an upwardly facing and a downwardly facing surface 68 and 69, respectively, which are in alternate operational engagement with the downwardly and upwardly Y facing surfaces 66 and 65, respectively, of lever 55, as will hereinafter be described. The fingers are angularly spaced at a distance greater than the spacing of surfaces 68 and 69 in order that the arm has such free movement relative to the lock element 67 as to enable the design of the lever 55, the lock, and the coupler head to provide anti-creep and lock-setting functions.

The operation of the lock-lifter and associated component parts of the car coupler is as follows:

To uncouple two opposing car couplers by opening the knuckle of one coupler, the operating rod is actuated in the usual manner to rotate lock-lifter 28 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 3, and thereby carry the lever 55 in an arc upwardly from its normal position. Thus, the downwardly facing surface 66 of lever 55, which normally rests on the lock element 67, is moved out of its abutting relation therewith and the upwardly facing surface 65 of the lever is moved into engagement with the surface 69 of element 67, as viewed in FIG. 4. Meanwhile, the distal end of the finger 64a moves out of adjacent opposition with its anti-creep counterpart, the lock recess surface 41. Further rotation' raises lock 8 in a vertical direction through knuckle unlocking and knuckle throwing stages.

- As lock 8 moves upwardly, the front face 34 of the lock head and the rear surface 71 of depending leg 26 are in sliding engagement with internal planar surface 11 of buffing wall 10 and front convex surface 70 of knuckle thrower 21 respectively. Prior to the entering of the upper ridge 37 of the lock into a notch 72 at the juncture of planar surface 11 and the ceiling 13, the lower forwardly sloping area 73 of the front lock face 34 engages the surface 11. Further upward movement earns the lock rearwardly as a lock-set seat 75 on the leg 26 moves into position over the top'surface 27 of the thrower arm 23. Upon release of the operating rod, the lock-set seat 75 engages the top surface 27 thereby placing the coupler in a lock-set condition as viewed in FIG. 5. As is well known in the art, under such a condition, the knuckle is free to rotate from the locked position to the unlocked position upon withdrawal of an opposing coupler coupled therewith.

To position the knuckle of an uncoupled car'coupler in a fully thrown or-open condition so that two opposing car couplers may be connected, the lock-lifter 28 is rotated in the clockwise direction as hereinabove mentioned. Asthe lock 8 completes movement upwardly, the ridge 37 on the lock 8 enters the notch 72 in the ceiling 13 of the coupler head 2. Thereafter the lock is pivoted about 'a fulcrum formed by the ridge and notch. As the lock pivots, the depending leg 26 swings in a rearward direction until a heel 76 of the leg engages the front convex surface 70 on the knuckle thrower 21. Further movement of lock 8 rearwardly pivots the knuckle thrower 21 about its axis to cause engagement of a forward surface 77 of knuckle engaging arm 22 with a pad 78 on knuckle 3,

thereby pivoting the knuckle to the open position of FIG. 6. Upon release of the operating rod, the lock 8 is maintained in the fully thrown position by the open knuckle.

To permit the lock-lifter to be rotated to the fully thrown condition, ceilingv 13 is provided with a longitu- 'rinally extending recessed portion 80 intermediate the front'bufiing wall 10 and rear head wall 14 which is adapted to receive a distal extremity 81 of finger 64b. The recess 80 includes the upper limit of the arcuate ambit of .the lever 55 and is in vertical alignmenttherewith when the coupler is in the fully unlocked position.

Intercoupled couplers are usually subjected to either a vertical or a combined end and vertical shock condition. Such condition generally allows the lock to assume a lockset position if means are not provided to restrict the upward movement of the lock. In order to preclude the unintentional upward movement of the lock from its respective normal position as viewed in FIG. 3, the distal end of lever 55 is provided with a flat end surface 85 which is in spaced opposed adjacent relation with the 'vertical surface 41 at a level substantially below that of the horizontal axis of shaft 46. Further, surfaces 41 and 85 are disposed at radii relative to the axis of the shaft 46 greater than the radius or horizontal distance of the vertical surface 41 with respect to the axis of the shaft when moved into a horizontal relation therewith.

Upon the application of end shock, etc., the lock 8 moves upwardly. Since the rotary lock-lifter is maintained in the proper pre-jshock initial position by means of the finger 64b resting on the. element 67, the lock, in

being thrown upwardly, rotates the lock-lifter and causes the finger 64a to jam against the surface 41. In doing so, the lock 8 and lever 55 move thereafter in unison. That is, further upward movement of the lock forces the rotary lock-lifter 28 to continue its arcuate ambit while forcing the lock forwardly relative to its upward movement. As a result the top portion of front face 34 of the lock head 25 engages the bufiing wall surface 11. Simultaneously therewith, toe 86 of depending leg 26 engages the lower buffing wall surface 18. Thus, the lock is forced into a wedging relation relative to the coupler head and rotary lock-lifter thereby preventing further upward movement of the lock. Accordingly, the lock is maintained in a position which is slightly raised with respect to its usual locking position but nevertheless, retains the coupler in locked conditioon.

As an alternate means of actuating the lock 8 hereinabove disclosed, the lower portion of depending leg 26 is provided with a slot 90 which extends from the toe 86 upwardly and rearwardly towards heel 76. The sloping slot 90 is adapted to receive the usual trunnion of a locklifter link thereby providing a pivotable and slidable connection which operationally interconnects the usual bottom operated lock-lifter, well known in the art, to the lock. Thus, the lock, as disclosed herein, may be used as a component part in either a bottom operated lock-lifter car coupler or a side operated lock-lifter car coupler.

The novel lock-lifter mechanism as described hereinabove provides as anti-creep mechanism, a positive means to prevent the disengagement of the lock-lifter from its relative position with the lock. Further, the one-piece or unitary constructed lock-lifter performs all the necessary functions upon the lock to obtain the coupler conditions of lock-set and anti-creep. In addition, the leverage obtained by the overall configuration of the lock-lifter results in positive and easy operation to perform the intended functions.

The terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation and there is no intention of excluding such equivalents of the invention described or of the portions thereof as fall within the purview of the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A car coupler comprising:

a lock having a cavity opening along a rear surface of the lock, and means in said cavity providing a downward facing surface;

a coupler head having a chamber receiving said lock and providing a path of movement therefor between a lower locking position and an upper unlocking position;

a rotary lock-lifter having a shaft supported by the head rearwardly of said path and extending through said chamber, said shaft traversing said chamber along a generally horizontal axis perpendicular to the length of the coupler; and

said lock-lifter further comprising a lever connected to said shaft for rotation therewith within said chamber, said lever extending radially outward and transversely from said shaft within said chamber in a direction downwardly and forwardly from said shaft and lengthwise of the coupler through said rear surface into said cavity, when the lock is in a locking position;

means in said cavity on said lock for engaging the lever to provide a lower position of rest for the lever, said lever being of a length for engaging said downward facing surface after an initial arcuate movement of the lever upwardly from said lower position of rest preparatory to lifting said lock upwardly to said unlocking position.

2. The car coupler of claim 1 wherein:

said lever has a distal end surface and said lock has within said cavity, a vertical shoulder surface in spaced opposed adjacent relation with said end sur face at said locking position of the lock; and

said surfaces are disposed at radii relative to said axis greater than the radius of said vertical surface with respect to said axis when moved into horizontal relation therewith, said vertical surface and said end surface engaging at a level substantially below that of said axis when the lock and the lever move upwardly in unison from respective lower positions to limit the upward movement of the lock along said path.

3. A car coupler comprising:

a lock having a cavity opening along a rear surface of the lock, and means in said cavity providing a downward facing surface and an upward facing surface in vertical spaced relation therewith;

a coupler head having a chamber which receives said lock and provides a path of movement therefor between a lower locking position and an upper unlocking position;

a rotary lock-lifter supported by the head rearward of said lock along a generally horizontal axis perpendicular to the length of the coupler and located in intermediately-length-wise and horizontally-offset relation with said path;

the lock lifter having a lever extending transversely from said axis and generally parallel to the longitudinal plane of the coupler through said rear surface into said cavity; said lever, within said cavity in said lower position, having an upward facing surface and a downward facing surface in opposed relation with said downward and upward facing surfaces, respectively, of the lock.

4. The car coupler of claim 3 wherein:

said lock and the lever, at the lower position of the lock, have generally vertically extending surfaces in opposed adjacent relation at a level substantially below that of said axis;

said lever being rotatable with respect to the lock while in said lower position, to transfer said opposed surface of the lever out of said opposed relationship and to dispose its upward facing surface against the downward facing surface of the lock in preparation for lifting the lock.

5. The car coupler of claim 3 wherein:

said means comprises a lever engaging element disposed mteriorly of said cavity intermediately of the bottom and top thereof and providing said upward and downward facing surfaces of the lock; and

the lever terminates in two fingers spaced at an angle about said axis and providing said upward and downward surfaces of the lever having a greater spacing than said surfaces of said element.

6. I The car coupler of claim 5 wherein:

said lock has a recess extending inwardly from said rear surface to form a lower extremity of said cavity and a surface 1n said recess facing outwardly toward the plane of the rear surface; and

said fingers are spaced to enable the upper finger to rest on said element with the lower finger disposed in adjacent opposed relation with said recess surface;

said lower finger and the recess surface being spaced,

when in said opposed relationship, for rotary movement of the locklifter carrying the lower finger out the recess and into lifting engagement with the element.

7. In a car coupler having a head, a pivoted knuckle, a knuckle thrower and a vertically movable lock for maintaining said knuckle in a closed position, a chamber in said head receiving the tail of the knuckle, the thrower, and the lock, a Providing a P of movement for said lock between a lower locking position and an upper unlocking position, said lock having a head portion and a depending leg extending downwardly into an opening in said chamber,

3,206,039 7 8 said knuckle thrower having a lock engaging arm, gaging, when the lock and the lever move upwardly said head portion having a front face and a rear surin unison, to urge said look into wedgrng relatlon face, and a rotary locklifter comprising: with said wall and said lever. I a rotor member horizontally journaled to said head 9. A lock for the knuckle of a car coupler eompnsrng: rearward of said lock; a head portion having a face adapted to face frontward a lever attached to said rotor member for rotation at the operative position within a coupler and extherewith upon actuation of said member, the other tending in the lengthwise direction of the lock beend of said lever normally overlying a portion of tween opposite ends of the head portion; said thrower arm when said knuckle is in the closed 21 depending leg for engaging a knuckle-thrower and position, said other end having an upwardly facing extending away from the normally lower end of the abutment surface and a downwardly facing abutment head portion in said direction; f e angularly spaced f th th r abutment the head portion having a convex rear surface opposite surface about axis of said member, I Said face, said head portion of said lock provided with a cavity a Cavity extending lnwardly of the head portion from adapted to receive said other end of the lever, Said Sald fear Surface toward said face,

cavity extending inwardly of the head portion from a recess contiguous with, and forming a lower rearward portion of said cavity below the remainder of the cavity and adapted for receiving the distal end of a lever, said recess having a substantially vertical surface intersecting a bottom surface formed by said cavity and adapted to engage an end surface on said distal end of said lever, and

lever-engaging element spaced upwardly from said recess in said lengthwise direction and bridging said said cavity.

8. The car coupler of claim 7 wherein: a

said head has a vertical bufling wall providing a planar surface interiorly of the head adapted to slidably engage the face of said lock and a lower rearwardly facing surface below said opening adapted to slidably engage the leg of said lock when said knuckle is in the closed position,

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,122,136 12/14 Linderholm 213134 sa1d other end of said lever havlng an end surface; 1 201 7 10/16 Blackmore 213 162 said lock having a recess adapted for receiving Said 2 23 550 12 Richards 213 2 other lever end, said recess forming a lower portion 13 2 Metzoer 2 of said cavity providing a vertical surface disposed 2 97 4 1 Metzger 13 1 2 in spaced opposed adjacent relation with the lever end surface when said knuckle is in a closed posi- 35 FOREIGN PATENTS 620,157 5/61 Canada.

said vertical surface and said end surface being disposed at longer radii relative to the axis of said rotor member and greater than that of said vertical surface when disposed in horizontal relation with said axis, said vertical surface and said end surface en MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

LEO QUACKENBUSH, Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. 9. A LOCK FOR THE KNUCKLE OF A CAR COUPLER COMPRISING: A HEAD PORTION HAVING A FACE ADAPTED TO FACE FRONTWARD AT THE OPERATIVE POSITION WITHIN A COUPLER AND EXTENDING IN THE LENGTHWISE DIRECTIONN OF THE LOCK BETWEEN OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE HEAD PORTION; A DEPENDING LEG FOR ENGAGING A KNUCKLE-THROWER AND EXTENDING AWAY FROM THE NORMALLY LOWER END OF THE HEAD PORTIONN IN SAID DIRECTION; THE HEAD PORTION HAVING A CONVEX REAR SURFACE OPPOSITE SAID FACE, A CAVITY EXTENDING INWARDLY OF THE HEAD PORTION FROM SAID REAR SURFACE TOWARD SAID FACE, A RECESS CONTIGUOUS WITH, AND FORMING A LOWER REARWARD PORTION OF SAID CAVITY BELOW THE REMAINDER OF THE CAVITY AND ADAPTED FOR RECEIVING THE DISTAL END OF A LEVER, SAID RECESS HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLYY VERTICAL SURFACE INTERSECTING A BOTTOM SURFACE FORMED BY SAID CAVITY AND ADAPTED TO ENGAGE AN END SURFACE ON SAID DISTAL END OF SAID LEVER, AND A LEVER-ENGAGING ELEMENT SPACED UPWARDLY FROM RECESS IN SAID LENGTHWISE DIRECTIONN AND BRRIDGING SAID SAID CAVITY.

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