US468765A - Car-coupling - Google Patents

Description

F. A. FOX.

GAR UOUPLING.

- VPatented Feb.

H/J ATTORNEY line y y of Fig. 2.

i E STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OHARLES E. BISHOP, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFIC'ATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 468,765, dated February 9, 1892. Application filed July 16, 1891. Serial No. 399,6'78. (No model.) i

To aZZ whom it may conccrn:

Be it known that I, FRANK AVERILL FOX, of San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Car-Couplers,of which the followingis a specification.

The invention relates to that class of carcouplers in which there are two automatically-interlocking sec-tions having means for securing them as interlock'ed; and it consists` in the novel construction of the joint bearing between the looking-section and the main section of the coupler.

It further consists in a laterally-swinging unconpling-lever and other details of construction, as will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the acconpanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top orplan view of a coupling embodying my improvement. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view thereof. Fig. 8 is a rear end elevation. Fg. 4 is a section through line w a; of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a top view of an interlocking section of the coupler. Fig. 6 is a section through Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a portion of the coupler.

Refcrring by letter to the drawings, A desigates a fixed section or coupler-head adapted to be secured to a car in the usual manner. This section A has the usual guide-horn a at one side, and at the opposite side has forwardly-projecting' lugs A', forming bearings for a horizontal swingin` interlockin g section As. The section A3 has a reduced porton or block A4, adapted to engage between the lugs A', and both the lugs and the block A4 are vertically perforated for the passage of a hinge-pi'n a'. It Will be seen by this construction that a hinge-joint is formed between the Sections A A3 ofthe coupling, and that the block Atl forms one member of the joint and the lugs A' form the other members of the joint. The outer ends of the lugs A' are rounded transversely and the inner bearing-surfaces are hemispherical or rounded, as at a2.

In couplings of this character it is found that a break or fracture is most likely to occur at the j unction of the main portion of the section Agand the block A4. This breakage is caused bythe coupling coming in sudden violent contact with another coupling or other obstruction. A feature of my invention resides in means for strengthening` the coupling at this point, as I will now describe. The bearing-walls B of the section A4 are transversely convexed to correspond substantially to the transverse curve of the lugs A', and these walls are provided with longitudinal integral ribs B'. The ribs B' are longitudinally curved to conform to the rounded surface a? of the lugs A'. It will be seen that the ribs B' converge fron the outer ends toward the inner ends, and that the thickest portion of the ribs is at the junction e of the walls B with the block At, as shown at e' in Fig. 7, so that the section A3 is strengthened at this ordinarily weak point. The ribs B' not only strengthen the parts, as described, but they reduce the bearing-surface, and therefore reduce the friction in the joint. The interlocking section A3 has a projection C at substantially right angles to its face. The projection has a transverse shoulderor abutment c on its upperside,adapted toimpinge againstafiange c', extending downwardly from the rear side of a lug A'. It is obvious that a shoulder c may also be formed in the lower side of the proj ection aud the other lug be provided with a flange c'. By providing` the shoulder c and the flange c' the hinge-pin is relieved of great strain When the interlocking section is in its normal or looking position, and should the hinge-pin by some accident be lost the shoulder and fiange Will serve to hold the interlooking` section in its proper position. The projection C carries a locking-bolt C'. This locking-bolt is movable longitudinally in a recess 02, formed in the end of the projection C, the inner surface of the lower wall of which is downwardly and outwardly curved or inclined, as shown at b. The bolt C'rests upon this inclined surface b, and by means of its own weight moves outwardly to engage in a recess b', formed in the section A of the coupling. The bolt C' is not accessible from the outer side when in a locked position, excepting by means of aleverhereinafter described. The bolt is prevented from falling entirely out of the recess 02 by means of a pin 272 pass- IOO ing through a Wall of the projeetion C into a groove 63 in the bolt.

D designates a lever fo movingthe lookingbolt C' out of the recess b' When it is desired to nnlock the coupling. This lever is fulcrumed to the section A of the conpling, and has its inner arm d projected through a hole in the side of the section into the recess b'. By moving the outer arm of the level' away from the conpling` the inner arm Will force the bolt C' out of the recess b' and into the reeess 62, so that the interloeking section of the coupling may be opened.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a car-coupling, the combination of the main section having the lugs rounded on their bearing-surfaces, and the swinging section' pivoted thereto and having the ribbed bearnarneto this specification in the presence of i two subscribing witnesses.

ing-surface, substantially as specified.

2. In a car-conpling, the combination', with the main section having the bearing-lugs, of the swinging section having the bloek and the transversely conveXed bearing-Walls, and the integral ribs longitudinally curved and having the thickest portion at the junction of jnnction of the bearing-Wall and block, sub-' stantially as specified.

4:. In a car-complex', the combination, With the main or fixed section and the section hinged thereto and having the projection a carrying a locking-bolt, of the lever fnlcrumed to one side of the main section for moving the looking-boli; in one direction, snbstantially as specified.

In testimony Whereof I have signedI my FRANK AVERILL FOX.

Witnesses:

EDWIN H. BROWN, ANTHONY GREF.

Images