US535684A - Car-coupling - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

W. DUNLAP.

GAR COUPLING. 1

7 No 535,684. Patented Mar. 12, 1895.

WITNESSES: INVENTO I? ATTORNEYS.

TATES ATENT 1e;

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 535,684, dated March 12, 1895.

Application filed August 15, 1 8 94.

T0 ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM DUNLAP, of San Diego, in the county of San Diego and State of California, have invented a new and useful Improved Car-Coupling, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in car couplings of the twin jaw or J anney type, and has for its objects to provide a very simple, practical and novel car coupling of the type indicated, which will be adapted to effect an automatic coupled engagement with a similar coupling, be operative from the side of a car whereon it is located, to release its latch block or knuckle, and afford convenient means for linked connection with a disabled coupling, or one of the ordinary link and pin style.

To these ends my invention consists in the construction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views shown.

Figure l is a sectional side view of the drawhead and some interior parts, on the line 11 in Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a plan View of theforward portion of the improved coupling in uncoupled adjustment. Fig. 3 is a partly sectional plan view of the improvement, on the line 33 in Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of parts, on the line 4-4. in Fig. 2.

The drawhead 10, is preferably cast into form, comprising an elongated recessed metal piece, which is preferably made square in cross section of its body the major portion of its length, this part of the drawhead being recessed and mainly open on theupper side when produced, said opening being closed by a cover plate 10 that is bolted or otherwise secured to the walls of the drawhead body, as is indicated in Fig. 1, or the drawhead maybe cast with all its walls intact if desired.

The front end portion of the drawhead is widened as is usual in this type of car couplings, and is suitably chambered to afford a four walled cavity for the reception of the tail piece of the knuckle, which will presently be described.

The top and lower parallel walls of the drawhead at the front are incurved, and at one side of the laterally enlarged front of the Serial No. 520,380. (No model.)

drawhead a solid horn 10 is produced, the opposite side wall having two parallel and prop- .erly spaced cars 10 formed integral with its top and lower walls, which ears are portions of the side wall also, and are strongly fashioned to adapt them for efficient service.

The peculiarly formed knuckle piece is an essential and novel feature of the coupling, and as represented, consists of a metal block the latching head 11, of which is preferably given an outwardly curved upright face at the front, that terminates in a shoulder or straightwall 11, which in service affords a latch hook that interlocks with a similar shoulder on a mating knuckle when the parts are adjusted to effect such a locked connection. The tail piece 12, of the knuckle, extends nearly at a right angle rearwardly from the latching shoulder 11, and it together with a portion of the head 11, is made of such a thickness, as will permit it to loosely fit between the parallel horizontal faces of the ears 10.

The ears on the drawhead, and the knuckle piece where it engages the latter are perforated to receive a cylindrical pin or pivot bolt, and as shown in Fig. 4:, said bolt is composed, of two portions, the main part 13, being fitted into the perforations of the ears 10 and the knuckle head, to afford a swing joint for the latter.

The upper ear of the drawhead, is counterbored in the pivot bolt hole to suitably enlarge its diameter, and adapt it to receive an integral collar 13 which is peripherally projected from the bolt body near its upper end, said collar being seated on the bottom of the counterbore in the perforation of the ear mentioned, when the partsof the coupling are assembled.

The head portion 14:, of the pivot bolt 13, is made of a sufficient diameter to fit closely against the side wall of the counterbore, and has a short cylindric hub axially projected from its lower side toward and nearly touch ing the top of the pivot bolt when the head piece is fully inserted.

A strong spiral spring 15, is mounted on the hub projection of the bolt head 14., and has its upper terminal firmly attached to said head, a sufficient length being afforded the spring to permit its lower portion to encircle the part of the pivot bolt that extends above A groove or key-way is vertically formed in the counterbore and the aligned smaller perforation in the upperear of the drawhead, and a similar groove is produced in the wall I of the perforation in the knuckle piece, the

latter mentioned groove being vertically formed in the side of the perforation which is nearest to the tail piece 12, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2 at 12.

A spline or feather key 13 is longitudinally located on and is secured to project from the body of the pivot bolt 13, as indicated in Fig. 4; this key being made to interlock with the key groove or way 12, first passing down through the key groove in the upper car of the drawhead When the pivot bolt is inserted to locate it in the position represented in the figure last mentioned;

A locking toe lat is laterally formed on or secured to thehead piece 14 of the pivot bolt, which toe will secure the head to the upper ear 10 if it is caused to enter the groove in said ear.

If the pivot bolt 13, is introduced through the aligned perforations in the ears and knuckle piece, interlocking the feather key 13 with the knuckle as has been explained, and the head piece 14, is partly rotated so as to torsionally compress the spring 15, thereby bringing the toe 14: opposite the key groove in the ear 10 the torsional force of the spring if free to do so, will throw the free end of the tail piece 12, forwardly, until itis arrested by the shoulder or abutment 1O on the inner surface of the horn 10 thereby disposing the tail piece across the drawhead near the front, and moving the latching shoulder of the knuckle into open adjustment.

In the elongated body of the drawhead 10, rearwardly of the tail piece on the knuckle, a latch bar 16 is located. This piece which is represented in Figs. 1 and 3, comprises a metal billet which is rectangular in cross section, and is held to slide along one side wall of the recess in which it is placed by a vertical stud 17, or equivalent means.

The front end of the latch bar, is convexly sloped from the inner side edge to adapt it'to slide easily over the similarly formed free end of the tail piece 12, that it is designed to engage with in service.

The latch bar is cut away from its lower edge at a proper distance from the ends of the bar, producing an open recess 16 of a suitable length and height to permit the free action in it of other parts, as will be explained.

A guide rod 18 is projected rearwardly and in a plane parallel with the lower edge of the latch bar from the front terminal wall of the recess in said bar, as represented in Fig. 1. On the guide rod a spiral spring 19 is loosely mounted, and has sucha proportionate length that its ends will have an enforced contact with the front shoulder of the recess 16 and with the perforated upright lug 10 that is projected from the lower wall of the drawhead, and affords support to the guide rod which enters the perforation of said lug and in operation reciprocates in the latter.

A sufficient extent of height and length is given to the recess in the latch bar 16, rearwardly of the lug 10 to permit the correct adjustment of a retracting device for the latch bar, which bar is forwardly projected by the spring 15, until checked by an ear on its side impinging'the stud 17, or by any other suitable means.

The retracting device for the side bar comprises a cam block 20, that is secured on a shaft 21, the latter being journaled in the Walls of the drawhead and extended sufficiently at one side, to permit the crank handle'22 that is affixed on the outer end of the shaft, to be located near the side of a car frame Whereon the coupling is located. The cam block is so relatively placed, that it Will occupy the recess in the latch bar 16, rearwardly ofethe free end of the guide rod 18, and has such a projection from the shaft 21, that when the latter is rocked so as to move the cam block toward the lug 10 as indicated by the dotted curved arrow 1, in the Fig. 1, the rounded toe of the cam block will abut upon the rear end of the rod, and prevent its rearward sliding movement, which will also lock the latch bar from rearward movement. The cam block when vertically adjusted in the recess of the latch bar, as shown by full lines in Fig. 1, will permit the free reciprocation of the latch bar 16, and when the block is so adjusted, the crank handle 22, should hang pendent, which will adapt its weight to maintain the cam block in a vertical position, free to be moved as occasion may require.

The position of the rock shaft 21, with regard to the spring pressed latch bar 16, is such as will locate the upright cam block 20, near to the rear terminal wall of the recess in the latch bar, thereby enabling the rearward sliding movement of the bar 16, to be effected,- if the rock shaft is rocked so as to move the rounded free end of the cam block toward and against the rear wall of the recess in said bar, as represented by dotted lines and the curved arrow 2, in Fig. 1, the relative position of the crank handle 22, when the cam block is in forward or rearward adjustment being respectively represented by full and dotted lines in Fig. 3.

The drawhead 10, is furnished with an up wardly projected heavy flange on its upper wall near the front, and at or near the transverse center of said strengthening flange two forwardly projected ears 10 are formed that are vertically perforated in alignment to receive a common coupling pin, for a coupled connection of the drawhead and car on which it is secured, with a car having an ordinary link and pin coupling, or with a similar improved car coupling that may have been disabled by an accident.

IIO

(In l There is a link receiving cavity formed in the tail piece 12, of the knuckle, from the front edge, as represented by dotted lines in Fig. 2, at 12 and the tail piece is perforated to aperture both walls of said cavity at a proper. point for the reception of a coupling pin, the use of this provision being similar to that of the spaced perforated ears 10 so that whenever required, the improved oar coupling may be temporarily converted into a common link and pin coupling.

In operation, the approach of two cars having the improved car couplings, so as to cause their knuckle heads to pass while in open adjustment, will adapt said heads to impinge the transversely disposed tail pieces of the knuckles, and rock them rearwardly, the rear ends of the parts 12 being thus forcibly impinged on the front ends of the latch bars 16, push the latter rearwardly far enough to allow the tail pieces to assume the position indicated in Fig. 3, the expansion of the springs 15, then forwardly moving the latch bars so as to lock the knuckles in a coupled condition, their release being produced by a manipulation of the handle 22, as before explained.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a car coupling, the combination of a recessed drawhead, a knuckle-piece pivotally mounted therein and adapted to be turned on its pivot during the coupling operation, a slide bar arranged in the recess of the drawhead back of the knuckle-piece and in positidn to engage and hold-the same when the knuckle-piece is turned, said slide bar having a recess formed in its under side, a perforated lug formed on the drawhead in position to take into said recess, a guide rod mounted on the slide bar and extending through the perforation in said lug, a spring arranged on the guide rod between the lug and the end of the recess in the slide bar, a rock shaft jonrnaled on the drawhead and an arm on said shaft projecting into the recess in the slide bar and adapted to bear against the end thereof opposite to the spring on the guide rod, substantially as set forth.

2. In a car coupling, substantially as described, the knuckle having a tail piece that is recessed in the front edge and perforated in the walls of said recess to receive a coupling link and pin.

3. In a car coupling, substantially as described, the pivot bolt for the knuckle piece having a loose head piece, a spring connec tionbetween the head piece and bolt body, means to lock the bolt body in the knuckle, and means to secure the head piece in the drawhead.

4. In a car coupling, substantially as described, the combination With the drawhead ears, and knuckle piece, the ears and the knuckle piece perforated in alignment and the upper ear counterbored, of a pivot bolt adapted to be locked in the knuckle piece, a loose head piece for said bolt, a torsion spring fast by its ends to the bolt and head piece, and means to lock the head piece to the upper ear and hold the spring under torsional strain, substantially as described.

WILLIAM DUNLAP.

Witnesses WM. HILTS, E. W. NEWKIRK.

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