US558212A

US558212A - And alfred p

Info

Publication number: US558212A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1896-04-14
Anticipated expiration: 1913-04-14

Description

'(No Model.)

2 S11eetsSheet 1.

H. H. SESSIONS & A. P. DENNIS.

.GAR COUPLING.

No. 558,212. v Patented Apr. 14, 1896.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2. H. H. SESSIONS & A. P. DENNIS.

(No Model.)

GAR COUPLING.

No. 558,212. Patented Apr. 14,1896.

SAWS

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NIT-ED STATES ATENT FFICE.

HENRY H. SESSIONS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINQIS, AND ALFRED P. DENNIS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNORS TO THE STANDARD COUPLER COMPANY,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 558,212, dated April 14, 1896.. Application filed February 18,1896. Serial No. 579,757. (No model.)

.To 0.0% whom it may concern.-

Be it known thatwe, HENRY H. SESSIONS, of Ohicago,in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, and ALFRED P. DENNIS, of New York, in the county of New York, Stateof New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplings; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to improvements in car-couplings, being particularly applicable to couplers employing horizontally-swinging knucklessuch, for instance, as couplers of the Dowling type. In couplers of this type difficulty is experienced in unlocking or releasing the knuckles to uncouple the cars when pressure or strain is on the knuckles, due either to the spring-buffers being in contact and having springs of sufficient strength to keep the inner faces of the knuckles in contact or to strains incident to the train service; and it is the object of the present invention to provide a secure locking device for the knuckles to reduce tothe minimum friction in looking and unlocking the same, and con sequently'the power necessary to be applied to the platform lever or handle to accomplish this end, whereby not only may the couplers be released at any time, but very strong springs may be employed in the platformbuffers to hold the buffers or vestibule-framing together.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a coupler contop plan view. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section.

Fig. 5 is a detail elevation of the locking-pin and its operating-arm. Figs. 6 and 7 are sections on the lines a and b, Fig. 5. Fig. 8 illustrates the spring in top and side elevation.

Like letters of reference in the several figures indicate the same parts.

The coupler-head A, together with its drawbar B and the knuckle O, pivotally mounted in the head to swing in a horizontal plane, are all of any ordinary construction, and as a matter of convenience we have illustrated a well-known form of device now on the market, in which the head is provided with curved ribs and recesses for receiving the correspon ding ribs and recesses c in the knuckle, such ribs and recesses being struck in the arc of a circle and constituting the pivots about which the knuckle turns. The knuckle is provided, as usual, with an extension or wing D, which is adapted to cooperate with the locking mechanism, both to prevent the knuckle from being turned to uncoupled position as well as to prevent the same escaping entirely from the draw-head. This wing or extension D is struck on a center coincident with the axis of the knuckle, and it is adapted to intersect an aperture formed at right angles to its plane of movement or extending vertically through the draw-head and adapted to contain the locking mechanism, which in the present in stance is a pin. This pin (lettered E in the drawings) is adapted to be rotated on its longitudinal axis to lock or release the knuckle instead of having a vertical movement, as is usual in this class of devices, and in order to effect the locking of the knuckle it is provided at a proper point in its length with a notch or segmental recess 6, adapted when the pin is turned to one position to coincide with the arc described by the Wing or extension D of the knuckle, but when the pin is turned to a different position a section of the body of the pin will be interposed in said are and prevent the movement of the knuckle on its center. Such an arrangement presents a practically solid abutment, against which the wing or extension on the knuckle strikes and does not tend to turn the pin or release the knuckle under shock or strains incident to wear and tear in traffic.

In the preferred construction theend of the wing which comes against the lock or locking-pin to hold the knuckle in closedpo sition is curved to correspond to the circumference of the pin, as shown at F, thereby insuring a good wide bearing and overcoming any liability of rupturing the wing itself or breaking the locking-pin.

As a precaution against the entire escape or release of the knuckle from the drawhead, stop projections G are formed on the rear end of ihe extension or wing D, which stop projections, when the knuckle is fully opened, are adapted to strike or contact with the locking-pin above and below the segmental notch therein, it being preferable to form at these points on the looking-pin projections 9, Fig. '7, against which the stops on the knuckle will take a firm bearing to arrest the knuckle in its outward movement.

As a convenient means for turning the pin on its longitudinal axis we preferably provide a squared portion at the lower end, upon which is fitted an operating-arm H, which may be connected to the platform-lever in any ordinary or preferred manner, and to further secure the automatic locking of the coupler when the knuckle is turned back a spring is interposed between the pin and draw head tending to turn the pin into locked position. This spring (lettered I in the drawings, Fig. 8) is wound spirally around the pin near the lower end, Fig. 1, and has one of its ends set into a recess in the draw-head and the other into a recess in the lever, a series of recesses being provided, if so desired, for adjusting the tension of the spring in the ordinary way. The movement of the pin on its axis may be limited by a stop or stops cast 011 the bottom of the draw-headsuch, for instance, as illustrated by the letter S, with which the handle comes in contact.

The spring tending to turn the locking-pin into locked position at all times will cause the side or edge of the recess therein to ride against the segmental circumference of the wing or extension D during the time the knuckle is open. Thus it forms in effect a friction-lock for preventing the knuckle from being jolted out of open position when it is desired to couple the cars, and furthermore as the knuckle is thrown to closed position in the act of coupling, the pin is at once turned in behind the wing or extension and locks the parts firmly. To release the knuckle, it is necessary to again positively rotate the locking-pin on its longitudinal axis, and while it is held in its open position to separate the draw-heads, this act in itself throwing the knuckle open, where it will remain, if so desired, until the cars are again coupled.

Having thus described ourinvention, what we claim as new is- 1. The combination with the draw-head and the knuckle pivotally mounted therein to swing in a horizontal plane and having the locking wing or extension, of the lockingpin journaled in the draw-head to rotate on its longitudinal axis, and having the recess therein, through which the locking wing or extension passes when the knuckle is moved, the pin forming an abutment in the same horizontal plane as the notch against which the locking wing or extension strikes to hold the knuckle in locked or closed position; substantially as described.

2. The combination with the draw-head having the aperture therethrough and the knuckle journaled to rotate in said head in a plane at right angles to said aperture and having the locking wing or extension, of the locking-pin journaled in an aperture in the draw-head, held against longitudinal move ment and having the recess through which the extension or wing on the knuckle passes, the pin forming an abutment when turned in front of said wing to lock the knuckle in closed position; substantially as described.

3. The combination with the draw head having the aperture therethrough and the knuckle journaled to turn in said draw-head in a plane at right angles to the aperture and having the segmental locking wing or extension, of the locking-pin journaled to rotate on its longitudinal axis in the aperture, the segmental notch in said pin through which the segmental wing on the knuckle passes when the knuckle is opened, the body of the pin in the transverse plane of the notch formin g an abutment for cooperating with the wing when the knuckle is closed to lock the same in its closed position; substantially as described.

4. The combination with the draw-head, having the aperture therethrough and the knuckle journaled in the draw-head to move in a plane at right angles to the aperture and having the locking wing or extension with the stop projections thereon, of the lockingpin journaled in the aperture to rotate on its longitudinal axis and having the central notch or recess through which the wing passes as the knuckle is opened and the projections above and below said recess with which the stop projections on the wing cooperate to limit the outward swing of the knuckle, the body of the pin in the transverse plane of the notch constituting an abutment for holding the knuckle in locked position; substantially as described.

5. The combination with the draw-head having the aperture therein and the knuckle j ournaled in said draw-head to move in a plane at right angles to the aperture and having the wing or extension, of the locking-pin having the notch or recess through which the wing passes when the knuckle is opened, the body of the pin in the transverse plane of the notch forming a locking-abutment for holding the knuckle closed and a spring interposed between the pin and draw-head for automatically turning the pin on its longitudinal axis into locked position, substantially as described.

6. The combination with the draw-head having the aperture therein and the knuckle j ournaled in said draw-head to move in a IIO plane at right angles to the aperture and having the Wing or extension, of the lockingpin having the notch or recess through which the Wing passes when the knuckle is opened, the body of the pin in the transverse plane of the notch forming a locking-abutment for holding the knuckle closed, a spring interposed between the pin and draw-head for automatically turning the pin on its longitudinal axis into locked position and the operating-arm connected with the end of the pin; substantially as described.

7. The combination with the draw-head having the aperture therethrough and the knuckle journaled to rotate in said head in a plane at right angles to said aperture and having the locking Wing or extension, of the locking-pin journaled in an aperture in the WVitnesses as to the signature of Henry H. Sessions:

L. D. VoAK, O. L. STINsoN.

Witnesses as to the signature of Alfred P. Dennis:

A. W. TAYLOR, LLOYD OoLLis.