US558235A - Air-brake coupling-valve - Google Patents

Description

T. A. TAYLOR 8v G.W. S. AUSTIN..

, AIR. BRAKE GOUPLING VALVE.

No. 558,265. 'Patented Apr. 14, 1896.

(No Model.)

Winesses. 'Y I/vven-ors.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS A. TAYLOR AND GEORGE lV. S. AUSTIN, O F KENTON, OIIIO.

AIR-BRAKE COUPLlNG-VALVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 558,235, dated April 14, 1896.

Application filed February 13, 1895. Serial No. 538,243. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, THOMAS A. TAYLOR. and GEORGE W. S. AUSTIN, citizens of the United States, residing at Kenton, in the county of Hardin and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Air- Brake Coupling-Valves, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to a form of valve to be used in connection with the ordinary form of couplings used for connecting the air-pipes of air-brakes between cars.

The object we seek to accomplish with our valve is to overcome a defect in the successful operation of brakes now commonly in use, which often proves serious when by accident a moving train breaks its couplings at a point anywhere between the middle and the end at which the engine is attached. NVhen this happens to be the case with air-brakes now in common use, the air-pipe couplings automatically disconnect when the car-couplin gs break apart and the pressure in the air-pipes is at once released and the brakes are immediately set on all cars of both the severed parts of the train as well as the engine. If the breaking apart of the train should take place very near the front end, the engine and the few cars which were connected to it having less momentum than the greater number and mass of cars in the rear portion would be stopped first and the rear and greater and heavier part of the train would strike it from the rear before it would be possible for the brakes to overcome the greater momentum of the rear section of a broken train.

When the breaking apart of a train occurs while traveling at a high rate ofA speed, the disastrous results of a rear-end collision may be readily anticipated, especially when the break occurs very close to the engine, leaving almost the whole rear end of the train to strike the front end before being stopped.

The hereinafter more technical portion of the specification will more fully describe the form, construction, and operation of the valve by which we overcome the above objection.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a transverse section of the coupling on the line A A, as indicated on Fig. 2, which is a top view of the coupling. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section, as indicated by the line B B in Fig. 2.

In Fig. l the parts l, m, n, 0,19, q, fr, s, t, and u., which are intersected by the section plane A A, are shown solid instead of sectionlined, as the remainder of the view is indicated. The same is true in Fig. 3 of the parts 7., l m n o p, which are intersected by the plane B B.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The only part of this device which is now in use is the main external shell forming the head a, and being attached and forming a part thereof are the lcam-plates b and c and the neck d, around which the rubber hose is connected. The rubber packing-ring e is also a part of the old device.

Into the head e the cap f is screwed at f', said cap being cored out, as shown, for the reception of an eecentric'having the bearingss and t, the crank-head q, and the crank pin or shaft o, On the side of the cap f, which will be uppermost when two couplings are connected, is the stuffing-box g, having the head g', which screws into the end of the box g and bears snugly against the rubber packing-ring 7i., which sets against the crankhead q for the purpose of making an air-tight fitting around the shaftzf, the outer end of which is square and fitted with the operatinghandle u..

Vithin the head a is a cage formed of the two rings a. and b'-, connected by four straight bars c. When the cap j' is screwed down into thehead a, it presses the cage down upon the packing-ring c, holding it firmly in airtight contactwith the bottom flange c of the head a. Vithin this cage is the valve fv, having the stem o on the convex side and the stem n on the concave side. The end of the stem lnl passes through a loose-fitting hole in the circular disk m, and is provided with the washer 1J and the key p'.

The disk m is connected to another circular disk Z by means of the two bars Z, and the disk Z is connected at the center of its upper surface to the connecting-bar k, which is in turn hooked over the eccentric-pin r. The spiral spring bears with one end against the under surface of the cap f, and with the other IOO end against the top of the flange of the circular valve t, for the purpose of keeping said` valve seated against the packing-ring e.

When two heads a are to be coupled together in the usual manner, the stem of each coupling is set face to face, as in Fig. 1,

. and each forced back until the end of the away, thus setting the brakes.

stem o?. strikes the lower side of the plate I, and the faces of the packing-rings e brought in contact and the cam-plates b turned in between the cam c and the main body of the head a, thus binding the two heads together. Vhen the stem o is thus` pressed back, the valve c is pressed back with it, thus opening the passage in the ring e and making acontinuous air-passage in through the neck CZ, `lVhile in this position it is serving the functions of any commonly-used coupling; but `it will be observed that as soon as the two heads are uncoupled the'valve uis at once forced `down upon its seat' by the spiral spring m, thus cutting oif the escape of air from the air or train 4pipe and maintaining the pressure which keeps the brakes released.

It will be observed that if the valve vlof eachheada-would thus automatically close as the heads a were uncoupled' the pressure in the two `severed parts of `the `train would bemaintained, andthe brakes on both parts of the train would remain released,` whereas `theobject is to allow the `air to escapeV from the air-pipe and set the brakes on therear portion of` the train and to prevent the escape of air from the front end, thus keeping the brakes released and allowing the front end of the train to continue on out of the way of the rear portion until it has stopped.

`To accomplish the above-stated object, the head a, Awhich -is attached to the rear end of each car,=will have the parts operating the valve v set inthe position shown `in Figs. l and` 2, which will permit said valve to automatically close as-soon `as it -is uncoupled from `the head CL on the front end of any car `coupledvto it. This keeps the brakes released onany one car andi-all cars'between'it and the engine. The coupling on the front end of all cars will be set so the valve c cannot close when `theair-pipes are uncoupled, `thus allowing the air to escape from `the air-pipe on the rear part of the train, which is broken To accomplish this, the valve fv is kept from closing by throwing the handle uI over into the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2. `By `thus turning this handle throughan arc of one hundred and eighty degrees the eccentric is given onehalf of 4a `revolution `and. the pin r i thrown to the highest point, raising the disks Z and m, and with them the valve r. Vhen thc eccentric is in this position, the washer p rests on the disk m,and the valve u cannot scat itself, thus leaving the air-passage open when uncoupled. By thisfdevice it may now be seen that by having the valve 'u which `is in the coupler at the rear end of all carsl set `in a released position by means of the handle u, as shown in Figs. l and 2, and by having valve u in the coupling on `the front end of all cars set by the handle-u so it cannot seat itself it will then make no difference where a train of cars breaks apart. The brakes of the front section will stay released and on the rear section will be at once set. The small projections .5 shown on the drawings are designed, simply, to keep the handle u in one position or the other, and when throwing it over will have spring enough in itself to be pushed past the projections .e with little force.

In our device as thus described we claim and pray to secure by Letters Patentl. In an ai1brake-l1ose coupling-head, the combination of a valve-seat in its outer end, a packing-ring fitted therein, avalve' seated thereonhaving outward and inward projectingstems, a cage surrounding` -said valve, a

- spiral spring therein for normallyseatingsaid valve,1a movable yoke loosely `connected to -said inward-projectingvalve-stem, the eccentric connected to said movableyoke, means for operating said eccentric so as toprevent or permit the Lseating oit'` said valve, at will,

ysubstantiallyV asset forth.

2. In an` air-brake-hose coupling-head, the combination of a valve-seat'in its outer end, a valve seating thereon and having outward and inward projecting stems, i the movable yoke looselyk connected to-said inwardpro- Ajecting stem, theeccentric connected-to said movable yoke, means forioperating `said eccentric so as toprevent or permit Vthe seating of said valve,1atwillysubstantially-as described.

In an air-brake-hos e couplingl1ead,1the combination'of-a valve-seat in its outer end, a valve seating thereon@ and having outward and inward projecting stems, a cage surrounding `said valve, a spiral `spring interposed `therein for normallyseating saidvalve, a

movable yoke loosely connected to 4said inward-projecting 'stem ofthe valve, the eccentric connected to said movable yoke, the cap incasin g and carryingsaid eccentric, external threads on the `annular ange of said cap to engage'with internal threads in the opening in theback of coupling-head, means for operating said incased eccentric-so as to prevent or permit the seating of said valve, at will, substantiallyy asset forth.

4. In an air-brake-hose coupling-head, the combination of a valve-seat `in its'outer end, a valve seated thereon and` having outward and inwardprojecting stems, a movable yoke loosely connected tosaid inward-projecting stem, the eccentric connected tosaidmovable yoke, the cap carrying and incasing said eccentric, means for operating said eccentric so as to prevent or permit the 'seating of said valve` at will, substantially as shown.

5. In an air-brake-hose coupling-head, the combination of an air-opening in its outer end, a valve-located therein and having outward and inward proj ccting stems, a movable yoke loosely connected to saidinward-pro- IOO IIO

j ecting stem, means for operating said movable yoke so as lto prevent or permit the seating of said valve, at Will, a cap closing the opening in the back of said valve couplinghead, substantially as set forth.

6. In an air-brake-hose coupling-head, the combination of an air-opening in its outer end, a valve located therein having outward and inward projecting stems, a cage surrounding said valve, a spiral spring located therein for normally seating said valve, a movable yoke connected to said inward-proj ecting stem, the eccentric connected to said movable yoke, the cap incasing and carrying said eccentric, external threads on the annu ver attached to said eccentric-shaft for operl ating said eccentric so as to prevent or permit the seating of said valve, at will, substantially as shown and set forth.

THOMAS A. TAYLOR. GEORGE W. S. AUSTIN. Witnesses:

C. D. IAIUDGENS, CHARLES BRUMM.

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