US589140A - Paul m - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

P.M.REAGAN.

y GAR GQUPLING.

N0. 589,140. y l PatentedAug. 3 1, 1897.

mlmk/ C l) E UNITED `STAT-ESE PATENT intron.

fPAUL M. REACAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE HINSON MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 589,140, dated August 31, 1897. Application tiled January 11, 1897. Serial No. 618,771. (No model.)

To all whom t muy concern:

Beit known that LYPAUL M. REAGAN, of Chicago, in the county. of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplings; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,

clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to car-couplings of that class in which pivoted interlocking knuckles are mounted on the draw-heads,

which knuckles are provided' with locking' tongues or tails which are adapted to engage with locking-dete'nts which are mounted inthe draw-head and operate to hold the knuckles from outward movement when in their interl-ocked position. v

In the use of couplings of the kind mentioned it is found that through the jarriug'of the parts while the knuckles are under strain the locking-detent is liable to creep or gradually shift its position until finally disengaged from the tail of the knuckle, with the result of releasing the coupling; and the'object of my invention is to provide a secondary locking device by which the locking-detent will be positively locked and held from movement exceptat such time as the detent shall be moved by the actionlof the tail of the knuckle thereon in coupling or by the action ofthe hand in uncoupling.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described, and pointed'out in the appended claims. Y

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of a draw-head containing one practical form of vmy invention. Fig. 2 is a plan section thereof, taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section similar to Fig. 3, showing the-parts in changed position. Fig.' 5-is Va detail section also like Fig. 3, but showing still another position of the parts. Fig. 6 is a section showing'a modified form of the mainorlocking detent.

First referring to the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 5 of the drawings, A indicates the draw-head, and d the draw-bar, the same being of the usual form.

B indicates the knuckle, which'is pivoted to the draw-head bya pivot-pin o and is provided with a locking tongue or tail B', which is'arranged generally at right angleswith the main or interlocking part of the knuckle and is adapted to 4swing rearwardlyinto the cavity of the draw-head when the knuckle is in its holding or interlocking position, as usual in such couplings.

C indicates the main or primary lockingdetent, which is adapted to be moved automatically out of the path of the tail of the knuckle by contact of said tail therewith as the latter is moving rearwardly or inwardly and which falls in frontof the said tail when the latter reachesits rearward position and therebylocks and holds the tailand knuckle from movement. VSaid detent C-is shown as mounted to swing in a vertical plane about a horizontal transverse pivot c, located at the rear lower part of the draw-head, the detent extending in an upward and forward inclination to a point above the opene'nd of the draw-head andv standing` normally in an inclined position across the path' of the tail of the knuckle, so that when said tail is swung rearwardly it will encounter the lower or outer surface of the detent and by its action thereon will lift the free orouter end of the detent, so as to p ass beneath the same. At the termination of its rearward movement the tail of the knuckle will stand at one side of the detent, which will fall into or across the path of the tail and thereby lock the same and the knuckle from movement until the detent is moved or lifted byhand to release the knuckle.

The rear end of the detent is shown as located justabove the. floor or bottom of the cavity ofthe draw-headand the pivot-pin c as extending through the side walls of the cavity and across the latter. The upper or outer end of the detent is'shown as located within a hollow. upward extension or box A2, preferably cast on the upper part of the drawhead, the downward movement of the detent being limited by vContact withA the front wall d/ of the said boX, while its upward or backward movement carries it into the upper and rear part of thebox and adjacent to the top wall a2 and rear wall a3 thereof.

A springD is applied to throw or hold the Ioo detent normally into its locked position, said spring being herein shown as made of leaf form and attached rigidly to the rear end of the detent, so as to bear at its free end against the floor of the draw-head cavity.

E indicates au auxiliary locking-arm which is pivoted to the detent by a pivot-pin e and is adapted to engage with an abutment or shoulder CL4 on the draw-head in such manner as to lock or hold the detent from movement when the latter is in its locked position, said locking-arm serving both as a means of so locking the detent and as a means through which hand-power is applied to the detent for the purpose of operating the same in uncoupling. The locking arm extends rearwardly from its point of connection with the 'detent and is so disposed with relation to the locking-shoulder that by the lifting of the rear end of the arm thelatter will be released from the shoulder.

Attached to the forward or pivoted end of the locking-arm E is a depending triparm E, which extends forward 0f the outer or working face of the detent and in the path of the tail of the knuckle, so that as said tail moves rearwardly it will encounter and move said trip-arm, and thereby lift the rear end of the locking-arm free from the shoulder a4 before the detent itself is struck by said tail. Provision is thereby made for the automatic release of the det-ent in the act of coupling.

In connection with the locking-arm E, arranged as described, actuating connections are employed, embracing a link F, which is pivoted to the arm near its rear end and to which is attached a chain f, by which the link may be connected with an actuating rockshaft or other part adapted to be operated by the hand in the act of uncoupling. The locking-arm being arranged to extend rearwardly from its pivotal point, it follows that when its rear end is pulled upwardly it will be released from the locking-shoulder and the detent itself will be drawn upwardly or rearwardly, so that by pulling on the chain f not only may the arm be released, but the detent itself be drawn out of the path of the tail of the knuckle, with the effect of releasing the latter.

A hole a5 for the passage of the locking-arm is made in the top wall d2 just forward of the shoulder al, which latter is made close to the said top wall, so that the arm E will pass freely through said hole when released from the shoulder and drawn upward for the purpose of releasing the locking-detent. In connection with the locking-shoulder thus arranged the link F is pivoted to the arm E at a point near its end and below Ithe upper edge of the shoulder. It follows from this construction that if the link be drawn rearwardly at its upper end its middle part will act on the edge of the shoulder, as on a fulerum, with the result of throwing the end of the arm E forwardly and upwardly until free from the locking-shoulder. The operation of the link F in such case is clearly shownv in Fig. 5, in which the chain fis shown as drawn horizontally backward. The bringing of a tension on the chain in this direction is only likely to occur in case of the breakage of a draw-bar or the attachments which secure the same to the car; but the arrangement of the parts described is of utility in such event, for the reason that the rearward draft on the chain (which will be attached to the car) as the draw-head is carried forward on the breaking of the draw-bar will have the effect of disconnecting the coupling and releasing the loosened draw-bar, so as to prevent it from being released and dropped on the track.

In Fig. G I have shown a modified form of my invention which is in all respects like that before described, with the exception that the locking-detent C is in this instance pivoted at its upper end to the draw-head, so that its lower rear end (instead of its upper forward end) swings upwardly and backwardly to permit the passage of the tail of the knuckle in the act of coupling.

In the operation of couplings which are without auxiliary or safety locking devices for the primary locking device or detent C it is found that uncoupling will sometimes Oe cur by the gradual movement or creeping of the said detent under the jarring of the parts and pressure of the tail ol' the knuckle. rlhe liabilityof such occurrence will be better understood by consideration of the fact that a slight looseness of the knuckle on its pivot, combined with the vertical vibrations of the draw-heads, will produce vertical oscillations of the tail of the knuckle, and the latter being pressed against the detent and then held by the strain on the knuckle with such force as to hold the detent from slipping backward each time it may be moved by the oscillations of the tail it follows that if such oscillations happen to move the detent toward its unlocked position the uncoupling of the cars by the release of the knuckle is very likely to occur. Liability of such an occurrence is entirely obviated by the use of the secondary or auxiliary locking device described, which holds the detent positively from movement, except in the act of automatic coupling or'of uncoupling by hand, the locking-arm of the auxiliary locking device in either of these cases being moved to release it from engage'- ment with the draw-head and to thereby release the detent and leave the latter freeto be moved before any movement of the detent itself takes place.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination with a draw-head and pivoted knuckle, of a locking-detent for the knuckle and safety locking-arm pivotally eonnected with the detent and adapted to engage a shoulderon the draw-head and having atriparm which projects into the path of the tail of the knuckle, said locking and trip arms ICO IIO

being constructed to move in the same plane with the detent and connections .for operat ing the ldetent by hand attached to said locking-arm in such position that strain on the said connections will move said arm to release the same before the detent itself is moved.

2. The combination with a draw-head and apivoted knuckle, of a locking-detent for the knuckle and a safety locking-arm pivotally connected with the detent at a point remotev from the pivot of the latter and adapted to be engaged with and disengaged from a shoulder on the draw-head by an oscillatory movement of its free end; said arm being provided with a part which projects into the path of the tail of the knuckle and means for moving said arm and detent byhand, attached to the arm near the free end of the latter and acting laterally on the same in a direction to disen gage it from the shoulder.

3. The combination with a draw-head and pivoted knuckle, of a rearwardlymovable locking-detent for the knuckle, a safety locking-arm which is pivoted to the detent and extends rearwardly therefrom, said arm being adapted to engage a shoulder on the drawhead and being provided with a part which y projects into the path of the tail of the knuckle and hand actuating connections so attached to the arm that an upward pull thereon will release the rear end of the arm and also actuate the detent. v

4. The combination with a draw-head and pivoted knuckle, of a rearwardly-movable locking-detent for the knuckle, a safety locking-arm pivotally connected with the detent and extending rearwardly therefrom and a forwardly-facing abutment or shoulder on the draw-bar adapted to engage the rear end of the arm and from which the same maybe disengaged by. an upward pull.

5. The combination with a draw-head and a pivoted knuckle, of a locking-detent for the knuckle, a safety locking-arm pivoted to the detent and extending rearwardly therefrom, said arm being provided with a part which extends into the path of the tail of the knuckle, a forwardly-facing abutment or shoulder on the draw-head adapted to engage the rear end of the arm and connections for operating the detent by hand comprising a link which is pivoted to the locking-arm below the said shoulder or abutment and in such position that a rearward pull on the upper end of the link will force theend of the arm above the said shoulder.

6. The combination with a draw-head, and a pivoted knuckle, of a locking-detent for the knuckle arranged to swing upwardly and rearn -Wardly, a safety locking-arm pivoted to the upper part of the said detent and extending rearwardly therefrom, said arm being pro-V Witnesses:

C. CLARENCE PooLE, CHARLES G. MAsoN.

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