US763883A - Device for holding fractured coupling-pins in couplings. - Google Patents

Description

No- 763,883. PATENTED JUNE 28, 1904. W. O. HARLOW & L. D. GILLETT. DEVICE FOR HOLDING FRAOTURED COUPLING PINS IN COUPLINGS.

. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 12, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

ll-Illllll UNITED STATES Patented June 28, 190a.

PATENT OEEioE.

WVILLIAM O. HARLOW LORENZO D. GILLETT, OF ROANOKE,

' VIRGINIA.

DEVICE FOR HOLDING FRACTURED COUPLING-PINS IN COUPLINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 763,883, dated J une 28, 1904.

Application filed November 12, 1903. Serial No. 180.941. (No model.)

Ton/ll whom it may concern:

United States, residing at Roanoke, in the county of Roanoke and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Holding Fractured Coupling- Pins inOouplers; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to car-couplers; and it has for its object to provide a device for holding in place the knuckle-pin or couplerpin of the coupler in the event that the same should become broken or fractured, and thus prevent the accidental uncoupling of the cars or the breaking of the lugs of the hinged jaw of the coupler by reason of heavy strain thereon in the event of the knuckle or coupling pin breaking.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as may hereinafter appear the invention consists in a loop-shaped member provided with an eye at different points, adapted to have the coupling or knuckle pin pass through the eyes to secure the member to the coupler, the coupling or knuckle pin being provided with a cotter-key or shoulder adapted to rest upon the lower part of the loop-shaped member, so as to hold the two parts of the pin together in the event of fracture and to prevent the pin from slipping through the coupler in the event of its breaking, as will be hereinafter particularly described and then sought to be clearly defined by the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, and in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a coupler with a hinged jaw and having our device applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a perspective of the loop-shaped holding member.

In the drawings the numeral 1 designates a draw-head, and 2 its hinged jaw, attached thereto by the knuckle-pin 3, which parts may be of any approved type.

The numeral 4 designates the loop-shaped member, provided at its opposite ends with the eyes 5, which member may be made of halfinch round iron bent into the form of a loop and having the eyes formed in any suitable manner, although the member may be otherwise formed than of round iron. This member when applied will pass around or straddle the draw-head 1 and have one portion lie above the draw-head and the other beneath the same, with the eyes 5 in line with the holes made in the lugs 6 of the draw-head for the passage of the knuckle-pin 3, said pin passing through the opposite eyes of the loop member, as indicated clearly in Fig. 2 of the drawings. The lower portion of the knuckle-pin may be formed with a shoulder 7 a to rest upon the lower eye of the loop member between it and the lower lug of the draw-head, or it may have a hole made through it for the reception of a cotter-key 8, which will lie between the lower lug of the draw-head and the lower eye of the loop member, so as to rest upon said eye portion of the loop member, and thus support the lower part of the knuckle-pin, so that it will not slip from the coupler in the event of .fracture or breakage. Said shoulder or the cotter-key, as one or the other may be employed, will also tend to hold the fractured portions of the knuckle-pin together, and thus cause the strain of the pull to be upon the knucklepin and relieve the lugs of the draw-head of the heavy strain that otherwise would be thrown upon the lugs in the event of breakage of the pin and which, if permitted,would tend to break off one or both of the lugs, and thus seriously damage the coupler.

It will be observed that this safety-holder is attached to and supported from the coupler by means of the knuckle-pin, so that the necessity of boring a hole in the coupler for the purpose of attaching the safety device is avoided and which, if it were necessary, would tend in some degree to weaken the coupler.

,It will further be observed that the safety device may be readily applied to and removed from couplers already in use and avoids the necessity of making any special construction of coupler for the application thereto of the safety holding device.

We have illustrated the device as applied to the knuckle-pin of a coupler having a hinged knuckle; but it is to be understood that the device is capable of use in various forms of couplers employing a knuckle-pin or a coupling-pin and that changes can be made in the device Without departing from the essential features of our invention. 1

Having described our invention and set forth its merits, What We claim is 1. In a car-coupler, a device for holding in place the knuckle-pin or coupling-pin of the c0upler in the event of breakage, said device being secured to the coupler by said pin, substantially as described.

2. A device for holding in place the knucklepin or coupling-pin of a coupler in the event of breakage of the pin, said device comprising a loop-shaped member provided With means at different points for receiving the pin, and a projection on the pin for resting upon a part of said member, substantially as described.

3. Adevice for holding in place the knucklepin or coupling-pin of a coupler in the event of breakage of the pin, said device comprising a loop-shaped member provided at opposite ends With an eye to receive the pin, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof We aflix our signatures in presence of tWo Witnesses.

WILLIAM O. HARLOW. LORENZO D. GILLETT.

Witnesses: 7

R. B. GUNN, W. W. RUBLE.

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