USRE10623E - Car-couplinq - Google Patents

Description

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. w. H. THURMOND.

GAR. COUPLINGv No. 10, 23; Re-issud July .7, 1.885.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CA R-OOUP Ll NG.

SPECIFICATION forming partbf Reissued Letters Patent No. 10,623, dated July 7, 1885.-

Originul No. 306,876, dated October 2!, 1864. Application for reissue filed May 2. 1885.

.useful Improvements in Oar-Couplers; and I do hereby 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.

This invention relates to car-couplings; and the novelty consists in the construction, arrangement, and adaptation of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter set forth, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

The invention is designed as an improvement upon the device patented to me December 4, 1883, No. 289,729, and it is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure l is a longitudinal vertical section; Fig. 2, a horizontal section on the line a: m of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective detail of the gravital locking-plug; Fig. 4, a detail perspective of the .lockingjaw. Fig. 5 is a top plan view showing the draw-head in Fig. 2 in connection with an interchangeable or detachable mouth-piece, adapting the draw-head to a link-and-pin coupling; and Fig. 6 is a detail perspective of said detachable mouth-piece removed.

For convenience, I have shown but one draw-bar and attachments, and I will describe the invention accordingly; but it will be understood that another draw-bar of similar construction is contemplated.

The object of the invention is to produce an efficienticar-coupling at small expense, and one which shall be simple in construction andoperation, having few moving parts, and hence not liable to get out of operation, and to have the locking features operated by gravity--a power which is always in operation when the cars are in a position to be coupled.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures, A designates the draw-bar, cast preferably in a single piece, with a longitudinal cavity and a slot, (1- above. I

Between ears I of the head B of the drawbar is pivoted a horizontally-oscillating coupling-jaw, 0, having a hook portion, a, and a tail portion, 0', at right angles to each other, as shown. This jaw 0 has a beveled portion, 0*, which portion .0, as the jaw is oscillated in one direction, strikes asimilar bevel, d, upon ,a vertically-moving gravit-al plug, D, having a, slot, 41', in which operates a-guide-pin, rl,-to limit its actionand to keep itin its cavity in the draw-bar. The lower surface of the drawbar-that is to say, the floor of its cavity-is provided with two surfaces, or and a, inclined der, a Thisform corresponds with thelower surface of the thrustbar F, the inclines f and f being adapted to ride up the inclines a and a when the thrust-bar F is thrust inward in the act of coupling, and the shoulderf being adapted to abut against the shoulder a? to limit itsaction when it gravitates behind the tail 0 of the coupling-jaw. \Vhen the thrustin the same direction, and an abutting shoulbar F is in its highest position, the gravity.

plug D falls to its lowest position, and its rear abrupt side serves to hold the thrust-bar locked in such highest position until it is released by the plug D having been forced up out of contact by the coupling-jaw.

In the patent granted to me, and hereinbefore referred to, the inner face of the tail of the coupling-jaw O is a plane surface, and when the said jaw is forced back to allow the thrustbar to move forward, the forward end of the latter lies in front of said plane surface and in close proximity thereto, leaving but a limited play to the tail of the coupling-hook.

Although perfectly operative, I prefer to so construct the tail of the couplingj aw as to allow the thrust-bar to move in front thereof, even in case the latter is not fully pushed back into the draw-head by the entering con pling-hook, thus insuri ngthe coupling under any circumstances. This I accomplish by cutting away or rabbeting' the corner of the tail 0, as seen at 0, thus providing for the free mov'ementof the thrustbar, and a coupling may be efiected upon the sharpest curve, even if the jaw has not been forced entirely home -a matter liable to occur upon acurve. Upon this rabbet feature of the locking-jaw in its relation to the thrust-bar, and upon the locking-plug D in its relation to both jaw and thrust bar, I base much of the importance and novelty of this invention.

tor:

A roek-shaft,'G, is operated by a lever, H, to oscillate a bifurcated arm, I, the jaws of which embrace a pin,' J, upon the thrust-bar, in substantially the manner in which similar parts were operated in the patent cited,'and

as these parts form no important feature of this invention, further description will not be necessary; It will be understood that the hook c of one coupling-jaw strikes the tail of the other, and that the jaws are oscillated until the thrustbars gravitate into the rabbets 0, when the couplingis efi'ectnally made and locked.

. When it is desired to nncouple, the lever His manipulated properly to withdraw the thrust-bar against its gravity and up'theinelines ,a and anntil the plug D falls in front of the thrust-bar, and holds it thus elevated until the next couplingoperation occurs, when the jaw, by bringing the inclines cand d into contact, raises the plug D until the thrust-bar is liberated and gravitate/S into the rabbet G.

Thus the thrust-bar locks'the jaw automatically,-the plug locks the thrust-bar, and the jaw releases the thrust-Darby acting on the plug. I provideforthe employment of the draw-bar with an ordinarylink-and-pin coup ling by removing the jaw C and substituting aremovable mouth-piece, M, as shown, secured. by the same pivot-pinor by another pin acting in the same holes. has an arm, m, which enters the cavity of the draw-bar, and has a general contour corresponding to that of the draw-bar, as seen at m, v

to give an extended bearing between the parts.

As described in Letters Patent hereinbefore referred to, the draw-head B has bufi'er faces 6 b, to protect the coupling-hooks and their hook,

This mouth-piece M pivotal connections from injury when two draw-heads cometogether in coupling. It

will be seen that when the month-piece is in 'position, as shown in Fig. 5, its lateral projections, m, seat against the bnfler-faces b b" on opposite sides of the draw-head and afford a firm bearing for said mouthpiece;

Y- The month-piece h'as'an ordinary vertical aperture for a coupling-pin, and may be used with link-coupling whenever occasion requires.

' W'hat I claim-as new is 1. In a car-coupler of the class described, the combination, with a coupling-hook arranged to oscillate on a vertical pivot, and a thrustbar having a combined vertical and horizontal.

gravital movement toward the shank of said book, of a plug, D, having a gravital movemen in the path of the shank of' the couplingin a plane at right angles to the plane of motion of said hook and thrust-bar, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2.' The coinbinatiomwith the thrustbar and its operating means,of the locking-jaw O, .hav-

ing part a, tail c',andbeve1c-, and the gravital plug D, having bevel d, as set forth.

3. In combination" with the draw-bar A,

having inclines a a and shoulder a", and with the pivoted jaw 0, having tail c,with 'rabbet O and bevel c, the thrust-bar F, having in" clines f f and shoulder f, and the'gravital plug D, having bevel (2, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

\VILLIAM H. THURMOND.

Witnesses:

W. D.-GIBsoN, S. B. HEAD.

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