USRE8291E - Improvement in pipe-couplings - Google Patents

Description

UNITE STATES PATENT QEFIGE GEORGE WESTINGHOUSE, JR., OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN PIPE-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 157,951, dated December 22, 1874 Reissue No. 8,291, dated June 18, 1878 application filed June 6, 1878.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE WESTING- HOUSE, Jr., of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Innnoveu'lents in Pipe-Couplings; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, concise, and

- Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional elevation in r a plane passing vertically through the, axial line of Fig. 2.

In the severe-l figures the same part is indicated by the same letter.

This invention, while applicable in some of its novel features to pipe-coupling purposes generally, is particularly designed and adapted for use in connectionwith the flexible hose of air-brake, pipes, whore, in order that the cars may be turned end for end, it in1por-' tant that in either position of the cars the half-couplings attached Lo-them may becapablc of being united "or coupled together. In this invention, each half-coupling is exactly like each other half-coupling, so that on a train of carsfitted up with the same, and with flexible hose connections, the coupling to-' gether of the brake-pipes will not be alfected by the reversal of any of the cars.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same, and the construction and operation of the several parts or elements thereof.

The outer'end of each half-coupling consists of a thiinble or tube, 1), by means of which the halt coupling is secured to the flexible hose in the manner well understood in the art. An open port or passage, 11, leads thence to the inner ported end part B of the halfcoupling, which end part, for brevity and convenience, I herein term a box. This end partor box B is closed on one side by a cap, B screwed therein, and on the other open or port side contains an annular india-rubber packing-ring, a, through the opening of which communication is effected with a like opening in the other oropposite half-coupling. The ring a is held in place by a washer, c, and posts l),

projecting from the cap B on one side, and by a shoulder or seat in the box on the other side, and at its outer end it projects through and ashort distance beyond the port, as at s, and is so arranged in each half that when the two half-couplings are brought together these packing-rings will come together face to rare, or end to end, as shown, and their openings, then being in line or coinciding, will afl'ord an uninterrupted, though circuitous, through passage-way for the ain.

The projecting parts 3 of the packing-rings a, when thus brought face to face in. coupling, are compressed somewhat by the action of the hooks e on the extremities of the boxes B, and outside of or beyond the ports or openings, hy'means of which the tl wugh passage-way issecured. Each of the coke s engages a head or counter-hook, e,-on the under side of a flange, 15*, made for that purpose on the other half-coupling at the side of the port-opening opposite to its hook 0. But the rings a should project i'ar enough to be capable of still further compression in case oi'tne forcible separation of the couplings, as hereinafter described. in order to hold these rings more efi'ectual-ly in contact with each other, and thereby prevent the escape of air or other leakage, I bring a pressure to bear on the back or inner face or end of each one by nieansot' a skeleton rssure frame, 0

o 0 such as will not interior-e with the flow of air, and a spring, (.1, interposed between it and the cap. This pressure-name, as shown, consists of an annulus, 0, which bears against the ring-posts o a ressure-plate, 0, against :which the spring dbears, and a stem, 0 to steady it'in place; but the form of this frame may be changed somewhat without seriously, if at all, impairing its function.

The half-couplin gs thus made are duplicates of each other, and, when attached by flexible hose, any two may be coupled at pieasure. The books described are preferably made, one or both, with a slight bevel, so that, while re taining their hold on each other under the strain to which they are subjected in ordinary use, they may be pulled apart or become antoinatically disengaged when exposed to more than the usual strain; and this function is further secured by the fact that the packingrings a extend a little beyond the i'aoes of their boxes or bcyondthc port-openings, as shown at s, and, under the unusual strain rca each other,

on the under side.

' sired, be providedwith ferredto, the ringsLmay then be sufliciently compressed to allow the hooks e c to slip over and thus become disengaged. The coupling parts are united by a rotary motion of each on the agis of its port-opening. The half-couplings are brought together with their portopenings coinciding, but with the hooks e e projecting past each other, and then, each hook being curved in the direction of its length to the proper radius, the couplings are rotated, the hooks engaging 'each other,-till each hook 0 comes against a proper stop, n, (which in this case consists of a post,)

suitably arranged for that purpose. In practical use it will be found that ordinarily the couplings, when'united, will incline edgewise to one side or the other, and to prevent, in such case, their becoming uncoupledby the partial rotation of the two halves under their ,own weight,I prefer to turn or twist one or the other before coupling, so that when the two are coupled together such'twist, trans mitted back to the flexible hose, will cause them to hang edgewise, and with the stops or.

connection with the stops n, keep them from becoming uncoupled while. the train. is run-f ning, except when forcibly pulled apart,'as above referred to.

Other suitable form of and for some purposes fice. N.

The construction described, it will .be obstop may be used, asingle one may sufserved, gives in efiect,a splice-joint, by which I mean that one end part so far lapsonto the other that the two may be secured face to face by a fastening which secures the extremityor toe of each, outside of or beyond the lap ping ports, to what may be termed the heel of the other, or, in other words, to a part of the other back of its port. Each lapping end part constitutes, in'eflect, an abutment against or on which the other lapping end. part rests, while the two parts are secured together by a double fastening, each .half of which is diagonally opposite to the other half, as regards the place of junction or union-that is to say, they are on opposite 'sides of the junction. or lap both longitudinally and transversely of the coupling, and both fastenings are sufficiently secure or firm for ordinary purposes while the train is 'run- .ning, and are also automatically separable unv d'er unusual strain. 1 I

The parts of-the coupling may, if so devalves having the function of the valves shown and described in reissued Letters Patent No. 5,504, grantedto me July 29, 1873; and, where automatie'detachability is not desired, other known fastening devices not involving such capacity may be employeih I claim herein as my invention the following features or elements of improvement:

l. Atwo part pipe-coupling the p'arts'of which are automatically detachable under unusual strain, and having lateral port-openings,

Their weight will th'en,in

by which through communication is efl'ected when the two halves which constitute the coupling are do licates of each. other, substantially as set firth. I

2. In a two-part splice joint pipe-coupling wherein the two halves are" of'like construction, the ported end parts lapping onto and;

supporting each'other transversely, in combination with a double fastening capable of bestraiu, each such fastening securing the toe of one lapping part to the heel of the other,

substantially as set forth.

3. In a half-coupling, a port-opening adaptcd to give a circuitous through passage-way,

in combination with the one part or half of a fastening forward of the port, (in the direction of the length of -the coupling, and also in combination with the counterpart or other half of a like fastening arranged back of the same port, such fastening devices, one or both, having the feature of automatic detachability under unusual v strain,

substantially as set forth.

4. In a otw'o part' pipe-coupling the two halves of which are of like construction, the combination of ported ends to provide a circuitous passagewa for the air heel and toe fastenings to hold t e half-couplings together as against ordinary longitudinal strain, and stop-posts n to keep the fastenings from slipping laterally out of engagement, substantially as set forth.

bination of a lateral port-opening, a packing ring arranged therein, and a skeleton pressure-frame and spring-back of the packing-ring, substantiallyas set forth.

6. In a pair'of couplings the ends of which lap onto each other, and thereby bring their lateral port-openin gs into line with each other, the compressiblepacking-rings a, in combination with hooks and catches c 0', whereby the couplings are rendered automatically detach-- able under unusualstrain, substantially asset forth. I

7 As a device for connecting together the two halves of a. splice-joint coupling, the hook or books e c, curved in the direction of the line of engagemenu-withthe radial line of curvature running in the general direction of the line of strain, substantially as set forth.

8. The hook or hooks 0,0, curved in the direction of. their line of engagement, in combination with a stop or smps, constructed substautially'in the manner and for the purposes set forth. p

In testimony whereof I. the said GEORGE WESTINGHOUSE, Jr.,'have hereunto set my.

hand.

GEO. WESTINGHOUSE, JR.

Witnesses: t 4

G. F. Wmaniw,

otary Public, 17 Gmcechurch street,

Juo. DEAN, Notarial Q'krk, same place.

mg automatically detached under unusual 5. In the half-coupling described, iilllcollb

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