US691472A - Combined pilot coupling and buffer. - Google Patents

Description

No. 69|,472, Patented lan. 2|, |902.

W. H. LEWIS &. C. A. SELEY. COMBINED PILOT COUPLING ND BUFFER.

(Apph atlon led Mar. 14, 1901.)

(N o Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l. i

No. 691,472. Patented lanfzl, |902.

w. H. Ll-:wls & c. A. SE'LEY.

COMBINED PILOT COUPLING AND BUFFER.

(Application tiled Mar. 14, 1901.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

' utente/1A UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM H. LEWIS AND CHARLES A. SELEY, OF ROANOKE, VIRGINIA.

COMBINED PILOT COUPLING AND BUFFER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 6i91,472, dated January 21, 1902.

A Application filed March 14, 1901. Serial No. 51,111. (No'model.)

T0 a/ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM H. LEWIS and CHARLES A. SELEY, citizens of the United States, residing at Roanoke, in the county of Roanoke and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements iu a Combined Pilot Coupler and Buffer; and we 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.

Our invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in combined pilot coupler and buifer, and particularly to that class known as the Master Car-Builders type, which are generally employed at the front end of locomotives or to other railway and rolling equipment, toV which the couplers of standard length of shank cannot be applied.

The object of our vinvention is to provide a coupler of the type described which shall be economic and simple of construction and effective in operation; and with these ends in view our invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter more specifically described, and shown inthe drawings.

In order that` those skilled in the art to which our invention appertains may know how to make and apply our invention and fully understand all of its advantages, wewill proceed to describe the construction .and operation of the same, referring by letters to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents the head of the coupler in elevation and the shank and its socket or case in central vertical longitudinal section. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section through the shank of the coupler, taken on the line x a: of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top or plan View of the coupler and its case or socket in normal relation, and Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the coupler-socket.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

A represents the head of the coupler, which may be of the ordinary or any preferred construction and provided with the usual or any desired interlocking or swinging knuckles or jaws.

B is the shank of the coupler, which is bored or hollowed out longitudinally to constitute a receptacle or recess for buer-springs C D and formed with trunnions E on the upper and lower faces of the shank. The trunnions E, as clearly shown at Fig. 3, are curved on their front and rear faces for the purpose presently explained.

F and F represent the coupler-socket made in two parts, adapted when in proper relation to each other to constitute a seat and receptacle for the shank of the coupler. Each section of the socket is formed with an opening or slot G, adapted to receive the trunuionsE of the coupler-shank, and the front and rear walls of said sockets correspond to the curvatures of the front and rear faces of the said trunnions. The length of said sockets is such as to permit of a predetermined longitudinal movement therein of the trunnions E for the purpose hereinafter explained. The two sections or halves F and F of the socket or casing are formed with lateral lugs or ears G, provided with central oriiices for the passage of bolts H, by means of which said socketsections are secured to the buffer-beam of a locomotive or to the sill of a car or tender, and with centrall lateral webs I, which are secured together by vertical bolts or rivets J. The socket-sections are formed with inwardlyprojecting shoulders or anannular ange K, adapted to constitute a stop, against which the rear end or tail of the coupler-shank may contact, and the head of the coupler is formed with shoulders or faces L, adapted to contact with the forward edges or face of the coupler-socket sections F and F whenever the resistance of the buffer-springs has been overcome in the bufting action.

M is a plate which is arranged behind the shoulders or annular Iiange K and between the latter and the buffer-beam, and the buffer-springs C D are confined under proper compression between said plate and the base or front wall of the recess of the shank in order that such compression of said springs shall operate to hold the coupler-head to its required position for coupling and pulling and to receive the cushion-bufling strains imparted to the coupler-head.

The side Walls of the socket or casing diverge, as shown by dotted lines, toward the front end or are given such clearance relativelyto the cross-section of the coupler-shank that proper lateral movement of the shank may take place when necessary on track curvatures, the curved front and rear faces of the trunnions of the coupler-shank coperating under such conditions.

In assembling the parts the springs C D are located within the bore or hollowed portion of the shank of the coupler, and th'e plate M is placed against the rear coils of said springs. The two sections F and F of the socket or casing are placed around the shank of the coupler, with the trunnions E located within the slots G of the casing or socket F F', and the latter are then secured together by the vertical bolts or rivets H, passing through the webs I, and the parts thus assembled are secured to the buffer-beam or car-sill by the securing-bolts H in such manner as to put the springs C D under proper compression, as hereinbefore explained. When the parts are thus assembled and secured in position, it will be readily understood that when a buding strain is received at the coupler-head it will, according to its force, compress the springs C D, the slots G permitting a backward movement of the coupler-head corresponding with the strength or resistance of the springs, and that when the resistance of the springs shall be overcome by the shock the rear faces of the trunnions will contact with the rear wall of the slots G, and simultaneously the shoulders or faces L of the coupler-head contact with the front edges of the socket F F', and at the same time the tail of the coupler-shank will contact with the inwardly-projecting shoulders or iiange K of the socket or casing, thus distributing the shock to several independent localities and relieving the strain upon any one locality.

When the ordinary dead-blocks are employed on the equipment, the coupler and buffer bears such relation thereto that the dead-blocks take up or assist in taking up the shock coincidently with the contact of the several shoulders and faces just described and which could not be the case were the coupler not arranged for longitudinal or lengthwise movement, and consequently the entire bufting shocks would be transmitted through the coupler mechanism.

While we have shown and prefer to use the plate M as a seat for the rear ends of the batting-springs, we do not wish to be confined to the use of the same, as said springs may be seated directly against the buffer-beam or end sill, and while we have 'shown and describedaconstruction which involves the taking up of the bulng shock at several localities after the resistance of the bufling-springs has been overcome we do not wish it to be understood that our invention is limited to such details of ,construction in combination with the other features of our invention as described, as many variations maybe madein these and other respects without departing from the spirit of our invention, which consists in the generic idea of a combined coupler and buffer in which the shank of the coupler is provided with a recess for the reception of buer-springs and provided with integral vertical trunnions, and a confining and supporting socket provided with openings or slots to constitute seats for the trunnions of the coupler shank and within which said trunnions may have longitudinal and rotative movement.

Having described the construction, operation, and advantages of our combined'pilot coupler and buffer, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A pilot coupler and buer consisting of a coupler, having integral with the hollow shank thereof, v ertical trunnions, a receiving and supporting socket adapted to be secured to the buffing-beam of a locomotive or end sill of a car, and formed with vertical openings or sockets to receive the trunnions of the coupler, and bufling-springs located centrally within the hollow shank and interposed between the coupler-head and buffer-beam or car-sill, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. Thecouplerhaviugashankrecessedcentrally to receive buffingfsprin gs and provided with integral, vertical trunnions to engage with suitable slots in the socket or casing, a casing adapted to be secured to the butterbeam of a locomotive or end sill of a car, and provided with slots to receive the trunnions of the coupler-shank, and buffer-springs arranged withi n the recess of the coupler-shank, and between the base thereof and the buerbeam or end sill, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

8. The combination ofalongitudinally-movable coupler and shank made integral and having also a laterally-vibrative movement, buffer-springs located within a central recess in the shank to resist longitudinal movements, vertical trunnions on the shank, lugs or faces on the coupler, and a socket or casing provided with vertical elongated openings to receive the trunnions of the shank, and with shoulders or projections to constitute contacts for the lugs or faces on the coupler, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

4. An'integral coupler and shank, the latter formed with a central longitudinal recess for bung-springs and with vertical trunnions having curved front and rear faces, a socket or casing adapted to receive the shank of the coupler and the bufng-springs and formed with vertical slots having curved front and rear terminals, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

IOO

5. A coupler-head and recessed or hollow In testimony whereof We affix our signashank adapted to receive centrally-located tures in presence of two witnesses.

bung-springs, and formed with external WILLIAM H. LEWIS.

trunnious adapted to be seated or located CHARLES A. SELEY. 5 within slots or pockets formed in a. contain- Witnesses:

ing and supporting socket or casing, substzm- I-I. L. MORRIS,

tilly as and for the purpose set forth. T. H. LEARY.

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