US1620350A - Car coupling - Google Patents

Description

March 8; 1927;

L. W. HIGGINS can COUPLING Filed July 21, 1926 amut I L.W gins I (7L I (lttozvwql Patented Mar. 8, 1927.

. UNITED STATES LEWIS W. HIGGINS, OF BULAN, KENTUCKY.

CAR COUPLING.

Application filed July 21,

My'invention is a coupling for mine cars and has for its object the provision of a simple and inexpensive mechanism which may be easily applied to the cars and which will operate efficiently to prevent separation of the cars while readily accommodating itself to the relative angular positions of the cars as they pass around short turns. Other objects of the invention will appear incidentally in the course of the following description, and the invention resides in certain novel features which are illustrated in the accompanying drawing and will be hereinafter fully set forth.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view, with parts in horizontal section, of my improved coupling as it appears when in use;

Fig. 2 is a central vertical longitudlnal section of the same;

Fig. 3 is a top plan View of the pin-engaging members removed from the car, and

Fig. 4 is a central vertical transverse section of the coupling as it appears in use.

The mine cars may be of the usual or any approved construction and portions of the same are indicated at one in the drawing, each car being equipped at its ends with a drawbar 2. The drawbar projects beyond the end of the car body and a bumper head 3 is secured to the car body below the end of the drawbar, as clearly shown in the drawing, so that the end of the drawbar will be prevented from dropping. A support l is secured to the ends of the bumper head 3,

and this is preferably a resilient U-shaped frame secured at its ends to the bumper head 3 and projecting beyond the bumper head so that it furnishes a support for the drawhead 5 to maintain the drawhead in a level position at all times. The resiliency of this accommodates vibration in the cars and variance in the heights of the coupled cars. The drawheads 5 at the opposite ends of the car are alike in construction and comprise a shank pivoted at its inner end, as shown at 6, to the end of the drawbar and having its outer end laterally enlarged, as shown at 7, to constitute "a coupling head having an opening 8 extending centrally therethrough. The coupling heads are provided near their outer edges with vertical openings, indicated at 9, and through one of said openings is disposed a coupling pin 10 which is carried by the inner end of a hand lever 11 fulcrumed between its ends upon a post 12 rising from 1926. Serial in. 124,038.

the coupling head adjacent the pin hole 9, as shown. It will be readily seen that the weight of the coupling pin normally holds the outer end of the releasin lever 11 in raised position and the exertion of downward pressure upon the lever will withdraw the coupling pin from the coupling head so as to permit thecars to move apart. The mating coupling head has a pivot pin 13 inserted through the openings 9 therein, and this pin serves to retain in the coupling head the grippers 14 which project from the said coupling head a suflicient distance to pass into the first described coupling head and lockingly engage the coupling pm 10. The rear ends of the grippers 14 extend rearwardly beyond the pivot 13, as shown at 15, and are connected by a coiled contractile spring 16 whereby they are normally and yieldably held together whereby the outer or front ends of the grippers will be held in engagement with the coupling pin. It will be noted upon reference to Fig. 2 that when in use the grippers are supported by the opposed drawheads so that they will remain in operative position. To limit the closing movement of the grippers, lugs 17 are formed thereon at their outer edges, and these lugs project upwardly from the lower gripper and downwardly from the upper gripper, as shown most clearly in Fig. 1, whereby the outer edges of the respective grippers will impinge against the respectively adjacent lugs and prevent the grippers coming into such intimate contact with the coupling pin as will tend to break or bend the same while at the same time the grippers will be permitted to engage the pin with sufficient force to maintain the coupled relation of the cars. Upon reference to Figs. 1 and 3 more particularly, it will be noted that the inner opposed edges of the grippers are formed on arcuate lines so that they will diverge toward the outer front ends of the grippers and will present inclined surfaces to the coupling pin as the cars come together whereby the grippers will readily separate to pass around the pin, and, at proper points in their edges, notches 18 are formed therein to receive the pin and engage it in such a manner that the cars will be held together. It will be noted that the walls of these notches 18 pass transversely across and beyond the ad acent portions of the pin so that the draft will be positively applied through one car to the other car and will cooperate gether in an obvious manner.

As has been stated, the drawheads are pivotally mounted upon the respective drawbars. To maintain the couplings normally on the central longitudinal lines of the cars, contractile springs 19 are provided at both sides of both couplings and these springs have their opposite ends attached respectively to the couplings and to the cars or the bumper heads adjacent the sides of the cars. The springs being of equal strength will, of course, exert equal force on the two sides of the couplings so that they will remain disposed centrally with respect to the cars. At the same time, however, when the cars strike a curve, the coupling heads will be permitted to swing pivotally so that the angular relations of the cars will be accommodated and the heads will remain coupled.

The apparatus is exceedingly simple in construction and arrangement and may be readily applied to mine cars new in existence as well as to cars which may be hereafter built Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. A car coupling comprising a pair of coupling heads, a coupling pin mounted in one of said heads, a pair of cooperating grippers pivoted within the other coupling head and extending therefrom to project into the first described coupling head and engage the coupling pin therein, and a contractile spring connecting the opposite ends of the grippers.

2. A car coupling comprising a pair of pivoted coupling heads, a coupling pin mounted in one head, a pivot pin mounted in the other head, a pair of grippers retained in the head by said pivot pin and disposed one above the other, the opposed edges of the grippers being constructed to engage closely around the coupling pin at both the front and the rear thereof, and means acting upon the rear ends of the grippers to hold them normally in engagement with the coupling pin.

3. A car coupling comprising a pair of coupling heads, a coupling pin mounted in one head, a pair of grippers having a common pivotal support in the other head, a yieldable connection between the rear ends of the grippers holding the front ends of the same normally together, the opposed edges of the grippers being constructed with notches to fit around the coupling pin and diverging forwardly beyond the notches, and stop lugs on the opposed faces of the grippers at the outer edges thereof between the ends of the same to engage the opposed edges of the respective grippers.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

LEWIS W. HIGGINS. L 3.

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