US803013A - Vehicle-shaft coupling. - Google Patents

Description

No. 803,013. l PAT-MED 00T. s1, 19o5. R. MULHOLLAND. VEHICLE SHAFT COUPLING.

IIIIIIIIIIIIII BDJ'UNE 8,1905.-

Mw um l Witnesses. omdlnventor.

No. 803.013. K PATENTEB 0012031, 1905.

R. MULHOLLA'ND. f VEHICLE SHAFT GOUPLING.

APPLICATION UNI: 8.1905.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 31, 1905.

Application led June 8, 1905. Serial No. 264,265.

.a draw-bolt.

Among the principal objects of the invention are to distribute the locking strain upon the spring part of one of the members of the coupling, to reduce the liability of breaking, to prevent lateral movement of the lockinglever on the link, to prevent lateral movement of the spring by providing the lockinglever with flanges fitting over the edges of said spring, to provide an easy and convenient means for pivotally securing the link to the lookin -lever, and to make provision for adapting t e coupling to draw-bolts of varying sizes.

The invention also relates to certain details of construction, all of which will be fully and clearly hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved shaft-coupling, showing the same applied to a vehicle-shaft shackle. Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the improved coupling. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section on line a, a, Fig. 2, showing the improved shaft-coupling applied to the shaft-shackle with a draw-bolt of reduced size. Fig. 4 is a detached fragmentary top plan view of the shaft-iron, showing the movable member of the coupling attached thereto. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the coupling in open osition. Fig. 6 is a detached view of the oop-link. Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the improved shaft-coupling aplied to the shaft-shackle with a draw-bolt of arger diameter. Fi 8 is a transverse section through the sha t and shaft-iron, showing another form of loop-link. Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 4, showing another form of hinge-joint. Fig. 10 is a transverse section through a draw-boltprovided with a leather packing.

Referring to the drawings in detail, in which similar numerals indicate corresponding parts in the several views, 1 is the axle;

removal by a rivet 16.

2, the axle-bed; 3, the shaft-shackle, and 4 the draw-bolt held by same.

The shaft-iron 5 is bent or curved at its rear end, which is reduced to form a pivotal tongue 6, and constitutes the stationary member of the coupling, being provided with a transverse recess 7 on its outer side near said rear end of approximately semicircular form. (See Fig. 5.) It is also provided with a transverse groove 8, preferably on the top side at a suitable intermediate point, which constitutes a seat for a pivotal link, as will be more specifically set forth farther on. The body portion 9 of the movable member of the coupling has a transverse recess 10 on its inner or top side, which is of approximately semicircular form and is provided with a forked or bifurcated end 11 having the bifurcations separated sufficiently to permit the interposition of the tongue 6, which is pivoted between the forks or bifurcations by a pivot-pin 12. The body 9 is preferably of cast or wrought iron or similar metal, and it is provided with a longitudinal mortise or socket 13, in which one end of a spring portion 14 of the movable member is supported.

The socket or mortise has a substantially flat and straight bottom wall, against which the bottom surface of that portion of the spring 14 within the socket bears throughout its length when the coupling is open, and a top wall 15, which curves outwardly at the outer end of the socket to provide an enlarged or flaring mouth for the socket, so that when the coupling is in locked position the end of the spring within the socket is bent against the curved portion. The object of this construction is to distribute the strain or tension of the spring upon a fairly wide surface instead of centering it at one point-the outer termination or mouth of the socket-which would necessarily result were the socket formed with straight walls and of the same depth throughout, and thereby strengthen the construction and reduce the liability of breaking the spring when under tension.

It will be noticed that the surface against which the spring bears gradually becomes greater as the spring bends, so that the length of bearing varies in accordance with the correspondence of the bend of the spring to the curve of the top wall of the socket.

The spring is secured in the socket against rIlle spring 14 is bent or curved near its outer end to provide one or more transverse IOO IOS

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seats, in any one of which the enlarged cam vof an eccentric-lever is adapted to engage. The obj ect of this is to provide for the use of drawbolts of varying diameters. In the adaptation shown two transverse seats 17 and 18 are formed, one being at the outer end of the spring and the other near the outer end.

An eccentric-lever 19 is connected to the shaft by a loop-link 20, which is formed substantially as shown in Fig. 5 and pivotally attached to the shaft by seating one of its end parts or members thereof in the transverse groove 8 in the shaft-iron. 'Ihe opposite end part or member of the loop-link has a central annular enlargement 21, and the eccentric-lever has a transverse groove or depression 22 in which said end part is seated, the Wall 23 on one side of the groove being formed comparatively thin, so that it may be bent over to secure the link to the lever. The Wall 23 is provided with a groove 24, into which the enlargement21 of the link end engages to prevent any appreciable lateral movement without interfering with the pivotal turning of the lever on the link.

The lever 19 is provided With an offset end or cam 25, which is adapted to engage in either of the transverse seats 17 and 18, and has flanges 26 on each side of said cam, which project over the side edges of the spring 14 and prevent lateral movement while the lever is in engagement with the spring.

The improved shaft-coupling is preferably assembled as follows: The movable member is pivotally attached to the tongue 6 at the rear vend of the shaft-iron 5 by a suitable rivet 12.

The swinging link 20 is pivotally attached to the eccentric-lever 19 by seating its upper end in the groove 22 .and bending the wall over, as before set forth, and the opposite end of the link 20 is placed in the groove 8 of the shaft-iron5, and the latter is applied to the shaft 27 in the usual manner. The coupling While in its open position (see Fig. 5) is then applied to the shackle 3 at the rear side of the draw-bolt 4, the movable member 9 is turned on its pivot around the draw-bolt 4, and the desired seat in the end of the spring 14 is engaged by the cam 25 of the eccentric-lever 1 9, and the coupling is drawn to its closed position by manually moving the lever 19 and swinging link 18, (see Fig. 2,) or if it is desired to use a draw-bolt of different diameter than that shown in Fig. 2 the part 25 of the eccentric -lever is engaged in another groove in the spring 14 and is drawn into its closed position in the same manner. In either case the movable member 9 is forced toward the stationary members of the coupling, which firmly hold the draw-bolt 4 between them in the socket formed by the semicircular transverse recesses 7 and 10. The spring 14 automatically holds the members of the coupling together with a spring tension and takes up the Wear of the parts automatically. The

soaois flanges 26 of the eccentric-lever 19 serve to hold the spring 14 firmly in place against lat- -eral movement when the coupling is in its closed position.

I do not desire to be held strictly to the detail manner of construction shown r and specified herein, as it will be evident that several changes may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention-as, or instance, the rear part 7 of the coupling may be forked or bifurcated instead of being formed with a single tongue, and the movable member 9 made with a single tongue and pivotally connected, as shown in Fig. 9.

The construction may be further modified by forming as an integral part of the shaftiron 5 or attaching thereto a central projection 28 and pivotally attaching to the same and to the eccentric-lever 19 the side straps or links 29 by rivets 30, as shown in Fig. 8, in lieu of the loop-link20. fer the loop form of link shown in Fig. 6, which is made solid in one piece and is perhaps stronger and cheaper to manufacture.

- While in most of the views the draw-bolt 4 is shown without a bushing, it may be provided with a suitable bushing of leather or other suitable material surrounding the same to actas a cushion, if desired, as shown in Fig. 10.

The principal advantages of this invention reside in the manner of securing the spring to the body portion of the movable member, the arrangement of side flanges on the cam of the lever for preventing lateral movement of the spring, the central enlarging of one end member of the loop-link, and the forming of a groove in the wall of the opening in the lever inclosing said loop and in which said enlargement engages to prevent lateral movement of the lever, the novel means for securing the loop-link to the lever by bending a portion of the lever over the loop-link to inclose a part of said loop-link in an opening in the lever, and the provision for fitting the coupling on draw-bolts of varying sizes.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a coupling of the class described, a plurality of coupling members, one of which has a body provided with a socket having a flaring mouth and a spring having its end However, I pre- Iool IIS

secured in the socket and means for engaging having its end in said socket adapted to gradually contact with said curved Wall as it is bent and locking means engaging said spring.

4. In a coupling of the class described, a shaft, a stationary member on the shaft, a movable member pivoted to the stationary member` and having a spring part which is bent at one end to provide a seat, a loop-link pivoted to the shaft and an eccentric-lever pivoted to the loop-link and having a cam adapted to engage and turn in the seat in the spring part of the movable member.

5. In a coupling of the class described, a shaft, a stationary member on the shaft, a movable member pivoted to the stationary member and having a spring part provided ,With a plurality of seats, a loop-link pivoted to the shaft and an eccentric-lever pivoted to the loop-link and having a cam adapted to engage and turn in any one of the seats in the spring part of the movable member.

6. In a coupling of the class described, a plurality of coupling members, one of which is at least in part of-spring character and has a plurality of seats and a locking-lever having a cam adapted to engage in any one of said seats whereby the coupling may be used With draw-bolts of varying sizes.

7. In a coupling of the class described, a shaft, a stationary member on said shaft, a movable member pivoted to the stationary member and having a spring part Which is bent at one end to provide a seat, a loop-link pivoted to the shaft and an eccentric-lever pivoted to the loop-link and having a cam adapted to engage and Vturn in the seat 1n the spring part of the movable member and side flanges adapted to project over the edges of the spring to prevent lateral movement of said spring.

8. In a coupling of the class described., a plurality of coupling members, one of which is at least in part of spring character and has a seat, and a locking-lever having a cam adapted to engage in said seat and side ilanges adapted to project over the edges of the spring to prevent lateral movement.

9. In a coupling of the class described, a

lurality of coupling members, a loop-link liaving an enlargement on one of its parts and a locking-lever pivoted to the loop-link and having a groove in which the enlargement engages, substantially as set forth.

10. In a couplingof the class described, a shaft, a stationary member on the shaft, a movable member pivoted to the stationary member and having a spring part which is bent at one end to provide a seat, a loop-link pivoted to the shaft and having an enlargement on one of its parts, and an eccentriclever pivoted to the loop-link and having a cam adapted to engage and turn in the seat in the spring part of the movable member and a groove in which the enlargement of the loop-link engages.

RICHARD MULHOLLAND.

Witnesses:

O. B. MULHOLLAND, R. I. MULHOLLAND.

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