Patent GB-942514-A (GB)
Title: Railway car coupling
IPC: B61G3/18
Filed: 1961-11-21
Abstract: 942,514. Railway vehicle automatic couplers. NATIONAL CASTINGS CO. Nov. 21, 1961 [Dec. 5, 1960], No. 41651/61. Heading B7T. A railway car coupler, Fig. 1, including a head 3 having two rigid jaws defining between them a cavity 18 opening towards the front, comprises a lock member 4, Fig. 10, mounted in the cavity and adapted to pivot about a lower rearward tooth connection 23 with the head, a pivotable lock thrower 10, Fig. 2, mounted in and extending across the cavity, in which the thrower has its axis above and in front of the pivotal connection between the head and the lock member at all relative positions of the latter and is adapted to pivot the lock to a rear release position from a forward locking position in which a front portion of the lock projects from the cavity and a rear portion remains in the cavity, the rear portion of the lock being substantially triangular and having a rear face extending from the pivotal connection to the top of the front portion of the lock, and in which the coupler head has a rear wall 36, Fig. 4, designed to limit the rearwards pivotal movement of the lock. The coupler comprises the lock member 4, Fig. 10, a lock set piece 5, Fig. 11, an anti-creep element 6, Fig. 14, and a lock operating rotor mechanism 7, Fig. 2. To assemble the coupling, the lock set piece 5 and the anti-creep element 6 are placed together, with openings 58, 85 in register, and positioned within the head 3 with the trunnion 60, Fig. 5, extending through the openings. The thrower 10, Fig. 2, is then inserted in the head against an inner side wall 61, Fig. 5, with its lug 108 underneath the side wall lug 109, Fig. 9A. The lock member 4, Fig. 10, is then inserted by sliding its recessed portion 43 rearwardly between the thrower 10 and the side wall of the head rearward of the jaw 15. The anti-creep piece 6 is then manually lifted in order that the lock set lug 39 of the lock member may pass underneath the piece. The lock is then moved rearwardly to engage its pivot or tooth 23, Figs. 4 and 10, with an opening 27 in the head and extend the fin 54 through the opening 55. The rotor shaft 8, Figs. 2, 13, is then inserted so that its portion 122 passes foremost through an opening 130, Fig. 1, in the guard arm 17, through bearing 119, opening 53 of the lock, Fig. 10, through the bore of the thrower 10, Fig. 2, and into the head opening 123 so that section 114 of the shaft 8 is disposed within the bearing 119. Thereafter the lever 9 is positioned on the shaft and within the guard arm 17. The assembly is completed by inserting a pin through the head hole 121. When uncoupling from the Fig. 7 coupled position, the rotor 7 is rotated clockwise about the axis 64 so that the pawl 11, Fig. 2, engages the underside 79 of the lug 78 of the lock set piece 5, Fig. 11. Continued rotation lifts the lock set piece 5, without any appreciable rearward movement of the lock 4, until the thrower 10 engages the cam follower surface 45, Fig. 10, and moves the lock to a position placing the anti-creep lug 40 under the arm 86 of the anticreep element 6. As the rotor continues rotation the lug 78 disengages to allow the lock set piece 5 to drop to its position shown in Fig. 7, but the lock continues to rotate rearwardly. With further rotation of the thrower 10 the lug 39 on the lock 4 engages the lug 41 on the lock set piece 5. At this point the rear portion of the piece 5 is pivoted upwardly relative to the trunnion 60. The lock continues to rotate rearwardly until it engages the rear wall 36 or at least reaches the Fig. 9 position. At this point the lock set piece 5 drops to place the lug 41 in front of the lug 39 of the lock to reach the lock set position of Fig. 9. Release from the lock set position may be obtained either by lifting the lock set piece manually by handle 81 which allows lugs 39, 41 to disengage and frees the lock, or by withdrawing an opposing buffing jaw holding the shoe 71 in the recess 75 whereupon the lock set piece 5 is free to tilt clockwise about trunnion 60 and release the lock lug 39.