New or Improved Buffer Coupling for Railway Carriages and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd June, 1896-Accepted, 12th Sept., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Buffer Coupling for Railway Carriages and
the like.
I, HUGO FELIX OBERLÄUTER, of 2 Schlossgasse Leipzig, in the Empire of
Germany, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to an automatic ball-coupling for railway carriages and
the like, which can be employed as a simple coupling, or as a buffer and coupling
combined.
In the accompanying sheets of drawings Figure 1 is a sectional plan, and
Figure 2 a sectional elevation of a coupling constructed in accordance with my
invention.
〃 :
The coupling consists of a fork a which serves as a draw bar, or as a buffer bar,
which can be provided with draw and buffer springs in the usual well known way.
In the forks a is, fixed a casting b which serves as a path for a ball b₁ as will be
hereinafter described, as a guide for the coupling releasing slide c, and partly as a
holder for the tongue piece d.
The two projections or shoulders al in the fork a prevent the casting b from
being drawn out, and the said casting is secured against movement sidewise by
means of a ring or band e surrounding the fork a.
+1
In order to guide the tongue pieces d with certainty into the slots of the opposite
coupling two plates ff are provided, which, together with the fork a, form a
funnel with a large opening directed away from the carriage. The tongue piece d
is provided with a universal joint and is held sidewise by two springs g g', and
horizontally by a spring h, see Figure 2.
When the coupling is to serve also as a buffer, a buffer plate i is fixed in front
of the funnel formed by the fork a and the plates ff. The casting b carries in a
slot the ball which serves as the coupling member, and which projects about one
third of its diameter out of the slot when the coupling is connected, and enters the
corresponding groove or recess in the tongue piece d. The slot itself is so formed
that when the coupling of two carriages is being effected the ball 61 is pushed
backwards by the tongue piece d, and gradually enters wholly into the casting b,
so that the tongue piece d' can easily slide past the ball 6'. In order to secure the
immediate falling back of the ball directly the groove or recess in the tongue
piece comes opposite the ball the slot in the casting b is made oblique as
shown. Immediately the buffer springs press the two carriages away from one
another the ball enters, to the extent of one third of its diameter, into the
groove in the tongue piece d and the two carriages are thereby securely coupled
ogether.
The uncoupling is effected by means of a hand lever k, the shaft l, and a crank m
by which the slide e can be raised in the casting b high enough to permit the ball b
to enter a recess in the said slide and thereby release the tongue piece d. The
lide e is easily moved and is guided in the casting b; it has a turned out part of
he size of the ball, and of a depth corresponding to the distance the ball enters
the groove in the tongue piece d when the coupling is connected. When the hand
ever & is actuated the coupling is released, and the carriages can be separated.
The lever k is then turned back so that the coupling of the carriages cau be effected
gain automatically.

page_text: For securing the slide c in position so that uncoupling should not occur
through shaking or jolting a stop mechanism is arranged on the shaft l, which
consists of a collur to fixed on the shaft l, a spring z, and a feather v, which latter
takes into the notch in the bearing u of the shaft l. By pushing or drawing the
shaft longitudinally the feather is removed from the notch x and the shaft can
then be turned to effect the uncoupling. When the shaft is turned back into its
normal position the spring z moves it back longitudinally until the feather v takes
again into the notch e, and prevents the shaft from turning until it is again moved
longitudinally so as to free the feather v from the notch x.
Another apparatus, shown in the drawing, serves for shortening or lengthening
the coupling; but this is only necessary in cases where the ordinary arrangement
of buffers is retained, and its object is to press the buffers in fast trains firmly
together. Where the coupling itself is constructed to act as a buffer also, as
hereinbefore described, the lengthening and shortening apparatus is superfluous.
This apparatus consists of a wheel p' mounted on a shaft p, on which is fixed the
worms which gears with a worm wheel formed on or secured to a spring case o,
through which a square part n' of the draw bar n passes. By turning the wheel p¹
the draw bar n is screwed further into or out of the bar al so as to shorten or
lengthen, or tighten or slacken the coupling. The fixed ring which is fixed to
the buffer bar serves as a bearing for the spring case o. The object of the spring g
is to prevent displacement of the coupling.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
First. An automatic ball coupling each half of which is provided with a fork a,
a casting b slotted obliquely at its side and provided with a ball 6, and a tongue
piece d jointed to the coupling by a universal joint and hollowed out at its front
end to receive the coupling ball b', combined and operating, substantially as
described.
Second. In an automatic ball coupling of the kind herein described, the
mechanism for uncoupling which consists of a lever k, shaft l, crank arm m, and a
slide c arranged to slide in the casting b, combined, and operating substantially as
described.
Third. In an automatic ball coupling of the kind herein described, the mechanism
for shortening and lengthening the coupling, which consists of the shaft p, worms,
its corresponding worm wheel, the spring case o and the draw bar n, combined and
operating substantially as described.
Fourth. The new or improved coupling constructed and operating substantially
as described.
Dated this 22nd day of June 1896.
11.
UDENLA
Per W. H. Beck,
115 Cannon Street, London, E.C., Agent.