Improvements in Buffers and Couplings for Railway Vehicles.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Jan., 1896-Accepted, 13th June, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Buffers and Couplings for Railway Vehicles.
I HUGO OBERLÄUTER of 2 Schlossgasse, Leipzig in the Empire of Germany,
Merchant do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement :-
My invention relates to an automatic ball coupling for railway vehicles, by
means of which the coupling of the several vehicles takes place automatically
and the uncoupling of the several vehicles, through the intervention of a hand
lever without any necessity for the servant passing between the vehicles and
rendering himself liable to injury either in the coupling or the uncoupling.
In the accompanying drawings the improved coupling is represented ;-
Figure 1 showing a plan partly in section of the arrangement of the same applied
to two vehicles.
Figure 2 is an elevation of the jaws as seen from the interior.
Figure 3 is an elevation of the tongue and means for fastening the same.
Figure 4 is an elevation of the jaws with the uncoupling device.
Figure 5 shows the slide.
Figure 6 is a diagram showing the mode of arranging the coupling on the several
vehicles.
The coupling comprises the two jaws a which are connected with each. other
by a prism b and secured to the buffer beam c, and the tongue d which is
adapted to be turned about the bolt e in the bracket fso that it will be able to
turn in the passage of curves.
The bracket is fastened to the plate g by means of screws which are in
connection with the draw rod h arranged below the vehicle. In order that the
tongue may have play in the passage of curves, the rod h is as usual fixed with
its free end to a powerful spring arranged below the vehicle and which is
capable of compression as well as expansion, these movements being dependent
upon the curve. For the tongue d to be always directed exactly to the front
during the coupling of the several vehicles which might not be possible by
reason of the movableness of the tongue about the bolt e, I employ a powerful
spring g' which is supported partly in the tongue and partly in the bracket f,
thereby compelling the tongue to be always directed forwards.
With the object of enabling the tongue to pass easily between the jaws the front
part of the former is well rounded. and also the two edges of the jaws a turned
towards the same.
The jaws a carry in the recesses i the easily movable coupling links that is to say
the balls which in the coupling position protrude by one third of their diameter
from the recess and engage with the corresponding groove k in the tongue d.
The recess itself is of such a form (Figures 1. & 2) that when the: tongue passes
between the jaws the balls will be pushed backwards by. the tongue, the balls being
very gradually taken up by the jaws so that the tongue can conveniently move pass
the balls.
In order that, as soon as the grooves k reach the balls, the latter may fall back
rapidly the recesses are made oblique (Fig. 2). At the moment when the buffer
springs press the two vehicles asunder, the balls have passed with one third of their
diameter into the groove k in the tongue and the two vehicles are firmly connected.

page_text: To prevent the balls from falling out, the plates are secured to the jaws
(Figures 1 and 2).
The uncoupling is effected by means of the hand lever m, toothed wheels n,
rack o which is provided with the guide slots p and q and is guided between the
ribs and s and the slide t (Figure 4). Each jaw is furnished with this device;
the slide itself can be easily moved and is guided in the jaw, in like manner the
rack is fixed to a by means of the slot g so that it may be displaced, whilst the
toothed wheels are secured upon a shaft supported below the jaws a
(Figs. 2 & 4).
The slide t (Fig. 5) possesses a cavity u of the size of the ball, and on the opposite
side a small roller v which is guided in the slot q of the rack.
When the lever is turned to the right the rack follows this movement to the left,
and as the small roller v must move along the slot g the whole slide t will be raised
until the ball passes into its cavity which has to be of a depth corresponding to the
extent to which the ball takes into the groove k in the tongue during the coupling.
As by this hand lever the two slides of the jaws a are actuated at the same time the
coupling will be severed and the vehicle may be pushed or moved away. Then the
lever m is turned back so that the coupling of the vehicle now to be connected may
again take place automatically.
It should moreover be observed that the guide slot of the slide t in the jaws a
must be constructed in such a manner that the ball can be conveniently passed
through the same into the recess i.
The arrangement of the uncoupling device should be such that it can be
operated from either side of the vehicle. Furthermore the coupling as shown in
Fig. 6, must be arranged so that looking at the vehicle from the front or from
the rear, the jaws have all to be fixed on the right and in that case the tongues
on the left, or vice versa. On each front and rear wall is therefore arranged a
pair of jaws and also a tongue (Figs. 1 and 6). The construction of the jaws
especially the height of the same (Figs. 2 & 4) depends on the load of the
vehicle, that is to say on how far the springs set with the maximum load of the
carriage; similarly the height of the tongue depends on the obliquity of the slot i
(Figure 2).
To prevent the buffers or the buffer flanges from breaking off when the
vehicles are unequally loaded, when for instance an empty vehicle is coupled
with a full one, the buffer springs y are connected directly with the flanges,
whilst the other end bears directly against the plate of the buffer block (Fig. 1)
thereby greatly diminishing the liability to breakage of the buffer flanges.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion I declare that what I claim is ;-
An automatic coupling for railway vehicles, comprising a tongue d made of hook-
shaped form at its front end on the sides, and a coupling device fastened directly
opposite on the other vehicle and consisting of two jaws a furnished on their interior
side with balls guided in oblique recesses i, for the purpose of pushing the tongue d
between the jaws a in the coupling of the vehicles, displacing the balls in their
recesses i and securing the tongued between the jaws by the balls automatically
rolling down, which device consisting of a lever m arranged on the outside of the
vehicle and designed to actuate a slide t supported in each jawa, in order to remove
the balls from their coupling position, thereby severing the connection between the
jaws a and the tongue d and uncoupling the vehicles.
Dated this 20th of January 1896.
J. B. FLEURET,
5 Hatton Garden, London, Agent for the Applicant.