IMPROVEMENTS IN COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY BRAKE APPARATUS WORKED BY PIPE FLUID PRESSURE OR VACUUM
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Imray of No. 28. Southampton Buildings Chancery
Lane in the County of Middlesex for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN
COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY BRAKE APPARATUS WORKED BY
PIPE
FLUID
PRESSURE OR VACUUM communicated to him from abroad by Léon Barthelemy
Regray of Paris in the Republic of France
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Imray at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 31st August 1883.
JOHN IMRAY of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in the County
of Middlesex "IMPROVEMENTS IN PIPE COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY BRAKE
APPARATUS WORKED BY FLUID PRESSURE OR VACUUM [communicated to him
from abroad by Léon Barthelemy Regray of Paris in the Republic of France
"
This invention relates to an improved construction of the couplings for the
train pipes of railway brake apparatus worked either by fluid pressure or vacuum,
whereby the use of lengths of flexible hose for connecting the pipe of one carriage
to that of another is dispensed with, such lengths of flexible hose being replaced
by lengths of metal tubing, either straight or curved, which are respectively
connected at one end by a ball and socket joint with the train pipe of each
carriage, and are connected together at the other end either by another ball and
socket joint, or preferably by a coupling, generally similar in construction to the
coupling used for the pipes of the Westinghouse brake apparatus, but so
constructed that the parts thereof to which the metal tubes are connected are
formed separate from the parts that are coupled together, so as to be capable of
turning therein.
In the arrangement employed by preference for this purpose, the train pipe,
which is turned up against the end of the carriage as usual, has formed on its end
a spherical socket with a projecting flange, against which fits a spherical head
formed on the end of the metal coupling tube, the socket being so formed that a
hollow space exists between it and the spherical head communicating with the train

page_text: pipe and with an aperture in the spherical head. The joint between the spherical
head and the socket is made air tight by a cup leather, and the two parts are held
together by a bolt passing through a central open passage formed through the
sphere, and through lugs on the spherical socket. The bolt passes through a small
sphere which is held central with the sphere of the joint by two plugs having holes
through which the bolt passes made conical so as to give freedom of movement in
every direction.
According to another modification, in place of constructing the spherical head
and securing it to the socket in the manner above described, the head is made as
a simple hollow sphere with an opening, and the socket is made in two separate
parts which are screwed together, so as to hold the spherical head between them in
a similar manner to the sockets of ordinary ball and socket joints. Each part has
an inner projecting annular shoulder, and between these shoulders are two annular
metal washers, one of which fits against the surface of the spherical head, while
the other serves to hold between it and the first named washer a packing ring of
leather or caoutchouc. To the other end of each coupling tube is fixed a nozzle
having an orifice at right angles to the axis of the tube, which nozzle fits into a
circular hole in the part of the half coupling which is coupled together with the
other half coupling, the nozzle being formed with a shoulder that fits against the
outer surface of the said part, and being secured therein by an annular washer
fitting against a shoulder on the inner surface of the said part, and secured by
screws to the nozzle, so that while the nozzle is free to revolve in the coupled part,
it is prevented from separating therefrom. Within the orifice of the nozzle is fitted
a caoutchouc tube, having a flange lying against the inner surface of the nozzle and
projecting slightly beyond the face of the coupled part so that when the two half
couplings are coupled together, the two projecting caoutchouc tubes are pressed air
tight together in the same manner as in the Westinghouse coupling.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Imray in the Patent Office on the 27th February 1884.
JOHN IMRAY of No. 28. Southampton Buildings Chancery Lane in the County of
Middlesex "JMPROVEMENTS IN PIPE COUPLINGS FOR RAILWAY BRAKE APPARATUS
WORKED BY FLUID PRESSURE OR VACUUM A communication to me from abroad
by Léon Barthelemy Regray of Paris in the Republic of France
"
a
This invention relates to an improved construction of the couplings for the train
pipes of railway brake apparatus worked either by fluid pressure or vacuum,
whereby the use of lengths of flexible hose for connecting the pipe of one carriage
to that of an other is dispensed with, such lengths of flexible hose being replaced
by lengths of metal tubing either straight or curved, which are connected to the
carriage pipes by ball and socket joints giving freedom for coupling and uncoupling
and allowing for oscillations of the carriages, while the tubing of the one carriage
is connected to that of the next carriage either by means of the ordinary coupling
cused for the pipes of the Westinghouse Brake apparatus, or by a modified form of
such coupling to be hereinafter described, wherein the parts of the coupling
connected to the tubing are made separate from and rotatable in the parts that are
coupled together.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings shews one arrangement of the pipe
connection from one carriage to another. A A are the turned-up ends of the pipes
that are fixed on the carriages with their stopcocks A¹ A¹ and upper bends. To
these bends are screwed the sockets of the upper spherical joints B B, the balls of
which are screwed to lengths of pipe C C. To these are screwed the sockets of
the lower joints B¹ B' and their balls are connected by short lengths of pipe D D,
each to a half of the separate coupling E, which is of the kind usually employed for
coupling the pipes of the Westinghouse brake apparatus. The spherical joints B
and B', when pressure above that of the atmosphere is employed for working the
brakes, are made as shewn in section to an enlarged scale by Fig. 2; and when the
brakes are worked by partial vacuum they are of the modified form shewn by
Fig. 3. The hollow ball F is engaged in the socket H by a cap G, screwed or
bolted on to the socket, with a cup leather K (which may be of caoutchouc or other
yielding material suitable for packing) having its edge held between the socket
and the cap. In the joint shewn in Fig. 2, the outer edge of the cup leather is
pressed between two rings L and M, and its inner lip is bent over the surface of
the ball so that the excess of pressure within the pipe over that without tends to
press the packing against the ball and prevent leakage from within outwards.
In the joint shown in Fig. 3 the outer edge of the cup leather is pressed against
the shoulder of the socket by a ring P, and its inner lip is bent over the surface
of the ball so that the excess of pressuro outside the pipe over that within tends
to prevent leakage from without inwards. Fig. 4 of the drawings shews another
form of the improved coupling. A A are the train pipes of two carriages to be
coupled together having shut off cocks A' A' and bent over at the upper ends, to
which are screwed the spherical joints B B, one part of which is attached to a single
length of metal pipe C the other end of which is connected to one half of a
coupling D, that is generally similar to the ordinary Westinghouse coupling but so
arranged that the part to which the pipe C is connected is free to turn in the part
that forms the actual coupling, as will be presently explained. Thus the spherical
joints B permit the pipes C to assume, any angular position, in any direction,
within certain limits, relatively to the train pipes, while by the special construction
of the coupling D the two halves thereof can be coupled together notwithstanding
the rigid form of the pipes C, and the coupling also permits of the two pipes C C

page_text: forming a greater or less angle with each other, according as the ends of the
carriages move nearer together or farther apart.
The construction of the coupling D for this purpose is shewn to an enlarged scale
in section at Fig. 5 and in plan at Fig. 6. Each half coupling consists of two
separate parts E and E¹, of which E is fixed to the pipe C, while E' serves to
to connect to the other half coupling, and is free to turn on the part E. The
latter is for this purpose provided with a circular neck F fitting into a
correspondingly circular hole in the part E¹, so as to turn freely therein and the
two parts are secured together by an annular disc G fixed to the neck F by screws.
Within the orifice of the part E is fitted the tubular packing H of caoutchouc or
other suitable elastic material, the face of which is made to fit fluid tight against
the face of the corresponding packing of the other half coupling on the fitting
together of the two parts E¹ in the same manner as in the Westinghouse coupling.
The parts E are also constructed for fitting together in the same manner as in the
Westinghouse coupling, and need therefore not be further described, the only
alteration in the action of the coupling being that while the parts E¹ remain
firmly coupled together the parts E are free to turn therein, to suit the varying
angles which the two tubes C C make with each other, according as the ends of
the two carriages approach towards or recede from each other.
The two halves of the coupling having been brought together, the parts E¹ E¹
are turned by means of the handles I so as to interlock with each other while the
parts E E remain stationary.
Having thus described the nature of this invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondent,
I claim:-
First. The herein described method of connecting the pipes used in railway
trains for communicating fluid pressure, by introducing between the pipe of each
carriage and the half coupling connecting it to that of the next carriage, instead
of flexible hose, two lengths of metal pipes connected together and to the carriage
pipe by ball and socket joints.
Second. The construction of the ball and socket joint with its packing to prevent
leakage outwards, substantially as described with reference to Fig 2.
Third. The construction of the ball and socket joint with its packing to prevent
leakage inwards, substantially as described with reference to Fig. 3.
Fourth. The use of an articulated pipe coupling for railway brake apparatus
consisting of two rigid tubes each of which is connected to the train pipe of its
carriage by a ball and socket joint while the two tubes are connected together by
a coupling that permits of their forming a varying angle with each other while
the coupling remains undisturbed, substantially as herein described
.
Fifth. The use of a coupling for connecting the coupling tubes of two carriages
together, wherein the parts that are coupled together are separate from and rotatable
upon the parts that are connected to the coupling tubes, substantially as and
for the purpose herein described with reference to Figs. 4, 5 and 6 of the
drawings.
:
In Witness whereof I the said John Imray bave hereunto set my hand and seal
this Twenty Sixth day of February in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and eighty-four.
: