Improvements in Air-brake and like Pipe Couplings.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Sept., 1894-Accepted, 27th Oct., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Air-brake and like Pipe Couplings.
I, SMITH WHITE SUMMERS, of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, United
States of America, Gentleman, 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 air-brake couplings for cars, and it has for its object to
provide a coupling of this character adapted for use in connection with the ordinary
automatic car coupling, whereby the usual air-brake couplings between the cars
may be effected without the necessity of an attendant stepping between the cars
for this purpose.
To this end the main and primary object of the invention is to provide an air-
brake coupling adapted to couple automatically and simultaneously with the
coupling of the cars, and adapted for support by any of the ordinary styles of
automatic couplings now in use.
With these and other objects in view which will readily appear as the nature of
the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction,
combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated
and claimed.
In the accompanying drawings:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a pair of ordinary automatic coupling-heads, the
same being provided with the hereindescribed automatic air-brake coupling.
Fig. 2 is an inner perspective view of one of the coupling-heads and air-brake
coupling shoes suspended therefrom.
Fig. 3 is a detail in perspective of the attachment.
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view through the coupling-shoes, coupled.
Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view including the knuckle of one of the coupling-
heads of the car coupling.
Fig. 6 is a detail in perspective of one of the rear slotted hangers.
As shown in the drawings, the present invention is illustrated in connection with
an ordinary twin jaw automatic car coupling, and for convenience of illustration an
ordinary automatic Miller coupling is shown but it will be understood that the
invention hereinafter described may be applied to any of the couplers now in use
with but slight modifications for the adaptation, and referring to the accompanying
drawings, the numeral 1, designates the draw bar of each coupling head that is
provided at its front end with the usual fixed jaw 2, and the pivoted knuckle 3,
that is mounted on the knuckle pin 4, in the ordinary manner.
In the present
invention the knuckle pin 4 is provided with a lower threaded end 5, extended
below the head of the coupling and receiving thereon the threaded opening 6,
formed in one end of the hanger-arm 7, to the other end of which is suitably
connected the upper end of a short hanger chain 8, and by reason of thus
connecting the hanger arm 7 to the knuckle pin, it will be understood that the
inner end of said hanger arm that carries the short hanger chain, will be disposed
near the longitudinal center of the car coupling to provide for properly positioning
the parts of the attachment suspended from the chain as will be more particularly
referred to.
The short hanger chain 8 forms a front hanger of the attachment, and directly
in rear and at one side of said hanger chain a hanger bar 9 is bolted, banded, or
otherwise suitably secured to the underside of the draw-bar 1, and said hanger
bar 9 is shaped to correspond with the under configuration of the draw-bar to
which it is attached. The hanger bar 9 is of an inverted L-shape and is provided

page_text: with a depending hanger portion 10, having a vertical or longitudinal slot 11, the
function of which will presently appear, it being understood that the hanger 10
forms the rear hanger of the attachment, while the chain 8 forms the front hanger,
and is suitably secured at its lower end to the upper side of a self-adjusting
coupling-shoe 12.
The self-adjusting coupling shoe 12 is provided with an inner convexed face 12"
at one end, whereby the two shoes of a coupling may freely ride by each other and
it will now be more clearly understood that the disposition of the arm 7, that
supports the chain 8 for each of the coupling shoes, disposes such shoes directly
under the longitudinal center of the car coupling-heads thereabove, so that the
simultaneous coupling of the shoes and said heads will be insured.
Each of the self-adjusting shoes 12 is further provided at its front edge or end
and upon the outer side thereof with an inclined bevelled or wedge portion 13,
enclosed between a pair of converging guide flanges or ribs 14, and at the rear end
of the shoe and at its outer side directly opposite the bevelled portion 13 is secured
by bolts or other suitable means 15, one end of a curved or bowed spring 16, that
is almost of the same width as the shoe itself and loosely extends through the
slot 11, of the adjacent hanger 10 and around to a point directly opposite or
opposing the inside coupling face of the shoe, at which point the free end of said
spring is flared out or deflected as at 17, to provide for guiding the opposing
coupling shoe in place.
Each of the coupling-shoes 12 that are suspended from the opposite heads of the
car-coupling is provided upon the inner side thereof with a vertically-disposed
transverse lock tongue 18, and a similarly disposed groove 19, which are separated
from each other, the tongue being located at one side of the center of the shoe and
the groove at the opposite side of the center of the shoe, and said tongues and
grooves are reversely disposed on one shoe with respect to the tongues and grooves
on the opposing shoe, so that when the two shoes are coupled together said tongues
and grooves will ride into interlocking engagement with each other, and by reason
of the interlocking tongues and grooves of the two coupling shoes it will be
obvious that after the same are coupled together, the shoes cannot twist or
wabble to such an extent as to affect the alignment of the pipe connections
therewith which is a very important feature in connection with couplings of this
character.
Intermediate of the tongue and groove 18 and 19 each of said coupling shoes 12
is provided with a slightly recessed or shallow face 20, in which is formed a series
of pipe openings or perforations 21 to correspond to the number of pipes to be
connected thereto, and in the present instance, I have illustrated two pipe openings
or perforations with one of which is connected the train pipe 22, and with the other
of which is connected an ordinary signal pipe 23. The inner ends of the pipe
openings or perforations 21 are recessed as at 24 to receive the usual rubber
gaskets 25 which project slightly beyond the pipe openings or perforations to form
a tight joint with the corresponding gasket carried by the opposing coupling shoe
and at this point it may be noted that the raised tongues 18 of each coupling
shoe will hold the faces of the shoes sufficiently apart while riding into engagement
with each other so as to prevent the rubber gaskets from being forced out of
their seats.
The present coupler, as is well known, is operated through impact alone, the two
heads coming together and the pivoted knuckles becoming automatically locked
and in connection with these pivoted knuckles and the locking means therefor I
bave illustrated the ordinary uncoupling chain 26 in one of the figures of the
drawings.
With the parts of both the car and air brake couplings in the position described,
it will be seen that two approaching draw-heads will couple and that the convex
faces of the shoes 12 will be brought together and ride against each other until the
bevelled ends 13 come in contact with the springs 16. At this point the said
bevelled ends 13 take under the bent or outwardly Hared ends 17, of the springs and

page_text: force the springs away from their respective shoes, so that the extremities of the
springs will pass between the flanges or ribs 14, and will embrace the shoes and hold
the same firmly interlocked, and in this position the interlocked coupling shoes will
have their rubber gaskets tightly impacting one upon the other. It will therefore
be seen that simultaneous with the coupling of the cars an automatic coupling of
the train pipes will be effected, and that the coupling will take place regardless of
the relative position of the trains upon which the shoes are located, and that the
same is entirely automatic, requiring no attention on the part of the brake-man.
As soon as the car couplings are unlocked and the coach is pulled apart the springs
will yield and permit of a separation of the shoes.
In employing the hereindescribed attachment shoe for air brake couplings in
connection with the ordinary car coupling head of a car, it will be understood that
a car thus equipped will sometimes have to be coupled to a car not provided with
this attachment and having the ordinary Westinghouse or other brake hose
coupling, and to make provision for effecting a coupling with such a car,
the pipes.
connected with the coupling shoe are provided with an ordinary three-way cock 27,
with which is connected the usual brake hose pipe 28 carrying at one end one
member of the usual brake hose coupling 29, which provides means for coupling
the brake hose of two cars together. It will now be understood that to couple with
a car not having the hereindescribed coupling shoe it is simply necessary to
manipulate the three-way cock of each pipe to cut off connection with the pipe
openings or perforations in the adjacent coupling shoe and at the same time to open
up communication through the brake shoe, so that the brake hose of the unequipped
car can be coupled to the brake hose of the equipped car in the usual manner to
make the proper connections with the pipes.
I do not limit my invention to the precise details of construction herein shown
and described but hold that changes in the form, proportion and the minor details
of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or
sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In combination with a twin jaw car coupling, the coupling shoes 12, the pipes
connected thereto, front hangers for said shoes, the springs 16 for holding the shoes
coupled, and slotted hangers 10 for receiving the springs, substantially as set
forth.
2. The combination with the opposite car coupling heads, the rear inverted
L-shaped slotted hangers secured thereto and depending therefrom, the separate
hangers in front and at one side of the slotted hangers of the opposite coupling
shoes having convexed inner faces, front bevelled ends, converged outer ribs, a
perforation in each shoe, a pipe connected with each perforation, a gasket for each
perforation, and curved springs connected to the rear ends of the shoes passing
through the slotted hangers, and overlapping the inner sides of the shoes, substan-
tially as set forth.
3. In a combined car and air brake coupling the combination with a knuckle
coupler, of a slotted standard depending vertically from the same and in rear of the
head, a hanger connected to the lower extremity of the knuckle pin of the coupler,
the self-adjusting coupling shoe suspended from said hanger and having a part
thereof loosely supported in the slot of said standard, and means for automatically
coupling said shoe with a companion shoe, substantially as set forth.
4. In a combined car and air brake coupling, the combination with a knuckle
coupler, the knuckle pin of which is provided with a lower threaded end, a hanger
arm provided with a threaded opening in one end engaging the threaded end of the
knuckle pin, a coupling shoe suspended from the lower end of said short hanger
chain, a hanger for the coupling shoe in rear of said chain, suitable pipe connections

page_text: for said coupling shoe and means for automatically coupling said shoe with a
companion shoe, substantially as set forth.
5. The combination with the opposite car coupling heads, of the rear L-shaped
slotted hangers secured thereto and depending therefrom, hanger chains suspended
from the heads in front of said slotted hangers, opposite coupling shoes having
interlocking inner faces, pipe connections with said shoes, and curved springs
connected to the rear ends of the shoes and working in the slots of said slotted
hangers, substantially as set forth.
6. In a combined car and air brake coupling, the combination with the car
coupling head, of a coupling shoe suspended from the head and having a front
wedge-shaped end, and an inner convexed side, a curved spring secured to the outer
side of the shoe at the rear end thereof and terminating opposite the face of the
shoe in an outwardly bent end, a perforation in the shoe, a gasket therein, and a
pipe connection with the perforation, substantially as set forth.
7. In a combined car and air brake coupling, the combination with the car
coupling heads, of the coupling shoes suspended from the heads and provided upon
their inner faces with interlocking tongues and grooves, and pipe connections with
said shoes, substantially as set forth.
8. In a combined car and air brake coupling the combination with the opposite
coupling heads, of the coupling shoes adjustably supported beneath said heads and
provided with front wedge-shaped ends, and converging flanges on such ends, and a
curved or bowed spring catch secured fast at one end of each shoe and adapted to
have its other free end automatically engage and disengage the wedge-shaped end
of the opposite shoe, the spring catch on one shoe being reversely disposed to that
on the other shoe, substantially as set forth.
9. In a combined car and air brake coupling, the combination with the car
coupling head, of the coupling shoe suspended from said head, a pipe connected
with said head, a three-way cock connected in the line of said pipe, and an
ordinary brake hose connected with said three-way cock, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 18th day of September 1894.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.