Improvements in Couplings for Railway and similar Vehicles.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Aug., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 13th May, 1899-Accepted, 22nd July, 1899
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
· Improvements in Couplings for Railway and similar Vehicles.
I, ILLIUS AUGUSTUS TIMMIS, of 2, Great George Street, Westminster, S.W.,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The objects of my invention are to provide central couplings which shall be:
(1) Elastic and have a maximum amount of flexibility to conform to curves
of short radii and inequalities of buffer height.
(2) Capable of being joined automatically.
(3) Shall be tight coupled when coupled.
(4) The hook shall be easily detached or attached.
With these objects in view I make each half of a complete coupler like the
other half with the exception of the hook.
In order to make the description clearer I attach a set of drawings hereto
with the following description.
Fig. 1 is a pair of couplers not coupled up in elevation.
Fig. 2 is a pair of couplers coupled partly in section.
Fig. 3 is a pair of couplers coupled in plan.
Fig. 4 is an end elevation of one coupler.
A, A, are the buffer heads, preferably of cast steel and square see Fig. 4.
J, J, are the jaws preferably of forged steel or iron which extend in the shape
of plungers through the rear ends of A, A, and through the headstocks H, H,
and through the springs.
B, B, are the buffer springs preferably in cases as shown.
D, D, are the draw springs.
C, C, are the pins on which the hook H swings.
C, C, are the pins at the ends of the jaws, J, J, on which the hook H¹ rests.
These may form part of the forging J, J.
C, C, are the pins on which the handles E, E, are fastened.
H' is the hook.
E, E, are the uncoupling handles, which in their normal position hang down
as shown.
It will be noted that in Fig. 1 the buffer springs are almost free and H is
not coupled, but in Figs. 2 & 3 the buffer springs have been compressed and
the hook H is coupled, but in each case the handles are hanging down.
The buffer springs have been compressed by the jaws J, J, pressing against
them, and so the springs have brought the pins in either jaw nearer to each
other. When it is required to uncouple hook H¹ the handles E, E, are turned
round towards each other as in Fig. 5 and the jaws J, J, and the pins in each
half coupler are pressed nearer together by means of the cams M, M, on the
handles E, E. Hook H' can then be uncoupled. It is further advisable that
the pin in either half coupler on which hook H¹ swings shall be easily removed
so as to get the hook off or put a fresh one on. To effect this each pin C is
fastened in position by a pin N which drops into a groove in pin C as shown in
Figs. 1 & 5. This pin may be itself fastened by a split cotter or other suitable means.
There are other ways by which the hook may be taken off, for instance a slot
Di 077

page_text: may be made in the hook from the hole to the outside of less dimensions than
the pin C and the pin C where it is between the jaws may be pressed on two
sides so that the hook in one position can be put on it. This arrangement is in
use for a different purpose on the draw gear on the wagons of many railways in
this kingdom and is known as the Gedge coupler.
I get a far
Fig. 6 shows how the buffers give when passing round curves.
greater angle of flexure than in any other arrangement. The moment of flexure
is determined by the angle of the two head stocks and it is clear that the springs
bring the whole gearing back to a line through the centre of the vehicle when
the curve is passed.
The square shaped head, see Fig. 4, is an effectual way of preventing the head
turning round and the consequent serious inconveniences.
The new features are clearly described in the invention. Of course there
are many details which are capable of alteration without interfering with or
getting outside the spirit of this specification.
Dated this 13th day of August 1908
Improvements in Couplings for Railway and similar Vehicles.
I, ILLIUS AUGUSTUS TIMMIS, of 2, Great George Street, Westminster, S.W.,
Civil Engineer, 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:-
-:
The objects of my invention are to provide central couplings which shall be:-
(1) Elastic and have a maximum amount of flexibility to conform to curves
of short radii and inequalities of buffer height.
(2) Capable of being joined automatically.
(3) Shall be tight coupled when coupled.
(4) The hook shall be easily detached or attached.
With these objects in view I make each half of a complete coupler like the
other half with the exception of the hook.
In order to make the description clearer I attach a set of drawings hercto (of
which Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6 are those filed with the Provisional Specification)
with the following description.
Fig. 1 is a pair of couplers not coupled up in elevation.
Fig. 2 is a pair of couplers coupled partly in section.
Fig. 3 is a pair of couplers coupled in plan.
Fig. 4 is an end clevation of one coupler.
A, A, are the buffer heads, preferably of cast steel and square see Fig. 4.
J, J, are the jaws preferably of forged steel or iron which extend in the shape
of plungers through the rear ends of A, A, and through the headstocks H, HI
and through the springs.
B, B, are the buffer springs preferably in cases as shown.
D, D, are the draw springs.
C, C, are the pins on which the hook H¹ swings.
C¹, C, are the pins at the ends of the jaws, J, J on which the hook rests.
These may form part of the forging J, J.
C, C, are the pins on which the handles E, E, are fastened.
H¹ is the hook.
E, E, are the uncoupling handles, which in their normal position hang down
as shown.

page_text: It will be noted that in Fig. 1 the buffer springs are almost free and H' is
not coupled, but in Figs. 2 and 3 the buffer springs have been compressed and
the hook H is coupled, but in each case the handles are hanging down.
The buffer springs have been compressed by the jaws J, J pressing against
them, and so the springs have brought the pins in either jaw nearer to each
other. When it is required to uncouple hook H₁ the handles E, E, are turned
round towards each other as in Fig. 5 and the jaws J, J, and the pins in each
half coupler are pressed nearer together by means of the cams M, M on the
handles E, E. Hook H' can then be uncoupled. It is further advisable that
the pin in either half coupler on which hook H' swings shall be easily removed
so as to get the hook off or put a fresh one on. To effect this each pin C is
fastened in position by a pin N which drops into a groove in pin C as shown in
Fig. 2.
This pin may be itself fastened by a split cotter or other suitable means.
There are other ways by which the hook may be taken off, for instance a slot
may be made in the hook from the hole to the outside of less dimensions than
the pin C and the pin C where it is between the jaws may be pressed on two
sides so that the hook in one position can be put on it. This arrangement is in
use for a different purpose on the draw gear on the wagons of many railways in
this kingdom and is known as the Gedge coupler.
Fig. 6 shows how the buffers give when passing round curves.
I get a far
greater angle of flexure than in any other arrangement. The moment of flexure
is determined by the angle of the two head stocks and it is clear that the springs
bring the whole gearing back to a line through the centre of the vehicle when
the curve is passed.
The square shaped head, see Fig. 4, is an effectual way of preventing the head
turning round and the consequent serious inconveniences.
In order to prevent the hook H¹ jumping off the pin C¹ on a bad road or on
going round a curve or from " overrunning" or from any other cause and thus
cause uncoupling (and it is obvious that uncoupling can only take place when
the buffer springs B are compressed) I fit two wings or projections 0, 0, see
Fig. 7, to or which form part of the buffer head A, which are above the rear end
of the coupling hook Hi and come in contact with the corresponding projec
tions P, P, on the rear end of the coupling hook and so prevent its rising when
and only when the coupler is compressed. When however uncoupling is per-
formed in the ordinary way, these projections just clear one another.
The new features are clearly described in the invention. Of course there are
many details which are capable of alteration without interfering with or getting
outside the spirit of this specification.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is;-
(1) Central couplers in combination with flexible faced buffers, substantially
as and for the purposes hereinbefore described.
(2) Central flexible faced buffer and draw couplers which can be automatically
coupled together and when so coupled are tight as and for the purposes herein-
before described.
(3) Central flexible faced couplers as in Claims 1 and 2 in combination with
levers for uncoupling substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore described.
Dated th 1911
1000