A New or Improved Coupling for Railway and like Vehicles.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 30th June, 1897-Accepted, 11th Sept., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Coupling for Railway and like Vehicles.
We, ARNO SCHULZE, of Werdau, Saxony, and JOHANN WILHELM, of Fürth, near
Chemnitz, Saxony, Manufacturers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be purticularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to a side coupling which completely fulfils all the
requirements that can be made of a railway coupling end which acts automati-
cally, whilst the automatic engagement can be locked from the side of the carriages.
The uncoupling is also effected from the side, so that accidents cannot any longer
occur as they do with tho standard screw coupling at present usually employed.
The new coupling is in complete accordance with the regulations made by the
Association of German Railways to the effect that a railway coupling must com--
prise a main coupling and a safety or subsidiary coupling. It has also the
advantage that the most important parts of the old standard screw coupling can
be utilised without alteration.
The annexed drawings ilustrate by way of example the new side coupling, and
in which Figure 1 shows the coupling at the moment of impact of two adjacent
cars. Figure 2 shows the coupling in half tension. Figure 3 is a plan view,
Figure 4 shows the coupling completely stretched, Figure 5 illustrates the un-
coupling. Figures 6; 7 and 8 are perspective views of details. On the buffer
beams 1, there are arranged correspondingly at each end of the car the draw
hooks 2, and the eyes 3. The eyes 3 (which are connected by means of a universal
joint 5 to a stirrup 4 that is capable of moving in the direction of the length of
the car) are able to yield to all movements of the cars relatively to each other,
and are also adapted to be turned up about the horizontal axle of the universal
joint 5. The stirrup with the eye is shown in Figure 6. This Figure also shows
the impact stirrup 6 which is fixed to the horizontal axle of the universal joint 5,
and against which stirrup when the eye 3 is turned up, and on the two cars being
pushed together, there strikes the nose 7 (capable of turning up). of the impact
rod 8, whereby the eye 3 is thrown up over the draw hook 2. The eye 3 is caused
to fall in a proper manner over the draw hook 2 by reason of the fact that when
the eye is turned up the stirrup 4 (as shown in Figure 1) is pushed out to a
certain extent from the buffer beams. It is clear that when two cars are pushed
together and have their eyes turned up, both eyes will fall into the two draw
hooks. In this manner there is produced a double coupling, of which one serves,
when the eye is drawn out, as a main coupling, whilst the other one, which is not
drawn out, serves as a safety or auxiliary coupling. The drawing out or tighten-
ing up of the stirrup 4 with the eye 3, is effected by turning the lever 9 over in
the direction of the arrow (Figure 2). Upon the shaft 10 which extends along
the whole width of the car and is provided on both sides of the car with levers 9,
as shewn in Figure 8, there is fixed in an eccentric manner a cam or tappet 11
which engages in a guide piece 12 (Figure 7), and moves this latter in the direc-
tion of the length of the car, when it is itself rotated. To this guide piece 12 there

page_text: :
is fixed the draw rod 13 of the stirrup 4. The device for uncoupling is 9
follows:
The double lever 15 pivotting about the pin 14, is provided with a nose is
which strikes upon the impact fillet 17 of the impact stirrup 6 when the lower
part of the double lever 15 is drawn back or withdrawn. In consequence of this
impact of the nose 16 upon the impact fillet 17, the eye 3 (rotating about its hori-
zontal axis) is raised and is thus uncoupled. But in order to enable this uncoupling
to be readily effected, it is first necessary that the coupling should be slackened,
that is to say, the draw bar 13 with stirrup 4 and eye 3 is pushed out of the buffer
beam. This is done by turning the lever 9 over in the direction of the arrow
indicated in Figure 5. By reason of the eccentric arrangement of the cam 11,
it is possible to first slacken the coupling before the draw lever 19 pivotted to the
part 18 is moved backwards, and by engagement of its notch 20 with the draw
pin 21 moves the double lever 15 in such a manner that the nose 16, by striking
against the impact fillet 17, raises the eye 3. The uncoupling is thus effected and
the coupling is ready for being again automatically engaged.
"Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is: -
(1) A side coupling characterised by the arrangement in a corresponding
manner at each end of the car, of an eye 3 capable of being turned up, a draw
hook 2 and an impact bar 8, the arrangement being such that when two cars are
pushed together, the impact bar 8 striking on an impact stirrup 6 of the turned up
eye 3, throws the latter over the draw hook 2.
(2) A side coupling according to claim 1, characterised by a draw bar 13 which
extends through the buffer beam 1 and which can be drawn back by the turning
over of a lever 9 provided at the side of the car, in such a manner that a cam !I
connected eccentrically with a shaft 10 of the lever 9 draws back the guide
piece 12 which is connected to the draw bar 13.
:
(3) A side coupling according to Claim 1, characterised by a double lever. 15
which is pivotted to the buffer beam 1 and which when the lever 9 is turned over,
strikes against an impact fillet 17 of the impact stirrup G of the eye, and thereby
raises the latter out of the draw hook 2.
(4) In a side coupling according to Claim 1, the arrangement of a draw lever 19
(said lever serving to operate the double lever 15 that is employed for uncoupling)
on the shaft 10, of the lever 9 that serves to tighten up the coupling, the arrange-
ment being such that the impact of the double lever 15 takes place after the
slacking of the coupling.
(5) A new or improved coupling for railway and like vehicles constructed,
arranged and adapted to operate substantially as herein before described and
shown.
.
1000
Dated this 80th day of June 1891.
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., M.I. Mech. E.,
Consulting Engineer & Patent Agent,
70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Associate Agent.