Improvement in Automatic Pipe-couplers for Railway Cars.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Apr., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 20th Oct., 1891-Accepted, 24th Dec., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvement in Automatic Pipe-couplers for Railway Cars.
1, JOHN SUYDAM, Agent, of Schenectady, in the County of Schenectady and
State of New York, U.S.A. do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to an automatic coupler for the steam and air pipes used on
railway cars and my object is to provide pipe-couplings which will act with
certainty on backing the cars together for coupling them without attention of any
kind on the part of the train hands and which will at all times while the cars are
coupled maintain a steam and air-tight joint.
The invention consists mainly in constructing each coupler with a long tapering
spike or wedge which is adapted to enter a recess or guide in the opposing coupler
and by an independent longitudinal movement acting in conjunction with the
opposing spike or wedge and the shell or casing closes the abutting ends of the
pipes together to form an air and steam tight joint between them.
The invention also consists in an automatic pipe coupler in which is used a
sliding tube combined with a tapering spike or wedge acted upon by a heavy spring
and which has a longitudinal movement independent of the sliding tube the taper
of the spike or wedge serving to close the lapped ends of the opposite pipes
together when the cars are coupled.
Each coupler is connected to the car by a ball and socket or other universal
bearing which permits the coupler to partake of the motion of the car without
strain upon the pipe connection or joint, and each coupler is provided with a
weight so disposed as to hold the coupler in horizontal position and in line with
the centre of the car when the cars are uncoupled so that the opposing couplers
will register when the cars are backed together to couple them in making up a
train.
The pipe in each coupler is scarfed at its outer end to form a lapped joint with
the scarfed end of the opposite pipe and in each coupler the pipe is adapted to have
a slight longitudinal movement against the pressure of a spring, and upon the outer
end of the pipe is loosely placed a shell or casing provided with a long tapering
spike or wedge held by said shell or casing along one side of the pipe. The
opposite side of the shell or casing forms a recess or guide to receive the point or
outer end of the opposite spike or wedge. The said shell or casing which as
just indicated carries the spike is constantly pressed forward by a heavy cone
spring held on the tube between said casing or shell and the universal bearing.
In operation when the cars are backed together for coupling them the points of
the spikes or wedges enter the opposite shells and passages formed therein and
guide the scarfed ends of the tubes so that they meet each other. When they so
meet, the cars are not yet quite coupled and the further movement or approach of
the cars to fully effect their coupling compresses the heavy con springs and the
action of these springs force the spikes or wedges forward. This movement of the
spikes or wedges shifts the lapped ends of the pipes laterally towards each other
and closes them together with great force forming a steam and air tight joint so
that steam or compressed air may be passed through them from car to car without
escape. The joint is maintained while the cars are coupled by the constant pressure
of the cone springs, which in practice will exert a forward thrust upon the spikes
or wedges of from eight to nine hundred pounds.
Dated this Twenty-seventh day of April 1891.

page_text: COLLELE
Improvement in Automatic Pipe-couplers for Railway Cars.
I, JOHN SUYDAM of Schenectady, in the County of Schenectady and State of
New York, United States of America, Agent, 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 is designed for coupling the steam heating pipes, or the air-brake
pipes (either or both) of railway cars, the same being constructed to act auto-
matically upon backing the cars together in making up a train, so that train hands
are not required to incur the danger of going between the cars to couple and
uncouple the pipes by hand as is now the practice.
My invention consists mainly in duplicate couplers, one for each car platform,
each comprising a universal bearing for attachment to the platform, a pipe-section
held in said bearing, a sliding shell or casing pressed forward by a heavy spring on
said pipe-section, and a projecting beveled spike or wedge held in said shell or
casing to enter the opposite, or complemental shell or casing, to laterally shift the
end of the pipe-section to form a steam and air-tight joint between the abutting
ends of the pipe sections.
Another feature of the invention resides in adapting the pipe sections to yield or
slide in their supports or bearings, so that in coupling these may come to a state
of relative rest before the cars are coupled, which enables the spikes or wedges
to be driven with great force and the springs to be heavily compressed so that
they act as a means of constant pressure upon the spike or wedges to maintain the
joint while the cars are coupled.
Other important features of invention reside in details of construction which will
be hereinafter fully described.
The following is a detailed description of my invention, reference being made to
the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 illustrates the application of my invention to two railway cars showing
the relative position of my automatic pipe couplers to the ordinary car couplers,
the parts being in the position they assume when the cars are coupled together.
Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional plan view, showing the parts of the pipe
couplers in the position they occupy just before the coupling of the cars 18
effected.
Figure 3 is a similar view showing the parts in the position they assume when
the joint is perfected by the full coupling of the cars together.
Figure 4
Figure 2.
an enlarged transverse sectional view taken on line
of
Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional elevation of one of the couplers and showing
also a slight modification.
Referring to Fig. 1, A A represent the pipe couplers and E E the car
couplers. The pipe couplers are duplicates of each other and are suspended to
the bottom of the cars B B, or the platforms thereof, by hangers C C and
braces CC. These hangers and braces are by preference bolted to the
keepers D D' which confine the car couplers, so that the pipe couplers are held
immediately beneath the car couplers.
In Figures 1, 2 and 3, a represents a casting formed with a ball c and with
a passaged through it from end to end. The ball c is clasped by two hemi-
spherical castings ee formed at top and bottom with lugs ee¹ by which they
are bolted to the ball c, and also with side lugs ee by which they are bolted to
the hangers C and braces C', so that the coupler when in position, is connected to
the car by a universal bearing, the ball working in the hemispherical castings as in
a ball-and-socket joint, which permits the coupler to accommodate itself to all the

page_text: movements of the car in rounding curves etc., without strain upon, or displace-
ment of the pipes or joint. The hemispherical castings e are also formed with
a circular flange e' which forms a support or base for the heavy cone spring f
g, represents a tube or pipe-section fitted in the ball c. This may be made in two
diameters, or it may be extended by a smaller tube 9' screwed into the end so that
a shoulder is formed for the thrust of the coiled spring h. The tubes g g³, which
in effect constitute a single tube, pass loosely through the cone spring, ball e and
passage d and receive the hose P at the end. The rear end of the said spring h
butts against the cap plate i bolted to the end of the casting a, so that said spring,
acts to thrust the tube forward and at the same time permits the tube to have a
rearward movement in coupling as below described. On said tube in front of the
cone spring is mounted a shell or casing j, the rear end of which is fitted to the
point of the said cone spring f. At one side of this shell or casing is held
the beveled or tapering wedge or spike k, while at the other side is held the flaring
guide which leads to a narrow recess m to receive the point of the opposite spike.
The inner surface or edge of each spike is beveled or made tapering as shown at n,
which acts upon a corresponding bevel, or any suitable contact o, on the adjacent
surface of the tube or pipe-section g, so that when the spikes are driven forward
into the recesses the bevels n acting no will shift the ends of the tubes or pipe-
sections laterally and press them together with great force forming an air or steam
tight joint between them. The ends of the said tubes or pipe-sections are by
preference scarfed to match as shown at to form a lap-joint, and the end of each
section is notched or formed with a shoulder 9 for the point of the opposite
pipe-section to strike against to insure perfect registration of the meeting ends
of the pipe-sections and prevent binding or wedging of the sections; and the
inclined faces of the pipe-sections may be provided with packing if found
necessary.
The operation is as follows: When the cars are backed together the spikes k
first enter the guides and recesses m which confine them and the ends of the
pipe sections will be brought in contact with each other-that is, the ends of the
pipe-sections will strike the shoulders q. At this time the cars are not yet
coupled, but the further approach of the two pipe-sections ceases. The further
movement of the cars necessary to fully couple them, will cause the spikes to be
driven into the passages m, causing at the same time compression of the heavy conc
springs This movement of the spikes causes the bevels to close the lapped
faces of the pipe-sections together with great force forming a tight joint between
them, and by the full coupling together of the cars the compressed cone springs
are confined and caused to maintain a heavy pressure upon the casings ; and the
spikes k, so that the joint between the pipe-sections is maintained until the cars
are uncoupled.
In uncoupling the cars the spikes are drawn before the lapped faces of the pipe-
sections are disturbed, which permits the pipe-sections to spread away from each
other laterally before any longitudinal movement takes place, so that there is little
or no wear upon the contact surface of the pipe-sections either in coupling or
uncoupling the cars.
When the cars are uncoupled the cone springs of serve to keep the pipe couplers
in a line with the centre of the cars and in a horizontal position, but as an
additional means for this purpose, I may employ a weight 6 as shown in Figure 5,
which also serves to prevent rotation of the coupler.
h
In Figure 5, I have shown a construction whereby a comparatively short
spring may be used in place of a longer spring shown in Figs. 2 and 3. For this
purpose, I form or provide the tube section with a shell j' formed with the hooks #8,
which retain a saddle s¹ against which the rear end of the said spring presses, and
the passage d is enlarged to permit the saddle and hooks to slide therein. The
front end of the shell is secured to the collar to which the point of the
cone spring is attached and it is provided with shoulders to prevent dis-
placement by the outward pressure of the cone spring when the cars are uncoupled,

page_text: and the said shoulder ³ serves as a positive means for withdrawing the spikes when
the cars are uncoupled.
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. A pipe coupling for railway cars comprising a pipe-section to be attached to
the car by a swiveled or universal bearing, a sliding shell or casing placed thereon,
a spring arranged to act on said shell or casing, and a projecting spike or wedge
held in said shell or casing, substantially as described.
2. The sliding or yielding pipe-section arranged to act in connection with a
sliding shell or casing, a spring to act on said casing and a projecting spike or
wedge, substantially as described.
3. The pipe sections scarfed at their ends and notched or formed with a shoulder
as shown at y, substantially as described.
4. The pipe section held to yield in a swiveled or universal bearing, a cone
spring held by said bearing, a casing and a projecting spike or wedge, sub-
stantially as described.
5. A sliding pipe section, a swiveled or universal and weighted connection
holding said pipe section to the car, a sliding shell or casing placed on said pipe
section, a cone spring acting on said shell or casing and a projecting spike or wedge
held in said shell or casing to shift the pipe section laterally, substantially as
described.
6. The sliding casing acted on by a spring and provided with a guide 7 and a
sliding spike or wedge, substantially as described.
7. The sliding shell or casing placed on the pipe section and arranged to form a
recess m on one side of the section and provided with a projecting wedge or spike
on the opposite side of the section.
8. The combination with the car couplers, of pipe couplers, each comprising
a universal bearing, a yielding pipe section, a cone spring mounted therein, a
sliding shell or caring placed on the pipe section and acted upon by the cone
spring said shell or casing being provided with a projecting spike_or wedge and
formed with a recess to receive the point of the opposite spike cr wedge.
Dated this Nineteenth day of October 1891.
CRUIKSHANK & FAIRWEATHER,
62, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Agents.