Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Feb., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 8th Nov., 1894-Accepted, 8th Dec., 1894
I, MICHAEL MARY BROPHY, of the Firm of James Slater and Co., 251, High
Holborn, in the County of London, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
:-
My invention relates to couplings of the kind used upon railway carriages for
uniting the brake pipes, hot water or steam circulating pipes and the like.
According to my invention I provide a coupling which will serve for either air,
water, gas, steam or other fluid without leaking; which will prevent the escape of
the fluid contained in the flexible pipes to which the coupling is attached when the
parts are disconnected and also prevent the admission of air, and the two parts of
which, in case any longitudinal strain is placed upon the coupling, will separate
without causing damage or breakage of any part.
In carrying out my invention I provide two approximately hemispherical or
cup-shaped casings each of which is provided with a nozzle for the attachment of a
pipe or hose, and in the mouth of each hemispherical portion I arrange a seating
for a valve which is fitted within the casing and normally closed against the seating
by a spiral or other spring.
Each valve is provided with an extension of the stein below the valve face in
such a manner that when the two parts of a coupling are placed together the two
valve extensions will coincide and so press their corresponding valves away from'
their seats against the pressure of the springs.
In order to hold the two parts of the casing together in such a manner that they
can be separated when subjected to longitudinal strain, I form on one part of the
casing lugs or trunnions on which are pivotted links, the free ends of which carry
a box containing a spring-bolt the end of which is preferably of spherical form and
adapted to engage in a corresponding recess in the other part of the coupling
casing. The box carrying the spring-bolt is preferably provided with a handle or
lever for facilitating the opening and closing of the coupling.
To prevent leakage between the adjacent faces of the two parts of the coupling,
the outer side of one of the rings forming one of the valve seatings is provided with
a flange adapted to make close contact with a packing-ring located in a groove on
the outer face of the other valve-seating, the said packing being advantageously a
ring of coppered asbestos.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Pipe Couplings.
I, MICHAEL MARY BROPHY, of the Firm of James Slater & Co., 251, High
Holborn, in the County of London, Engineers, 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 :—
My invention relates to couplings of the kind used upon railway carriages for
uniting the brake pipes, hot water or steam circulating pipes and the like.
According to my invention I provide a coupling which will serve for either air,
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page_text: water, gas, steam or other fluid without leaking; which will prevent the escape of
the fluid contained in the flexible pipes to which the coupling is attached when the
parts are disconnected and also prevent the admission of air, and the two parts of
which, in case any longitudinal strain is placed upon the coupling, will separate
without causing damage or breakage of any part.
In carrying out my invention I provide two approximately hemispherical or
cup-shaped casings each of which has a nozzle for the attachment of a pipe or hose,
and in the mouth of each hemispherical portion I arrange a grid having a seating
for a valve which is fitted within the casing and normally pressed towards the
seating by a spiral or other spring.
Each valve is provided with an extension of the stem below the valve face in
such a manner that when the two parts of a coupling are placed together the two
valve extensions will coincide and so press their corresponding valves away from
their seats against the pressure of the springs.
In order to hold the two parts of the casing together in such a manner that they
can be separated when subjected to longitudinal strain, I form on one part of the
casing lugs or trunnions on which are pivotted links, the free ends of which carry a
box containing a spring-bolt the end of which is preferably of spherical form and
adapted to engage in a corresponding recess in the other part of the coupling
casing, these parts constituting what may be termed a spring-stirrup. The box
carrying the spring-bolt is preferably provided with a handle or lever for facilitating
the opening and closing of the coupling.
To prevent leakage between the adjacent faces of the two parts of the coupling,
the outer face of one of the grids is provided with a rib or flange adapted to make
close contact with a packing-ring located in a groove on the outer face of the other
grid, the said packing being advantageously a ring of coppered india-rubber.
To enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pipe coupling constructed according to my
invention; and,
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the same :
Figure 3 is a plan of the lower part of the coupling looking in the direction of
the arrow 3, Figure 1 ; and,
Figure 4 is a sectional elevation looking in the direction of the arrow 4,
Figure 1.
a, a' are the two parts or casings of the coupling each of which is formed at one
end with a nozzle for the attachment of the flexible pipe or hose in the usual
manner, b, Figures 1 and 2, indicating one of such pipes which is represented as
being fixed on to the nozzle by means of a clip c.
d, d' are the grids which are screwed into the mouths of the parts a, a' respectively,
the grid d having upon its outer face a groove e filled with a ring of packing
material and the grid d¹ having on its outer face a rib f which when the two parts
of the coupling are placed together is designed to come into contact with the
packing-ring in the groove e to form a tight joint. At the centre of each grid is a
boss 9, shewn most clearly in Figure 3, and at the back of each grid is a
valve-seat h.
i, i are the valves which serve to close the openings through the grids when the
two parts of the coupling are separated, the said valves resting upon the seats h, h.
Each valve has its stem j sliding in a socket on the inside of the casing,
springs 1, around the said sockets serving to normally press the valves towards
their seats. m, m are the extensions upon the valves, which extensions project
through and slide in the bosses g, g in the centres of the grids. These extensions
are of such length that when the two parts of the coupling are placed together, as
shewn, the said extensions by coming into contact will be moved so as to lift the
valves off their seats and so establish a free passage through the coupling.
n, n are the trunnions which are formed upon the part a¹ of the coupling,
and o, o are the links which at one end are pivotted upon the said trunnions and at

page_text: the other end receive the trunnions p,p of the box 7, the said links and box forming
the stirrup herein before referred to. The box which is shewn most clearly in
Figure 2 has sliding in it a bolt r acted upon by a spring s which tends to move
the bolt out of the box, the head of the said bolt being rounded so as to enable it
to readily enter and leave a hollow or recess t formed on the part a of the coupling.
is the handle or lever formed in one piece with the box q and serving to enable
the stirrup to be readily operated so as to move the bolt out of and into
engagement with the said hollow or recess t.
To ensure that the two parts of the coupling shall be placed together in their
proper relative positions, provide each part of the coupling with a lug o having
in it a recess w, and also with a projection r, these recesses and projections being so
arranged that the projection on one part will enter the recess in the lug on the
other part, as shewn most clearly in Figures 1 and 2.
would
In order that when moving the stirrup to engage the two parts of the coupling
(for instance, from the position shewn in dotted lines in Figure 1 to that shewn in
full lines) the bolt r by acting against the outer wall of the recess t shall not push
the part a of the coupling off the part a', I provide the projection .r on the box a¹
with a head designed to engage over the top of the lug e, as shewn in Figure 4.
With the construction hereinbefore described it will be understood that should
the coupling be subjected to any abnormal strain, the spring in the box
yield and allow one part of the coupling to slip away from the other part. It will
also be understood that to disconnect the two parts of the coupling it is only
necessary to move the spring-box q from the position shewn in full lines in Figure 1
to the position shewn in dotted lines in the said figure, stops y, y on the part a¹ of
the coupling serving to limit the movement of the links by which the box is carried
in either direction, one of the said links being provided with an extension of
projecting between the said stops. The two parts of the coupling can then be
readily separated, the springs 1, 1 pressing the valves on to their seats so that any
water or other fluid which is in the pipes will be prevented from escaping, thereby
rendering it unnecessary to have independent cocks for shutting off the water.
To enable the pipes to be emptied, if desired, I insert into the wall of the part a¹
of the coupling a plug z having a central passage z¹ communicating with a series of
lateral passages z². As long as this plug is screwed down so that a flange z
thereon bears against a packing-ring no leakage can take place, the openings z³
being inside the screw-threads of the socket into which the plug is screwed: when,
however, the plug is screwed outwards the holes are more or less exposed thereby
allowing the fluid in the pipes to escape.
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 a two-part pipe coupling providing each part with a spring-valve, which
valves are opened when the two parts of the coupling are placed together and
closed when the parts of the coupling are separated, substantially as, and for the
purpose, described.
2. In a pipe coupling the two parts of which are provided with valves as described
in the preceding claiming clause, a spring-stirrup for holding the two parts of the
coupling in position but allowing them to separate under any abnormal strain,
substantially as described.
3. The manufacture and use of the improved pipe coupling herein before described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 8th day of November 1004
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.