Improvements in or connected with Couplings for Railway Rolling Stock.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Mar., 1892-Accepted. 21st May, 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Couplings for Railway Rolling
Stock.
1, EMIL GRUND, of 4, Siebachstrasse, Nippes, by Cologne, in the Kingdom of
Prussia and German Empire, Manufacturer, 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 means for coupling together the rolling stock of
railways, and has for its object to provide a coupling which shall be free from
the liability to fracture to which the couplings at present in use are commonly
exposed.
The form of coupling to which the invention refers is the well known screw type
of coupling wherein a bar provided with a right and left hand screw thread is made
use of to draw the rolling stock close to one another after they have been coupled
together.
In order to make my invention clearly understood, I have hereunto annexed a
sheet of drawings wherein are illustrated the form of coupling at present commonly
used, and a coupling constructed according to my present invention.
In the drawings, Figure 1 represents the coupling at present in common use;
and the disadvantages attending the use of this coupling may be described as
follows. It is the practice upon railway systems where this coupling is employed,
to draw adjoining carriages composing a train close together by means of the screw
threaded bar (6) after the coupling shackles (d) have been attached to the hooks (h)
of such carriages; the entire coupling being thus placed in tension, extends in a
straight line from carriage to carriage. Now if the carriages composing the train
are gradually caused to come still closer together, for instance when the train is
being brought to a stand still, the screwed bar (b) will sink below the line
extending between the points of attachment of the coupling and no damage will be
caused to such coupling. But when such closing together of the carriages occurs
suddenly, as for instance during shunting operations or when the brake is quickly
applied, no time is allowed for the bar (b) to sink out of line, and the consequence
is that the coupling being extended in a straight line from carriage to carriage
receives the force of the impact, and a fracture of the bar or connecting shackles of
the coupling may be the result.
To obviate the above disadvantages attending the use of such a coupling, the
improved coupling according to my invention is constructed as hereafter set forth
with reference to Figures 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings.
Upon reference to Figure 3 it will be seen that instead of the extremities of the
shackled being formed with circular apertures for the reception of the trunnions a
of the nut, as in Figure 1, they are provided with elongated slots c wherein the
bearing blocks e arranged upon said trunnions are free to slide. The effect of this
mode of construction is, that should pressure be brought to bear upon the coupling
by the sudden approach towards one another of the carriages which it connects,
from any of the causes above referred to, the inclined surface of the upper side of
the slot cacting upon the bearing block e will thrust such block in a downward
direction and throw the bar h out of the line of impact, thus preventing any
possibility of damage occurring to the coupling by undue pressure being put
5 upon it.
A modification of the coupling described with reference to Figures 2 and 3 is
illustrated by Figure 4, and consists in accommodating the trunnions a in the slots c
without the intervention of the bearing blocks e.

page_text: The inclined slots c may be formed upon the shackle i as well as being provided
on the shackle d, if desired.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A screw coupling for railway rolling stock constructed substantially in the
manner described, whereby no undue pressure can be put upon it when the carriages
which it connects are caused to approach closer to one another.
2. The coupling having its parts constructed and adapted to operate as set forth
with reference to Figures 2 and 3, or Figure 4, of the drawings, for the purposes
specified.
Dated this 2nd day of March 1892.
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON, Fels. Chart. Inst. P.A.,
15, Water Street, Liverpool, Applicant's Patent Agents.