GB876173A - Improvements in coupling devices for railway vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

876,173. Couplings and draw gear for railway vehicles. DOWTY HYDRAULIC UNITS Ltd. Sept. 30, 1958 [Oct. 15, 1957; Jan. 10, 1958], Nos. 32221/57 and 1050/58. Class 103(5). A convertible automatic to non-automatic coupling and draw gear for a railway vehicle equipped with normal side buffers, comprises a coupler head, Fig. 2, coupling by inclined swing and mounted by means of a universal joint 14 on a longitudinally movable draw bar 13, a pre-loaded draw spring assembly 41, a pivot pin 19 bolted to the head and provided at its other end with a ball 57, Fig. 5, bonded through rubber 62 to a cylindrical housing 58 rotatable in a ring shaped head 49, and a spring assembly 42, Figs. 2, 3, having a collar 45 pivoted on trunnions 43 to underframe brackets 44, and a cylinder 46 slidable within the collar and enclosing one end of a pre-loaded spring 50, the assembly exerting a moment upon the pin 19 about the universal joint 14 to support the weight of the coupler head and also provide resilient restraint against rearward movement of the draw bar. The cylinder 46 has a stop flange 39, a fixed bush 47 against which the spring 50 abuts, and a rod 48 integral with the ring head 49, the rod being provided with an adjustable stop nut 52 which may abut and slide a flanged bush 51 within a bridge piece 53 fixed by tie rods 54 to the collar 45. In operation the rubber bonded ball joint 57 acts as a torsion spring and centralises the coupler head in a horizontal plane, and a downward flattened extension 77 of the pivot pin 19 extends into a slot 76 in an extension 75 of the ball housing 58 to limit deflection of the coupler head to 15 degrees either side of the vehicle longitudinal axis. If the head 49 is displaced forwardly against spring load, the cylinder 46 and the bush 47 are held by the stop 39 while the nut 52 and the bearing bush 51 displace the rear end of the spring 50. If the head 49 is displaced rearwardly, the side buffers absorb the buffing load and the flanged bearing 51 rests against the bridge 53 while the forward end of the spring 50 is displaced by the bush 47, cylinder 46 and head 49 moving together. When the automatic coupler head is in use a spring pressed hand operated locking pin 66 engages a slot 63 in the rotatable housing 58 rubber bonded to the pivot pin 19, 'but by disengaging the pin 66 the coupler head may be swung laterally aside to bring a coupling hook integral with the head into line with the draw bar 13. The pin 66 may then be allowed to lock into the alternative slot 64 in the. housing 58. In a modification, Fig. 7 (not shown) a smaller weight supporting spring is provided around the rod 48, and a separate spring aligned with the draw bar is used for extending the draw bar. Specifications 843,365 and 876,174 are referred to.