US2395716A - Car coupling - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 26, 1946. Y A. R. lsu-:DESS

CAR COUPLING Filed Feb. 14, 1944` 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 2,395,716 CAR coUPLING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A; R. BIEDESS Filed Feb.f14, 1944 Feb, 26, 1946.

Patented Feb. 26, i946 ,nan

OFFICE CAR. COUBLING Anthony R. Biedess, Chicago, Ill., assigner to Goodman Manufacturing Company, Chicago, I1l.,.a.corpcration of Illinois Applicationlliebruary 14, 1944, Serial No. 522,227

(Cl.f213-75) 6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in car couplings and more .particularly relates to an improved form of extensible car coupling adapted to couple cars to loading machines of the type used in mines.

VThe principal objects of my invention are to provide a new and improved form of coupling permitting .the car to be moved towards or away from the loading machine during the loading operation while still coupled to the machine, so

theboom of the loading machine can trim the .car Without being disconnected therefrom.

Another object of my invention is to provide a new and improved form of coupling for extensibly connecting a car to a loading machine, which is so arranged as to permit movement of thel-oading machine with respect'to the car durtion;

Y'Figure 2'is an enlarged fragmentary plan View `of the Ycoupling shown in 'Figure 1, with certain partsbrokenaway and certain other parts-shown in horizontal section;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view in side elevation of the coupling, with certain parts thereof vbroken Vaway and certain other parts shown in substantially longitudinal section;

Figure l is a fragmentary sectional vview taken substantially alongline #-4 of Figure 2;

VIfi on the end of a boom i5 is forced into Vthe material it is desired to load, by movement of the loading machine along the track, and wherein said scoop discharges the material onto a conveyer iii extending rearwardly beyond the rear .end of the loading machine, for loading into the mine car il. The details of construction of said loading machine are no part of my present invention and may be similar to those shown and described in my vPatent No. 2,301,241, so are not herein shown or described in detail.

Referring now in particular to the details of thecoupling I2, and certain novel features Yof 'my invention, said coupling as herein shown, includes a guide housing Il having a pair of abutting chains i8, I8 guided therein, for extensible movement with respect thereto, and forming a storage place for said chains, when said coupling is in a retracted position. Said chains are pivotally connected at their forward ends 'to a drawhead i9 in longitudinally abutting relation With respect to each other. Said drawhead is adapted to be coupled to ac'oupling 2li of the mine car i I, by means of a coupling pin 2i, in a manner well known to those skilled in the art. A handle 22 yis secured to and lprojects upwardly from said drawhead,

. to ai'd'in extending `said chains from or retracting "-Figure 5 is a partial fragmentary detail plan The guide housing 'I is'connected to an endv sill Z5 of the loading .machine lil by means of a pair of l-aterally spaced upper bolts 26, 26 vand a similar pair of laterally spaced lower bolts .21, Z1 lhaving compression springs 2S, .23 and 2Q, `29

encircling said upper Vand lower bolts, respectiver 1y. vSaid bolts 26, 25 extend through laterally spaced ears 3i), 30 projecting upwardly from the top of said housing, adjacent opposite sides thereof' Saidsprings 28, 23 abut opposite sides of said1ears,;and said vconnecting bolts 25, 2li are mountedin connectingbrackets 3l, 3l, which are secured to the rear side of the end 4sill 25, and are spacedoutwardly therefrom. The lower connecting bolts 21,'21 are mounted in brackets v33, 33, spaced beneath the brackets 3l, 3l, and secured .to .the :end .sill 25 and spaced outwardly therefrom. One compression spring 28 is interposed between the bracket 3| and the ear 39, while the other compression spring is interposed between the opposite side of said ear and a washer 35, held to said connecting bolt by means of a nut 36. A nut 31 threaded on the inner end of each bolt abuts the inner side of the ear 39, to hold said connecting bolts to said brackets. The lower connecting bolts 21, 21 extend through ears 38, 38 depending from the bottom of said guide housing, and the compression springs 29, 29 abut opposite sides of said ears, to permit yieldable movement of said guide housing along said ears. A yieldable support is thus formed for the coupling I2, to permit yieldable movement of said coupling with respect to the end sill 25 of the loading machine.

The chains IB, I8 mesh with a pair of laterally spaced sprockets 49, 49 mounted in said housing on vertical shafts 4I, 4I. The teeth of said sprockets engage the outer sides of the links of said chains and when held from rotation, positively lock said chains in a iixed position with respect to said housing, so said chains may Yform a rigid coupling member between the car and loading machine.

A separate locking pin 43 is provided for each wardly therefrom towards the pin 43, has a substantially horizontal end 46 engaging a slot 41 formed in said pin, adjacent the lower end thereof, to limit downward movement of said pin with respect to said housing, and to urge said pin in a downwardly extended locking position with respect to said housing. The pins 43, 43 are con- VnectedV together adjacent their upper ends by means of a transverselyr extending rod 49, and are vertically moved with respect to said housing to lock the sprockets 1H),l 4I). from rotation, or to permit free rotation of said sprockets, by means of a pair of forked lever arms 50, 59, having slidable engagement with said rod at their free forked ends. Said lever arms are secured at their rear ends to a rocking shaft 5I, extending parallel to the rod 49 and mounted on parallel spaced lugs 53, 53, extending upwardly from opposite outer sides of the longitudinal guide 23, formed in the central portion of the guide housing I1. A handle 54 is provided to rock said rock shaft. A stop 55, engageable with the upper end of one of the pins 43, is provided to limit vertical movement of said pins with respect to said housing and stop said pins when the notch 44 is in registry with the teeth of the sprockets The chains I8, I8, as herein shown, are laterally flexible in one direction only, and are connected tothe drawhead i9 in longitudinal abutting relation with respect to each other, so that said chains may flex in a direction away from each other and follow the oppositely curved guides 24, 24, when said chain is being retracted within said guide housing for storage within said housing. With. this construction, when the chains are extended from the housing, lateral flexibility of said chain is restricted, and said chains form a relatively rigid connecting member between said drawhead and said housing. As herein shown, each of said chains includes a pair of parallel spaced links 51, 51 spaced from each other by -bushings 5S, 58 on pivotal pins 59, 59, whichV also form a pivotal connecting means for said links. Each of said links has a rectangularly formed lug 69 projecting outwardly therefrom, adapted to be abutted by the nat surfaces of links 9i, GI mounted on the ends of the pivotal pins 59, 59 and forming alternate links of said chain. Said flat surfaces of said links, abutting said lugs, thus form a means to restrain pivotal movement or lateral flexibility of said chains in a direction towards each other. The outer portions of the ends of said last mentioned links are of an arcuate form, to permitI lateral flexibility of the chain in an outward direction.

The end links of said chain are herein shown as being in the form of solid blocks 63, 63, mounted on the pins 59, 59 between the links 51, 51. Said blocks are adapted to engage the teeth of the sprocket and prevent rotation thereof, and thus prevent the chains from being pulled out of the guide housing I1 during the loading operation, in casesrwhere the locking pins 43, 43 might be in position to permit free rotation of the sprockets 40, 4i). While said lblocks 63, 63 are herein shown as being end links, they may be placed in any desired position in the chain, to limit the amount of extensibility thereof.

It should here be noted that the blocks 63, 63 make it possible for the loading machine to move relatively to the car during loading, if desired,

' but maintain the car in coupled relation with respect to the loading machine, so that the loading boom of the machine will not be moved beyond the end of the car when the sprockets 40, 40 are free to rotate with respect to each other.

It may also be seen that with the coupling just described, the loading machine may be extended with respect to the car b-y raising the locking pins 48, 43, to permit free rotation of the sprockets 49, 48 with respect to each other, and then lowering said locking pin when the loading machine is in the desired extended position with respect to the car.

While I have herein shownand described one form in which my invention may be embodied, it will be understood that the construction thereof and the arrangement of the various parts may be altered without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Furthermore, I do not wish to be 'construed as limiting my invention to the specic embodiment illustrated, excepting as it may be limited in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. An extensible coupling including a housing, two chains slidably mounted in said housing for extensible and retractible movement with respect thereto, a drawhead connected to the outer ends of said chains, said chains being flexible in one direction only and being connected to said drawhead in opposing relation with respect to each other, so said chains will hold said drawhead from lateral movement with respect to said housing, and said housing having a guide formed therein so arranged as to guide said chains to double back along themselves upon retractible movement of said chains within said housing.

2. An extensible coupling including a housing,

two chains slidably mounted in said `housing for extensible and retractible movement with respect thereto, a drawhead connected to the outer ends of said chains, said chains being flexible in one direction only and being connected to said drawhead in opposing relation with respect to each other, so said chains will hold said drawhead from lateral movement with respect to said housing, and said housing having a guide formed therein so arranged as to guide said chains to double back along themselves upon retractible movement of said chains within said housing, a sprocket mounted in said housing and meshing with one of said chains, and means selectively operable.

to engage and hold said sprocket from rotation, to hold said drawhead in xed spaced relation with `respect to said housing. c

3. An extensible coupling including a housing, two chains slidably mounted in said housing for extensible and retractible movement with respect thereto, a drawhead connected to the outer ends of said chains, said chains being iiexible in one direction only and said two chains being connected to said drawhead in opposing relation with respect to each other so as to hold said drawhead from lateral movement with respect to said housing, and said housing having a guide formed therein so arranged as to guide said chains to double back along themselves upon retractible movement of said chains, two sprockets mounted in said housing, each one of said sprockets meshing with one of said chains, and means selectively operable to hold said sprockets from rotation, to hold said 'drawhead in fixed spaced relation with respect to said housing.

4. An extensible coupling including a housing,

a pair of chains slidably mounted in said housing for extensible and retractible movement with respect thereto, a drawhead connected to the outer ends of said chains, said chains being exible in one direction only and being connected to said drawhead to extend in longitudinal abutting relation with respect to each other along their inner sides and flexing towards their outer sides, and said housing having a substantially Y-shaped guide formed therein, the ends of the branches of the Y of which turn back along the outer sides of the stem thereof, to permit said chains to double back along themselves within said housing and be stored within said housing when said drawhead is in a retracted position with respect to said housing.

5. An extensible coupling including al'iousing, a pair of chains slidably mounted in said housing for extensible and retractible movement with respect thereto, a drawhead connected to the outer ends of said chains, said chains being flexible in one direction only and being connected to said drawhead to extend in longitudinal abutting relation with respect to each other along their inner sides and exing towards their outer sides, and said housing having a substantially Y-shaped guide formed therein, the ends of the branches of the Y of which turn back along the outer sides of the stem thereof, to permit said chains to double back along themselves and be stored within said housing when said drawhead is in a retracted position with respect to said housing, a sprocket mounted in said housing and meshing with one of said chains, and means selectively operable to engage and hold said sprocket from rotation to hold said drawhead in fixed spaced relation with respect to said housing.

6. An extensible coupling including a housing, a pair of chains slidably mounted in said housing for extensible and retractible movement with respect thereto, a drawhead connected to the outer ends of said chains, said chains being ilexible in one direction only and being connected to said drawhead to extend in longitudinal abutting relation with respect to each other along their inner sides and exing towards their outer sides, and said housing having a substantially Y-shaped guide formed therein, the ends of the branches of the Y of which turn back along the stem thereof to permit said chains to double back along themselves and be storedwithin said housing when said drawhead is in a retracted position with respect to said housing, two sprockets mounted in said housing, each one of said sprockets meshing with one of said chains, and means selectively operable to hold both of said sprockets from rotation, to hold said drawhead in xed spaced relation with respect to said housing.

ANTHONY R. BIEDESS.

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