The Development of Centre Device

The Centre Device put the Coupler in a defined position if uncoupled.

The 'motionless' couplers - for example in Russia, China, Japan and the US - is movable in vertical direction against each other. For this centring only in a horizontal direction is sufficient. In the vertical direction the coupler remains motionless. The movement and centring in horizontal direction is realized by pendulum or spring devices.

The new coupler without vertical motion against each other has to turn in a vertical direction. If uncoupled the coupler has to return automatically in a defined horizontal position.

In the beginning some experimental stages with vertical movable spring devices and with couplers including a link in the shaft were realized. The insufficient results with these devices resulted in a complete new solution - the so called 'telescopic leg suspension'

The Bautzen-Design including an inner draft rod resulted an exact centring after uncoupling.

The first time this design came in operation in 1964. The following work optimized the design with the aims:

• Selection of optimized spring characteristics to get minimized speed for coupling.
• Selection of optimal prestress for the inner spring to minimize the lifting force during coupling and to reduce swing of train end coupler.
• Reduction of work for assembling and disassembling
• Safe function in case of low temperatures and if ice up.
• Reduction of wear if in train operation.
• Reduction of work for mass-production

In case of couple with long vehicles and in curves < 135 m the horizontal gathering range is to small. To allow couple a swivelling bas was designed. After manually unlocking the swivelling bas an additional deflection allows couple even in this seldom case. After couple the swivelling bas comes in the normal position and is locked by fall of the lock-lever.

After optimizing the swivelling bas was used for mutual UIC/OSShD - tests and finally accepted for service by both organisations.

	The telescopic leg suspension is arranged below the coupler between swivelling bas and coupler.
	Side view with: 2 - Coupler 9,10 - Outer resting Spring 14 - Draft road 24 - Swivelling bas connected with the vehicle
	Section of telescopic suspension system with: 5 - Ball 14 - Draft road - generates a centring moment for the deflected coupler 24 - Swivelling bas - connected to the vehicle

Numerous tests in trains, with coupling operations, under hard climate conditions Climate Camber, and by special test stands test benches demonstrated the durability of the device.