The Mechanical Coupler

The mechanical coupler for transferring push-pull uses the so-called Willison profile. Elements are combined for catching the couplers in the horizontal plane with such for force-transmission - an old coupler principle, used since the thirties of the last century in America and Russia. If the couplers are completely closed the ' locks ' fall down and a rigid connection is made in the horizontal plane , in vertical direction the couplers however shift. In order to make possible to couple a line connector automatically, an adjustment must take place also in vertical direction. For this reason additional sliding and rigid making elements are arranged in the lower part of the coupling head, which guarantee that also in vertical direction an adjustment is realized.

An interesting point is the function of the locker system.

For uncoupling one of the ' locks ' is pulled out of the connection - thus the couplers are able to uncouple.

Some of problems to be solved:

An optimal construction had to be guaranteed that the locks can be still pulled out also if the couplers under pull so that high frictional forces arise. This succeeded to some extent to solve this problem. Manufacturing and maintenance-conditioned dispersions of rubbing surface geometry and lubrication conditions placed however always a factor of uncertainty.

Couple with high impact speed (up to 15 km/h) arise high accelerations depending upon elasticity and/or mechanical arrangement at the construction units. For example the use of screws was impossible at the coupling head directly - the screwing heads broke under their own acceleration forces. To investigate these phenomena cameras up to 1000 pictures/s was used and by the assistance of these super-slow motion shots the often contradictory features could be studied and the construction could be improve, so that practically all problems could be solved.