Coupling device for joining mining conveyor trough sections

Claim 1

A COUPLING DEVICE FOR JOINING MINING CONVEYOR TROUGH SECTIONS IN END-TO-END ADJACENT RELATION, WHICH COMPRISES A FIRST COUPLING MEMBER DISPOSED FOR CONNECTION TO AN END PORTION OF A FIRST CONVEYOR TROUGH SECTION, A SECOND COUPLING MEMBER DISPOSED FOR CONNECTION TO AN OPPOSITE END PORTION OF A SECOND CONVEYOR TROUGH SECTION DISPOSED IN ENDWISE ADJACENT RELATION TO SAID FIRST CONVEYOR SECTION, SAID FIRST COUPLING MEMBER HAVING A TENON DISPOSED FOR OPERATIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH A MORTISE IN SAID SECOND COUPLING MEMBER, AND A FASTENING MEMBER EXTENDING THROUGH SAID MORTISE AND TENON TO URGE SECOND CONINTO MUTUAL ENGAGEMENT TO JOIN SAID FIRST AND SECOND CONVEYOR TROUGH SECTIONS TOGETHER IN END-TO-END ADJACENT RELATION, SAID FIRST AND SECOND COUPLING MEMBERS EACH HAVING A FIRST BEARING SURFACE AND A SECOND BEARING SURFACE, SAID FIRST BEARING SURFACES BEING DISPOSED IN OPPOSITE RELATION TO EACH OTHER AND SAID SECOND BEARING SURFACES BEING ALSO DISPOSED IN OPPOSITE RELATION TO EACH OTHER, THE SECOND BEARING SURFACE OF SAID FIRST COUPLING MEMBER BEING LOCATED ON THE FREE END OF THE TENON THEREOF, AND THE SECOND BEARING SURFACE OF SAID SECOND COUPLING MEMBER BEING LOCATED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE MORTISE THEREOF, SAID TENON HAVING AN EFFECTIVE LENGTH GREATER THAN THE EFFECTIVE DEPTH OF SAID MORTISE BY AN AMOUNT SELECTED IN RELATION TO THE NORMAL OPERATING COMPRESSIVE STRESSES TRANSMITTED BETWEEN SAID SECOND BEARING SURFACES ON THE TENON AND MORTISE TO ACCOMMODATE THE RELATIVE PLASTIC DEFORMATION THEREBETWEEN RESULTING FROM SUCH STRESSES UNTIL THE FIRST BEARING SURFACES OF SAID COUPLING MEMBERS ARE POSITIONED IN BEARING ENGAGEMENT WITH EACH OTHER.