US1143154A - Draft-gear. - Google Patents

Description

l. M. VAUGH.

DRAFT GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED AML-26, 1909.

LMSAMI Patented June 15,1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

l. M. WAUGH.

DRAFT GEAR. APPLICATION FILED APR. 26. 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JAMES MILTON trauen, or emciieo, Humors@ naam-cushion'.

intensi.

Specification of Letters 'atent. Palimteiil i5,

Application mea april 2e, 190e. 'serial no. 492,302.

invented certain new. and useful Improvements in Draft-Gears; and I do hereby declare that the following-is a full, clear, and

exact' description of the same, reference bef ing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

In the evolution of railway rolling stock, nothing has been more noticeable than the constant increase in the weight and load capacity of rolling stock, owing to the constantly increasing traffic, and-it has been found that owing to such increase in weight of equipment and load, a draft gear amply sufficient but a -few years ago to withstand bufiing and pulling stress, is now quite insufficient to withstand the tgrifc stresses occasioned not only i-n buiing, but under actual runningconditions.

Very numerous attempts have been made .to improve and perfect draft geangand rigging to' a degree commensuratfwith the changing conditions, and from the simple splral spring constructions offa comparat1vely recent time, powerful friction gears have been installed anT almost infinite variety of spring v`fnicton gears have been put on the market, nonel of which have, asv yet, proven capable of absorbing, for any very extended period of time, the stresses to which they are subjected in buiiing and pulling. YIn consequence, very great expense is occasioned to railwaycompanies for constant repair of draft gears and draft rigging and for the repair of the car under frames because of the spreading of center sills owing to the severe stresses exerted thereon -by thefriction gears and by the shearing of bolts 1n various parts of the draft gear owing to the gear proving in capableof absorbing thestresses to which subjected..

The ob]ect of this invention is to provide a spring friction draft gear of such capacity .as to enable the same to absorb all ordinary 'buiing and the maximum pulling stresses with but exceedingly slight recoil and comparatively slight inwardor outward travel of the gear under such stresses and to afford.. in .connection with such a draft gear 'mally inert in both pulling andibuin an auxiliary or supplemental gear noi g', all adapted to come into action onl under .bufg stresses beyond the norma capacity 'of the main draft gear.

It is also an object of the invention to afford in connection with a draft gear an auxiliary or supplemental gear inert under pulling stresses and acting appreciably toabsorb only such stresses as are beyond. the

normal capacity of thel main gear in bung.

It is a further object of the inventionto afford a draft gear embracing a plurality of groups of resilient friction plates, the plates of 'each group being in mutual frictional engagement, and adapted to absorb buiiing and pulling stresses fri'ctionally, and also because of theirvresiliency to afordin connection therewith one or. more larger auxiliary groups of spring friction plates so disposed as to act only under abnormal buR- ing stresses. Y

The invention embraces many novel fean tures and consists in the matters hereinafter described and more fully pointed out and defined inthe appended claims.

In the drawingsLFigure 1 is a fragmentary top plan view partly in horizontal section of a device embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged in'ner vface view of the sliding abutment block'. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig.l 1, and illustrating a main draft gear constructed with spiral springs in a familiar manner. Fig. 5 is a central longitudinal vertical section thereof: Fig. 6 is a section taken on line 6-6 of Flg. 4.

As shown in the drawings: A, indicates the parallel center sills arranged as usual, or in any suitable manner as a part of the 'under frame of the car, and A', .the end sill. Rigidly bolted on the center sllls and ex.

tending below the same, are the check castings B, which extend from near the forward end of the carframe inwardly', if desired, to the body bolster. As shown, l'said check castings each are constructed to aord a channel b, which fits upwardly around the v bottom and sides of one of the center sills A, and integrally connected therewith are downwardly extending webs b', which are of a distance apart and of a width to receive between the same the draft gear as shown in Fig. 6. Each of the webs ZJ', ofthe check castingsis provided at the lower edge with 1, and also is provided .between said innerbottom flange b2, and the bottom of the D is the rear follower block C', of the maino n the lower flanges b2 of the check piecesor channel b, with .an inwardly directed, integral stop-D, which serves to limit the ,forward movement of the front follower block C. Supported to slide on the inwardly directed flanges b2, of said check castings are abutments or stops D', which/'are positioned intermediate the stops D," and the rear cnd ofthe check castings or irons B.v For the purpose of retaining said niovable stops D', in place, as shown, each flange b2, is longitudinally slotted, ,asshown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and as shown inFigs. 3 and 4, a bolt d, extends through the lower portion 'of said movable abutment D', and through the slot in the flange'V of 'said check castings,'thus' permitting said movable stops to sllde lon-` gitudinally l'of the'centersills to the extent -at leastof the length of the slot in said flange. Bearing against said movable stops draft gear. A spacing or bearing block e5, having an outer convex face, bears against the follower block C', and insertedto slide castings is a group of straightthin, flat, spring friction plates E, .composedofany desired number lof individual rectangular plates of adimension to nearly lill th space l between the webs t', and between the under sides of the channels b, andthe inwardly directed flanges t, of the check pieces. Bearingagainst said group of .springs E, .is a spacing block comprising inwardly tapering wedge shaped members e, as shown, connected by a thin web of metal e. affording in effect a concavellface on each side of said spacing block. vBearing against said spacing block at its ends, isa group of lsprings E', corresponding in all particulars with the group E, beforedescribei'and inserted-to bear against the same, isa spacing block e2,

convex on each lside thereof longitudinally, as shown in Fig. 1, and against which a group of plates E2, bears at its middle.4

Bearing against the front face of said group of springs E2, is a double concave spacing block c3, and 'inserted between the same and theinwardly directed convex spacing block e, bearing against the forward follower block, is a group of springs E. As shown,

the tail of the draft iron or coupler F, bea rs against'the front follower block C, and riveted or bolted thereto is the draw bar yoke F', which extends around the main draft gear just described, inclosing said follower blocks and groups ofplates and. spacing blocks there1n. The rear end of said yoke lies between the movable follower' blocks D.

Desirably, the number of plates in each group may increase from the front toward therear group, as shown in Fig.` 1, in this 'dicated asa whole by,'H, and constructed D', asn before described, 'and' 'the manner conveying the inward pressure in builing gradually from a smaller to a larger 'ward 'auxiliary follower block C2, concave on its rear face, and a rear auxiliary fol-l lower block C, concave on its forward face# as shown'in- Fig. 1'. Inserted between the 75 sameis a plurality of groups of springs indicatedV `by E4 5,' each group having a greater` number of plates than any of the groups of the main draft gear, `Vand separating said groups E*- 5', is nan auxiliary 80 spacingv block e", in this instance inasmuch as the engaging face ofthe follower blocks are concave the spacing block is convex on itssides longitudinally.'

The operation is as follows: The number of resilientfriction plates in the groups E34-E, will,\of course, vary with ,the requirements in individual cases, said auxil-v iary. draft gear being intended to receive' l and absorb those excessive stresses in buiiing number of plates to render the auxiliary draft-gear practicallylinert under ordinary bufiing stresses. A f t'y I 1 v Asfshown, a carring plate G, is bolted or riveted beneath e check pieces or castings to support in partv the yoke, as shown in Fig. 2, though this is not essential in' this 100 type of: draft gear for-the reason that the yoke may be supported wholly upon the follower blocks and friction springs, if desired. Of course, if desired, such an auxiliary buiiing gear may be employed in, connection with other types of main draft gearsthan that shown' in Figs. l and2, and

as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, a draft gear in.

of a plurality of spiral springs arranged 110 tandem, is engaged within the yoke F. The rear follower block C2 h'wever, in. that instance bears against the movable abutment drifting stress is thereby delivered to lthe auxiliary 11 buliing gear as the main draft gear H. nears the limitV of its absorbing capacity. lIt is- I therefore obvious that the auxiliary bufling Y malaise main draft gear, it follows that the yoke can never contact with the front auxiliary follower block C2, but that instead the di# rect pressure from the rear follower block C', and the groups of springs when approaching their maximum compression 'is forward travel. Thus, if desired, the main 'draft gear may be constructed with relatively low absorbing capgcity for pulling stresses, but taken in conjunction with the auxiliary buing gear, any desired absorbing power'may be obtained in butling. Furthermore, by the use of the auxiliary buffing gear such as described, draw bar travel v is approximately 1n each group, twice the` undercompression may be increased to any 'desired extent in'conformity with recent requirements on certain roads.

By the use of ,comparatively thin, Hat, straight, rectangular plates in groups in full bearing face to face in each group, I utilize vthe adhesive friction due tothe enormous bearing surfaces exposed to pressure, which area of a single plate multiplied by the number of plates in each group, and which, much more than the resiliency of the plates, tends to resist the flexing of the plates under pressure and acts to almost wholly absorb the recoil, rendering this type of construction particularly valuable as obviating destructive recoil after buHing stresses, which sometimes results in the destruction of certain other types of draft and buiinggears.'

Of course, numerous detailsof the con;

y, struction may be varied, and numerous other variations and details of construction and Napplication will suggest themselves such as Vvarying the number' of groups and the ar- A va main draft and buiing gear of any type'.`

I claim as my invention:

i 1. The combination with a maini'draft and buiing gear, front and rear stops therefor, said front stop being connected to the side sills, of an auxiliary' buing gear l0- cated to the rear of said mainar and comprising flat spring friction p ates arranged face to face in groups, and spacing members bearing alternately at the ends and-at the middle of said groups, said rearstops constituting sliding spacing means between said main and auxiliary gears adapted to transmit excessive buiing strains from said main gear to said auxiliary gear. 2. The combination with a main draft and bufng gear including the followers, of a coacting auxiliary buiing gear in alinement therewith and embracing spring friction plates arranged face to face in a plurality of groups, bearings therefor alternate at the middle and at the ends of the groups, and sliding spacing means interposed between the two gears acting to communicate excessive stress from the rear follower of the main gear to the auxiliary gear.

3. In a device of the class described the draft arms, the main draft and butling gear therein and the followers therefor, an auxiliary buiing gear in said draft Yarms at the rear of and in alinement with the main gear, and comprising duplicate flat spring friction plates arranged face to face in groups, spacing members bearing alternately at the ends. and at the middles of the groups, and slidable followers interposed between the main and auxiliary gear acting to communicate excessive stresses from the rear follower of the main gear to the auxiliary gear.

4. The combination with a main draft and builing gear, the yoke and followers therefor, of an independent auxiliary spring friction gear positioned to compress in a direct line with the main draft gear, and slidable'followers, one on each side of the yoke and bearing against the rear followerof the main draft and buiiing gear and the front of the auxiliary bufiing ear.

54. The combination with a main raft gear, of movable abutment blocks slidably supported on the under frame and against whichthe rear follower block of the main draft gear bears, and anauxiliary resilient and frictional buiin'g gear inserted at the rear of the movable abutmentblocks com'- prising transversely extending spring plates arranged in groups and against one group of which sai d movable abutment `blocks bear to deliver thereto butf'lng.` stresses beyond Athe normal capacity of the main draft gear.

6. An auxiliarybuffing gear inserted at the rear of a main draft and buiiing gear and the followers therefor and embracing a plurality of groups of relatively thin, Hat,

sprmg friction plates in frictionalzbearing.

1n each group for their entire face surfaces, spacing blocks arranged between said 7groups to separate the groups alternately at their ends -and at their centers, and horizontally moving abutment blocks between the auxiliary buing gear and the rear follower of the main buing gear.

spring friction buiing gear and its followers arranged at the rear thereof, and longitudnally 'slidable followers engaged between the rear follower lof the main draft and buiing gear and said auxiliary gear,l

inert on pulling stresses and acting with the main gear to deliver excessive' buiiing stresses to the auxiliary buiing gear when positioned compress in. a direct line therewith, and slidable spacing means, interposed between the two gears, said means engaging the front follower of the auxiliary gear and the rear follower of the main gear on opposite sides of the said yoke.' y

In testimonyI whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.A

` JAMES MILTON WAUGH.

Witnesses:

K. E. HNNAH, LAWRENCE RmBsTEIN.

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