US1355295A - Safety-guard and leveling device - Google Patents

Description

L. L. WHITNEY.

SAFETY GUARD AND LEVE L ING DEVICE. APPLICATION HLED FEB-l3. 1918.

1,355,295, Patented Oct. 12, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET I. I

L. L. WHITNEY.

SAFETY GUARD AND LEVELING DEVICE.

APPLICATION HLED FEB. l3, I9I8.

1,355,295. Patented Oct. 12, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

, UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LonE L. WHITNEY, or HAMMOND, INDIANA, assrenon TO AMERICANSTEEL- FOUNDRIES, on CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or NEW JERSEY.

SAFETY-GUARD AND LEVELING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters, Patent.

Patented Oct. 12, 1920.

Application filed February 13, 1918. Serial No. 217,008.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOREN L. WHITNEY, a citizen of the United States, residin at Hammond, in the county of Lake and S tate of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Guards and Leveling Devices, of which the following is a specification.

. This invention relates to safety guards and leveling devices.

The object of the invention is to simplify and improve combined safety guards and leveling devices, making same more capable of being readily connected and disconnected with respect to themselves and associated parts.

Generally speaking this and other objects are accomplished by providing a combined safety guard and leveling device including a plurality of oppositely extending members, and means for readily connecting and disconnecting the same with respect to each other.

The invention is illustrated on the accompanying sheets of drawings in which,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a railway car truck, embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the same, parts being broken away for the sake of clearness.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a modified form of safety guard and leveling device.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the same, parts being broken away to show more clearly connecting means.

' Fig. 5 is a side elevation of another modified form of the safety guard and leveling device; and,

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the same, parts being broken away for the sake of clearness.

The various modifications of the invention will be apparent from the following description and drawings and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, it will be noted that I have disclosed my invention in connection with a railway car truck, including a spring plank 10, to which are connected depending apertured hangers 11 for supporting duplicate,

interchangeable and oppositely extending combined safety guard and leveling devlce members 12, which preferably are rigid and have their outer upturned ends underlying brake beams 13. The inner ends of the inembers 12 terminate in flattened cooperatlng portions 14, which overlap each other and which are secured to'the spring plank or any other suitable support by a bolt 15, extending through the spring plank and over-lapping ends 14 and which carries a nut 16 for locking the parts together. This combined safety guard and leveling device servestwo-functions. First, it prevents the brake beam 13 from falling to the tracks, if for any reason it becomes disconnected from its normal hangings. Second, by cooperative action of the upturned ends of the bars 12 and the tension members 17 of the beams, the latter are leveled whereby the brake shoes are maintained in a concentric relationship with respect to the tread sur face of the cooperating truck wheels- It is apparent from the arrangement disclosed in F igs. 1 and 2 that if the safety bar and leveling device were made in one piece with the ends upturned to the extent shown, it would be impossible to remove same from the hangers 11, without disconnecting the hangers from the spring plank. However, by making the safety and leveling device in two interchangeable parts 12, it is not only a simple matter to set'the same in place and connect them to a suitable support and to each other, but also an easy matter to disconnect and withdraw same from their supporting means.

In Figs. 3 and 4 is disclosed an arrangement, showing the inner ends of the combined safety bars and leveling members 18 with their inner ends 19 offset and curved to conform with a circular clamp plate 20, having upturned retaining flanges 21 for emmembers in question, the plate 20 being secured in this case to the under side of the spring plank 22, by abolt and nut arrangement 23, whereby the parts may be readily connected and disconnected with respect to the support and to each other.

In the arrangement disclosed in Figs. 5 and 6, the inner ends 24 of the rigid bars are curved in a manner whereby one is received by the other and they are held in such a position by a bolt and nut arrangement 25, said ends being clamped together normally to prevent relative movement with respect to each other- 7 1. In a railway car truck, the combination of supporting means, oppositely arranged safety bars having upturned portions for guiding and leveling a brake beam, and

means for connecting and disconnecting the safety barswith respect to said supporting means, said oppositely arranged safety bars being formed separately to permit longitudinal removal of same from said supporting means and normally being connected to each other at their inner ends.

2. In a railway car truck, the combination of a springplank, brackets carried thereby, oppositely arranged safety bars having upbars being formed in separate pieces to permit longitudinal removal of same through said brackets and normally being connected I to each other at their-inner ends.

3. In a railway car truck, oppositely eX- tending safety bars having the outer ends upturned for leveling associated brake beams, supporting means for said bars, and means for securing together the inner ends of said leveling bars whereby they are maintained in a given position and whereby the bars may be withdrawn from the supporting means when disconnected from'each other.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 2nd day of February, A. D. 1918. I

' LOREN I). WHITNEY.

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