US1417721A - Resilient driving connection - Google Patents

Description

G. M. EATON.

RESIUENT DRIVING CDNNECTION.

APPLICATION FILED 001.25. 1921.

Patented May30, 1922.

INVENTOR fieorqe/Zfman ATTORNEY WITNESSES: ZR.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE M. EATON, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

RESILIENT DRIVING CONNECTION.

Application filed October 25, 1921.

Z 10 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE M. EATON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Resilient Driving Connections, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to resilient driving connections and particularly to those of the quill type such as are used in electric locomotives.

My invention has, for one of its objects, the provision of a structure wherein spring elements are not subjected to bending stresses such as occur in structures of the usual type whenever relative movement occurs between the quill and the driving wheel, whether in a radial or in an axial direction.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a yieldable unit that may be conveniently assembled and which obtains a minimum number of parts.

Still another object of my invention is the provision of a coupling that is simple in design and eiiicient in operation.

I accomplish the foregoing by means of the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a view partially in elevation and partially in section, of a portion of a locomotive driving wheel having my invention applied thereto, and

Fig. 2 is a sectional View of the mechanism of Fig. 1.

A locomotive driving wheel 3 is secured to an axle 4 in the usual manner and is driven by a quill 5 that is provided with arms 6 upon which the yielding units are mounted.

Each of the yielding units, only one of which is shown, consists of a casing 8 of tubular form that is secured to one of the quill arms 6 by means of a bracket-like extension 9 and bolts 10. If desired, the member 8 may be formed integrally with the quill arm.

A helical spring 11 is disposed in the casing 8 and is maintained in position therein by means of two cup-like members 12 that are provided with flanges at their inner ends. Retaining rings 13 are pressed into the ends of the casing 8 to hold the members 12 in place. The members 12 are slidably supported by the casing 8 and the retaining rings 13, and the spring 11 is placed under Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 30, 1922.

Serial No. 510,354.

initial compression when the unit is assembled, thus preventing rattling of the'parts.

The driving wheel 3 is provided with spokes 15 to which abutment blocks 16 are secured. The blocks 16 receive the thrust of the quill, and the quill may move either radially or longitudinally without distorting the springs 11 or subjecting them to bending stresses because the members 12 are free to slide on the block faces.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the spring unit, besides being relieved of bending stresses, is supported entirely by the quill which, in turn, may be yieldingly supported from the locomotive journal boxes in the usual manner. I

It will be further observed that the yield ing unit may be assembled with a minimum amount of effort and that the employment of the retaining rings 13 makes the use of bolts or clamping devices for holding the springs in place unnecessary. Furthermore, under operating conditions, the reaction of the spring is against the frictionally held retaining member 13 which will be forced out of the casing 8 by excessive strains and there are no bolts or clamps to be broken under abnormal strains, as in structures heretofore employed.

Various modifications may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, as defined in the accompanying claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a driving member and a driven member, of a spring element supported by one of said members and provided with a retaining means that is movable, under abnormal pressure, in the direction of reaction.

2. The combination with a quill drive, of a flexible driving element retained in operative position by a frictionally held member.

3. The combination with a quill drive, of a flexible driving element retained in operative position solely by frictionally held retaining means.

4. The combination with a driving member and a driven member, of a spring element supported by the driven member and provided with a retaining means that is movable, under abnormal pressure, in the direction of reaction.

5. The combination with a driving member and a driven member, of a spring eleinent held in operative position on the driving member by a frictionally-held member. 6. The combination with rotatable driving and driven members, of a cylinder disposed tangentially of one of said members,

a yielding element supported in the cylinder in position to serve as a driving means, and a ring in press-fitted relation to the cylinder for retaining the yielding element in operative position.

7. The combination with rotatable driving and driven members, of a driving element interposed therebetween consisting of a spring, a spring housing, a slidablespring 15 seat and a bushing press-fitted to the housmember for retaining the seats in operative position. v

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 21st day of October,

GEORGE M. EATON,

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