US1431707A

US1431707A - Metal car diaphragm and faceplate safety guard

Info

Publication number: US1431707A
Application number: US354474A
Authority: US
Inventors: John J Tatum
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1920-01-27
Filing date: 1920-01-27
Publication date: 1922-10-10
Anticipated expiration: 1939-10-10

Description

J. J. TATUM.

METAL GAR DIAPHRAGM AND FACEPLATE SAFETY GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 27,1920.

Patent-ed Oct. 10, 1922.

w vtnaooeo Patented that, lltl, llflEZu i JQI-IN J. rarer/r, or anrrrvroan, MARYLAND.

METAL GAR DIAPHRAGM AND FAGEPLATE SAFETY GUARD.

App1ication filed January 27,1920. Serial No. 354,474.

i To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that Lslonrr JQTATUM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improve- *ments in Metal Car Diaphragms and Faceplate Safety Guards, of which the following is a specification.

In all first class equipment of railroad cars for passenger service, when operating in Y trains of a plurality of cars, it is customary to enclose the communicating passages between the cars in order that passengers may be safeguarded from falling from the platforms or between the cars and also be protected from inclement weather; It is'necessary that the enclosing means he made adjustable to provide forall'service movements between two cars including the angular dis- 1 placement due to carsrounding curves, es pecially the sharp curves at terminals; it is also necessary that the covering be extensible and contractible to conform tothe compression of extension of the usual spring connected coupling attachments of the car.

In practice it has been found that the diaphragm face plates of two adjacent diaphragms move transversely relatively to each other to such an extent that there is an unprotectedspace or openingbetween their verticalside edges, through which the arm or other portion of the passengefis body may be projected if a passenger happens to lose his balance, due to the lurching of the cars,

on curves as he is passing through the passageway' between two cars. Accidents of this character have happened which resulted in crippling the passenger andin damage suits against the railroad. company.

to One of the objects of my invention is to a provide a faceplate safety guard of such character that it may be applied to the pre ent equipment now in use and save the enormous expense of replacement and loss of the at present equipment. i

A further object of my invention to provide a metallic car diaphragm which is practical] y indestructible, which, although made of comparatively unyielding material, pro

to rides efficiently for all movement of parts to permit of all service movements around curves and the coupler movements; and with these and other objects in view my invention consists of the parts and combination of th parts as will be hereinafter pointed out.

In the drawing:

F'gure 1 is a horizontal section of a car and its diaphragm on a plane above the floor of the car.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the action of the face plate safety guard.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail view, in section, of the vestibule platform post, face plate, face plate safety guard and diaphragm.

Figure 4t is an embodiment of my improved face plate safety guard applied to the face plate of the fabric diaphragm now in use on many cars.

.Figure 5 is a detail sectional view of another embodiment of my invention.

The reference numeral 1 designates a car of any desired construction, provided with the vestibule platform posts 2,.and 3, and with the usual buffer plate 1 connected to any suitable buffer, not shown. plates 5 are secured to the buffer plate and extend upwardly therefrom and are of th usual construction. I

A housing 6, substantially U shaped, in cross section is provided with

flanges

7 and 8, the flange 8 being secured, by rivets, 9 or the like, to the'vestibule platform posts. This housing is constructed to receive the diaphragm rocker and slip plate 10, the in ner edge of which is bent with a return bend which assures the centering of the diaphragm in the housing and an efiicient rocking and slip joint between the housing and, diaphragm. The outer edge of the diaphragm rocker and slip plate 10 is formed with an open return bend or hook 11.

The face plate is provided With my improved safety guard 12 and secured thereto by means of rivets, 13, or the like. This safety guard 12 is provided with a return l'ent open hook 14 which is adapted. to

loosely engage the hook 11 of the diaphragm 10 and has slip and rocker movement therewith. whereby the diaphragm may adapt itself to all service movements of the car without imposing a strain upon its asso- .ciated parts. i

The faceplate safety guard 12 extends a material distance beyond the outer vertical edge of the face plate, as indicated at 15 and terminates in a rearwardly extend- The face ing flange 16. The flange 16 is not vitally essential to the eflective operation of my guard, but by employing it I am enabled to use metal of a lighter gage, as the l'lange it) acts as a rigidifying member for the light gage metal, and 1 am thereby enabled to materially reduce the weight of the car. In using a much heavier gage of metal the guard would be a flat plate as shown at 15 in Figure 5.

In the bulling and draft movements between two adjacent cars the diaphragi rocker and slide plate 10 moves backward and forward in the housing {5 as will be readily understood from the drawin; i;, and the loose hook engagement between the diaphragm rocker and slide plate and the face plate safety guard will accommoijlate all angular service mmements between adjacent ends of two coupled cars.

Many curves, especially those at terminals, on railroads are Very abrupt or sharp and on such curves the angular movements be tween the ends of adjacent cars is considerable, in fact it is so great that the face plates 5 move transversely a comparatively wide distance apart thereby leaving; unobstructed open spaces between them as diagrammati cally shown in Figure 2, and if passengers are passing through the vestibule at such a time and the cars lurch the passenger is likely to be thrown to one side and his arm or other part of his body projected through the opening between the edges of the face plates, and if the face plates quickly return to their normal position before the passenger can extract himself he will be caught between the edges of the face plate and injured or killed. Such accidents are happening and result in damage suits against the railroads, all of which is eliminated by the fact that my improved safe ty guard projects beyond the outer edge of the faceplate 5 and in, or substantially in the same plane as the rubbing face of the face plate.

The portion 15 of the safety guard projects from the outer edge of the face plate a distance equal to "the ascertained abnormal angular movement of the car under all service conditions, hence, there is never, at any time, an o 3911. space between the edges of two adjacent face plates.

If it is desired to use the face plates of the fabric diaphragms in use with my improved safety guard, it is not necessary to have the hook 1&1; as the guard 1;? shown in Figures 4L and 5 may be riveted to the face plate. By this means it is not necessary to throw away the many thousani'ls of vestibule face plates now in use in order to provide a guard between. them andthe safety guard embodying my invention may be made of com nirutirely ligrht rage metal. thus. in applying my gruards die weight of the car is not appreciably increased.

The gruard is oll'set at 18 so that lhc inner portion may be riveted to the rear face of the face plates 5, while the portion l5 may be in the same plane the rubbing face of the plate 5.

Changes may be made within the scope of my claims in the details of constriiction.

What I. claim is:

l. In a vestibule for cars. a face plate, a sheet metal strip secured to the face plate and projecting beyond the outer ediyc of the face plate and functioning as a safety guard, an upset rigidifying member on the outer edge of the metal strip.

2. In a vestibule for cars. a. 'l'aJe plate, a sheet m tal strip secured to the face plate and projecting beyond the outer edge of the face plate and f1mctioning as a safety guard, and a flange formed on the outer ed re of the metal strip.

3. in a vestibule for cars, a face plate, and a safety guard secured to the face plate with one side portion thereof extending beyond the outer edge of the face plate. and a hinge member formed on the other side portion of said guard.

in a vestibule for cars, a face plate, a sheet metal strip secured to the face plate and projecting beyond the outer edge of the face plate and functioning as a safety guard, and a hinge member formed at the inner edge portion of the metal strip.

5. In a vestibule for cars, a face plate. a sheet metal strip secured to the inner face oi the face plate and projmlinp nuiterially beyond the outer edge of the face plate and functioning as a safety guard, a rigidifying llan g'e on the outer edge of the metal strip, and a return bend formed on the inner edge of said metal strip and 'lunclioning as a hinge member, a diaphragm rocker plate hinged to the hinge member of said metal strip, and a pocket for the diaphragm rocker, within which the rocker is free to rock and telescope.

(5. In a vestibule for cars, a face plate, a metal plate secured to and projecting materially beyond the outer edge of the face plate, and functioning as a. safety guard. and a diaphragm extending from the inner edge portion. of said metal plate and solely carried thereby, and adapted to telescope in a pocket on an adjacent car.

In testimony whereof I allix my signature.

JOHN J. TATUM