US1432536A - Draft rigging - Google Patents

Description

. COOK DRAFT RIGGING APPLICATION HLED luLY 5 Patented f Oct. 37,

@men/wz l Patented @et il?, i922..

U irl iii BERNARD oook, or

y DRAFT Application filed July 5,

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BERNARD Cook, a citizen of the United States, residing at Roanoke, in the county of Roanoke and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft Rigging; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull,

clear, land eXact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Theinvention relates to draft rigging for railway cars, and more particularly yto a method and means whereby the lost motion between the various parts of the draft rigging mechanism, caused/by the tremendous shocks and blows of service, may be'taken up without modification or reconstruction or renewal of the movable parts of the draft rigging.

One of the principal objects of my invention, broadly statec, is to provide means easily attachable to the draft rigging mechanism for eliminating lostmotion. To this end, that portion of the invention comprises a shim, block or plate which may be interposed between two relatively movable parts of the draft rigging, whereby the lost motion between the said parts is removed, the said shim, block or plate being so constructed as to be readily attachable to the draft rigging and of simple construction and inexpensive to manufacture. The other portion` of my invention has for its object to follow such a procedure or method intaking up lost motion as will give good results when done by the ordinary. car repair man without expert draft gear knowledge, and as will also be quickly and easily accomlished and will give a complete restoration of the worn parts.

efore describing my invention in connection with the specific embodiment thereof which has been selected for the purpose of illustration, attention is called to the effect lost motion has on the efficiency of draft rigging. Owing to the construction of railway cars and the necessity of limiting the separation between two cars of a train, the longitudinal movement of the .couplers in either direction from normal has been limited to approximately three inches as a maximum. Within this limited movement all draft.` riggings must and are de- ROANOKE, VIRGINA.

RIGGING.

1918. Serial N0. 243,373.

signed, so as to developtheir maximum capacities, hence lost motion in any one of the parts of the draft rigging mechanism whereby a portion of the movement of the coupler unresisted reduces the capacity of the draft rigging. And not only is the capacity of the frictioning mechanism reduced by lost motion between the parts, but the lost motion between the partsv permits the parts to move so as to produce therebetween a slap or hammer blow which causes rapid deterioration m the metal and results in frequent failureV of the parts with disastrous results to the cars.

In the drawings,

Figure l is a view partially in longitudinal section and partially in side elevation illustrating the invention applied to a draft rigging. v

Figure 2 is a view showing in side and f ront elevation a shim designed for application to a coupler, and

Figure 3 is a view showing in side and front elevation a shim designed for insertion between the yoke and a stationary part of the car framing.

Throughout the specification and drawing like partsare designated alike.

Referring now to the disclosure, l designates one of the car center or draft sills, 2 the end framing, 3 the lioor oi' cover plate, and -l vthe angle plate which serves to connect the end framing and the said cover plate.

The coupler 5 is connected to the yoke 6 by means of transversely extendingkeyT 7. interposed between the rear end of the coupler and the closed 'end of the yoke is the cushioning mechanism or draft gear proper, which may comprise a front follower 8, a rear follower 9, and a combined friction and spring mechanism 10. In the drawings there is illustrated a well known type of friction mechanism whichA comprises a plurality of wedging friction blocks 1l and '1.2, a wedging ring 13, and a spring casing 141. It is here pointed out that thc particular form of cushioning mechanism does not form a part of the novel arrangement and hence the invention is not limited to this or any other particular type of cushioning mechanism.

To maintain the cushioning mechanism in 'position between the arms of the yoke 7 and in alinement with vthe coupler and the back stop 15, there may be provided a pair of transversely disposed tie straps or draft gear supporting members 1G aiid17, respectively.

Stops siich'as 28, are riveted tothe facesof* the center sills 1 to form a pocket between these stops and the backstop for the draft gear, the front follower 8 seating against these stops 23. While the rearei'id' block preferably comprises an angleshaped member one `flange of which is. adapted to contactwith' the rear face of the coupler,` and the .otheri flange of which is 'adapted to underlie thecoupler and to contact with'the lower face thereof. To maintain the shim block in position the lower flange thereof may be per-.

forated, as shown at 19, anda bolt, such as 19 is passed through one of the rivet openings in the coupler and through the perforationsl 19 in the said shim. rlhis shim or block compensates for lost Amotion between the key and the couplerand yoke which may be caused by elongation of the key slot in either of these members. This is a! very common defect in draft rigging, and unlessvcorrected causes a rapid deterioration of the draft riggings due to the slap or hammer blows hereinbefore mentioned.

In order to compensate for thelost motion betweenn the yoke andthe back stop .'15, there is provided a shim block'20, whiclialso may comprise an angle plate, the rightl'lange of which is 'adapted to be inserted between the said,.yoke and backstop; The horizontally disposed Harige being adapted to underlie the lowerfaceof the rear tie strap 17 and to be connected thereto by the rivets 21which may, for convenience, be countersunk'iii the said plate 17; The upper end of the shimQO is preferably provided-with a tapered prtion 22 so that the saine may be driven into place.

It is to be understood that while' the drawings illustrate a draft rigging having a shim applied to the coupler anda shiin also applied between the backstop and yoke that the invention is not limited to' this double application, since the application of a shim block such yas disclosed and described in either of the locations may compensate for all lost motion which the particular draft gear has developed.

In lining-up draftvriggijngs the first step is to pull the coupler 5 forward until the key is in contact with the rear of the slotin' the coupler and with the front of the slots in the yoke; also untiltlie yoke is in contact with the rear of Vfollower 9 and until the draft gear and front follower 8 are all drawn up without lost motion against the front stop 23. The liner 18 of the proper thickness is then inserted between vthe butt of the coupler and the drafty gear or front follower and "another liner 20 is inserted between the yoke on the rear o'f the 'draft gear and the rear limiting stop 15. This method takes up in a prac- 'tica'l'manner all of the slack and can be followed by unskilled workmen and without removingV the gear or the main parts of the attachments.

Having now fullyy described my iiiventioin although it is to be' understoodth'at the terms employed are to' bel taken in theiidescrip! tive andnot tlieir limiting'sense, since what Iclaimaiid desire to secure by LettersPat ent is: 'y Y V1.A In a draft rigging the combination with acoulei1 a oke 'of cusl'iioninc'vniechan'isiiii including affollower seated within the said yoke, `a transversely disposed key'connecting said yoke and coupler, and means for .taking up los'tmotioii betweensadyoke antdcoupier', saidfineansI comprising a member coir nect'ed tofthe said coupler and inovabletheres;

with and inseif'te'ld betw'eeiisaid coupler and the Y'said follower.l

vf2. In a draft rigging a shii'n'for takii'i'g 'up lost motion, said Vshim "comprising an angle plate one flange of which'ser'ves as -means for connecting the said shim to a draft riggifiigv and 'the other flange bein-g" irisertible between tworelatively movable parts of the said" draftv rigging.

3. In adraft rigging, a coupler, a yoke, aV key connectingtthe same, a'cushioning niecl'ii' ani sm within the yoke and to the rear ofthe coupler, 'and means for "compensating ,hir

wear between the key'a'nd" the yoke and'coul' pler, saidmeansfbe'ing interposed 'between' the coupler and cushioning mechanism, and" adaptedto normallycontact'both of said' elements.l

4. The mailed efeompgnsaiiigrer10st motionA in the draft riggingofra'ilway carsv of the type `wherein "the 'coupler' abut's'fthe draft gear and the latter'is lc'ontaiiied within a pocket having front and rear limiting stops and in which a pulling yoke connects the "c`ou` pler and draft gear, the samelconsistiiig of drawing the coupler ahead tol'th'e pointat iio izo

ofthe =type''wherein' the couplera'buts' the draft gear and the latter is contained within a pocket having yfront and rear-"limiting stops and iii which a pulling yoke'surrounds the draft gear and'is key connected to the coupler, the same consisting of drawing the coupler ahead until the key is in Contact with the coupler and the yoke and until the yoke is in Contact with the gear and the gear in turn with the front limiting Stops, then applying a liner of suitable thickness between the rear end of the coupler and the draft gear to fill up the space therebetween, and then lining the front face of the rear limiting stop an amount sufficient to bring the draft gear 10 into Contact.

In testimony whereoI I aiiX my signature.

BERNARD oooK.

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