US1875704A - Draft gear - Google Patents

Description

P 1932- F. s. CHEATHAM 1,375,704

DRAFT GEAR Filed June 19, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l 3 I: f w 231% W TOR PER 4 Ava/V14 4 ATTORNEYS Scpt. 6,1932.

F. S. CHEATHAM DRAFT GEAR Filed June 19, 1.929

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 in draft gears for railway cars of the class gear has been activated. Y

Patented Sept. 6, 1932 FRANK s. CHEATHAM; OF SAVANNAHQ'GEORGIA Application filed n 19,

This invention relates to improvements utilizing springs and bearing-shoes and an expandlng mechanlsm for thebearlngshoes acting on buiiirig or pulling to eife ct frictional and spring resistance], wherein wedgeshaped friction blocks coact to form the expanding mechanism as more fullyhereinafter set forth- 1 The particular objects in View are to provide, in'a gear'of'this typeymeans fordistending the bearing-shoes and compressing resistance springs thereto" connected "with variable pressure proportional to thestrain, utilizing a pair of wedge-shaped frictionblocks to distend the bearing-shoes and-effect compression of the resistance springs,-and

simultaneously imparting, by ,means 'of the coacting," overlapping; wedgeshaped friction-blocks, the surplus energy to oneend of the gear when and afterth'e other endof the In the drawings annexedposition and the gear beinghalfin'full and half in section; the section being taken through the longitudinal center-lineof the 'ear- 1 b Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the" gear as assembled,similarlyshowing half in full and half in section, the section being taken through the vertical center line'o'fthe gear; Fig. 3 is aside elevation, showing half in full and half in seotiorifthe section being taken through the vertical center line of the gear; v Figs. 4, 5 and 6 areviews of one of the double web members; a p 3 Figs. 7, 8 and 9-are views of the other doublewebmember; 1 "Figs. 10, 11 and 12 are views of one ofQthe shoes3; p

Figs. 13 and 14: are views of-"thecap or socket for holding spring 8; A

Figs. 15 and 16 are views ofone ys; H

Figs. 17 and 18 are views of one of the antifriction rollers for the shoes 3;

of I the work against apair of shoes 3, enclosed in Fig." 22 is a group view. ofJthe' springs 8 and 9.

" Referring to the drawings] by reference-= numerals, 1 indicates a bifurcated double wedge-shaped friction-block having a tongue 1 whereby it may' be connected to a car-coupler, either'directly or through intermediate means; A double wedge-shaped 00 g friction-block 2 works in the bifurcation or 'longitudinal'slotiof the friction-bl'ock land is connectedby suitable meansto' the other carcoupler. Each of theffriction blocks"l and 2is provided with a pair of longitudinal 05 slots 1 and 2 respectively, corresponding slots of the said'friction-blocks being oppomal position.

site one another whenthergear is in its nor- The wedge-shaped friction blocks 1 and'2 U housings 4,'whose movement is facilitatedby a means of rollers 5. The housings 4 are atfixed to the car-sills 4 by rivets 4 or otherwise. The outward movement of the shoes 3 is opposed by springs 9 that tend to restore all the parts of the gear to normal position. The longitudinal slots 1 and.2? ofthe friction-bloclis 1i and 2 respectively,'are connected by a pair ofkeys 6. ;Any a ction io nathe '30 part of the said'keys is opposed springs 8, retained by a pair ofspring-rests- 7 tened to the extremities'of the keys 6;

i The operation of thegear is as follows.

When a blow is delivered'to the gear on L3 any intermediate car of a train by means of tongue l 'to'the wedge-shaped frictionblock 1, the action of the latter forces 'apartfthe shoes 3 against the action lof the springs 9 causingsho es 3 to act simultaneously against '95 rollers 5 and thus againstsides ofhousings 4 in'the momentum direction. Thefforce.

that each car accepts from the original force isthus 'divided'into two components, first, a

lateral component to stabilize resistance and, 5

second, a longitudinal component tO create momentum. The keys 6" have their ends projecting throughslots in the usualsills of the car. It is optional whethe'ror not these keys shall-abut the ends of these" slots yin the slots.

'verse direction, as is obvious when either of L the wedge members is pulled. It will be ob Fig. 1 they are shown in abutting relation with the ends of the slots. WVhen the keys thus abut the ends of the slots it will be seen that when either wedge block 1 or 2 is pushed the near key 6 will be immediately unseated from slots in the center sills but the far key will not be unseated until the resistance of the adjacent car causes it to be unseated, i. e., forced toward the other key; but this unseating of the far key will be almost instantaneous as it will take but a fraction of alsecond to bring into action the resistance necessary to unseat it. When the two keys are thus unseated from the center sills by compression of the springs 8 the keys Virtually float in The action is the samein the reserved therefore that the spirit of my idea is that with respect to all the cars in train the force from one car to the other be conveyed from one draw-bar to the other via the continuous coupler stems and not through c the center sills of the car. And it will be observed further'that whether the action be a pushing action or a pulling action all four springs 9 will be brought into action by reason. of the v wedging action which the wedge members exert on their shoes 3; and

it will be further observed that when, both bars 1 and 2 are under a push or pull action, fourof the wedge faces on the wedges will always be in wedging contact with their companion inclined faces of each of the shoes 3, thus maintaining parallelism of the shoes 3 and compressing'all four springs?) equally. In the case of only one car being buffed or the car at the ends of a train, the action will ceived at the coupler is instantly conveyed in full force to the gear via the coupler stems 1 and 2% The gear immediately. is in action, giving to the car the necessary force to move 7 it, takinga'portion of the blow through its .bothbufiing and pullingblows, the essential springs-and: transmitting the surplus to the other coupler. If both of the couplers are activated atabout the same time, all the abutting force, it is likewise applicable to a draft action, for in a buffing action the force is against the near key, but in a pull the energy is exerted on the far key. The whole gear action, as far as results are concerned, is exactly the same, with the same capacity n and only difference existing in the action of s-the wedge-shaped friction- blocks 1 and 2 .which act in opposite longitudinal directions with the difference in blows. It will be un derand that the invention can be to pull out of the rigidly-anchored casing f even though the springs 9 be compressed to the, limit, so that each car will be moved by the-force applied to its sills by its own draftgear.

In accordance with the provisions of the of, but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus disclosed is only illustrative carried out by other means. 7

What I claim as new is:

1. In a draft gear, the combination of a casing affixed, to the car-structure, a pair of v oppositely-movable double wedges, onebeing I bifurcated to. receive the other to thus'cause them tooverlap each other and to have their to a draw-bar ofthe car, and springspressed double-wedge friction blocks normally pressing againstall the adjacent inclined, facesof both said wedge members and having theirends in-abutting relation with said casing,

key means extending through elongated slots in both wedge members, said key means being extended laterally beyond the wedge members and having compressible springs arranged, between their respective ends.

2. In a draft'gear, the combination of a casing affixed tothe car-structure, a pairof oppositely-movable draw-bars having their ends extending into said casing from opposite ends and overlapped, said overlapped ends having theiropposite faces shaped to form double wedges, the inclined faces of'which are co-incident, saidoverlapped portions being provided with 'co-Iin'cident slots, keys extending through said co-incident slots and springs interpositioned' between these keys to normally press the keys toward the opposite ends of'said slots, two pressure shoes, one arranged at each side of said overlapped wedge members and each having four inclined surfaces normally engaging the four adjacent inclinedsurfaces of both" wedge members, the ends of said shoes abutting the 'end-walls-of the casing, and springs forcing 1 said shoes against said wedge members.

In: testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature. v

- FRANK SJGHEATHAM.

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