US1981980A - Buffer - Google Patents

Description

' BUFFERA Filed o'ct. 4, 1930 1N VENTOR A TTQRNE Y;

Patented, Nov'. 21, l1934.

norma George 1I. Zouck, Orange, N. J., assigner to Franklin Railway Supply Company, New York. N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application october 4, 19st, swarm, 486,298

z claim.; (o1. 21a-221) This invention relates 'to buffers and particu--` larly to buffers for use between railway vehicles, for example between locomotives and their tenders. s g

One of the primary objects of my invention is the provision of a buffer construction which is simple, compact and effective.

A more specic object resides in the provision of a buifer device for railway vehicles of such lo construction that it will occupy considerably less space in width than known buffers of the same general type. x l

A further object resides in the'provision of a buffer device of the type employing spring urged l5 buffer sustaining wedges in which the buffer element, the sustaining wedges' and the spring means arein whatV may be termed nested arrangement whereby a very compact buier device is provided.

'20 Another object resides in the provision of means, in abuifer device of -the character described, adapted to facilitate assembling of the devicev and coupling of the vehicles.

Still another object is to provide means for taking up wear in thevdevice.

How the foregoing, together with. such other objects and advantages, as may hereinafter appear, orare incident to my invention, are realized is illustrated in preferred form inthe accom.

- panying drawing. wherein- Fig. A1 is an elevational view 'of the adjacent end portions of two railway vehicles, such as a locomotive and its tender, illustrating my invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of my improved buil'er construction with a fragment of the frame of the tender shown in section as taken on the line 2- 2ofFig.1. g Y Fig 3 is a longitudinal section through the device taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2 and Fig; 4 is a fragmentary plan view similar to Fig. 2 but illustrating a modication of the invention.- A s In the drawing the adjacent end portions of the tender and locomotive frames are indicated at 5 and 6 respectively.v A draw bar 'l of usual forni is employed the ends of which are secured -in the pockets 8 and 9 by means of coupling pins 10 and 11.

v The'locomotive framecarries a buifer 12 and the tender frame is provided with a buffer pocket 13 in which the tender buer 14 is located. A chaflng block 15 oatinglymounted on the locomotive buffer 12 is located between the tender and locomotive buffers, which buifers are respectively provided with cylindrical and spherical surfaces 16 and 17. v'1"he chang block 15 'is provided with 'corresponding surfaces 1 8 and 19 andjis free to shift laterally in operation.

i The tender buffer 14 is yieldingly 'sustained by means of a pair of sustaining wedges 20 and 21 nested in or carried by the "buffer, i. e., the wedges are icated in thebuiIer 14 between the top and bottom plate- like portions 22 and 23 forming an open ended'and open sided pocket in the buffer.

The wedges 20 and 21 are automatically movable transversely of the vfore andaft line of thrust by yieldable means in this instance shown in the form of compression springs 24 and 25,4

one located within the other. The buffer 14 is provided with rear faces 27 and 28 which are oppositely inclined inward and frontwardv (speaking with reference to the acting face 16 ofthebuffer) The front face of the wedge 20 is inclined to coact with the face 27 of the buffer and the front face of the' wedge 21 is inclined to coact with the other face 28 of the buffer. Stated in another way the. b uifer 14 is provided with a v-shaped cavity, with the. inclined faces 27 and 28 of which the front inclined faces of the wedges 20 and 21 coact.'

The rear faces 29 and 30 of the wedgesengage the end face 3l of the pocket 13 and the wedges are of such Width that a space 32 is provided between their adjacent side faces and spaces 33 between their opposed side faces and the sidefaces or walls of the pocket so that they are free to move laterally`a suillcient distance to act in thek manner hereinafter described.

The compression springsv 24 and 25 are located between the wedges 20 and 21 for which purpose the wedges are provided with pockets facing each' other. Thus the springs are nested or confined in the wedgesand normally tend to urge the wedges apart which, in turn, causes the wedges to act on the inclined faces of the buffer 14 to move it outward and automaticallyJ press it against the chafing block 15, and the chaiing block against the buffer 12, thus taking up all looseness in the draw bar coupling between the locomotive and tender or other adjacent vehicles with which the device is being employed. The device minimizes shocks on the drawbar in starting, and' acts as a cushioningv device under conditions where the vehicles are thrown forcibly toward one another, In order to prevent the buffer 14 from being displaced'from the pocket' 13 when the vehicles are uncoupled, I employ a removable pin 34 extending through elongated openings 35 in the buffer and through holes in the top and bottom walls of the pocket 13.

A headed bolt 36 extends through holes in eachwedge with the head engaging' one of the wedges as at 37. The other end of the bolt carries a nut 38, and a collar 39 adapted to be engaged with the other wedge. In applying the buifer'the nut 38 is screwed up until the collar 39 engages the wedge 21 and then by continuing to screw up the nut, the springs 24 and 25 are compressed, thus removing the pressure from the buffer block (see Fig. 2). When the vehicles have been coupled together, for example by the draw bar 7 and pins 10 and 11, the nut 38 is screwed back against a cotter pin 40, as indicated in dot and dash lines in Fig. 2, and the expansion of the springs causes the wedges to separate and force the buffer block into normal position.

As wear vtakes place the wedges gradually separate more and more until finally the collar 39 engages the nut 38 and unless provision is made to the contrary, new edges or a new buffer would have to be employed according to where the wear took place. I propose to continue using the same parts even after wear develops to such a point by employing shims 41 y .between the face 3 1 of the pocket 13 and the rear faces 29 and`30 of the wedges. To apply these shims the nut 38 is screwed up until the groove 42 in the collar 39 comes in line with the outside edge of the buffer pocket 13. When the springs have been thus compressed the shims may be readily inserted in place through elongated openings 43 in the side walls of the buffer pocket. The bottom 44 of these openings is located somewhat above the bottom of the pocket to provide an abutment preventing unintentional displacement of the shims.

When the springs are again released by moving the nut 38 to its outermost position, the Wedges again act as above described, although they have moved forward an amount equal to the thickness of the shims. An elongated opening 45 is provided in the end wall of the pocket 13 topermit such movement.

From the Fforegoing it will be seen that I have provided a very simple, compact, and effective buffer' construction in which the parts are nested together, so to speak, in a manner that the sustaining wedges and springs lie within the Width of the buier, and this without making it necessary to employ a wide buffer.` Furthermore, the novel form and arrangement of the Wedges enables me to employ the same spring means for both wedges. Although I have shown two springs, one within the other, I may in some instances employ one spring only. My invention is particularly advantageous where space limitations are such that the buffer device must be of the least possible width. Furthermore, the arrangement is such that the parts are protected from the action of the elements and the entire buffer blockI with its wedges and spring means may be housed in a buffer pocket of small dimensions; In this connection it is pointed out that the vhousing of the spring means within the wedges themselves makes it possible to greatly reduce the overall width of devices of this character.

While I have illustrated the buier 14 as cornposedof a single member it is to be understood that I also contemplate employing multipart .buffers I claim:

1. BulTer mechanism for use between an engine and its tender interconnected by a draw-bar, said mechanism including a buffer pocket mounted on one of the vehicles, the pocket having a base normally Xed or rigid with respect to the vehicle on which it is mounted and further having an openf ing presented toward the other vehicle, a bufling member between the vehicles mounted in said pocket with a'portion thereof projecting through said opening with freedom to react against the opposite vehicle, and means for yieldingly advancing `said buning member to bear against said opposite vehicle so as to place the draw-bar under tension, said means including a pair of wedge devices interposed between the bufling member and said base and adapted to move towardand away from each other transversely of the vehicles, the said devices having wedge surfaces cooperating with the buflng member and with said base, the wedge surfaces of said devices being so angled as to advance the hurling member when the wedge devices are moved away from each other, resilient means housed Within the wedge devices and therefore also within the lpocket and reacting between the Wedge devices to maintain the drawbar under tension, and a normally inoperative bolt structure extended transversely of the vehicles through said wedge devices providing for compression of the resilient means for purposes of assembly, disassembly, adjustment and thev like, a side wall of the pocket being apertured in' line with the bolt structure and the bolt strucl and uncoupling of the draw-bar.

2.`Buier mechanism for use between an engine and 'its tender interconnected by a draw-bar, said mechanism including a buffer pocket mounted on one of the vehicles, the pocket having a substantially ilat base lying in a plane extended generally transverse the vehicles, which base is normally fixed or rigid with respect to the vehicle on which it is mounted, and the pocket further having an openingV presented toward the other vehicle, a bufling member between the vehicles mounted in said pocket with a portion thereof projecting through said opening with freedom to react against the opposite vehicle, and meansfor yieldingly advancing said bufng member to bear against said opposite vehicle so as to place the draw-bar under tension, said means including a pair of wedge devices interposed between the buffing member and said base and adapted to move toward and away fromeach other transversely of the vehicles, the said devices having `wedge surfaces cooperating with the buing member and with said base, the wedge surfaces lof said devices'being so angled as to advance the bufling'member when the wedge devices are moved away fromeach other, resilient means housed within the Wedge devices and therefore also Within the pocket and reacting between the wedge devicesI to maintain the drawbar under tension, a. side wall of the pocket being apertured at a point adjacent said flat base necessitating uncoupling of the draw-bar or disassembly of the bu'er.

GEORGE H. ZOUCK.

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