US2307409A - Draft connection - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 5, 1943. E. P. KINNE ET AL 2,307,409

DRAFT CONNECTION Original Filed March 23, 1939 INVENTORS. Edmund P]ZL7Z7Z@,

BY Frank H V cyZc /IZ Patented Jan. 5, 1943 DRAFT CONNECTION Edmund P. Kinne and Frank H. Kayler, Alliance, Ohio, assignors to American Steel Foundries, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of New Jersey Original application March 23, 1939, Serial No. 263,616. Divided and this application March 15,

1941, Serial No. 383,518

'7 Claims.

Our invention relates to draft rigging for railway cars and more particularly to a novel connection between a yoke and associated parts such as a coupler and draft gear and is divided out of our co-pending application Serial No. 263,616, entitled Draft connections, and filed in the United States Patent Ofiice March 23, 1939.

In the development of modern passenger equipment it has been found desirable to eliminate all free slack in the connections between cars, Couplers, now commonly designated tight lock couplers and controlled slack couplers, have been developed for this purpose and such couplers eliminate all free slack in the contour of the mated coupler heads.

In the elimination of free slack between cars, it is just as important that the connections between the coupler shank and the draft arrangement or between the draft arrangement and the car sills be free of slack in order to accomplish the desired results.

A number of devices have been developed to and the coupler, and experience has demonstrated that these devices are either too heavy and unwieldy or too expensive for practical operation. None of these devices have provided for closing all free slack between the draft connection and the car sills. In order to-do this, it is necessary to have an adjustable length of the gear pocket in the yoke in order that it may conform to the length of the enclosed gear and the space afforded between the car sills.

An object of our invention is to provide a draft connection for a railway car which will overcome the above disadvantages and provide an arrangement affording an entirely slack free connection.

Our invention contemplates an arrangement I which is adjustable and affords the possibility of adapting the length of the gear pocket to accommodate manufacturing variations in gear lengths, and, likewise, to accommodate the manufacturing tolerances which must be provided in all parts.

A further object of our invention is a novel form of arrangement between a coupler shank and a yoke therefor which will afford at all times a tight engagement between the yoke, the coupler shank and the associated draft gear.

Our invention comprehends a novel device which may be mounted at the rear of the draft gear pocket in a yoke and which includes a wedge movable along spaced diagonal surfaces on the yoke to vary the length of the pocket. Our invention also includes means for guiding the wedge member during adjustment.

Whereas, under present standard arrangements, the various manufacturing tolerances permitted may, and sometimes do, result in assembled conditions varying from a considerable increase in slack over that desired to a condition of actual interference, sometimes resulting in initial compression of the draft gear, our arrangement permits adjustments of the gear pocket length in the draft connection to the same length as that of the gear pocket in the car regardless of manufacturing tolerances.

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a yoke embodying our invention, partly in section, the section being taken substantially in the ver tical plane bisecting the device longitudinally as indicated by the line l-I of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view, partly in section, of the structure shown in Figure l, the section being taken substantially in the horizontal plane indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view corresponding in general to Figure 1 but showing the parts arranged in of channel shape as best seen from the View Y of Figure 2, said end portion comprising the side walls 5 and I and the web of said channel forming the sloping wall l0 offset adjacent the middle thereof as at l2, said sloping wall presenting on its forward face a plurality of offset wedge surfaces indicated respectively at M and i6. An-

adjusting wedge block I8 is assembled into the rear end of the yoke, the said wedge block having the rear wedge faces 20 and 22 for engagement with the before-mentioned surfaces l4 and IS. The adjusting wedge I8 is retained in position by engagement of the top interlocking lugs 24, 24 in the sloping grooves 26, 26 which are formed in the side walls of the yoke and which are defined by the ribs 50, 50, and by the bottom interlocking lugs 28, 28 engaging in similar grooves 30 in the side walls of the yoke, as well as by the nonthreaded upper end 32 of the adjusting screw 34, said screw having threaded engagement as at 36 in the bottom wall or strap 6. The upper unthreaded portion of the screw 34 extends into the accommodating opening 38 in the bottom of the adjusting wedge block 58 whereby said adjusting screw 34 may be moved up or down by the threaded engagement at 36 to adjust the position of the wedge block l8.

The adjusting screw 34 is secured in any desired position by means of the heavy wire 40 which is threaded through the opening 42 at the bottom of said screw and extended through the opening 44 in the rib 46 formed on the bottom wall of the yoke. The opening 42 serves as a means for insertion of a rod to turn the adjusting screw, and the rib 46 also forms a protection preventing marring of the adjusting screw 34.

Along the forward edges of the wedge block l8 are formed the vertical flanges or ribs 48 affording increased bearing area for abutment with the associated draft gear.

The adjusting wedge block [8 is shown in detail in Figures 4 to 6 inclusive. It may be noted that the wedge surfaces 20 and 22 are offset adjacent each other as at 52 thus accommodating the offset l2 in the wall they abut.

Rotation of the adjusting screw 34 is operative to move the wedge block upwardly or to permit it to move downwardly under the force of gravity as desired and the manner in which the movement of the wedge block operates to reduce the length of the gear pocket 9 is made clear by a comparison of the views of Figures 1 and 3, Figure 1 showing the wedge block i8 seated in its lowermost position and Figure 3 showing it seated in its uppermost position. In the lowermost position the adjusting block it is seated on the bottom wall or strap 6 whereas in its uppermost position it abuts the top wall or strap 4.

It is to be understood that we do not wish to be limited by the exact embodiment of the device shown which is merely by way of illustration and not limitation as various and other forms of the device will, of course, be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

We claim:

1. In a draft connection, a yoke having a draft gear pocket with a wall presenting spaced diagonal surfaces, spaced side walls and an end wedge defining one end of said pocket and presenting diagonal faces for complementary engagement with said surfaces, a socket in said wedge, screw actuating means on said yoke having an end seated in said socket whereby the length of said gear pocket may be varied, slots in said side walls and guiding means on said wedge comprising spaced lugs at each side thereof in engagement with respective slots.

2. In a draft connection, a yoke having a draft gear pocket with a diagonal wall offset adjacent to its middle portion and with spaced side walls, a wedge member with a face defining one end of said pocket and spaced surfaces in complementary engagement with said wall, operable beers in engagement with the other thereof for varying the length of said pocket, and guide means comprising spaced projecting means on each side of one of said members in engagement :with recessed means in the sides of the other member.

4. In a draft connection, a yoke having a draft gear pocket defined by spaced side walls and a diagonal end wall, a wedge member defining an end of the pocket and in complemetary engagement with said end wall, means on said yoke engaged with said wedge member for moving said member against said wall, whereby the length of said pocket may be varied, slots in said side walls, and guide means on the wedge member comprising spaced lugs at each side thereof in engagement with respective slots.

5. In a draft connection, a yoke having a draft gear pocket defined by spaced side walls and a diagonal end wall, a wedge member defining an end of the pocket and comprising a surface in complementary engagement with said end wall, means on said yoke engaged with said wedge member for moving said wedge member against said wall whereby the length of said pocket may be varied, slots in said side walls, and guide means on the wedge member comprising spaced lugs on each side thereof in guiding engagement with respective slots.

6. In a draft connection, a yoke member having a pocket comprising an end wall, an adjusting member defining an end of the pocket and in complementary engagement with said end wall, means on said yoke member engaged with said adjusting member for moving said adjusting member against said wall whereby the length of said pocket may be varied, and guide means comprising spaced projecting means on each side of one of said members in complementary engagement with recessed means in opposite sides of the other member.

7. In a draft connection, a yoke member having a pocket comprising an end wall, an adjusting member defining an end of the pocket and in engagement with said wall, means on one of said members cooperating with the other member for moving said adjusting member against said wall, whereby the length of said pocket may be varied, and spaced projecting guide means on each side of one of said members in complementary engagement with complementary guide means on the other member.

EDMUND P. KINNE. FRANK H. KAYLER.

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