US2403512A

US2403512A - Slack adjuster

Info

Publication number: US2403512A
Application number: US519227A
Authority: US
Inventors: Flesch Norman
Original assignee: American Steel Foundries
Current assignee: American Steel Foundries
Priority date: 1944-01-21
Filing date: 1944-01-21
Publication date: 1946-07-09
Anticipated expiration: 1963-07-09

Description

July' 9, 1946;

N. FLESCH SLACK ADJUSTER Filed Jan. 21, 1944 406' dOLL INVENTOR. BY jZOLflZa/b Qy fesqft Patented July 9, 1,946

SLACK ADJUSTER Norman Flesch, Chicago, 111., assignor to American Steel Foundries, Chicago, 111., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 21, 1944, Serial No. 519,227

9 Claims.

1 My invention relates to slack adjusters and more particularly to a slack adjuster for a pull rod such as is commonly utilized in railway brake rigging.

An object of my invention is to design a twopiece pull rod, one piece of which comprises a slack adjuster body with a rotatable adjusting member mounted therein, the other piece of said rod being formed with a threaded portion in complementary threaded engagement with the adjusting member.

Another object of my invention is to design a slack adjuster device of the above described type in which the adjusting member comprises a housing for the reception of the threaded extremity of the associated pullrod piece, said housing affording a convenient receptacle for lubricant, if desired.

Still another object of my invention is to provide means for yieldingly resisting rotation of the adjusting member, thus preventing accidental rotation thereof, as a result of vibrations set up in the pull rod under service conditions.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of one embodiment of my novel slack adjuster pull rod, portions of the structure being broken away in order to clarify the illustration.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the device shown in Figure l with a portion thereof broken away.

Figure 3 is a sectional View taken in the plane indicated by the line 33 of Figure l. I

Figures 4 to 6 inclusive illustrate a modification of my invention, Figure 4 being a side elevation with portions of the structure broken away, Figure 5 being a bottom plan view with a portion of the structure broken away, and Figure 6 being a sectional view taken in the plane indicated by the line 6-6 of Figure 4.

Describing my invention in detail and referring first to the embodiment thereof illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive, my novel slack adjuster pull rod comprises two pull rod members or

pieces

2 and 4, each comprising a jaw B with a pin hole opening 8 therethrough, said opening being formed and arranged for the reception of a brake pin, affording securement for an associated element, such as a brake lever, within the jaw 6.

The member 4 is formed with a slack adjuster body 10 having an opening 12 (Figure 1) at one end thereof for the reception of a rotatable adjusting member 14, said adjusting member being in the form of a sleeve 0r collar having an integral flange or shoulder 16 in complementary engagement with a shoulder I8 formed within the body 10. A collar 20 is shrunk on the adjusting member 14 and bears as at 22 against the body, thus maintaining the member 14 in normal assembled relationship therewithin. An Alemite fitting 24 provides means for lubricating the body opening 12, within which the adjusting member 14 rotates.

The member 2 of the pull rod comprises the threaded extremity 26 in complementary threaded engagement as at 28 with the rotatable adjusting member 14, within which the threaded portion 26 is received, the inner extremity of the member 14 within the body 10 affording a housing 33 for the reception of the extremity of the threaded portion 26; and it will be understood that said housing 30 may afford a convenient receptacle, if desired, for any suitable lubricant, such as grease, for the extremity of the threaded portion 26.

The outer end of the adjusting member 14 is provided with a wrench-engaging, nut-like portion 32 affording means for engagement with an associated actuating member, such as a wrench, by means of which the adjusting member l4 may be rotated in order to lengthen or shorten the pull rod as desired.

Accidental rotation of the adjusting member 14 is prevented by means of a pair of

ball elements

34, 34, (Figure 2), eachbeing mounted within a housing 36 in the slack adjuster body 10 and being urged by means of a spring 38 into engagement with the adjacent surface of the shrink collar 20, which is provided with a pair of complementary recesses adapted for the reception of the

respective balls

34, 34 when registered therewith. It will be understood that when the

balls

34, 34 are received within the associated recesses in the collar 20, they are operable to restrain the adjusting member 14 against rotation, thus preventing accidental rotation thereof due to vibrations such as may be set up in the pull rod under service conditions. However, when it is desired to rotate the adjusting member 14, sufiicient force may be'applied with a wrench to the nut-like portion 32 of the member 14, whereby the

balls

34, 34 are urged inwardly into the housings 36, 35 against the resistance of the springs 38,33.

Referring now to the modification illustrated in Figures 4 to 6 inclusive, the slack adjuster device comprises the pull rod members or pieces I02 and 104, the member 104 comprising the slack adjuster body 106 formed in part by the spaced top and bottom straps H18 and H0. The body I06 comprises the opening H2, within which is mounted the rotatable adjusting member H4, which is in threaded engagement as at H6 with the threaded portion I [8 of the pull rod piece I02, the extremity of the threaded portion H8 being received withinthe housing I formed within the adjusting member I14.

The inner extremity of the adjusting member H4 in the body I98 is provided with a wrenchengaging or nut portion I22 for engagement with an associated actuating member such as a wrench, and in this connection it may be noted that each of the top and bottom straps IE8 and Hi] is beveled at 24, I24 to afford clearance for the wrench.

It will be understood that the embodiment illustrated in Figures 4 to 6 inclusive is substan-- tially identical with that shown in Figures 1 to 3, except for the fact that the nut portion I22 oi the adjusting portion 1 i i is disposed at the inner extremity thereof within the body m6.

It is to be understood that I do not wish to be limited by the exact embodiments of the device shown which are 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.

I claim:

i. In a slack adjuster, a two-piece pull rod, the respective pieces of which are provided with connecting means on their remote extremities, a body carried by one of said pieces, a collar rotatably mounted in said body, and a threaded portion on the other of said pieces in threaded engagement with said collar, said collar comprising a housing within said body completely encasing the extremity of said portion.

2. In a slack adjuster pull rod, a pull rod member comprising an integral jaw at one end thereof and an integral body at the opposite end thereof, an adjusting member rotatable within said body, said adjusting member comprising a wrench-engaging portion at the inner end thereof, a collar on said adjusting member rotatable therewith, said collar comprising a recess, a spring-pressed ball element mounted in said body and adapted for reception within said recess for yieldingly resisting rotation of said adjusting member and collar, and another pull rod member comprising an integral jaw at one end thereof, and a threaded portion at the opposite end thereof housed within said adjusting member in threaded engagement therewith.

3. In a slack adjuster pull rod, a pull rod member comprising connecting means at one end thereof, an integral body at the opposite end thereof, an adjusting member rotatable within said body, said adjusting member comprising a wrench-engaging portion within said body, means for yieldingly resisting rotation of said adjusting member, and another pull rod member compris ing' connecting means at one end thereof and a threaded portion at the opposite end thereof sleeved within said adjusting member in threaded engagement therewith, said adjusting member comprising a housing within said body adapted for the reception of the extremity of said threaded portion.

4. In a slack adjuster pull rod, a pull rod member comprising an integral jaw at one end thereof and an integral body at the opposite end thereof, an adjusting member rotatable within said body, said adjusting member comprising a wrench-engaging portion, means for yieldingly resisting rotation of said adjusting member, and another pull rod member comprising an integral jaw at one end thereof and a threaded portion "at the opposite end thereof sleeved within said adjusting member in threaded engagement therewith, said adjusting member comprising a housing for the reception of the extremity of said threaded portion.

'5.-In a slack adjuster device, a two-piece pull rod, 2. body on one of said pieces, a sleeve rotatable within said body, a threaded portion on the other of said pieces received within said sleeve in threaded engagement therewith, said sleeve comprising a housing within said body completely enclosing the associated extremity of said threaded portion, and a wrench-engaging portion formed on said sleeve within said body.

6. 1m a slack adjuster pull rod, a pull rod member comprising connecting means at one end thereof and an integral body at the opposite end thereof, an. adjusting member rotatable within said body, said adjusting member comprising a wrench-engaging portion disposed externally oi said body, means i'or yieldingly resisting rotation of said adjusting member, and another pull rod inember comprising connecting means at one ,rod, a body on one of said pieces, a sleeve rotatable Within said body, a threaded portion on the other or said pieces received within said sleeve in threaded engagement therewith, said sleeve comprising a housing within said body completely encasing the associated extremity of said threaded portion, and means on said sleeve for rotating the same.

8. In a slack adjuster device, a two-piece pull rod, 2. body on one of said pieces, a sleeve rotatable within said body, a threaded portion on the other of said pieces received within said sleeve in threaded engagement therewith, said sleeve comprising a housing internally of said body completely encasing the associated extremity of said threaded portion, and a wrench-engaging portion formed on said sleeve externally of said body,

9. In a slack adjuster, a two-piece pull rod, the respective pieces of which'are provided with connecting means for associated parts, adjusting means carried by one of said pieces comprising a pair or" relatively rotatable members, one of said members being sleeved within the other and presenting a housing therewithin, and a threaded element on the other piece sleeved within said one member and in threaded engagement therewith, one extremity of said element being adapted to be encased within said housing.

NORMAN FLESCH.