US2471287A

US2471287A - Brake rigging with beam-retracting spring

Info

Publication number: US2471287A
Application number: US786234A
Authority: US
Inventors: Schaefer Frederic
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1947-11-15
Filing date: 1947-11-15
Publication date: 1949-05-24
Anticipated expiration: 1966-05-24

Description

May 24, 1949. F. SCHAEFER BRAKE RIGGING WITH BEAM-RETRACTING SPRING Filed Nov. 15, 1947 INVENTORQ abwg Ww Mm QTTORNEYS,

Patented May 24, 1949 PATENT OFFICE BRAKE RIGGING WITH BEA-M-RETRACTING SPRING 5 Claims. 1

This invention relates to railway car brake rigging, and more particularly to means for insuring that the brake shoes will be held away from the wheels while the brakes are released.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide brake rigging in which the shoes will not drag against the wheels while the brakes are released, and in which this result is accomplished by springs of simple form connected to the beams and connecting rod an improved manner.

In accordance with this invention a brake beam is pivotally connected to an operating lever that extends transversely of the beam. Spaced vertically from the beam is a substantially horizontal connecting rod that has one end pivotally connected to the lever in order to move the lever or to transmit motion from it to the other beam. A leaf spring is connnected at its ends to the beam and rod and is formed for urging the beam toward the opposite end of the rod so that the spring will normally hold the brake shoes away from the wheels. Preferably, the connecting rod is hollow and one end of the spring extends into it, with the other end of the spring connected to a pin in the brake beam. It is highly desirable that this pin also connect one end of a beamleveling link to the beam, the other end of the link being pivotally connected to the connecting rod. As a result, the brake beam is maintained level in all positions. The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig, l is a vertical transverse section through a car truck bolster and the associated brake beams, with part of the conneoting rod and one of the beam struts broken away; and 2 is an enlarged view of the inner end of the spring, with the outline of the connecting rod shown in broken lines.

Referring to the drawings, a pair of brake beams, each formed from a channel-like compression member 6 and a tension rod 2 connected together at their ends by brake heads 3 and having their central portions spaced apart by a bifurcated strut d, are suspended in the usual way from brake hangers 5 which support the brake heads. The beams are actuated to apply or re lease the brake." by means of operating levers l5 and E that have their lower ends pivotally con nected in the struts by pins 8. The upper end or" the lever l is held by a dead lever guide 9 projecting from one side of the truck bolster l l. The upper end of the live lever t is connected by a piston rod 2 with the usual brake cylinder (not shown).

Motion of the live lever is transmitted to the dead lever through a connecting rod l3 having forked ends that straddle the levers, The body of the connecting rod is tubular, the rod preferably being like the one disclosed in my Patent No. 2,096,067. Each end of the rod is provided with two longitudinally spaced pairs of openings i l, in either pair of. which a pin Hi may be disposed to pivotally connect the adjacent lever to the rod. Spaced inward from these openings at each end of the rod are two more longitudinally spaces pairs of openings l l in either one of which a pivot pin E8 may be disposed for pivotally connecting the upper end of a beam-leveling link it to the rod. Thelower end of the link is pivotally connected in the brake beam strut below it by means of a pin 2| adjacent channel I. These links are of such length that they maintain the brake beams level and prevent them from tilting in a transverse vertical plane, whereby the upper ends of the brake shoes 22 are prevented from hearing against the wheels 23 with any more pressure than the lower ends of the shoes.

It is a feature of this invention that the brake I beams are certain to be retracted far enough when the brakes are released to prevent the brake shoes from dragging against the wheels. Accordingly, a spring 25 is connected to each beam to swing it as far as possible toward the truck bolster. Each spring preferably is formed from a fiat resilient bar which has been curved lengthwise. The lower end of the spring is bent into a loop to form an eye 2'! that is inserted in a brake'beam strut t and through which a pivot pin 2| extends. Because of this, the loop at the lower end of the adjoining leveling link i9 is made large enough to encircle the spring eye. This link loop is not entirely closed, so that the spring can extend out of it from pin 2!. The spring is bowed toward the link with the upper end of the spring extending back into the hollow body of the connecting rod. This end of the spring extends downward in the rod and is provided with a concave end portion 28 which conforms somewhat to the transverse curvature of the rod and which also permits the spring to rock lengthwise of the rod. Due to the degree of curvature with which the body of the spring is provided initially, its opposite ends tend to move toward each other. When the beams are swung away from the bolster to apply the brakes, the struts carry the lower of the springs toward the wheels. This tends to straighten the springs, but, due to their resistance to being straightened, they swing the beams back toward the bolster as soon as the brakes are released. This prevents the brake shoes from dragging on the wheels while the brakes are not in applied position.

It will be noted that no extra fastening members are required for holding the springs in place because their upper ends are retained in the hollow brake rod while their lower ends are attached to the beam struts by the same pins that connect the leveling links to the struts. The springs also areofsimple shape and easy to make, and due to their length they are not subjected to much flexing strain. Therefore, they have a long life.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained the principle of. my invention and have illustrated and described what: I

now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to have it understoodthat, within the scope of the appendediclaims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

ltRailway can brake rigging comprising a brakes-beam; an". operating; lever extending transversely of' the: beam: andapivotally. connected to it; a substantially hoizontal hollow connecting rod: spaced vertically from thebeam and having one-end pivotally connected to the lever, and a leaf spring; having one end disposed insaid rod and the'oth'er, endioonnected to the beam, and sairl' spring being formed. to urge the beam toward-the opposite endof the rod to normally-hold the beam in brake-released: position.

2; Railway car brake rigging comprising a brakesb'eam, anoperatinglever extending transversel'y'offthe beamand pivotally connected to it, a substantially! horizontal hollow connecting rod spaced vertic'ally'fromi the beam and having one end pivotally connected to the lever, and a leaf spring having one end:disposed in said rod and theother end'connected to the beam, said spring being'b'owedi toward said: lever with the ends of the-sprin'gbiased towards each other, whereby the spring. urges: the beam toward the rod to normally hold the beam in. brake-released position: S 1

33 Railway car brake rigging comprising a brakeibeam', an. operating; lever extending transversely'of: the beam and" pivotally connected to it; asubstantially horizontal. hollow connecting rod spacedzverticallyfrom the beam and having oneend'pivotallyconnected to the lever, a beamleveling link beside the'lever; pivot pins connecting the ends of the link to the beam and rod, and a leaf spring having one end connected to the pin that connects the link to the beam, the other end of the spring being disposed in said rod, said spring urging the beam toward the opposite end of the rod to normally hold the beam in brake-released position.

4. Railway car brake rigging comprising a brake'beam, an operating lever'extending transverselyof the beam and pivotally connected to it, a substantially horizontal hollow connecting rod spaced vertically from the beam and having oneendpivotally connected to the lever, a beamleveling link beside the lever, pivot pins connecting the ends of the link to the beam and rod, and a lea-f spring having one end disposed in said rod and.the. other end connected to the pin that connects the link to the beam, said spring being bowed toward said link with the ends of the spring biased towards each other, whereby the spring urges-the: beamitowardthe rod to normally hold the-beam inibrakei-released position.

5; Railway car brake rigging comprising a brake beam, anoperatinglever extending transversely ofthe beam-and pivotally connected to it, a substantially horizontal connecting. rod spaced vertically from the beam and having one end pivotally connected to the lever, a leaf spring having. one end connected to the rod and the other endprov-idedwith an; eye, apivotpin: extending through saideye and connecting the spring. to the. beam, and a beam-leveling link beside. the-spring.having one endpivotally connected to the'rod; the opposite end of the link encircling. said. spring eye toconnect the link to the. beam, and said spring being formed to urge the. beam toward the opposite endof the rod to normallyv hold: the beam in-brake-released position.

FREDERIC SCI-IAEFER.

REFERENCES CITED following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED'STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,202,-934' Weinland Oct. 31, 1916 1,473,006 Blest Nov. 6, 1923 2,215,239- Baselt- Sept. 17, 1940