US2486066A

US2486066A - Brake beam

Info

Publication number: US2486066A
Application number: US749682A
Authority: US
Inventors: Schaefer Frederic
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1947-05-22
Filing date: 1947-05-22
Publication date: 1949-10-25
Anticipated expiration: 1966-10-25

Description

F. SCHAEFER Oct. 25, 1949.

BRAKE BEAM Filed May 22, 1947 29 za'l va z z' z w x4 5% Z z f w QMS Patented Oct. 25, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

The invention relates to railway car brake beams and, more particularly, to truss type beams which are slidably supported in the side frames of a car truck.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide such a beam with an improved construction.

According to this invention, the brake beam, which is adapted to be slidably supported in pairs of beam-supporting ledges provided on a car truck, includes a compression member on each end of which is mounted a brake head, and a tension member the ends of which are secured to the brake heads. Each head also has a slot extending into it from its inner side, the slot being disposed in the plane of the beam and receiving the ends of the tension rod. Each end of the rod is provided with an opening aligned with openings through the slot walls above and below it to receive a fastening member which secures the rod and brake head together. To support the beam, each of the brake heads is pro- Vided with a lug which projects laterally and is slidably received between the adjoining pair of truck ledges. Preferably, each brake head has a central rectangular body from one side of which thelug projects between the ledges, and from the other side of which a tongue projects laterally into the adjoining end of the compression member in tight engagement with it. By extending the upright webs, which connect the back of the shoe-supporting portion of the head with the top and bottom of the head body, from approximately the Vertical center line of said portion diagonally across the body toward the compression member, room is provided between the rear ends of the webs and the lug for the fastening member that passes through the tension rod.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings of which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of the brake beam supported in a car truck; Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal section through one end of the beam; Fig. 3 is an end view of the beam with its upper part shown in section; and Fig. 4 is a section on the line IV-IV of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, a truss type brake beam lis shown supported by a pair of ledges or short tracks 2 formed on a car truck side frame 3. The brake beam includes a hollow or channel-like compression member 4 and a tension rod 5 spaced apart at the center in the lcustomary manner by strut 6. Brake heads 1 are disposed at each end of the compression member (Cl. ISS-233.3)

and carry brake shoes 8 which, upon movement of the beam forward, engage the car Wheels 9.

Each brake head has a generally rectangular body from the front of which the usual shoesupporting portion |2 extends upward and down- Ward. This portion is reinforced by upright webs |3 integral with it and with the top and bottom of the body. Projecting laterally from the inner side of thebody, near its rear end, is a tongue |4 that extends into the adjoining end of the compression member and engages its inner surface, as shown in Fig. 2. The outer surface of the tongue vconforms in general contour to the adjoining inner surface of the compression member, and these two elements are of such size as to require the tongue to be driven into the compression member, Whereby a wedge fit is provided. The brake head is provided with a recess |6 at the base of the tongue to receive the end of the compression member, and a rivet I'l may extend through compression member and tongue to lock them together.

The brake head body is formed from upper and lower spaced parallel walls |8 integrally connected by a front wall l9, an outer Wall 20 and an inner back corner portion 2|. There is thus formed in the body of the head a slot 22, the entrance to which extends along the inner side of the head from the tongue to the front wall.

The plane of the slot lies in the plane of the beam which is radial of the Wheels. One end of tension rod '5 extends into this slot, and is upset and fiattened to provide parallel upper and lower surfaces adjacent the inner surfaces of walls |8, and to provide plenty of metal around the opening 23 through the upset end. Aligned with this opening are openings 24 through the upper and lower walls of the slot, as shown in Fig. 3.

In order to be able to locate these head openings in a position that will permit the upset end of the tension rod to be disposed inside of the head body, webs |3 are not parallel to the sides of the head, as in the usual brake head, but, as shown in Fig. 1, extend diagonally across it from the Vertical center line of the shoe-supporting portion |2 towards the inner rear corner of the head. This allows openings 24 to be positioned much farther inward from the outer side of the brake head body than otherwise would be the case.

The fastening member that extends through aligned openings 23 and 24 includes a sleeve 26 that does not project from the body of the head, and a bolt 21 extending through the sleeve and through Washers 28 at its ends. nut 29 IS screwed onto the lower end of the bolt. Due to this arrangement, openings 24 can be large enough for a fastening member of the necessary diameter, and yet can be located close to webs 13, because the relatively small bolt has a head and nut of small enough radius to fit into the spaces between the webs and the centers of the openings. The body of the head can not be made wder in .order to provide more room in it for the tension rod and fastening member, because ledges 2 are in the way. The fastening member serves as a pivot around which the rod can turn when the beam is fiexed.

This brake beam, instead of being supported by conventional swinging hangers, is supported by ledges 2. For this purpose each brake head has integrally connected to outer wall 20 of its body a lug 3| that projects laterally between the adjacent ledges on the side frame. This lug is fiat With parallel upper and lower surfaces and, like islot :22, it liesin 4the plane of the beam. The lug sli'des 'back and forth between the ledges which are in'clined fso that the vinclined beam will 'slide away from .the wheelswhen the brakes are released.

.According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have expla'ined the princip-le and'mode of :operation of my inventi'on, 'and have illustrated vand descrbed `what .I :now consider to represent its best .'embodiment. .'However, I desire to have vit l:understand that, within the 'scope of the ap- :pended .claims, the 'invention `may be practiced .otherwise lth'a'n .as specifi'cally illustrated and described.

I c'laimf:

V1. A brake beam for use with a car truck provided 'with 'pairs of beam-supporting ledges, said beam comprising a compression member, a brake 'head disp'osed at each end of said member, each -'head being provided at one side with a tongue projecting laterally into the adj'oining end of the compression member in tight engagement there- 'with and -at the other side with a laterally projec'ting solid lu'g adapted to be slidably supported by the adjoin'ing pair of ledges, each head having a l'slot extending into it from its tongue side and disposed in the plane of the beam, a tension rod having its ends projecting into the slots fin the heads, each end of the rod and the slot walls above 'and below it being provided with aligned opening's between the adjacent lug and 'end of the compression member, 'and fastening members in said openings securing the 'tension rod and brake heads together. i

2. Abrake beam for use with a car truck provided `with pairs of `beam-supporting ledges, said beam comprising 'a compression member, a brake head mounted on each end of said member and having va central rectangular body and a shoesupporting porti'on extending above and below the 'front end of said body, said head being pro- 'vided 'with uprigiht strengthening webs integrally connecting the back 'of 'said shoe-supporting portion with the top and bottom of said body and extending from approximately the Vertical center line of said portion diagonally across the body toward the compression member, said body being providedintegrally with an outwardly projecting lug disposed in the plane of the beam and adapted to be slidably supported by the adjoining pair of ledges, each of said bodies having a slot extending into it `from its inner side and disposed in 'the plane of the beam, 'the top and "bottom walls of each slot 'being `provided beyond the compression member with a pair of aligned `openings near therear end of said body and "c'lo'se to said webs between them and said lug, a tension rod having its ends located in the slots 'in the `'heads and provided with openings regis- :tering with said aligned openings, and fastening members extend'ing through said openings for conn'ecting the tension rod and brake heads together.

:3. A brake beam 'for luse 'with va car truck 'provided 'with pairs of beam-supporting ledges, sai'd beam comprising 'a compression member, a brake head mounted on each end :of said .member and :having a central rectangular body and a shoesupporting porton 'extending above and :below the front end of said body, said head being ;prolvided with upright .strengthening webs integrally |connecti'ng the 'back-'of 'saidfsh'oe-supporting portion with the top and 'bottom lzof said body and extending .from approximately the Vertical center line of saidjportion diagonally across the body toward lthe Icompression member, 'said body being provided integrally with 'an outwa-rdly projecting lug disposed ifn the plane of the .beam .and

.adapted `to be .slidably .supported 'by -the adjoining :pair of ledgeS, each of said bodies having a slot :extend'ing -into it rfrom its -i'nner side and -d'is- 'posed in the :plane of the beam, the top and :bot-

tom walls `of .each slot being provided with va pair .of aligned openings near the rear end of `said body and close to said webs between them and said lug, :a tension rod having its ends located fin the slots in the heads and provided with 'openings registerng With said aligned 'openings, a sleeve disposed in `each tension rod lopening and extending into the 'adjacent 7head openings for connecti-ng the head l:and 'rod together, a bolt-ex'- tending through 'each -sleeve to .hold it in plac .and a nut screwed-onto `the bolt.

lFlREDllZRIC 'SCH'AE'FER REFERENCES CITED rThe following references are l'of record in the 'filfe of this paitent':

.STATE'S .PATENTS Number Name Date 690,548 Baker Jan.'7,.'1902 2,408,`01f5 .Busse Sept. 24, "1946 2,398,917 .Busch Apr. 23, .1946 2,4'55316 VS'chaefer Nov. f30, 1:94'8