US2641499A

US2641499A - Axle construction

Info

Publication number: US2641499A
Application number: US733097A
Authority: US
Inventors: Alfred A Gassner
Original assignee: American Car and Foundry Co
Current assignee: ACF Industries Inc
Priority date: 1947-03-07
Filing date: 1947-03-07
Publication date: 1953-06-09
Anticipated expiration: 1970-06-09

Description

June 9, 1953 A. A. GASSNER 2,641,499

AXLE CONSTRUCTION Filed March 7, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

az dcaw' June 9, 1953 A. A. GASSNER 2,641,499

AXLE CONSTRUCTION Filed March '7, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 ]NVENTOR.. i l I June 9, 1953 A. A. GASSNER 2,641,499

v AXLE CONSTRUCTION Filed March 7, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

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Patented June 9, 1953 UNITED STATE AXLE CONSTRUCTION Alfred A. Gassner New York, N. TYQ-assignor to American Car and Foundry' Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 7, 1947, Serial No. 733,097

4 Claims. (01. 295-36) more particularly to axle structures for railway cars.

An object of the invention is to provide an axle structure, serving as the support for a railway car of the trailer type, constructed to be connected with and to allow movement of the adjacent end of the car framing without interference.

Another object of theinvention is to provide a drop or underslung axle structure composed of a plurality of sections that may be readily assembled or disassembled.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sectional axle structure of the drop type for railway cars in which a lower section of varying lengths may be utilized to suit various track gauges.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a study of the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a section of a railway train. 1

Figure 2 is a plan View of one end of a railway car supported on an axle constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 3 is a rear elevational view of the axle structure.

Figure 4 is an end view of the axle structure.

Figure 5 is a bottom view of one end of the axle structure with an anti-side sway device attached thereto.

Figure 6 is a bottom view of another end of the axle structure with an anti-side sway damping device attached thereto.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, the framing H] of a railway car 9 has at one end a central rearwardly extending portion H and rearwardly extending side portions |2 forming wheel housings therebetween. Draft coupling |3 is fixed to central portion II and has a depending extension |4 formed with bottom side slots l5. Track wheels l6 are journalled on an axle structure I! and are positioned partially in the wheel housings.

The axle structure is of the drop or underslung type and formed of sections rigidly secured together. A bottom transversely extending section 3 is formed preferably of tubing of reduced diameter at the ends l9. Two stub axles 20 form the upper sections of the axle structure and are carried by the upper end portions of arms 2| and form other sections of the axle structure. The lower end portions of the arms are bifurcated providing flanges 22 for receiving the ends of the tubing section. The flanges are clamped to the 2 a tubing by bolts 24, and the tubing section is further secured to the arm flanges by bolts 25. Stub axles 20 extend through openings 26 in the upper ends of the arms and are secured thereto by bolts 21. i

A brake backing plate 28 is arranged adjacent the outer face of the upper end of each arm and is secured thereto by bolts 29. The stub axles outside of the back plates are formed with spaced bearing receiving

surfaces

30 and 3| and ate.- pered surface 32 is formed between surfaces30 and 3| which are ofdifferent diameters, thesmall diameter'surface 3| being nearest the outside end of the stub shafts. The outer end 33 of each stub shaft is threaded and-between such threaded end andsurface 3| is a bearing surface 34. "The inner end 35 of each stub shaft is threaded and the shaft surface 36 between the threaded end and the carrier arm is formed out-of-round, preferably substantially square in cross section.

Surfaces

30, 3| and 32 of the stub axles serve as the carrier for bearingson which wheels Iii are mounted. Surfaces 36 serve as a mounting for combined radius rod and torque reaction devices 31. Surfaces 34 serve as journals for hangers 38 to which strut devices 39 are connected. Theradius rod and torque reaction'devices form the subject matter of copending application Serial Number 729,236, filed February 18, 1947, and the strut devices from the subject matter of copending application Serial Number 733,098, filed March '7, 1947. The strut devices are pivoted at to the framing and the devices 31 are pivoted at 6| to the framing.

The forward faces of the lower portion of arms 2| are formed with flat bearing surfaces 40, 4| for the mounting of the outer end portions of anti-side sway devices 4243, such devices forming the subject matter of copending application Serial Number 733,096, filed March 7, 1947. Device 42 includes a fluid shock absorber housing 44 having a flanged face 45 secured against arm surface 40 by bolts 25. A vane shaft 46 extends from the housing and has an arm 41 fixed thereto carrying pin 48 on which a rod structure 49 is pivotally mounted. The other end of this rod structure extends into one of the side slots [5 of coupling extension l4 and is mounted on pin 50 extending across the slot.

Device 43 includes a cylinder 5| from which a spring centered piston rod structure 8 extends and projects into the other groove l5 in the coupling extension where it pivots on pin 52 extending across the groove. The cylinder has an extension 53 pivotally mounted on pin 54 carried by hanger 55. The hanger has a. flat rear surface that is held against arm bearing surface 41 by bolts 25.

The axle structure, being bolted together, may be readily assembled or disassembled and it provides bearing or retaining surfaces for the various devices for connecting and controlling relative movement of the axle structure and the car framing." Nuts 56 are screwed on axle ends 35 and similar nuts are screwed on axle ends 33 to secure the stub axles and

devices

42 and 43 axially with respect to the arms. The lower axle tubing l8 may be of various lengths to suit difierent track gauges, and thus the other axle structure sections may be utilized for all track gauges.

What is claimed is:

1. A drop axle structure comprising a lower member, upstanding arms fixed at their lower end portions to the end portions of the lower member, a stub axle extending through the upper end portion of each arm, each of said stub axles having a wheel bearing portion on the end projecti'ng beyond the outer side of the associated arm, an out-of-round bearing portion entirely on the end projecting beyond the inner side of the associated arm and radius rod anchor sleeves having interior surfaces complimentary to and mounted on the out-of-round portions of the stub axles, and means fixing the stub axles to the arms.

2. A drop axle structure comprising a lower member, upstanding arms having bifurcated lower end portions through which the ends of the lower member project, means clamping the bifurcated arm ends on the ends of the lower member, stub axles projecting through and carried by the upper end portions of the arms, said stub axles having a wheel bearing portion beyond the outer side of the associated arms and a strut hanger bearing portion outwardly beyond the wheel bearing portion and in axial alignment therewith, and means fixing the stub axles to the arms.

3. A drop axle structure comprising a lower member, upstanding arms having upper carrier heads and bifurcated lower ends fixed on the end portions of the lower member, stub axles projecting through the arm heads, said axles having 5 yond the inner side of the associated heads,

radius rod anchor sleeves on the out-of-round bearing portions having internal bearing portions complimentary thereto, and means securing the stub axles to the heads.

10 4. A drop axle structure comprising a lower member, upstanding arms having upper carrier heads and bifurcated lower ends positioned around the end portions of the lower member, bolt means clamping the bifurcated lower ends 15 of the arms on the ends of the lower axle structure member, stub axles projecting through the arm heads having. wheel bearing surfaces outside of the associated heads and radius rod anchor bearing surfaces on the ends beyond the inner sides of the associated heads, said arms having a bearing surface on the lower rear portion thereof, means securing the stub axles to the arm heads, and shock absorber anchor members socured against the bearing surfaces on said arms by said bolt means.

ALFRED A. GASSNER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 380,344 Paterson Apr. 3, 1888 491,591 Pray Feb. 14, 1893 941,517 1 Gruenfeldt Nov. 30, 190.9 1,661,815 Britt Mar. 6, 1928 1,799,943 Alden Apr. 7, 1931 1,946,624 Irish Feb. 13, 1934 2,072,198 Davis Mar. 2 1937 2,081,996 Hacker June 1, 1937 2,217,033 Van Dorn Oct. .8, 1940 2,462,666 Omar Feb. '22, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 5 Number Country Date 687,417 Germany Feb. 21, 1940