US2692769A - Cushioning mechanism - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 26, 1954 H. L. SPENCE ETAL 2,692,769

QUSHIONING MECHANISM Original Filed May 9, 1947 Q34 m ma &

INVENTORS HUBERT L. SPE/VCE BY DONALD WILL/SON ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 26 i954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CUSHIONING MECHANISIW Hubert L. Spence, East Cleveland, and Donald Willison, Maple Heights, Ohio, assignors to Na.- tional Malleable and Steel Castings Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio 10 Claims.

This invention relates to cushioning mechanism, and more particularly to a cushioning mechanism for use on railway vehicles.

This application is a division of an application of Hubert L. Spence and Donald Willison, Serial No. 747,014, filed May 9, 1947 and issued as Patent No. 2,644,684 on July '7, 1953.

An object of our invention is to provide a cushioning mechanism in which resilient material, such as rubber, is associated with frictiongenerating means in a novel manner.

Another object is to provide a cushioning mechanism having rubber means for cushioning shocks as well as for actuating the associated frictiongenerating means.

A further object is to provide a cushioning mechanism in which a single block of rubber serves to cushion shocks and also simultaneously to actuate the associated friction members.

A more specific object is to provide a cushioning mechanism comprising a pair of friction members with rubber means therebetween adapted to cushion shocks and to urge the members laterally into engagement with associated friction surfaces.

A still further object is to provide a cushioning mechanism comprising relatively movable friction members having opposed sloping plane surfaces and a rubber block interposed between the surfaces adapted to cushion shocks applied to the mechanism and to urge the members into engagement with associated friction surfaces.

Other objects and advantages of our invention will be apparent from the following description of our invention taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view, partly in longitudinal vertical section of an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, there are illustrated a pair of similar interfitting relatively movable friction members 10 with a rubber cushion unit H interposed therebetween. Each member 10 comprises a wedge portion 12 having a sloping face 13 for engagement with cushion unit "H and a horizontal wall M to which preferably a wear plate 15 is secured by means of a weld. Each member also is formed with a pocket por- I tion 16 for carrying cushion unit H and for receiving the cooperating wedge 72 of the other friction member. Each pocket is provided with a surface 11 on transverse wall F8 for engagement with Wear plate l5 of the adjacent wedge. The sidewalls SI of each friction member are formed with diagonally extending end surfaces 52 which oppose each other in spaced relationship and are adapted to engage during the operation of the mechanism to limit the relative movement between the friction members. Side walls 8| also serve to prevent Walls 18 from being distorted outwardly by the wedging action. Each side wall 8| preferably extends beyond wedge portion 12 of the friction member, as at 39, to assure full surface contact between the opposed diagonal surfaces 82. Each member ill also is provided with an abutment wall 83 against which the forces and shocks to be cushioned are applied to the device. Cushion unit ll which is interposed between wedge faces 73 comprises a block of resilient material, preferably rubber, with plates 84 vulcanized or otherwise bonded to the sides thereof. Unit "H is precluded from sliding relative to wedge faces 13, during actuation of the mechanism, by means of shoulders 85 on each member l0, which are in engagement with plates 84. Guide rids 86 are provided on side walls 8i adjacent wedges E2 to maintain the parts in proper position laterally of the mechanism.

Operation of the mechanism is as follows:

As a compressive force is applied to abutment walls 83 of th mechanism, members it] will move relative to one another in a longitudinal direction. The cushion unit 1! will resist the relative movement and will simultaneously urge wear plates 15 of wedge portions '12 against friction surfaces l! on transverse walls it of the opposing member. Thus the compressive force applied to the mechanism is resisted by the cushion unit which is subjected to combined compression and shear and by the ever increasing frictional forces generated between wedge ortions 12 and the surfaces H as the friction members move relative to each other. This action will continue as the applied force increases until opposing surfaces 82 engage to limit further compression of the mechanism.

The sides and ends of the rubber blocks are undercut slightly to preserve the bond between the rubber and the plates 84, and spaces 81 and 88 adjacent the block are provided to allow greater space for the flow of the rubber durin compression of the mechanism.

In view of the practical impossibility of forming friction members of identical dimensions, after the parts are initially assembled and placed in operation, it is contemplated that the wear plate of only one of wedges 12 will be in engagementwith its associated friction surface '11, and a clearance will exist between the other wear plate and its associated surface. Therefore, as relative longitudinal movement between members 10 occurs in operation, cushion unit II and the friction between only one of plates 15 and surface 11 will oppose such movement. As the compressive force applied to'the abutments-increases, the wedging action between the rubber and wedge 12 will urge the one plate 15 and surface 11 into tighter engagement." Operation of the device in this mannerwill continue until wear between plate 15 and theengaged surface 11 will cause frictional engagement to take place between the other plate 15 and its associated surface 11. Thereafter; the friction generated between both wear plates and their engaging friction surfaces II will be available to absorb and cushion shocks.

The terms and expressions which we have employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and we have no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof. but recognize that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

We claim:

1. In a cushioning mechanism a pair of similar relatively movable interfitting members, each member comprising a wedge portion and a-pocket portion, each of the wedge portions being received in the pocket portion of the other member, each of the pocket portions-having a surface engaged by the wedge portion received in the pocket portion, and a resilient pacl'int erposed between the Wedge portions and adapted to cushion relative movement between the members and to urge the wedge portions laterally against the friction surfaces in the pocket portions.

2. In a cushioning mechanism apair of similar relatively movable interfitting members, each member having a longitudinally extendingfriction surface and a wedge portion, each wedge portion being in engagement-with the friction surface on the other member, and a resilient pad interposed between the wedge portions for resisting relative movement between the members and for urging the wedge portions against the friction surfaces.

3. A cushioning mechanism comprising a pair of similar relatively movableinterfitting members having friction surfaces in slidable engagement with one another, said members having opposed surfaces sloped lengthwise of the mecha-- nism, and a resilient pad interposed betweensaid sloping surfaces adapted to cushion relative movement between said members and to urge said friction surfaces into tighter engagement.

4. In a cushioning mechanism-a pair of relatively movable interfitting members, each of said members having a wedge portion and a friction wall, said wedge portion of each member being in slidable engagement with said wall of the other member, said wedge portion of each member having a face-directly opposing the corresponding face on the wedge portion of the other mem-{ her, and a resilient pad interposed between and in engagement with said faces adapted to cushion relative movement between said members and to urge each wedge portion against the friction wall of the other member with increasing force.

5. A cushioning mechanism comprising a pair of members movable longitudinally relative to each other, each of said members having a longitudinally sloping surface opposing acorresponding sloping surface on the otherine'mber, each of said members having a friction surface in slidable engagement with a friction face on the other member, a resilient pad interposed between the sloping surfaces to cushion relative longitudinal movement between said members and simultaneously to urge said friction surface on one member into tighter engagement with said friction face on the other member.

6. A cushioning mechanism comprising a pair of members movable longitudinally relative to each other, each of said members having an abutment wall and a plurality of walls extending from said abutment wall, certain of said walls being in slidable engagement with complemental walls of the opposing member, another of said walls being sloped lengthwise of the mechanism and being in spaced opposed relation to the corresponding wall of the opposing member and resilient means interposed between the sloped walls of said members for opposing relative longitudinal movement between said members and si multaneously for urging said slidably engaged walls into tighter engagement.

'7. A cushioning mechanism comprising a pair of members movable longitudinally relative to each other, said members having slidably engaged friction surfaces and opposed longitudinally sloping surfaces, and resilient means interposed between said sloping surfaces for directly cushioning relative longitudinal movement between said members and simultaneously for urging said friction surfaces into tighter engagement.

8. In a cushioning mechanism, a pair of relatively movable interfitting members, each member having a wedge portion and a friction wall, the wedge portion of each member being in slidable frictional engagement with the friction wall of the other member, a resilient pad interposed be-' tween the wedge portions adapted to cushion relative movement between the members, each member having abutment means for engagement with the'other member to limit relative movement between the members.

9. A cushioning mechanism comprising a pair of relatively movable interfitting members, each member having a wedge portion and a pocket portion, the pocket portion in each member having a friction surface, the wedge portion of each member extending into the pocket portion of the other member and being in engagement with the friction surface therein, the wedge portion of each member being in opposed relation to the wedge portion of the other member, resilientmeans interposed between the opposed wedge portions, each pocket portion having guide means for maintaining the members in proper position laterally of the mechanism.

10. A cushioning mechanism comprising a pair of members movable longitudinally relative to one another, each of said members having an abutment wall and a plurality of walls ex tending from said abutment wall. at leastone of said walls of each member having a diagonally extending end surface in "spaced opposed r'e'la tionship to a complementary surface on a Wall of the other member, said surfaces being adapted for engagement to limit relative movement between said members, other of said walls being in slidable engagement with complementarytwalls of the opposing member, another of said walls being sloped longitudinally of the mechanism and being in spaced opposed relationship to the corresponding wall of the other member, and resilient means interposed between the sloped walls of said members for opposing relative longitudinal movement between the members and for urging said slidably engaged walls into tighter engagement.

5 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 754,594 McKeen Mar. 15, 1904 1,008,670 O'Connor Nov. 14, 1911 10 1,884,520 Barrows Oct. 25, 1932 2,601,901 Lehrman July 1, 1952

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