US2854149A

US2854149A - Draft gears for railway draft riggings

Info

Publication number: US2854149A
Application number: US527479A
Authority: US
Inventors: William E Withall
Original assignee: W H MINER Inc
Current assignee: W H MINER Inc
Priority date: 1955-08-10
Filing date: 1955-08-10
Publication date: 1958-09-30
Anticipated expiration: 1975-09-30

Description

Sept.. 309v 1958 w. E. WITHALL DRAFT GEARS FOR RAILWAY DRAFT RIGGINGS Filed Aug. 1o. 1955 United States DRAFT GEARS FOR RAILWAY DRAFT RIGGNGS William E. Withall, Hinsdale, Ill., assignor to W. H. Miner, Inc., Chicago, lll., a corporation of Delaware Application August 10, 1955, Serial No. 527,479

4 Claims. (Cl. 213-45) This invention relates to draft gears for railway draft riggings.

The main object of the invention is to provide a draft gear for freight service, in which a metallic casing houses a main resilient column composed of a plurality of metalfaced rubber pads of such dimension and composition as to give the column high capacity to cushion impacts, in combination with an auxiliary column composed of a plurality of metal-faced rubber pads that are thinner than the rubber pads in the main column to enable the auxiliary column to have extremely high capacity to cushion impacts.

Another object of the invention is to provide a draft gear of the type set out in the preceding object, in which the pads in the main column are divided into `groups by stabilizing followers which have heavy flanges that abut together to limit compression of the column.

Another object of the invention is to provide a draft gear of the foregoing type, in which the main and auxiliary columns are separated in the casing by a follower which carries anges that engage the anges of an adjacent stabilizing follower to limit compression of the main column.

Another object of the invention is to provide a draft gear of the foregoing type, in which the plunger is cupshapedand the auxiliary column is encased in the plunger, the auxiliary column resisting compression to the extent that the gear has no solid point.

Another object of the invention is to provide a high capacity rubber draft gear for freight service, that will iit in the yokes and pockets of existing draft riggings.

Further objects of the invention not specifically mentioned here will be apparent from the detailed description and claims which follow, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown by way of example and in which:

Figure l is a cross sectional View taken along the horizontal median line of the gear, looking downwardly;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view similar to Figure l, showing the gear at the end of one stage of compression; and

Figure 3 is a View similar to Figure 2, showing the gear nearly completely compressed.

The gear of the present invention consists of a casing A, from one end of which the plunger B projects and within which casing is a main column consisting of pads C and stabilizing separators D, a rear follower E, and a front follower F, and an auxiliary column consisting of pads G.

The casing A is of known design and consists of an upper wall, a lower wall 11, and

side Walls

12 and 13 formed integrally therewith, which side walls have inwardly extending anges 14 at the front end of the casing. The top and bottom walls have inwardly extending anges 15 at the rear end of the casing.

The plunger B is cup-shaped, consisting of a planar 2,854,149 Patented Sept. 30, 1958 r'ce front wall 16 from which side walls 17 extend rearwardly, terminating in outwardly extending flanges 18 adapted to engage against the flanges 14 on the housing A to hold the plunger in the casing.

The main column, consisting of pads C, are arranged in the gear shown by way of example, in groups of three each by the stabilizing and aligning followers D. Each of the pads C is of known construction, consisting of parallel plates between which a solid pad of rubber is disposed and to which the rubber is bonded, the edges of the rubber being formed concavely to provide space into which the rubber is displaced as the pad is compressed. The metal plates carry bosses and indentations of known design for keeping the pads aligned in the column. The pads C are of such dimension and composition as to have high resistance to compression, thereby to build into the main column high capacities such as are required in freight service.

The followers D, by which the main column is main tained in alignment in the casing, each consist of a plate 2t) disposed between adjacent pads C and around the edges of which are flanges 21 that extend forwardly and. rearwardly of the plate 20. It will be noted that the anges 21 are somewhat heavier than is customary in anges of this type. Flanges 21 have sliding engagement with the walls of the casing, and plates 2i? carry bosses and indentations of known design, all of which aid in. maintaining the main column properly aligned.

rhe rear follower E is similar in construction to the stabilizing and aligning followers D, except that the anges 22 thereon project forwardly only, the flanges on the top and bottom of the follower being equipped with openinffs 23 adapted to be aligned with similar openings 243 in the top and bottom walls of the casing, as will presently appear.

The front follower F consists of a wall 25 that is approximately twice as thick as the walls 2 of followers D from the edges of which wall 25 flanges 26 project rearwardly, these flanges being of a size similar to the anges 21.

The auxiliary column G, which is disposed within the plunger B and between the front wall 16 thereof and the wall 25 of the front follower, consists of a column of pads, each of which is of construction similar to the` pads C, except that the pad is much thinner than the pads C. The auxiliary column contains a sufficient number of these thin pads to completely fill the space between. the

walls

16 and 25.

In assembling the gear, the casing A is placed with the front end lowermost and plunger B is inserted therein. through the open rear end of the casing which is now uppermost. The auxiliary column G is then assembled in the plunger, after which the front follower F and the main column and followers are inserted. Pressure is then applied to the rear follower E to compress the columnsl sufficiently to align the openings 23 with the openings 24, thereby to permit the insertion of keys, not shown, which hold the columns compressed. The rear wall 30 of the casing, which is of known construction, is then in* serted and brought into registration with the rear follower. Suicient pressure is then applied to the rear wall to relieve the pressure on the keys so that they may be Withdrawn. Pressure is then relieved gradually and the columns expanded, forcing the rear wall 30 into engagement with the flanges 15, thereby to hold the gear tov gether as a unit.

With the gear thus assembled, the main and auxiliary columns are under initial compression suficient to build up in them initial resistance in the range required in freight service.

Pressures applied to the gear, either in buff or draft,

3 are transmitted through the plunger B, through the auxiliary column G, to the main column. Since the pads in the auxiliary column are much thinner than the pads in the main column, the rubber therein preferably being approximately one-half as thick as in the mam column pads, greater force will be required to produce unit compression of the'auxiliary column. As a result, smaller pressures applied to the plunger serve mainly to compress the main column, although of course there will be some slight compression of the auxiliary column produced by such pressures. Thus, the major part of the travel of the gear is resisted by the main column compressing that column until the

flanges

26, 21 and Z2 onthe followers are brought into engagement with each other. This condition marks the limit of compression of the main column and, as will be noted in Figure 2, the rubber in the pads C then lies substantially hush with the edges `of the metal plates to which the pads are bonded. It will also be noted in Figure 2, that at the end of this lirst stage of travel of the gear, the rear ends of the walls 17 of the plunger are spaced away from the front wall 2S of the front follower. The front ends of the walls 17 project beyond the open end of the casing, thereby to permit further travel of the gear. This further travel of the gear compresses the auxiliary column. Since the rubber pads in the auxiliary column are very thin, the rubber therein being approximately half as thick as the rubber in the main column pads C, their resistance to compression is very high when compared to the resistance of the pads C in the main column. As the plunger B moves inwardly of the casing A to compress the auxiliary column, the rubber therein 'is forced outwardly into alignment with the edges of the metal plates to which the rubber is bonded. As will be seen in Figure 3, when the rubber is so aligned, the rear ends of the walls 17 of the plunger are in juxtaposition to the wall 25 of the front follower, but do not engage that wall, and the front wall 16 of the plunger is in juxtaposition to the front end of the casing A, but still projects therefrom, and the gear has no solid point.

Through the arrangement thus shown, with the pads C in the main columndimensioned as shown and composed of rubber composition of proper hardness-high capacity is built into the main column, thereby rendering the gear adaptable to heavy freight service. With the same composition of rubber incorporated in the pads of the auxiliary column, even higher resistance to compression is obtained since the pads are much thinner than the pads of the main column. Through this arrangement,

shocks imposed on the gear in normal operation are K resisted solely by the main column, and shocks placed upon the gear under abnormal conditions are resisted rst by the main column and then by the auxiliary column, with the result that extremely high resistance is encountered during the last portion of travel of the gear.

Having thus complied with the statutes and shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, what I consider new and desire Vto have protected by Letters .Patent is pointed out in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a draft gear for railway draft rigging for freight( service; a casing; a main resilient column in said casing, aligning followers in said column, and a front follower at the front end of said column; flanges on said followers movable into engagement with each other as the front follower is moved rearwardly in the casing to limit the rearward movement of the front follower in the casing;

a hollow plunger projecting from said casing and having a front wall; an auxiliary resilient column disposed between said front wall and front follower; and walls on said plunger extending alongside of said auxiliary column and projecting from the front wall of the plunger a distance equal to the distance between the front face of said front follow-er in said rearmost position and the front end of said casing.

2. ln a draft gear for railway draft rigging for freight service; a casing; a main resilient column within said casing; flanged aligning followers within the column; a front follower having rearwardly extending flanges, the flanges on said followers being engageable with each other to limit movement -of the front follower rearwardly in the casing; a plunger having a front Wall and side walls extending rearwardly therefrom; and an auxiliary resilient column within said plunger, said auxiliary `column requirhigher pressure to compress it than required by the main column, said rearwardly extending plunger walls moving into juxtaposition to said front follower in its rearrnost position in the casing and the front wall of the plunger moving into juxtaposition to the front end of the casing as the auxiliary column is compressed.

3. In a draft gear for. railway draft rigging for freight service; a casing; a resilient main column composed of a plurality of metal-faced rubber pads arranged in groups by aligning followers having heavy flanges engaging the walls of the casing; a hollow plunger projecting from the front end of the casing; means for limiting movement of the plunger outwardly of the casing; and an auxiliary resilient column disposed within said plunger and abutting the front one of said aligning followers, said latter `column being composed of a plurality of metal-faced rubber pads, each of which is approximately one-half as thick as the pads in the main column, said plunger on l moving inwardly of the casing rst compressing mainly said main column until said anges engage each other to prevent further compression of the column, further inward movement of the plunger compressing said auxiliary column as the front end of the plunger is moved into juxtaposition to the front end of the casing.

4. In a draft gear for railway draft rigging for freight services; a metallic casing of rectangular section open at both ends; iianges projecting inwardly from the side walls of the casing at the front end thereof; a cup-'like plunger projecting outwardly fromv the front end of the casing; flanges on the side walls of the plunger engaging said casing flanges to limit movement of the plunger outwardly of the casing; a plurality of metal-faced rubber pads within said plunger and extending rearwardly therefrom; a front follower engaging the rear face of the rear one of said pads; heavy flanges on said follower projecting rearwardly therefrom and engaging the walls of the casing to position the follower therein; a main resilient column extending rearwardly from said follower, whichcolumn is composed of a plurality of metal-faced rubber pads each of which is approximately twice as thick as the first said pads, which latter pads are divided into groups by aligning follower plates interposed between adjacent groups; heavy flanges on said follower plates extending forwardly and rearwardly therefrom and en-A References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,853,857 Glascodine et al Apr. l2, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS 5,081 Australia qu Nov. 24, 1931