US3233748A - Centering device for car couplers - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 8, 1966 E. s. clsco CENTERING DEVICE FOR CAR COUPLERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 27, 1965 INVENTOR EdwardSC/sca ill ATTORNEY Feb. 8, 1966 E. s. CISCO CENTERING DEVICE FOR CAR COUPLERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 27, 1963 INVENTOR Edward 5. C/sco ATTORNEY 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Edward .5. Cisco ATTORNEY E. S. CISCO GENTERING DEVICE FOR CAR COUPLERS Feb. 8, 1966 Filed Nov. 27, 1963 Feb. 8, 1966 E. s. CISCO 3,233,748

CENTERING DEVICE FOR CAR COUPLERS Filed NOV. 27, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR 46 46 9 Edward .SZC/sco BY 3 579W ATTORNEY United States Patent OfiFice Patented Feb. 8, 1966 3,233,748 CENTERIN G DEVICE FOR CAR COUPLERS Edward S. Cisco, Highland, Ind, assignor to Stanray Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Deiaware Filed Nov. 27, 1963, Ser. No. 326,604 7 Claims. (Cl. 213-19) This invention relates to improvements in devices for association with railway car couplers to assure that conplers will always be within coupling range when cars are moved together to engage the couplers. The function of a centering device for car couplers is to maintain a free coupler substantially in line with the longitudinal center of the car.

Because of loss and damage to lading carried in railroad cars due to switching shocks to the car, a sliding center sill underframe with cushioning arrangement has been developed which would have little or no recoil and which would allow a considerable amount of travel of the sliding sill at all impact speeds, thereby to better protect the commodities carried within the car.

Couplers installed in this type of center sill arrange- 'ment have been made to move forward and backward a greater and greater distance. In the more recent types the couplers themselves have been made to move forty inches and more. This meant greater side swing of the couplers when the cars are rounding curves. Furthermore there is a growing tendency to build longer cars resulting in greater overhang from truck centers to couplers and therefore the coupler strikers must have larger openings to permit greater side travel at the coupler to negotiate the standard established A. A. R. railroad curves. In fact, it has recently beenproposed to build cars eighty feet long with striker opening of thirty-eight inches.

Couplers are now provided with shanks varying in length from about 21 to about 60". Obviously a 15 lateral swing of a coupler having a 60 shank would be a greater distance than a 15 lateral swing of a coupler having a 21" shank.

The object of this invention therefore is to provide a coupler centering device which will meet the above discussed varying conditions and keep the head of a free coupler within coupling range.

Another object of the invention is to incorporate within the coupler carrier resilient means for maintaining a free coupler within coupling range.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description thereof taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein like reference characters indicate like parts, and wherein FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a coupler carrier embodying my invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevationof FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an end view slightly enlarged of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a view of the spring yoke and spring seat assembly;

FIGURE 5 is a section on line 55 of FIG. 4; FIGURE 6 is a section on line 66 of FIG. 4; FIGURE 7 is a top plan view of the spring yoke; FIGURE 8 is a side elevation of FIGURE 7; FIGURES 9 and 10 are respective end views of the spring yoke illustrating how the arms of the yoke are offset from each other, and taken on the lines 9-9 and 10-10 of FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 11 is a front view of the carry iron; FIGURE 12 is an end view on line 1212 of FIG- URE 11;

FIGURE 13 is a section on line 13-13 of FIG. 11; FIGURE 14 is a side elevation of the wear plate; and FIGURE 15 is an end elevation of the wear plate.

The prior patent art comprising coupler centering devices is quite large and aimed at the problem generally of keeping type E and earlier couplers within coupling range when uncoupled. Practically all of this prior art is expired, which means that the problem of centering a coupler installed in a sliding center sill with cushioning medium and wide side swing at the coupler face, a relatively recent development, was not encountered.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 illustrate the assembled device, which is a coupler carry iron and is the bottom horizontal member of the coupler striker. This assembly broadly comprises a lower downwardly facing channel-shaped spring housing 2%, shown as having a pair of diagonally-spaced holes 22 through the flanges of said housing adjacent each end thereof. The lower ends of the vertical side members or stiles of the striker, not shown, are fixed by bolts, rivets or otherwise to said openings or holes 22 to hold the assembly in place. Upon each end of the web of said channel housing 20 is an outwardly facing channel spring retainer, the lower flange 24 of each of which is fixed as indicated by rivets or the like to the web of the channel 20. The web 26 of each of these spring retainers 24 is disposed perpendicularly to the web 24 of the lower spring housing 20. Flatwise against these webs 26 are positioned spring seats 28, each having a truncated Conical shaped center portion 3d. The apexes of these conical portions 30 face each other, and extending between these spring seats is a helical spring 32, the ends of the spring seating on said seats. The spring 32 is pre-loaded compressively about 50 pounds or so to insure the proper functioning of the device.

A pair of elongated U-shaped spring yokes 34 are provided (FIGS. 7-10), the closed ends 36 of which extend around the base of each respective spring seat. As will be seen in FIGURES 8, 9 and 10, the rather elongated arms of the spring yoke are offset somewhat in spaced parallel planes and the free ends of the yokes are provided with backwardly turned hooks indicated at 38.

A downwardly facing channel-shaped upper spring housing 40 is provided, which is coextensive with the lower spring housing 20. The ends of the web of this upper spring housing 40 rest upon the upper flanges 25 of the spring retainers and are secured thereto as by rivets or the like. Said ends of the spring housing 40 are widened as indicated in FIG. 1, so that the flanges thereof will overlap the spring seat assembly. The ends of the flanges 41 of the upper spring housing 40 are cut away as indicated at 42., so that the arms 34 of the spring yokes extend along the outer surface of the flanges 41 of the housing 40.

Upon the upper spring housing 40 is mounted a fiat high carbon steel wear plate 44, shown in FIGURES 14 and 15, this being a stainless steel member to provide a relatively smooth frictionless surface for the coupler carrier to move upon. As shown in FIG. 14, the central part of the wear plate 44 is channel-shaped having side flanges 46 which extend down over the upper part of the flanges of the upper spring housing where it narrows over the central portion of the spring housing 46 Upon this central portion of the device is mounted the carry iron proper indicated at 56) and shown in detail in FIGURES 11, 12 and 13. As seen in FIGS. 12 and 13, the main body portion of the carry iron is channelshaped and the flanges 52 of which overlap the flanges 41 of the upper spring housing, The ends of the carry iron are triangularly-shaped as seen in FIG. 1, and provided with upwardly extending walls 54 spaced inwardly from the apex of the triangular end and provided with a substantial gusset indicated at 56. The inner surfaces of the walls 54 are arcuate to compensate for the angling of the shank 58 of the coupler which rests on the carry iron. As seen in FIGS. 2, 11 and 12, each edge of each flange 52. is provided with a notch 60, said notches in opposite flanges being in spaced planes coincident with the offset arms 34 of the spring yokes. Thus each of the spring yokes extends around a spring seat. as shown in FIG. 2 and passes between flanges 41 of the spring housing and flanges 52 of the carry iron and is hooked into the notches 60. The springs 32, being preloaded, are therefore keeping equal tension on opopsite edges of the flanges 52 of the carry iron.

It will be noted that the under surface of the carry iron is provided with a plurality of spaced indents indicated at 51 for the insertion of bushings of any suitable bear- 'ing material such as graphite impregnated bronze or any of the halogenated hydrocarbons, such as Teflon or the like which ride on the stainless steel wear plate 44 and provide as friction free movement as possible.-

The coupler shank is indicated in dotted lines at 58 resting upon the carry iron, which in turn rests upon the stainless steel wear plate. The coupler shank moves transversely across the surface of the carry iron in response to butt and draft movements of the coupler and also moves laterally thereon as when the car is rounding a curve. When this happens, a side of the coupler shank will engage one or the other of the walls 54 of the carry iron and move the carry iron with it, in some instances as much as 15 on opposite sides of the center line of the car. Should the coupler be uncoupled while in this laterally moved position, the coupler would then become a free coupler and the spring 32 having been compressed when the carrier moved with the coupler would tend to return the free coupler to its midpoint on the upper spring housing. This return to central position of the coupler does not happen immediately upon uncoupling the coupler because it is possible another car would be coupled thereto while still on the curve. But if the car with the free coupler were moved from the curved track to a straightaway track, the vibration of such movement' would assist the spring in returning the coupler to average coupling range. Even if the spring did return. the free coupler to average coupling range while the car was on a curve, it would still be in position to couple with the coupler of another car whose coupler head was in the straightaway position.

In other words, the tension of the spring is regulated by the amount of preload, so that when the coupler is uncoupled and free, the springwill almost return the coupler to straightaway position so that the coupler will be in coupling range in any event.

With this arrangement of bushings between the carry iron and wear plate, it becomes quite easy for the coupler, when necessary, to be moved to any desired position. manually. In the oridinary car structure, the coupler shank rests on a stationary steel carrier, making it very difiicult to move the coupler into coupling position manually. If the uncoupling occurs on a curve and the car is moved to a straightaway section of track, it' is necessary to manually push the coupler to a central position so that it will be within coupling range with a car whose coupler is in central position. The bushings intermediate of the carry iron and stainless steel wear plate make manual movement of the coupler head and shank relatively easy, if movement of the coupler, manually, is necessary.

There may be instances where, due to space limitations or otherwise, it. is possible to do away with the upper spring housing and its associated spring seats, spring,

and yokes, and rely on placing the stainless steel wear plate on=the bottom housing which will be raised to the elevationof the upper housing, and place the carry iron with its bushings on the wear plate. With this arrangement the coupler would have to be manually set in proper coupling range before another car could be coupled thereto. Experience has shown that this is entirely possible even though there would be no automatic centering of the coupler with this arrangement.

From the foregoing it Will be evident to those skilled in the art that there has been devised a coupler centering mechanism for long travel Wide side swing couplers mounted in sliding center sills with cushion underframes, and wherein the entire mechanism is mounted within the spaced limitations of the bottom member of the striker. It is conceivable that the invention could be applied to support any type of coupler and draft gear arrangement by varying the sizes of the parts to fit the limitations in space involved.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form of the invention, but it is understood that the invention is not limited to be exactdet'ails of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A centering mechanism for supporting and centering a car coupler relative to an associatedrailway car comprising in combination a striker having a transversely extending elongated hollow housing fired at opposite ends to said striker, a wear plate having a smooth upper surface upon said hollow housing, a; carry iron upon said wear plate and having spaced sides overlap ing the sides of said hollow housing, said carry iron supporting a car coupler and movable upon said wear plate in response to lateral movements of said coupler, bearing material supported between said carry' iron and wear plate to reduce friction of movement of said carry iron on said wear plate, a preloaded spring supported Within said housing, spring yokes, the bight of each yoke engaging respectively opposite ends of said spring, the other ends of said yokes engaging opposite edges of the sides of said carry iron whereby lateral movement of said coupler will compress said spring and aid in returning said coupler to normal coupling range when lateral stress on said spring is removed;

2. The structure set forth in claim 1, said carry iron being provided with means for holding said bearing material between the carry iron and said wear plate.

3. The structure set forth in claim 1, said carry iron being provided with a recess facing said wear plate for supporting bearing material therein;

4. The combination with a laterally swingable car coupler, of a coupler striker secured to the car body and having a horizontal hollow member supporting the coupler, a carry iron under said coupler and slidable on said horizontal member in response to'lateral movements of said' coupler, bearing material supported between said carry iron and said horizontal member, an elongated helical spring supported by said horizontal member and extending transversely of the axis of said coupler, yokes the bight of each yoke engagingrespectively opposite ends of said spring, the other ends of said yokes engaging opposite edges of the carry iron wherebylateral movement of said coupler will compress said spring and aid'in returning said coupler to coupling range when lateral stress on said spring is removed.

5. The combination with a laterally swingable car coupler, of a coupler striker secured to the car body and having a hollow member for supporting the coupler, a stainless steel wear plate on said member, a coupler carrier iron upon said wear plate under said coupler, and movable laterally in'response to sidewise movements of said coupler, means supporting. suitable bearing. material between said carry iron and said wear plate to provide ease of movement therebetween, a preloaded helical spring supported within said hollow member, yokes encircling the ends of said spring and attached to said carry iron whereby movement of said carry ironwillcompress said spring which will aid in returning said coupler to coupling range when lateral stress on said spring is removed.

6. The combination with a horizontally swingable railway car coupler, of a coupler striker secured to the car body and having a hollow horizontal member for supporting the coupler, a coupler carry iron upon said horizontal member under said coupler and movable laterally in response to sidewise movements of said coupler, the surface of said carry iron engaging said horizontal member being provided with recesses, Teflon bearing material discs within said recesses and of a thickness to extend beyond the depth of the recesses and engage the horizontal member, resilient means extending on opposite sides of the coupler yokes encircling the respective ends of said resilient means and attached to said carry iron, whereby the lateral movement of the coupler will cause the carry iron to slide upon said discs bearing against said horizontal member and compress said resilient means which will aid in returning said coupler to coupling range when stress on said resilient means is removed.

7. The combination with a horizontally swingable rail way car coupler, of a coupler striker secured to the car body and having a horizontal member for supporting the coupler, a coupler carry iron upon said horizontal member under said coupler and movable laterally in response to sidewise movements of said coupler, the surface of said carry iron which engages said horizontal member being provided with recesses, Teflon bearing material discs within said recesses and of a thickness to extend beyond the depth of the recesses and engage the horizontal member spring means extending on opposite sides of the coupler, spring actuating means attached to the carry iron and engaging opposite ends of said spring means, whereby the lateral movement of the coupler will cause the carry iron to slide upon said discs bearing against said horizontal member, and compress said spring means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,226,485 12/ 1940 Van Dorn 213-61 3,058,791 10/1962 Stallman 308238 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,060,501 7/1952 France.

303, 6/ 1929 Great Britain.

ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

LEO QUACKENBUSH, MILTON BUCHLER,

Examiners.

Claims (1)

1. A CENTERING MECHANISM FOR SUPPORTING AND CENTERING A CAR COUPLER RELATIVE TO AN ASSOCIATED RAILWAY CAR COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A STRIKER HAVING A TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING ELONGATED HOLLOW HOUSING FIXED AT OPPOSITE ENDS TO SAID STRIKER, A WEAR PLATE HAVING A SMOOTH UPPER SURFACE UPON SAID HOLLOW HOUSING, A CARRY IRON UPON SAID WEAR PLATE AND HAVING SPACED SIDES OVERLAPPING THE SIDES OF SAID HOLLOW HOUSING, SAID CARRY IRON SUPPORTING A CAR COUPLER AND MOVABLE UPON SAID WEAR PLATE IN RESPONSE TO LATERAL MOVEMENTS OF SAID COUPLER, BEARING MATERIAL SUPPORTED BETWEEN SAID CARRY IRON AND WEAR PLATE TO REDUCE FRICTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID CARRY IRON ON SAID WEAR PLATE, A PRELOADED SPRING SUPPORTED WITHIN SAID HOUSING, SPRING YOKES, THE BIGHT OF EACH YOKE ENGAGING RESPECTIVELY OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID SPRING, THE OTHER ENDS OF SAID YOKES ENGAGING OPPOSITE EDGES OF THE SIDES OF SAID CARRY IRON WHEREBY LATERAL MOVEMENT OF SAID COUPLER WILL COMPRESS SAID SPRING AND AID IN RETURNING SAID COUPLER TO NORMAL COUPLING RANGE WHEN LATERAL STRESS ON SAID SPRING IS REMOVED.

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