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CA1340531C - Slackless drawbar - Google Patents

Slackless drawbar

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Publication number
CA1340531C
CA1340531C CA000616735A CA616735A CA1340531C CA 1340531 C CA1340531 C CA 1340531C CA 000616735 A CA000616735 A CA 000616735A CA 616735 A CA616735 A CA 616735A CA 1340531 C CA1340531 C CA 1340531C
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
drawbar
lifting lug
adjusting wedge
slack adjusting
gravity responsive
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Fee Related
Application number
CA000616735A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Mary Ann Glover
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
McConway and Torley LLC
Original Assignee
McConway and Torley LLC
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from US07/352,932 external-priority patent/US5096075A/en
Application filed by McConway and Torley LLC filed Critical McConway and Torley LLC
Priority to CA000616735A priority Critical patent/CA1340531C/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA1340531C publication Critical patent/CA1340531C/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current

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Abstract

A signal device for providing a quick visual indication of the remaining wear life of a gravity responsive slack adjusting wedge in a slackless drawbar coupler arrangement, which comprises a lifting lug secured to an upper surface of the gravity responsive slack adjusting wedge, such that the lifting lug extends visibly through an opening formed in an upper surface of a railway vehicle center sill member as long as the gravity responsive slack adjusting wedge has a useful remaining life, the extent of visibility of the lifting lug being indicative of the useful remaining life.

Description

car rnvr~oo rwwr~nrn BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention: This invention relates to a drawbar'for coupling together railway cars in a fashion to provide unit train service while providing horizontal and vertical angling of the drawbar and eliminating slack in the coupling system of parts. More particularly, the present invention relates to such a drawbar wherein a vertical pivot pin engages walls of a carrier housing to provide an arrangement that minimizes friction between the parts during angling and allows for a quick disconnect between the drawbar and the railway car.
2. Description of the Prior Art: conventional E-Type;
F-Type and E/F-Type railroad couplers are relatively complicated assemblies used in conjunction with a car sill, draft gear, yoke, follower blocks, striker, pin or coupler connection. Such conventional coupler arrangements have a degree of free and cushioned slack. That is, there is a certain amount of free "play"
between the coupler components when the load changes from a draft to a buff load and vice verse. At the same time, the draft gear acts as a spring mechanism to cushion impacts between adjacent cars. It has been found that eliminating the free and cushioned slack within a train will eliminate over the road train action forces due to "run-ins" and "run-outs". The magnitudes of these forces are large and cause significant wear and tear on the rolling stock. In some instances the forces are severe enough to cause derailments.

134~~~~1 Furthermore, in conventional coupler assemblies, the key or pin connection of the coupler to the yoke is at a relatively long distance from the kingpin about which the wheel truck rotates .
In negotiating curves, particularly under buff loading conditions, this gives rise to relatively large lateral forces which can cause derailment. The same is true when jackknifing occurs under buff loads with lateral forces attempting to rotate the cars about their centers.
In United States Patent Number 4,580,686 there is disclosed a slackless self-adjusting rotary drawbar for railway cars which allows a railway car to be rotated in unit train service independent of the railway cars coupled thereto to effect a dumping operation of cargo as usually contained in a hopper of a railway car. This known drawbar arrangement requires that the drawbar have essentially hemispherical buff and draft load bearing surfaces on the forward and rear portions of an enlarged spherical butt end portion. Each of the hemispherical surfaces engage with corresponding front draft and rear buff bearing blocks that are in turn contained within a center sill by rear draft lugs and front draft lugs. The draft lugs are secured by weld metal to the center sill. Slackless operations are achieved by a gravity wedge operatively arranged between the rear draft lugs and the buff load bearing block. The components of the drawbar arrangement are contained within the center sill by a bottom plate attached to oppositely extending flange sections of the center sill. The spherical contour provided on the enlarged butt end portion of the 134~1~3~.
drawbar is necessary to achieve rotary operation of one railway vehicle with respect to the adjoined vehicle connected thereto by the drawbar. While this drawbar has many desirable features including the rotary dumping feature when such features are not necessary it has been found that the large surface area formed by the hemispherical buff and draft surfaces impose unusually large frictional forces that may impede necessary freedom for angling of the drawbar relative to the center sill. Moreover, the multiplicity of dissociated parts particularly, for example, the front and rear draft lugs renders alignment of the hemispherical buff and draft bearing surfaces difficult to achieve and maintain.
Non-alignment between such bearing surfaces may produce unwanted train action forces. The present invention is designed to provide a slackless drawbar arrangement where rotary dumping is not required to overcome the shortcomings and disadvantages of the drawbar arrangement disclosed in the aforesaid patent number 4,580,686.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention there is provided a drawbar coupler for a railway car having a center sill, the drawbar coupler including a drawbar having a vertical pin hole extending between top and bottom surfaces forwardly of a truncated, spherically shaped buff load transfer butt end portion, a rear support block having a rear surface and an oppositely facing surface formed with a truncated hemispherical shaped buff load bearing surface engageable with the truncated spherically shaped 13~(~53i buff bearing surface of the drawbar, a carrier housing dimensioned to fit in the center sill and attached thereto for transferring buff and draft loads from the drawbar to the center sill, a drawbar bearing block having a rearwardly facing draft load transfer surface engaged with the drawbar in the vertical pin hole, the drawbar bearing block further having a forwardly facing draft load transfer surface, a drawbar pin having an annular pin surface engaged with the forwardly facing draft load transfer surface of the drawbar bearing block, the drawbar pin being operably connected to the carrier housing for transferring draft forces from the draftbar to the center sill and a gravity responsive slack adjusting wedge interposed between the tapered rear surface of the rear support block and the carrier housing.
Preferably the center sill is provided with an opening to allow vertical withdrawal of the drawbar pin and a retainer member traverses the carrier housing at the bottom of the center sill at a sight to prevent dropping of the drawbar pin from the carrier housing. Rearwardly of the drawbar pin, the carrier housing is provided with a cavity wherein the slack adjusting wedge can protrude to a pre-determined extent displayed, for example, by a signal device connected to the wedge and protruding through a suitable opening in the carrier housing and the top wall of the center sill. The signal device indicating, as long as visible, a remaining wear life that will maintain slackless operation of the drawbar. However when the signaling device is no longer visible, there is indicated a degree of wear to the drawbar parts which no 134t~~~m~
longer provides slackless operation; thus calling for replacement of the wedge and/or other parts.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These features and advantages of the present invention as well as others will be more fully understood when the following description is read in connection with the accompanying drawings which form part of the specification; and in which;
Figure 1 is an elevational view in section through a slackless drawbar according to the present invention;
Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view, partially in section, of a drawbar member shown in Figure 1;
Figure 3 is an isometric view of a center sill of a railway vehicle embodying the drawbar according to Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a plan view of a support casing forming part of the drawbar of the present invention;
Figure 5 is a plan view of a bearing block forming part of the drawbar of the present invention;
Figure 6 is a side, elevational view of the bearing block shown in Figure 5;
Figure 7 is a front elevational view of a rear support block forming part of the drawbar of the present invention;
Figure 8 is a sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII
of Figure 7;
Figure 9 is a side, elevational view of a support plate forming part of the drawbar of the present invention;
1,~~~~31 Figure 10 is a front view of the support plate shown in Figure 9; and Figure 11 is a isometric view of a slack adjustment wedge forming part of the drawbar of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In Figure 1 there is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the slackless drawbar according to the present invention. As can be sent here is a drawbar casting 10 having an enlarged end portion 12 shown in plan view of Figure 2. The drawbar includes a drawbar body 14 which can be of a tubular or solid construction and forms the interconnecting member between railway cars that are to be interconnected. The enlarged end portion 12 includes laterally projecting enlargements between a vertical pin hole 16 formed in-part by a forward pin hole wall portion with diverging wall sections 18 extending toward the top and bottom surfaces 20 and 21, respectively, of the end portion 12. The diverging wall sections 18 allow vertical angling of the drawbar about a drawbar pin 22.
The pin is preferably a solid annular member of constant diameter that is received at its opposite end portions in openings 23 provided in the top and bottom walls 24 and 25 of a drawbar support casing or carrier housing 26. The pin 22 is tightly fitted in these openings 23 by an assembly of parts that includes a bearing lock 27, illustrated in Figures 5 and 6, having an annular face surface 28 engaged with pin 22 and an oppositely directed convex surface 29 extending vertically and engageable with a similarly shaped concave surface 30. In Figures 1 and 2, in the rearwardly 1340e1 directed part of the pin hole 16. The terminal end portion of the drawbar casting 10 has a truncated, hemispherical butt end surface 31 by which buff forces are transferred to a rear support block 32, (Figure 7 and 8) having a face 33 provided with hemispherical buff load surface 34. Opposite surface 34 there is provided on the support block 32 a tapered face 35 that engages with a similarly tapered surface 36 of a gravity actuated slack-adjusting wedge 37 (Figure 11). The wedge 37 is supported against a rear wall 38 of the drawbar support casing 26.
An important feature of the present invention is an arrangement of parts to allow quick disconnect feature of the drawbar casting 10 from a center sill 39 of the car body. The drawbar support casing 26 as shown in Figure 3 is welded or otherwise attached to the center sill 39 and an opening 40 is provided in the top wall 41. The opening 40 enables a lift lug 45 engaged with the slack adjusting wedge 37 to protrude above the center sill 39 and provide a visual indication of the height of the wedge 37 so that when wear occurs to the extent that the lift lug 45 drops out of sight the need for replacement of the wedge 37 or other worn parts is apparent. ,A support plate 42 (Figures 9 and 10) is fastened by bolts or other members to the drawbar support casing 26 to maintain the support block 32 in the internal cavity of the support casing 26. The support plate 42 has a "U-shaped"
configuration formed by center section 43 joined by offset legs 44 having openings for fasteners. As best shown in Figure 1, 3, 9 and 10 the center section 43 of the support plate 42 extends into the 1~~05~1 support casing 26 to provide support for the support block 32.
When it is desired for example, to disconnect the drawbar casting from the railway vehicle the slack adjusting wedge 37 is lifted to eliminate metal to metal contact between~the support block 32, 5 drawbar casting 10 and pin. 22. Such lifting of the slack adjusting wedge 37 can be accomplished, for example, by a hook engaging the lifting lug 45 secured to the wedge 37., Thereafter, a pin support plate 46 which extends across the opening 23 of the bottom wall of the support casing 26 is removed thus allowing access and removal 10 of the drawbar pin 22. Thereafter, the drawbar casting 10 can be simply pulled from the support casing 26 for inspection and repair of any worn parts.
As can be seen from Figures 1 and 2, the buff bearing surfaces on the drawbar casting 10 and the rear support block 32 ~ embody a design specifically intended to reduce the surface contact area and at the same time assure uniform wear because of substantially uniform loading due to buff forces. Also, the drawbar coupler of the present invention eliminates the need for costly machining of all load transfer surfaces. The truncated feature of the hemispherical surfaces is designed preferably such that the length of arc of the surfaces be approximately equal to the radius of curvature.
While the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments of the various figures, it is to be understood that other similar embodiments may be used or modifications and additions may be made to the described A

embodiment for performing the same function of the present invention without deviating therefrom. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to any single embodiment, but rather construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the recitation of the appended claims.

Claims (2)

1. A signal device for providing a quick visual indication of the remaining wear life of a gravity responsive slack adjusting wedge in a slackless drawbar coupler arrangement, said signaling device comprising a lifting lug secured to an upper surface of said gravity responsive slack adjusting wedge, said lifting lug extending visibly through an opening formed in an upper surface of a railway vehicle center sill member as long as said gravity responsive slack adjusting wedge has a useful remaining life, the extent of visibility of said lifting lug being indicative of said useful remaining life.
2. A signal device according to claim 1 wherein said lifting lug included an eyelet formed on an outer end thereof.
CA000616735A 1989-05-17 1993-08-23 Slackless drawbar Expired - Fee Related CA1340531C (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA000616735A CA1340531C (en) 1989-05-17 1993-08-23 Slackless drawbar

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US07/352,932 US5096075A (en) 1989-05-17 1989-05-17 Slackless drawbar with gravity responsive wedge
US352,932 1989-05-17
CA000614027A CA1337720C (en) 1989-05-17 1989-09-28 Slackless drawbar
CA000616735A CA1340531C (en) 1989-05-17 1993-08-23 Slackless drawbar

Related Parent Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA000614027A Division CA1337720C (en) 1989-05-17 1989-09-28 Slackless drawbar

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA1340531C true CA1340531C (en) 1999-05-04

Family

ID=33419208

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA000616735A Expired - Fee Related CA1340531C (en) 1989-05-17 1993-08-23 Slackless drawbar

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA1340531C (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN103318218A (en) * 2013-07-08 2013-09-25 中国北车集团大同电力机车有限责任公司 Traction pin for locomotive traction device

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN103318218A (en) * 2013-07-08 2013-09-25 中国北车集团大同电力机车有限责任公司 Traction pin for locomotive traction device
CN103318218B (en) * 2013-07-08 2016-08-10 中国北车集团大同电力机车有限责任公司 Device for tracting locomotive towing pin and traction apparatus

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