US2768755A - Draft gear housing - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 30, 19.56 R. B. COTTRELL. 2,768,755

DRAFT GEAR HOUSING Original Filed May 19, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet l Oct- 30, 1956 R. B. COTTRELL DRAFT GEAR HOUSING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed May 19, 1948 United States Patent DRAFT GEAR HOUSING Robert B. Cottrell, Chicago, Ill., assignor to American teel Foundries, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of New ersey Original application May 19, 1948, Serial No. 28,011,

n ow Patent No. 2,670,856, dated March 2, 195ML Digglegnd this application August 25T, 195B, Serial No.

6 Claims. (Cl. 213-32) This invention relates to railway draft gears and more particularly to a draft gear housing of economical and sturdy construction having the characteristic of relatively great capacity and quick release.

This application is divided out of my copending application, Serial No. 28,011, filed May 19, 1948, for Draft Gear.

A general object of the invention is to devise a steel draft gear housing which is capable of expansion and contraction without permanent deformation during compression and release respectively, of said mechanism.

A more specific object of the invention is to devise a draft gear housing, such as above described, wherein the open friction end is generally oval in shape and is reinforced by a pair of opposed C-shaped external flanges arranged in alignment along the long axis of the open end of the housing, the anges acting as spring means to yieldingly resist expansion of the housing as the friction mechanism is urged into the open end thereof under the severe impacts of railway service.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following specification and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a draft gear embodying the novel housing with portions of the device broken away to clarify the construction;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view partly in section of the gear shown in Figure 1; v

Figure 3 is a side elevational View partly in section taken from the bottom of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3; p Y

Figure 5 is a plan view of the housing taken from the open end thereof;

Figure 6 is a side elevational view of the housing;

Figure 6A is a fragmentary sectional view on the line A-A of Figure 6;

Figure 7 is a plan view of the outer wedge follower; v .Figure 8 is a side elevational view partly in section taken from the bottom of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a side elevational view partly in section taken from the right of Figure 7;

Figure 10 is a sectional view taken on the line 1010 of Figure 9, and

Figure 11 is a sectional view on the line 11-11 of Figure 7.

Describing the invention in detail and referring first to the perspective view of Figure l, the gear comprises a novel housing, generally designated 2, with a friction mechanism, generally designated 4, receivable Within the open end 6 of the housing. Movement of the friction mechanism 4 into the housing is resisted by friction developed thereagainst, as hereinafter described, and by an outer coil spring 8 seated against the closed end of the housing and an inner coil spring 12 seated on a spring support boss 14 formed on the inner end of the housing. The parts are held in assembled relationship by a bolt Patented Oct. 30, 1956 and nut assembly 16 which, as best seen in Figures 2 and 3, extends through the inner spring 12 through an opening 18 in the boss 14 and comprises a head 20 engageable with the boss to limit the release stroke of the clutch mechanism.

The housing 2 is generally oval in shape, as best seen in Figures 1, 4 and 5, and comprises the before mentioned open end 6 having friction surfaces 22 arranged along the long axis thereof and friction surfaces 24 arranged along the short axis thereof, as best seen in Figures 4 and 5. Each of the friction surfaces 24 comprises a fiat area 26 disposed intermediate spaced arcuate areas to prevent relative rotation of the associated shoes.

The housing 2 is shown in detail in Figures 5, 6 and 6A and, as above noted, comprises a generally oval friction end having a short axis A (Figure 5) and a long axis B. The arcuate portions of each friction surface 24 which is disposed at one side of the long axis B are struck from a common center disposed at the opposite side of the long axis along a radius, indicated at R. Each friction surface 22, as shown in Figure 5, is disposed at one side of the short axis A and is struck from a center Y at the same side of the axis A along a radius designated R. This novel arrangement of friction surfaces has been found to develop adequate friction while maintaining the friction mechanism 4 against relative rotation with respect to the housing, as hereinafter discussed.

The housing 2 at its open end is formed with a pair of opposed C-shaped anges 28 arranged along the long axis thereof, each of said flanges being reinforced centrally thereof by longitudinal ribs 30 and being reinforced at its respective ends by longitudinal ribs 32 (Figures l, 2 and 6).

The housing 2 is also reinforced at its closed end by a pair of internal iianges or ribs 31, as best seen in Figures 2 and 6A, the ribs 31 being in alignment with the overlapping ends of the ribs 30.

This construction controls elastic deformation of the housing as the friction mechanism 4 is urged into the open end 6 thereof during compression of the gear, and the C-shaped anges 28 act as springs to yieldingly resist such deformation and to prevent permanent distortion of the housing. In this connection it may be noted that in a gear of the above described type, as is well known to those skilled in the art, the housing expands as the friction mechanism is urged into the same under the severe impacts of railway service and after pressure against the friction mechanism has been relieved, contraction of the housing acts in combination with the springs 8 and 12 to urge the mechanism outwardly to the release position illustrated in the drawings. As above mentioned, it has been found that the spring anges 28 accommodate the necessary contraction and expansion of the housing and prevent permanent distortion thereof. The flanges 28 are prefer-ably tapered toward the short axis of the housing to reduce bending stresses along the surfaces 24.

The clutch mechanism 4 comprises a pair of substantially identical outer shoes 34, each of which comprises a friction face 36 (Figures 3 and 4) complemental to and engaged with the related housing surface 26, and the shoe 34 also comprises spaced outer wedge faces 38 land an intermediate groove 4l) engaged respectively with complementary wedge faces 42 and an intermediate tongue 44 of an outer Wedge follower 46, shown in detail in Figures 7 to 1l inclusive. The outer wedge follower comprises a central recess 48 and an opening 50 accommodating the before mentioned bolt `and nut assembly 16.

The outer shoes 34 are in wedge engagementvwith the equalizer 64 as at 60 and are in tongue and groove interlock therewith at 62.

The inner shoes 73 comprise radially outer friction surfaces 80 engaged with the friction surfaces 22 of the housing, as best seen in Figures 2 and 4. Each shoe 78 also comprises a wedge surface 84 on its axially inner surface having complementary wedge engagement with a spring cap 86 (Figures 2 and 3). The spring cap bears against the spring 8 which acts in parallel with the spring 12 to resist the compression stroke of the gear. The shoes 78 are in wedge engagement at 70 with the equalizer 64 `and are in tongue and groove interlock therewith at 72.

Thus it will be seen that the novel draft gear housing is provided with shoe interlocking means and comprises resilient means in the form of opposed C-shaped flanges disposed around the outer perimeter of the housing at the friction end thereof for controlling elastic deformation of the housing on the compression stroke of the gear and for contracting the housing to urge the friction shoes outwardly of the open end thereof on the release stroke of the gear.

I claim:

l. In a draft gear, a hollow steel housing having an open end capable of expansion and contraction responsive to compression and release of the draft gear, said open end being generally oval-shape and provided with internal outwardly flaring friction surfaces at each side of its long axis, and internal outwardly flaring friction surfaces at each side of its short axis, and diametrically opposed circumferentially spaced C-shape flanges on the exterior of the open end of the housing with their medial portions disposed on said long axis and their ends extending toward and terminating in spaced relation to said short axis.

2. In a draft gear, a hollow steel housing having an open end capable of expansion and contraction responsive to compression and release of the draft gear, said open end being generally oval-shape and provided with internal outwardly flaring friction surfaces at each side of its long axis, and intemal outwardly flaring friction surfaces at each side of its short axis, and diametrically opposed circumferentially spaced C-shape flanges on the exterior of the open end of the housing with their medial portions disposed on said long axis and their ends extending toward and terminating in spaced relation to said short axis, the medial portion of each flange merging with and being reinforced by an external rib extending longitudinally of the housing.

3. In a draft gear, hollow steel housing having an open end capable of expansion and contraction responsive to compression and release of the draft gear, said open end being generally oval-shape and provided with internal outwardly flaring friction surfaces at each side of its long axis, and internal outwardly flaring friction surfaces at each side of its short axis, and diametrically opposed circumferentially spaced C-shaped flanges on the exterior of the open end of the housing with their medial portions disposed on said long axis and their ends extending toward and terminating in spaced relation to said short axis, the medial portion of each flange merging with and being reinforced by a pair of external ribs extending longitudinally of the housing.

4. In a draft gear, a hollow steel housing having an open end capable of expansion and contraction responsive to compression and release of the draft gear, said open end being generally oval-shape and provided with internal outwardly flaring friction surfaces at each side of its long axis, and internal outwardly flaring friction surfaces at each side of its short axis, and diametrically opposed circumferentially.spaced C-shape flanges on the exterior of the open end of the housing with their medial portions disposed on said long axis and their ends extending toward vand terminating in spaced relation to said short axis, tne medial portion of each flange merging with and being reinforced by an external rib extending longitudinally of the housing, the ends of said flanges merging with and being reinforced by other ribs provided on and extending longitudinally of the housing.

5. In a draft gear, a hollow steel housing having an open end capable of expansion and contraction responsive to compression and release of the draft gear, said open end being generally oval-shape and provided with internal outwardly flaring friction surfaces at each side of its long axis, and internal outwardly flaring friction surfaces at each side of its short axis, and diametrically opposed circumferentially spaced C-shape flanges on the exterior of the open end of the housing with their medial portions disposed on said long axis and their ends extending toward and terminating in spaced relation to said short axis, the medial portion of each flange merging with and being reinforced by an external rib extending longitudinally of the housing, a friction mechanism including friction shoes slidably engaging related friction surfaces during compression of the draft gear, said friction mechanism including means operative to urge said shoes radially against related friction surfaces.

6. In a draft gear, a hollow steel housing having an open end capable of expansion and contraction responsive'to compression and release of the draft gear, said open end being generally oval-shape and provided with internal outwardly flaring friction surfaces at each side of its long axis, and internal outwardly flaring friction surfaces at each side of its short axis, and diametrically opposed circumferentially spaced C-shape flanges on the exterior of the open end of the housing with their medial portions disposed on said long yaxis and their ends extending toward and terminating in spaced relation to said short axis, the medial portion of each flange merging with and being reinforced by an external rib extending longitudinally of the housing, a friction mechanism including friction shoes slidably engaging related friction surfaces during compression of the draft gear, said friction mechanism including wedge means operative to urge said shoes radially against related friction surfaces.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

Images