US3127853A - Closure operating shaft locking mechanism - Google Patents

Description

April 7, 1964 w. L. FLOEHR CLOSURE OPERATING SHAFT LOCKING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 18, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 R E V m WALTER L. FLOEHR BY b djnwvm h ATTORNEY A ril 7, 1964 w. L. FLOEHR 7,

CLOSURE OPERATING SHAFT LOCKING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 18, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR WALTER L. FLOEHI? BY J WA;

4; ATTORNEY April 7, 1964 w. 1.. FLOEHR CLOSURE OPERATING SHAFT LOCKING MECHANISM 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 18, 1959 F/GJO INVENTOR WALTER L. FLOEHR United States Patent 3,127,853 CLOSURE OPERATING SHAFT LOCKING MECHANISM Walter L. Floehr, Toiedo, Ohio, assignor to Unitcast Corporation, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Nov. 18, 1959, Ser. No. 853,871 6 Claims. (tCl. 105-308) This invention relates generally to doors for closing dis charge openings in railway cars and particularly to mechanism for locking an operating shaft of such a door against operation.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved locking mechanism for an operating shaft of a railway car door which is simple in construction and eifective and trouble-free in operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved locking mechanism for railway car doors, the locking element of which is readily drivable into and out of locking position, automatically compensates for wear and in release position does not interfere with operation of the shaft.

An additional object of the invention is to provide an improved locking mechanism for railway car doors, wherein the locking element is adapted by gravity to drop into and be restrained against accidental dislodgement from an aperture extending through means fixed to the operating shaft, is automatically guided into the slot on dropping to locked position and, while readily releasable, is wedged into locked position to prevent accidental release by friction as Well as by gravity.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter in the detailed description, be particularly pointed out in the appended claims and be illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a typical installation of the locking mechanism of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the structure of FIGURE 1 with portions broken away and shown in section to more clearly illustrate certain of the details of construction;

FIGURE 3 is an exploded view on an enlarged scale of a prefeired embodiment of the locking mechanism of the present invention;

FIGURE 4 is a front elevational view on the scale of FIGURE 3 showing the components of that figure in locking position;

FIGURE 5 is an end elevational view of the mechanism of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along the lines 66 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of the capstan of the mechanism on the scale of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is an end elevational view of the capstan from the left end of FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 9 in an end elevational view of the capstan from the right end of FIGURE 7; and

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary vertical sectional View taken along the lines 1010 of FIGURE 7 with the operating shaft removed.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, in which like reference characters designate like parts, the improved locking mechanism of the present invention is applicable to any door closing a lading discharge opening in a railway car which is either operated by rotation of an operating shaft or has its locking mechanism so operated, such as the slide gate of my application Serial No. 754,834, filed August 13, 1958, now Patent No. 3,021,798 issued February 20, 1962, or the drop bottom door of my application Serial No. 833,821 filed on August 14, 1959.

In the illustrated embodiment, the improved locking mechanism, designated generally as 1, has been applied, typically, to a drop bottom hopper door 2 which is adapted to close a discharge opening 3 in a hopper 4-, the opening being bounded by a door frame 5. Hinged at the top on hinges 6 fixed to the door frame 5 for swinging about a horizontal axis between open and closed positions, the door 2 is locked in closed position by a door locking mechanism 7 of the type illustrated in my application Serial No. 833,821, which, when operated, is capable through a pivoted latch 8 not only of pulling the door from partly to fully closed position, but of freeing the door on opening if the latter is stuck to the frame. The capabilities of the door locking mechanism '7 result in part from a lost motion connection between the pivoted latch 8 and a rotatable operating or drive shaft 9 and this same connection permits the door locking mechanism to be locked against accidental release by locking of the operating shaft against rotation when the mechanism is in locking position. It is here that in the illustrated embodiment the improved locking mechanism 1 comes into play to lock the operating shaft 9 against rotation and so look the door 2 in closed position.

The locking mechanism 1 is comprised of a keeper or catch member or element 1%, which may be an integral part of the operating shaft 9 or be fixed or secured to or made rigid with an end of the shaft and is coaxial with and projects or extends axially or longitudinally there from somewhat beyond the adjoining side 11 of the door 2. The keeper member It here an extension of the operating shaft 9, conveniently may be capstan to which leverage may be applied through a suitable actuating bar (not shown) for rotating the shaft, the capstan for that purpose being provided in its outer end portion 12 with a pair of radially directed, outwardly divergent sockets 13, either of which is adapted to receive or seat an end of the actuating bar. The illustrated capstan or extension It? has as its inner end an axially socketed collar or boss 14 for receiving the outer or contiguous end of the operating shaft 9 and is fixed or secured to the shaft, as by welding, about the collar. Serving as a. journal for the shaft 9, the collar is rotatably seated or journalled in a bearing 15 fixed, as by welding, to the door 2 and is limited in its projection thereinto by an annular flange 16 integral with the capstan 16 and bounding the outer end of the collar. If, as in the illustrated embodiment, the locking mechanism 1 is carried entirely by the door 2, rather than having its locking component mounted on the hopper 4 or other fixed part of a car body (not shown) adjacent the door, the bearing 15 may be an integral part of a mounting bracket 17 having a pair of ears 1S spaced transversely of the shaft 9 from each other and projecting or extending above or radially beyond the shaft.

The other or locking component of the locking mechanism 1 is a key, wedge or locking member 19 carried by or mounted on and straddled or embraced by the ears 18. The key 19 is intended to move both relative to and about a fixed axis in moving or shifting between locking and release or out-of-the-way positions and to this end is pinand-slot connected to the ears 18 by a pin 20 disposed above the capstan l6 and preferably substantially normal to the outer face 21 of the door 2 and riding in a longitudinally elongated slot 22 in the key. Conveniently, the pin 20 may be a rivet extending through and fixed to the ears 18 and, for reduced wear, the rivet between the ears may be rotatably encircled by a bushing or sleeve 23 directly engaging the key 19 about the slot 22..

The key 19 has a head 24 and a relatively reduced shank 25, both of which preferably are rectangular in cross-section. Flattened at its upper extremity or top 26 and flat-sided except for an integral, gusset-backed lip, lug or spur 27 outstanding from and substantially normal to its outer side 28, the head terminates downwardly at at least one side and preferably at both of its slot-interrupted sides 29 in one or, as preferred, a plurality of transversely spaced, downwardly facing shoulders or stops 3d. Designed to exert a wedging action, the shank 25 tapers downwardly from the shoulders 30 to its nose, tip or lower extremity 31, this taper or wedge shape being obtained by the inward and downward inclination or convergence of a pair of its opposite sides, preferably its slotinterrupted sides 32 and, from a point below the shoulders, this inward and downward inclination is applied to at least its outer side 33 and preferably its inner side 34 as well, so that from that point, the shank, as a whole, is of inverted frusto-pyramidal shape.

Enabled by its pin-and-slot connection to the ears 18 to both shift or slide longitudinally relative to and swing about the pin 20, the key 19 is confined by the pin to move in a plane which includes the rotative axis of the operating shaft 9 and is substantially normal to the outer face 21 of the door 2. This containment in the movement of the key 19 is designed to enable it, at least in the rotative position of the capstan and the operating shaft 9 in which the door 2 is fully closed, to register or align with and drop by gravity into the mouth 35 of an aperture or slot 36 extending axially of and radially through the capstan 10. Once the key 19 has entered the aperture '36, rotation of the operating shaft 9 is prevented and the door 2 is locked in closed position. However, reliance on gravity alone to hold the key in the aperture 36 would not bar its accidental dislodgement or displacement under the shocks to which the locking mechanism 1 would be subjected in service. It is therefore intended to supplement the force of gravity on the key 19 with a friction grip be tween the key and the capstan suflicient to inhibit any accidental dislodgement of the key.

The friction grip between the key 19 and the capstan 10 is obtained by inclining or tapering the transversely spaced side walls 37 of the aperture 36 in correspondence with the inclination or taper of the confronting, slot-interrupted sides 32 of the shank 25 of the key 19, but with the spacing between these Walls such that, for the intended service life of the mechanism, the shank will not seat fully in the aperture and the shoulders 30 on the key will be spaced above confronting limiting or stop surfaces 38 on the capstan 10 at sides of the mouth 35 of the aperture. As a consequence of this spacing, the key 19, when driven downward by hammer or like blows on the flat top 26 of its head 24, will be wedged into tight engagement with the transversely spaced side walls 37 of the aperture 36. At the same time, any wear in the key 19 or capstan 10 due to such engagement automatically will be compensated for by the taper to the point at which, after extended use, the shoulders 30 with but little force can be driven into engagement with the limiting surfaces 38. This action of the inclined side walls 37 of the aperture and the cooperating sides 32 of the key 19, in wedging the key in one transverse direction against the capstan and so frictionally resisting accidental dislodgement of the key, preferably is supplemented by a wedging action in another transverse direction exerted by the tapered or inclined part of the outer side 33 of the shank 25 against a part of a confronting outer wall 39 of the aperture to force the flat upper portion 40 of the inner side 34 of the shank and adjoining coplanar portion of the head 24 against the preferred flat inner wall 41 of the aperture.

Narrowest at its outlet 42, with its narrowness there determined longitudinally by the spacing between its outer and inner walls 39 and 41, the aperture widens or flares thereabove both transversely and outwardly. With the narrowness or restriction of the outlet 42 relative to the mouth 35, the key 19, when inserted through the mouth, will project through the outlet, while it will be stopped after only small ingress if inserted through the outlet. It thus is simple for .an operator to determine visually whether the operating shaft 9 is in proper rotative position for the key 19 to lock the door 2 in closed position.

The intended insertion of the key 19 through the mouth 35 of the aperture 36, rather than its outlet 42, is further facilitated by providing a downwardly and inwardly inclined guide surface 43, at or bounding or defining the upper part of the outer side of the aperture and engageable by the nose 31 of the shank 25 of the key, in case the latter is canted outwardly on entering the mouth, for guiding the shank into proper position in the aperture. Conveniently, the guide surface 43 may merge upwardly with a platform, shelf or fulcrum 44, substantially paralleling and facing upwardly toward but spaced outwardly of the lip 27 on the head 24 of the key 19 in the locking position of the mechanism 1. With the platform 44 spaced outwardly of and below the lip 27 and the platform and lip preferably provided with concave surfaces 45 and 46, respectively, each facing toward the other, these members afford a ready means for application of a pry or crowbar (not shown) for forcing the key 19 out of the aperture 36, the bar then being cradled in and fulcrumming on the concave upper surface 45 of the platform and reacting at its end against the confronting concave undersurface 46 of the lip.

The slot 22 in the key 19 is, of course, of suflicient length to accommodate the vertical or longitudinal movement of the key required for engagement and disengagement of the key and the capstan. By extending the slot downwardly into the shank 25 to the point at which the pin 20, when in the lower end of the slot, will have its axis on the shank side of the center of gravity of the key, it is rendered possible to cause the key not only to drop by gravity into the aperture 36 but to be held by gravity in the substantially horizontal release or inoperative position shown in dot-and-dash line in FIGURE 4 in which, after the key has been lifted, its head 24 is swung inwardly about the pin 20 and rests on its inner side 47 on an underlying supporting portion 48 of the door stiffening member 49, that portion in the illustrated embodiment being the top flange of the angle iron serving as the stiffening member.

From the above detailed description, it will be apparent that there has been provided an improved mechanism for locking an operating shaft of a car door against rotation which is simple, effective and of long useful life. It should be understood that the described and disclosed embodiment is merely exemplary of the invention and that all modifications are intended to be included which do not depart from either the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. Mechanism for locking an operating shaft of a railway car door against operation comprising a door operating shaft, means fixed to and extending axially of said shaft beyond an end thereof, bracket means mounted on said door and projecting above said fixed means, key means connected above said shaft to and movable about and longitudinally relative to said bracket means, a downwardly tapered portion on said key means, a correspondingly tapered aperture in and extending substantially radially of said fixed means, said tapered portion in a closed position of said door being longitudinally insertable into said aperture, means on said key means for enabling said tapered portion thereof to be driven into said aperture in said closed position of said door, and means on said fixed means and cooperating with means on said key means for enabling said key means to be dislodged from said aperture and thereafter swung about said bracket means to inoperative position.

2. Mechanism for locking an operating shaft of a railway car door against operation comprising a door operating shaft, mounting means projecting above said shaft in a closed position of said door, key me connected above said shaft to and movable about and longitudinally relative to said mounting means, an aperture extending substantially radially through said shaft and positioned to receive said key means in said closed position of said a door, said aperture in said position tapering away from said key means, wedge means on said key means and wedgeable into said aperture on alignment thereof with said key means for locking said shaft against rotation and therethrough said door in closed position, and means connected to said shaft and cooperating with means on said key means for enabling said key means to be dis placed from said aperture.

3. Mechanism for locking an operating shaft of a railway car door against operation comprising a door operating shaft, means fixed to and extending axially of said shaft beyond an end thereof, bracket means mounted on said door and projecting above said fixed means, key means connected above said shaft to and movable about and longitudinally relative to said bracket means, an aperture in and extending radially through said fixed means and aligning with and tapering away from said key means in said closed position of said door, a wedging portion on said key means tapering in correspondence with and receivable in and projectable through said aperture in said closed position, means on said key means for enabling said wedging portion thereof to be driven into said aperture in said closed position of said door, and means on said fixed means and cooperating with means on said key means for enabling said key means to be dislodged from said aperture and thereafter swung about said bracket means to inoperative position.

4. Mechanism for locking an operating shaft of a railway car door against operation comprising a door operating shaft, means fixed to and extending axially of said shaft beyond an end thereof, bracket means mounted on said door and projecting above said fixed means, key means connected above said shaft to and movable about and longitudinally relative to said bracket means, an aperture in and extending radially through said fixed means and aligning with and tapering away from said key means in said closed position of said door, a wedging portion on said key means tapering in correspondence With and seatable in and projectible through said aperture in said closed position, means on said key means for enabling said wedging portion thereof to be driven into said aperture in said closed position of said door, means on said key means and engageable with means on said fixed means for limiting the projection of said wedging portion relative to said aperture, and fulcrum means on said fixed means outwardly of said aperture and cooperating with means outstanding thereabove from said key means for enabling said key means to be dislodged from said aperture and thereafter swung about said bracket means to inoperative position.

5. Mechanism for locking an operating shaft of a railway car door against operation comprising a door operating shaft, means fixed to and extending axially of said shaft beyond an end thereof, bracket means mounted on said door and projecting above said fixed means, key means connected above said shaft to and movable about and longitudinally relative to said bracket means, an aperture in and extending radially through said fixed means and aligning with and tapering away from said key means in said closed position of said door, a wedging portion on said key means tapering in correspondence with and receivable in and projectible through said aperture in said closed position, a guide surface on said fixed means at an outer side of said aperture for guiding said wedging portion thereinto, means on said key means for enabling said Wedging portion thereof to be driven into said aperture in said closed position of said door, and fulcrum means on said fixed means outwardly of said aperture and cooperating with means outstanding thereabove from said key means for enabling said key means to be dislodged from said aperture and thereafter swung about said bracket means to inoperative position.

6. Mechanism for locking an operating shaft of a railway car door against operation comprising a door operating shaft, a bracket fixed to said door and having a pair of ears spaced transversely of and projecting above said shaft, a pin fixed to and extending between said ears substantially normal to an outer face of said door, a key receiving said pin in a longitudinally elongated slot for movement about and longitudinally relative to said pin, said key having a substantially flat-topped head and a shank of reduced cross-section relative to and tapering away from said head, a capstan fixed to and coaxial with said shaft and underlying said pin, an aperture extending radially through said capstan and confronting and tapering away from said key in a closed position of said door, said shank in said closed position being seatable in said aperture, inclined surfaces on said shank and reactable against confronting surfaces bounding said aperture for wedging said key in a plurality of transverse directions against said capstan on driving of said shank into said aperture by application of force to the flat top of said head, a guide surface in and defining an outer side of a mouth of said aperture for guiding said shank thereinto, and a platform on said extension outwardly of said surface and cooperating with a lug outstanding thereabove from said head for enabling said key to be pried from said aperture and thereafter swung about said pin to inoperative position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 478,281 Bomar July 5, 1892 1,503,502 Hosceit Aug. 5, 1924 1,526,276 Germek Feb. 10, 1925 1,658,762 Dickerson Feb. 7, 1928 1,834,263 Wine Dec. 1, 1931 1,861,153 Dorey May 31, 1932 1,913,154 Endsley et al. June 6, 1933 2,818,032 Dath Dec. 31, 1957 2,891,487 Hankins June 23, 1959

Claims (1)

1. MECHANISM FOR LOCKING AN OPERATING SHAFT OF A RAILWAY CAR DOOR AGAINST OPERATION COMPRISING A DOOR OPERATING SHAFT, MEANS FIXED TO AND EXTENDING AXIALLY OF SAID SHAFT BEYOND AN END THEREOF, BRACKET MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID DOOR AND PROJECTING ABOVE SAID FIXED MEANS, KEY MEANS CONNECTED ABOVE SAID SHAFT TO AND MOVABLE ABOUT AND LONGITUDINALLY RELATIVE TO SAID BRACKET MEANS, A DOWNWARDLY TAPERED PORTION ON SAID KEY MEANS, A CORRESPONDINGLY TAPERED APERTURE IN AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY RADIALLY OF SAID FIXED MEANS, SAID TAPERED PORTION IN A CLOSED POSITION OF SAID DOOR BEING LONGITUDINALLY INSERTABLE INTO SAID APERTURE, MEANS ON SAID KEY MEANS FOR ENABLING SAID TAPERED PORTION THEREOF TO BE DRIVEN INTO SAID APERTURE IN SAID CLOSED POSITION OF SAID DOOR, AND MEANS ON SAID FIXED MEANS AND COOPERATING WITH MEANS ON SAID KEY MEANS FOR ENABLING SAID KEY MEANS TO BE DISLODGED FROM SAID APERTURE AND THEREAFTER SWUNG ABOUT SAID BRACKET MEANS TO INOPERATIVE POSITION.

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