US3799359A

US3799359A - Stop means for a railway impact absorbing device

Info

Publication number: US3799359A
Application number: US00189433A
Authority: US
Inventors: V Hawthorne
Original assignee: Keystone Industries Inc
Current assignee: Keystone Industries Inc
Priority date: 1971-10-14
Filing date: 1971-10-14
Publication date: 1974-03-26
Anticipated expiration: 1991-03-26
Also published as: CA966807A

Abstract

Stop means for a railway impact absorbing device includes a stop member adapted to be secured to a portion of the sill structure of a railway car. The stop member has a base portion which is secured to the outside wall of the fixed sill structure of the car and horizontal inwardly extending portion which extends through a slot in the fixed sill to co-act with the cushioning device of the railway car. When used in a railway car with a sliding sill, the stop member also extends through a slot in the sliding sill of the railway car, and other stop members are secured to the sliding sill above and below the first stop member. The second stop members also co-act with the impact absorbing device.

Description

[ Mar. 26, 1974 United States Patent Hawthorne [5 STOP MEANS FOR A RAILWAY IMPACT 3,221,898 12/1965 Pellnitz.............,..........,.......... 213/8 ABSORBING DEVICE 1/1 7 Aquino Primary Examiner-Drayton E. Hoffman Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Hibben, Noyes & Bicknell [75] Inventor: Vaughn T. Hawthorne,

Mechanicsburg, Pa.

[73] Keystone Industries, Inc., Chicago,

Assignee:

22 Filed: 061. 14, 1971 21 Appl. N0.Z 189,433

tion of the sill structure of a railway car. The stop member has a base portion which is secured to the 52 US. 213/8 213/64 outside wall of the fixed Structure of h and 51 1111.361 9/16 horizontal inwardly extending P"rtion which extends through a slot in the fixed sill to co-act with the cush- [58] Field of Search............... 213/8, 43, 62, 64, 67,

ioning device of the railway car. When used in a railway car with a sliding sill the stop member also extends through a slot in the sliding sill of the railway car, and other stop members are secured to the sliding [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS sill above and below the first stop member. The sec- 88008 3333 1111 2222 M n mlm 0 e mm e mw flaan PBZK S oo 6667 9999 1111 2092 ll 378 JQOOO|A 1 3699 2095 135 3333 STOP MEANS FOR A RAILWAY IMPACT ABSORBING DEVICE This invention relates to a railway car impact absorbing device and, more particularly to stop means cooperable with the impact absorbing device.

Various types of impact absorbing devices are used in railway cars. Generally, some type of stop means is provided to operatively connect the impact absorbing device to the railway car sill structure. For example, as is shown in my copending US. Patent application Ser. No. 710,196, filed on Dec. 17, 1969, now abandoned a single-acting impact absorbing device is operatively connected between a center or fixed sill and a sliding sill of the car by stop means. This type impact absorbing device generally comprises a hydraulic cylinder having a piston which is connected to a rod, one end of the rod and one end of the cylinder being forced by a spring to co-act with stop means provided on the channel-shaped fixed and sliding sills to absorb the impacts received by the couplers. Stop means for the sliding sill usually comprise heavy solid blocks secured to and extending horizontally inward along the inside of each of the side walls of the channel-shaped sliding sill, and stop means for the fixedstill is in the form of a key comprising a center plate secured to the bottom flanges of the fixed sill and a vertical member secured to the plate and extending upwardly into the center of the channel-shaped sliding sill. Both of the stop means are located between the end of the rod and the adjacent end of the cylinder, rather than at the extreme ends of the device.

When suchan impact device is installed in railway cars having a small or narrow center sill, such as older cars, the stop means used heretofore are difficult to install because of the restricted space inside the sill. Further, the type stops used heretofore are unduly large, bulky and heavy in weight.

The present invention overcomes these disadvantages by providing stop means which can be easily installed in a narrow sill and which is several hundred pounds lighter in weight than the prior stop means. The stop means of the present invention includes, preferably, a set of members having a base portion which is adapted to be secured to the outside of the sill, thus making possible installation in a narrow sill, and an inwardly extending portion which is adapted to extend through an opening in the sill to co-act with the impact absorbing device.

When the stop means of the present invention are installed on carswith sliding sills, one set of stop members also extends through an opening in the sliding sill, and another set of stop members are provided, the other set of stop members being vertically spaced above and below the one set and secured to the sliding sill.

The stop of the present invention is particularly advantageous in rebuilding older cars and reduces the weight added to' such car when fitting such an impact absorbing device to such a car.

Accordingly, the general object of the present invention is to provide stop means for use with an impact absorbing device in a railway car with a small or narrow sill.

Another object of the present invention is to provide light-weight stop means for use in a railway car with a fixed and sliding sill.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide stop means which can be easily secured to the outside of the sill of a railway car.

These and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description and accompanying figures of the drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a horizontal view taken on line l1 of FIG. 2, with portions broken away showing an impact absorbing device embodying stop means of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 22 of FIG. 1, showing the impact absorbing device in one position;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the impact absorbing device in phantom lines in an extended position;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but showing the impact absorbing device in another extended position;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view showing the sills and stop means of the present invention.

Stop means of the present invention may be used with various type cushioning devices and, as an example, is shown in FIG. 1 on a railway car having a sliding sill structure and a single acting, impact absorbing device 10. The car has a fixed sill 12 and a sliding sill 14, the fixed sill 12 forming part of the understructure of the car and carrying, as is conventional the sliding sill 14 to which at opposite ends thereof couplers (not shown) are attached. The fixed sill is a channel member having a top wall 16 (FIG. 5) and side walls 18 with bottom flanges 20. Within the fixed sill 12 is the sliding sill 14 which is formed by two small side channels 22 joined together by a plate 24 at the top. Reinforcement plates 26 are secured, as by welding,to each of the bottoms of the channels 22, the lower flanges of the channels 22 being removed in the area adjacent the impact device 10 to permit installation and removal, thereof.

Impacts transmitted from the couplers to the sliding sill 1 4 are absorbed by the impact device 10 connecting the sliding sill 14 and fixed sill 12 together. The

sills

12 and 14 co-act with the impact device 10 through stop means of the present invention, which, in this instance, comprises one set of stop members 25 secured to the sliding sill 14 and a second set of stop members 27 secured to the fixed sill 12. The impact absorbing device is longitudinally disposed within the sliding sill 14 and is supported, in this instance, on a support frame 28 which depends, in this instance, from the sliding sill 14. The frame 28 comprises a pair of longitudinally extending angles 30 which are welded to the reinforcement plates 26 secured to the lower edges of the channels 22. Between the angles 30 (FIG. 6) is mounted a horizontally extending plate 32 which is secured at its downwardly bent ends by bolts 34 to the angles 30. To the upper surface of the plate 32 is secured a pad on which the impact device 10 slides, as will be hereinafter described.

The impact absorbing device 10 (see FIG. 2) includes a reservoir housing 44, generally square, in cross section, which is closed at its opposite ends by a head 46 and a head 48. The opposite ends of the reservoir housing 44 are welded to the

heads

46 and 48 to provide a liquid-tight unit.

Within the reservoir housing 44 is a cylinder 50 which extends between the

heads

46 and 48. Along its length in the wall of the cylinder 50 are formed a plurality of fluid flow orifices (not shown), which communicate the interior of the cylinder 50 with interior of the reservoir housing 44, and through which fluid flows during the functioning of the impact absorbing device 10. The reservoir housing 44 and the cylinder 50 may be filled with fluid by means of an opening (not shown) provided in the reservoir housing 44, the opening being closed by a plug (not shown).

A piston 60 (FIG. 2) slides within the cylinder 50. When the relative motion of the piston 60 is to the left with respect to cylinder 50, from the position shown in FIG. 2 to the position shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, fluid is forced under pressure out the left side of the cylinder through the orifices into the reservoir housing 44 and back through other orifices into the right side of the cylinder. When the movement is in the opposite direction the orifices provide for flow of fluid from the interior of the right side of the cylinder 50 to the reservoir housing 44, and then to the interior of the left side of the cylinder. 7

The piston 60 is secured, as by welding, to a piston rod 62 which extends outwardly through a projecting boss 63 (FIGS. 1, 2 and on the head 46, longitudinally of said sills, and beyond the stop members 25 and stop members 27. At its outer end, the piston rod 62 extends through and is welded to a rod member 64 which is square in transverse configuration and is provided with a boss 65 (FIGS. 1 and 3) and radial strengthening ribs 66. Because of its size and shape, the rod end member 64 is guided by the walls of the sliding sill 14, and rotation of the rod end member 64 is thus prevented. The piston 60 and piston rod 62 are normally forced to the right by an adjacent spring means hereinafter described. Therefore an inner face 68 of the rod end member 64 normally engages'the left-hand ends of the stop members 25 and the stop members 27, and a face 79 of the cylinder head 46 normally engages the righthand end of the stop members 25 and stop members 27 as is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

At the right-hand end of the device as shown in FIG. 2, is a spring rod 70. The rod 70 extends through a boss projecting outwardly of the head 48, and at its inner end the rod 70 is welded to the end of the piston rod 62 so that the combination of the piston rod 62 and spring rod 70 move as a unit.

The spring rod 70 has at its outer end a spring follower 72 (FIG. 2) which is held thereon by a welded collar 74 and split bushing 76. Confined between the head 48 and the spring follower 72 is a heavy duty compression spring 78 which urges the spring follower 72 rightwardly, and thus tends to hold the piston 60 in the normal or rightward position shown in FIG. 2. The spring 78 is enclosed within an elongated spring housing tube 80 which is fastened by bolts (not shown) to the head 48.

In this instance, the sliding sill 14 carries on each of its inner side walls a pair of vertically spaced apart stop members 25 which are fabricated preferably from bar and angle stock in order to minimize their weight and to provide the necessary weld length to secure the stop members 25 to the sill. Each pair of stop members 25 includes an upper longitudinally extending angle 82 (FIG. 5), which is welded to the upper portionof the channel 22, and two longitudinally extending bars 84 which are welded to the lower portion of the channel 22. Angles were chosen for the upper stop members 25 to facilitate welding these members to the sill 14. The stop members 25 are vertically spaced apart to permit the stop members 27, hereinafter described, to extend horizontally between the stop members 25 to co-act with the inpact device 10. The stop members 25 having striking faces 83 and striking faces 85 formed by four small end plates welded to the left and right ends, respectively, of the angles 82 and bars 84.

In this instance, the stop means on the fixed sill 12 includes the two stop members 27. The stop members 27 are easily installed in railway cars with narrow or small fixed sills, since the stop members 27 are split apart. Each member 27 is welded to the outside of the associated side wall 18 of the fixed sill 12 and extends horizontally through the fixed sill l2 and the sliding sill 14 to co-act with the impact absorbing device 10. The use of the two split apart stop members 27 permits the rod 62 of the device 10 to extend between the member 27 and thus provides for a more compact installation.

As is better shown in FIG. 6, each of the stop members 27 comprises a generally rectangular base portion 86 with reinforcement ribs on one side to strengthen the base 86, and has centered thereon an inwardly extending projection or portion 88, the opposite ends 87 and 89 thereof co-acting with the impact device 10. The reinforcement ribs 90 terminate at the ends of the base 86, and run generally horizontally to carry the horizontal load which is imposed on the stop members 27. As can be seen in FIG. 5, the base 86 is secured to the outside side wall 18 of the center sill 12, as by welding. Since the stop members 27 are secured to the outside of the sill 12, they take up less space within the sill, and the welding can be conveniently done even in a car with a narrow sill. The base 86 is considerably larger in cross section parallel to the sill wall than is the extending portion 88 so as to provide increased strength and the length of weld necessary to retain the stop members 27 to the fixed sill 12.

In order to reduce the weight of the stop members 27 as much as possible, while yet retaining adequate strength, the extending portion 88 which is rectangular in cross section is hollow, except for vertical interior ribs 95. Because of the type impact device used, the extending portions 88 are equal in length to the stop members 27. The portions 88 extend through slots 92 in sides 18 of the center sill 12 and through elongated slots 94 in the walls of the side channels 22 of the sliding sill 14. The slots 94 are of a length to permit free movement of the stop members 27, as is hereinafter described and generally are somewhat longer than the distance between the extreme positions of the stop members 27. The provision of the enlarged base 86 helps reinforce the fixed sill 12 in which slots 92 are formed, this being of particular advantage in older cars.

Each stop member 27 has opposite ends 87 and 89 which engage the face 68 of the rod end member 64 and the face 79 of the head 46 of the device 10, respectively. The innermost side of the stop members 27 are radiused to clear the

bosses

63 and 65 on the head 46 and rod end member 64, thus, permitting increased contact of the

ends

87 and 89 of the stop members 27 with the head 46 and rod end member 64. This construction of the stop means for the fixed sill results in a substantial weight saving of several hundred pounds over the prior construction and facilitates installation of an impact device in a rebuilt car or in a car with a narrow sill. In fact, the stop members 27 permit installing a single action impact device in sliding sill cars with sills too narrow to permit use of the prior art stop key, since there would be little or no clearance for a prior art stop key.

The functioning of the impact absorbing device can be readily appreciated from a comparison of FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. FIG. 2 shows the unit in its normal position, the spring 78 urging the rod end member 64 against the left ends of the stop members and the stop members 27, and urging the head 46 against the right ends of the stop members25 and the stop members 27. The piston 60 is held adjacent'the head 48 by the spring 78, and the greater portion of the piston rod 62 is contained withinthe cylinder 50. Since the stop members 27 are carried by the fixed sill 12 and the stop members 25 are carried by the sliding sill 14, the sliding sill is centrally positioned within the fixed sill 1-2, and the couplers at the opposite ends of the sliding sill and the device 10 are held in their normal position, the sill 14 being capathe right end of the stop members 27, and the frame 28 slides underneath the reservoir housing 44. Fluid is expelled from that portion of the cylinder to the left of the piston 60 through the orifices as described. At the end of this function the spring 78 moves the spring follower 72, the piston rod 60, the piston 60, the rod end member64, and the sliding sill 14 rightwardly in the fixed sill 12 back to the normal or FIG. 2 position.

The function of the device is similar when the impact occurs from the left end of the car (FIG; 4).In this case, the right end of the stop members 25 are in engagement with the head 46 and move the assembly of the cylinder 50 and the reservoir housing 44 rightwardly, the piston 60 ,being stationary relative to the fixedvsill 12. The rod endmember 64 is abutted against the left end of the stopv members 27 and does not move relative to the fixed sill l2, and the stop members 25 move away from the rod end member 64. Restoration is effected by the spring 78 in the same general fashion, except in this case the cylinder 50 and reservoir housing 44 move with the sliding sill 14. i

From the foregoing, it is apparent that a novel and useful stop means have been provided for use with an impact absorbing device, wherein said sto'p means comprises a member secured to a sill of a railway car, said member being secured to the outside of the sill and extending through an opening in the sill to co-act with the impact absorbing device. It isfurther apparent that when used in a railway car with fixed and sliding sills the members secured to the fixed sill extend through an opening in the sliding sill to co-act with the impact device, and a second member may be provided on the sliding sill spaced about the first member to also co-act with the impact device.

Although the invention has been described with particular reference to a. certain structural embodiment thereof, it is to be understood that various modifications and equivalents may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a railway car having an underframe including a fixed sill, a sliding sill longitudinally movable relative to said fixed sill and being adapted to carry a coupler at each end, said sills each having a vertical wall, and an impact absorbing device supported by one of said sills and co-acting between said sills for cushioning impact forces imposed on the couplers, said device having a piston and cylinder with a rod extending from one end of said cylinder; the improvement comprising stop means including a first stop member mounted on one of said sills and a second stop member mounted on the other of said sills, the wall of one of said sills having an opening therein, said second stop member extending through said opening, said opening having a longitudinal length to accommodate the relative longitudinal movement between said sills, one end of said second stop member being engageable with a portion of said rod and said first stop member being engageable with said one end of said cylinder upon movement of said sliding sill in one direction, and the other end of said second stop member being engageable with said one end of said cylinder and said first stop member being engageable with said portion of said rod upon movement of said sliding sill in the opposite direction.

2. The improvement of claim 1, wherein said first stop member is disposed adjacent said second stop member. I

3. The improvement of claim 2, wherein said first stop member comprises a pair of vertically spaced members and said second stop member extends horizontally between said pair of vertically spaced members.

4. The improvement of claim 3,'wherein each of said sills has two horizontally spaced vertical walls, each of said walls-of said sliding sill having a pair of vertically spaced members, and each of said walls of said fixed sills having one second stop member, said rod extending between said second stop members.

5. The improvement of claim 1, wherein said sliding sill has an opening in the form of a'slot, said first stop members being mounted on said sliding sill, said second stop member being mounted on said fixed sill and extending through said slot in said sliding sill.

6. In a railway car having an underframe including a fixed sill, a sliding sill longitudinally movable relative to said fixed sill and being adapted to carry a coupler at each end, each of said sills having a wall, and an impact absorbing device located within one of said sills and coacting between said sills for cushioning impact forces imposed on said couplers, the improvement comprising stop means mounted on said sills between first and second portions of said device, said stop means including a first stop member. mounted on one of said sills, and a second stop member having a base mounted on said wall of the other of said sills, said wall of each of said sills having at least one opening therein, at least one of said openings having a length to accommodate relative movement between said sills, said second stop member having a projection extending through said openings, said projection of said second stop member terminating within said one sill, said first stop member engaging said first portion of said device and said projection of said second stop member engaging said second portion of said device upon relative movement of said sills in one direction, and said first stop member engaging said second portion of said device and said projection of said second stop member engaging said second portion of said device upon relative movement of said sills in the opposite direction.

7. The improvement of claim 6, wherein said base of said second stop member is secured to said wall of said fixed sill and said projection of said second stop member extends through said openings in said fixed and sliding sills.

8. The improvement of claim 6, wherein said first stop member comprises a pair of vertically spaced apart members, one of said spaced apart members being disposed above and the other of said spaced apart members being disposed below said second stop member.

9. In a railway car having an underframe including a fixed sill, a sliding sill longitudinally movable relative to said fixed sill and being adapted to carry a coupler at its end, said sills each having a vertical wall, and an impact absorbing device for cushioning impact forces imposed on said coupler, the improvement comprising stop means mounted on said sills between first and second portions of said device, said stop means including a pair of vertically spaced first stop members mounted on said wall of one of said sills, and a second stop member having a base mounted on said wall of the other of said sills, said second stop member having a projection extending horizontally between said pair of first stop members and terminating adjacent to said device, said first stop member engaging said first portion of said device and said second stop member engaging said second portion of said device upon movement of said sliding sill in one direction, and said first stop member engaging said second portion of said device and said second stop member engaging said first portion of said device upon movement of said sliding sill in the opposite direction.

10. The improvement of claim 9, wherein said pair of first stop members comprises a longitudinally extending angle located above said second stop member and at least one longitudinally extending bar located below said second stop member.

11. The improvement of claim 9, wherein each of said sills has two walls, each wall of said sliding sill being disposed adjacent a wall of said fixed sill, said impact absorbing device being disposed between said walls of said sliding sill and having a rod extending therefrom longitudinally of said sills, each wall of one of said sills having a pair of first stop members thereon and each wall of the other of said sills having one of said second stop members thereon, said second stop members being spaced horizontally apart, said rod extending between said projections of said second stop members.

12. In a railway car having a coupler and an underframe including two co-linear sills movable relative to one another, each of said sills having at least one vertical side wall, and an impact absorbing device located longitudinally of said sills for cushioning impact forces imposed on said coupler of said railway car, said impact absorbing device being operatively connected to said coupler, the improvement comprising stop means having a base and a projection, said base being mounted on one of said side walls of one of said sills, each of said walls of each of said sills having an opening therein, one of said openings being of a length to accommodate the relative movement of the sills, said projection of said stop means extending through said openings in both of said sills between the ends of said device, and one end of said projection engaging one portion of said device spaced inwardly from the ends of said device when said device moves in one direction and the opposite end of said projection engaging another portion of said device spaced inwardly from the ends of said device when said device moves in the opposite direction.

13. The improvement of claim 12, wherein said base is larger in cross-section parallel to said walls of said sills than said projection and said projection is generally hollow to reduce weight.

14. The improvement of claim 13, wherein said base is rectangular having on one side substantially horizonbeing rectangular and having vertical interior ribs for reinforcement.

Claims

2. The improvement of claim 1, wherein said first stop Member is disposed adjacent said second stop member.

4. The improvement of claim 3, wherein each of said sills has two horizontally spaced vertical walls, each of said walls of said sliding sill having a pair of vertically spaced members, and each of said walls of said fixed sills having one second stop member, said rod extending between said second stop members.

5. The improvement of claim 1, wherein said sliding sill has an opening in the form of a slot, said first stop members being mounted on said sliding sill, said second stop member being mounted on said fixed sill and extending through said slot in said sliding sill.

6. In a railway car having an underframe including a fixed sill, a sliding sill longitudinally movable relative to said fixed sill and being adapted to carry a coupler at each end, each of said sills having a wall, and an impact absorbing device located within one of said sills and co-acting between said sills for cushioning impact forces imposed on said couplers, the improvement comprising stop means mounted on said sills between first and second portions of said device, said stop means including a first stop member mounted on one of said sills, and a second stop member having a base mounted on said wall of the other of said sills, said wall of each of said sills having at least one opening therein, at least one of said openings having a length to accommodate relative movement between said sills, said second stop member having a projection extending through said openings, said projection of said second stop member terminating within said one sill, said first stop member engaging said first portion of said device and said projection of said second stop member engaging said second portion of said device upon relative movement of said sills in one direction, and said first stop member engaging said second portion of said device and said projection of said second stop member engaging said second portion of said device upon relative movement of said sills in the opposite direction.

14. The improvement of claim 13, wherein said base is rectangular having on one side substantially horizontal ribs for reinforcing said base, said hollow projection being rectangular and having vertical interior ribs for reinforcement.