Single acting sliding sill cushioning unit

In a rail car having a frame, a sliding sill extending longitudinally through the frame and having couplings on each end for coupling to adjacent rail cars, the frame and sliding sill being slidable relative to each other due to shock, the improvement comprising:

• a housing having concentric inner and outer chambers containing oil and gas which communicate with each other through at least one restrictive port, the housing having a base end wall and a shaft end wall and being mounted within the sliding sill for sliding movement relative to the sliding sill and to the frame;
• a piston located in the inner chamber of the housing;
• a shaft mounted to the piston, extending outward from the shaft end of the housing and having an outer end;
• a metal end plate on the outer end of the piston, the end plate protruding radially from the shaft relative to a longitudinal axis of the shaft and having a first side facing in a first direction and a second side facing oppositely in a second direction;
• a sliding sill housing stop rigidly mounted to the sliding sill for abutment with the base end wall of the housing, providing a limit for movement of the housing in the second direction relative to the sliding sill;
• a sliding sill shaft stop rigidly mounted to the sliding sill for abutment with the first side of the end plate of the shaft, providing a limit for movement of the shaft in the first direction relative to the sliding sill;
• a frame housing stop rigidly mounted to the frame of the rail car and positioned within the sliding sill for abutment with the base end wall of the housing, providing a limit for movement of the housing in the second direction relative to the frame;
• a frame shaft stop mounted to the frame of the rail car and positioned within the sliding sill for abutment with the first side of the end plate, providing a limit for movement of the shaft in the first direction relative to the frame;
• and
• two metal buff limit stop members rigidly mounted to and protruding from the shaft end wall of the housing toward the end plate of the piston, the stop members being positioned on opposite sides of the shaft from each other and radially spaced from the shaft relative to the longitudinal axis of the shaft for metal-to-metal abutment with the second side of the end plate in the event of severe buff movement to provide a limit for buff movement of the piston and shaft.

In a rail car having a frame, a sliding sill extending longitudinally through the frame and having couplings on each end for coupling to adjacent rail cars, the frame and sliding sill being slidable relative to each other in forward and rearward directions due to shock, the improvement comprising:

• a housing having concentric inner and outer chambers containing oil and gas which communicate with each other through at least one restrictive port, the housing having a rearward base end wall and a forward shaft end wall;
• means for mounting the housing within the sliding sill for sliding movement relative to the sliding sill and to the frame in the forward and rearward directions;
• a piston located in the inner chamber of the housing;
• a shaft mounted to the piston, extending outward from the shaft end wall of the housing, and having an outer end;
• a metal end plate on the outer end of the piston, the end plate protruding radially from the shaft relative to a longitudinal axis of the shaft and having a forward side facing in a forward direction and a rearward side facing in a rearward direction;
• a sliding sill housing stop rigidly mounted to the sliding sill for abutment with the base end wall of the housing, providing a limit for movement of the housing in the rearward direction relative to the sliding sill due to movement of the sliding sill in the forward direction relative to the frame;
• a sliding sill shaft stop rigidly mounted to the sliding sill for abutment with the forward side of the end plate of the shaft, providing a limit for movement of the shaft in the forward direction relative to the sliding sill due to movement of the sliding sill in a rearward direction relative to the frame;
• a frame housing stop rigidly mounted to the frame of the rail car and positioned within the sliding sill for abutment with the base end wall of the housing, providing a limit for movement of the housing in the rearward direction relative to the frame due to movement of the sliding sill in the rearward direction relative to the frame;
• a frame shaft stop mounted to the frame of the rail car and positioned within the sliding sill for abutment with the forward side of the end plate, providing a limit for movement of the shaft in the forward direction relative to the frame due to movement of the sliding sill in the forward direction relative to the frame;
• and
• buff limit means comprising two rectangular, metal buff limit stop members rigidly mounted to and protruding in a forward direction from the shaft end wall of the housing toward the end plate of the shaft and on opposite sides of the shaft for metal-to-metal abutment with the rearward side of the end plate in the event of severe buff movement, to provide a limit for buff movement of the piston and shaft as well as a limit for forward and rearward movement of the sliding sill and frame relative to each other.