Combination yoke and elastomeric draft gear
AssigneeWabtec Holding Corp.
InventorsRonald J. Sprainis, Michael E. Ring, Bradley Anderson, Jonathon Marlow, David Meyer, Michael Moriarity, Wajih Kanjo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A draft gear assembly which is mountable within a yoke of the railway vehicle for cushioning buff and draft dynamic impact forces encountered during make-up and operation of a railway vehicle includes a compressible spring positioned intermediate the front coupler follower and the rear follower in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the yoke. A pair of axially aligned compressible springs may be also provided being either separated by a center plate or by a wall of the yoke.
Claims23
A draft gear assembly for cushioning buff and draft dynamic impact forces encountered during make-up and operation of a railway vehicle, said draft gear assembly comprising:
- (a) an elongated yoke removably mountable within a hollow center sill of a railway vehicle body, said yoke having a yoke head which is adapted to connect to an end of a coupler shank, a butt end axially opposing said yoke head, a pair of elongated substantially parallel spaced-apart top and bottom strap members each having an inner surface, an outer surface, a front end and a rear end, said rear end of each strap member being joined to said butt end of said yoke and said front end of said each strap member being joined to said yoke head;
- (b) a rear follower positioned intermediate said top and said bottom strap members transversely to a longitudinal central axis of said yoke, said rear follower sized to abut a draft gear seat formed within said butt end of said yoke and a pair of rear stops secured to such center sill when said draft gear assembly is in a position to cushion such buff dynamic impact forces;
- (c) a front coupler follower positioned intermediate said top and said bottom strap members transversely to said central axis of said yoke, said front coupler follower sized to abut a pair of front stops formed in a striker casing engaging such center sill when said draft gear assembly is in a position to cushion such draft dynamic impact forces;
- and
- (d) an elongated compressible elastomeric spring positioned intermediate said front coupler follower and said rear follower in axial alignment with said central axis of said yoke, said compressible elastomeric spring including a stack having a predetermined plurality of elastomeric pads separated by a predetermined plurality of plate like members, each of said predetermined plurality of elastomeric pads and each of said predetermined plurality of plate like members positioned transversely to said central axis of said yoke and laterally within such center sill, wherein said each of said predetermined plurality of elastomeric pads is compressed along said central axis toward said rear follower to cushion such buff dynamic impact forces and is compressed along said central axis toward said front coupler follower to cushion such draft dynamic impact forces, and wherein said each of said predetermined plurality of plate like members moves along said longitudinal axis during cushioning of such buff and draft dynamic impact forces.
A draft gear assembly mountable within a yoke of a railway vehicle for cushioning buff and draft dynamic impact forces encountered during make-up and operation of a railway vehicle, said draft gear assembly comprising:
- (a) a pair of elongated compressible springs positioned intermediate each of a front coupler follower and a rear follower in alignment with said longitudinal axis of such yoke;
- (b) a center plate positioned between inner ends of said elongated compressible springs;
- (c) means for locating each inner end of said elastomeric compressible springs on a respective face surface of said center plate;
- and
- (d) wherein top and bottom of each of said pair of elongated compressible springs and said center plate are in abutting engagement with at least one inner surface of the yoke.
A draft gear assembly for use with a railway vehicle having a coupler member, said draft gear assembly positioned within a draft sill of a railway vehicle, such sill having front and rear stops, said draft gear assembly comprising:
- (a) a yoke having a back wall, a top wall extending from said back wall toward a front end of said draft gear assembly and a bottom wall extending from said back wall toward said front end of said draft gear assembly;
- (b) a front coupler follower positioned between said back wall of said yoke and said front end of said draft gear assembly, said coupler follower having a pair of stop contact surfaces for contact with draft sill front stops and a coupler bearing surface between such stop contact surfaces;
- (c) a front compressible resilient member positioned between said coupler follower and said back wall of said yoke;
- (d) a back compressible resilient member positioned between said yoke back wall and a back end of said draft gear assembly;
- (e) at least one of said front compressible resilient member and said back compressible resilient member including:
- i. a predetermined plurality of elastomeric pads disposed coaxially and in series with each other, each of said predetermined plurality of pads having a peripheral side surface and a pair of axial ends, each of said pair of axial ends having a substantially flat surface thereof disposed normal to a central axis;
- ii. a predetermined plurality of separator plate like members each disposed between a pair of said pads, each of said predetermined plurality of said separator plate like members having a first substantially flat surface thereof abuttingly engaging a substantially flat end surface of one pad and an opposed second such flat surface thereof abuttingly engaging a substantially flat end surface of an adjacent pad, whereby said predetermined plurality of pads and separator plate like members form in combination a multi-tiered stack having a central longitudinal axis and a predetermined initial height, whereby each of said predetermined plurality of pads compresses and extends along said central axis during cushioning of such buff and draft dynamic impact forces causing movement of each of said predetermined plurality of separator plate like members along said central axis, and
- iii. an axial aperture formed through said each of said predetermined plurality of separator plate like members concentric with said central axis of said stack;
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- iv. means secured to said each of said predetermined plurality of separator plate like members and positioned about a peripheral edge of said axial aperture for mechanically interlocking said each of said predetermined plurality of separator plate like members with each of said pair of pads;
- (f) a rear follower positioned rearward of said back resilient member;
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- (g) means for attaching a rear end of said back resilient member to an inner surface of said rear follower.
In combination with a draft gear assembly mountable within a yoke of the railway vehicle for cushioning buff and draft dynamic impact forces encountered during make-up and operation of a railway vehicle, said daft gear assembly including at least one elastomeric compressible spring mounted axially within said yoke a follower block comprising:
- (a) an inner surface abuttingly engaging an end of said elastomeric compressible spring;
- (b) a rear surface sized for abuttingly engaging at least one of rear stops, front stops and an end of a coupler shank;
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- (c) a locating means for locating said end of said elastomeric compressible spring on said inner surface of said follower block, said locating means including at least one of an axial bore formed in said inner surface, a plurality of bores disposed in a circular pattern and formed in said inner surface, an axial annular groove formed in said inner surface, a plurality of prongs disposed in a circular pattern on said inner surface and extending outwardly therefrom and a plurality of threaded apertures formed in said inner surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.