US 8,870,002 B2Granted

Railroad freight car draft gear assembly

AssigneeMiner Enterprises, Inc.

InventorsDonald E. Wilt, Keith A. Salis, Lawrence W. Hanson

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Abstract

A railcar draft gear assembly having an axially elongated spring assembly comprised of an axially stacked array of individual spring units and further including cooperating instrumentalities for maintaining the spring assembly generally axially aligned with a longitudinal axis of the railcar draft gear assembly during operation of the draft gear assembly while maintaining the individual spring units in generally aligned relation relative to each other.

Claims34

Dependent claims

A railroad freight car draft gear assembly, comprising:

a hollow housing closed at a first end and open toward a second end, said housing defining a longitudinal axis for said draft gear assembly;
a series of friction members radially spaced about said longitudinal axis and arranged in operable combination with the open end of said housing;
a wedge arranged for axial movement relative to the open end of said housing and against which an exterior force can be applied, with said wedge being arranged in operable combination with and is generally aligned relative to the longitudinal axis of said draft gear assembly by said series of friction members;
a spring assembly disposed within said hollow housing for storing energy applied to said wedge during axial compression of said draft gear assembly, with a first end of said spring assembly being arranged in operable contacting relation with the closed end of said housing, and with said spring assembly including a series of elastomer pads arranged in axially stacked relation relative to each other, with each elastomer pad of said spring assembly having generally flat and axially spaced generally parallel first and second surfaces extending in generally normal relation relative to the longitudinal axis of said draft gear assembly, and with confronting generally flat surfaces of two axially adjacent pads contacting each other;
a spring seat assembly arranged within said housing, with said spring seat extending generally normal to the longitudinal axis of said draft gear and defining a generally flat surface arranged in contacting relation with the generally flat surface of the elastomer pad at a second end of the spring assembly;
and
wherein the spring seat and the elastomer pad at the second end of said spring assembly define a first set of cooperating instrumentalities for aligning said spring seat and said spring assembly relative to the longitudinal axis of said draft gear assembly.

4 more elements

A railroad freight car draft gear assembly, comprising:

an axially elongated metallic housing having a closed end, an open end, a spring chamber, and a longitudinal axis extending between said ends;
a friction clutch assembly for absorbing axial impacts directed against said draft gear, said friction clutch assembly including a plurality of friction members, with each friction member having an outer surface angled relative to said longitudinal axis and arranged in sliding friction engagement with the open end of said housing, with said friction clutch assembly further including an actuator having a plurality of angled surfaces, with one end of said actuator axially extending beyond the open end of said housing for receiving energy directed axially to draft gear, and with each angled surface on said actuator being arranged in sliding friction engagement with an inner surface on each friction member such that said actuator is generally aligned relative to the longitudinal axis of said draft gear assembly;
a spring assembly centered and fitted within the spring chamber of said housing and comprised of a series of axially stacked individual units for absorbing, dissipating and returning energy imparted to said actuator during operation of said draft gear, with a first end of said spring assembly being arranged in operable contacting relation with the closed end of said housing, and with the individual units of said spring assembly each including an elastomer pad having generally flat and axially spaced generally parallel first and second surfaces extending in generally normal relation relative to the longitudinal axis of said draft gear assembly, and with the generally flat surfaces of two axially adjacent elastomer pads contacting each other;
a spring seat arranged within said housing and having a generally flat surface extending generally normal to the longitudinal axis of said draft gear assembly and arranged in contacting relation with the generally flat surface of the elastomer pad at a second end of the spring assembly;
and
wherein the spring seat and the elastomer pad at the second end of said spring assembly define a first set of cooperating instrumentalities for generally aligning said spring seat and at least one end of said spring assembly relative to the longitudinal axis of said draft gear assembly.

3 more elements

A railroad freight car draft gear assembly, comprising:

an axially elongated metallic housing having a closed end, an open end, a spring chamber, with said housing defining a longitudinal axis for said draft gear;
a friction clutch assembly for absorbing axial impacts directed against said draft gear, said friction clutch assembly including a plurality of friction members, with each friction member having an outer surface angled relative to said longitudinal axis and arranged in sliding friction engagement with the open end of said housing, with said friction clutch assembly further including an actuator having a plurality of angled surfaces, with one end of said actuator axially extending beyond the open end of said housing for receiving energy directed axially to draft gear, and with each angled surface on said actuator being arranged in sliding friction engagement with an inner surface on each friction member;
a spring assembly centered and fitted within the spring chamber of said housing and comprised of a series of axially stacked individual units for absorbing, dissipating and returning energy imparted to said actuator during operation of said draft gear, with a first end of said spring assembly being arranged in operable contacting relation with the closed end of said housing, and with the individual units of said spring assembly each including an elastomer pad having generally flat and axially spaced generally parallel first and second surfaces extending in generally normal relation relative to the longitudinal axis of said draft gear assembly, and with the generally flat surfaces of two axially adjacent elastomer pads contacting each other;
a spring seat arranged within said housing and having a generally flat surface extending generally normal to the longitudinal axis of said draft gear assembly and arranged in contacting relation with the generally flat surface of the elastomer pad at a second end of the spring assembly;
and
wherein an interior surface on a rear wall at the closed end of said housing and a confronting generally flat surface of the elastomer pad at the first end of said spring assembly define a set of cooperating instrumentalities for aligning said spring assembly relative to the longitudinal axis of said draft gear assembly.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

A railroad freight car draft gear assembly, comprising:

a hollow housing closed at a first end and open toward a second end, said housing defining a longitudinal axis for said draft gear assembly;
a series of friction members radially spaced about said longitudinal axis and arranged in operable combination with the open end of said housing;
a wedge arranged for axial movement relative to the open end of said housing and against which an exterior force can be applied, with said wedge being arranged in operable combination with and is generally aligned relative to the longitudinal axis of said draft gear assembly by said series of friction members;
a spring assembly disposed within said hollow housing for storing energy applied to said wedge during axial compression of said draft gear assembly, with a first end of said spring assembly being arranged in operable contacting relation with the closed end of said housing, and with said spring assembly including a series of elastomer pads arranged in axially stacked relation relative to each other, with each elastomer pad of said spring assembly having generally flat and axially spaced generally parallel first and second surfaces extending in generally normal relation relative to the longitudinal axis of said draft gear assembly, and with confronting generally flat surfaces of two axially adjacent pads contacting each other;
a spring seat assembly arranged within said housing, with said spring seat extending generally normal to the longitudinal axis of said draft gear and defining a generally flat surface arranged in contacting relation with the generally flat surface of the elastomer pad at a second end of the spring assembly;
and
wherein the spring seat and the elastomer pad at the second end of said spring assembly define a first set of cooperating instrumentalities for aligning said spring seat and said spring assembly relative to the longitudinal axis of said draft gear assembly.

4 more elements