Back to results
US 9,676,401 B2Granted
Slack adjuster contaminant sump, drain, and overload relief
AssigneeWabtec Holding Corp.
InventorsShaun T. Whalen, Peter Paul Gregar, Scott Lee Natschke
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeWabtec Holding Corp.
InventorsShaun T. Whalen, Peter Paul Gregar, Scott Lee Natschke
Estimating the term…
A drainage system for use with a slack adjuster for a railway brake rigging. The drainage system allows fluid and other contaminants to drain from the slack adjuster to prevent the fluid and contaminants from accumulating within the slack adjuster, contacting an operating area of the slack adjuster, and interfering with the operation of the slack adjuster. The slack adjuster includes a main housing portion, a cone nut housing portion enclosing a critical operating area of the slack adjuster, and an overtravel housing portion. The drainage system includes at least one aperture extending through a sidewall portion of the overtravel housing portion. The at least one aperture is configured to allow fluid and/or contaminants to drain there through to reduce exposure of the critical operating area to fluid and/or contaminants. A plug and/or patch can be provided to sealingly and/or removably engage the at least one aperture.
A drainage system for use with a slack adjuster for a railway brake rigging, said slack adjuster including a main housing portion, a cone nut housing portion enclosing a critical operating area of the slack adjuster comprising components configured to operate together to adjust the brake rigging, and an overtravel housing portion, said drainage system including a plurality of apertures extending through a sidewall portion of the overtravel housing portion, at least one of the plurality of apertures configured to allow fluid and/or contaminants to drain therethrough to reduce exposure of the critical operating area to fluid and/or contaminants, and wherein the sidewall portion of the overtravel housing portion, through which the apertures extend, comprises a tubular member having a first end positioned adjacent a front jaw of the slack adjuster and a second end positioned adjacent the cone nut housing portion.
A double-acting tension actuatable slack adjuster to adjust the slack in a railway vehicle brake linkage, said slack adjuster comprising:
A method of preventing the accumulation of water and/or contaminants within a slack adjuster and for protecting a critical operating area of the slack adjuster, said slack adjuster including a main housing portion, a cone nut housing portion enclosing the critical operating area of the slack adjuster, and an overtravel housing portion, said method comprising providing a plurality of apertures extending through a sidewall portion of the overtravel housing portion, at least one of the plurality of apertures configured to allow fluid and/or contaminants to drain therethrough to reduce exposure of the critical operating area to fluid and/or contaminants, and wherein the sidewall portion of the overtravel housing portion, through which the apertures extend, comprises a tubular member having a first end positioned adjacent a front jaw of the slack adjuster and a second end positioned adjacent the cone nut housing portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.