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AssigneeWestinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation
InventorsShaun T. Whalen, Peter Paul Gregar, Scott Lee Natschke
Estimating the term…
A vented cap for a main spring housing of a slack adjuster including an inner portion having an inner seal surface configured for cooperating with an elongated rod member and an outer seal surface configured for cooperating with a sidewall located at an end portion of the main spring housing. The vented end cap includes at least one opening configured to allow fluid and/or contaminants trapped within the slack adjuster and/or the end cap to drain therethrough. Various seals and/or drainage openings can also be provided along the slack adjuster to prevent the entrance of and/or allow for drainage of fluid/contaminants from the slack adjuster. A method for preventing the accumulation of fluid and/or contaminants within a slack adjuster and for protecting a critical operating area of the slack adjuster is also provided.
An end cap for a main spring housing of a slack adjuster, the end cap including an inner portion having an inner seal surface configured for cooperating with an elongated rod member and an outer seal surface configured for cooperating with an inner surface of a sidewall located at an end portion of the main spring housing, wherein the end cap is radially interior to the main spring housing, and wherein the end cap includes at least one opening configured to allow fluid and/or contaminants to drain therethrough and out of both the end cap and the main spring housing.
A drainage system for use with a slack adjuster for a railway brake rigging, the slack adjuster including at least a main spring housing and a cone nut housing enclosing a critical operating area of the slack adjuster, wherein the critical operating area includes components configured to operate together to adjust the brake rigging, the drainage system including an end cap having an inner portion having an inner seal surface configured for cooperating with an elongated rod member and an outer seal surface configured for cooperating with an inner surface of a sidewall located at an end portion of the main spring housing, the end cap being radially interior to the main spring housing and the end cap including at least one opening configured to allow fluid and/or contaminants to drain therethrough and out of both the main spring housing and the end cap to reduce exposure of components within the main spring housing and exposure of the critical operating area of the slack adjuster to the fluid and/or contaminants.
A method of preventing the accumulation of fluid and/or contaminants within a slack adjuster and for protecting a critical operating area of the slack adjuster, the slack adjuster including a main spring housing having an end cap cooperating with an inner surface of a sidewall of the main spring housing and a cone nut housing enclosing the critical operating area of the slack adjuster, the method comprising positioning the end cap radially interior to the main spring housing and providing at least one opening in the end cap, the at least one opening being configured to allow fluid to drain out of both the end cap and main spring housing to reduce exposure of components within the main spring housing and exposure of the critical operating area of the slack adjuster to the fluid and/or contaminants.
A double acting tension actuatable slack adjuster to adjust the slack in a railway vehicle brake linkage, the slack adjuster comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.