Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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RAILWAY COUPLER SHANK - FOLLOWER INTERFACE
Back~round of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to railway coupler
connections and, more particularly, to an improved coupler shanX
- follower interface.
In standard Association of American Railroads (AAR) E type
couplers, the main body of the coupler comprises a coupler head
affixed to an elongated shank. Depending on the desired car
application, the length of the shank can vary from 12 in.
(30.5 cm) to 54 in. (137 cm) or more. The butt end of the
coupler shank is most typically a flat, planar section, which
10 abuts the front flat face of a generally rectangular follower
block maintained in a yoke and car center sill. Such a flat
coupler butt and follower block interface provides a degree of
horizontal alignment control to the car by virtue of the lateral
eccentricity of buff (compaction) load transmitted through the
side edges of the coupler butt relative to the car longitudinal
centerline. This occurs when the railway car coupler is
laterally angled from that car centerline. The magnitude of
latexal force eccentricity i5 depend-ent upon any lateral
displacement of the coupler butt from the longitudinal center
line of the car that is necessary to accommodate limited
horizontal angling.
One attempt in controlling the horizontal displacement of
the coupler butt is a Farlow draft gear arrangement wherein a
follower block is provided with a centrally located pin extending
from one face thereof. The coupler shank has a longitudinal hole
to receive the pin thereby providing some degree of stability for
the coupler butt position. This arrangement does not provide
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the desired bearing area and a cooperating hoLe in the coupler
butt limited its serviceability.
In another known design a vertically extending semicircular
groove is provided in a coupler butt, and a vertically extending
semicircular projection is provided on the mating face of the
follower block. This arrangement provides a better degree of
control of the coupler-follower force eccentricity to the car
center line than does the Farlow arrangement but does not provide
adequate lateral bearing surface as the coupler butt and follower
surfaces are guided into engagement.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to
provide an improved coupler butt - follower block interface.
Summary of the Invention
The present invention provides a railway coupler arrangement
having an improved coupler butt - follower block interface. The
coupler comprises a main section having a coupler head and
integral elongated shank extending therefrom. The coupler and
shank are of an AAR E type, wherein the shank is held to a yoke
structure by a horizontal key passing through slots in two sides
of the yoke structure and through an accommodating horizontal
slot in the end of the coupler shank. The butt end of the
coupler shank i5 a flat, generally rectangular surface, and is
adjacent a generally rectangular follower block which is also
received in the yoke. The butt end face of the coupler shank has
a vertically extending cutout portion which extends from the top
to the bottom of the butt end face. This vertical cutout portion
is formed by two angled sides extending inwardly to a forward
wall. Sections of the face to either side of the vertical cutout
portion form end face walls. The sideq of the cutout portion
extend from a normal to the face at an angle of from 30 to 45,
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The follower block is a generally rectangular device
received between the upper and lower yoke straps. The front face
of the follower which is adjacent the butt end of the coupler
shank has a raised projection extending from near its top edge to
near its bottom edge in line with the vertical center line of the
follower. The projection is formed by two side edges joined by a
front wall or face. Each side edge extends from a normal to the
front face of the follower at an angle of 30 to 45.
When the coupler shank is centered horizontally in the yoke
and center sill structure, under a buff or compression force, the
end face walls of the shank butt will flushly contact the front
face of the follower. As the depth of the cutout portion of the
butt end of the coupler shank is greater than the height of the
projection outward from the follower, no contact will occur
between the front wall of the follower projection and the front
wall of the cutoff of the shank butt. The horizontal movement of
the shank butt in the yoke and center sill structure due to
horizontal displacement angling of the coupler head will be
limited by the contact of one of the angled sides of the cutoff
portion o~ the shank butt with one of side edges of the follower
projection. Accordingly, depending on the length of the coupler
shank and the desired maximum horizontal angling of the coupler
shank in the center sill, the angles and relative sizes of the
shank butt cutout and follower projection can be adjusted to
assure that the desired contact will occur between the edge of
the shank butt cutout and the projection edge of the follower
within the range of the lateral location of the follower as
controlled by the relative spacing of the follower sides and the
inside side wall of the center sill. Under the most adverse
conditiong, the follower block will be displaced laterally so
that one of the side edges opyosite the edge contact b~-tween
cutout and projection will contact an inside wall of the center
sill.
The angling of the edges of the shank butt cutout and the
edge walls of the follower projection may vary as described
above, but for a particular coupler arrangement the angling will
be complementary. This assures flush contact between the
adjacent edge of the shank butt cutout and the edge wall of the
projection on the follower.
In particular, the present invention provides a railway
coupler comprising an elongated shank received in a center sill
structure, said shank having a butt end portion with an end face
having a vertical cutout portion, said vertical cutout portio~
formed by two angled sides joined by a forward wall, with
sections of the end face to either side of said vertical cutout
portion forming end face walls, and a follower received in a yoke
in said center sill structure adjacent th~ butt end of said
shank, said follower comprising a generally rectangular, planar
element having a raised projection extending along the vertical
axis of one face of said follower, said projection formed by two
side edges joined by a front wall, said follower projection
adapted to be received in said shank butt cutout portion to limit
the horizontal movement of the shank butt in the center sill
structure.
Brief ~escription of the Drawin~s
In the drawings,
Figure 1 is a top view of a coupler head and extended length
shank in accordance with the present invention;
Figure 2 is a top partial view of a coupler shank, yoke, car
sill structure and follower block in accordance with the present
invention;
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Figure 3 is a front view of the follower block face having
the projection extending therefrom and,
Figure 4 is a cross section through lines 4-4 of the
follower block of Figure 3.
Descri~ion of the Preferred Embodiment
Referring now to Figure 1 of the drawings, a railway coupler
includes a head lO shown as a one-piece cast metal assembly
having an elongated, generally rectangular shank 12 extending
therefrom. Shank 12 includes a horizontal slot 16 near butt end
14 thereof. Modifications to end face la of butt end 14, as may
also be seen in Figure 2, include a vertical cutout section 19
extending the entire height of end face 18. Vertical cutout
section l9 is comprised of side walls 20 and 22 extending
inwardly to end wall 24. Side edges ~0 and 22 are positioned at
an angle of from 30-45 from a line parallel to the longitudinal
axis 26 of coupler shank 12, which is normal to edge faces 21 and
23 to either side of cutout section l9.
Referring now to Figure 2, coupler shank 12 is shown in a
top view mounted in car center sill structure including side
walls 30 and 32. A yoke having side sections 40 and 42 is
received between the center sill side sections 30 and 32. A
generally rectangular, flat, elongated key 38 passes through
opening 34 in center sill side 30, opening 44 in yoke section 40,
through slot 16 in coupler shank 12, through opening 46 in yoke
side 42 and outward through opening 36 in center sill side 32.
A generally rectangular follower block 50 is placed between
extensions 52 and 54 of the car center sill structure. The
follower block 50 has convex curved side surfaces 56, 58 to
minimize wear contact against the inside surfaces of center sill
walls 52, 54. Extending from front face 60 of follower block 50
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is projection 62 which is comprised of angled side walls 64 and
66 joined by a front wall 68. Front wall 68 is generally
parallel to front face 60, although front wall 68 may be of a
convex configuration. Side walls 64 and 66 extend from front
wall 60 at an angle of from 30 to 45 from a perpendicular to
front face 60. As best seen in Figures 3 and 4, follower block
50 includes curved indentations 70, 72 to either side of side
walls 64, 66. Indentations 70, 72 aid in the casting of
projection 62 or follower blocX 50. Note that although
projection 62 is not shown as extending for the entire height of
follower 50, such an embodiment could accomplish the desired
function of the present invention.
As shown in Figure 2, the maximum desired horizontal
displacement of coupler butt 14 is shown in conjunction with
horizontal angling limits as controlled by the width of coupler
shank 12 and the spacing of yoke sections 40 and 46 or the
spacing of sill sidewalls 30 and 32. Upon horizontal angling of
coupler shank 12 or lateral displacement of its butt 14, contact
will occur between sidewall 22 of coupler shank cutout and
sidewall 64 of follower projection 62. Such contact will force
follower 50 into contact with center sill sidewall 52 at side
edge 56 of follower 50. Note that the follower may also be
displaced from perpendicular alignment with sidewalls 52, 54 of
the car center sill. Appropriate sizing of ~he coupler butt end
cutout and projection 62 on follower block 50 is desired to avoid
contact at the end 21 or 23 of coupler butt end 14 and yoke side
40 near its end 41. However, contact ~ay occur under horizontal
angling between coupler shank 12 and center sill side 32. This
contact will be minimized to all but eliminate wear on coupler
shank 12 due to the appropriate relative sizing and spacing of
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projection 62 on follower block 50 and the cutout portion 19 of
coupl er shank butt end 14 .
