Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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A FEMALE CONNECTION MEMBER FOR A SLACKLESS DRAWBAR
ASSEMBLY USING A BALL AND RACE ASSEMBLY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates, in general, to slackless type drawbar
assemblies which
are in extensive use at the present time in the railway industry to couple
together the
adjacently disposed ends of a pair of railway freight type cars in a
substantially semi-
permanent fashion and, more particularly, this invention relates to a female
connection
member which can be used in an improved slackless type drawbar assembly which
is
specifically designed to make use of a ball and race assembly disposed
substantially adjacent
each end of such drawbar assembly to achieve the requisite amount of angling
movements
which are necessary between such pair of railway freight cars during their
operation on a
track structure and, still more specifically, the female connection member of
the present
invenn:ion can, also, be used in conjunction with a male connection member for
a slackless
drawbar assembly using a ball and race assembly to replace one end of a
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prior ant type slackless drawbar assembly during a routine repair
of such prior art slackless drawbar assembly thereby enabling a
cost effective replacement of a prior art type slackless drawbar
assembly in stages.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Prior to the development of the present invention, as is
generally quite well known in the railroad industry, a number of
slackless type drawbar assemblies have been in widespread use for
several years. These slackless drawbar assemblies are designed to
couple together the adjacently disposed ends of a pair of railway
freight cars in a substantially semi-permanent fashion.
In .other words, these railway cars do not require frequent
separation during service. Normally they will only be separated
during a required repair and/or routine maintenance being performed
on one or. more of them.
The~;e railway freight cars are normally of the type which are
utilized in the railroad industry in what is most commonly referred
to as dedicated service. These dedicated service type railway
freight cars will generally include; by way of example only, cars
which are utilized to haul coal, coke, and/or various other types
of minerals, light truck and automobile transport carriers, tank
cars used for the purpose of transporting various types of liquids,
as well as, cars which are quite often used in transporting various
types of :building materials.
Examples of several common minerals which are normally
transported in these dedicated service type railway cars will
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~nclude;~ various ores, cement, slag and stone. The various types of
liquids which are known by applicants to be transported by such
dedicated service type railway freight cars will at least include a
number ~~f different chemi~~als, including liquefied gases.
In some of the most frequently used applications, which are
present=Ly known to applicants, there will be at least about five such
railway freight cars connected together which utilize these slackless
type drawbar assemblies. However, it is, likewise, known that as
many as ten such railway freight cars have been connected together in
this manner. Railway freight cars which have been semi-permanently
connected together, in this particular fashion, are most commonly
referred to in the railroad industry as five (5) packs and/or ten
( 10 ) pa~~ks .
On~= example of a prior art slackless type drawbar assembly is
1~ disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,000,330. Illustrated in this
particular reference is a plurality of railway freight cars which
have t:-~e adjacently disposed ends thereof connected together
utilizi:~g a slackless type drawbar assembly.
Most, if not all, cf the slackless type dr;~wbar assemblies,
known by applicants to be in use prior to the present invention,
include a relatively large number of fractionally engaged surfaces
which a:=a disposed on a number of. different components. Each pair of
these fractionally engaged surfaces is designed in a manner to allow
movement to occur relative to one another.
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The frictional wear which is exhibited by these frictionally
engaged aurfaces will generally result in rather frequent as well
as costly maintenance having to be carried out on such prior art
s.lackless type drawbar assemblies in order to maintain them in an
a~~ceptab7Le and relatively safe operating condition for in-track
s~srvice .
In addition to the rather substantial and, also, verifiable
d:i.rect out of pocket expenses which are incurred by the railroad
industry for both the labor and materials required to maintain
these prior art type slackless drawbar assemblies, this relatively
frequent maintenance requirement has a significantly higher
indirect cost that is associated therewith.
One of such indirect costs incurred is directly related to
the fact that such railway freight cars will have to be, at least
temporarily, removed from any type of revenue generating service,
during the period of time that such routine maintenance on the
sl.ackless type drawbar assembly is being carried out. Obviously,
al.l of both the direct cost and the indirect cost incurred must be
passed on by the railroads to their customers, usually, in the form
of higher freight rates.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a female connection member
which can be readily utilized with an improved slackless type
drawbar assembly which is specifically designed to connect together
a pair of adjacently disposed ends of a pair of railway freight
type cars in a substantially semi-permanent manner. The slackless
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type dra~wbar assembly to which the female connection member of
the present invention is most applicable will include a ball and
race assembly carried by a male connection member. This female
connection member is disposed substantially entirely in and
engageab:Le with one end of a center sill portion, disposed beneath
a bottom portion of a car body member, of a first railway car.
A cavity is formed in such female connection member for receiving
for movement therein a first end of male connection member. Such
cavity being defined essentially by a back wall portion and a pair
of side wall portions. An inner surface of each of such back wall
portion and the pair of side wall portions having a predetermined
configuration. There is a first opening, having a predetermined
configuration, formed through a first one of such pair of side wall
portions and an axially opposed second opening, also having a
predetermined configuration, formed through a second one of such
pair of side wall portions. An aperture is formed through a
predetermined portion of such first end of the male connection
member and has disposed therein at least a portion of a ball member
(hereinafter referred to as a spherical shaped member). A pair
of: substantially horizontally disposed shaft members extend
outwardly for a predetermined distance from axially opposed outer
surfaces of such spherical shaped member. At least a portion of
orie of such pair of shaft members is disposed within the first
opening formed through the first one of such pair of side wall
portions and at least a portion of another one of such pair of
shaft members is disposed within the second opening formed through
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2I~~439
tree second one of such pair of side wall portions. Moreover, each
respective one of such pair of shaft members includes an axially
opposed and substantially flat surface portion formed thereon.
There is a race assembly disposed within such aperture and secured
to the first end of such male connection member. An inner surface
of the race assembly is disposed around such portion of the
spherical shaped member disposed within the aperture formed in such
fi.rst.end of such male connection member.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, one of the primary objects of the present
invention to provide a female connection member for use with a
slackless type drawbar assembly that connects together, in a
substantially semi-permanent fashion, the adjacently disposed ends
of a pair of railway freight cars in which a ball and race assembly
can be utilized adjacent at least one end of such slackless drawbar
assembly.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a female
connection member for use with a slackless type drawbar assembly
that connE~cts together, in a substantially semi-permanent fashion,
the adjacently disposed ends of a pair of railway freight cars
which wil.L enable a minimum number of components which must move
relative ito each other to be used, especially, when compared to
the relatively high number of components that are required to move
with respect to each other in the presently known prior art type
slackless drawbar assemblies.
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Still another object of the present invention is to provide a
female connection member far use with a slackless type drawbar
assembly that connects together, in a substantially semi-permanent
fashion, the adjacently disposed ends of a pair of railway freight
cars which will, generally, require substantially less repair
and/or routine maintenance, particularly, when compared to the
repair and/or routine maintenance requirements of presently known
prior art type slackless drawbar assemblies.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a
female connection member for use with a slackless type drawbar
assembly that connects together, in a substantially semi-permanent
fashion, the adjacently disposed ends of a pair of railway freight
cars which will exhibit a relatively long operating service life,
especially when compared to the normal operating service life of
such presently known prior art type slackless drawbar assemblies.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a
female connection member for use with a slackless type drawbar
a:asembly that connects together, in a substantially semi-permanent
fashion, the adjacently disposed ends of a pair of railway freight
cars which will be significantly more cost effective for the user.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a
female connection member for use with a slackless type drawbar
assembly that connects together, in a substantially semi-permanent
fashion, the adjacently disposed ends of a pair of railway freight
cars which can be easily retrofitted into existing railway freight
c~~rs .
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Still yet another object of the present invention is to
provide a female connection member for use with a slackless type
olrawbar assembly that connects together, in a substantially semi-
permanent fashion, the adjacently disposed ends of a pair of
railway freight cars which is lighter in weight than previously
used conventional type couplers that require the use of yokes,
draft gear, draft key members and follower members.
It is a still further object of the present invention to
provide .3 female connection member for use with a slackless
type drawbar assembly that connects together, in a substantially
semi-permanent fashion, the adjacently disposed ends of a pair of
railway freight cars which requires an absolute minimum number of
f:rictionally engageable surfaces to be subjected to excessive
frictional wear .
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a
female connection member for use with a slackless type drawbar
a:~sembly that connects together, in a substantially semi-permanent
fashion, the adjacently disposed ends of a pair of railway freight
cars which does not require the use of any specialized tools and/or
other equipment to install on a railway freight car.
Although a number of specific objects and advantages of the
present invention have been described in some detail above, various
additional objects and advantages of such female connection member
for use with a slackless type drawbar assembly which incorporates
a ball and race assembly at one end thereof will become much more
readily apparent to those persons who are skilled in the railway
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freight car coupling art from the following more detailed
description of the invention, particularly, when such detailed
description is taken in conjunction with both the attached drawing
Figures and with the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a top view, partially in cross section, that
illustrai~es one presently preferred embodiment of the female
c~~nnection member, constructed according to the present invention,
which is connected to one end of an improved slackless type drawbar
aasembly;
Figure 2 is a side elevation view, partially in cross section,
oj= such female connection member connected to such slackless type
drawbar assembly illustrated in Figure 1; and
Figure 3 is an end view taken along the lines III-III of
Figure 1 which is, also, partially in cross section.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY
PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
Prior to proceeding to the considerably more detailed
description of the present invention, it should be noted that, for
the sake of clarity, identical components, which have identical
functions, have been designated with identical reference numerals
throughoui~ the several views that have been illustrated in the
drawings.
Now reference is made, more particularly, to the drawing
Fi~~ures 1 through 3 attached hereto. Illustrated therein is a
pr~asently preferred embodiment of a female connection member,
generally designated, 10 which can be readily utilized as one of
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the critical components of an improved slackless type drawbar
assembly, generally designated, 20. Such improved slackless type
drawbar assembly 20 is utilized to connect together the adjacently
disposed ends (not shown) of a pair of railway type freight cars
(:not shown), in a substantially semi-permanent fashion.
Such female connection member 10 has a first predetermined
configuration. The shape, of the outermost surface portions of
such first predetermined configuration, of such female connection
mE~mber 10 is designed in a manner such that it will readily enable
such female connection member 10 to be substantially disposed
entirely within and secured, preferably, in a removable manner to
a first end of a center sill portion 12 which, in turn, is secured
to a bottom portion (not shown) of a car body member (not shown) of
a railway freight car.
In t:he presently preferred embodiment of the invention, as
illustrated, the female connection member 10 will be substantially
restrained against any longitudinal movement within the center sill
portion 12. Such restraint is achieved in a first longitudinal
direction by rear stop members 13 and in an axially opposed second
longitudinal direction by front draft stop members 15.
Ther~s is a support plate member 17 removably secured to such
center sill portion 12 beneath such female connection member 10.
This support plate member 17 prevents downward vertical movement
of such fE:male connection member 10.
A cavity 14 is formed in such female connection member 10.
Su~~h cavity 14 is at least defined by an inner surface 16, having
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a second predetermined configuration, of a back wall portion 18 and
the respective inner surfaces 22 and 24 of a pair of side wall
portions 26 and 28 of such female connection member 10. Each of
these inner surfaces 22 and 24 will have a third predetermined
c~~nfiguration.
The second predetermined configuration of the inner surface 16
o:E back wall portion 18 will, preferably, be generally concave in
bath a vertical direction and a horizontal direction and such third
predetermined configuration of such inner surfaces 22 and 24, on
the other hand, will exhibit a generally convex shape in at least
a horizontal direction. In the presently preferred embodiment of
the invention, such inner surfaces 22 and 24 will have a generally
convex shape in both such horizontal direction and in a vertical
direction.
Formed through the first side wall portion 26 of such pair
of side wall portions 26 and 28 is a first opening 30. The first
opening 30 has a fourth predetermined configuration. In this
embodiment, such fourth predetermined configuration of the first
opening 30 will at least include each of a first generally round
portion 32 and a first generally open bottom portion 34.
The ;specific function of such first round portion 32 and the
first open bottom portion 34 of such first opening 30 will become
more clear. as the description of the presently preferred embodiment
of the invention proceeds.
Theres is further provided in the female connection member 10
an axially opposed second opening 36, which exhibits a fifth
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predetermined configuration. Such second opening 36 is formed
through the second side wall portion 28 of such pair of side wall
portions 26 and 28.
It .is presently preferred that the fourth predetermined
configuration of such first opening 30 will be substantially
idlentical to such fifth predetermined configuration of the second
o~~ening MI6. However, it is to be understood that the present
invention is not to be limited thereto.
The slackless type drawbar assembly 20, which such female
connection member 10 of the present invention is particularly
designed to be used with, further includes a male connection
member, generally designated, 40 which has a sixth predetermined
configuration.
At least a portion of a first end 38 of such male connection
member 40 is adapted to be disposed for rotatable movement within
the cavity 14 formed in such female connection member 10. The end
surface 4:? of such first end 38, which is disposed facing the inner
surface lfi of such back wall portion 18 of female connection member
10 will, preferably, exhibit a generally convex shape in a plane
disposed in each of a vertical direction and a horizontal
direction. Preferably, except for such end surface 42, the first
end 38 of such male connection member 40 will be generally
rectangular in shape except for the radius portions disposed along
the outer edges thereof.
Aa aperture 44 is formed through a predetermined portion of
su~~h male connection member 40 adjacent the first end 38 thereof.
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According to the presently preferred embodiment of the invention,
such aperture 44 will be generally round and have a predetermined
diameter .~
Nevertheless, it is to be understood that various other shapes
can be readily envisioned for such aperture 44 and that any of such
various other shapes are contemplated to be within the broad scope
o7E the claims directed to such invention.
Further included in the slackless drawbar assembly 20, used
with the female connection member 10 of the present invention, is
a ball-like member 46 (hereinafter referred to as a spherical
shaped member 46). At least a predetermined portion of such
spherical shaped member 46 is disposed within the aperture 44
formed through such first end 38 of the male connection member 40.
In the presently preferred embodiment of the invention, the
outer surface of the spherical shaped member 46 will be a polished
surface. Still more preferably, the polished outer surface of the
spherical shaped member 46 will be a polished chrome plated
surface.
There are a pair of substantially horizontally disposed shaft
members 48 and 50 which extend outwardly for a predetermined
distance from axially opposed outer surfaces 52 and 54 of such
spherical shaped member 46. At least a portion of a first shaft
member 50 is disposed within the generally round portion 32 of such
first opening 30 formed through such first side wall portion 26 and
at least a portion of a second shaft member 48 of such pair of
shaft members 48 and 50 is disposed within the second opening 36
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formed through the second side wall portion 28 of such pair of side
wa7_1 portions 26 and 28.
Each respective one of such pair of shaft members 48 and 50
has an axially opposed and substantially flat surface portion 52
and 54 formed thereon. The function served by these substantially
flit surface portions 52 and 54 will become clear as the detailed
description of the present invention proceeds.
Although the invention is not to be limited thereto, it is
presently preferred that both such spherical shaped member 46 and
such pair of shaft members 48 and 50 will be formed as an integral
single piece component.
There: is a race assembly 56 having at least a portion thereof
disposed within and adjacent the perimeter of such aperture 44 and
secured to such first end 38 of the male connection member 40.
According to one of the presently preferred embodiments of the
invention, such race assembly 56 will be removably secured to the
fii:st end 38 of such male connection member 40. However, it is
considered. to be within the scope of the present invention for such
race assembly 56 to be welded to such first end 38 of the male
connection. member 40.
An inner surface of such race assembly 56 is disposed around
such portion of the spherical shaped member 46 positioned within
such aperture 44 formed in such male connection member 40. In
this mann<sr, the spherical shaped member 46 can be maintained
substantially centered within the aperture 44.
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In one alternative form of the presently preferred embodiment of
the invention, there will be provided a substantially solid type
lubricating liner member 57, such as manufactured by Kahr Rearing Co.
and mar~:eted under the tradename "KARLON", disposed intermediate the
outer surface such spherical ~;haped member 46 and the inner surface
of the 3°ace assembly 56.
A means, generally designated, 60 is engageable with both a
second end 58 of such male connection member 40 and a second end (not
shown) of another male connection member for securing the second end
of such wale connection member to the second end of such other male
connection member.
Suclh means 60 may be as simple as providing a weldment which
secures the second end 58 of such male connection member 40 to the
second end of such other male connection member. In this case, the
second end 58 of such male connection member 40 and the second end of
such other male connection member will have a predetermined length
which will be at least sufficient to provide the spacing required
between the adjacently disposed ends of the pair of railway freight
cars connected together by the improved slackless drawbar assembly 20
to enable such railway freight cars to easily negotiate any curves
encountered on a track structure.
In the presently preferre~~ embodiment of the invention,
however, such securing means 60 will include a bar or pipe-like
member 62 disposed intermediate and secured to the second end 58 of
the male connection member 40 and the second end of such other male
cJonnecti.on member. 2 1 2 5 4 3 9
When such pipe-like member 62 is used for securing such second
end 58 of the male connection member 40 and such second end of such
ether mile connection member together, then such second end of each
~~f such male connection member 40 and the second end of such other
male connection member will include a male member inserted into
respective opposed ends of said pipe-like member E>2. On the other
sand, when a solid bar-like member (not shown) is used to secure such
second end 58 of the male connection member 40 and the second end of
such other female connection mE:mber together, then ~~uch second end 58
ef the first male connect: ion member 40 and the second end of such
other female connection member will, preferably, include a sleeve-
like portion to receive a respective end of the bar-like member
therein.
Fu_~ther provided in the presently preferred embodiment of such
slackless type drawbar assembly 20 is a pair of wedge means,
generally designated, 70. Such wedge means 70 includes a pair of
wedge members 64 each having a bolt 66 disposed i~herethrough in a
longitudinal direction and a washer means 68. Preferably such washer
means 68 will be Bellvill.e type washers.
A first one of such pair of wedge members 64 includes a tapered
surface 72 engaged with a first flat surface portion 52 of such
axially opposed and substantially flat surface portions 52 and 54
formed ~~n the pair of shaft members 48 and 50. A substantially flat
and vertical surface 74 disposed on the first one of the wedge
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members 64 is engaged with a mating surface 76 of a respective front
~~raft stop member 1 '.~ .
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The second one of such pair of wedge members 64 includes a
tapered surface 78 engaged with a second flat surface portion 54 of
such axia7Lly opposed and substantially flat surface portions 52 and
54 formed on the pair of shaft members 48 and 50. There is a
substantially flat and vertical surface 80 disposed on the second
one of the wedge members 64 engaged with a mating surface 82 of a
respective=_ front draft stop member 15.
While a number of presently preferred and various alternative
embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail
above, wii:h particular reference to the Figures illustrated in the
drawings, it should be understood by those persons who are skilled
in the railway freight car type coupling art that it is possible
fo.r a number of additional modifications and/or adaptations of such
female connection member for use with an improved slackless type
dr,awbar assembly to be made without departing from either the
spirit or the scope of the appended claims.
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