Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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HYBRID SUPPORT BRACKET FOR RAILCAR AIR BRAKE HOSE
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a hybrid bracket
for supporting a flexible end hose of a railcar air brake
hose assembly, and wherein the bracket has a displaceable
hose support which permits relative displacement between the
bracket and the hose support to provide for wear allowance
of the coupler and cushion unit system and for wear
allowance in the end of car pocket including stops.
BACKGROUND ART
The unintentional uncoupling or separation of
railway cars such as freight car air brake end hoses, while
trains are in motion, causes an emergency application of the
train's air brakes, an event known as an Undesired
Emergency, or UDE. Such a brake application can result in a
number of potentially negative consequences. Such conse-
quences include train delays, and not only to the train
involved with a UDE, but also to other trains both behind
and in front of the train that has the uncoupled air brake
line. Urgent train stops also cause possible freight car
structural damage and component breakage, i.e., couplers,
knuckles, pins, keys and cushion units, etc. They can also
damage the commodity carried by such freight cars. Such
uncoupling, therefore, results in increased costs due to the
re-crewing of trains, overtime to repair cars on line, and
loss of productivity.
Such accidental uncoupling also can result in
negative impact on the carrier's ability to meet customer
commitments, resulting in customer complaint and possible
loss in revenue. There are also safety concerns of crew
members who must walk along the train to assess the cause of
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the UDE, which is particularly dangerous in severe weather
conditions.
Public inconvenience due to potentially blocked
public crossings, particularly in densely populated areas,
is another resulting problem. There is also the potential
for train derailment. Accordingly, the uncoupling or
separation of a railcar air brake end hose can result in
serious consequences.
The separation of air brake end hoses can occur
when the relative position of the gladhands which
interconnect the end hoses of two coupled cars changes due
to excessive slack in the end of car components.
On freight cars equipped with cushioned units, the
air brake end hose is connected to the intermediate air
brake hose by means of a rigid or train line support union,
which is supported either by the conventional train line
bracket or fixed trolley rod arrangement. The conventional
train line bracket is attached to the cushion unit yoke
through the use of a bolt and a locknut to secure it in
place. The intermediate hose, which supplies pressurized
air from the angle cock valve to the freight car brake
system, is connected to the car end hose through a rigid
train line support union that is secured to the conventional
train line bracket.
The conventional train line bracket moves with the
yoke as the cushion unit moves inboard and outboard to
absorb the energy imparted by train action when in service.
Train action causes wear in end of car components. A
disadvantage of this design is its inability to compensate
for end of car component wear. This wear causes excessive
slack between the coupler and the yoke, thereby affecting
the performance of the car end hoses. This can cause two
coupled car end hoses to become kinked or separated. When
car end hoses separate, the train will go into a UDE, and
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when they kink, brakes are lost from the kinked hose back to
the tail end of the train.
The fixed trolley rod arrangement presently
applied on car ends is welded to the freight car structure.
This design compensates for end of car component wear by
incorporating a long rod along which the train line support
union freely travels, thereby maintaining the alignment of
the car end hoses. However, as the fixed trolley does not
move with the cushion unit, it needs to have enough travel
to extend beyond the car end to allow for extreme inboard or
outboard coupler movement. This extension makes the device
susceptible to damage and may cause it to interfere with
other end of car components. U.S. Patent Publication No.
2004/0155005 teaches a strap suspension assembly with a
swivel displaceable on a fixed rod which is not coupled to
the yoke.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The hybrid bracket concept of the present
invention provides an innovative solution by integrating the
beneficial features of both the fixed train line bracket
device and the trolley rod arrangement. The hybrid bracket
concept allows free movement of end hose and intermediate
hose union while maintaining the movement of the bracket
relative to the cushion unit. This is achieved by
integrating a displaceable connection and train line support
union, or some other means with a linked connection, into
the fixed train line bracket design. This combined action
allows for optimal alignment and positioning of the car end
hose glad hand with respect to coupler pulling face, thus
reducing the chances for hose separations or kinking.
It is therefore a feature of the present invention
to provide a support bracket which substantially overcomes
the above-mentioned disadvantages of the conventional train
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line bracket and the fixed trolley rod arrangement of the
prior art.
According to the above feature, from a broad
aspect, the present invention provides a hybrid bracket for
supporting a flexible end hose of a railcar air brake hose
assembly, said flexible end hose being removably connected
at one end to another end hose of an adjacent coupled
railcar, said bracket having coupling means at an attaching
end thereof for securement to a railcar coupler whereby to
be displaced therewith, said bracket having a free end
provided with a displaceable hose support permitting
relative displacement between said bracket and said hose
support to compensate for wear allowance of said coupler,
said displaceable hose support being adapted to support a
hose connector to interconnect another end of said flexible
end hose to said hose assembly, said bracket having an
elongated support arm, a trolley rod of predetermined length
secured to said elongated support arm, a swivel hose support
is displaceable along said trolley rod, said swivel hose
support having a hose connector to interconnect said other
end of said flexible end hose to said hose assembly, said
hybrid bracket being immovably secured to a yoke of a
cushion unit of said railcar coupler, said yoke being
axially displaceable, said coupler having a beam secured to
said yoke by connector means, said coupler having a
connecting clamp for interconnection with a further
connecting clamp of a further coupler of an adjacent
railcar, said connector means and connecting clamp being
subjected to wear and exhibiting slack which is compensated
by said displaceable hose support to prevent unwanted
tensile or compressive forces on said flexible end hose due
to said slack.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
A preferred embodiment of the present invention
will now be described with reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which:
5 Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hybrid bracket
constructed in accordance with the present invention;
Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing a
preferred construction of the displaceable hose support;
Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmented side view
illustrating the operation of the displaceable hose support;
Figures 4A and 4B are side views showing the
couplers of two adjacent railcars interconnected together,
with Figure 4A illustrating the coupler in full draft, and
Figure 4B illustrating the coupler in full buff; and
Figures 5A and 5B are side views showing the
connection of the hybrid bracket to the yoke of the coupler,
and showing the movement of the coupler due to wear, as well
as the movement of the train line support union to
compensate for the wear.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the drawings, and more
particularly to Figs. 1 to 3, there is shown generally at 10
the hybrid bracket of the present invention. The rigid
bracket 10 has an elongated support arm 11, and a
substantially transverse attaching end 12 provided with
spaced-apart connecting flanges 13 and 13' for support
connection to the yoke 14 of a railcar coupler 15, as shown
in Fig. 5A. The transverse attaching end 12 is connected by
a bolt 16, as shown in Fig. 5A. Accordingly, the hybrid
bracket 10 is displaceable with the yoke 14 and coupler 15,
as the yoke is connected to the coupler.
The innovative feature of the hybrid bracket of
the present invention is the provision of a displaceable
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hose support generally shown at 17, and it is comprised of a
displaceable connection 18, of predetermined length, and a
train line support union 19 displaceable along the
displaceable connection 18.
The train line support union has a sliding ring 20
through which the trolley rod 18 extends. A hose connector
21 is secured to the sliding ring 20 and suspended thereby
for interconnecting a flexible end hose 22 to an
intermediate hose 23 of an air brake train line 24, is
illustrated in Fig. 4A.
As better seen in Fig. 2, the displaceable
connection is supported by the free end portion 25 of the
elongated support arm 11. The displaceable connection 18 is
formed by a straight bolt of circular cross-section secured
between two support flanges 26 and 26', and a locknut 27
secures the bolt thereacross for unobstructed displacement
of the sliding ring 20.
As shown in Fig. 3, the spacing between the
flanges 26 and 26' or the predetermined length of the bolt
18 is calculated to include a wear allowance factor or
length, as shown at 28, as well as outboard clearance 29 and
inboard clearance distances 30. The flanges 26 and 26' act
as stoppers. It is pointed out that the displaceable hose
support 17 could also be constructed differently, while
providing relative displacement between the bracket and the
displaceable hose support 17. For example, the sliding ring
20 could be connected to a support which is displaceable in
a slot formed in the free end portion 25 of the support arm
11. The slot would have the predetermined length and the
sliding ring could pivot about its attachment. Further, the
displaceable hose support may be comprised of interconnected
pivotal link arms secured at one end to the free end of the
bracket and at an opposed end to the train line support
union. Other obvious modifications are contemplated.
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With reference now to Figs. 4A and 4B, there is
shown two couplers 15 and 15', interconnected together by
their clamps 35 and 35' respectively, and in a manner well
known in the art. The yokes, such as the yoke 14, is part
of a cushion unit, not shown but obvious to a person skilled
in the art, and when these clamps are interconnected
together, they move along their coupler centerline 36 (see
Fig. 4B) at various positions from a full draft position as
illustrated in Fig. 4A, where both couplers 15 and 15' are
fully extended outwards of their respective railway cars to
a full buff position, as illustrated in Fig. 4B, where the
couplers are at their closest positions to their respective
railway cars. This outward and inward displacement of the
couplers or adjacent ends of adjacent railcars causes wear
or slack in the coupler connections with the yoke or in the
clamps, as previously described. Accordingly, the couplers
can be displaced within the total wear region with the
hybrid bracket still remaining stationary. However, the end
hose is connected to the clamps and will be displaced. In
order to prevent this displacement to apply a tensile or
compressive force on the end hoses, the displaceable train
line support union 19 moves along the displaceable
connection 18, as illustrated in Figs. SA and 5B, to
compensate for the wear displacement.
The wear displacement is illustrated by reference
numeral 37 in Fig. 5B, and because the flexible end hoses 22
and 22' are interconnected together by the gladhands 38 (see
Fig. 4A), the sliding motion of the swivel support 19 would
prevent the flexible end hoses 22 and 22' from peaking or
kinking due to a tensile or compressive force applied
thereto by the movement of the clamps due to wear. Such
tensile or compressive force on the gladhands can cause
accidental disconnection thereof. However, with the present
invention, such tensile or compressive force is compensated
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simply by the displacement of the train line support union
19 along the displaceable connection 18, preventing the
tensile and compressive forces, as is clearly illustrated in
Figs. 5A and 5B. As previously described and illustrated in
Figs. 4A and 4B, the hybrid bracket is rigidly connected to
the yoke 14 and moves therewith. Therefore, when the beams
39 and 39' are fully extended, as shown in Fig. 4A or at
full draft, the hybrid support bracket is outboard to ends
40 and 40' of the railcar bodies, and when compressed, as
shown in Fig. 4B or at full buff, the hybrid brackets are
inboard from the ends 40 and 40'. As also herein shown, a
striker 41 and 41' arrests the displacement of the clamps 35
and 35', and this is well known.
It is within the ambit of the present invention to
cover any obvious modifications of the embodiments described
herein, provided such modifications fall within the scope of
the appended claims.
