Miner Enterprises, Inc.

Amsted Industries Inc.

David G Anderson

Andrew W Withall

Horst T Kaufhold

Donald E Wilt

John J Steffen

Robert S Toms

Ronald G Butler, Jr

David J Jarvis

Guenter Manigel

Hente Braam

A railcar draft gear housing formed from an austempered ductile iron casting having an original shape and including an open end, a closed end, and wall structure axially extending between the housing's ends. The wall structure of the housing defines an axial section between and spaced from the ends. The axial section of the wall structure is configured to withstand impact energy imparted to the housing in excess of 81,000 inch pounds while retaining and exhibiting substantially linear elasticity wherein the resultant ratio of stress to energy input remains substantially constant thereby allowing for flexible distortion of the housing in a manner promoting enhanced energy damping characteristics while allowing the casting to return to the original shape after the impact energy is released threrefrom.

Railcar draft gear housing

A housing for a railroad car draft gear is disclosed. The draft gear housing has an axially elongated tubular portion comprised of layers. At least one of the layers of the draft gear housing is formed from a filament wound structure or composite material, and an additional layer may be steel.

Housing for draft gear

A composite elastomeric spring having a predetermined final shape and including a first member of elastomeric material having a first durometer hardness and a second member of elastomeric material having a second durometer hardness is disclosed. The second member has a predetermined initial shape complimentary to an initial shape of the first member. The second member is positioned adjacent and in circumferential surrounding relation relative to the first member to define a preform composite spring member. After the second member is positioned about the first member, a force is applied to the preform composite spring member sufficient to simultaneously compress the first member and the second member thereby permanently changing the initial shapes of the first member and second member are permanently changed from their respective predetermined initial shape such that the first and second members are thereafter maintained in captured relationship relative to each other. The force is then removed from and thereby allowing the preform composite spring to transmute to the final shape of the composite elastomeric spring.

Composite elastomeric spring

A slackless railcar coupler assembly, which is mountable in a railcar center sill, has a draft gear subassembly operable against a rear stop, and a slackfree coupler apparatus mounted in a coupler pocket forward of said draft gear subassembly, which subassembly and apparatus are connected to provide a dynamic load in both the buff and draft directions to avoid a mechanical, longitudinal stress load on the coupler assembly and railway car.

Slackless railway coupler with draft/buff gear

A buffer cartridge for absorbing energy having a hydraulic component coupled with an energy-absorbing material component, the hydraulic component having a cylinder-piston arrangement, the cylinder being surrounded by a stack of pads made from resilient energy-absorbing material, each pad being separated by a spacer. The free end of the piston emerging from the cylinder is connected to an intercoupling member which can simultaneously apply a force to both the piston and the stack of pads. A stretchable accumulator seal surrounds a piston rod within the cylinder and provides a sealing sliding path for the piston rod to isolate the moving portion of the piston rod from hydraulic fluid. The piston rod terminates in a piston having a piston hub encapsulated in resilient material and provided with orificed passageways for flow of fluid to both sides of the piston.

Buffer cartridge

A method of producing useful hollow bodies and the resulting products. The hollow bodies are formed by providing a block of thermoplastic elastomer material having a selected initial axial height and providing the block with a selected axial core opening. An axial force is applied to said block sufficient to compress said block a substantial extent to reduce the free height of the block and expand the core opening transversely outwardly to define sidewalls for the hollow body. The axial force is removed, and the hollow body is prepared for use as a compression spring or other useful device.

Polymeric apparatus and method of making the same

A preform is made by casting a copolyester polymer elastomer into a block. While the block is solidifying, pressure is supplied to the central portion thereof. After a block is formed, it is annealed and a precompression force is applied thereto sufficient to compress the block to an extent greater than thirty percent of the original dimension of the block as measured parallel to the precompression force. In one embodiment a cushioning unit using the block is made by placing a pair of multi-apertured metal plates on opposite sides of the block with projections on the plates extending against the block and applying a second precompression force to the block and plates sufficient to cause the copolyester polymer elastomer to flow into the apertures in the plates and form a mechanical bond between the block and the plates.

Method of making polyester elastomer compression spring and resulting

A hollow plunger extends into the cavity of the draft gear body. The inner end of the plunger is expansible. One or more wedges are held by the body adjacent the inner end of the plunger, and shoes are positioned between the wedge(s) and the inner side of the inner end of the plunger. Spring elements positioned within the plunger are in compression between the outer end of the plunger and the shoes. When the plunger is forced into the body the shoes are wedged outwardly against the expansible portions of the plunger which in turn are forced into contact with the body. There may be one or a plurality of successive stages of wedges and shoes.

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Chesterton, IN, United States of America

David G Anderson