Westinghouse Air Brake Company

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation

Sargent Industries, Inc.

Other

David W Daugherty, Jr

Wajih Kanjo

Michael G Hawryszkow

William D Wallace

Edward G Lynch, Jr

Michael E Ring

Scott Lee Natschke

Michael J Moriarity

David C Brabb

Rudi E George

Eric S Graves

Michael L Ring

Harry E Weber

James L Duffy

Staffan G Brandt

An improved ball and race connection assembly for use in connecting together adjacently disposed ends of railway vehicles is provided. This ball and race connection assembly is particularly useful as a connection member in slackless type drawbar assemblies. The improved ball and race connection assembly includes a race member which is formed from a polymeric and/or composite material, specifically a resin impregnated filament wound material which is wound on a polytetrafluoroethylene/polyester mesh sleeve and cured. The use of these materials enables the race member to have sufficient strength and to be self-lubricating, thus eliminating the costs of providing a lubricating material at the ball and race interface, as is necessary when using a metal race, as well as reducing the amount of friction at this interface resulting in lower L/V ratios. Also, the filament wound race member is light-weight, resulting in an overall weight reduction of the railway vehicle connection assembly, easier to manufacture than currently used metal race members, and has excellent corrosion resistance.

Slackless drawbar assembly using an improved ball and race connection assembly

A connection assembly including a one piece liner member for use in a connection assembly utilized in either an articulated coupling arrangement and/or a slackless drawbar arrangement for connecting together adjacently disposed ends of a pair of railway vehicles in a semi-permanent manner is provided. The one piece liner member comprises a substantially solid member having a substantially spherical inner surface for positioning around a predetermined portion of a spherical member of a connection assembly. The male connection member of the railway coupling device includes an aperture having a predetermined configuration and an inner surface formed by this aperture. A retainer member is provided for engaging at least a portion of the inner surface of the male connection member to form a substantially spherical inner surface. An outer surface of the one piece liner member engages this substantially spherical inner surface and enables movement of the male connection member in relation to a female connection member in both a vertical direction and a horizontal direction over a predetermined range of angles.

One piece liner member for use in railway coupling devices

A connection assembly for use in either an articulated coupling arrangement and/or a slackless drawbar arrangement for connecting together adjacently disposed ends of a pair of railway vehicles in a semi-permanent manner is provided. The connection assembly comprises a spherical member and a modified male connection member wherein the male connection member includes an aperture and a portion of the inner surface of the male connection member formed by this aperture forms a part of the inner surface upon which the spherical member rotates against. The inner surface of the modified male connection member includes a portion which is engageable with a retainer member to hold the spherical member within the aperture of the male connection member. This retainer member also completes a substantially spherical inner surface upon which the spherical member can rotate against enabling the male connection member to rotate with respect to a female connection member or a car connection member in the articulated coupling arrangement or slackless drawbar assembly.

Connection assembly for railway coupling devices

A retainer member for use in either an articulated coupling arrangement and/or a slackless drawbar arrangement for retaining a spherical member in an operating position within a male connection member for connecting together adjacently disposed ends of a pair of railway vehicles in a semi-permanent manner is provided. The retainer member comprises a one piece circular member which is engageable with at least a portion of an inner surface formed by an aperture in a modified male connection member. The circular member is engageable within this aperture of the male connection member to hold the spherical member within the aperture of the male connection member and to form a substantially spherical surface upon which the spherical member rotates against, enabling the male connection member to rotate with respect to the female or car connection member of the railway coupling device.

Retainer member for use in railway coupling devices

A suspension system for suspending a truck mounted brake assembly within a railway vehicle truck arrangement is provided. The suspension system comprises suspension members, each of the suspension members being pivotally connected at a first end with a predetermined portion of the railway vehicle truck arrangement and pivotally connected at a second end with a predetermined portion of the truck mounted brake assembly for suspending a pair of brake beams in the railway vehicle truck arrangement. At least one maintaining member is provided having at least a portion thereof connected with the truck mounted brake assembly for maintaining each of the brake beams in a predetermined plane during application and release of the railway vehicle brake assembly.

Suspension system for a truck mounted brake assembly

A brake cylinder for use in a railway vehicle braking system is provided. The brake cylinder comprises a cylindrical casing engageable with the railway vehicle braking system, a hollow piston assembly which is mounted for reciprocal movement within the cylindrical casing and having a hollow portion defined by a back wall and at least one sidewall. A small piston assembly is positioned within this hollow portion and includes a first surface facing the back wall of the hollow portion and a peripheral edge portion for sealingly engaging an inner surface of the sidewall of the hollow portion. A first space is defined by the back wall of the hollow portion, at least a portion of the inner surface of the at least one sidewall and the first surface of the small piston. Fluid pressure is supplied within this first space during a brake application of the railway vehicle braking system resulting in movement of the hollow piston assembly away from the small piston assembly and consequently initiating a braking sequence of the railway vehicle braking system. Fluid pressure may also be evacuated from the first space during a brake release of the railway vehicle braking system resulting in movement of the hollow piston assembly toward the small piston assembly.

Brake cylinder using dual piston assemblies

A locking assembly for preventing the accidental let out of a slack adjuster is provided. The elongated rod member of the slack adjuster has a first portion positioned within at least a portion of the slack adjuster's elongated hollow housing member and a second portion extending out of an end of this elongated hollow housing. A jaw member may be provided which is engageable with this second portion of the elongated rod member at a location remote from the end of the elongated hollow housing member. The locking assembly comprises an end cap engageable with the end of the elongated hollow housing. This end cap includes a portion extending substantially parallel with the second portion of the elongated rod member. At least one aperture is formed through this parallely extending portion of the end cap. A member is provided which is engageable within this at least one aperture and with the second portion of the elongated rod member or the jaw member for preventing longitudinal movement of the elongated rod member with respect to the elongated hollow housing member and consequently for preventing the accidental let out of the slack adjuster.

Lock bolt with modified end cap for slack adjuster

A power source activated handbrake release mechanism for automatically releasing a parking brake assembly for a railroad vehicle braking system is provided. The power source activated handbrake release mechanism includes a hydraulically or pneumatically activated piston assembly including a piston rod mounted for movement upon activation of a piston within the piston assembly. An elongated member is associated at one end with this piston rod such that it moves laterally with respect to a bottom surface of the piston rod upon vertical movement of this piston rod. Another end of the elongated member is secured with the release shaft of the handbrake such that the lateral movement of the elongated member results in a rotational force being applied to the release shaft causing the automatic release of the handbrake. A system is also provided which allows the quick release handle of the handbrake to remain stationary during application of a rotational force to the release shaft via the power source activated handbrake release mechanism of the invention while maintaining the ability for an operator to manually release the handbrake with this handle should a power source be unavailable.

Power source activated handbrake release mechanism

A ball and race assembly having a one piece race assembly integrally formed onto the ball is provided. This ball having an integrally formed race assembly thereon has particular utility in the railway coupling industry for use in connection assemblies which are utilized in articulated coupling arrangements and slackless drawbar assemblies. The ball and race assembly comprises a ball member having a substantially spherical shape with a predetermined diameter and a one piece race member which is formed integrally with at least a portion of the ball member in a manner so as to enable rotational movement of the ball member with respect to the one piece race member. The one piece race member is a filament wound composite type material which is wound about the ball member so as to produce an outer surface which is capable of being positioned within an appropriate holding device depending upon the environment for which the ball and race assembly is to be used. In the railway industry, this outer surface of the one piece race member has a shape which is capable of being placed within an aperture of a male connection member in a railway coupling device so as to enable rotational movement of the male connection member with respect to a car connection member of the coupling device.

Ball and race assembly including a one piece race member integrally formed with the ball

An adapter system for use in railway vehicle braking systems for increasing the height of a slack adjuster with respect to a force transfer lever in the braking system is provided. Increasing the height of the slack adjuster in the system results in better clearance of the slack adjuster through an opening of the truck bolster through which the slack adjuster extends in single-cylinder, truck-mounted braking systems. The adapter system of the invention comprises a J-shaped member which is engageable with the transfer lever of the braking system. This J-shaped member has a first portion extending above and substantially parallel with at least a portion of the transfer lever, a second portion positioned below an end of the transfer lever, and a third portion positioned adjacent an edge of the end of the transfer lever. The transfer lever is connected between the first and second portions of the J-shaped member. The jaw member portion of the slack adjuster is secured with the first portion of the J-shaped member such that a longitudinally disposed centerline of the slack adjuster is positioned a predetermined distance above a predetermined horizontally disposed plane of the transfer lever.

Adapter system for a railway vehicle braking system

A carrier plate assembly for use in a slackless drawbar assembly to connect together, in a substantially semi-permanent fashion, adjacently disposed ends of a pair of railway freight cars. The carrier plate assembly includes a carrier plate member having a top surface and a bottom surface. A crushable support member has a bottom surface thereof engageable with at least a portion of the top surface of such carrier plate member. There is an aperture formed through the crushable support member and an anchoring mechanism is engageable with the carrier plate member and extends through such aperture formed in the crushable support member for securing a locking wedge member to the carrier plate in such slackless drawbar assembly. The anchoring mechanisms including at least a threaded portion for at least one of receiving a nut thereon and for threadedly engaging a threaded aperture formed in the locking wedge member to enable tightening of such locking wedge member to the carrier plate.

Carrier plate assembly for a slackless drawbar assembly

A brake valve system for a pair of railroad freight cars mechanically connected together in a substantially semi-permanent manner. Each of such pair of freight cars has a brake pipe pneumatically connected together. The brake valve system comprises a brake control valve disposed on a first one of such pair of cars and is pneumatically connected to the brake pipe and to a reservoir disposed on the first one of the pair for applying and releasing brakes disposed on both of the pair of freight cars. A vent valve is disposed on a second one of the freight cars and is pneumatically connected to the brake pipe disposed on the second one of the pair of cars for emergency venting of air from the brake pipes of the pair of cars for emergency application of the brakes of the pair of cars.

Brake valve system for dedicated freight cars

A locking wedge assembly for use in a slackless drawbar assembly designed to connect together, in a substantially semi-permanent fashion, adjacently disposed ends of a pair of railway cars. Such locking wedge assembly including a locking wedge member having a top surface and a bottom surface. A crushable support member has a top surface engageable with at least a portion of the bottom surface of such wedge member. An aperture is formed through the crushable support member and an anchoring member is engaged with the locking wedge member and extends through such aperture formed in the crushable support member for securing the locking wedge member in such slackless drawbar assembly. Such anchoring member includes at least a threaded portion for at least one of receiving a nut thereon and for threadedly engaging a threaded aperture formed in the wedge member adjacent the bottom surface of such wedge member to enable tightening of such locking wedge member in place.

Growing community of inventors

Plainfield, IL, United States of America

David W Daugherty, Jr