Fm Industries, Inc.

Halliburton Company

Harry B Kalina

Charles T Bomgardner

Richard N Hodges

William S Butler

A cushioning device for a railcar coupling that operates at a very high impedance when subjected to low level forces to thereby reduce the effect of slack between railcars while still providing an effective cushion for absorbing high levels of shock between the railcars. The cushioning device includes a cylinder containing a fluid of liquid and a gas under pressure for absorbing shock due to buff and draft movement and a piston carried in the cylinder. The gas pressure urges the piston toward the draft end of the cylinder while restoring from a buff shock. An internal positioning spring stops further restoring movement of the piston toward the draft end of the cylinder at a selected neutral position spaced from the draft end of the cylinder. The internal positioning spring allows the piston to move from the neutral position toward the draft end of the cylinder if a draft shock occurs of sufficient magnitude while the piston is in the neutral position.

Internal neutral positioning spring for railcar shock absorber

A railcar shock absorber has neutral position in which the piston is spaced between buff and draft ends of the cylinder. An external spring is mounted to the shock absorber. A slider rod has one end mounted to the coupling to move relative to the frame of the railcar. The spring has retainers on each end, and the slider rod passes through the retainers. One of the retainers is stationary relative to the frame. The other retainer floats relative to the frame and will abut a neutral stop of the frame when the spring is in the maximum length position. An engagement member on the slider rod will further compress the spring if a draft shock occurs from the neutral position. If a buff shock occurs from the neutral position, the engagement member moves away from the floating retainer.

Railcar shock absorber with neutral position

A rail car has a sliding sill located within a fixed frame and a shock absorber for absorbing shock. The shock absorber has a housing with inner and outer chambers containing oil and gas. A piston extends from the housing. The housing has an end plate on its end which engages a frame stop. The housing has a base end which engages another frame stop. Limiting stops formed on the housing limit the amount of buff movement allowed.

Single acting sliding sill cushioning unit

A railway car cushioning device is provided for minimizing slack between railway cars. The cushioning device is provided with a piston and piston rod disposed within the cylinder. The cylinder is filled with an oil and gas mixture. A housing surrounds the cylinder providing a fluid recovery reservoir defined by the space between the outer wall of the cylinder and the housing. At one end of the cylinder is a bulkhead and at the other end is a cylinder head. The piston rod extends through a hole formed in the cylinder head and is joined to the sill of a railcar. A coupler is joined to the cushioning device for coupling to another railway car. A series of pressure relief valves are provided and engaged with egress ports formed in the cylinder wall between the bulk head and the piston when the piston is in an extended position. The pressure relief valves are constructed so that fluid may flow in only one direction, from the interior of the cylinder to the fluid reservoir. The pressure relief valves open only in response to a given fluid pressure within the cylinder. A restoration valve allows fluid to escape from the cylinder when the piston is restored to its initial position, and a bleed valve is provided for exhausting gas from the cylinder when the cushioning device is at rest.

Railcar cushion unit

A fabricated backstop/buffstop comprising a pair of parallel, juxtaposed side plates, each side plate having a central opening therein, a forward transverse member having each end thereof freely positioned in a portion of the central opening of each side plate of the pair of side plates and having a slot located in the center of the forward transverse member, and a rear transverse member having each end thereof freely positioned in a portion of the central opening of each side plate of the pair of side plates.

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Arlington, TX, United States of America

Harry B Kalina