Schaefer Equipment, Inc.

Other

Schaefer Equipment Company

Schaefer Manufacturing, Inc.

Roland E Cale

A clevis end connecting rod such as a truck lever connection rod, brake cylinder push rod, brake rod end, etc., utilized on railroad cars and the like, is manufactured by forming a piece of straight metal bar stock with a central offset and then transversely severing the bar stock at the central portion of the offset and then realigning the severed bar ends with each other to form a bifurcated jaw having laterally spaced side portions merging to contact at their offset ends with their surfaces of severance lying in a common plane. One end of an elongated piece of metal stock is butted up against the severed end surfaces and there welded. Aligned bores are provided in the bifurcated arms to receive a common connecting pin therethrough. Alternatively, the bar stock formed with the central offset may be transversely severed at a predetermined angle relative to the free end of the bar, and a straight piece of metal stock is also severed at the same angle and a severed piece of the offset stock is aligned with the severed piece of straight stock to form a bifurcated jaw having laterally spaced parallel side portions with the offset of the severed piece of the offset stock converging to contact the severed end of the piece of straight stock with their surfaces of severance aligned such that they are lying in a common plane. The elongated piece of metal stock is then butted up against these aligned severed end surfaces and welded.

Method of manufacturing clevis end connecting rod

A clevis end connecting rod such as truck lever connection rods, brake cylinder push rods, brake rod ends, etc., utilized on railroad cars, is manufactured by positioning an outside side surface of a metal eye member, having a bore therethrough, transversely against one end of a metal rod, and then the metal rod end is circumferentially welded to the eye member side surface with a good concentric and coaxial uniform weld. Thereafter, the eye member is transversely cut in half, thereby providing a cutting gap which is in line with the axis of the rod. Then this same end of the rod is axially cut to a predetermined depth to provide a bifurcated rod end. The bifurcation is aligned with the cutting gap between the eye member halves, and then the bifurcated rod end is spread and re-shaped to form a clevis end with the bores of the eye member halves being positioned in spaced alignment to receive a clevis pin, thereby eliminating expensive prior art hot forging techniques. As a modification to the method, the eye member may be provided initially in two halves, prior to the step of positioning and welding it to the end of the metal rod. This latter technique is especially useful where a plurality of transverse clevis pin bores are provided in the eye member for adjustable clevis pin connection, thereby requiring a relatively long clevis eye member, which would require considerably more time to be transversely cut in half. The rod end which is welded to the eye member is preferably tapered to provide an annular welding relief between the rod end and the eye member to provide a uniform concentric or coaxial weld prior to the step of making a bifurcation cut into the end of the rod through the weld.

Metal stock is forged into a blank consisting of a rod-like shank joined at one end to the inner ends of a pair of forks having enlarged flattened outer ends projecting laterally of the forks in the same direction and provided with pin-receiving openings. One fork is aligned with the shank and the other fork extends laterally away from the shank and then outwardly, with its enlarged end projecting toward the other fork. Both forks are then twisted in the same direction to turn their flattened ends approximately 45.degree. into spaced parallel planes, and the longer fork is bent to move its flattened end into a position in which its opening is axially aligned with the opening in the other enlarged end.

Method of making railway car brake-rod jaw

Metal stock is forged into a blank consisting of a rod-like shank joined at one end to the inner ends of a pair of substantially parallel forks having enlarged flattened outer ends projecting laterally away from each other in a common plane and provided with pin-receiving openings with parallel axes. The forging operation provides each fork with the appearance of a 90.degree. twist. After the blank is formed the forks are twisted on their axes in directions that will substantially eliminate their twisted appearance and will turn their enlarged ends into spaced parallel planes with their pin-receiving openings in axial alignment.

Brake-rod jaw with twisted forks

Railway car brake-rod jaw

A brake beam lever extends through an inclined slot in a brake beam strut at a greater inclination to vertical than the slot, and wedge shape members fill the wedge shape spaces formed between the lever and the side walls of the slot. A pivot pin extends through said strut and wedge members and lever, and the ends of the lever are provided with openings for clevis pins.

Railway car brake beam lever mounting

A brake lever connection is formed from a tube with a two-piece jaw welded to each end, each jaw having laterally spaced side portions merging at one end into end portions engaging each other to form the inner end of the jaw, which has a first frusto-conical surface tapered toward the other jaw and merging into a smaller diameter frusto-conical surface tapered less sharply. The larger end of the smaller conical surface has about the same diameter as the inside of the tube, into an end of which the smaller conical surface is inserted. The end walls of the tube form with the first conical surfaces annular recesses filled with welding metal that joins the jaws to the ends of the tube.

Five piece brake lever connection

The upper end of a railway car live brake lever between the axles of a car truck is pivotally connected to one end of a link that extends across the top of the adjacent axle and is pivotally connected to the lower end of a vertical fulcrum lever. The central portion of the fulcrum lever is provided with a circular opening, the wall of which is convex from side to side of the lever and forms an arc of a circle. A rigid supporting member for the fulcrum lever projects laterally from one side of the center sill of the car and has a hook at its outer end extending through the lever opening and curved away from the live lever. The hook forms an arc of a circle and has a circular cross section, the radius of the inside of the hook being substantially the same as the radius of the wall arc. The inside diameter of the lever opening is only slightly greater than the diameter of the hook in cross section, and the upper end of the fulcrum lever is formed for connection to a device for rocking that lever around the hook.

Railway car brake rigging fulcrum lever mounting

A reversible foot for the lower end of an inclined brace in a railway hopper car is a metal forging arched transversely to fit over a crossridge in the car, to which the foot is fastened. The foot is provided with a central vertical opening extending lengthwise of it for receiving the lower end of a brace inclined at a predetermined angle. The end wall of that opening that will be beside the upper inclined surface of the lower end of the brace is inclined substantially parallel to that surface, but the opposite end wall of the opening is inclined in the opposite direction at a different angle so that it will lie substantially parallel to the upper inclined surface of the lower end of a brace inclined at a different angle than the first-mentioned brace if the foot is reversed to receive such a brace. Whichever brace is used, its lower end is welded to the foot.

Reversible foot for railway hopper car inclined braces

A link is provided at one end with a first opening for receiving a member supported by a railway car body, and at the opposite end with a second opening. Extending through the second opening is a clevis that has parallel free ends provided with aligned openings for connecting it to the upper end of a brake beam lever. The shape of the second opening and the portion of the clevis in it is such that the clevis is restrained by the link from swinging relative to the link in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the clevis opening. The supporting member for the opposite end of the link has a hook extending through the first opening. The link may be made short enough to be located substantially horizontally between the dead lever and the adjacent axle.

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Cortland, OH, United States of America

Roland E Cale