CA2043457A1 - Rotary coupler assembly for railway vehicle - Google Patents
Rotary coupler assembly for railway vehicleInfo
- Publication number
- CA2043457A1 CA2043457A1 CA002043457A CA2043457A CA2043457A1 CA 2043457 A1 CA2043457 A1 CA 2043457A1 CA 002043457 A CA002043457 A CA 002043457A CA 2043457 A CA2043457 A CA 2043457A CA 2043457 A1 CA2043457 A1 CA 2043457A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- coupler
- butt end
- shank
- fillet
- invention according
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B61—RAILWAYS
- B61G—COUPLINGS; DRAUGHT AND BUFFING APPLIANCES
- B61G3/00—Couplings comprising mating parts of similar shape or form which can be coupled without the use of any additional element or elements
- B61G3/04—Couplings comprising mating parts of similar shape or form which can be coupled without the use of any additional element or elements with coupling head having a guard arm on one side and a knuckle with angularly-disposed nose and tail portions pivoted to the other side thereof, the nose of the knuckle being the coupling part, and means to lock the knuckle in coupling position, e.g. "A.A.R." or "Janney" type
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B61—RAILWAYS
- B61G—COUPLINGS; DRAUGHT AND BUFFING APPLIANCES
- B61G3/00—Couplings comprising mating parts of similar shape or form which can be coupled without the use of any additional element or elements
- B61G3/16—Couplings comprising mating parts of similar shape or form which can be coupled without the use of any additional element or elements with coupling heads rigidly connected by rotatable hook plates or discs and balancing links, the coupling members forming a parallelogram, e.g. "Scharfenberg" type
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B61—RAILWAYS
- B61G—COUPLINGS; DRAUGHT AND BUFFING APPLIANCES
- B61G1/00—Couplings comprising interengaging parts of different shape or form and having links, bars, pins, shackles, or hooks as coupling means
- B61G1/36—Couplings comprising interengaging parts of different shape or form and having links, bars, pins, shackles, or hooks as coupling means with shackles and hooks, e.g. specially adapted for mine cars
- B61G1/38—Couplings comprising interengaging parts of different shape or form and having links, bars, pins, shackles, or hooks as coupling means with shackles and hooks, e.g. specially adapted for mine cars rotatable about line of traction, e.g. for cars which are tiltable when coupled
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Pivots And Pivotal Connections (AREA)
- Joining Of Building Structures In Genera (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A rotary railway coupler is provided having compound fillets of variable increasing radii inserted between the shank and the butt end of the coupler. The compound fillets 3.reduce the stress concentration between the shank and the butt end of the coupler by distributing the stress over a greater curved surface area in order to decrease the possibility of fatigue cracking and failure at the transition surface between the coupler shank and butt end. The compound fillet may also be arranged to undercut the surfaces of the coupler shank and butt end in order to reduce metal build-up at this location.
A rotary railway coupler is provided having compound fillets of variable increasing radii inserted between the shank and the butt end of the coupler. The compound fillets 3.reduce the stress concentration between the shank and the butt end of the coupler by distributing the stress over a greater curved surface area in order to decrease the possibility of fatigue cracking and failure at the transition surface between the coupler shank and butt end. The compound fillet may also be arranged to undercut the surfaces of the coupler shank and butt end in order to reduce metal build-up at this location.
Description
Case 6~9 43 ~57 BJL:AM
IMPROVED ROTARY coupLEa ASSEMBLY FOR RAIL~AY YEHICLE
Background of the Invention The present invention relates generally to railway vehicle coupler memberq and more particularly to an improved rotary coupler having a compound fillet between the shank and butt end thereof.
Railway carq are connected together with coupler memberq, namely drawbar~ or couplers. Drawbars are integral units known to be used in the railroad industry to extend between and permanently connect two or more railcar~. Couplers are independent units in each car which interconnect with one another between adjacent cars, to form a connection. In either instance, a shank and butt end of the drawbar or coupler extend~ into the center sill of a railway car where it i9 secured to transmit longitudinal loads to the car.
Rotary coupler~ permit commoditie~, ~uch as ore, taconite, coal, grain, phosphate and the like, to be discharged or emptied by rotating each car individually while still connected to an adjacent car.
The coupler~ used currently in rotary applications have 2n transition surfaces comprising radial fillets which extend between the ~hank and the butt end at both the top and bottom of the coupler.
With the introduction of high mileage and high load unit trains, forces acting on the coupler~ have increased , , ~ .
IMPROVED ROTARY coupLEa ASSEMBLY FOR RAIL~AY YEHICLE
Background of the Invention The present invention relates generally to railway vehicle coupler memberq and more particularly to an improved rotary coupler having a compound fillet between the shank and butt end thereof.
Railway carq are connected together with coupler memberq, namely drawbar~ or couplers. Drawbars are integral units known to be used in the railroad industry to extend between and permanently connect two or more railcar~. Couplers are independent units in each car which interconnect with one another between adjacent cars, to form a connection. In either instance, a shank and butt end of the drawbar or coupler extend~ into the center sill of a railway car where it i9 secured to transmit longitudinal loads to the car.
Rotary coupler~ permit commoditie~, ~uch as ore, taconite, coal, grain, phosphate and the like, to be discharged or emptied by rotating each car individually while still connected to an adjacent car.
The coupler~ used currently in rotary applications have 2n transition surfaces comprising radial fillets which extend between the ~hank and the butt end at both the top and bottom of the coupler.
With the introduction of high mileage and high load unit trains, forces acting on the coupler~ have increased , , ~ .
2~43~7 drastically. A problem that has occurred in the currently used couplers with the advent of increased mileage and loadq is the formation of fatigue cracks in the radial fillets between the ~hank and the butt end of the coupler. If these cracks become too great, the couplers can fracture cau3ing the coupled connection to fail. Another problem with the currently used couplers is that, a~ the coupler angles vertically and horizontally within a yoke inside the center sill, metal builds up between the coupler and ehe yoke at the radial fillets between the shank and the butt end of the coupler. If the metal build~ up too greatly, an undesirable bending moment occur~ which can result in higher stress and potential fatigue cracks or failure. Such potential failùreq are a seriou~ enough problem to consider modification of the coupler design.
~9~h~
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved rotary coupler that has a lessened potential for fatigue cracking in the transition surface between the shank and the butt end of the coupler.
By the present invention, it is proposed to overcome the difficulties encountered heretofore. To this end, it ha~ been discovered that using a compound fillet having a variable radius in~tead of a fillet having a constant radius greatly reduce~ ~he stress concentration between the shank and the .... ...
20~34~7 butt end of the coupler by di~tributing the 3tre~ more evenly over a greater ~urface area. The compound fillet i~ al~o con~tructed to undercut the surface~ of the ~hank and the butt end of the coupler which reduces the potential for metal build-up. While a parabolic-shaped comPound fillet i~
preferred, other curve~ having variable radii such as ellipse~
or catenarie~ could al~o be used to reduce the stress concentration. This reduction of ~tre~s concentration, in turn, reduces the likelihood of fatigue crack~ between the ~hank and butt end of the coupler.
In the drawings:
Figure 1 is a ~ide elevation view, partially in qection, of a preferred embodiment of the invention with certain part~
broken away for clarity:
Figure 2 is a top ~ection plan view of the apparatus ~hown in Figure l;
Figure 3 is an enlarged partial elevation view ~howing a radial fillet extending between a shank and a butt end of a prior art couPler member;
Figure 4 i~ an enlarged partial elevation view in which a preferred compound fillet of the present invention ha~ been added and i9 ~hown in compari~on to the prior art radial fillet (dashed); and ~ . ;. .
2~4~57 Figure 5 is a graph depicting the approximation of an example of a parabolic curve in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention.
Detailed De~cription of the Invention In Figureq 1 and 2, a Type F rotary coupler member embodying the improved design of the present invention iq shown generally at 10. The coupler member 10 extendq within an open end 12 of a center sill, generally 14, which iq secured longitudinally beneath a railway car (not shown). The center ~ill 14 is of a standard construction compri~ing an inverted U-shaped channel member 16 having a top wall 18, qide walls 20 and 22 and outturned flanges 24 and 26 at the lower open bottom 28.
A coupler yoke 30 is located within the center 9ill 14 and includes a bottom wall 32 and a top wall 34. The yoke 30 i~ mounted within the center 8ill 14 on a support plate 36 and a support channel 38, both of which are fastened to the sill flanges 24 and 26.
A striker assembly 40 is secured within the open end 12 of the center 8ill 14 and includes a top wall 42 and side walls 44 and 46, the side walls 44 and 46 which extend rearwardly and gradually increase in thickness, terminating a~
striker stops 48 and S0 respectfully.
A spherical face 52 on a butt end 54 of the coupler member 10 fits against a matching spherical face 56 of a . : , .. : .
2043~a7 follower block 58. The follower block 58 i9 located between the bottom wall 32 and the top wall 34 of the yoke 30, a~ well as between the ~ide walls 20 and 22 of the center 9ill 14.
The follower block 58 i~ further held again~t the ~triker ~top~ 48 and 50 of the ~triker asqembly 40 by a draft gear (not ~hown).
A front portion 60 of the yoke 30 ha~ an opening 62 leading to a cavity 64 for receiving the butt end 54 of the coupler member 10. The opening 62 i~ elongated from ~ide-to-side. Accordingly, the elongated dimen~ion of the coupler butt end 54 i~ aligned with the elongated dimension of the opening 62 and inserted through the opening 62 and into the yoke cavity 64~ Once the coupler butt end 54 i3 past the opening 62, it ia rotated 90 80 the elongated dimension of the coupler butt end 54 i3 no longer aligned with the elongated dimension of the coupler opening 62 and retainer key~ 66 and 68 are inserted in yoke slots 70 and 72 to keep the coupler butt end 54 from unde~ired removal from the yoke cavity 64 during rotation.
The top wall 32 and the bottom wall 34 of the yoke 30 increa~e in thickness at the front portion 60 of the yoXe 30 and includ~ pocket portions 74 and 76 which receive ~houlders 78 and 80 on the butt end 54 of the coupler member 10 to center the butt end 54 of the coupler member 10 within the center 9ill 14 and tran~fer the draft loads of the coupler member 10 to the striker as~embly 40 and the center ~ill 14.
, . ~, .. .
' 20~3~7 The buff load3 from the coupler member 10 are tran~qmitteddirectly to the follower block 58 which tran~fer3 the loadq to the draft gear (not ~hown~ and into rear stop~ (not shown) for tran~mittal to the center ~ill 14. The shoulder~ 78 and 80 of the coupler butt end 54 and the yoke pocket portionq 74 and 76 have spherical surfaces which, along with the spherical faces 52 and 56 of the coupler butt end 54 and the follower block 58 re~pectively, permit horizontal and vertical angling of the coupler 10 within the center ~ill 14.
The coupler member 10 further includes a head end 82 for interconnection with another coupler member head (not ~hown) of a 3econd railway car (not ~hown) and a shank portion 84 between the butt end 54 and the head end 82 of the coupler member 10. The ~hank portion 84 has a bottom wall 86, a top wall 88, and side wall~ 90 and 92. Transition fillets 94 and 96 extend between the shank bottom wall 86 and the bottom ~pherical shoulder 78 as well as the ~hank top wall 88 and the top apherical shoulder 80 re~pectively.
In the prior art, these transition fillets were comprised 70 of a radial fillet having a constant radiu~. A top tran~ition fillet 38 of the prior art i8 shown in Figure 3 to extend between a top wall 100 of a coupler qhank 102 and a top spherical shoulder 104 of a coupler butt end 106. It is in the transition fîllet 98 that fatigue cracks have been found to form.
... .. . . .
~ .
.. ~ .~ . .
20~3~7 Figure 4 shows an enlarged transition fillet 96 extending from the top wall 88 of the ~hank portion 84 and the top 3pherical shoulder 80 of the butt end 54 of the coupler 10.
It is to be under~tood that the design profile in the bottom and the top transition fillet~ 94 and 96 is Qimilar. The radial fillet of constant radiu3 has been replaced with the parabolic fillet 96 having a variable radius that increases with the distance away from the spherical shoulder 80 of the coupler butt end 54. The prior art design profile is shown in dashed lines in Figure 4 to illustrate the modifications in ~aid improved design profile.
The ~ubstitution of the parabolic fillet 96 greatly reduce~ the 3tress concentration between the top wall 88 of the coupler shank portion 84 and the spherical shoulder 80 of the coupler butt end 84 by di~tributing the load over a longer, smoother curved surface area, namely along the entire parabolic curve 96, instead of the mere radial fillet 98 of the prior art design profile. $his reduction in ~tress concentration reduces the likelihood of fatigue cracks forming between the 3hank portion 84 and the butt end 54 of the coupler mQmbsr 10.
A static stress compari~on between the improved design and the ~tandard design of the prior art has been conducted.
Based on axial draft loading to 300 Kips, the improved de~ign provided an average stress reduction of approximately 30%
relative to the standard deRign of the prior art in the . .,, , ~, , .
2~434~7 tran~ition area between the ~hank 84 and the butt end 54 of the coupler. These re~ult~ indicate that the improved design of the present invention will provide for enhanced fatigue strength.
The parabolic fillet 96 undercuts a portion of the top wall 88 of the coupler shank 84 and the spherical shoulder 80 of the coupler butt end 54 which al~o eliminates the potential for metal build-up which can add an unde~irable bending momene and, in turn, higher stres~, when the coupler member 10 iq angled inaide the yoke 30.
A parabolic fillet is preferred due to the ~mall space envelope which i~ available along the x and y axes as shown in Figure 4. The distance along the y axi~ may not be increased a great amount over the prior art design since the fillet may not extend any higher into the ~pherical ~houlder 80 of the coupler butt end 54 which interfaces with the pocket portion 76 of the yoke 30. Such an extension of the fillet would result in the 10~8 of interchangeability with yokes of present design. The distance along the y axis may be increased slightly at the bottom undercutting the top wall 88 of the coupler ~hank portion 84 as shown in Figure 4. The distance alonq the x axi~ is greater in the improved deqign, however, as the parabolic fillet extends further onto the top wall 88 of the coupler shank portion 84 in the direction of the coupler head end 82.
20~3~7 To con~truct an aPproximate parabolic fillet 96 profile, the distance~ along the x and y axes may be divided into the same number of ~egment~ and identically numbered from top to bottom and from left to right as ~hown in Figure 5. Points having the ~ame number are then connected by straight lineq resulting in an envelope of gradually increaqing radiuq which approximate~ a parabolic curve.
The parabolic fillet 96 can al~o be constructed using the parabolic equation y2 = 2fx with the origin of the parabola located at point 108 where the qpherical ~houlder 80 of the coupler butt end 54 meets the fillet 96 as shown in Figure 4.
The constant f in the parabolic equation i8 selected in accordance with the x and y space limits for the given ~hank and butt tran~ition.
~ hile a parabol$c fillet is preferred,`other compound curve~ of variable radii ~uch as ellipses or catenarie~ would al~o reduce the ~tress concentration. Furthermore, while an F
type coupler head is shown in the drawings, identical modification could b~ made to other coupler types to achieve the same re~ult.
The foregoing description and drawings exPlain and illu~trate the b~qt known mode of the invention and those skilled in the art who have the disclosure before them will be able to make modifications and variations thsrein without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the following claims.
- : ' .' : ' . ' . .
~9~h~
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved rotary coupler that has a lessened potential for fatigue cracking in the transition surface between the shank and the butt end of the coupler.
By the present invention, it is proposed to overcome the difficulties encountered heretofore. To this end, it ha~ been discovered that using a compound fillet having a variable radius in~tead of a fillet having a constant radius greatly reduce~ ~he stress concentration between the shank and the .... ...
20~34~7 butt end of the coupler by di~tributing the 3tre~ more evenly over a greater ~urface area. The compound fillet i~ al~o con~tructed to undercut the surface~ of the ~hank and the butt end of the coupler which reduces the potential for metal build-up. While a parabolic-shaped comPound fillet i~
preferred, other curve~ having variable radii such as ellipse~
or catenarie~ could al~o be used to reduce the stress concentration. This reduction of ~tre~s concentration, in turn, reduces the likelihood of fatigue crack~ between the ~hank and butt end of the coupler.
In the drawings:
Figure 1 is a ~ide elevation view, partially in qection, of a preferred embodiment of the invention with certain part~
broken away for clarity:
Figure 2 is a top ~ection plan view of the apparatus ~hown in Figure l;
Figure 3 is an enlarged partial elevation view ~howing a radial fillet extending between a shank and a butt end of a prior art couPler member;
Figure 4 i~ an enlarged partial elevation view in which a preferred compound fillet of the present invention ha~ been added and i9 ~hown in compari~on to the prior art radial fillet (dashed); and ~ . ;. .
2~4~57 Figure 5 is a graph depicting the approximation of an example of a parabolic curve in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention.
Detailed De~cription of the Invention In Figureq 1 and 2, a Type F rotary coupler member embodying the improved design of the present invention iq shown generally at 10. The coupler member 10 extendq within an open end 12 of a center sill, generally 14, which iq secured longitudinally beneath a railway car (not shown). The center ~ill 14 is of a standard construction compri~ing an inverted U-shaped channel member 16 having a top wall 18, qide walls 20 and 22 and outturned flanges 24 and 26 at the lower open bottom 28.
A coupler yoke 30 is located within the center 9ill 14 and includes a bottom wall 32 and a top wall 34. The yoke 30 i~ mounted within the center 8ill 14 on a support plate 36 and a support channel 38, both of which are fastened to the sill flanges 24 and 26.
A striker assembly 40 is secured within the open end 12 of the center 8ill 14 and includes a top wall 42 and side walls 44 and 46, the side walls 44 and 46 which extend rearwardly and gradually increase in thickness, terminating a~
striker stops 48 and S0 respectfully.
A spherical face 52 on a butt end 54 of the coupler member 10 fits against a matching spherical face 56 of a . : , .. : .
2043~a7 follower block 58. The follower block 58 i9 located between the bottom wall 32 and the top wall 34 of the yoke 30, a~ well as between the ~ide walls 20 and 22 of the center 9ill 14.
The follower block 58 i~ further held again~t the ~triker ~top~ 48 and 50 of the ~triker asqembly 40 by a draft gear (not ~hown).
A front portion 60 of the yoke 30 ha~ an opening 62 leading to a cavity 64 for receiving the butt end 54 of the coupler member 10. The opening 62 i~ elongated from ~ide-to-side. Accordingly, the elongated dimen~ion of the coupler butt end 54 i~ aligned with the elongated dimension of the opening 62 and inserted through the opening 62 and into the yoke cavity 64~ Once the coupler butt end 54 i3 past the opening 62, it ia rotated 90 80 the elongated dimension of the coupler butt end 54 i3 no longer aligned with the elongated dimension of the coupler opening 62 and retainer key~ 66 and 68 are inserted in yoke slots 70 and 72 to keep the coupler butt end 54 from unde~ired removal from the yoke cavity 64 during rotation.
The top wall 32 and the bottom wall 34 of the yoke 30 increa~e in thickness at the front portion 60 of the yoXe 30 and includ~ pocket portions 74 and 76 which receive ~houlders 78 and 80 on the butt end 54 of the coupler member 10 to center the butt end 54 of the coupler member 10 within the center 9ill 14 and tran~fer the draft loads of the coupler member 10 to the striker as~embly 40 and the center ~ill 14.
, . ~, .. .
' 20~3~7 The buff load3 from the coupler member 10 are tran~qmitteddirectly to the follower block 58 which tran~fer3 the loadq to the draft gear (not ~hown~ and into rear stop~ (not shown) for tran~mittal to the center ~ill 14. The shoulder~ 78 and 80 of the coupler butt end 54 and the yoke pocket portionq 74 and 76 have spherical surfaces which, along with the spherical faces 52 and 56 of the coupler butt end 54 and the follower block 58 re~pectively, permit horizontal and vertical angling of the coupler 10 within the center ~ill 14.
The coupler member 10 further includes a head end 82 for interconnection with another coupler member head (not ~hown) of a 3econd railway car (not ~hown) and a shank portion 84 between the butt end 54 and the head end 82 of the coupler member 10. The ~hank portion 84 has a bottom wall 86, a top wall 88, and side wall~ 90 and 92. Transition fillets 94 and 96 extend between the shank bottom wall 86 and the bottom ~pherical shoulder 78 as well as the ~hank top wall 88 and the top apherical shoulder 80 re~pectively.
In the prior art, these transition fillets were comprised 70 of a radial fillet having a constant radiu~. A top tran~ition fillet 38 of the prior art i8 shown in Figure 3 to extend between a top wall 100 of a coupler qhank 102 and a top spherical shoulder 104 of a coupler butt end 106. It is in the transition fîllet 98 that fatigue cracks have been found to form.
... .. . . .
~ .
.. ~ .~ . .
20~3~7 Figure 4 shows an enlarged transition fillet 96 extending from the top wall 88 of the ~hank portion 84 and the top 3pherical shoulder 80 of the butt end 54 of the coupler 10.
It is to be under~tood that the design profile in the bottom and the top transition fillet~ 94 and 96 is Qimilar. The radial fillet of constant radiu3 has been replaced with the parabolic fillet 96 having a variable radius that increases with the distance away from the spherical shoulder 80 of the coupler butt end 54. The prior art design profile is shown in dashed lines in Figure 4 to illustrate the modifications in ~aid improved design profile.
The ~ubstitution of the parabolic fillet 96 greatly reduce~ the 3tress concentration between the top wall 88 of the coupler shank portion 84 and the spherical shoulder 80 of the coupler butt end 84 by di~tributing the load over a longer, smoother curved surface area, namely along the entire parabolic curve 96, instead of the mere radial fillet 98 of the prior art design profile. $his reduction in ~tress concentration reduces the likelihood of fatigue cracks forming between the 3hank portion 84 and the butt end 54 of the coupler mQmbsr 10.
A static stress compari~on between the improved design and the ~tandard design of the prior art has been conducted.
Based on axial draft loading to 300 Kips, the improved de~ign provided an average stress reduction of approximately 30%
relative to the standard deRign of the prior art in the . .,, , ~, , .
2~434~7 tran~ition area between the ~hank 84 and the butt end 54 of the coupler. These re~ult~ indicate that the improved design of the present invention will provide for enhanced fatigue strength.
The parabolic fillet 96 undercuts a portion of the top wall 88 of the coupler shank 84 and the spherical shoulder 80 of the coupler butt end 54 which al~o eliminates the potential for metal build-up which can add an unde~irable bending momene and, in turn, higher stres~, when the coupler member 10 iq angled inaide the yoke 30.
A parabolic fillet is preferred due to the ~mall space envelope which i~ available along the x and y axes as shown in Figure 4. The distance along the y axi~ may not be increased a great amount over the prior art design since the fillet may not extend any higher into the ~pherical ~houlder 80 of the coupler butt end 54 which interfaces with the pocket portion 76 of the yoke 30. Such an extension of the fillet would result in the 10~8 of interchangeability with yokes of present design. The distance along the y axis may be increased slightly at the bottom undercutting the top wall 88 of the coupler ~hank portion 84 as shown in Figure 4. The distance alonq the x axi~ is greater in the improved deqign, however, as the parabolic fillet extends further onto the top wall 88 of the coupler shank portion 84 in the direction of the coupler head end 82.
20~3~7 To con~truct an aPproximate parabolic fillet 96 profile, the distance~ along the x and y axes may be divided into the same number of ~egment~ and identically numbered from top to bottom and from left to right as ~hown in Figure 5. Points having the ~ame number are then connected by straight lineq resulting in an envelope of gradually increaqing radiuq which approximate~ a parabolic curve.
The parabolic fillet 96 can al~o be constructed using the parabolic equation y2 = 2fx with the origin of the parabola located at point 108 where the qpherical ~houlder 80 of the coupler butt end 54 meets the fillet 96 as shown in Figure 4.
The constant f in the parabolic equation i8 selected in accordance with the x and y space limits for the given ~hank and butt tran~ition.
~ hile a parabol$c fillet is preferred,`other compound curve~ of variable radii ~uch as ellipses or catenarie~ would al~o reduce the ~tress concentration. Furthermore, while an F
type coupler head is shown in the drawings, identical modification could b~ made to other coupler types to achieve the same re~ult.
The foregoing description and drawings exPlain and illu~trate the b~qt known mode of the invention and those skilled in the art who have the disclosure before them will be able to make modifications and variations thsrein without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the following claims.
- : ' .' : ' . ' . .
Claims (13)
1. An improved rotary coupler connection of the type having a rotary coupler member received in a yoke which has been installed in a center sill of a railway vehicle, said rotary coupler member having a head end, a butt end and a shank between said head end and said butt end, said improvement comprising:
at least one transition surface extending between said shank and said butt end of said coupler member, said transition surface comprising a compound fillet having a variable radius, said variable radius which increases with distance away from said butt end of said coupler member.
at least one transition surface extending between said shank and said butt end of said coupler member, said transition surface comprising a compound fillet having a variable radius, said variable radius which increases with distance away from said butt end of said coupler member.
2. The invention according to claim 1 in which said compound fillet is recessed below a top surface of said shank of said coupler member.
3. The invention according to claim 1 in which said compound fillet is recessed within an outer surface of said butt end of said coupler member.
4. The invention according to claim 1 in which said compound fillet has a profile which approximates that of a parabolic curve.
5. The invention according to claim 1 in which said compound fillet has a profile which approximates that of a catenary curve.
6. The invention according to claim 1 in which said compound fillet has a profile which approximates that of an elliptic curve.
7. The invention according to claim 1 in which one said transition surface extends between a top wall of said shank and a top shoulder portion of said butt end of said coupler member and a second said transition surface extends between a bottom wall of said shank and a bottom shoulder portion of said butt end of said coupler member, said top and bottom shoulder portions of said butt end of said coupler including spherical surfaces corresponding to mating surfaces on pocket portions of said yoke.
8. An improved rotary coupler member for use in a railway vehicle, said rotary coupler member having a head end, a butt end and a shank between said butt end and said head end, the improvement comprising:
at least one transition fillet located between said butt end and said shank of said coupler member, said transition fillet having a compound radius which increases with distance away from said butt end of said coupler member.
at least one transition fillet located between said butt end and said shank of said coupler member, said transition fillet having a compound radius which increases with distance away from said butt end of said coupler member.
9. The invention according to claim 8 in which one said transition fillet is located between a top spherical shoulder portion of said coupler butt end and a top wall of said coupler shank and a second said transition fillet is located between a bottom spherical shoulder portion of said coupler butt end and a bottom wall of said coupler shank.
10. The invention according to claim 9 in which said transition fillets undercut said top and bottom spherical shoulder portions of said coupler butt end and said top and bottom walls of said coupler shank.
11 11. The invention according to claim 8 in which said transition fillet has a profile which approximates that of a parabolic curve.
12. The invention according to claim 8 in which said transition fillet has a profile which approximates that of a catenary curve.
13. The invention according to claim 8 in which said transition fillet has a profile which approximates that of an elliptic curve.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US58266790A | 1990-09-14 | 1990-09-14 | |
| US07/582,667 | 1990-09-14 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2043457A1 true CA2043457A1 (en) | 1992-03-15 |
Family
ID=24330016
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002043457A Abandoned CA2043457A1 (en) | 1990-09-14 | 1991-05-29 | Rotary coupler assembly for railway vehicle |
Country Status (12)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP0475632A1 (en) |
| JP (1) | JPH04230468A (en) |
| KR (1) | KR950001453B1 (en) |
| AU (1) | AU7736091A (en) |
| BR (1) | BR9102757A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA2043457A1 (en) |
| EG (1) | EG19469A (en) |
| MX (1) | MX9100739A (en) |
| PT (1) | PT98969A (en) |
| RO (1) | RO111047B1 (en) |
| ZA (1) | ZA914030B (en) |
| ZW (1) | ZW6091A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP1244060A3 (en) * | 2001-03-23 | 2004-10-27 | Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Computer-aided product design system |
| AU2010226880B2 (en) * | 2009-09-30 | 2016-10-06 | Bradken Resources Pty Limited | Coupling |
Family Cites Families (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US3250403A (en) * | 1965-04-09 | 1966-05-10 | Amsted Ind Inc | Rotary railway car coupler structure |
| US3876081A (en) * | 1973-10-10 | 1975-04-08 | Midland Ross Corp | Railway draft rigging |
| US4420088A (en) * | 1981-10-28 | 1983-12-13 | Midland-Ross Corporation | Rotary railroad car coupler assembly with a horizontal key/slot arrangement |
-
1991
- 1991-05-27 ZW ZW60/91A patent/ZW6091A1/en unknown
- 1991-05-27 AU AU77360/91A patent/AU7736091A/en not_active Abandoned
- 1991-05-28 ZA ZA914030A patent/ZA914030B/en unknown
- 1991-05-29 CA CA002043457A patent/CA2043457A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 1991-06-27 KR KR1019910010784A patent/KR950001453B1/en active IP Right Grant
- 1991-07-01 BR BR919102757A patent/BR9102757A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1991-08-20 MX MX9100739A patent/MX9100739A/en unknown
- 1991-08-28 EP EP91307855A patent/EP0475632A1/en not_active Ceased
- 1991-08-31 EG EG52091A patent/EG19469A/en active
- 1991-09-13 PT PT98969A patent/PT98969A/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1991-09-13 RO RO148392A patent/RO111047B1/en unknown
- 1991-09-13 JP JP3234527A patent/JPH04230468A/en active Pending
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| EP0475632A1 (en) | 1992-03-18 |
| MX9100739A (en) | 1992-05-04 |
| AU7736091A (en) | 1992-03-19 |
| JPH04230468A (en) | 1992-08-19 |
| ZW6091A1 (en) | 1991-10-16 |
| RO111047B1 (en) | 1996-06-28 |
| KR920006183A (en) | 1992-04-27 |
| KR950001453B1 (en) | 1995-02-24 |
| BR9102757A (en) | 1992-04-28 |
| EG19469A (en) | 1995-04-30 |
| ZA914030B (en) | 1992-02-26 |
| PT98969A (en) | 1993-10-29 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EEER | Examination request | ||
| FZDE | Dead |