US1290318A - Recording device. - Google Patents

Description

J. F. OCONNOR.

RECORDING DEVICE.

APPUCATIONHLED AUG.2U. 1917.

Patented Jan. 7,1919,

3 $HEETS--SHEET NVENT BY%. J ATTOR Y I NNOR.

APP CA ECORDING DEVtCE.

non FILED Aue.20. .1917.

IN V E IOR. m

3. F. U'CONNOR.

RECORDING DEVICEu nrmcmmw FILED AUG-20. 191-1.

mmmm. Jan. 7, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- W I TNI'Z SSES:

rr er ATEN JOHN 1E. OCONNOB, 0F GI-IIGAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 WILLIAM H. MINER, 0F .QCHAZY, NEW.YOBK.

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Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Jan. '7, 1919.

' Application filed august 20, 1917. SerialNo. 187,293.,

recording devices.

Heretofore, the generally accepted method,

of testing the actions of draft gears or shock absorbing mechanisms employed on railway car and the like has been the so-called drop hammer test. By this method, the shock absorbing mechanism to betested is placed upon an anvil and a heavy weight or hammer. generally 9,000 lbs, is dropped from different heights onto the shock absorbing mechanism and the effects thereof noted. In my Patent No. 1,217,984, issued March 6,1917 for mean for recordingr ac tions of railway draft gearsl have fully disclosed a recording mechanism for determining the rate of deceleration of such a falling body and the actual work performed by the shock absorbing mechanism during the absorption of the blow, as will more fully appear from reference to said patent.

As is well knowmthe intervals of time duringwhich the blows are absorbed by shock absorbing mechanisms, both in the drop hammer tests and in actual service, are almost infinitesimal, numerous experiments having determined that the interval of time is generallyless than one-tenth of a second.

In the drop hammer tests, it is obvious that the falling body is a solid, substantially non-yieldable mass. \Vhen, however, the shock absorbing mechanism is applied to a car and the car is brought to rest through the intermediary of said shock absorbing mechanism, there is a somewhat different action which takes place and which cannot be accurately imitated by the drop hammer tests. In a moving car, there are several distinctive partsthereof which are decelerated under different conditions due tothe fact that there is relative movement between said distinctive parts during the deceleration perlod. For mstance, it s obrelative to the rigid frame or superstructure of the car during; the act of deceleration.

Similarly, there is relative movement between the car framework and the trucks, and in addition, there is also relative movement between the wheels and associated axles of the car and the frame members of the truck. In view of the fact that the rigid framework of the car, the load, the truck elements and the wheels are of difi'erent weights, it is obvious that the forces re quired to decelerate the various component parts vary according to the mass or Weight of each of theparts and itis these variable factors which are not accurately recordedin the drop hammer tests. y

The object ofmy invention is to provide an arrangement for accurately recording the deceleration of the component parts of a car during the compression of the shock absorbingmechanism thereon and to thereby obtain an accurate record of the perform ance of the shock absorbing mechanism during actual service conditions.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of two cars with my improvementsarranged inconnection therewith. Fig. 2 is atop planview of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal, vertical, sectional view, upon an enlarged scale, illustrating the details of construction of what may be termed the test car and my record ingdevice. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the so-called test car and corresponds to the section line H of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a horizontal. sectional view. taken substan tiall; on the line 5-5 of Fig. l. And F 6 is a detailed elevational view of the recording: mechanism proper.

In said drawings, A designates what, for convenience, may betermed the test car and B a fixed or bumper carby which the movmg testcar A is adapted to be broughtto restyas hereinafter described. Said cars are arranged on the same track which is preferably inclined so that the test car Amay be made to acquire any desired speed in carrying out the tests, the speed of course depending uponthe grade of the track and thefdis tance through which the car A is permitted to accelerate before engaging the bumper car B.

The bumper car B is provided with a shock absorbing mechanism which is inchandalso to my later Patent No. 1,225,996 for cated "conventionally 'by dotted lines most clearly in Fig. 3 and from which extends a dummycoupler .10. Secured to the dummy coupler 10 is the recording mechanism proper, designated generally by the reference G. Said recording mechanism G, as shown, is substantially the same as that described. in my said Patent No. 1,217,98a and briefly described, includes a rotatable drum 11 on which is carried the record sheet, a mo tor 12, and a stylus ofanysuitable form 13. F bra more complete description of the re cording mechanism and the method of reading the record obtained thereby, reference is hereby made to said. Patent No. 1,217,981

indicators, issued May 15, 1917.

Thetest car A, as shown, is so designedas toreproduceas nearly as'possible, the aver age conditions incident to the stopping and starting of a loadedfreight car. As shown, the test car A comprises an. underframe structure: 14 from which extends the-body 15 and which carries .a comparatively small proportion of sand or gravel 16. Mounted within the gravel for sand l6 is a large trough-shaped element17 loaded with sand or gravel 18, and it will be noted that the ends of the member 17 are inclinedto the vertical at an angle corresponding to the natural slope of the sand or gravel employed so that, wh'en the moving car is suddenly brought to rest, the action of the member 17 carrying the load 18 will tend to shift as an entirety as it would .if' the car were loaded in actual practice with similar material. The proportion, of the load carried by the member 17 represents the shiftingportion of associated with the truck bolsters 20 are the usual truck frame members 21. Cooperating with the truck frames 21 are the usual sets of axles 22 and the car wheels 23, together with the journal boxes 24. ,The car will'also be provided with the usual brake 'mechanismandparts accessory to the under frame and truck frames.

The weightof the-wheels, axles and journal boxes, which may be considered as movable and acting as aunit. will approximate 7,500 lbs. and the weight of the truck frames, brake rigging and accessories thereto will approximate 5,000 lbs, and in carrymg out my invention, the, weight of the frame superstructure with the load. portion 16 Will approximate 25,000 lbs, and the main or shiftable portion of the load 18 will approximate 100,000 lbs. The foregoing makes a grand total of 137,500 lbs.

The car A is provided with a shock absorbing mechanism S mounted in the usual manner and indicated conventionally by the dotted lines in Fig. 3. Said shock absorbing mechanism S is adapted to be compressedbetween followers in the usual manner when themoving car is brought to. rest and, for actuating the shock absorbing mechanism, another dummy coupler 25 is provided, the samebeing adapted to cooperate' with the dummy coupler 10, as will be obvious.

In order to reduce the elfect of the various component parts of the car to a common factor for actuating the recording mechanism C, I employ the following means: Secured to the end of the car A adjacent the dummy coupler 25 is a bracket 26 to which is pivotally connected a lever 27. The lever 27 at its upper end is in turn pivotally connectcd toa'lin'k 28 which extends througha tube 29 inthe'section 16 of the load in. order to permit movementofsaid link 28. At its inner end, the link 28 is rigidlyfconnect ed tothe member 17 which carries the shift,- able load 18. Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, it Willbe seen that a rod 30 is employed which extends from the truck'bolster and is pivots ally connected to the upper end of a rcla tively short link'3l. From the adjacent car axle extends a r0d32 which is pivotally 0011-. nected to the lower end ofsaidlink At its inner end, the rod 32'is provided with a suitable ringportion which encircles the axle. The link 31 intermediate its ends, and at a distance three-fifths of its length fromthe upper pivotal connection with the rod 30,.is connected to the lower end of a. bar 33. At its upper end, the bar 33 is pivotally connected toa short link 34: which in turn is pivotally connected to the lever 27. as indicated at 35, the pivotal connection 35 being at such a point that the portion of the lever 27 thereabove is four times the length of the portion therebelow. To prevent the link 31. bar 33 and rods 30 and 32 from being di placed laterally, a bracket 36 is extended downwardly from the buffer block 37 of the car, which bracket 36 has a slot 38 in its lower end within which freely works back and forth a stud orpin 39 carried by the bar -33. As most clearly shown in Fig. 5; the

bar 33 is provided with a laterally extended flange 40 to actuate the stylus 13 of the recording mechanism C.

Said flange 10 is located in the same horizontal plane as the center of mass of all the component parts of the car considered as a unit and further, is so positioned with the face of the dummy coupler 25, that when the two dummycouplers 10 and 25 engage,

the flange iOwill engagethe stylus 13 and move the same over the recording drum, as will be understood. a r a r In making a test, the car A is permitted. to acquire any desired speed and to be brought to rest by impact against the stationary bumper car B. When the impact takes place, that is, when the dummy eouplers l0 and engage', it is obvious that the stylus 13 will be actuated due to the fact that there is thereafter no relative movement between the recording drum 11 and the dummy coupler 25 but there is relative movement between-said drum and all of the parts of the car A with the exception of said dummy coupler Inother words, assuming that the shock absorbing mechanism S is one which is provided with a three inch movement, that is,@th1e mechanism can be compressed for a distance of three inches, it is obvious that the car framework, load trucks,

etc., considered as an entirety, can move to ward the dummy coupler 25 a distance of three inches, and it is during this relative movement between the dummy coupler 25 and the car that the deceleration of the latter occurs and the work of the gear is performed. I

The ratio of the arms or levers 27 with respect to the point 35 being 4:1 and the ratio of the weights or masses of the shiftable load 18 and the car underframe superstructure 14,15 and 16 being 4:1, it is apparent that the effect produced by said two component parts of the car in moving the links 34 will be reduced to a common result. Or,

stated in another manner, the weight of the shiftable load 18 times the distance through which it moves the link 34: will equal the weight of the car underframe, superstructure and load portions 16 times the distance through which they move the link 34. Similarly, with the link 31 proportioned 3:2, as hereinbefore described and the weights of the wheels, axles and journal boxes considered as a unit and of the truck frame, bearings and accessories, considered as a unit. being as 3:2, it is obvious the effects produced by said component parts of the car will be reduced to a common factor at the lower end of the bar 33. The com bined weight of the wheels,. axles, truck frames, boxes, bearings, brakes and accesseries, etc., which determines the movement of the lower end of the bar 33, totals 12,500 lbs, which is one-tenth of the combined weight of the car frame, superstructure and load which totals 125,000 lbs. Therefore, the distance from the flange or arm 40 of the bar 33 to the lower end of the bar 33 is made 10 times the distance between said flange or arm 40 and the pivotal connection of the upper end of the bar 33 with the link 34. In this manner, the effect of all the component parts of the car is reduced to a singleforce applied to the stylus 13 and consequently the actual kinetic shocks of the component parts of a loaded car, as absorbed by the shock absorbing mechanism S, are accurately transferred to the recording device 0. p i

Although I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferred manner of carrying out my invention, it obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construc-' tion without departingfrom the spirit of the invention and I contemplate all changes, modifications and arrangements that come within the terms of the claims appended hereto. i 1

Iclaim:

1 In an arrangement for recording the deceleration, of a mass composed of a plurality of relatively movable portions, the combination with a recording deviceproper including a, record sheet anda stylus; of means, interposed between and operatively associated with said recording devices and said mass portions, for causing relative movement between said stylus and sheet, said means including a system of compensating elements arrangedto produce a movement of one of them proportional to the combined effective movements of all por tions of the mass.

2. In a device ofthe character described, the combination with a mass composed of a plurality of portions of diiierent characteristics, the aggregate action of which under shocks determine the action of the mass as an entirety; of recording means proper; and means, including a plurality of links and levers of different arm ratios, associated with said mass for actuating said recording means and proportionally indicating the eifects of said diflerent portions of the mass.

3. In an arrangement for determining the deceleration of a movable car by a shock absorbing mechanism, the combination with a car having a shock absorbing mechanism thereon; of a recording device; and means, including an element for directly engaging said recording devices, .carried by said car, and connected to the component parts thereof, for actuating said recording device during the compression of said shock absorbing mechanism, said means being so arranged that the result and eiiect of the product of the weight and distance traveled by each component part of the car during deceleration are ultimately transmitted to the recording device through said elements and equalized.

nism'. during'the act of deceleration; "and means interposed between said member and the different component parts of the car and its load for moving said member relatively tofione element of the. shock absorbing mechanism inversely proportional to the Weight oft each of'sa'id component parts.

In deviceof the characterdescribed, the combination with axcarf having ashiftabIe' load of a shock absorbing mechanis mounted on said car;- said shock absorbing mechanism including aooupler"; of a bar adapted to actuate the recording mechanism properlgand. connections between saidbar and-the component-parts of the car and load for actuating said bar in accordance with the Weights of the component partsof the ean duringactuation of the'sho'ck absorbing mechanism in decelerating the car.-

flqilea this patent may-be obtained for 6. In a: device of the character described, the combination with a car having a shock absorbing mechanism mounted thereon, said mechanism including a coupler for actuating the mechanism; of an element, adapted to actuate a recordingmechanism; and a system of links and leversinterposed between said element and the component parts of the car so {arranged that, the product of the Weight of each component pa'rt times meetfeetive distance through which it moves said element is equal to the product of the weight of any otheroomponent part times the dis ta-nce through which the latter actuates said element.

In Witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 4 day of Aug, 1917.

" JOHN F. OGONNOR;

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of 2mm; Washing 9n,1).c.: I"

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