Railway draft appliances – Cushioned – Combined with car end buffer
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-29
2001-11-13
Morano, S. Joseph (Department: 3617)
Railway draft appliances
Cushioned
Combined with car end buffer
C213S0750GT
Reexamination Certificate
active
06315139
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains to a device for elastically supporting the coupling shaft of a central buffer coupling at a rail-borne vehicle and more particularly to a device wherein the coupling shaft is supported both in the direction of its axis against tensile forces acting on the central buffer coupling and in the vertical direction in relation to the rail-borne vehicle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Such a device has been known from, e.g., DE 27 01 984 A1. In this device, the coupling shaft is supported both against the tensile and impact forces in the direction of its axis and in the vertical direction in relation to the rail-borne vehicle. The device also has a housing, which is open toward the central buffer coupling, whose axis extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and into which the coupling shaft extends coaxially at a radially spaced location from the inner circumferential surface of the housing. Pretensioned, elastic rings made of an elastic material are provided between the circumferential surfaces of the coupling shaft and the inner circumferential surfaces of the housing. The rings are aligned vertically with their center planes and are arranged at mutually spaced locations in the longitudinal direction of the shaft. The rings are held in the intermediate spaces between two adjacent, circular annular rings on the circumferential surface of the coupling shaft as well as on the inner circumferential surface of the housing in relation to the coupling shaft and the housing. The housing and the coupling shaft as well as the rings have an elongated round cross section, whose greatest diameter is located in the horizontal center plane of the housing and of the coupling shaft. The housing is divided in its horizontal center plane into two half shells, which are connected to one another by means of detachable fastening means. The rings are slit in the horizontal center plane of the housing at least on one side, and each ring is in contact with both the circumferential surface of the coupling shaft and the inner circumferential surface of the housing. In the unloaded state of the device, i.e., when no tensile or impact forces act on the device, the annular rings of the coupling shaft are flush with the associated annular rings of the housing.
In this device of this class, it is difficult to impose a specific, reproducible pretension in terms of amount and direction to the spring apparatus.
SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
The primary object of the present invention is therefore to improve the generation and the adjustability of the pretension of the spring apparatus of the above-described device.
According to the invention, a device is provided for elastically supporting the coupling shaft of a central buffer coupling at a rail-borne vehicle, wherein the coupling shaft is supported both in the direction of its axis against tensile forces acting on the central buffer coupling and in the vertical direction in relation to the rail-borne vehicle. The device has a housing, which is arranged at the rail-borne vehicle, is open toward the central buffer coupling, and into which the coupling shaft coaxially extends at a radially spaced location from the inner circumferential surface of the housing. The housing is provided with elastic rings made of an elastic material, which are pretensioned between the circumferential surface of the housing, which are aligned vertically with their center planes and are arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of the coupling shaft at mutually spaced locations. The annular rings are formed on the inner circumferential surface of the housing one behind the other at mutually spaced locations in the longitudinal direction of the coupling shaft and the rings are held in the intermediate spaces between two adjacent annular rings in relation to the coupling shaft and the housing. The housing is designed as a divided housing, wherein each ring is directly in contact with both the circumferential surface of the coupling shaft and the inner circumferential surface of the housing. The annular rings of the coupling shaft are aligned with the associated annular rings of the housing in the state in which the device is not loaded in terms of tensile and impact forces. The coupling shaft has a collar, with which a said pretensioning ring is in contact, on the one hand, with its rear side, and, on the other hand, with which the ring located closest to the opening of the housing is in contact with its front side. The pretensioning ring pretensions the rings in the longitudinal direction of the coupling shaft in the unloaded state of the device.
The pretensioning ring preferably pretensions the rings in the direction of pressure and impact. The amount of the pretensioning force is preferably higher than the maximum tensile force occurring during operation.
The pretensioning ring may be inserted into a circular trough-shaped recess of the coupling shaft and a similar recess of the housing. The recesses may have guide slopes for the pretensioning ring. The guide slope of the housing is preferably made with a flatter slope in the direction of the housing opening than the opposite guide slope of the coupling shaft.
The pretensioning of the device in the longitudinal direction of the coupling shaft may be performed by connecting the parts of the divided housing. The pretensioning of the device in the longitudinal direction of the coupling shaft may also be performed by means of a thrust piece, which is fastened to and supported on the housing. The thrust piece preferably has an adjusting means for adjusting the pretensioning forces.
The pretensioning ring and/or the rings are preferably slit at least on one side. The separation lines of the pretensioning ring and/or of the rings may be arranged in the horizontal plane of the coupling shaft.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3741406 (1973-06-01), Anderson
patent: 3799360 (1974-03-01), Huml et al.
patent: 4136787 (1979-01-01), Forster et al.
patent: 4739889 (1988-04-01), Bomgardner
McCarry, Jr. Robert J.
McGlew and Tutle, P.C.
Morano S. Joseph
Scharfenbergkupplung GmbH & Co. KG
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