Friction draft gear

Claim 1

IN A DRAFT GEAR ARRANGEMENT FOR MOUNTING IN THE DRAFT POCKET OF A RAILWAY CAR FRAME, SAID POCKET HAVING FRONT AND REAR STOPS, SAID ARRANGEMENT INCLUDING A CASING OF A LENGTH SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID STOPS AND EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY IN SAID POCKET, A CUSHIONING MECHANISM IN SAID CASING AND REACTING LONGITUDINALLY BETWEEN SAID STOPS THROUGH ENGAGEMENT WITH FRONT AND REAR FOLLOWER MEANS, SAID CUSHIONING MECHANNISM INCLUDING SPRING MECHANISM EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY IN SAID CASING AND ABUTTING ONE OF SAID FOLLOWER MEANS, A FRICTION CLUTCH MECHANISM EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY IN SAID CASING AND ABUTTING THE OTHER OF SAID FOLLOWER MEANS, AND MEANS FOR TRANSMITTING FORCES BETWEEN SAID SPRING MECHANISM AND SAID FRICTION MECHANISM, SAID FRICTION CLUTCH MECHANISM INCLUDING MEANS FOR MULTIPLYING THE CLOSURE TRAVEL OF SAID SPRING MECHANISM RELATIVE TO THE CLOSURE TRAVEL OF SAID FRONT AND REAR FOLLOWER MEANS AND MEANS FOR TRANSLATING A PROPORTIONAL AMOUNT OF LONGITUDINAL FORCE APPLIED TO THE GEAR INTO FRICTION CREATING FORCES RESISTING GEAR CLOSURE SUCH THAT THE CLOSURE RESISTANCE OF SAID SPRING MECHANISM IS MULTIPLIED IN SAID FRICTION CLUTCH MECHANISM, SAID SPRING MECHANISM, WHEN SAID ARRANGEMENT IS IN RELEASE POSITION, BEING PRECOMPRESSED TO A PREDETERMINED EXTENT TO DEFINE A RELEASE HEIGHT; SAID GEAR ARRANGEMENT BEING OF A TYPE WHEREIN SAID SPRING MECHANISM CONVENTIONALLY COMPRISES A MULTIPLE COIL METAL SPRING UNIT INCLUDING AN OUTER COIL SPRING HAVING A FREE HEIGHT SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN SAID RELEASE HEIGHT AND HAVING A SOLID HEIGHT SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN SAID RELEASE HEIGHT; THE IMPROVEMENT WHEREIN SAID SPRING MECHANISM COMPRISE A COMPOSITE SPRING UNIT INCLUDING SAID OUTER COIL SPRING AND A TUBULAR CORE OF RUBBER-LIKE MATERIAL DISPOSED IN LENGTHWISE RELATION WITHIN SAID OUTER COIL SPRING AND HAVING A FREE HEIGHT CORRESPONDING TO THE FREE HEIGHT OF SAID OUTER COIL SPRING TO PROVIDE SAID COMPOSITE UNIT WITH A REACTION FORCE, AT SAID RELEASE HEIGHT, THAT IS LESS THAN THE REACTION FORCE OF THE MULTIPLE COIL METAL SPRING UNIT AT SAID RELEASE HEIHGT; SAID CORE, WHEN SAID COMPOSITE SPRING UNIT IS COMPRESSED TO SAID RELEASE HEIHGT, HAVING SURFACE CONTACT RADIALLY OUTWARDLY AGAINST SAID OUTER COIL SPRING TO ENABLE SAID OUTER COIL SPRING TO HOUSE AND CONFINE SAID CORE AGAINST LATERAL OUTWARD BULGING DURING LENGTHWISE COMPRESSION THEREOF; AND SAID CORE HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY FULL LENGTH EVER OPEN CENTRAL REGION ACCOMMODATING RAIDAL INWARD FLOW OF THE CORE MATERIAL OCCASSIONED BY COMPRESSION OF THE SPRING MECHANISM TO THE SOLID HEIGHT OF THE OUTER COIL SPRING.