US3854596A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Railway unit cushioning apparatus
Assignee: Halliburton Co
•
Filing: 1974-01-16
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Granted: 1974-12-17
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Expires: 1994-01-16
Abstract
Abstract A cushioning apparatus operable to be mounted within a railway unit center sill assembly. The apparatus includes a cushioning housing having mechanical and hydraulic cushioning cavities and being operable for translation between buff and draft stop members within the sill structure. A mechanical cushioning assembly is positioned within the mechanical cushioning cavity and includes a high capacity of elastomeric cushioning pad. A follower abuts against the elastomeric pad and carries spacer arms which at least partially surround the elastomeric pad. The spacer arms have an axial extent less than the axial dimension of the cushioning unit, whereby the elastomeric pad is operable to accommodate compression between the follower and the cushioning housing until the spacer members go solid between the cushioning housing and the follower. A hydraulic cushioning assembly is positioned within the hydraulic cushioning cavity and includes a coaxial cylinder which divides the cushioning cavity into a high pressure inner chamber and a surrounding low pressure chamber. A piston is mounted for reciprocation within the interior of the high pressure chamber and port and valve means are provided to permit the flow of fluid from the high pressure fluid chamber with a first impedance in response to coupling force induced relative movement of the piston within the chamber and with a second greater impedance in response to run-in train action force induced relative movement of the piston within the chamber. A coupler bar extends within the draft end of the sill and is connected to the cushioning housing to impart buff and draft forces to the cushioning housing during coupling and train action events.
Inventors
- 👤 J Stephenson
- 👤 J Mosier
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 09:51
CPC Classifications
B; B61; B61G; B61G9/00; B61G9/12; B61G9/16
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
790 words
A railway unit cushioning apparatus comprising: sill means directly connectable to and generally longitudinally alignable with a railway unit underframe and including, a first side wall operable for normally projecting downwardly from the railway unit underframe, a second side wall operable for normally projecting downwardly from the railway unit underframe and extending in a spaced parallel posture coextensively with said first side wall wherein the improvement comprises: buff backstop means operable for normally projecting downwardly from the railway unit underframe and extending between said first and second side walls at the buff end thereof; draft stop means connected within said sill means to the draft end of said first and second side walls of said sill means; cushioning housing means positioned within said sill means for operative translation between said buff backstop and said draft stop means, said cushioning housing having a barrier transversely extending intermediate the ends thereof, said transverse barrier, in combination with said cushioning housing means, defining one one side a mechanical cushioning cavity at the draft end of said housing, said transverse barrier, in combination with said cushioning housing means, defining on the other side thereof an hydraulic cushioning cavity at the buff end of said housing, wherein said hydraulic cushioning cavity is longitudinally aligned with respect to said mechanical cushioning cavity, said mechanical cushioning cavity being further defined by inwardly extending retainer means at the draft end of said cushioning housing means, and said hydraulic cushioning cavity being further defined by wall means transversely extending across the buff end of said cushioning housing means; mechanical cushioning means extending within said mechanical cushioning cavity between said transverse barrier and said inwardly projecting retainer means for cushioning both buff and draft forces, and including follower means positioned within said mechanical cushioning cavity adjacent said retainer means, elastomeric cushioning means extending between said transverse barrier and said follower means, and spacer means at least partially coaxially surrounding said cushioning means and having an axial dimension less than the axial dimension of said cushioning means such that said cushioning means may be compressed until said follower means goes solid with said transverse barrier through said spacer means; hydraulic cushioning means extending within said hydraulic cushioning cavity for cushioning both buff and draft forces and including, cylinder means coaxially extending within said hydraulic cushioning cavity between said transverse barrier and said wall means whereby a high pressure fluid cavity is formed within the interior of said cylinder means and a relatively lower pressure fluid cavity formed within said hydraulic cushioning cavity coaxially surrounding said cylinder means, piston means received for translation within said cylinder means between said transverse barrier and said wall means, a piston rod connected at one end to said piston means within said cylinder means and translatably extending through said wall means, anchoring means positioned within said buff backstop means for anchoring the other end of said piston rod in a fixed longitudinal posture with respect to said sill means, means for permitting the passage of fluid from said low pressure fluid cavity to said high pressure fluid cavity at either end of said cylinder means while simultaneously preventing the flow of fluid from said high pressure fluid cavity to said low pressure fluid cavity, means for permitting the flow of fluid from said high pressure fluid cavity to said low pressure fluid cavity, with a first impedance in response to coupling force induced relative movement of said piston means within said cylinder means, and with a second impedance greater than said first impedance in response to run-in train action force induced relative movement of said piston within said cylinder means, and coupler bar means connected to the draft end of said cushioning housing means, said coupler bar means being operable in response to buff forces to transmit said buff forces through said mechanical cushioning means and into said cushioning housing means and effect actUation of said hydraulic cushioning means until said cushioning housing goes solid with said buff backstop means and into said mechanical cushioning means to effect compression of said elastomeric cushioning means until said spacer means goes solid with said transverse barrier of said cushioning housing means; and said coupler bar means being further operable in response to draft forces to transmit draft forces into said cushioning housing means and effect actuation of said hydraulic cushioning means until said follower plate of said mechanical cushioning means goes solid with said draft stop means and into said mechanical cushioning means to effect actuation of said elastomeric cushioning means until said spacer means goes solid with said transverse barrier of said cushioning housing means, and means connected to said cushioning housing means for biasing said cushioning housing means toward the draft end of said sill means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
790 words
A railway unit cushioning apparatus comprising: sill means directly connectable to and generally longitudinally alignable with a railway unit underframe and including, a first side wall operable for normally projecting downwardly from the railway unit underframe, a second side wall operable for normally projecting downwardly from the railway unit underframe and extending in a spaced parallel posture coextensively with said first side wall wherein the improvement comprises: buff backstop means operable for normally projecting downwardly from the railway unit underframe and extending between said first and second side walls at the buff end thereof; draft stop means connected within said sill means to the draft end of said first and second side walls of said sill means; cushioning housing means positioned within said sill means for operative translation between said buff backstop and said draft stop means, said cushioning housing having a barrier transversely extending intermediate the ends thereof, said transverse barrier, in combination with said cushioning housing means, defining one one side a mechanical cushioning cavity at the draft end of said housing, said transverse barrier, in combination with said cushioning housing means, defining on the other side thereof an hydraulic cushioning cavity at the buff end of said housing, wherein said hydraulic cushioning cavity is longitudinally aligned with respect to said mechanical cushioning cavity, said mechanical cushioning cavity being further defined by inwardly extending retainer means at the draft end of said cushioning housing means, and said hydraulic cushioning cavity being further defined by wall means transversely extending across the buff end of said cushioning housing means; mechanical cushioning means extending within said mechanical cushioning cavity between said transverse barrier and said inwardly projecting retainer means for cushioning both buff and draft forces, and including follower means positioned within said mechanical cushioning cavity adjacent said retainer means, elastomeric cushioning means extending between said transverse barrier and said follower means, and spacer means at least partially coaxially surrounding said cushioning means and having an axial dimension less than the axial dimension of said cushioning means such that said cushioning means may be compressed until said follower means goes solid with said transverse barrier through said spacer means; hydraulic cushioning means extending within said hydraulic cushioning cavity for cushioning both buff and draft forces and including, cylinder means coaxially extending within said hydraulic cushioning cavity between said transverse barrier and said wall means whereby a high pressure fluid cavity is formed within the interior of said cylinder means and a relatively lower pressure fluid cavity formed within said hydraulic cushioning cavity coaxially surrounding said cylinder means, piston means received for translation within said cylinder means between said transverse barrier and said wall means, a piston rod connected at one end to said piston means within said cylinder means and translatably extending through said wall means, anchoring means positioned within said buff backstop means for anchoring the other end of said piston rod in a fixed longitudinal posture with respect to said sill means, means for permitting the passage of fluid from said low pressure fluid cavity to said high pressure fluid cavity at either end of said cylinder means while simultaneously preventing the flow of fluid from said high pressure fluid cavity to said low pressure fluid cavity, means for permitting the flow of fluid from said high pressure fluid cavity to said low pressure fluid cavity, with a first impedance in response to coupling force induced relative movement of said piston means within said cylinder means, and with a second impedance greater than said first impedance in response to run-in train action force induced relative movement of said piston within said cylinder means, and coupler bar means connected to the draft end of said cushioning housing means, said coupler bar means being operable in response to buff forces to transmit said buff forces through said mechanical cushioning means and into said cushioning housing means and effect actUation of said hydraulic cushioning means until said cushioning housing goes solid with said buff backstop means and into said mechanical cushioning means to effect compression of said elastomeric cushioning means until said spacer means goes solid with said transverse barrier of said cushioning housing means; and said coupler bar means being further operable in response to draft forces to transmit draft forces into said cushioning housing means and effect actuation of said hydraulic cushioning means until said follower plate of said mechanical cushioning means goes solid with said draft stop means and into said mechanical cushioning means to effect actuation of said elastomeric cushioning means until said spacer means goes solid with said transverse barrier of said cushioning housing means, and means connected to said cushioning housing means for biasing said cushioning housing means toward the draft end of said sill means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
53 words
A railway unit cushioning apparatus as defined in claim 1 and further comprising: means for mounting said elastomeric cushioning means of said mechanical cushioning means in precompression within said mechanical cushioning cavity of said cushioning housing means independent of any compressive forces input to said mechanical cushioning means by said coupler bar means.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
54 words
A railway unit cushioning apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said means for precompression comprises: bar insert means mounted within said mechanical cushioning cavity between said inwardly extending retainer means of said cushioning housing means and said follower means for precompressing said elastomeric cushioning means to a magnitude of at least 50,000 pounds.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
265 words
A railway unit cushioning means as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for permitting the flow of fluid from said high pressure fluid cavity to said low pressure fluid cavity comprises: a plurality of port means intersecting a cylindrical wall of said cylinder means and operable to impede an outward flow of fluid from the interior of said cylinder means in response to relative movement between the cylinder means and piston means; and at least one valve mechanism carried by said cylindrical wall and operable to impede a flow of fluid moving out of the interior of said cylinder means through at least one of said port means and into said low pressure cavity in response to buff force induced, relative movement between said piston means and cylinder means, said valve mechanism including valve closing means operable in response to fluid flow through said port means caused by run-in train action to restrict flow through at least a portion of said port means in response to run-in train action events, said valve mechanism additionally including disabling means operable, in response to flow through said port means caused by buff coupling forces, to substantially isolate said valve closing means from fluid flow through said port means and maintain at least said portion of said port means open, and yielding biasing means operable to maintain at least said portion of said port means continuously open in the absence of forces acting on said coupling member and during operation of said disabling means in order to provide a relatively low impedance to flow through said port means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
50 words
A railway unit cushioning means as defined in claim 4 wherein: said plurality of port means intersecting the cylindrical wall of said cylinder means are spaced in exponential pattern extending generally longitudinally of said cylinder means; and a plurality of ports are each provided with one of said valve mechanisms.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
58 words
A railway unit cushioning means as defined in claim 4 and further comprising: port means formed through said cylinder means at the draft end of said cylinder means for permitting fluid to flow from said high pressure cavity to said low pressure cavity in response to draft force induced relative movement of said piston within said cylinder means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
92 words
A railway unit cushioning means as defined in claim 6 and further comprising: control valve means operable to control flow through said port means; said control valve means being operable, in response to run-out train action event forces acting on said coupler bar to substantially restrict fluid flow through said port means, and said control valve means being operable to maintain said port means substantially open in response to force imposed on said coupler bar by said means for biasing said cushioning housing means toward the draft end of said sill means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
107 words
A railway unit cushioning apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein: said cylinder means coaxially extending within said hydraulic cushioning cavity is fashioned with a wall thickness relatively greater than the wall thickness of the surrounding cushioning housing means, and said buff backstop means extending inwardly within said first and second sill side walls to a posture at least partially in longitudinally blocking alignment with respect to said cylinder means wherein buff forces imparted to said cushioning housing means, at the end of the buff hydraulic cushioning stroke, will be carried at least in part through said relatively thick walled cylinder means to said buff backstop means.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
144 words
A railway unit cushioning apparatus as defined in claim 1 and further comprising: alignment shoulders outwardly projecting upon opposite lateral sides of said coupler bar means at the butt end thereof; bearing plate means mounted upon the draft face of said follower means, said bearing plate means including, a primary concave surface for abuttingly receiving a compatibly contoured convex surface at the butt end of said coupler bar, and a secondary convex surface fashioned within said bearing plate means on each lateral side of said primary concave surface for abuttingly receiving a compatibly contoured convex surface of said alignment shoulders; said alignment shoulders of said coupler bar means being operable to engage said secondary convex surfaces upon swinging movement of said coupler bar means for providing longitudinal alignment control of said coupler bar means with respect to a longitudinal axis of said sill means.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
497 words
A railway unit cushioning apparatus comprising: sill means directly connectable to and generally longitudinally alignable with a railway unit underframe and including, a first side wall operable for normally projecting downwardly from the railway unit underframe, a second side wall operable for normally projecting downwardly from the railway unit underframe and extending in a spaced parallel posture coextensively with said first side wall wherein the improvement comprises: buff backstop means operable for normally projecting downwardly from the railway unit underframe and extending between said first and second side walls at the buff end thereof; draft stop means connected within said sill means to the draft end of said first and second side walls of said sill means; cushioning housing means positioned within said sill means for operative translation between said buff backstop and said draft stop means, said cushioning housing having a mechanical cushioning cavity, and a hydraulic cushioning cavity longitudinally aligned with respect to said mechanical cushioning cavity; mechanical cushioning means extending within said mechanical cushioning cavity for cushioning both buff and draft forces, hydraulic cushioning means extending within said hydraulic cushioning cavity for cushioning both buff and draft forces and including, cylinder means coaxially extending within said hydraulic cushioning cavity, whereby a high pressure fluid cavity is formed within the interior of said cylinder means and a relatively lower pressure fluid cavity formed within said hydraulic cushioning cavity coaxially surrounding said cylinder means, first cylinder head means connected to the draft end of said cYlinder means; second cylinder head means connected to the buff end of said cylinder means whereby a high pressure fluid cavity is formed within the interior of said cylinder means and a relatively lower pressure fluid cavity is formed within said hydraulic cushioning cavity coaxially surrounding said cylinder means; piston means received for translation within said cylinder means between said first and second cylinder head means; a piston rod connected at one end to said piston means within said cylinder means and translatably extending through said first cylinder head means; anchoring means positioned within said buff backstop means for anchoring the other end of said piston rod in a fixed longitudinal posture with respect to said sill means; means for permitting the passage of fluid from said low pressure fluid cavity to said high pressure fluid cavity at either end of said cylinder means while simultaneously preventing the flow of fluid from said high pressure fluid cavity to said low pressure fluid cavity; means for permitting the flow of fluid from said high pressure fluid cavity to said low pressure fluid cavity with a first impedance in response to coupling force induced relative movement of said piston means within said cylinder means, and with a second impedance greater than said first impedance in response to run-in train action force induced relative movement of said piston within said cylinder means; and means connected to said cushioning housing means for biasing said cushioning housing means toward the draft end of said sill means.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
497 words
A railway unit cushioning apparatus comprising: sill means directly connectable to and generally longitudinally alignable with a railway unit underframe and including, a first side wall operable for normally projecting downwardly from the railway unit underframe, a second side wall operable for normally projecting downwardly from the railway unit underframe and extending in a spaced parallel posture coextensively with said first side wall wherein the improvement comprises: buff backstop means operable for normally projecting downwardly from the railway unit underframe and extending between said first and second side walls at the buff end thereof; draft stop means connected within said sill means to the draft end of said first and second side walls of said sill means; cushioning housing means positioned within said sill means for operative translation between said buff backstop and said draft stop means, said cushioning housing having a mechanical cushioning cavity, and a hydraulic cushioning cavity longitudinally aligned with respect to said mechanical cushioning cavity; mechanical cushioning means extending within said mechanical cushioning cavity for cushioning both buff and draft forces, hydraulic cushioning means extending within said hydraulic cushioning cavity for cushioning both buff and draft forces and including, cylinder means coaxially extending within said hydraulic cushioning cavity, whereby a high pressure fluid cavity is formed within the interior of said cylinder means and a relatively lower pressure fluid cavity formed within said hydraulic cushioning cavity coaxially surrounding said cylinder means, first cylinder head means connected to the draft end of said cYlinder means; second cylinder head means connected to the buff end of said cylinder means whereby a high pressure fluid cavity is formed within the interior of said cylinder means and a relatively lower pressure fluid cavity is formed within said hydraulic cushioning cavity coaxially surrounding said cylinder means; piston means received for translation within said cylinder means between said first and second cylinder head means; a piston rod connected at one end to said piston means within said cylinder means and translatably extending through said first cylinder head means; anchoring means positioned within said buff backstop means for anchoring the other end of said piston rod in a fixed longitudinal posture with respect to said sill means; means for permitting the passage of fluid from said low pressure fluid cavity to said high pressure fluid cavity at either end of said cylinder means while simultaneously preventing the flow of fluid from said high pressure fluid cavity to said low pressure fluid cavity; means for permitting the flow of fluid from said high pressure fluid cavity to said low pressure fluid cavity with a first impedance in response to coupling force induced relative movement of said piston means within said cylinder means, and with a second impedance greater than said first impedance in response to run-in train action force induced relative movement of said piston within said cylinder means; and means connected to said cushioning housing means for biasing said cushioning housing means toward the draft end of said sill means.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
265 words
A railway unit cushioning apparatus as defined in claim 10 wherein said means for permitting the flow of fluid from said high pressure fluid cavity to said low pressure fluid cavity comprises: a plurality of port means intersecting a cylindrical wall of said cylinder means and operable to impede an outward flow of fluid from the interior of said cylinder means in response to relative movement between said cylinder means and piston means; and at least one valve mechanism carried by said cylindrical wall and operable to impede a flow of fluid moving out of the interior of said cylinder means through at least one of said port means and into said low pressure cavity in response to buff force induced, relative movement between said piston means and cylinder means, said valve mechanism including valve closing means operable in response to fluid flow through said port means caused by run-in train action to restrict flow through at least a portion of said port means in response to run-in train action events, said valve mechanism additionally including disabling means operable, in response to flow through said port means caused by buff coupling forces, to substantially isolate said valve closing means from fluid flow through said port means and maintain at least said portion of said port means open, and yieldable biasing means operable to maintain at least said portion of said port means continuously open in the absence of forces acting on said coupling member and during operation of said disabling means in order to provide a relatively low impedance to flow through said port means.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
51 words
A railway unit cushioning means as defined in claim 11 wherein: said plurality of port means intersecting the cylindrical wall of said cylinder means are spaced in exponential pattern extending generally longitudinally of said cylinder means; and at least a plurality of ports each provided with one of said valve mechanisms.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
58 words
A railway unit cushioning means as defined in claim 10 and further comprising: port means formed through said cylinder means at the draft end of said cylinder means for permitting fluid to flow from said high pressure cavity to said low pressure cavity in response to draft force induced relative movement of said piston within said cylinder means.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
76 words
A railway unit cushioning means as defined in claim 13 and further comprising: controL valve means operable to control flow through said port means, said control valve means being operable, in response to rin-out train action event forces to substantially restrict fluid flow through said port means, and said control valve means being operable to maintain said port means substantially open in response to force for biasing said cushioning housing means toward said draft stop means.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
566 words
A railway unit cushioning apparatus comprising: sill means directly connectable to and generally longitudinally alignable with a railway unit underframe and including, a first side wall operable for normally projecting downwardly from the railway unit underframe, a second side wall operable for normally projecting downwardly from the railway unit underframe and extending in a spaced parallel posture coextensively with said first side wall wherein the improvement comprises: buff backstop means operable for normally projecting downwardly from the railway unit underframe and extending between said first and second side walls at the buff end thereof; draft stop means connected within said sill means to the draft end of said first and second side walls of said sill means; cushioning housing means positioned within said sill means for operative translation between said buff backstop and said draft stop means, said cushioning housing having a barrier transversely extending intermediate the ends thereof, said transverse barrier, in combination with said cushioning housing means, defining on one side a mechanical cushioning cavity at the draft end of said housing, said transverse barrier, in combination with said cushioning housing means, defining on the other side thereof an hydraulic cushioning cavity at the buff end of said housing, wherein said hydraulic cushioning cavity is longitudinally aligned with respect to said mechanical cushioning cavity, said mechanical cushioning cavity being further defined by inwardly extending retainer means at the draft end of said cushioning housing means, and said hydraulic cushioning cavity being further defined by wall means transversely extending across the buff end of said cushioning housing means; mechanical cushioning means extending within said mechanical cushioning cavity between said transverse barrier and said inwardly projecting retainer means for cushioning both buff and draft forces, and including follower means positioned within said mechanical cushioning cavity adjacent said retainer means, elastomeric cushioning means extending between said transverse barrier and said follower means, and spacer means at least partially coaxially surrounding said cushioning means and having an axial dimension less than the axial dimension of said cushioning means such that said cushioning means may be compressed until said follower means goes solid with said transverse barrier through said spacer means; hydraulic cushioning means extending within said hydraulic cushioning cavity for cushioning both buff and draft forces in series with said mechanical cushioning means; couplar bar means connected to the draft end of said cushioning housing means, said coupler bar means being operable in response to buff forces to transmit said buff forces through said mechanical cushioning means and into said cushioning housing means and effect actuation of said hydraulic cushioning means until said cushioning housing goes solid with said buff backstop means and into said mechanical cushioning means to effect compression of said elastomeric cushioning means until said spacer means foes solid with said transverse barrier of said cushioning housing means; and said coupler bar means being further operable in response to draft forces to transmit draft forces into said cushioning housing means and effect actuation of said hydraulic cushioning means until said follower plate of said mechanical cushioning means goes solid with said draft stop means and into said mechanicAl cushioning means to effect actuation of said elastomeric cushioning means until said spacer means goes solid with said transverse barrier of said cushioning housing means, and means connected to said cushioning housing means for biasing said cushioning housing means toward the draft end of said sill means.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
566 words
A railway unit cushioning apparatus comprising: sill means directly connectable to and generally longitudinally alignable with a railway unit underframe and including, a first side wall operable for normally projecting downwardly from the railway unit underframe, a second side wall operable for normally projecting downwardly from the railway unit underframe and extending in a spaced parallel posture coextensively with said first side wall wherein the improvement comprises: buff backstop means operable for normally projecting downwardly from the railway unit underframe and extending between said first and second side walls at the buff end thereof; draft stop means connected within said sill means to the draft end of said first and second side walls of said sill means; cushioning housing means positioned within said sill means for operative translation between said buff backstop and said draft stop means, said cushioning housing having a barrier transversely extending intermediate the ends thereof, said transverse barrier, in combination with said cushioning housing means, defining on one side a mechanical cushioning cavity at the draft end of said housing, said transverse barrier, in combination with said cushioning housing means, defining on the other side thereof an hydraulic cushioning cavity at the buff end of said housing, wherein said hydraulic cushioning cavity is longitudinally aligned with respect to said mechanical cushioning cavity, said mechanical cushioning cavity being further defined by inwardly extending retainer means at the draft end of said cushioning housing means, and said hydraulic cushioning cavity being further defined by wall means transversely extending across the buff end of said cushioning housing means; mechanical cushioning means extending within said mechanical cushioning cavity between said transverse barrier and said inwardly projecting retainer means for cushioning both buff and draft forces, and including follower means positioned within said mechanical cushioning cavity adjacent said retainer means, elastomeric cushioning means extending between said transverse barrier and said follower means, and spacer means at least partially coaxially surrounding said cushioning means and having an axial dimension less than the axial dimension of said cushioning means such that said cushioning means may be compressed until said follower means goes solid with said transverse barrier through said spacer means; hydraulic cushioning means extending within said hydraulic cushioning cavity for cushioning both buff and draft forces in series with said mechanical cushioning means; couplar bar means connected to the draft end of said cushioning housing means, said coupler bar means being operable in response to buff forces to transmit said buff forces through said mechanical cushioning means and into said cushioning housing means and effect actuation of said hydraulic cushioning means until said cushioning housing goes solid with said buff backstop means and into said mechanical cushioning means to effect compression of said elastomeric cushioning means until said spacer means foes solid with said transverse barrier of said cushioning housing means; and said coupler bar means being further operable in response to draft forces to transmit draft forces into said cushioning housing means and effect actuation of said hydraulic cushioning means until said follower plate of said mechanical cushioning means goes solid with said draft stop means and into said mechanicAl cushioning means to effect actuation of said elastomeric cushioning means until said spacer means goes solid with said transverse barrier of said cushioning housing means, and means connected to said cushioning housing means for biasing said cushioning housing means toward the draft end of said sill means.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
53 words
A railway unit cushioning apparatus as defined in claim 15 and further comprising: means for mounting said elastomeric cushioning means of said mechanical cushioning means in precompression within said mechanical cushioning cavity of said cushioning housing means independent of any compressive forces input to said mechanical cushioning menas by said coupler bar means.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
54 words
A railway unit cushioning apparatus as defined in claim 16 wherein said means for precompression comprises: bar insert means mounted within said mechanical cushioning cavity between said inwardly extending retainer means of said cushioning housing means and said follower means for precompressing said elastomeric cushioning means to a magnitude of at least 50,000 pounds.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-12-16 | 1978-06-17 | 1978-12-17 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-12-16 | 1982-06-17 | 1982-12-17 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-12-16 | 1986-06-17 | 1986-12-17 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |