Abstract: A filtering device including a tank partially located below floor level having a filtrate compartment and a filter means interposed therebetween. Reservoir means and an end suction centrifugal pump means both located substantially on floor level wherein conduit means selectively permits the filtrate level in the reservoir to maintain a positive pressure at the inlet of the pump when pump is shut off, and to neutralize the pressure differential between the filtrate compartment and the tank.

Abstract: A filter device for separating a foreign material-liquid mixture into distinct portions includes a holding tank. On a bottom of the tank is a permeable grid panel formed with a series of elongated corrugations. The panel connects with an impermeable inclined ramp formed with corrugations of a like configuration. A conveying device carried within the tank comprises a pair of spaced chain loops to which are connected a series of transversely positioned flights. Each flight includes a scraper plate having a corrugated edge which complementally mates with the corrugations of the grid panel and inclined ramp. As the liquid portion of the mixture flows through the grid panel, the foreign material is retained and collects to form a cake on the panel. Periodically the conveyor is activated. The scraper plates move over the grid panel corrugations to remove the collected foreign material and move the foreign material up the inclined ramp for disposition external of the tank.

Abstract: An improved coupler carrier assembly comprises a spring basket, having front, rear, end and bottom walls, with a plurality of compression springs disposed therein; a coupler carrier having a lower portion disposed in the spring basket and being supported on the compression springs for vertical movement in the basket; and a wear element defined by a front wall, a rear wall and a bottom wall and located so that the front, rear and bottom walls are adjacent to at least a portion of the inside surfaces of the front, rear and bottom walls of the spring basket, respectively. Reduced wear between the spring basket and the coupler carrier is obtained.

Abstract: A railroad car truck includes a pair of spaced side frames carrying therebetween a transversely positioned bolster. Ends of the bolster are positioned within a window formed in each side frame. A connection between the side frame and bolster includes an interposed set of springs which cushions vertical movements of the bolster. These movements are dampened by sets of friction shoes which interact with wear surfaces formed as part of the bolster and side frame. The bolster-side frame connection also accommodates pitching and yawing movements of the bolster and pitching movements of the side frames. These rotational movements are not cushioned and can produce substantial stresses when contact occurs between abutting structural members of the bolster and the side frames. To maintain such stresses below the yield point of the structural members, bolster-side frame contact is restricted to areas of the bolster where the stresses may be distributed to members having sufficient strength.

Abstract: Control is provided over the casting of iron pipe in a centrifugal casting machine. The initial flow of molten iron from the pouring ladle into the trough actuates an electric eye. A second electric eye is actuated when the molten iron has flowed to the end of the trough. The centrifugal casting machine is rolled up to surround the trough, the bell end of the pipe to be formed being at the end of the trough. A computer is utilized to determine the velocity of the iron on a real time basis. This iron flow information is analyzed to calculate the bell flag time by a previously determined algorithm which takes into account the casting machine and the pipe size being cast. The bell flag time is the time in which the molten iron is allowed to flow into the bell section of the pipe being cast, before the casting machine is moved away from the trough end to form the rest of the pipe.

Abstract: A railroad car coupler includes a Type-E coupler head which contains a vertical lock chamber. Disposed in the chamber is a lock which may be raised from a lower locking position to an intermediate lockset position. At lockset, a knuckle pivotally carried by the coupler head may swing from a closed position to an open position. At lockset, the lock rests on a knuckle thrower of the coupler head with a lockset seat of the lock engaging a leg lock seat portion of the knuckle thrower. By forming the lockset seat of the lock on a selective lateral slope, the lock may be tilted toward a guard arm side of the coupler head. When the knuckle is swung toward its open position, a sufficient area of a tail portion of the knuckle passes under the lock to insure a proper pick-up of the lock to remove the lock from lockset.

Abstract: In a railroad car truck an elastomeric device is used to operatively connect each axle end of the wheelsets to a respective pedestal jaw of the side frames. The elastomeric device may comprise an elastic pad affixed between two metal plates. By choosing an elastic material having a relative high stiffness in shear, movements between the wheelsets and side frames are cushioned while at the same time the wheelsets and side frames are held in a substantially squared relationship. The squared relationship improves the dynamic stability of the truck by increasing its critical speed to allow higher speed travel.

Abstract: A railroad car truck may be assembled by spacing a pair of side frames to which is connected a transversely positioned bolster. End portions of the bolster are located within a window formed in a middle portion of each side frame to form a connection therebetween. Each side frame-bolster connection includes vertical cushioning provided by a set of coil springs interposed between a lower compression member of the side frame window and a bottom wall of the bolster. To damp the vertical cushioning of the bolster a pair of friction shoes carried by the bolster interact with wear plates fastened to vertical columns of the windows. The friction shoes impede bolster rotation which is maintained between fixed limits by contact between adjacent structural members of the bolster and side frame. To prevent undue flexing of the side window columns a stiffening rib may be selectively added to the columns.

Abstract: An improved piston pin assembly which includes a hollow tubular piston pin and one or more supports positioned within the hollow space formed by the piston pin so as to inhibit deflection of the piston pin when the assembly is subjected to load conditions.

Abstract: A drive to reciprocate a vertical support member such as a shaft includes a journal support assembly which carries a lower end of the shaft while allowing rotational movement of the shaft. Located above the support assembly and attached to the vertical member is a reciprocation arm having a cam guide attached to its outer end. A cam assembly including an eccentrically offset cam bearing is disposed within the cam guide. The cam assembly is operatively connected to a source of rotary power which when energized reciprocates the support member in a selective oscillating cycle.

Abstract: In a filter device a filter media belt is positioned over a horizontal grid panel. Ends of the belt extend beyond the panel and each is attached to a rotatable forward and rear spool carried outside a cover which encases the grid panel. The cover defines an inner chamber above the grid panel which may be selectively sealed by a closure of doors located at each end of the cover. The cover, doors, and grid panel are sufficiently reinforced to allow the inner chamber to be partially filled with a batch of a liquid-particulate mixture and then pressurized to force the liquid portion through the filter belt and grid panel. During pressurization, longitudinal gasket devices maintain edges of the filter belt sealed against the grid panel. With the liquid portion removed, the particulate in the form of a cake remains on the filter belt. The chamber then is depressurized, the doors opened, and the belt moved forward by rotation of the forward spool.

Abstract: Ends of two adjacent railroad cars may be joined by an articulating device when a series of such cars comprises a semi-permanent unit. The articulating device includes a male member which is connected to a sill of the first car and a female member connected to a like sill of the second car. Each connecting member has an inner end portion disposed within the respective sill. The structure of the inner end portion allows it to be joined to the sill by a select pattern of welds. These welds join the connecting member to the sill to form a connection therebetween which may withstand the high static and dynamic forces transmitted from the railroad cars to the articulating device during travel of the unit.

Abstract: To maintain horizontal alignment of a shank and attached coupler head of a rotary railroad coupler system, a middle portion of the shank is supported by a carrier assembly connected to a striker casting of the coupler system. During rotation of the shank and coupler head in a dumping procedure, for example, the shank interfaces with a saddle casting portion of the carrier assembly to cause wear thereof. To facilitate replacement of the saddle casting portion once wear becomes excessive, the saddle casting portion is provided with spaced inverted T-shaped lugs which allow the saddle casting portion to be removed from a carrier portion of the carrier assembly by means of spaced grooves provided in the carrier portion. Separation of the saddle casting portion from the carrier portion, however, is prevented when the saddle portion and carrier portion are misaligned.

Abstract: A fatigue detector for detecting potential fatigue failure of a bolster and/or side frames of a railway car truck. The fatigue detector comprises one or more redundant designed members located in areas of critical stress loadings of the truck, wherein the fatigue detectors are structured to fail under a stress loading less than that causing the failure of the bolster and/or side frames in which they are located. The fatigue detector is located in an opening so as to be easily inspected visually to determine its condition and particularly whether or not it has failed.

Abstract: A railroad brake shoe may include a friction element made by combining a number of materials so as to produce the required frictional characteristics for railroad braking. Heretofore, such friction elements commonly contained materials such as lead and asbestos. These two elements may have toxic characteristics under certain circumstances and therefore are suspect. To safely handle these suspect materials has thus become most difficult and expensive. By this invention, a composition friction element, which meets the requirements of the railroad industry, includes a substantially reduced suspect material content, yet is competitive in performance and cost with other known products.

Abstract: A filtration system includes a deep-bed type filter to receive an inflow of a waste water when the system is in a filtration mode. A distribution plenum within the filter distributes the waste water to an upper and lower portion of the filter bed. As the waste water flows to conduits centrally located within the bed, particulate in the waste water is entrapped by filter media comprising the bed. The waste water is discharged from the system in a clarified condition. Periodically the system is placed in a rejuvenation mode wherein a series of circuits are used to remove the entrapped particulate from the filter bed so that the system may again be returned to its filtration mode to process additional waste water.

Abstract: A bracket is provided as part of an "E" type railway coupler and located totally below and within the envelope of the coupler guard arm for attachment of an air line fitting. A hose is attached for coupling the air line to the adjacent car and to which another hose is attached for connection to the air line on the car body. The hose is oriented in the direction of the coupling line and supported in a position where the glad hand carried thereby is a controlled distance above the rail height.

Abstract: Elongated components such as piston pins may be sequentially fed at an entrance point onto a conveyor connected to a distant discharge point. The conveyor includes a pair of guides so spaced to allow the pins to fit loosely therebetween and a stop plate which limits downward movement of the pins. An elongated drive plate having a top edge positioned between the guides and below the pins is rotated in an elliptical-like pattern so that the top edge lifts the pins from the stop plate, moves the pins forward and then re-engages the pins with the stop plate at a point forward of the point of initial lifting. The pins thus may be conveniently stepped between the entrance point and the discharge point as well as accumulated and stored if such is required. The conveyor may include sorting sections to separate the pins into different groups having equal diameters where pins of varying diameters have been inadvertently mixed.

Abstract: A friction shoe particularly adapted for providing improved regulation of movement between a bolster and a side frame of a railroad car truck includes a central body portion and triangular-shaped wings formed on each side thereof. Pairs of these friction shoes are disposed in pockets formed at the ends of the bolster which in turn are resiliently carried in a window formed in each side frame. Each friction shoe wing has a downwardly and outwardly sloped wear surface to form a convex-like seating area. In turn, each bolster pocket has complementarily formed friction surfaces providing a concave-like receiving area. During operation of the truck, the shoe seating area interacts with the bolster pocket receiving area to produce a wedging action. This wedging action in turn insures improved frictional regulation of side frame-bolster movements and maintains such in an aligned relationship.

Abstract: A reciprocating storage unit particularly adapted for moving and storing of component parts used, for example, in mechanical-related apparatus includes a circular body providing a downward low-friction spiral guide path between an upper entrance point and a lower discharge point. A slope of the downward path is such that as parts enter the path, movement will not occur by gravity alone. To obtain movement, the unit reciprocates about its vertical axis which with gravity produces movement of each part in series of intermittent steps. Each part proceeds downward and may be stored in the unit in a damage-resistant manner adjacent to the discharge point for release as required.