COUPLER KNUCKLE PIN
An improved polymeric knuckle pin with at least one indented area that elastomer rings rest in. The indented area is strategically placed in an area on the shaft of the pin where the coupler-knuckle connection exerts impact, force, and stress on the pin. The elastomer rings in the indented area provide cushion to the pin from the impact, force, and stress, allow the pin to avoid hard contact with the coupler and knuckle, distribute the loads exerted by the coupler and knuckle more evenly, realign the coupler and knuckle positions, and protect the pin itself from surface cuts and scratches. The elastomer rings on the shaft of the pin improve the life of both the coupler-knuckle assembly and the pin.
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This invention relates generally to railway car coupling systems, and more particularly to an improved polymeric knuckle pin.
This invention is applicable to any type of coupler that uses a pin to pivotally secure the coupler and knuckle together. The knuckle pin pivotally connects a coupler and a knuckle on a railway car. Such railway knuckle pins are usually comprised of a metal or plastic material.
Knuckle pins are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,145,076, 5,630,519, and 5,736,088. Prior known knuckle pins were made of either metal or plastic material. Metal pins are heavy, limiting the number of pins a maintenance worker can carry while checking the coupler-knuckle connection on the railroad cars. Metal pins are also very hard to maintain because they are susceptible to rust and corrosion. Furthermore, as a railway car operates, buff and draft movements cause the coupler-knuckle connection to exert stress, force, and impact on the knuckle pin. The high hardness of a metal pin may cause damage to the coupler or knuckle. The pin may bend and impede coupler-knuckle operation, and in rotator cars, if structurally compromised the pin may drop out and cause damage to the crushers.
Prior known plastic knuckle pins alleviate some of the damages problems caused by the metal knuckle pins, however, the plastic pins were susceptible to defects caused during the formation process. It was not uncommon for plastic pins to contain air and moisture pockets, making the pins non-uniform in their material matrix. Other plastic pins contained spaced-apart annular relief areas in the shaft to improve the overall uniformity of the plastic material. However, these relief areas significantly compromise the structural integrity of the pin and create multiple stress concentration points causing the plastic pins to break easier.
The present invention provides an improved, impact and stress absorbing knuckle pin that reduces fatigue in the coupler, knuckle, and knuckle pin.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn accordance with the present invention, an improved railway car polymeric knuckle pin is provided for use in a railway car coupler assembly.
The polymeric knuckle pin is comprised of a shaft, a head on one end of the shaft, and a locking mechanism on the end of the shaft opposite the head to secure the pin in position as a pivot point between a coupler and a knuckle connection on a railway car. The knuckle pin contains at least one groove in the shaft. The grove is strategically placed in an area on the shaft of the pin where the coupler-knuckle connection exerts impact, force, and stress on the pin. A single or plurality of elastomer rings is placed in the groove or grooves on the shaft. The elastomer rings in the groove provide cushion to the pin from the impact, force, and stress, allow the pin to avoid hard contact with the coupler and knuckle, distribute the loads exerted by the coupler and knuckle more evenly, realign the coupler and knuckle positions, and protect the pin itself from surface cuts and scratches. The elastomer rings on the shaft of the pin improve the life of both the coupler-knuckle assembly and the pin.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a polymeric knuckle pin is comprised of a shaft, a head on one end of the shaft, and a locking mechanism on the other end of the shaft opposite the head. The shaft containing at least one groove at a point where the coupler-knuckle connection exerts force on the shaft of the pin. The groove or grooves contain a single elastomer ring or plurality of elastomer rings. The head of the pin is non-round shape. The shaft contains a center area between the head and the locking mechanism where the diameter of the shaft is smaller than the diameter of the rest of the shaft.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a knuckle pin with elastomer rings that prevent the pin from permanent bending and other damages.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a pin with elastomer rings that have a high elasticity and will fully recover to their original position once stress from the coupler-knuckle connection is removed from the pin.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a knuckle pin with elastomer rings that will realign the coupler-knuckle assembly.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a knuckle pin with elastomer rings that will reduce damage and fatigue on the coupler-knuckle assembly.
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The knuckle pin head 30 of the pin 16 has a dome-shaped top 31, which is sized diametrically larger than the shaft 32. The pin head 30 also has a significantly larger diameter than the pinhole in the coupler-knuckle assembly. An annular radius 34 is formed between the top end of the shaft 35 and the pin head 30 to protect against damage to the pin when installing the pin.
At the bottom end 42 of the shaft 32, the locking mechanism 36 is comprised of two snap lock tabs 37 and 39. The snap lock tabs 37 and 39 are compressed together or towards each other as the pin is inserted into the coupler-knuckle assembly 10 and expand when the pin is fully inserted into the coupler-knuckle assembly. The snap lock tabs 37 and 39 secure the knuckle pin in the coupler-knuckle assembly, because once the pin is fully inserted into the assembly, the snap lock tabs expand or snap-out to greater diameter than the pinhole in the coupler body. A cotter pin or other suitable locking mechanisms can also be used.
The shaft 32 is generally cylindrical in shape and includes at least one indented area, wherein the indented area is diametrically smaller than the shaft 32. An upper indented area 38 and a lower indented area 38B are located on the shaft 32 in the coupler-knuckle impact regions 112 and 113 (shown in
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While particular embodiments of the present knuckle pin have been described herein, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the invention in its broader aspects.
Claims
1. An improved polymeric knuckle pin on a railway car coupler comprising:
- a shaft having at least one indented area extending radially inward;
- a head on one end of said shaft;
- means for locking the pin into a coupler at the end of said shaft opposite said head; and
- at least one elastomer ring in said at east one indented area on said shaft.
2. The polymeric knuckle pin of claim 1, wherein said at least one indented area containing said at least one elastomer ring is positioned on said shaft in the area where a coupler and a knuckle connect and impact said knuckle pin.
3. The polymeric knuckle pin of claim 1, wherein said shaft contains two indented areas, each indented area located on said shaft in the area where a coupler and a knuckle connect when secured by said knuckle pin.
4. The polymeric knuckle pin of claim 1, wherein said head is non-round shape.
5. The polymeric knuckle pin of claim 1, wherein said at least one elastomer ring is thermal plastic polyurethane.
6. The polymeric knuckle pin of claim 1, wherein said shaft has a center region that is diametrically smaller than the rest of said shaft.
7. A polymeric knuckle pin on a railway car coupler comprising:
- a shaft having at least one surface relieved portion where stress exertion and impact from a coupler-knuckle connection is exerted on said pin;
- a head on one end of said shaft;
- means for locking said pin into a coupler at the end of said shaft opposite said head; and
- at least one impact and force absorbing ring in said at least one surface relieved portion on said shaft.
8. The polymeric knuckle pin of claim 7, wherein said at least one groove containing said at least one elastomer ring is positioned on said shaft where a coupler and a knuckle connect and impact said knuckle pin.
9. The polymeric knuckle pin of claim 7, wherein said shaft contains two indented areas, each indented area located on said shaft in the area where a coupler and a knuckle connect when secured by said knuckle pin.
10. The polymeric knuckle pin of claim 7, wherein said head is non-round shape.
11. The polymeric knuckle pin of claim 7, wherein said at least one elastomer ring is thermal plastic polyurethane.
12. The polymeric knuckle pin of claim 7, wherein said shaft has a center region that is diametrically smaller than the rest of said shaft.
13. A polymeric knuckle pin on a railway car coupler comprising:
- a shaft having at least one indented area;
- wherein said at least one indented area is diametrically smaller than the rest of said shaft;
- a head on one end of said shaft;
- means for locking said pin into a coupler at the end of said shaft opposite said head; and
- at least one elastomer ring in said at least one indented area on said shaft.
14. The polymeric knuckle pin of claim 13, wherein said at least one indented area containing said at least one elastomer ring is positioned on said shaft where a coupler and a knuckle connect and impact said knuckle pin.
15. The polymeric knuckle pin of claim 13, wherein said shaft contains two indented areas, each indented area located on said shaft in the area where a coupler and a knuckle connect when secured by said knuckle pin.
16. The polymeric knuckle pin of claim 13, wherein said head is non-round shape.
17. The polymeric knuckle pin of claim 13, wherein said at least one elastomer ring is thermal plastic polyurethane.
18. The polymeric knuckle pin of claim 13, wherein said shaft has a center region that is diametrically smaller than the rest of said shaft.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 24, 2012
Publication Date: Apr 24, 2014
Applicant: AMSTED RAIL COMPANY, INC. (Chicago, IL)
Inventor: Weiping Wang (Ballwin, MO)
Application Number: 13/659,509
International Classification: B61G 3/04 (20060101);