Patent ID: 8870002
Filing Date: 2014-10-28
Classification: B61G

Abstract:
1. A railroad freight car draft gear assembly, comprising: a hollow housing closed at a first end and open toward a second end, said housing defining a longitudinal axis for said draft gear assembly; a series of friction members radially spaced about said longitudinal axis and arranged in operable combination with the open end of said housing; a wedge arranged for axial movement relative to the open end of said housing and against which an exterior force can be applied, with said wedge being arranged in operable combination with and is generally aligned relative to the longitudinal axis of said draft gear assembly by said series of friction members; a spring assembly disposed within said hollow housing for storing energy applied to said wedge during axial compression of said draft gear assembly, with a first end of said spring assembly being arranged in operable contacting relation with the closed end of said housing, and with said spring assembly including a series of elastomer pads arranged in axially stacked relation relative to each other, with each elastomer pad of said spring assembly having generally flat and axially spaced generally parallel first and second surfaces extending in generally normal relation relative to the longitudinal axis of said draft gear assembly, and with confronting generally flat surfaces of two axially adjacent pads contacting each other; a spring seat assembly arranged within said housing, with said spring seat extending generally normal to the longitudinal axis of said draft gear and defining a generally flat surface arranged in contacting relation with the generally flat surface of the elastomer pad at a second end of the spring assembly; and wherein the spring seat and the elastomer pad at the second end of said spring assembly define a first set of cooperating instrumentalities for aligning said spring seat and said spring assembly relative to the longitudinal axis of said draft gear assembly.