Patent ID: 7900785

Claim:
A draft gear assembly having an increased capacity to cushion shocks encountered in railroad rolling stock, said draft gear assembly comprising: (a) a housing closed at one end and open at an opposed end, said housing having a rear portion adjacent said closed end, a front portion adjacent said open end, said front portion being in open communication with said rear portion, and at least one horizontal rib having a front surface and an opposed rear surface; (b) a pair of build-up areas disposed in a spaced apart relationship on said front surface of said at least one horizontal rib, each of said pair of build-up areas having a first angled surface; (c) a compressible cushioning element centrally disposed within said rear portion with one end thereof abutting at least a portion of an inner surface of said closed end of said housing, said compressible cushioning element extending longitudinally from said one end; (d) a seat means having at least a portion of one surface thereof abutting the opposite end of said compressible cushioning element during application and release of a force on said draft gear assembly; (e) a friction cushioning means positioned at least partially within said front portion of said housing for absorbing energy during a compression of said draft gear assembly, said friction cushioning means including (i) a pair of laterally-spaced movable plates having an outer friction surface and an inner friction surface and at least one substantially flat edge intermediate said outer friction and inner friction surfaces, said one edge engaging said seat means, (ii) a pair of laterally spaced tapered plates each positioned for frictional engagement with at least a portion of said inner friction surface of a respective one of said pair of movable plates, said tapered plates having an outer friction and an inner friction surface and at least one edge intermediate said outer friction and inner friction surfaces, (iii) a second angled surface disposed on at least a portion of said at least one edge of said each tapered plate and abuttingly engaging a respective first angled surface of said pair of build-up areas of said at least one horizontal rib, said second angled surface being capable of increasing a side force applied to said movable plates and increasing the capacity of said draft gear, (iv) a pair of laterally spaced wedge shoes having at least a portion of an outer friction surface movably and frictionally engaging at least a portion of an inner friction surface of said tapered plate, and at least a portion of one edge engaging said seat means, and (v) a center wedge having a pair of matching predetermined tapered portions for engaging said tapered portion of said wedge shoe to initiate frictional engagement of said friction cushioning means and thereby absorb energy to cushion shocks encountered in railroad rolling stock.