The Westinghouse Friction Draft Gear

Description A VIEW of the complete draft gear is shown in Plate X., Fig. i, and the relations of the parts to the under frame of the car are shown on Plates IV., V., VI., VII. and VIII. The fric- tional device is placed within the yoke and between the followers in the usual manner. To accommodate the increased diameter the yoke is widened, and when attached to the standard M. C. B. coupler, filling pieces are used, as shown in Fig. 15. A coupler with the back end built up as shown in Fig. 1, however, makes a simpler and cheaper arrangement. The inner follower plate, A, receives the pulling stresses from the yoke encl; the outer follower transmits them to the draw-bar stops and to the car framing. In the common form of draft gear the spring resist- ance is interposed between the follower plates; that is, the pulling and buffing stresses tend to reduce the distance between the follower plates, and these stresses are resisted by the springs which tend to hold the follower plates apart. This Friction Draft Gear acts precisely in the same way, but the resistance of springs is supplemented by vastly greater frictional resistances both in pulling and buffing. Bearing against the follower plate, A, is a spring, C, the other end of which bears against a wedge, D, made in the form of a frustum of an octagonal pyramid with hard brass facets, as shown in Fisr. 1. Surrounding the wedge are four pairs of malleable-iron segmental carriers, 7T, having inclined bearing surfaces, TV, of the same ansrle as the wedge, as shown in Figs. 2, 3. 4, 5 and 6. These O O O O’ <J’ i ' 24