Expandable Bracket Assembly for Removable Car Shaker Vibrators
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing removable mounting systems for car shaker vibrators on railroad hopper cars often suffer from misalignment and wear, leading to inefficient force transmission and increased maintenance costs due to the need for spare vibrators, as the male and female bracket portions may not fit securely or may be damaged, causing inventory loss and operational inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
An expandable male bracket assembly that selectively expands to securely fit into various female receptacles using a wedge base member and spreader mechanism, allowing for tight engagement and easy removal by reversing the expanding force, ensuring a close fit and efficient operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fixed male/female bracket arrangement is used, then the vibrator can be securely attached to the railroad car, but the bracket components wear out and require replacement, causing inventory loss and increased operating costs
Solution Approach 1:
The male bracket is designed with expandable legs that can dynamically adjust their width. The legs are collapsed during insertion to pass through the female bracket, then expanded using wedge members to secure the vibrator assembly. This dynamic transformation allows the same bracket to be easily removed and reinstalled on different cars, eliminating inventory loss from worn brackets.
2Productivity
If the male and female bracket portions are tightly fitted, then effective vibratory force is transmitted, but the brackets wear and oxidize over time, reducing effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The expandable leg mechanism allows the male bracket to achieve a tight fit with the female bracket for effective force transmission during operation. When expansion is needed, the legs can be easily widened using wedge members. This dynamic adjustability maintains connection integrity even after wear and oxidation, as the bracket can be reset to its proper dimensions.
3Reliability
If the vibrator and male bracket travel with the railroad car to a new location, then the work gang may never see the vibrator again, but removing all hopper cars with worn brackets from service is not economically feasible
Solution Approach 1:
The collapsible leg design allows the male bracket to be compactly stored or carried by the work gang between jobs. The legs can be collapsed to a small size for easy transport, ensuring vibrator availability at new locations without requiring expensive fleet-wide bracket replacements.
4Ease of operation
If excessive looseness exists in the bracket connection, then the male and female portions may not be exactly mated, but this results in further wear of the bracket portions
Solution Approach 1:
The expandable leg mechanism with wedge members provides a simple, tool-free method to adjust the fit between male and female brackets. Workers can easily expand or collapse the legs to achieve the proper fit, preventing excessive looseness and the associated accelerated wear, while maintaining ease of operation throughout the bracket's service life.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The expandable bracket assembly provides a secure and efficient attachment of vibrators to railroad cars, ensuring effective material unloading and reducing maintenance costs by allowing easy removal and replacement, thus minimizing inventory loss and operational expenses.
Implementation Method 1
The wedge base member (16) includes a first end (20), a second end (22), a first side (24), and a second side (26). The wedge plate (18) includes an attaching end (28), a distal end (30), an interior side (32), and an exterior side (34). The distal end (30) is movable with respect to the second end (22) when acted upon by at least one spreading member (42)
Data Source
AI summary
An expandable vibrator bracket for attaching a car-shaker vibrator to a female receptacle attached to a railroad car to be vibrated. The expandable bracket includes: a vibrator mounting member, a leg member, and a wedge base member. The vibrator mounting member supports the vibrator. The wedge base member further includes a first end, a second end, a first side, and a second side. The wedge plate includes an attaching end, a distal end, an interior side and an exterior side. The attaching end is coupled to the first end of the wedge base member for allowing the distal end to selectively move with respect to the second end of the wedge base member when acted upon by a spreading or expanding force. The second side of the wedge base member and the exterior side of the wedge plate simultaneously abut opposite interior surfaces of the female receptacle during selective urging by the spreading force for holding the expandable vibrator bracket in the female receptacle. The spreading force may include a linear type of wedge, a rotary wedge, springs. The subsequent removal of the spreading or expanding force allows for the removal of the collapsed vibrator bracket from the female receptacle.