| 摘要 |
A railroad car (18) uses a coupling system (10) to couple to other railroad cars. The coupling system includes a coupler (12), a knuckle (14), a knuckle pin (16) and a lock (30). When two railroad cars are coupled to each other, the knuckles of the two railroad cars are engaged and the forces produced during buff and draft movement of the railroad cars are transmitted through the knuckles, the coupler and the locks. Under normal operation, the knuckle pin should experience minimal forces during the buff and draft movement of the railroad cars. However, over time the various components that make up the coupler system may fall out of tolerance due to usage, wear and other factors. As the various components of the coupler system fall out of tolerance, increasing bending forces are applied to the knuckle pin. A knuckle pin with a slot (52) and a hollow body (50) is capable of withstanding bending forces applied to the knuckle pin by out-of-tolerance coupling systems.
|
