THE HYDRACUSHION CAR

It is the object of this paper to outline briefly the unique constructional features of the Hydracushion car and to report manufacturing, operating, and maintenance experience with such cars. The damage to lading occurring in freight cars equipped with standard friction draft gears is so well recognized that many attempts have been made to develop draft gears with softer response characteristics. In any such effort the major problem is that of dissipating the energy of impact while transmitting to the contents of the car only that portion of this energy which is necessary to accelerate such contents smoothly to the final speed of the car underframe. In the Hydracushion car a hydraulic buffer has been combined with a sliding-sill cushion-type underframe to control the flux of energy to the car lading.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appeared in Anthology of Rail Vehicle Dynamics, Volume 1: Freight Car Impact. The anthology was sponsored by the Rail Transportation Division, ASME. Presented at the ASME-AIEE Joint Railroad Conference, Cleveland, Ohio, April 9-10, 1958.
• Corporate Authors:

  American Society of Mechanical Engineers

  Two Park Avenue
  New York, NY  United States  10016-5990
• Authors:
  • MacCurdy, W K
  • Hermes, R M
• Conference:
  • This paper appeared in Anthology of Rail Vehicle Dynamics, Volume 1: Freight Car Impact. The anthology was sponsored by the Rail Transportation Division, ASME. Presented at the ASME-AIEE Joint Railroad Conference, Cleveland, Ohio, April 9-10, 1958.
• Publication Date: 1971

Media Info

• Features: Figures; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 9-13

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cushioning materials; Fabrication; Impacts; Loss and damage; Railroad cars; Vehicle dynamics
• Old TRIS Terms: Cushioning; Hydracushion car; Lading protection
• Subject Areas: Railroads; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00047436
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 58-RR-2 Paper
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 14 1976 12:00AM