Does anybody know the AWG and especially the type of the wire used in Kadee whisker couplers?
Thanks
George
George,
Someone can correct me if I’m wrong but I think Kadee uses carbon fiber for their whisker coupler spring wire. I measured the OD of the wire and it’s 0.005", which would make it 36 AWG.
Tom
That’s interesting. I didn’t know CF wire even existed.
Thanks
George
Hello All,
I have had numerous “whiskers” fail on Kadee couplers.
There is no practical way to replace them.
When I contacted Kadee about the failures and they were only interested in inspecting the couplers that both whiskers failed.
I sent them over 17 couplers with whisker failures.
All the failed whisker-type couplers were retrofitted with #5s.
Hope this helps.
Did the whiskers break or come loose?
Since normal non-hisker Kadees never fail, I’m be interested in how many of the whiskers you have to get that many failures.
Only “failure” of Kadee’s I’ve ever had were the knuckle springs popping off and sailing to “never-never (gonna find them again) land.”
Except for 1 that arrived with a snapped shank. But out of literally dozens, only one.
Never had a whisker break or fail.
I would have thought the whiskers to be steel, but they’re definitely not attracted to a strong magnet. I got a dial-caliper reading of a .004" diameter.
Wayne
That sure seems like a high failure rate. It will be interesting to see what Kadee’s diagnosis is.
Looking over past invoices, I see I’ve purchased at least 200 whisker couplers. Haven’t had one fail yet. I’ve pinched a few in the draft gear covers and poked my finger on the sharp ends but never had one fail — yet.
Good Luck, Ed
I have also purchased, installed and frequently use over 150 Kadee #148 couplers and have never had a whisker fail. Is the OP installing them correctly? I can’t see how even bashing cars together when coupling would put enough strain on a whisker to break it! Break the coupler, coupler box, freight car, yes! Break the whisker, no!
The OP, namely me is not the one reporting the failures. The OP is just seeking data about the whiskers prior to embarking on yet another technical goose chase. I don’t see how they could fail either, at least the whisker part.
George
I’ve got one broken, do not remember how. Just remember, nothing is unbreakable.
The wires are stiff and strong enough to draw blood like a pin or a needle.
Carbon fiber is quite weak. The strength of carbon fibre results from its very fine “gauge”. The technical reason carbon fibre laminates (composites) are so strong is the failure mode of the carbon strand results from tiny imperfections in the surface of the strand. The more strands you can embed in the adhesive matrix the lower the probability that these tiny imperfections will match up. By staggering thousands of fibres and securely gluing them together you allow loads to transfer around the imperfections. Multi strand ropes are stronger than solid strands of the same circumference for similar reasons. The performance of wire rigging for sailing vessels can only be exceeded by rod rigging that is very carefully made with no imperfections in the smooth outer surface. Rod rigging is susceptible to failure originating in surface scratches or pitting from corrosion.
Kadee whiskers have a similar failure mode to any spring wire: over springing beyond the failure point. The very few whisker couplers I’ve had fail were due to my own clumsiness in accidentally bending a whisker too far. Once they bend too far they are junk. Otherwise, if installed reasonably carefully they have an infinite service life for practical purposes. Fatigue stress is minimal on a swinging model railroad coupler.
Same here. Not one single failure.
I have never injured myself with a Kade coupler either!
[(-D]
-Kevin
I wish I could find a source for this stuff. The smallest CF rod that I can find so far is .010.
George
Looking at the whisker wires, there are two, these are stainless steel spring wire. Not significantly magnetic, definitely metal, and from the way they attached by flattening the ends where they are fastened to the coupler pivot point these are stainless steel. Only the trip rod is magnetic which makes sense.
From what I can find on the Kadee site, they just call them “Whisker Springs” and nothing about the actual material they are made from.
-Kevin
Pretty sure the whiskers are made of Nitinol.
G
Same here with regard to the knuckle springs, most all of my engines & rolling stock on my layout have Kadee Whisker’s and all of the cars comply with NMRA weight standards, luckly i have yet to have one fail due to spring wires, although this may be because the 3’x14’ switching layout is at the same track level and i seldom exceed 9MPH-15MPH after uncoupling & shunting cars onto their respective sidings.
I assume conventual Box Spring Kadee’s work better for Hump Yard operations, perhaps someone can confrim as such. Bayway Terminal NJ
I originally thouht they were made from copper? Bayway Terminal