Articulated Railway Car

Abstract

An articulated railway car comprises a pair of bodies connected to each other by means of an articulated structure. The bodies each include an upright truss-like frame of relatively high and narrow configuration. The frames are provided at their outermost ends with horizontal stabilizing members which support the truss on wheeled structures. The narrow truss is the primary supporting member of each body and provides the cargo support with cargo directly connected to and suspended from the truss frames. An articulating structure between adjacent ends of the bodies is provided for further stabilizing the truss frame and comprises a pair of back-to-back rocking members provided at their lower ends with segmental center plates for connection to the center plate of a 4-wheel truck. The rocking members extend vertically substantially the full height of the truss frames and are connected at their upper ends by a cushioning cylinder. Resilient devices bias the rocking members in a back-to-back contiguous relation during normal operation.

Description

SUMMARY

It is a prime object of the invention to provide an improved articulated car comprising a pair of connected bodies which consist primarily of a relatively narrow, tall upright frame providing the main support for the body and the cargo which is suspended thereon. The bodies are connected by means of an improved articulated structure which at the connection of said bodies provides effective stabilization since the articulating structure extends substantially the full height of the bodies. The structure includes rocking members which are rocked on the center plate of a truck bolster and are normally urged into contiguous back-to-back relation by spring devices. The articulating structure further includes vertically extending pivot shafts which are rotatably connected to the rocking members at the lower and upper portions thereof so as to permit the bodies to pivot freely about vertical axes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an improved articulated railway car;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the railway car shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side elevational view of an articulated structure of a railway car;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 5--5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 6--6 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view through a cushion cylinder.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring particularly to FIGS. 1 through 3, an articulated railway car is generally designated by the reference character 10, and comprises a pair of articulated bodies 11. The bodies 11 comprise vertical frame members 12 suitably connected to an upper longitudinal beam 13 and to a longitudinally extending lower beam 14. The bodies 11 are of a truss frame type and are further connected together by intermediate beams 15. The truss structure of the bodies is further more specifically described in copending application, Ser. No. 65,461 filed Aug. 20, 1970. The lower beams 14 are provided at the opposite outermost ends with laterally extending stabilizing members 16 which, as best shown in FIG. 2, may include pedestals 17 depending therefrom for supporting an axle 18 connected to railroad wheels 19. The stabilizing members 16 provide for vertical stabilization at the ends of the car as described in the aforementioned patent application.

The stabilizing members 16 also support coupler housings 20 having conventional couplers 21 pivotally supported therein in conventional fashion. Adjacent ends of the bodies 11 are provided with gooseneck members 22 having connected thereto vertical pivot bearings 23. The upper beam 13 of each body 11 is also provided with a beam extension 24 having supported thereon pivot bearings 25.

The bodies 11 are connected together by means of an articulated structure which includes a pair of vertical rocking beams 26 normally positioned as shown in FIG. 3 in back-to-back contiguous relation. The rocking beams 26 are provided at their lower ends with longitudinally outwardly extending lower shoes 27 and are provided at their upper ends with upper horizontal outwardly projecting extensions 28 substantially parallel to the shoes 27. The horizontal extensions 28 are also provided with vertical posts 29. As best shown in FIG. 5, each of the shoes 27 of the rocking beams 26 include a semi-cylindrical recess 30, said recesses 30 together forming a transverse bore within which a cylindrical bar 31 is positioned. The cylindrical bar 31 is provided at opposite ends thereof with washers 32 rigidly connected thereto. The bar 31 serves to prevent relative lateral movement of the rocking beams 26 during rocking action and also provides against relative vertical movement of said rocking beams 26. Each of the shoes 27 also supports a vertically extending pivot member or shaft 33 having connected thereto at its lower end a pivot bearing 34 and the said shaft 33 being secured as indicated at 35 to the shoes 27. The pivot bearing 23 is adapted to rotate about the shaft 33 on the pivot bearings 34 and the shaft 33 also has connected thereto, as shown in FIG. 6, a bearing plate or member 37 which is in engagement with a bearing plate or pivot member 38 rigidly connected to each of the extensions 28. Each shaft 33 at its upper end also projects through each of the vertical posts 29, through pivot bearing 29' and is connected to the pivot bearing 25 of each extension 24. A lower pivot bearing 36 is connected to each of the shafts 33 and is disposed in engagement with each bearing 23. As best shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, the vertical rocking beams 26 are biased into back-to-back contiguous relation by means of spring devices consisting of threaded rods 40 which extend through aligned bores 41 provided in the rocking beams 26. The threaded rods 40 have connected thereto at opposite ends, nuts 42. Washers 43 are provided on the threaded rods 40 to retain captive on said rods 40, coil springs 39.

The upper portion of the articulated structure is connected by means of a cushion cylinder 44, the details of which are schematically shown in FIG. 7. Any suitable dampening or cushioning device may of course be utilized, this being a disclosure of merely one such embodiment. The cylinder 44 comprises cylinder heads 45 and 46. The head 45 is provided with a connecting ear 47 suitably connected by means of a bracket 48, as best shown in FIG. 4, to the left-hand vertical post 29. The cylinder 44 includes a piston rod 49 having a piston 50 connected thereto. The piston rod 49 projects through an intermediate cylinder head 51 which with the cylinder head 45 provides a chamber 52 within which the piston 50 is adapted to reciprocate. The piston 50 includes bores 53 communicating with the chamber 52 on opposite sides of the piston 50. Suitable one-way flap valves 54 are adapted to regulate the flow of fluid through the bores 53. As best shown in FIG. 4, the articulated structure is supported on a conventional truck 55 having side frames 56 mounted on railway wheels 57. The truck 55, as best shown in FIG. 5, includes a conventional bolster 58 having a center plate 59 of a type well known in the art. As best shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the lower surface of each of the shoes 27 is provided with a segmental centerplate 60 in mating relation with the center plate 59 of the bolster. The segmental type center plate for articulated cars is well known and is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,581,688 patented Apr. 20, 1926.

THE OPERATION

As indicated in the aforementioned patent application, the truss bodies are adapted to have cargo connected thereto to suspend the same thereon. The stabilizing members 16 effectively stabilize the opposite ends of the car on the wheels 19. The articulated structure disclosed in FIG. 3 provides a stabilization of the adjacent connected bodies 11. As the car 10 encounters grades or undulations in terrain the rocking beams 26 are adapted to rock on the center plate 59 of the truck bolster 58. The rocking of the segmental plates 60 is conventional in articulated structures and in the present invention the beams 26, which extend substantially the full height of the truss structure, open up relative to each other as indicated by the dot-dash lines designated A in FIG. 3. Further, the truck bolster 58 is in pivotal relation about a vertical axis with respect to the segmental center plates 60 in conventional fashion. During the opening or rocking of the members 26, relative vertical movement of said members is restrained by means of the rod 31 and relative lateral movement is restrained by means of the washers 32. Further, the rocking movement of the members 26 is controlled by means of the spring devices including the coil springs 39 which continues to bias the rocking members 26 into their back-to-back contiguous relation. Thus a smooth but controlled rocking movement of the beams 26 is provided.

The bodies 11 may freely pivot by means of the pivot shafts or members 33 and by virtue of the practically full length extension of the said members, the bodies are effectively stabilized in their vertical supporting arrangement which with the stabilizing members 16 effectively stabilize the truss structures with or without cargo thereon.

The cushion cylinder 44 is also effective to control the return of the rocking beams 26 to their normal position so that unusual shocks are cushioned and damage to the structure is prevented. This is achieved by the cushioning unit 44 shown in FIG. 7. In FIG. 7, the cylinder 50 is in a neutral position and as the members 26 are rocked and the upper ends are spread apart the piston 50 moves in the direction toward the intermediate cylinder head 51 and hydraulic fluid on one side of the piston is free to flow through the bores 53 into the other side of the chamber 52. However, upon the rocking members returning to their original position, as could occur quite suddenly, the movement is cushioned since the piston 50 now moves toward the cylinder head 45 and fluid is prevented from flowing through the ports 53 by the flap valves 54. A sufficient amount of fluid leaks around the piston 50 in its relation to the cylinder 44 thus effecting a metered type of cushioning or closing of the piston. The piston 50 then returns to the neutral position shown in FIG. 7.

It is thus readily apparent that an improved articulated construction has been disclosed particularly adapted for stabilizing an articulated car wherein the said car includes truss type bodies which provide the primary structural support for each body and which are suitably supported on opposite ends thereof on transversely extending stabilizing members. With said stabilizing members and the particular articulated structure disclosed, a truss type car is adequately supported and stabilized under all conditions of load.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An articulated car comprising:

a plurality of car bodies,

each body consisting of upper and lower beams,

vertical beams connecting said upper and lower beams providing a narrow and relatively high upright frame supported at opposite ends of the car on wheels and being the primary structural member of each body,

a horizontal stabilizing member on each said frame at opposite ends of said car,

said stabilizing members projecting laterally outwardly thereof for connection to wheel assemblies,

an articulated assembly between adjacent ends of said bodies including a pair of vertically extending rocking members positioned in back-to-back relation,

each rocking member having a lower center plate portion adapted to move in pivotal relation to and fro about a vertical axis and in rocking relation with the center plate of a railway truck,

means pivotally connecting the adjacent ends of said bodies to said rocking members for pivotal movement with respect thereto about a vertical axis, and connecting means connecting said rocking members to restrain the same against relative vertical and lateral movement.

2. The invention in accordance with claim 1,

said rocking members extending substantially the full height of said upright frame.

3. The invention in accordance with claim 2,

said means pivotally connecting the adjacent ends of said bodies to said rocking members including vertical hinge members with their vertical axes substantially centrally disposed relative to said frames,

each rocking member being disposed in longitudinally spaced relation between a rocking member and the adjacent car body to which it is connected.

4. The invention in accordance with claim 3, said hinge members being connected to lower and upper vertically spaced portions of said rocking members.

5. The invention in accordance with claim 4, said lower portions of said rocking members being adjacent said lower beams and said upper portions being adjacent said upper beams.

6. The invention in accordance with claim 5, said lower portions and upper portions of each rocking member including arms projecting in a direction toward said bodies.

7. The invention in accordance with claim 1,

said connecting means for said rocking members comprising a bar supported in a transversely extending bore formed by a recess in each rocking member, and

said bar having ears engaging said rocking members in overlapping relation.

8. The invention in accordance with claim 1,

said rocking members including yieldable means urging said members into engaging relation and permitting limited relative separation of said rocking members during rocking movement thereof.

9. The invention in accordance with claim 8,

said yieldable means including a rod projecting through an opening in one said rocking member, and

a spring retained thereon and engaging said last rocking member.

10. The invention in accordance with claim 1,

including cushioning means connected to said rocking members to retard relative rocking motion of said rocking members.

11. The invention in accordance with claim 1,

and cushioning means connecting with each rocking member and retarding the rocking movement of said rocking members in a direction toward each other.

12. The invention in accordance with claim 11,

including cushioning means connected between said frames adjacent the upper portions thereof to retard relative rocking motion of said rocking members.