Railway Car Articulated Center Plate

Abstract

A composite center plate is provided and includes a center plate having a separate attaching flange plate extending around the upper periphery thereof. A connecting plate secures the attaching flange plate to the railway car center sill and body bolster to permit limited movement of the center plate relative to the flange plate. Keys are provided between the center plate and flange plate to prevent relative rotation.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a railway freight car underframe and in particular to the center plate which connects the freight car body with the supporting truck.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Improving the wearability of the car center plate has been the focal point of design activity for many years and has included center plate designs such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,510,180 which includes holes in a center plate which will expose a lubricant to the mating surfaces as wear occurs. Other attempts to improve the center plate connection are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,257,969 which is directed to a sandwich type of center plate which utilizes rubber inserts positioned between metal wafers. Traditional center plate mounting arrangements such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,670,662 show a reinforced center plate intended to structurally rigidify the center plate connection for dissipation of heavy loads which are imposed thereon. These designs have met with varying degrees of success; however, due to the increased size and higher speeds at which cars are being operated, a completely acceptable center plate design is still being sought. The applicant's center plate allows the connecting center plate member a limited amount of movement to thereby adapt to any angular misalignment which would occur between the truck bolster and the car body bolster or between spaced sides of the car center sill to which the center plate is attached.

THE SUMMARY

This invention relates to a center plate unit including a free cylindrical center plate member which is attached to the car body underframe by an attaching flange plate and cooperates with a bowl portion of the truck bolster to form an attachment between the body of the vehicle and the supporting truck.

In manufacturing of the railway car center sill which generally is a pair of Z-shaped angle members, angular and dimensional misalignment occurs between the lower flanges of the sill unit. Subsequently, when a conventional center plate is attached underneath the car center filler the attaching flange plate which surrounds the cylindrical center plate portion is attached to the depending and misaligned flanges. When the cylindrical part of the center plate is then received by the bowl portion of the truck bolster and rocking of the car body occurs the misalignment of the lower flanges of the center sill to which the center plate flange plate has been attached will produce a bending of the plate caused by vertical forces being transmitted from the truck bolster upward through the cylindrical portion of the central plate and out into the attaching flange and finally into the lower flange and web of the center sill. It is a design objective to distribute vertical forces directly from the truck bolster through the depending cylindrical parts of the center plate and then directly into the center sill unit avoiding transmitting the massive forces through the attaching flange plate of the center plate. When the attaching flange is subjected to these forces which result in extreme bending forces it will oftentimes produce premature cracking at the junction of the cylindrical center plate portion and the associated mounting flange portion which is an integral part thereof. To avoid this problem of bending the attaching center plate flange plate because of misalignment or dimensional irregularities between the spaced lower flanges of the cente sill, the present invention provides a cylindrical center plate portion which is positioned beneath the center filler and center sill in such a manner as to transmit vertical forces directly from the truck bolster into the vehicle center sill and avoid subjecting the center plate attaching flange plate to bending stresses. Because there is no structural connection between the center plate and the associated mounting flange of the present invention due to the two-piece construction which is provided, the heretofore present failure between the cylindrical part of the center plate and the attaching plate has been eliminated.

The attaching flange of the present invention retians the center plate by engaging a rim portion of a center plate thereby resisting longitudinal forces which are impressed on the center plate portion due to buff and draft loading on the vehicle.

When the railway vehicle is in operation the center plate unit of the present invention will permit a limited articulated movement to occur between the car body bolster and the truck bolster thereby eliminating the high surface stresses which occur between rigidly mounted center plae components.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a center plate unit for a railway vehicle which includes a center plate member having a flange portion for attachment to the car under-frame by forming an attaching ring which fits around the periphery of the center plate member.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a buffer wear plate between the center plate attaching ring and the car body bolster and which may be easily replaceable and may be removed from the vehicle in the event a fracture occurs thereon.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved center plate consturction comprising a center plate supported in a bowl on a truck bolster, the center plate including a separate flange or rim plate which permits relative limited movement and including keys inserted in aligned recesses in the center plate and flange plate to prevent relative rotation.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from reference to the following description, attached drawings and appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an end view of a railway freight car with portions removed to clearly illustrate the truck bolster, center plate and body bolster arrangement;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the parts of the center plate unit and the associated parts of both the truck bolster and the vehicle body bolster;

FIG. 3 is a partial cross sectional view of the center plate unit; and

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the center plate and its associated attaching flange.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings and in particular to FIG. 1, there is shown the center plate assembly 10 of the present invention. This center plate assembly is positioned so as to connect the supporting truck bolster 12 with the associated car body bolster 14. As thus positioned the center plate unit receives all the vertical forces from the freight vehicle as well as undergoes much longitudinal stressing during car movement due to impact of the vehicle.

The general vehicle construction also includes a center sill portion 16 which may be a continuous center sill or a stub sill as is often used with covered hopper cars. The car bolster 14 may be a closed rectangular beam member which includes vertically extending bolster webs 18 connecting a top cover plate 20 and vertically spaced bottom cover plate 22. The transversely spaced portions of the body bolster 14 are positioned about the center filler unit 24 which forms a rigid connection between these spaced body bolster portions. The center plate unit of the present invention is not to be restricted to the conventional bolster structure illustrated here but may also be applied to any type of railway vehicle and adapted to the multitude of bolster designs which are presently in existence.

The truck bolster 12 extends transversely of the vehicle and is vertically spaced and beneath the associated body bolster 14. The truck bolster is generally a very rigid cast steel member extending between the truck side frames to which are attaced and mounted the wheel axles (not shown). The truck bolster 12 generally includes a bowl portion 26 including a generally upwardly extending side portion extending around its periphery and defining a depressed bowl section 28. Extending through the center portion of the bowl section 28 is a conventional center pin 30 which assists in forming a connection between the supporting truck and the interconnected railway vehicle body.

The center plate unit or assembly contemplated for the present invention includes a cylindrical or disc shaped center plate portion 32 and an associated attaching flange or rim plate 34 which fits about the center plate 32 and firmly holds the plate 32 in position on the underside of the stress or wear plate 36 and body bolster 14. The attaching plate 34 includes a stepped-down rim 35 adapted to fit about the associated portion of the center plate 32.

The stress or wear plate 36 is adapted to abut the center plate 32 and form a mounting surface for receiving the center plate 32 and its allied rim or flange plate 34. This plate 36 is utilized to form a wear plate member which is easily replaceable in the event or surface galling or cracking occurring between the center plate 32 and its adjoining mounting surface on the vehicle underframe. It is contemplated that the wear plate 36 be mechanically fastened to the bottom cover plate 22 of the bolster 14 to thereby be easily removable and replaceable should the necessity ever be warranted. The center plate attaching flange plate 34 as well as the wear plate 36 are bolted to the vehicle by means of the bolt 38 such as are suggested in FIGS. 1 and 3.

The center plate 32 contemplated for use in the present invention includes a generally cylindrical body portion 40 and an associated flange portion 42 extending beyond the cylindrical body portion and forming an attaching surface which is engaged by the rim 35 of the attaching and hold down plate 34. The center plate flange 42 also includes a slight annular cutout or stepped portion 44 which provides clearance between the outer portion of the flange 42 and the adjacent wear plate 36. This step down portion is provided to prevent high stresses from being impressed upon this flange portion 42 which is a thin section and designed to provide an attachment or surface for mounting of the center plate 32 and assist in resisting longitudinal forces.

It is desirable to eliminate rotation of the center plate 32 which may occur during car rocking and rolling during operation. The rim plate 34 is provided with slots or recesses 47 which are aligned with recesses 48 cut into the flange portion 42. Keys 46 disposed in said recesses 47, 48 prevent relative rotation of the center plate 32 relative to the fixed rim plate 34.

Thus, by severing the center plate cylinder from the associated attaching flange, vertical loads are transmitted as compressive forces through the center plate cylinder and subsequently into the center sill without producing bending stress on the center plate attaching flange as oftentimes occurs with present center plate units which are attached to misaligned portions of a center or stub sill unit.

The foregoing description and drawings merely explain and illustrate the invention and the invention is not limited thereto, except insofar as the appended claims are so limited, as those skilled in the art who have the disclosure before them will be able to make modifications and variations therein without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A center plate construction for a railway vehicle including a body bolster and a supporting wheel truck bolster, the improvement comprising:

a bowl supported on said truck bolster,

a center plate including a generally cylindrical central portion disposed in said bowl, and having an upper cylindrical portion projecting upwardly from said bowl,

said upper cylindrical portion including a cylindrical flange projecting circumferentially outwardly from said cylindrical portion,

an attaching flange plate having an outer cylindrical rim,

said rim including an inner stepped down attaching portion providing a cylindrical seat for said cylindrical flange of said cylindrical portion to confine said center plate against substantial lateral movement, and

means rigidly connecting said flange plate to said body bolster.

2. The invention in accordance with claim 1, said bowl having a vertical center pin, and

said cylindrical portion having a central opening receiving said center pin.

3. The invention in accordance with claim 2, including a wear plate connected to said body bolster and to said flange plate, said wear plate having a central opening for receiving said center pin, and

said wear plate being in engagement with said upper cylindrical projection portion.

4. The invention in accordance with claim 1, including means between said center plate cylindrical portion, and

said flange to lock the same against relative rotation.

5. The invention in accordance with claim 4, said locking means including aligned recesses on said cylindrical portion and said flange plate, and

key elements disposed is said recesses.