U.S. patent number 3,859,928 [Application Number 05/399,788] was granted by the patent office on 1975-01-14 for railway car articulated center plate.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Pullman Transport Leasing Co.. Invention is credited to Franklin P. Adler.
United States Patent |
3,859,928 |
Adler |
January 14, 1975 |
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.
Inventors: |
Adler; Franklin P. (Michigan
City, IN) |
Assignee: |
Pullman Transport Leasing Co.
(Chicago, IL)
|
Family
ID: |
23580966 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/399,788 |
Filed: |
September 21, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
105/199.4 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B61F
5/18 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B61F
5/02 (20060101); B61F 5/18 (20060101); B61f
005/18 (); B61f 005/50 (); F16c 017/08 () |
Field of
Search: |
;105/199C ;308/137 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Wood, Jr.; M. Henson
Assistant Examiner: Beltran; Howard
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Vogel; Hilmond O.
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.
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.
* * * * *