Back to results
US 10,697,129 B2Granted
Hot forged tie plate for railroad
AssigneeYangtze Railroad Materials
InventorsPatrick Young, Zheng Gu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A railroad tie plate has a generally prismatic body including a field side flange and a gauge side flange connected by an intermediate portion. The intermediate portion includes a rail seat for positioning a railroad rail. At least one of the flanges includes a protrusion extending in a thickness dimension of the tie plate. A hole extends into the at least one protrusion so as to receive a retaining device, such as an e-clip. The tie plate is made by hot forging, having a microstructure comprising pearlite and alpha-ferrite. The net shape of the tie plate may be achieved by forging without subsequent material addition and without subsequent material removal.
Claims36
A method of forming a railroad tie plate, the method comprising:
- providing a steel blank of predetermined dimensions and heated to a temperature within a predetermined temperature range from 1035° C. to 1065° C.;
- positioning the metal blank between opposing dies;
- bringing the opposing dies into proximity with the metal blank;
- and
- deforming the metal blank into a net shape of a railroad tie plate by applying pressure to the opposing dies,
- wherein the railroad tie plate comprises:
- a generally prismatic body extending in a width dimension of the tie plate between a field side end and a gauge side end;
- a field side flange on the field side end, the field side flange extending from a bottom surface of the tie plate in a thickness dimension of the tie plate;
- a gauge side flange on the gauge side end, the gauge side flange extending from the bottom surface of the tie plate in the thickness dimension of the tie plate;
- an intermediate portion extending between the field side flange and the gauge side flange, the intermediate portion including a rail seat configured to receive a railroad rail, wherein
- at least one of the field side flange and the gauge side flange comprises a fixing portion configured to receive a fixing device for securing the tie plate to a railroad tie,
- at least one of the field side flange and the gauge side flange comprises a first protrusion extending in the thickness dimension of the tie plate, the first protrusion having a first retaining device accommodating portion configured to receive a first retaining device for securing a railroad rail to the rail seat, and
- the gauge side flange, the field side flange, the intermediate portion, and the first protrusion comprise pearlite and alpha-ferrite.
10 more elements
A method of forming a railroad tie plate, the method comprising:
- providing a steel blank of predetermined dimensions and heated to a temperature within a predetermined temperature range from 1035° C. to 1065° C.;
- positioning the metal blank between opposing dies;
- bringing the opposing dies into proximity with the metal blank;
- and
- deforming the metal blank into a net shape of a railroad tie plate by applying pressure to the opposing dies, wherein the railroad tie plate comprises:
- a generally prismatic body extending in a width dimension of the tie plate between a field side end and a gauge side end;
- a field side flange on the field side end, the field side flange extending from a bottom surface of the tie plate in a thickness dimension of the tie plate, the field side flange comprising:
- a flat surface extending along the field side end between a front edge of the tie plate and a rear edge of the tie plate,
- at least one of a spike hole and a screw hole extending through the field side flange in the thickness dimension and
- a field side protrusion extending from the field side flange in the thickness dimension, the field side protrusion comprising a field side clip-accommodating hole extending into the field side protrusion in a length dimension perpendicular to the width dimension and perpendicular to the thickness dimension;
- a gauge side flange on the gauge side end, the gauge side flange extending from the bottom surface of the tie plate in the thickness dimension of the tie plate, the gauge side flange comprising:
- a flat surface extending along the gauge side end between the front edge of the tie plate and the rear edge of the tie plate,
- at least one of a spike hole and a screw hole extending through the gauge side flange in the thickness dimension, and
- a gauge side protrusion extending from the gauge side flange in the thickness dimension, the gauge side protrusion comprising a gauge side clip-accommodating hole extending into the gauge side protrusion in the length dimension;
- and
- an intermediate portion extending between the field side flange and the gauge side flange, the intermediate portion comprising a rail seat to receive a railroad rail.
13 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.