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US 12,448,014 B2Granted
Railroad car truck side frame
AssigneeTransportation IP Holdings, LLC
InventorBenjamin T. Woods
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A railroad car truck including one or two new side frames that each includes one or more of a plurality of different improvements that individually and in various combinations reduce, inhibit, or minimize the likelihood of stress fractures or cracks in the side frame.
Claims20
A railroad car side frame comprising:
- a top member;
- a bottom member spaced apart from the top member, the bottom member including a spring seat;
- a front column connecting the top member and the bottom member, the front column having an inner wall;
- and
- a rear column connecting the top member and the bottom member and spaced apart from the front column, the rear column having an inner wall,
- wherein the inner wall of the front column and/or the inner wall of the rear column includes:
- (1) a first area having a first thickness;
- (2) a second area having a second thickness that is greater than the first thickness;
- (3) a third area having a third thickness that is greater than the second thickness;
- (4) a fourth area having a fourth thickness that is greater than the third thickness;
- (5) a first transition area from the first area to the second area;
- (6) a second transition area from the second area to the third area;
- and
- (7) a third transition area from the third area to the fourth area.
11 more elements
A railroad car side frame comprising:
- a top member;
- a bottom member spaced apart from the top member, the bottom member including a spring seat;
- a front column connecting the top member and the bottom member, wherein an inner wall of the front column has at least a three-step transition which includes at least three transitional portions, each being narrower at each upper end and wider at each lower end, wherein each of the transitional portions interconnects to adjacent steps having different and substantially uniform thickness such that a thickness of the inner wall only increases towards the spring seat;
- and
- a rear column connecting the top member and the bottom member and spaced apart from the front column, wherein an inner wall of the rear column has at least a three-step transition which includes at least three transitional portions, each being narrower at each upper end and wider at each lower end, wherein each of the transitional portions interconnects to adjacent steps having different and substantially uniform thickness such that a thickness of the inner wall only increases towards the spring seat.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.