Railway car side frame test machine
AssigneeMTS Systems Corporation
InventorsPaul S. Petersen, Fred S. Tsuchiya
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A railroad side frame test machine for loading side frames used on the trucks or carriages for railway cars to simulate the in-use loads utilizing a compact linkage that provides for direct loading of the specimen in the various load directions. The forces are applied to the specimen to insure that certain reactions are grounded, while other applied forces are basically ungrounded to effectively eliminate "cross talk" between the various input loads or forces.
Claims17
A test apparatus for testing side frames of railroad cars, said side frames having a longitudinal center plane and having axle support means at opposite ends thereof, and having a center bolster support used for connecting a side frame to a railroad car on which the side frame is used, said test apparatus comprising a test frame member, said test frame member including a pair of first supports, separate hub means mounted in each of the axle support means of a side frame to be tested, each of said separate hub means being mounted on one of said first supports, linkage means to connect the respective hub means to each separate first support, the linkage means forming a separate four bar linkage with each hub means and the respective first support, each of said linkage means including a pair of links, first ends of the links of each pair being pivotally mounted to each respective first support on the test frame about first axes generally parallel to the longitudinal center plane of a side frame mounted on the hub means, and second ends of the links of each pair inclining toward each other in direction toward the respective hub means and being pivotally mounted at second ends thereof about second axes to the respective hub means, the lines extending between the first and second axes of the links of each pair intersecting at a point on the respective hub means lying substantially on the longitudinal center plane of a side frame mounted on the hub means and forming the instantaneous center of the respective four bar linkage formed, the instantaneous centers being rotationally free, and means to apply a force to a side frame mounted on said hub means adjacent the center bolster support of a side frame mounted on said hub means in direction generally parallel to the longitudinal center plane of a side frame mounted on the hub means causing a reaction resisted by said hub means and said linkage means.
A testing apparatus for testing a side frame for a railroad car, said side frame comprising an elongated member having a longitudinal center plane and having a separate axle support nest at each of the opposite ends thereof, and means for connecting the side frame to a railroad car on which the side frame is used, said test apparatus comprising a test frame member having a primary loading plane, said test frame member including a base, hub means adapted to be received in the axle nests of a test side frame to support such a test side frame with the longitudinal center plane of such test side frame coinciding with the primary loading plane, linkage means to support each hub means with respect to said base, said linkage means carrying loads applied in a first direction parallel to the primary loading plane and perpendicular to a line extending between the centers of said hub means and permitting limited movement transverse to the primary loading plane, first loading means connected to said base and having coupling means adapted to be connected to a test side frame mounted on the hub means and operable to apply a load to said test side frame in the first direction, separate elongated link means connected to each of the hub means and extending transverse to the primary loading plane, an evener beam pivotally extending between and being connected to the separate elongated link means at locations thereon spaced from the hub means, and second loading means connected to said evener beam at a location between the separate elongated link means and being adapted to react loads to a test side frame mounted on said hub means in direction generally normal to the primary loading plane, said second loading means being actuable to apply tension loads to said elongated link means through said evener beam, said hub means including means to react loads on the separate elongated link means to a test side frame mounted on said hub means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.