US 5,159,882 AGranted

Railway car underbody structure and method

AssigneeACF Industries, Incorporated

InventorsJohn A. Krug, William L. Willis, Paul J. Dumser, William U. Casseau, William T. Deet, Laurence E. Culligan, Bruce A. Walter

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Abstract

An improved railway car underbody support structure and method for economically constructing same. The structure includes a center sill assembly having a pair of vertically disposed side plates spaced equidistant from the longitudinal center line of the car body and extending from a coupler longitudinally inboard to a wheeled truck assembly. The truck assembly carries two laterally spaced side bearing members for bearing the load of the car body during lateral tilting of the car body. One of the improved features is a unitary metal member cut from an economically patterned metal plate. The unitary members, which are themselves free of any weld lines which may crack under the extreme loads exerted on railway cars, are welded to the underside edge of a respective side plate and welded together beneath the center line of the car body. The unitary members act as, 1) a bottom side flange to stiffen the side plates, 2) a bottom cover plate to help integrate the still and 3) as a bottom bolster support which extends over a respective side bearing member. The invention also features a mini-bolster inwardly spaced from the main bolster to distribute the car body load through the still assembly; a unique side plate upper edge configuration and weld line placement; and a pair of reinforcing bars welded beneath the end of the car body on the inside vertical surfaces of respective side plates; all to provide improved structural underbody integrity and performance.

Claims23

Dependent claims

An improved railway car underbody structure for supporting the end section of an elongated railway car body, said underbody structure having a center sill assembly beneath the longitudinal center line of said car body, said sill carrying a railway car coupler assembly on the outboard end thereof, said center sill assembly riding upon a wheeled railway truck assembly having an upper side bearing member on each lateral side thereof for bearing the load of said car body during lateral tilting of said car body, the improvement comprising;

said center sill assembly including two upright side plates spaced equidistant from the longitudinal center line of said car body and extending longitudinally from said coupler assembly inboard past said truck assembly;
a pair of unitary combination center sill bottom flange and car body bottom bolster members welded to the bottom edge of each of a respective one of said side plates;
said unitary members each having a longitudinally extending horizontally disposed flange portion extending laterally outward from a respective side plate and extending longitudinally from above said truck assembly toward said coupler assembly and beyond the end of said car body;
said unitary members each including a bottom bolster portion in the area above said truck assembly extending laterally outwardly beyond said flange portion to at least a point over a respective one of said side bearing members, whereby said flange portions help prevent lateral bending of said side plates in the area beneath and outboard of said car body and said bolster portions help support the lateral sides of said car body in the area over said truck assembly bearing members;
said sill assembly supporting an upwardly curved cradle pad for carrying a tank car body;
the bottom of said cradle pad being welded to the top of said side plates along parallel lines beginning adjacent the inboard end of said side plates and extending longitudinally outwardly past the longitudinal point of said side bearing members and terminating at a point short of the outboard end of said cradle pad to provide an end area of said cradle pad where no weld connection exists between said cradle pad and said sill assembly;
said unitary members carrying a main car body bolster assembly for supporting the lateral sides of said car body over said truck assembly and said side bearings;
a secondary car body bolster connected to said side plates inboard of said main car body bolster for further supporting the lateral sides of said car body and distributing a portion of the load of said car body through said sill;
a pair of metal side bars each welded on the inside surface of a respective one of said side plates;
and
said bars extending longitudinally from a point outboard of said car body to a point over said truck assembly to help stiffen said side plates at the point of maximum bending moment between said car body and said sill.

8 more elements

said center sill assembly including two unitary upright side plates spaced equidistant from the longitudinal center line of said car body and extending longitudinally from said coupler assembly inboard to at least said truck assembly;
a pair of unitary combination center sill bottom flange and car body bottom bolster members welded to the bottom edge of each of a respective one of said side plates;
said unitary members each having a longitudinally extending horizontally disposed flange portion extending laterally outward from a respective side plate and extending longitudinally from above said truck assembly toward said coupler assembly and beyond the end of said car body;
and
said unitary members each also including a bottom bolster portion in the area above said truck assembly extending laterally outwardly beyond said flange portion to at least a point over a respective one of said side bearing members, whereby said flange portions help prevent lateral bending of said side plates in the area beneath and outboard of said truck assembly and said bolster portions help support the lateral sides of said car body in the area over said truck assembly bearing members.

2 more elements

An improved method for constructing a railway car underbody structure for supporting the end section of an elongated railway car body, said underbody structure having a center sill assembly beneath the longitudinal center line of said car body, said sill carrying a railway car coupler assembly on the outboard end thereof, said center sill assembly riding upon a wheeled railway truck assembly having an upper side bearing member on each lateral side thereof for bearing the load of said car body during lateral tilting of said car body, said center sill assembly including two upright side plates spaced equidistant from the longitudinal center line of said car body and extending from said coupler assembly inboard to at least said truck assembly, the improved method comprising the steps of:

cutting at least two unitary combination center sill bottom flange and car body bottom bolster members from metal plate, each of said members having a longitudinally extending flange portion and a bottom bolster portion;
welding a pair of said unitary members to the bottom of each of a respective one of said side plates such that said flange portion extends generally horizontally and laterally outwardly of a respective side plate and longitudinally from the position of said coupler assembly to said bolster portion, and said bolster portion extends laterally outwardly over a respective side bearing member, whereby said flange portions will help prevent lateral bending of said side plates in the area outboard of said truck assembly to said coupler assembly and said bolster portions will help support the lateral sides of said car body in the area over said truck assembly side bearing members.

said sill assembly carrying an upwardly curved cradle pad for carrying a tank car body;
the bottom of said cradle pad being welded to the top of said side plates along parallel lines beginning adjacent the inboard end of said side plates and extending longitudinally outwardly past the longitudinal point of said side bearing members and terminating at a point short of the outboard end of said cradle pad to provide an end area of said cradle pad where no weld line exists between said cradle pad and said sill assembly.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.