Increased strength railway tank for underframe construction and method with center sill pocket and weld support for pooling welding material

An underbody structure for supporting the end of a straight barrel, railway, tank car body, the tank car body being cradled in a cradle pad, and the underbody structure comprising:

• a center sill assembly having first and second spaced apart side plates which are equidistantly spaced to either side of a longitudinal centerline of the tank car body, a top plate extending a portion of the length of the center sill assembly, the width of the top plate corresponding to the width between the side plates for attachment to the side plates to form part of the center sill assembly, and first and second reinforcing plates extending transversely between the side plates;
• a pocket formed in the top plate at the respective sides thereof where the top plate meets one of the side plates, the pockets being used to pool welding material used to join the cradle pad and center sill assembly;
• and,
• a weld support installed on the center sill assembly adjacent each pocket, each weld support being attached to the top plate adjacent its associated pocket, the weld supports extending above the upper surface of the top plate for a bottom surface of the cradle pad to rest on each weld support, and each weld support being attached to the cradle pad to provide a substantial contact surface between the center sill assembly and cradle pad with the pooled welding material collected in each pocket effecting a strong and durable weld between the cradle pad and center sill assembly.

An underbody structure for supporting the end of a tip-tank railway tank car body, the tank car body being cradled in a cradle pad, and the underbody structure comprising:

• a center sill assembly having first and second spaced apart side plates which are equidistantly spaced to either side of a longitudinal centerline of the tank car body, a top plate extending substantially the length of the center sill assembly, the width of the top plate corresponding to the width between the side plates for attachment to the side plates to form part of the center sill assembly, and a pair of reinforcing plates extending transveresely between the side plates;
• a pocket formed in the top plate at the respective sides thereof where the top plate meets one of the side plates, the pockets being used to pool welding material used to join the cradle pad and center sill assembly;
• and,
• a weld support installed on the center sill assembly adjacent each pocket, each weld support being attached to the top plate adjacent its associated pocket, the weld supports extending above the upper surface of the top plate for a bottom surface of the cradle pad to rest on each weld support, and each weld support being attached to the cradle pad to provide a substantial contact surface between the center sill assembly and cradle pad with the pooled welding material collected in each pocket effecting a strong and durable weld between the cradle pad and center sill assembly.

A method of fabricating an underbody structure for supporting the end of a railway tank car body which is cradled in a cradle pad, comprising:

• forming a center sill assembly having first and second spaced apart side plates equidistantly spaced to either side of a longitudinal centerline of the tank car body, and a top plate extending substantially the length of the assembly, the width of the top plate corresponding to the width between the side plates and the center sill assembly being formed by welding together the side plates and the top plate;
• cutting away a portion of the respective side plates and top plate at the respective junctions formed therebetween during formation of the center sill assembly, each cut-away portion forming a pocket;
• and,
• collecting welding material in each pocket and welding together the cradle pad and center sill assembly using the collected material, each pocket being formed adjacent a location where a weld between the center sill assembly and pad is to be made.