Method of manufacturing integral railway coach bodies

A method for the manufacture of integral coach bodies having a self-supporting lightweight structure comprising the steps of:

• a. winding an inner covering layer on a winding core, the winding core having a desired size and shape of a coach body, said inner covering layer having a generally rectangular cross section with a ceiling wall, a floor wall and a pair of spaced apart side walls connected by tour curved corner regions;
• b. attaching at least one channel segment to an outer surface of each of said ceiling wall and said floor wall and attaching insulation segments to outer surfaces of said corner regions;
• c. attaching a stiffening framework to outer surfaces of said side walls and to outer surfaces of said channel segments and said insulation segments, said stiffening framework having a plurality of openings formed therein;
• d. positioning an insulation plate in at least one of said openings in said stiffening framework;
• e. attaching upper corner segments and lower corner segments to said stiffening framework and to said outer surfaces of said corner regions, said corner segments having an outer curved surface capable of being wound over;
• f. positioning a pair of spaced apart transverse carriers below said floor wall and connecting said lower corner segments to opposite ends of said transverse carriers;
• g. positioning a longitudinally extending tension and compression rod between said transverse carriers and connecting said rod to said transverse carriers;
• h. winding an outer covering layer on the winding core over and in contact with outer surfaces of said stiffening framework, said insulation plate, said upper and lower corner segments and said transverse carriers to form a partial coach body, at least one of said inner and outer covering;
• layers being formed with a sandwich type construction having a first winding layer, an insulation mat attached to an outer surface of said first winding layer, and a second winding layer wound over said insulation mat;
• and
• i. removing said partial coach body from the winding core.

A method for the manufacture of integral coach bodies having a self-supporting lightweight structure comprising the steps of:

• a. winding an inner covering layer on a winding core, the winding core having a desired size and shape of a coach body, said inner covering layer having a generally rectangular cross section with a ceiling wall, a floor wall and a pair of spaced apart side walls connected by four curved corner regions;
• b. attaching a plurality of channel segments to an outer surface of said ceiling wall and attaching insulation segments to outer surfaces of said corner regions;
• c. attaching a stiffening framework to outer surfaces of said side walls and to outer surfaces of said floor wall, said channel segments and said insulation segments, said stiffening framework having a plurality of openings formed therein;
• d. positioning an insulation plate in less than all of said openings in said stiffening framework;
• e. winding an outer covering layer on the winding core over and in contact with outer surfaces of said stiffening framework and said insulation plates to form a partial coach body;
• and
• f. removing said partial coach body from the winding core.