# US 5,704,296 A · Cast draft sill with low profile center plate > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 5,704,296 A - Document ID: US5704296A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 08/712,520 - Filed: 1996-09-13 - Granted: 1998-01-06 - Earliest claimed: 1996-09-13 - Assignees: McConway & Torley Corporation - Inventors: Joseph L. Gagliardino; Jeffrey D. Wurzer; Peter Scott Mautino - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5704296A ## CPC - B61F 5/16: Centre bearings or other swivel connections between underframes and bolsters or bogies - B61F: RAIL VEHICLE SUSPENSIONS, e.g. UNDERFRAMES, BOGIES OR ARRANGEMENTS OF WHEEL AXLES; RAIL VEHICLES FOR USE ON TRACKS OF DIFFERENT WIDTH; PREVENTING DERAILING OF RAIL VEHICLES; WHEEL GUARDS, OBSTRUCTION REMOVERS OR THE LIKE FOR RAIL VEHICLES (for vehicles in general B60; axles or wheels B60B; vehicle tyres B60C) ## Abstract An elongated light-weight, cast draft sill mountable at the end of a center sill of a railway car body, and to which a railway car truck is pivotally mountable, the cast draft sill having a generally hollow, elongated rectangular body, with a pair of elongated, parallel side walls extending perpendicularly from an elongated top wall and further including a draft pocket adjacent to the forward end adapted to receive a coupler yoke and associated draft gear, and a light weight center plate portion which is mateable to a railway car truck spaced from the rearward end of the cast draft sill. The unique center plate portion comprising a generally cubic center plate pocket defined between a pair of spaced and parallel center plate pocket end walls, extending perpendicularly between the parallel side walls of said draft sill, and a floor wall member forming a lower wall of the center plate pocket having a cylindrical periphery extending downwardly from an underside of the draft sill, and having a circular outer face with an aperture axially disposed through the circular outer face to receive a king-pin of the railway car truck. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An elongated unitary light-weight, cast draft sill mountable at the end of a center sill of a railway car body, and to which a railway car truck is pivotally mountable, said cast draft sill comprising: (A) a generally hollow, elongated rectangular body, having a pair of elongated, parallel side walls extending perpendicularly from an elongated top wall; (B) a draft pocket adjacent to a first end adapted to receive a coupler yoke and associated draft gear; and (C) a center plate portion which is mateable to such railway car truck spaced from a second end of said cast draft sill, said center plate portion comprising: (a) a generally hollow cubic center plate pocket defined between a pair of spaced and parallel center plate pocket end walls, extending perpendicularly between said parallel side walls of said draft sill that provides an empty hollow space above a floor wall of said center plate pocket; (b) a floor wall member forming a lower wall of said generally cubic center plate pocket extending horizontally between lower ends of said center plate pocket end walls parallel to said top wall, said floor wall member having a cylindrical periphery extending downwardly from an underside of said draft sill, and having a circular outer face; and (c) an aperture axially disposed through said floor wall member at an axial center of said circular outer face, said aperture adapted to receive a king-pin of such railway car truck for mating such railway car truck for rotational movement against said circular outer face. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) An elongated light-weight, cast draft sill mountable at the end of a center sill of a railway car body, according to claim 1, in which said floor wall member is reinforced with integral shallow gusset flanges extending between said floor wall member and the cylindrical sides thereof. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) An elongated light-weight, cast draft sill mountable at the end of a center sill of a railway car body, according to claim 1, in which an integral tubular extension is provided to extend axially upwardly from said floor wall through which said aperture extends and at a distance that leaves the center plate pocket empty. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) An elongated light-weight, cast draft sill mountable at the end of a center sill of a railway car body, according to claim 3, in which said tubular extension is reinforced with integral shallow gusset flanges extending between said tubular extension and said floor wall member. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) An elongated light-weight, cast draft sill mountable at the end of a center sill of a railway car body, according to claim 4, in which four of said integral shallow gusset flanges are provided at right angles to each other extending laterally and axially from said tubular extension. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) An elongated light-weight, cast draft sill mountable at the end of a center sill of a railway car body, according to claim 5, in which said gusset flanges span from said tubular extension to the cylindrical portion of said floor wall. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) An elongated light-weight, cast draft sill mountable at the end of a center sill of a railway car body, according to claim 1, in which at least one reinforcing flange is provided extending perpendicularly outward from each of said parallel side walls of said draft sill adjacent to said cubic center plate pocket. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) An elongated light-weight, cast draft sill mountable at the end of a center sill of a railway car body, according to claim 7, in which two of said reinforcing flanges are provided extending perpendicularly outward from each of said parallel side walls of said draft sill, said two flanges being equally spaced on each side of a vertical plane through said aperture and perpendicularly through each of said side walls. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) An elongated light-weight, cast draft sill mountable at the end of a center sill of a railway car body, according to claim 1, in which a clean-out aperture is provided through each of said end walls to facilitate removal of casting core material. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) An elongated light-weight, cast draft sill mountable at the end of a center sill of a railway car body, according to claim 1, in which said draft pocket includes a plurality of shallow tapered gusset flanges extending perpendicularly inward from an inside surface of said side walls within said draft pocket which abut against the surface of an adjacent end wall opposite said cubic center plate pocket. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) An elongated light-weight, cast draft sill mountable at the end of a center sill of a railway car body, according to claim 10, in which at least two mirror-imaged tapered gusset flanges are provided on each of said inside surface of said side walls within said draft pocket which abut against the surface of an adjacent end wall opposite said cubic center plate pocket. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) An elongated light-weight, cast draft sill mountable at the end of a center sill of a railway car body, according to claim 1, in which a striker is incorporated into said first end of said draft sill. ### Claim 13 An elongated light-weight, cast draft sill mountable at the end of a center sill of a railway car body, and to which a railway car truck is pivotally mountable, said cast draft sill comprising: (A) a generally hollow, elongated rectangular body, having a pair of elongated, parallel side walls extending perpendicularly from an elongated top wall; (B) a draft pocket adjacent to a first end of said draft sill adapted to receive a coupler yoke and associated draft gear; and (C) a center plate portion which is mateable to such railway car truck spaced from a second end of said cast draft sill, said center plate portion comprising: (a) a generally hollow cubic center plate pocket defined between a pair of spaced and parallel center plate pocket end walls, extending perpendicularly between said parallel side walls of said draft sill that provides an empty hollow space above a floor wall of said center plate pocket; (b) a cylindrical pocket extension extending downwardly from said generally cubic plate pocket; (c) a floor wall member forming a lower wall of said generally cubic center plate pocket extending horizontally under said cylindrical pocket extension parallel to said top wall, said floor wall member having a circular outer face; (d) an aperture axially disposed through said floor wall member at an axial center of said circular outer face, said aperture adapted to receive a king-pin of such railway car truck for mating such railway car truck for rotational movement against said circular outer face; (e) a tubular extension extending axially upwardly from said floor wall through which said aperture extends; and (f) a plurality of reinforcing gusset flanges connecting said tubular extension, said floor wall member and said cylindrical pocket extension. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) An elongated light-weight, cast draft sill mountable at the end of a center sill of a railway car body, according to claim 13, in which four of said gusset flanges are provided at right angles to each other extending laterally and axially from said tubular extension. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) An elongated light-weight, cast draft sill mountable at the end of a center sill of a railway car body, according to claim 14, in which at least two reinforcing flanges are provided extending perpendicularly outward from each of said parallel side walls of said draft sill adjacent to said cubic center plate pocket, said at least two flanges being equally spaced on each side of a vertical plane through said aperture and perpendicularly through each of said side walls. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) An elongated light-weight, cast draft sill mountable at the end of a center sill of a railway car body, according to claim 13, in which a clean-out aperture is provided through each of said end walls to facilitate removal of casting core material. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) An elongated light-weight, cast draft sill mountable at the end of a center sill of a railway car body, according to claim 13, in which said draft pocket includes a plurality of tapered gusset flanges extending perpendicularly inward from an inside surface of said side walls within said draft pocket which abut against the surface of an adjacent end wall opposite said cubic center plate pocket. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) An elongated light-weight, cast draft sill mountable at the end of a center sill of a railway car body, according to claim 17, in which at least two mirror-imaged tapered gusset flanges are provided on each of said inside surface of said side walls within said draft pocket which abut against the surface of an adjacent end wall opposite said cubic center plate pocket. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) An elongated light-weight, cast draft sill mountable at the end of a center sill of a railway car body, according to claim 13, in which a striker is incorporated into said first end of said draft sill. ### Claim 20 An elongated unitary light-weight, cast draft sill mountable at the end of a center sill of a railway car body, and to which a railway car truck is pivotally mountable, said cast draft sill comprising: (A) a generally hollow, elongated rectangular body, having a pair of elongated, parallel side walls extending perpendicularly from an elongated top wall; (B) a striker incorporated into said first end of said draft sill; (C) a draft pocket adjacent to said striker adapted to receive a coupler yoke and associated draft gear; and (D) a hollow center plate portion which is mateable to such railway car truck spaced from a second end of said cast draft sill, said hollow center plate portion comprising: (a) a generally cubic center plate pocket defined between a pair of spaced and parallel center plate pocket end walls, extending perpendicularly between said parallel side walls of said draft sill that provides an empty hollow space above a floor wall of said center plate pocket; (b) a cylindrical pocket extension extending downwardly from said generally cubic plate pocket; (c) a floor wall member forming a lower wall of said generally cubic center plate pocket extending horizontally under said cylindrical pocket extension parallel to said top wall, said floor wall member having a circular outer face; (d) an aperture axially disposed through said floor wall member at an axial center of said circular outer face, said aperture adapted to receive a king-pin of such railway car truck for mating such railway car truck for rotational movement against said circular outer face; (e) a shallow tubular extension extending axially upwardly from said floor wall through which said aperture extends and at a distance that leaves the center plate pocket empty; and (f) four shallow reinforcing gusset flanges connecting said tubular extension, said floor wall member and said cylindrical pocket extension, said gusset flanges disposed at right angles to each other extending laterally and axially from said tubular extension.