Center plate assembly bearing liner
AssigneeZeftek, Inc.
InventorsMichael K. Burke, Richard F. Murphy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A self-lubricating plastic center plate assembly bearing liner for placement between a body bolster center plate and a truck bolster center plate of a center plate assembly in a railroad car, wherein the liner is configured to substantially mate with the center plates and includes a body having an integrally formed electrically conductive ring of plastic material which provides electrical continuity between the plates in the center plate assembly.
Claims14
In a center plate assembly on a railroad car wherein said assembly includes a car center plate, a truck center plate aligned with the center plate by a kingpin, and a self-lubricating plastic bearing liner between said center plates having upper and lower planar surfaces,
- the improvement in said plastic bearing liner which includes:
- a central opening for receiving said kingpin,
- an outer substantially annular non-conductive load-bearing portion, and
- an inner substantially annular electrically conductive portion integrally molded to said load-bearing portion and of substantially the same thickness as the load-bearing portion, both portions being disposed between and engaging both center plates with the conductive portion establishing electrical conductivity between the center plates,
- said outer and inner portions each having an upper and lower contact surface engaging said center plates,
- the total area of said upper contact surface of said outer portion being substantially larger than the total area of said upper contact surface of said inner portion,
- said load-bearing portion being of an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene filled with reinforcing particles, and said conductive portion being of an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene filled with conductive particles.
A plastic bearing liner of UHMWPE for use between the center plates of a center plate assembly on a railroad car,
- said liner comprising:
- monolithically forged concentrically disposed load-bearing and conductive portions defining upper and lower planar center plate engaging surfaces,
- said conductive portion being centrally disposed to the load-bearing portion and annular in shape to define a central opening therethrough and including carbon particles to establish electrical conductivity between said planar surfaces,
- said load-bearing portion including glass particles to reinforce the portion and inhibit cold flow,
- and said load-bearing portion covering about ninety percent of said planar surfaces.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.