Freight accommodation on freight carrier – Load bracing means – Panel or frame – wall-to-wall
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-26
2001-05-01
Gordon, Stephen T. (Department: 3612)
Freight accommodation on freight carrier
Load bracing means
Panel or frame, wall-to-wall
C410S121000, C410S135000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06224308
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to locomotive fabrication, and more specifically to improvements in monocoque-type locomotive design and layout.
Locomotives have provided the power for the transportation of railroad cars carrying people and cargo for many years. It has long been desirable that locomotives provide this transportation power efficiently; however, with the increase in energy prices, the desirability of the efficient production of transportation power has intensified. One well known method for increasing the efficiency is to streamline the exterior of the locomotive so that wind resistance or drag is reduced.
One of the more prevalent types of locomotives is the diesel powered locomotives. This type of locomotive typically has a main diesel engine which turns an alternator to generate electrical power. That electrical power is conducted through an system of electrical connectors and controls to a number of electrical engines which drive the individual sets of wheels on the locomotive.
Many of the diesel locomotives are fabricated using a modular assembly system on a platform sometimes referred to as a platform design. In the platform design, individual modules housing the various components of the locomotive are assembled separately from each other. The types of modules may include modules which contain the diesel engine, the electrical generator, assorted electrical controls or the crew compartment. The modules also include a structural system and a covering for the components. After the modules are separately assembled, the modules are fastened along the upper side of a generally flat platform and then interconnected to each other.
Platform design locomotives tend to be heavy and box-like which tends to cause the locomotives to have a high axle load. To increase the ability of a locomotive to meet axle load limitations, a type of locomotive referred to as a monocoque was developed. A conventional monocoque locomotive has a unitary carbody; which provides the structure and the covering for the components. The carbody has a lower platform, two vertical sidewalls, one of which extends along each of the sides of the car body, and a series of bulkheads which are attached to and extend transversely across the platform to form a part of the structural support for the sidewalls.
The sidewalls of the carbody typically consist of a frame of interconnected vertical and horizontal supports. Thin sheet metal plates are overlayed on and attached to the outer surface of the frame. A frontal, streamlined nosepiece and a rear wall are also fashioned from the thin sheet metal.
The unitary carbody provides the necessary structural support for the mounting of many of the components of the locomotive. Also, the sidewalls and nosepiece form a smooth exterior surface for the locomotive which reduces air drag. In addition, the frame and surface sheeting construction of the carbody in the monocoque locomotive reduces the weight of the locomotive over the covering and structural system found in the modular type locomotive.
The sidewalls and bulkheads form individual compartments into which the various locomotive components are constructed or placed. For example, the frontal compartment may include a crew compartment with various controls, the middle compartment may contain a diesel engine and alternator and the rear compartment may contain a radiator and accompany fans or blowers.
In fabricating a conventional monocoque locomotive, the carbody is separately assembled and then the internal components are installed. However, the carbody presents several drawbacks to the installation of the components. First, the carbody limits lateral access to the interior of the locomotive. Therefore, the interior must be accessed from above. To allow such access, the space between the sidewalls of the carbody rearward of the crew compartment is generally open so that overhead lifting devices may lower components onto the platform. However, many of the components installed within the carbody must be protected from the environment. Thus, the locomotive includes a number of removable roof members between the sidewalls or hatches which extend from side wall to sidewall.
A second major drawback is that after a component has been deposited on the platform, the carbody constrains the ability of the installer to freely move the components around the platform for proper alignment and installation.
Because of the limited access, one of the more efficient methods for installing the individual components is to assemble groupings of components on a substrate, and then insert the assembled groupings into the locomotives and attach the substrate to the carbodies.
One of the drawbacks of this method of assembly is that the carbody itself cannot serve as a substrate on which groupings of components can be preassembled before placement in the carbody. In particular, the bulkheads have large surface areas onto which component groupings must be individually attached.
Another drawback of this method of assembly is that the substrates onto which the component groupings are assembled, add weight to the locomotive.
An additional drawback of this method of assembly is that the more volumous the groupings of assemblies are, the more difficult it is to maneuver the groupings within the carbodies for proper alignment and installation.
However, some portions of the carbody, such as the crew compartment, are covered to contribute structural integrity of the locomotive. Therefore, overhead access for installation of these components is non-existent or severely restricted and the constraint of the carbodies to interior movement is a further drawback.
In addition to the installation of the components within the carbody, many of the components which are located within the various compartments must be periodically removed typically for maintenance. Frequently these components are too heavy and/or large to fit through the doors which extend through the sidewalls. By removing the roof hatches, the components may be removed form the carbody with the overhead crane or similar apparatus.
A general drawback of having removable roof hatches is that the interface between the hatch and sidewall may be sealed to prevent environmental elements from intruding into the interior of the various compartments of the locomotive.
A related drawback is that the seal between the roof hatch and sidewall may be established each time the hatch and sidewall are attached.
The sidewalls of the conventional monocoque locomotive include doors and hatches for access to the interior of the carbody and several openings for windows. Among the windows in the openings are the crew window assemblies. There are generally two crew windows, with each of the windows located in the frontal crew compartment along each of the sidewalls and opposite from each other. The crew windows are used so that the locomotive operator may place his head out of the opening and look rearward to monitor hand signals and visually ascertain the reverse movement of the locomotive. However, the crew window must also be operable so that it may be shut to prevent wind or rain from entering the crew compartment. To allow crew windows to be opened and shut, the windows are typically constructed with a peripheral frame and disposed within the frame on guiding ribs are a stationary window and a sliding window. The sliding window may be slid open along the guiding ribs to provide the opening for the operator's head.
In attaching the window assemblies to the sidewalls, it is important that the interface between the sidewall and the frame is sealed to prevent wind or rain from traveling through the interface. In the platform design or conventional monocoque locomotives the crew window assemblies are sealingly fixed to the sidewalls by fixedly bolting or welding all the peripheral sides of the frame to the sidewalls. A drawback of this attachment is that the window frame is forced to flex in the same manner as the sidewall.
Monocoque sidewalls undergo flexure when forces are applied
Bieber Allen Carl
Detar Gail Leroy
Holmes Richard Hart
Kleiner John Edward
Miller Douglas William
Breedlove Jill M.
General Electric Company
Gordon Stephen T.
Maire David G.
Rowold Carl A.
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