Railway draft appliances – Cushioned – Cooperating parts fixed to car
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-14
2001-10-23
Morano, S. Joseph (Department: 3617)
Railway draft appliances
Cushioned
Cooperating parts fixed to car
C213S0750GT
Reexamination Certificate
active
06305561
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to draft sills for use with railway car trucks and to center pins extending between draft sills and railway car trucks.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a typical railway freight train, such as that shown at
10
in
FIG. 1
, railway cars
12
,
14
are connected end to end by couplers
16
,
18
. The couplers
16
,
18
are each received in draft sills
20
,
22
. The draft sills
20
,
22
are at the ends of the railway car's center sill, and include center plates that rest in center plate bowls
24
of railway car trucks
26
,
28
.
As shown in
FIG. 2
, each typical car truck
26
comprises a pair of side frames
30
,
32
supported on wheel sets
34
,
36
. A hollow bolster
38
extends between and is supported on springs
40
on the side frames. The bolster center plate bowl
24
has a central opening
42
. One draft sill with a center plate is supported on each car truck, with the draft sill center plate received within the bolster center plate bowl.
The draft sills typically have a top wall that is usually welded to a shear plate that is connected to the bottom of the railway car. The two draft sills are connected to the two ends of the car center sill that runs the length of the car.
In the event the railway car encounters a bump or other event causing relative vertical motion between the car truck and the draft sill, the shallow center plate bowl may not retain the center plate, and the center plate and center plate bowl could separate and move horizontally with respect to each other so that the draft sill is no longer supported on the bolster center plate bowl. To prevent such relative horizontal motion, center pins have typically been used in the prior art to loosely connect each draft sill to each truck.
In some applications, it has been desirable to lock the center plate and center plate bowl together to limit relative vertical and horizontal movement between these parts. In one prior art assembly, a fabricated draft sill was assembled, with one end of the center pin fixed in the interior of the draft sill with a retainer plate and pins. The other end of the center pin was fixed in the interior of the bolster with a large retainer plate extending through the bolster walls and the center pin. This prior art design had disadvantages: the center pin could not be removed from the fabricated draft sill without disassembling part of the draft sill. In addition, this locking design could not be readily applied to cast draft sills.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to providing a draft sill that allows for interlocking the draft sill center plate and the bolster center plate bowl, while also allowing for disassembly and removal of the center pin without removing the draft sill from the railway car and without destroying or disassembling the draft sill.
In one aspect, the present invention provides a draft sill for a railway car. The draft sill includes a center plate with an interior edge defining a central aperture and an open member within the draft sill. The open member has an interior wall defining an elongate channel aligned with the central aperture of the center plate. The elongate channel and central aperture each have a central longitudinal axis. The open member includes a shelf within the elongate channel. The shelf defines an angle with the central longitudinal axis of the open member, and includes a key passage. The draft sill has a key passage from the exterior of the center plate to the key passage in the shelf.
In another aspect, the present invention provides, in combination, a draft sill for a railway car, a center pin and a retainer key. The draft sill includes a center plate with an interior edge defining a central aperture. The draft sill also includes an open member within the draft sill. The open member has an interior wall defining an elongate channel aligned with the central aperture of the center plate. The elongate channel and central aperture each have a central longitudinal axis. The open member includes a shelf within the elongate channel. The shelf defines an angle with the central longitudinal axis of the open member. The draft sill further includes a key passage through a portion of the draft sill. The retainer key is supported on the shelf and extends to and contacts the center pin. The key passage is sized, shaped and positioned to allow for passage of the retainer key from outside of the draft sill through the draft sill to the elongate channel.
In another aspect, the present invention provides, in combination, a draft sill, a center pin and a railway truck bolster. The draft sill includes a center plate and an open member. The center plate has an inner edge defining a central aperture. The open member is within the draft sill and has an elongate channel and a support member within the elongate channel. The center pin extends between the draft sill and the truck bolster. The center pin has a central longitudinal axis. Upper and lower retainer keys extend through the center pin to limit axial movement of the center pin and to limit relative vertical motion between the draft sill and the truck bolster. The upper retainer key is supported on the support member in the elongate channel and is movable with the center pin. The lower retainer key limits relative motion between the center pin and the truck bolster. The draft sill also includes a key passage from the support member to the exterior of the draft sill. The draft sill and truck bolster are separable by removing the lower retainer key and separating the draft sill and center pin from the truck bolster. The center pin is removable from the draft sill by separating the draft sill and center pin from the bolster, turning the center pin about its central longitudinal axis, and moving the center pin and upper retainer key axially down through the elongate channel and key passage toward the center plate and through the central aperture in the center plate.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5201827 (1993-04-01), Glover et al.
patent: 5207718 (1993-05-01), Glover et al
patent: 5397007 (1995-03-01), Hanes et al.
patent: 5931101 (1999-08-01), Kaufhold et al.
Kaufhold Horst T.
Ladendorf Jeffery R.
Oesch John F.
Amsted Industries Incorporated
Brosius Edward J.
McCarry, Jr. Robert J.
Morano S. Joseph
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