Patent ID: 6662853
Filing Date: 2003-12-16
Classification: B22C,B22D,B61F

Abstract:
In a method for making a hollow cast metal bolster for a railway car truck, the bolster being of the type having a center, two outboard ends, a top surface and side walls with a plurality of spaced holes along the side walls, the spaced holes having overall lengths and widths, the method comprising the steps of providing a mold having a mold surface defining a mold cavity, the mold surface corresponding in shape with the shape of the exterior of the bolster, providing cores to define the interior of the bolster, placing the cores in the mold cavity, pouring molten metal into the mold to form the cast metal bolster, removing the cast metal bolster from the mold, and separating the cast metal bolster from the cores,the improvement wherein one of the cores comprises a one center core formed as an integral piece including a center core body to be received in the mold cavity for defining the interior surface of part of the bolster, the center core body having a longitudinal axis and outer surfaces to define the interior surfaces of the bolster sidewalls, a pair of center core prints integral with the center core body for supporting the center core body in the mold, a neck connecting each center core print to the center core body, each neck corresponding in size, shape and position with a hole to be produced in the sidewall of the bolster, there being a neck for each of the holes to be made in each sidewall of the bolster, the center core and center core prints having overall lengths sufficient to span across the widths of all of the necks on one side of the center core body, the center core prints having heights sufficient to span across the heights of all of the necks on one side of the center core body; wherein the heights of the center core prints vary with the heights of the adjacent necks across the lengths of the center core prints, and wherein each center core print extends from an opposite side of the center core body.