Steel end structure for aluminum railcar

A covered hopper railcar having an aluminum body portion comprising aluminum side, top and end sheets. A side sill is secured to the lower marginal portion of each of the side sheets. The end structure assembly includes a steel center stub sill assembly, a steel shear plate, steel body bolsters, and a pair of spaced-apart steel end stiffener members. The end stiffener members extend between and are secured at their bottom ends to the upper surface of the shear plate, at their top portions to the end sheet and side sheet, and at intermediate portions to the end sheet. The top portion of the end stiffener members is secured to aluminum connector plates, which plates are secured to the end sheet and a side sheet by huckbolts passing therethrough. The intermediate portion of the end stiffener members is huckbolted to an aluminum bracket which in turn is secured to the end sheet.

FIELD OF INVENTION 
The invention relates to aluminum railcar construction and, more 
specifically, to an all-steel end structure for a railcar having an 
aluminum body portion. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND 
TECHNICAL PROBLEMS POSED BY THE PRIOR ART 
The design of aluminum railcars within the fatigue strength of welded 
aluminum has been a great challenge to railcar designers. It is highly 
desirable to use aluminum in areas for product containment, where 
corrosion protection is needed and to reduce the weight of the railcar, 
and to use higher strength steel in critical areas for sustaining coupler 
and vertical lading loads. 
Railcars having aluminum body portions comprising side sheets, a top sheet 
and end sheets made from aluminum are well-known in the art. Some of such 
railcars utilize an expensive full-length steel center sill underframe 
arrangement, while others utilize steel/aluminum stub sill underframes. In 
the latter instance there are two primary approaches. One uses 
all-aluminum components, including the stub sill. The steel striker and 
rear draft lugs that accommodate the draft system are usually connected to 
the aluminum stub sill by means of two-piece fasteners. The other approach 
employs steel stub sills and bolsters that are fastened to aluminum shear 
plates and aluminum end stiffeners that are welded to the end sheets. 
The prior art aluminum railcar designs are expensive to build and costly to 
maintain because of the high quality demanded and the use of complicated 
structural arrangements necessary to avoid high stresses at the welded 
aluminum areas. Accordingly, there is a need for a simple and more 
cost-effective aluminum railcar design. More specifically, there is a need 
for an improved connection arrangement for connecting an all-steel end 
structure to an aluminum railcar body. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
An aluminum railcar is provided that utilizes high-strength steel in 
critical areas for sustaining coupler and vertical loads and aluminum for 
product containment where corrosion protection is needed. The invention 
utilizes a fabricated all-steel end structure comprising a shear plate, 
stub sill, body bolsters and end stiffener members. The end structure is 
connected to the aluminum car body primarily at two locations; namely, the 
side sills to the shear plates and the end stiffener members to the end 
and side sheets of the aluminum car body. The end stiffener members allow 
the stub sill and the aluminum car body to work in unison with the shear 
plate and bolsters in sustaining loads. 
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, a covered 
hopper railcar is disclosed having an aluminum body portion comprising 
aluminum side, top and end sheets. A side sill is secured to the lower 
marginal portion of each of the side sheets extending lengthwise of the 
car and to the shear plate. The end structure assembly includes a steel 
center stub sill assembly, a steel shear plate, steel body bolsters, and a 
pair of spaced-apart steel end stiffener members. The center stub sill 
assembly is located generally on the longitudinal centerline of the car 
body and the body bolsters extend transversely of the car body 
intermediate the outer end of the center stub sill assembly and the ends 
of the side sills. 
The shear plate is supported on and attached to the body bolsters and the 
center stub sill. The side sills are secured to the upper surface of the 
shear plate by fasteners passing therethrough. A pair of spaced-apart end 
stiffener members extends between and is secured at their bottom ends to 
the upper surface of the shear plate and at their top ends to the end 
sheet and side sheets. The end stiffener members are preferably secured at 
their intermediate portions to the end sheet. The end stiffener members 
extend downwardly and inwardly from the upper portion of the side sheets 
towards a portion of the shear plate above the center stub sill assembly 
and have a depth that increases from the top toward the bottom thereof. 
In accordance with a unique feature of the invention, the top portion of 
the end stiffener members is secured to aluminum connector plates, that 
are secured to the end sheet and a side sheet, by fasteners passing 
therethrough. The intermediate portion of the end stiffener members is 
preferably fastened to an aluminum bracket which in turn is secured to the 
end sheet. The aluminum side sills, end sheets and side sheets are 
reinforced with aluminum stiffeners, pads and gussets. 
The foregoing end structure construction and connections provide the 
necessary strength and minimize the forces exerted on the welded aluminum 
components in the car body, while at the same time facilitating the 
fabrication of both the end structures and the aluminum car body.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, 
the description of this invention and the accompanying drawings disclose 
only one specific form as an example of the use of the invention. The 
invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiment so described, 
and the scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims. 
Some of the figures illustrating the preferred embodiment of the apparatus 
show structural details and mechanical elements that will be recognized by 
one skilled in the art. However, the detailed descriptions of some of 
these elements are not necessary to an understanding of the invention and, 
accordingly, are not herein presented. 
Referring to FIGS. 1-4, an end portion of a center stub sill covered hopper 
railcar 10 is shown with various components thereof, such as wheel trucks, 
removed for clarity. Railcar 10 includes a conventional body portion 12, 
defining hoppers 14 therein, having an end structural assembly 16 of the 
present invention at either end of the car. Only one such end structure 
assembly 16 is shown since the end structure is identical at each end of 
the car. 
Car body portion 12 includes side sheets 18 and 20, top sheet 22, end 
sheets 24 and end slope sheets 26. Side sheets 18 and 20 and top sheet 22 
extend outwardly beyond the end sheets 24. Sheets 18, 20, 22 and 24 are of 
aluminum construction and are attached to one another in a well-known 
manner so as to define body portion 12. Aluminum side sills 28 are 
attached to the lower marginal portions of the respective side sheets 18 
and 20, with the sills extending substantially the entire length of the 
side sheets and beyond the outer edges thereof. 
In accordance with the present invention, end structure assembly 16 of the 
present invention is attached to the aluminum body portion 12 in a manner 
that sustains the coupler and vertical lading loads and provides effective 
stress transfer paths to the aluminum car body. End structure assembly 16 
is essentially a fabricated all-steel construction comprising a shear 
plate 30, a center stub sill 32, body bolsters 34, and end stiffener 
members 36. 
Body bolsters 34 are rigidly secured to the bottom of the side sills 28 and 
to center stub sill 32 so as to support one end of the car body 12 on 
trucks (not shown) in a well-known manner. A shear plate 30 extends 
between and is rigidly attached to the upper surfaces of the body bolsters 
34 and the upper surface of the center stub sill 32. The lower surfaces of 
the side sills 28 are fastened to the upper surface of the shear plate 30 
by two-piece fasteners extending therethrough. Shear plate 30 extends from 
a point outward of end slope sheet 26 to a short distance from the outer 
end of center stub sill 32, as best seen in FIG. 4. Shear plate 30, side 
sills 28, and center stub sill 32 extend outwardly beyond the end sheet 
24. Body bolsters 34 are generally in transverse alignment with the end 
sheet 24. 
A pair of spaced-apart end stiffener members 36 extends between and is 
secured to the upper surface of shear plate 30 and to the end sheet 24 and 
a respective side sheet 18 and 20. Referring to FIGS. 3-6, end stiffener 
member 36 is preferably a channel-shaped member defined by side portions 
38 and 39 and a web portion 40. As best seen in FIG. 5, web portion 40 is 
located perpendicular to end sheet 24 and has a depth that increases from 
the top toward the bottom thereof, as best seen in FIG. 4. Side portion 38 
extends substantially parallel to end sheet 24 and is spaced a short 
distance therefrom. End stiffener members 36 are positioned so as to 
extend downwardly and inwardly from the upper portion of the corresponding 
side sheet 18 or 20 towards a portion of the shear plate 30 above the 
center stub sill 32, such that the lower end of web portion 40 is 
generally in alignment with the side walls 31 of center stub sill 32, as 
best seen in FIG. 8. 
In accordance with the present invention, the steel end stiffener members 
36 are connected to the aluminum body 12 by means of two-piece fasteners. 
The top portion of the end stiffener members 36 is secured to the end 
sheet and the adjacent side sheet and the intermediate portion of the end 
stiffener members 36 is preferably secured to the end sheet. 
Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the upper portion of the web portion 40 of the 
end stiffener members 36 is attached to an aluminum connector plate 42, 
which plate in turn is welded to end plate 24 and an aluminum plate 44 
welded to end sheet 24 and a respective side sheet 18 and 20. Web portion 
40 is attached to connector plate 42 by a plurality of two-piece 
fasteners, such as nut and bolt assemblies 50 passing therethrough, as 
best seen in FIG. 6. A steel plate 46 is welded across the upper portions 
of side portions 38 and 39 of end stiffener members 36 at the outer edge 
of side portion 38 in facing relationship and spaced from web portion 40. 
Plate 46 is attached to an aluminum connector plate 48, which connector 
plate in turn is welded to end sheet 24 and plate 44. Plate 46 is attached 
to connector plate 48 by a plurality of two-piece fasteners, such as nut 
and bolt assemblies 52. Referring to FIG. 7, a steel plate 53 is welded 
between the uppermost portions of side portions 38 and 39 and web portion 
40. 
Referring to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the intermediate portion of the end 
stiffener members is preferably attached to end sheet 24 through an 
aluminum angle member 54. Angle member 54 extends from the lower edge of 
connector plate 42 to the lower edge of end sheet 24 and is oriented 
generally parallel to web portion 40. Angle member 54 is defined by a leg 
portion 56 in facing contact with end sheet 24 and welded thereto and a 
leg portion 58 extending generally perpendicular to end sheet 24 and 
parallel to web portion 40. The intermediate portion of web portion 40 is 
attached to leg portion 58 along the entire length thereof by a plurality 
of spaced-apart two-piece fasteners, such as huckbolts 60, passing 
therethrough, as best seen in FIG. 5. 
The lower end of end stiffener member 36 is welded to the upper surface of 
shear plate 30 such that the web portion thereof is substantially in 
vertical alignment with the side walls 31 of stub sill 32, as best seen in 
FIG. 8. 
An aluminum channel stiffener member 62 preferably extends between the 
intermediate portions of end stiffener members 36 and is welded to end 
plate 24 and the angle members 54. A substantially horizontal steel 
reinforcing angle member 64 preferably extends between and is welded to 
the web portions 40 of the end stiffener members adjacent the lower ends 
of angle members 54. The end slope sheets 26 are preferably reinforced by 
aluminum channel stiffener members 66 welded thereto and extending 
downwardly and outwardly from a point adjacent the intersection between 
the end stiffener members 36 and the upper edge of end slope sheet 26 
towards the lower outer edge of sheet 26 at horizontal aluminum channel 
stiffener member 68. 
A trapezoidal-shaped plate 70 extends between and is welded to the lower 
portions of the side portions 39 of stiffener members 36. A 
trapezoidal-shaped plate 72 extends between and is welded to the lower 
portions of the side portions 38 of stiffener members 36. An end stiffener 
support assembly 72 is preferably provided to provide further support at 
the intersection between the end stiffener member 36 and the shear plate 
30, as best seen in FIGS. 2 and 4. 
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the all-steel end 
structure 16, and the connection thereof to an aluminum railcar body, in 
accordance with the teachings of the invention, results in the utilization 
of high-strength steel in critical areas for sustaining coupler and 
vertical lading loads and aluminum for product containment where corrosion 
protection is needed. From the foregoing, it can be seen that there has 
been provided an aluminum railcar having an end structure that provides 
the necessary strength and minimizes the forces exerted on the welded 
aluminum components in the car body. 
It will be readily observed from the foregoing detailed description of the 
invention and from the illustrated embodiment thereof that numerous 
variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the 
true spirit and scope of the novel concepts or principles of the 
invention.