Patent GB-919899-A (GB)
Title: Railway car underframe with a draft column in the centre sill
Inventor: BAILLIE WALLACE EUGENE
IPC: B61G9/12
Filed: 1960-09-19
Abstract: 919,899. Railway vehicle draw gear; railway vehicle undercarriages. NATIONAL CASTINGS CO. Sept. 19, 1960, No. 32101/60. Classes 103(5) and 103(6). A railway car underframe structure comprises a draft and buff column 10 in the centre sill 12, said centre sill being fixed and extending substantially throughout the length of the underframe and supporting the column 10 in longitudinally movable relation to the sill 12, wherein the still 12 is of uniform hollow transverse cross-section and the column 10 is of greater length than the sill 12 and comprises an intermediate beam 22 and a pair of end pods 18, each pod attached to one of opposite ends of the beam and defining a pocket for housing a cushioning gear 89 and an associated coupler shank and each pod being attached to the beam with opposite lateral surfaces 81a of the pod in laterally outwardly offset relation with corresponding opposite lateral surfaces of the beam to expose longitudinally inner end surfaces 81m, 81n of the pod constituting stop shoulders at each side of the column facing towards the longitudinal centre of the underframe, said beam 22 being thereby disposed within the sill 12 with a clearance between opposite lateral sides of the beam and corresponding adjacent inner lateral surfaces of the sill, and a pair of stop cleats 112 in longitudinally facing opposing relation with the stop shoulders of each pod, each cleat being attached to one of said inner lateral surfaces of the sill within one of said clearances, and being positioned inwardly from an end of the sill in spaced relation with its corresponding opposed stop shoulder, said pairs of cleats 112 being spaced to define a range of movement of the column relative to the sill, cushioning means 40 being disposed centrally within the beam and operative between the sill 12 and the column 10 for cushioning loads between them, said means 40 urging the column to a neutral intermediate position within said range from any position therein at either side of said position, each pod at the neutral position extending into the sill a distance greater than the distance between the stop shoulders of the other pod and its corresponding opposing cleats. The fixed centre sill 12, Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 12, which is of inverted U-shape with flanges 14, extends the full length of the vehicle to terminate with or slightly beyond the end sills, and cross bearers 121, Fig. 12, bolsters 122, and cross ties 123 join the still 12 to the underframe. The one-piece draft column 10 comprises a draft gear or pod 18 secured to each end of an H beam 22 extending continuously between the pods, and the web 28 of the beam which is provided with a notch 29 at each end to accommodate the yoke 95, extends inwardly from each end of the vehicle to the outward extremities of slots 30, 30a in flanges 24 of the beam. The slots receive keys 36, 36a fixed in bearings 39, 39a on the sill 12, and the space between the slots accommodates along travel hydraulic spring-return cushioning unit 40. At the neutral or unloaded position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the unit 40 engages the ends of spaced pairs of webs 32, 32a welded to the flanges 24, . and also engages the keys which in this position are disposed midway of the lengths of the slots. When the column 10 moves to the right, for example under load, the unit 40 will be compressed between the fixed key 36a and the abutment webs 32 as shown in Fig. 11. The unit 40 is supported by an inverted U-shaped plate 56, Figs. 6, 12, which is secured by its flanges 60 to plates 64 welded to the column flanges 24, and a channel bar 66 extends under the plate 56 and slidingly engages the surfaces 70 of brackets 72 riveted to the flanges 14 of the sill 12. A channel 75 serving as a ceiling to the unit 40 further stiffens the column, and spacers and shims 78, 79 may also be provided. Each pod 18, Figs. 7, 8, is welded to an end of the column 10 and comprises a bottomless box casting and inner surfaces 81n, 81m which co-operate with column support plates or cleats 112 on the sill 12, Figs. 1, 2, to provide stops limiting the travel of the column 10. The front wall 85 of the pod serves as a striker face for the coupler horn 15a and the coupler shank is supported on a wear plate 88. The draft gears 89 which are of rubber-steel construction and of smaller capacity than the unit 40 are pre-compressed between followers 91, 92 which engage stops 82, 83 on the pod. A runner 131 is bolted to tabs 135, 136 on the wall of the pod 18, Fig. 12, and rides upon a plate 130 which is bolted to the channels 139, 140 on the sill 12. The yoke 95 may slide with respect to the runner, and the runner with the column 10 may slide with respect to the support plate 130. The coupler 15 and the yoke may be disconnected by first removing a locking plate 103 and then removing the key 98 through an opening 104 (see also Fig. 9, not shown), but if removal of the yoke and draft gear 89 is desired then the plate 130 and the runner 131 must also be removed to allow the yoke and draft gear to be taken downwardly out of the pod 18. In the region of the bolster a casting 108 is provided, Fig. 3, which provides a sleeve 115 for the bolster pin 117 and a sliding surface for shoes 113 mounted on the beam 22. In another embodiment, Fig: 14 (not shown), one draft gear offers resistance only to buffing loads, the gear at the other end of the vehicle offering protection against both buff and draw loads. The side walls of the pod for the buffing gear however have slots to permit longitudinal draft movement of a transverse key passed through the coupler shank. In Fig. 16 (not shown) the pivot pin 150 connecting the yoke 153 and coupler shank 154 is retained by a bottom plate 155 bolted to the bottom of the pod, and a locking plate 103 is provided as already described.