Abstract: An interface between the end of a bolster and a side frame column for a three-piece railcar truck assembly is disclosed. The bolster and side frame have several pairs of facing stop surfaces at the interface. Each pair of facing stop surfaces are at two different spacings: one spacing is close, with a small gap between the stop surfaces; another spacing is greater than the first. The second spacing allows the side frame to pitch with respect to the bolster transverse axis. The bolster stop surfaces may be the lands inboard and outboard of the friction shoe pockets. The lands may be shaped so that there is a raised warp control portion or surface and one or more relief portions or surfaces, the warp control portion extending farther laterally than the relief portions. The warp control portion is used to maintain the truck in a square relationship, and the more loosely spaced relief portions allow for side frame articulation as the truck traverses track at different elevations.

Abstract: A tapered wear liner and articulated connector using such a tapered wear liner are disclosed. The tapered wear liner supports an annular bearing that supports the male connecting member of the articulated connector. The tapered wear liner has an outer surface that may be shaped as the frustum of a cone or the frustum of a sphere. The female connecting member has a complementary shaped groove to receive the tapered wear liner. The female connecting member has a bottom wall with a substantially uniform thickness from the wear liner to the exterior surface of the female connecting member. A main pin connects the male and female connecting members together and a center pin is integral with the main pin and connected to the railroad car truck. The present invention is useful with railroad car trucks that have concave curved center plate areas.

Abstract: A system, apparatus and method are disclosed for moving an elongate object such as a pipe between lowered and raised positions, preferably while rotating the object to maintain its shape. The system and method use two apparatuses, an upender and a downender for moving the pipe between lowered and raised positions. The upender tilts a lowered pipe received from a casting machine to the raised position and places the raised pipe on a support station. The pipe is rotated while on the upender through at least part of the range of travel. The upright pipe on the support station may be moved through an annealing furnace and then the downender may lift the pipe from the support station and tilt it downward toward the horizontal while rotating the pipe through part of the range of travel. The lowered pipe is then pushed off of the downender by kick off arms.

Abstract: A system and methods of extracting heat are disclosed. The system may be arranged as a fluid cooler or as a fluid condenser. Three heat exchange sections are provided: a dry indirect contact heat exchange section; a second indirect contact heat exchange section that is operable in either a wet or dry mode; and a direct contact heat exchange section. As a fluid cooler, a connecting flow path connects the dry indirect contact heat exchange section to the second indirect contact heat exchange section. A bypass flow path extends from the dry indirect contact heat exchange section to the process fluid outlet.

Abstract: An improved assembly apparatus and method of assembling workpieces together. The apparatus includes a drive linkage with a linearly movable ram for pushing one workpiece toward the other. The drive linkage also includes a rotatable drive train. In the improved assembly apparatus, a transducer is provided to determine the load existing in the drive linkage, and a resolver is provided to determine the stage of the assembly cycle. A programmable controller is used to correlate this information, and a device is provided for communicating a message related to the correlated information. The transducer may be a strain measuring device or a pressure transducer measuring the pressure in an hydraulic cylinder in the drive linkage. The communications device may be a visual monitor, alarm, recording device, or similar communicator.

Abstract: A cooling coil arrangement for a cylindrical tower provides coverage of a larger area of the cylindrical footprint of a cooling tower to enable more economical usage of the vertical tower storage capacity for ice thermal storage, which coil arrangement has a plurality of coils arranged in multiply arranged planes with serpentine layouts of each tubing length generally having a vee-shaped layout in each plane between the longitudinal axis of the tower and the tower housing, which tubing lengths are provided in each sector of each plane normal to the axis and having a tubing length therein, and the manifolds coupling the tubing lengths to inlet and outlet ports for circulating coolant fluid through the tubing lengths to cool the phase change fluid in the cooling tower, and a plurality of the serpentine tubing lengths vertically aligned and preferably arranged with the tubing section of one u-shaped segment of a first tubing length in vertical alignment with the gap of another of the tubing lengths which provide

Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for collecting fumes from an arc furnace of the type typically used in metal foundries. The system provides an electrode hood with extended sides for improved collection of fumes from the vicinity of the electrodes. It also provides a movable spout hood for collection of fumes when metal is tapped. A combination of a tilting manifold and stationary duct are used to maintain a path for collecting fumes throughout the entire range of motion of the furnace. The stationary duct has a group of dampers that open and close as the furnace tilts. Variable position dampers may be provided at the electrode hood and furnace door. In the bag house, there is a dust containment assembly to limit the movement of the collected dust. A variable speed fan may be used with the system.

Abstract: Gears, particularly spur gears, are produced by powder metal techniques with minimal lead line error and eccentricity, which gears are preformed from powder metal, sintered, hardened and thereafter have their involute surfaces regenerated by a hard hob with a negative rake on the hob teeth to provide gears having aligned involute surfaces between adjacent gear teeth and, between each gear tooth and the gear center line.

Abstract: A bearing assembly for mounting on a journal at the end of a shaft employs a seal wear ring disposed between the backing ring and the end face of the axially inwardly directed bearing cone, with the outer cylindrical surface of the seal wear ring cooperating with a resilient sealing element for sealing the bearing. The inner diameter of the seal wear ring is greater than the diameter of the shaft journal to provide a clearance there between along the full length of the wear ring. Counterbores are provided in an outwardly directed surface of the backing ring and in the axially inwardly directed end face of the bearing cone, with the counterbores in the backing ring and bearing cone being dimensioned to provide an interference fit sufficient to provide a substantial radially compressive load in the ends of the seal wear ring upon assembly of the bearing.

Abstract: An improvement in cast metal bolsters for railway trucks is disclosed. The bolster has a top wall, a bottom wall and sidewalls. All of the walls have interior and exterior surfaces. Two transverse ribs extend between the top wall and bottom wall and two spaced longitudinal ribs extend from the top wall to the bottom wall. The bolster has a top portion, a bottom portion, a central vertical longitudinal plane between the sidewalls and a perpendicular vertical transverse plane. The transverse ribs have opposite faces in the top portion and in the bottom portion. A vertical plane extends between the opposite faces of the transverse ribs in the top portion and in the bottom portion. The opposite faces of the transverse ribs in the top portion do not diverge from a vertical plane in the same direction and opposite faces in the bottom portion that do not diverge from a vertical plane in the same direction. The transverse ribs may have a vertical plane of symmetry.

Abstract: An arc furnace fume collection system has a plurality of duct lines leading to a common duct that leads to a baghouse for filtering dust. The supplemental duct lines have high pressure fans, blowers, or compressors and join one of the other duct lines through a nozzle. The nozzle connection acts as a venturi to supplement the pulling power of a common exhaust fan downstream of the baghouse filter.

Abstract: An outlet gate assembly for a hopper type railway car includes a frame adapted to be mounted on an outlet opening in the rail car and a gate in the frame. A conventional rack and pinion opening and closing drive moves the gate between open and closed positions on the frame. An inertial latch mechanism latches the gate in the fully closed position. Actuation of the opening and closing drive displaces the latch to automatically unlatch the gate. Upon impact, an inertial mass bears directly against the latch and transmits a latching force holding the latch closed and preventing opening of the gate.

Abstract: A rail car buffer with a capsule body and a mechanical ring spring and a hydraulic spring arranged in parallel in the body. The hydraulic spring includes an internal reservoir to receive hydraulic oil displaced during collapse of the buffer.

Abstract: An assembly apparatus, kit and method of making roller chain of different pitch are disclosed. The apparatus and kit include a main drive mechanism rotatable about its central longitudinal axis and a plurality of assembly stations. Each assembly station has a movable assembly mechanism to act on a workpiece and a drive train to move the assembly mechanism in response to rotation of the main drive mechanism. Each assembly station has a drive shaft substantially perpendicular to the main drive mechanism axis. One of the assembly stations is movable in a direction parallel to the main drive mechanism axis between a plurality of positions to vary the distance between the assembly stations without disconnecting the connection between the drive train and the main drive mechanism. Each assembly station has a locator unit for moving a workpiece. The locator units have workpiece supports to provide a continuous path between assembly stations.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for collecting fumes from an arc furnace of the type typically used in metal foundries. The system provides an electrode hood with extended sides for improved collection of fumes from the vicinity of the electrodes. It also provides a movable spout hood for collection of fumes when metal is tapped. A combination of a tilting manifold and stationary duct are used to maintain a path for collecting fumes throughout the entire range of motion of the furnace. The stationary duct has a group of dampers that open and close as the furnace tilts. Variable position dampers may be provided at the electrode hood and furnace door. In the bag house, there is a dust containment assembly to limit the movement of the collected dust. A variable speed fan may be used with the system.

Abstract: Improvements in cast metal sideframes for railway trucks are disclosed, along with improvements in the processes of casting such products and the cores used in the casting process. A radial draft is provided on the casting surrounding a bolt hole at a core parting or joint line so that nuts and washers may be evenly loaded. The radial draft is formed on the sideframe column, on the side opposite the side to which a wear plate is mounted. The bolts for mounting the wear plate extend through the bolt hole, and the nuts and washers connected to the bolts bear against the tapered radial draft surface.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of producing cast steel railway wheels. After pouring and removal from the mold, the steel wheel is processed in various steps including processing in an annealing and a tempering furnace. The wheel is then passed through a wheel cooling tunnel where the wheel is cooled from approximately 900.degree. F. to about ambient temperature.

Abstract: Improvements in the method of making cast metal bolsters for railway trucks are disclosed. The bolster is cast in a mold using a one-piece center core. The center core has a first end inboard of the first outboard end of the mold and a second end inboard of the second outboard end of the mold. The one-piece center core extends from the first end across the center area of the mold to the second end. It has surfaces to define interior surfaces of the bolster top wall, bottom wall and side walls on both sides of the bolster central transverse plane and bolster central longitudinal plane. Two one-piece end cores are also used. Each one-piece end core has surfaces shaped to define the interior surfaces of the bolster top wall, bottom wall and side walls from a position inboard of one friction shoe pocket to the first outboard end of the bolster.

Abstract: A fifth wheel for trucks is disclosed. Such fifth wheels usually are mounted on truck tractors and receive kingpins that are mounted on truck trailers. An operating rod is provided to manually disengage the kingpin locking mechanism. In one embodiment the fifth wheel plate is mounted on bases with trunnion pins. The bases are secured to the truck tractor. Retaining pins are received in flanges and serve to block axial movement of the trunnion pins. The retaining pins are disposed parallel to the top surface of the plate and are perpendicular to the axes of the trunnion pins. The retaining pins and flanges may be spaced far enough below the fifth wheel support surface so that a misfed kingpin cannot contact them. Alternatively, or in addition, the retaining pins may be under a protector that extends over the length of the retaining pin to prevent a misfed kingpin from striking the retaining pins.

Abstract: An abrasive material grinding wheel for grinding the plate front face of an as-cast railroad wheel to remove sprues and riser pads has a projecting and leading edge to extend the ground surface into close proximity to a hub and fillet section of the railroad wheel, which grinding wheel has a reduced wall thickness, a recess for receiving a retaining flange to reduce the elements extending from the outer face of the grinding wheel, and a sloped outer grinding surface projecting the leading edge and providing a grinding-wheel surface adequate to grind the entire riser pad from the plate front surface between the wheel rim and the front hub fillet, and to generally retain the grinding wheel outer surface contour during multiple grinding operations.