Abstract: A connection between a draft sill and a railway wheel truck is disclosed. The draft sill has a bottom and side walls extending up from the bottom. A center pin extends downward from the bottom to an exterior end surface. A boss encircles the center pin. The boss is attached to the outer surface of the center pin and to the bottom surface of the draft sill. The boss includes a plurality of ribs extending radially outward from the center pin. The total surface area of the horizontal surfaces of the boss and the center pin is less than the surface area of a standard center plate. The horizontal surfaces of the boss and center pin do not bear any vertical load under normal conditions, and no center plate is provided. The center pin and boss can be integral, and can be made to extend upward from the truck bolster to be received in an opening in the draft sill.

Abstract: An improved female connecting member for an articulated connector has a ring seat for a ring within an annular groove for contacting the male member of the connector, which female member has an improved undersurface passage for a probe to provide greater access to the ring-seat undersurface and more mechanical leverage to dislodge a worn ring seat; and, in an alternative embodiment, a structure and tool are provided for removal of a ring-seat from the exposed upper ring-seat surface.

Abstract: A constant contact spring bearing for use with a railway car truck bolster is provided. Greater design flexibility and installation tolerances are available because a longer travel spring, with potentially lower spring load rate and stress rate, may be used. The present invention facilitates the establishment of loadings that may be expected to fall reliably within set-up tolerances from unit to unit. Instead of mounting the spring bearing on the surface of the truck bolster top member, the present invention provides a recess in the truck bolster to receive the spring, allowing for use of longer springs. With longer travel springs available for use, a spring may be selected with a lower load rate and a lower stress rate.

Abstract: A railcar truck, bearing-adapter assembly for an axle end has vertically extending arms to securely capture and maintain a roller bearing and axle end assembly at about an as-assembled reference position within the adapter assembly and sideframe pedestal jaw, where the as-assembled reference position has the railcar truck side frames about parallel and the axles about normal to the side frames, and which adapter assemblies in the opposed sideframe pedestal jaw are secured within a cross-passage at the ends of the truck side frames to capture and retain the axle ends in opposing side-frame pedestal jaws at about the reference as-assembled position to inhibit both horizontal and vertical axle displacement truck and thus minimize railcar truck warping.

Abstract: A railway freight car truck is provided with an elastomeric suspension device between the bolster end and the sideframe bottom support. The elastomeric device is usually of a toroidal shape, and usually has a centrally located vertically extending opening. Positioning protrusions usually are provided from the bolster end and the sideframe bottom support that extend into the elastomeric device opening.

Abstract: Improvements in cast metal sideframes and bolsters for railway trucks are disclosed, along with improvements in the processes of casting such products and the cores used in the casting process. In one aspect, the cores are consolidated to provide two one-piece end cores, a one-piece center core, and a bottom center core for the sideframe and two one-piece end cores and a center core for the bolster. The consolidated cores may include cores to define various bolt holes. In another aspect, various cores may be made with step joints for interlocking support without weight-supporting chaplets. In another aspect, a locator boss may be formed on one or more of the cores for proper positioning of the core on the drag mold. Other improvements disclosed include providing a radial draft on the casting surrounding a bolt hole at a core parting or joint line so that nuts and washers may be evenly loaded. In the bolster interior, ribs may be straightened.

Abstract: A constant-contact load-bearing assembly for a railcar truck bolster and operable against a complementary body bolster bearing and biased to continuously contact the body-bolster bearing to transfer the lading and railcar weight forces, which assembly has an outer element of a first coefficient of friction, a second or inner element with a second and larger coefficient of friction and biasing apparatus to maintain the inner assembly pad element in contact with the body-bolster assembly at an empty-railcar condition to provide control of the railcar body at the empty or unloaded car status with the biasing apparatus compressible at a loaded railcar state to provide contact between the outer pad element and the body-bolster bearing pad for transfer of the railcar loads and forces over the range of operating loads between the empty-car state and the loaded to capacity state.

Abstract: An integrally cast bearing adapter arrangement is provided in the pedestal of a railcar truck side frame, which side frame is cast with a pedestal jaw having a roof, and vertical walls of a first and second leg which roof and walls operate as a bearing adapter to receive and grasp a bearing assembly outer surface at a horizontal diameter of the bearing assembly for an axle end without introducing the manufacturing and assembly tolerances from discrete component assemblies, thereby avoiding the lateral displacement associated with the added tolerances and operating to minimize angular displacement between each mated axle and side frame.

Abstract: A freight railcar undercarriage constant-contact sidebearing arrangement provides a load force transfer mechanism with a more direct or less redundant force transfer path between the railcar body with its lading and the sideframe and wheels of a truck assembly, which system obviates the present use of a bolster center plate structure for load transfer, carries all the load forces through the side bearing assemblies, fulfills the dynamic operating requirements of the American Association of Railroads standards, reduces the weight of the railcar while maintaining the load-carrying capacity, and is particularly adaptable to three-piece truck assemblies in broad use on freight railcars.

Abstract: A heat exchange apparatus which can be used as an evaporative condenser, fluid cooler or wet-air cooler, is provided with a direct evaporative heat exchange section overlying an indirect evaporative heat exchange section. An air entry zone common to both heat exchange sections receives an air stream blown into this zone by at least one fan, thereby pressurizing the plenum such that the air stream is forced to split and enter each section while inside the apparatus. This eliminates the need for separate air entries, thus condensing the size and cost of the apparatus, while increasing heat exchange capacity. A countercurrent air flow pattern through the direct section provides a uniformly cooled evaporative liquid for use in the indirect section. The evaporative liquid flow is parallel to the air stream provided in the indirect section.

Abstract: A sideframe pedestal jaw accommodates a bearing adapter which locks the adapter to the sideframe, thereby preventing it from all forms of movement within the pedestal jaw opening. Locking the bearing adapter forces the truck axles to remain at a right angle with respect to the sideframes. Maintaining this right angular relationship substantially curtails truck warpage, which induces wheel misalignment that leads to undesirable truck hunting and high speed instability.

Abstract: The present invention provides a railway truck sideframe with a strengthened bottom member. The sideframe comprises an elongated top compression member, two diagonal tension members extending downwardly at acute angles from near the ends of the top compression member, and a bottom member joining the other ends of the diagonal tension members. The top surface of the bottom member is usually referred to as a spring seat as such top surface provides support for the spring group on which the railway truck bolster is supported. The bottom member and attached diagonal tension members are strengthened by the addition of internal support ribs within the generally hollow bottom member near the intersection with the diagonal tension member. An increased thickness in the intersection of the top surface of the bottom member and the diagonal tension member and/or column is also provided.

Abstract: A sound attenuation assembly for In a forced-draft, liquid-to-air cooling apparatus, a sound attenuation assembly having at least two rows of elongate, generally cylindrical members arranged across the air inlet of the assembly to provide a blockage to the line of sight to the air flow through the sound attenuation assembly, to provide a multiple barrier effect of frontal impact on a sound front travelling through the assembly, and to provide the elongate members of sound absorbing material, which members provide improved sound attenuation associated with the force-draft apparatus while reducing back pressure losses in the air flow.

Abstract: A cooling apparatus is provided comprising a vessel confining a pool of liquid. A plurality of separate tubular passageways are immersed in the liquid. A header assembly is provided having a first chamber and a second chamber. The first chamber is operatively connected to one end of each of the separate tubular passageways and the second chamber is operatively connected to the other end of each of the separate tubular passageways.

Abstract: Cast iron pipe and other elongated hollow articles are lined with a cementitious mortar for certain applications, such as the transmission of potable water or sewage. To improve the resistance to attack from acids and to provide a crack and void spot free cement lining, a calcium alumina cement is used to line the article. A plasticizer such as fireclay is added to the calcium alumina cement prior to its application. The cement lined article is then coated with an asphaltic based coating and then cured in a high humidity environment.

Abstract: A railway car coupler includes a knuckle that is rotatable about a pivot pin. The knuckle is comprised of a tail section, a hub and a nose section. The knuckle is usually made of steel in a casting operation. The pivot pin opening in the knuckle is cylindrical with generally straight walls with a reduced diameter centrally located cylindrical relief area. The nose has a blunt end, and a thicker internal reinforcing section is made by having an end of the face core extend a lesser distance toward the pivot pin opening. The transition area between the tail and the nose is formed by parabolic shaped upper and lower sections.

Abstract: An integrally cast bearing adapter arrangement is provided in the pedestal of a railcar truck side frame, which side frame is cast with a pedestal jaw having a roof, and vertical walls of a first and second leg which roof and walls operate as a bearing adapter to receive a bearing assembly for an axle end without introducing the manufacturing and assembly tolerances from discrete component assemblies, thereby avoiding the lateral displacement associated with the added tolerances and operating to minimize angular displacement between each mated axle and side frame.

Abstract: When slack-free railcar connector assemblies are placed under very high tensile loading, the connector assembly components will stretch and allow a typical "rigid" gravity wedge to descend into a fully seated position between the components and lock-in the tensile loads. The locked-in loads become additive in nature when successively encountered compressive loads are experienced by the connector assembly, thereby increasing the lateral drawbar angling forces, as well as accelerating coupling component wear. The wedge component of the present invention includes a means for vertically supporting and retaining the wedge in a holding position slightly above the normally fully seated position during the tensile loading, thereby eliminating the build up of tensile forces in the connector assembly.

Abstract: The present invention provides a non-contact test apparatus and method for evaluating an as-manufactured railway wheel, which apparatus has a plurality of non-contact sensors positionable in proximity to various wheel locations and coupled to a controller for communication of a plurality of sensed dimensional parametric signals for comparison to specified wheel reference parameters in the controller to thereby simultaneously evaluate several dimensional parameters and characteristics for qualification of a railway wheel satisfying AAR specifications for railway wheels.

Abstract: A lightweight sideframe having a solid and open, unitary cross-sectional I-beam shape, is structurally improved by strengthening both sides of the sideframe with cross-bracing at each pedestal jaw area. The cross-bracing laterally stiffens the sideframe, eliminating the succeptability to twisting of the I-beam shape when a transverse load is experienced. The increased lateral stiffness at the jaw area also strengthens the total lateral strength of the sideframe, allowing some removal of metallic mass from the sideframe spring seat plate. The improved lateral sideframe strength also contributes to an increase in the threshold speed of truck hunting.