Amsted Industries Inc.

Ronald G Butler, Jr

Horst T Kaufhold

Brian A Toussaint

Douglas L Compton

John J Steffen

David G Anderson

Jeffery R Ladendorf

David J Jarvis

The present invention provides a lightweight draft sill end casting for use with railroad cars. The cast draft sill has side walls, front and rear stops, front and rear rib sets and a center plate that are cast as a unit. The draft sill has an open area between the tops of the side walls between the front and rear stops, with a cast metal span connecting the two side walls. The cast metal span may comprise one or more spacer bars or part of a top wall. The cast metal span is in the area between the planes of the front stops and the rear stops. The front and rear stops are spaced below the tops of the side walls. In one embodiment, there are additional lightener holes in each side wall between the ribs in the rear rib set and in the pocket. The total weight of the cast draft sill is not substantially greater than the weight of a comparable fabricated draft sill of substantially the same size, and has a greater fatigue life. The total open area connecting the interior and the exterior of the draft sill between the front stop plane and the rear stop plane is at least 130 square inches.

Light weight draft sill

The present invention provides a lightweight draft sill end casting for use with railroad cars. Weight reductions are achieved and adequate strength is maintained by using a set of front ribs and back ribs, with angled top and bottom ribs. The back rib set has a single central rib along the central plane of the draft sill. A single horizontal center plate rib is also used in the area of the center plate. The side ribs at the center plate have larger lightener holes. Holes are also provided in the bottom wall of the casting. Larger lightener holes are provided in the area of the draft sill pocket. These holes are moved upwardly to lower the center of gravity of the draft sill. The draft stops may be spaced from the top wall of the draft sill and from the bottoms of the side walls.

A slackless railcar coupler assembly, which is mountable in a railcar center sill, has a draft gear subassembly operable against a rear stop, and a slackfree coupler apparatus mounted in a coupler pocket forward of said draft gear subassembly, which subassembly and apparatus are connected to provide a dynamic load in both the buff and draft directions to avoid a mechanical, longitudinal stress load on the coupler assembly and railway car.

Growing community of inventors

Mundelein, IL, United States of America

Ronald G Butler, Jr