Resilient center bearing assembly

Abstract

A railway car center plate assembly comprising a truck bolster having a bowl-shaped truck center plate and a body bolster having secured to its underside a body center plate. The body center plate has a flat surface from which extend downwardly two substantially perpendicular, concentric, cylindrical flanges encircling a bore, the diameter of the outermost flange being such that its outer vertical surface is encompassed by the inner vertical surface of the flange on the truck center plate. Positioned between the body center plate and the truck center plate is an annular, synthetic elastomeric bearing pad which is located within and substantially fills the annular space between the flanges of the body center plate and under load contacts the vertical surfaces of the flanges of the body center plate.

We claim: 
     
       1. A railway car center plate assembly comprising a truck bolster and a body bolster, the truck bolster being rotatable with respect to the body bolster and having secured to its top side a bowl-shaped truck center plate provided with a bore, said .Iadd.truck .Iaddend.center plate having an upwardly projecting flange around its periphery and a portion of the center plate between the flange and the bore defining a flat-bearing surface; said body bolster having secured to its underside a body center plate having a flat surface from which extend downwardly two substantially perpendicular, concentric, cylindrical flanges encircling a bore, the diameter of the outermost flange being such that its outer vertical surface is encompassed by the inner vertical surface of the flange on the truck center plate.Iadd., and the outermost flange substantially vertically overlapping the flange on the truck center plate.Iaddend.; said bores are centrally located within the center plate and concentric with the flanges and are adapted to receive a center pin, and positioned between the body center plate and truck center plate an annular, .Iadd.homogeneous, solid .Iaddend.synthetic elastomeric bearing pad which is located within and substantially fills the annular space between the flanges of the body center plate, .Iadd.said elastomeric pad having a top, horizontal bearing surface and a bottom, horizontal bearing surface, said bottom, horizontal bearing surface being adapted, under load, to be lower than the bottom edge of the flanges on the body center plate; .Iaddend.and under load said pad contacts the vertical surfaces of the flanges of the body center plate, said elastomeric pad alone transmits the weight of the car from the body center plate to the truck center plate .Iadd.and spreads the load over the total bearing surface.Iaddend.. 
     
     
       2. A center plate assembly of claim 1 wherein the elastomeric pad is a solid polyurethane. 
     
     
       3. A center plate assembly of claim 2 wherein the elastomeric pad is provided with a layer of metal on at least one of its bearing surfaces. 
     
     
       4. A center plate assembly of claim 2 wherein the elastomeric pad is adhesively bonded to the base plate of the body center plate. .Iadd. 5. A railway car body center plate assembly which comprises: (a) a metal base plate having a flat surface on its underside from which extend downwardly two substantially perpendicular, concentric, cylindrical flanges encircling a bore, the diameter of the outermost flange being adapted such that its outer vertical surface may be encompassed by the inner vertical surface of the flange on a truck center plate, and the outermost flange is adapted to substantially vertically overlap the flange on the truck center plate, said bore being centrally located within the center plate and concentric with the flanges and being adapted to receive a center pin, and   (b) positioned beneath the base plate, an annular, homogeneous, solid synthetic elastomeric bearing pad which is located within and substantially fills the annular space between the flanges of the body center plate, and, under load, contacts the vertical surfaces of the flanges of the body center plate, said elastomeric pad having a top, horizontal bearing surface and a bottom, horizontal bearing surface, said bottom, horizontal bearing surface being adapted under load to be lower than the bottom edge of the flanges on the body center plate, and said elastomeric pad being adapted to alone transmit the weight of the car from the body center plate to a truck center plate and spread the load over the total bearing surface. .Iaddend. .Iadd. 6. A body center plate assembly of claim 5 wherein the elastomeric pad is a solid polyurethane. .Iaddend..Iadd. 7. A body center plate assembly of claim 5 wherein the elastomeric pad is provided with a layer of metal on at least one of its bearing surfaces. .Iaddend..Iadd. 8. A body center plate assembly of claim 5 wherein the elastomeric pad is adhesively bonded to the base plate of the body center plate. .Iaddend.