AMSTED RAIL COMPANY, INC. Patent applications |
Patent application number | Title | Published |
20140345493 | RAILWAY CAR HATCH COVER - A railway car hatch cover includes an exterior shell cover, a gasket, and a mounting ring. The exterior shell cover has an outer-side and an under-side. The gasket is a vented gasket or a non-vented gasket, and the gasket is mounted to the mounting ring. The mounting ring is secured to the under-side of the exterior shell cover. The mounting ring is removable, and the gasket is replaceable with a second gasket. The second gasket can be vented or non-vented. The mounting ring is reinstallable on the under-side of the exterior shell cover. The replaceable gasket allows a single hatch cover to function as a vented hatch cover or a non-vented hatch cover depending on the type of gasket installed. | 11-27-2014 |
20140262104 | FORMING A MOLD FOR STEEL CASTING - A method of forming a mold for use in the casting of a steel railway freight car truck component is provided. A cope mold is formed by providing a near net shape oversize impression of a cope pattern of a product to be cast in a flask. A cope pattern of the product to be cast is then placed on the flask forming a spacing between the cope pattern and the oversize impression. A resin coated sand is then blown to form a sand layer between the oversized impression in the flask and the cope pattern. The resin sand is set to form a mold of a thickness between the oversized impression in the flask and the cope pattern of the product to be cast. The drag mold is formed in a similar manner. | 09-18-2014 |
20140262103 | FORMING A MOLD FOR STEEL CASTING - A method of forming a mold for use in the casting of a steel railway freight car truck component is provided. A cope mold is formed by providing a near net shape oversize impression of a cope pattern of a product to be cast in a flask. A cope pattern of the product to be cast is then placed on the flask forming a spacing between the cope pattern and the oversize impression. A resin coated sand is then blown to form a sand layer between the oversized impression in the flask and the cope pattern. The resin sand is set to form a mold of a thickness between the oversized impression in the flask and the cope pattern of the product to be cast. The drag mold is formed in a similar manner. | 09-18-2014 |
20140262102 | FORMING A MOLD FOR STEEL CASTING - A method of forming a mold for use in the casting of a steel railway freight car truck component is provided. A cope mold is formed by providing a near net shape oversize impression of a cope pattern of a product to be cast in a flask. A cope pattern of the product to be cast is then placed on the flask forming a spacing between the cope pattern and the oversize impression. A resin coated sand is then blown to form a sand layer between the oversized impression in the flask and the cope pattern. The resin sand is set to form a mold of a thickness between the oversized impression in the flask and the cope pattern of the product to be cast. The drag mold is formed in a similar manner. | 09-18-2014 |
20140262101 | FORMING A MOLD FOR STEEL CASTING - A method of forming a mold for use in the casting of a steel railway freight car truck component is provided. A cope mold is formed by providing a near net shape oversize impression of a cope pattern of a product to be cast in a flask. A cope pattern of the product to be cast is then placed on the flask forming a spacing between the cope pattern and the oversize impression. A resin coated sand is then blown to form a sand layer between the oversized impression in the flask and the cope pattern. The resin sand is set to form a mold of a thickness between the oversized impression in the flask and the cope pattern of the product to be cast. The drag mold is formed in a similar manner. | 09-18-2014 |
20140262100 | FORMING A MOLD FOR STEEL CASTING - A method of forming a mold for use in the casting of a steel railway freight car truck component is provided. A cope mold is formed by providing a near net shape oversize impression of a cope pattern of a product to be cast in a flask. A cope pattern of the product to be cast is then placed on the flask forming a spacing between the cope pattern and the oversize impression. A resin coated sand is then blown to form a sand layer between the oversized impression in the flask and the cope pattern. The resin sand is set to form a mold of a thickness between the oversized impression in the flask and the cope pattern of the product to be cast. The drag mold is formed in a similar manner. | 09-18-2014 |
20140261064 | STABILIZED RAILWAY FREIGHT CAR TRUCK - A stabilized railway car truck consists of two side frames and a holster. The bolster has laterally opposite ends, each end extending into and supported within a side frame opening on a spring group. The stabilized railway car truck also includes a transom extending into, and supported within, a side frame opening. The spring group is supported at each transom end. Each side frame has a pedestal opening at each end that receive a rotating lug to accept a elastomeric steering pad and bearing adapter. The attachment of the side frames and transom is a rigid pivotal connection. Friction shoes between the side frames and bolster provide damping of an initial low to a high rate friction once engaged. The pivotal decoupling of the side frame and transom, and the lateral movement of the friction shoes to the bolster, eliminates track displacement irregularities from reacting at the bolster and into the vehicle. | 09-18-2014 |
20140190307 | RAILCAR HANDBRAKE WHEEL - A railcar handbrake wheel of polymeric composition including an outer ring connected to a hub by at least two spokes. The hub containing an insert or core molded into the hub. The core is a shaft member having a first end and a second end, with a head connected to the first end. The head on the first end of the core having a greater cross-sectional area than the second end of the core. The core containing an opening extending from the first end to the second end. | 07-10-2014 |
20140174318 | BRAKE BEAM ASSEMBLY FOR A RAILWAY CAR TRUCK - A brake beam assembly for a railway car truck includes a brake beam mounted between opposed side frames of the railway car truck with opposite right hand and left hand ends. A strut is coupled to the brake beam and has opposite right hand and left hand ends coupled to the brake beam. Brake heads are coupled to the brake beam and struts proximate to the right hand and left hand ends thereof. Each brake head holds a brake shoe configured to engage a wheel of the railway car truck. Paddles extend from the brake heads. The paddles have distal ends configured to be received in wear liners in corresponding side frames of the railway car truck. A separation distance between the distal ends of the paddles is adjustable | 06-26-2014 |
20140174317 | BRAKE BEAM PADDLE CAPS - A brake beam assembly for a railway car truck includes a brake beam configured to be mounted between opposed side frames of the railway car truck, a strut extending from the brake beam and brake heads coupled to the brake beam proximate to right hand and left hand ends thereof. Each brake head holds a brake shoe configured to engage a wheel of the railway car truck. Paddles extend exterior of the brake heads. The paddles have distal ends received in corresponding guide brackets of the side frames to guide movement of the brake beam. Paddle caps cover the distal ends of the paddles. The paddle caps are configured to be received in brake beam wear liners in corresponding side frames of the railway car truck. The paddle caps have a lower coefficient of friction than the paddles. | 06-26-2014 |
20140116976 | COUPLER KNUCKLE - An improved coupler-knuckle assembly is comprised of a coupler body, a knuckle, and at least two knuckle retainer plugs. The knuckle has an internal coring geometry that increases the cross-sectional area of the throat portion of the knuckle compared to previous designs. The present invention's knuckle design includes a top and a bottom tapered holes in the knuckle with a locking groove at the bottom of each tapered hole for the knuckle retainer plugs to snap into. The knuckle retainer plugs are inserted through the coupler body and into the tapered holes in the knuckle. The improved coupler-knuckle assembly of the present invention reduces fatigue on the coupler, knuckle, and knuckle pin, prevents misalignment of the coupler-knuckle assembly, and prevents knuckle pin breakage. | 05-01-2014 |
20140111356 | RAILWAY TANK CAR SECURITY DEVICE - A railcar sensing system is provided that in particular provides a system for sensing the orientation of a hatch of a railway tank car. The railcar sensing system includes an accelerometer for sensing the orientation of the hatch, a position sensing device for detecting the global position of the railcar, and a processing unit. The accelerometer sends a first signal to the processing unit when the orientation of the hatch changes more than a predetermined angle. The processing unit also senses whether the railway tank car is outside one of the preselected safe zones. If the railway tank car is located outside one of the preselected safe zones, and the accelerometer senses that the hatch orientation has been changed more than a predetermined angle, an alert signal is sent to a receiver indicative of such event. | 04-24-2014 |
20140110368 | COUPLER KNUCKLE PIN - An improved polymeric knuckle pin with at least one indented area that elastomer rings rest in. The indented area is strategically placed in an area on the shaft of the pin where the coupler-knuckle connection exerts impact, force, and stress on the pin. The elastomer rings in the indented area provide cushion to the pin from the impact, force, and stress, allow the pin to avoid hard contact with the coupler and knuckle, distribute the loads exerted by the coupler and knuckle more evenly, realign the coupler and knuckle positions, and protect the pin itself from surface cuts and scratches. The elastomer rings on the shaft of the pin improve the life of both the coupler-knuckle assembly and the pin. | 04-24-2014 |
20140060979 | RAILCAR HANDBRAKE MONITOR - A device for monitoring the status of a railcar handbrake having a hand operated handle, which device has a magnet configured to he inserted in the linkage of a railcar handbrake system. A sensing component is mounted on the railcar to sense the proximity of the magnet when the handbrake is applied. A system and method using the monitoring device to provide communication of an alarm when the handbrake is applied and the railcar is moving. | 03-06-2014 |
20130342362 | System and Method for Monitoring Railcar Performance - A system for monitoring operation of a railcar having one or more sensing units, mounted on the railcar, for monitoring operating parameters and or conditions of the railcar, and a communication management unit, in wireless communication with the sensing units, wherein the system can make a determination of an alarm condition based on data collected the sensing units. A temperature sensor device for use in such a system is also provided. | 12-26-2013 |
20130333990 | RAILCAR BRAKE BEAM WEAR LINER - A brake beam wear plate assembly for a railway car truck sideframe is provided. A brake beam wear plate is provided and adapted to be inserted in a brake beam guide which is typically an integral component of a railway car truck sideframe. The brake beam wear plate itself is comprised of a channel shaped body having an upper wall, a lower wall, and a bottom wall. The brake beam wear plate is typically comprised of a polymer or a high density plastic. The brake beam wear plate also includes a projecting locating tab and the brake beam guide itself includes a complimentary cutout section. | 12-19-2013 |
20130230265 | ROLLER BEARING BACKING RING ASSEMBLY - A novel assembly for a railcar axle bearing is presented. The assembly includes a backing ring affixed to the fillet of the journal of an axle and a locking ring for further affixing the backing ring the journal. The locking ring has an inboard end affixed to the dust guard of the axle and an outboard end for engaging the backing ring. The looking ring may include a resilient sealing ring. | 09-05-2013 |
20130220961 | RAILCAR CUSHIONING DEVICE - A railcar cushioning device has a hydraulic cylinder holding pressurized fluid. The cylinder has a cylinder body with an inner chamber and a reservoir chamber. A piston is movably positioned in the inner chamber. The cylinder body has a bleed opening allowing bleed flow from the inner chamber to the reservoir chamber. A bleed orifice valve in the bleed opening has a valve housing and a poppet received in the valve housing that moves to allow and restrict fluid flow through a bleed flow path based on the pressure of the fluid. The poppet has an orifice channel allowing a restricted fluid flow through the valve housing when the pressure in the inner chamber is greater than the pressure in the reservoir chamber. | 08-29-2013 |
20130193705 | CAST STEEL RAILWAY WHEEL - A cast steel railway wheel includes a hub that has an axial bore. A rim is concentric with the bore. A plate extends substantially radially from the hub to the rim. The plate has a front face and a rear face. The plate has a plurality of spokes that extend between the hub and the rim. Adjacent spokes have different thicknesses defined between the front face and the rear face. | 08-01-2013 |
20130019686 | Method and apparatus for a railway wheel ultrasonic testing apparatus - A method and apparatus for collecting ultrasonic test data from a railway wheel with an ultrasonic testing apparatus is described. The railway wheel is supported by two drive rollers, each having an indentation which engages with and rotates the wheel. An indexing transducer moves across the rotating wheel, collecting ultrasonic test data while a fixed transducer correlates a reference position on the wheel to the collected test data. To maintain the accuracy of the reference position to the collected test data, it is desirable to maintain the rotational stability of the wheel, minimizing any dynamic instability caused by dimensional tolerances in the wheel. To mitigate instabilities resulting from dimensional tolerances, the indentation of the drive rollers, which engage and drive the flange of the wheel, is adjustable by the flexing design of the drive rollers to maintain frictional contact between the wheel and the drive roller. This allows the indentation to accommodate the varying dimensional tolerances of the wheel flange, mitigating the possibility of dynamic instability resulting from departure of the wheel flange from the indentation. | 01-24-2013 |
20120325005 | Railway wheel ultrasonic testing apparatus - A method and apparatus for collecting ultrasonic test data from a railway wheel with an ultrasonic testing apparatus is described. The railway wheel is supported by two drive rollers, each having an indentation which engages with and rotates the wheel. An indexing transducer moves across the rotating wheel, collecting ultrasonic test data while a fixed transducer correlates a reference position on the wheel to the collected test data. To maintain the accuracy of the reference position to the collected test data, it is desirable to maintain the rotational stability of the wheel, minimizing any dynamic instability caused by dimensional tolerances in the wheel. To mitigate instabilities resulting from dimensional tolerances, the indentation of the drive rollers, which engage and drive the flange of the wheel, are variably spaced using a resilient member to maintain frictional contact between the wheel and the drive roller. This allows the indentation to accommodate the varying dimensional tolerances of the wheel flange, mitigating the possibility of dynamic instability resulting from departure of the wheel flange from the indentation. | 12-27-2012 |
20120318166 | Railway freight car truck - An improved railway car truck is provided that includes two sideframes and a bolster. The bolster has laterally opposite ends, each end extending into and supported within a sideframe opening on a spring group. Each sideframe also has a pedestal opening at each end to receive a bearing adapter assembly. The railway car truck also includes a transom extending into and supported within a sideframe opening. The spring group is supported at each transom end. A lateral damping cylinder is connected between the bolster and the transom. A vertical damping cylinder is connected between the bolster and the sideframe. | 12-20-2012 |
20120317814 | Method of manufacturing a roller bearing seal - A method of manufacturing bearing seal for use in a roller bearing is provided. A steel coil of a preselected width is fed into a ring rolling machine to form a closed coil ring. The closed coil ring is then welded along the butted joint. The welded closed coil ring is then fed to a series of pre-forming machines wherein the desired profiles of the final bearing seal are formed. | 12-20-2012 |
20120195540 | Roller bearing backing ring assembly - A novel assembly for a railcar axle bearing is presented. The assembly includes a backing ring affixed to the fillet of the journal of an axle and a locking ring for further affixing the backing ring the journal. The locking ring has an inboard end affixed to the dust guard of the axle and an outboard end for engaging the backing ring. | 08-02-2012 |
20120082407 | Railway car bearing seal spacer assembly - A bearing assembly is provided having a roller bearing with two cones defining an inner raceway fitted around the journal portion of an axle. A cup defines an outer raceway that combines with the inner raceway to receive roller elements. A spacer separates the cones, and a spacer support is provided to position and support the spacer. | 04-05-2012 |
20120046811 | Railcar Handbrake Monitor - A device for monitoring the status of a railcar handbrake having a hand operated handle, which device has a load bearing member configured to be inserted in the linkage of a railcar handbrake system so that the force applied to the brake system passes through the load bearing member. A strain gauge mounted on the load bearing member measures the strain. The information from the strain gauge is indicative of the force applied by the handbrake to the brake and is used to determine the status of the handbrake. Means for determining motion of the railcar is also provided. In one form, if it is determined that the brake is on and the railcar is in motion, information, such as an alarm, is transmitted. A system and method of monitoring a railcar handbrake are also provided. | 02-23-2012 |
20120037586 | Railway coupler knuckle - Railway coupler knuckle apparatus are described herein. An example railway coupler knuckle includes a tail portion, a hub portion and a transition portion joining the tail portion and the hub portion. The hub portion includes a generally cylindrical pivot pin passage having a longitudinal axis. The railway coupler knuckle has a cavity formed inside the tail portion and at least a portion of the transition portion and a first wall extends between surfaces of the cavity adjacent the transition portion. | 02-16-2012 |
20120037033 | Tapered brake beam wear liner - A brake beam wear liner for receiving a brake beam assembly includes a base wall extending between a rear end and front end. The base wall has opposite side edges. The base wall has a tapered thickness between the rear end and the front end with the base wall being thicker proximate to the rear end and being narrower proximate to the front end. The brake beam wear liner also includes side walls extending from the opposite side edges and flanges extending outward from the side walls generally opposite the base wall. The side walls and the base wall define an open ended trough configured to receive an end of the brake beam assembly. | 02-16-2012 |
20120037032 | Brake beam wear liner - A brake beam wear liner for receiving a brake beam assembly of a railway car truck includes a base wall having an inner surface and an outer surface extending between opposite side edges, and having a base wall thickness between the inner surface and the outer surface thereof. The brake beam wear liner also includes sidewalls extending from the opposite side edges. The sidewalls have inner surfaces and outer surfaces, and have a sidewall thickness between the inner surface and the outer surface thereof. The inner surfaces of the sidewalls and the inner surface of the base wall define an open ended trough configured to receive an end of the brake beam assembly. The brake beam wear liner also includes flanges extending outward from the sidewalls. The flanges have inner surfaces and outer surfaces, and have a flange thickness between the inner surfaces and the outer surfaces thereof. The base wall thickness is greater than the sidewall thickness. | 02-16-2012 |
20100288157 | SENSOR INTERFACE - A sensor interface is disclosed including a flexible substrate in which are embedded sensors for measuring physical parameters such as temperature, displacement, velocity, acceleration, stress, strain, pressure and force present between objects such as a railcar bearing and a truck side frame. The substrate is positioned between the objects of interest Electronic components such as a data processing unit, a data storage device, a communication device and a power source may also be embedded within the substrate. The electronic devices communicate with one another and the sensors to process signals generated by the sensors indicative of the parameters being measured. | 11-18-2010 |
20100174428 | Railroad Train Monitoring System - Railcar monitoring utilizes instrumented, flexible pads supported within the truck pedestal jaws on the bearing adapters. The pads contain sensors for monitoring temperature pressure, shifting loads, truck hunting and the like and have circuitry for processing information received from the sensors and for processing and reporting departures of performance variables to a remote source. The system cyclically activates polling each pad on a car and communicates signals of critical departures and car identity to a remote source. | 07-08-2010 |