US2139288A - Method of car construction - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 6, 1938.

Zeg a@ ATTORNEY DGO 6, 1938- T. G. sHlPLEY METHOD 0F CAR CONSTRUCTION Filed March 6, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Iulow Pololahln o Palo NM.

70H0?? G. Shipley AT1-ORN@ o.. o ca .oo o

Dec. 6, 1938. T. G. sHlPLEY METHOD 0F CAR CONSTRUCTION 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 6, 1957 ATTORN EY ooaooo ooeeoo0aeoooooaooeoooeeo Pete-med Dee'. e, 193s Ma'rnon or can coNsraucrroN 'reiben a. shipley, sauna, Mo., enigmi i American Car and Foundry Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 6, 1937, Serial N0. 129,339

3 Claims. (Cl. 29--1640 'I'his invention relates to improvements in the process of erecting car bodies and particularly the bodies of freight or passenger cars.

The car bodies are preferably made of mate- 5 rial having great strengthwhich permits, for a given strength, the use of thinner material than heretofore used. The use of this thinner material causes great diiiiculty in handling. under known processes, due to the tendency to develop w unsightly buckles caused by unequal stresses in the structure. It is an object, therefore, of the invention to provide a suitable work positioning support upon which the ycar side may be assembled in a rigid. unstressed condition.

l5 Another object of the invention is the provision of a suitable work positioning support upon which the car side may be rigidly assembled and prepared for riveting.

A further object of the invention is the provi- 2o sion of a suitable work positioning support upon which a car side may be rigidly assembled, fully prepared for the driving oi' all rivets, and then transported without distortion to a machine riveter where all rivets are driven prior to attach- 25 ment of the car side on the skeleton underframe.

A still further object of the invention is the provision oi' a process wherein all true fitting bolts are eliminated and the parts are tack-welded together permitting the driving of all rivets 30 without 'interruption by the machine riveter.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a study of the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

35 Figure 1 is a plan view of approximately one halfv of a car side resting on the assembly support prior to application of the side sheets:

Fig. 2 is a plan View of approximately the other half of the car side resting on the work position- 40 ing support but with the side sheets applied and the tack-welding completed:

Figs. 3 and 4 are elevational views of the side shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and taken together show the complete work positioning support with the 45 full car side resting thereon;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged interior view of a portion of the carside removed from the work positioning ssuppcrt and ready for riveting;

Fig. 6 is an .enlarged exterior view of a portion of the car side after being riveted and ready for application to the skeleton underi'rame;

Fig. '7 is an enlarged view taken on line 1--1 of Fig. 2 and showing the side sheets held in place by the tack-weld but with the drift pin still in place. and

Fig. 8 is a sectional view on the line 8 4, Fig. 2. Referring now to the drawings in detail, it is seen that the car side is of conventional structural design being composed of side sill A. plate B.

posts C and sheets D. The side sill as shown is of angle formation having all necessary rivet holes punched therein and with channel form underframe connectors 2 and I fastened thereto as well as channel form door opening stiffener 8. The side sill is prepared as described prior to being 10 brought to the assembly positioning support which consists of longitudinal rails 8 supported on transverse channels i0 spanning a pit I2. The longitudinal andvtransverse members are so located with respect to the pit to permit easy access il to all parts of the frame by workmen in the pit. It is, of course, obvious that the work positioning support may be located on trestles above a comparatively smooth floor permitting the workmen lto operate on the frame as before but without the necessity of constructing a pit.

A door post is indicated in the drawings at 26 and a wall plate D is secured thereto as by rivets 2l (Figs. 2 ande) prior to assembly of the side construction. This particular wall plate is indicated-at 24. In assembling the frame, the door post 2l, with its attached wall plate D, is laid on the longitudinal rails of the work positioningsupport in approximately the proper position, and the side posts C are then laid on the longitudinal 3c rails I in their approximate locations, the side posts C having been previously punched. Fillers. or spacers i3. are arranged on the anges it oi the door posts 26 and the side posts C and then the side plate B is arranged in position across the post 28 and the posts C, while the side sill is similarly arranged on the opposite end portions of said posts. The several posts and the sicle plate and side sill are then connected by means of suitable fasteners such as the bolts iii. The prepared side sheets, which have body portions il and punched edge portions 20, with. at least one edge portion offset as at 22 to overlap the adjacent side sheet, are then laid upon the bolted frame much as shingles would be arranged; the sheet D adjacent the sheet 2l being first arranged and so on to the end of the frame. In applying the sheets Il it will be apparent that the upper edge portions il will be slid under the lower flange of the side plate and into abutment with the spacers i3, as shown clearly in Fig. 8. With the several side sheets in position, bolts 30 are passed through the side plate and each sheet and tightened, thus movably securing each sheet to the frame. Bolts 3l are also inserted for secur- 66 ing the door posts in position, and drift pins 36 are then driven in place to draw the sheets to their proper position and to hold them in contact with each other and with the respective posts, following which tack-welds 38 are made from beneath to connect the side sill with the side sheets and tack-welds 40 are made, from beneath, to connect the side plate with the several side sheets. The side sheets are additionally tackwelded to the posts at a suitable number of places, as shown at 42. In making these welds it has been found advisable for a workman to stand on the sheets and use a heavy bar, or the like, substantially above the point at which the weld is being made in order to insure proper contact of the parts. The frame is now in the condition illustrated in Fig. 2.

All drift pins are now removed as are also the few fitting bolts and all holes for the riveting of the sheets are reamed if necessary by the usual portable reamer leaving the frame in the condition shown in Fig. 5. The frame is then removed from the work positioning support and transported to the deep gap machine riveter (not shown) which drives all remaining rivets leaving the frame in the finished form as indicated by Fig. 6.

The various steps in assembly have been described as though each were completed before the next was started, but such is not necessary as it is possible for the Welders to be working on one end of the frame before the fitters have finished applying the sheets at the other end of the frame. After the fitters have finished at one end' they can immediately start removing the drift pins and bolts at the other end permitting the reamers to follow the Welders very closely. It is thus seen that a small group of men may quickly assemble a side frame in condition for rapid machine riveting without any interruptions and also that due to the rigidity occasioned by the tack-welding and the freedom from straining permitted by Welding and teaming, the side sheets will remain flat and not show unsightly buckles heretofore present in all light gauge metal structures.

The method just described is of prime importance where thin sheets of high tensile strength are used but it is also applicable to ordinary sheets and it is to be understood that the invention is to be limited only by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The herein described process of assembling car sides which comprises arranging a side sill, side plate and side posts in definite relative relation on a work positioning support, temporarily connecting the side sill and side plate to the posts to form a skeleton frame, arranging side sheets in position on said skeleton frame, securing the side sheets to the side sill, side plate and posts by tack welding to form a semi-rigid side while holding the side sheets firmly in position, removing the temporary fastenings, removing the semi-rigid side from the work positioning support, and finally rigidly connecting the side sheets, posts, side sill and side plate together.

2. The herein described process of assembling car sides which comprises punching all rivet holes in the side sill, side plate, side posts and side sheets, arranging the prepared side sill, side plates and side posts on a work positioning support, bolting said side sill and side plate to the posts to form a skeleton frame, arranging the prepared side sheets in position upon said skeleton frame, applying drift pins to hold the side sheets in position, securing the side sheets to the side sill, plate and posts by tack welding to form a semi-rigid side, removing the drift pins and bolts, reaming all rivet holes, removing the semirigid side from the work positioning support, and finally rigidly connecting the side sheets, posts, side sill and side plate together.

3. The herein described process of assembling car sides having door openings therein bounded by door posts which comprises punching all rivet holes in the side sill, side plate, side posts and side sheets, arranging the prepared side sill, side plate and side posts in a definite relative relation on a work positioning support and in a horizontal position, bolting said side sill and side plate to certain fof the posts to form a skeleton frame, riveting each of the door posts to a side sheet to form a rigid unit, bolting the door post unit to the skeleton frame, arranging the remaining prepared side sheets in position on said skeleton frame, applying drift pins to hold the side sheets in position, securing the side sheets to the side sill, side plate and posts by tack welding to form a semi-rigid side, removing the drift pins and bolts, reaming all remaining rivet holes, and finally rigidly riveting the assembled parts tosether.

TOLBO'IT G. SHIPLEY.

Images