Bridge Plate Assembly Asymmetric Locking Offset
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Solution Overview
Problem
Auto-rack railroad cars struggle to accommodate vehicles with wider wheel bases due to standard bridge plates' limited width, requiring separate ramps for loading and unloading, increasing time and manpower needs.
Innovation Solution
A bridge plate assembly with a locking assembly that includes a guide tube holding a pivot pin, allowing the bridge plates to be offset from the center, thereby increasing the distance between their outer edges to accommodate wider vehicles while maintaining support for narrower ones.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If standard bridge plates with centered locking assemblies are used, then the bridge plates maintain standard dimensions and can support vehicles with standard wheel bases, but the distance between outer edges of parallel bridge plates is insufficient for vehicles with wider wheel bases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking assembly is positioned asymmetrically with its center shifted to one side from the center of the bridge plate. This asymmetric positioning increases the distance between the outer edges of parallel bridge plates, enabling accommodation of vehicles with wider wheel bases while maintaining support for standard vehicles
2Adaptability or versatility
If the distance between bridge plates is increased to accommodate wider wheel base vehicles, then vehicles with wider wheel bases can be transported, but the bridge plate dimensions would need to be altered
Solution Approach 1:
By positioning the locking assembly asymmetrically rather than changing bridge plate dimensions, the system achieves adaptability for different vehicle wheel bases while maintaining standard bridge plate manufacturing specifications
Solution Approach 2:
The bridge plate system becomes dynamically adaptable to different vehicle configurations through the offset locking assembly, allowing the same bridge plate to accommodate both standard and wider wheel base vehicles without physical modification
3Adaptability or versatility
If separate ramps are used for loading and unloading wider wheel base vehicles, then these vehicles can be handled, but additional time and manpower are required
Solution Approach 1:
The bridge plate system with offset locking assembly becomes universal, capable of handling both standard and wider wheel base vehicles through the same infrastructure, eliminating the need for separate ramps and improving overall productivity
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems are provided for locking assemblies of a pair of bridge plates placed between adjacent railcars. In one example, a bridge plate assembly may include a locking assembly with a guide tube shifted to a side from a center of a bridge plate and a pivot pin coupled to the guide tube protruding out of a left side or a right side of the bridge plate.