Non-metallic wear plate for railroad car couplers and method of use

摘要

A non-metallic wear plate assembly for railroad car couplers comprises a wear plate of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene having an upper surface with side edges and a middle portion therebetween, the upper surface of the wear plate sloping downwardly from the side edges to the middle portion, and a number of counter-bored holes in the wear plate with a larger diameter and a smaller diameter with the larger diameter of the counter-bored holes facing up, the wear plate being mounted on a steel filler plate by weld washers which are positioned in the holes and are welded to the filler plate, with optional weld washer plugs being positioned in the holes above the weld washers and flush with the upper surface of the wear plate. A method of using the non-metallic wear plate for railroad car couplers to center a coupler and protect it against wear.