Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~ ~9594
The invention concerns a bottom~discharge dump car particularly
for loose materials, comprising an upper section defining a load space,
and having support tracks on each side for engagement with and
support on bearing wheels in an unloading sta~ion. The car has a lower
section with a drop bottom to the load space. Such bottom-discharge
dump cars are unloaded in unloading stations especially equipped for
that purpose, and the cars conventionally include a drop flap which is
lowerable downwards into a bin at the unloading station and supported
in the lowered state by rollers running on a curved rail.
The unloading station has a row of bearing wheels in the direction
of travel of the car which support the upper part of the car in level
position engaging beneath the support tracks located on the upper section
thus shifting the we~ght of the car off the main wheels. The unloading
station also is equipped with the curved rail by which the lowering of the
discharge bottom flap is controlled.
In conventional cars the discharge flap drops down transversely
to the longitudinal axis of the car (that is the pivot bearings for the
drop flap are aligned parallel to the direction of the longi~udinal axis
of the car and mounted on the longitudinal side of the upper section.
Upon entering the unloading station the upper section of the car moves
fo~ards along the bearing wheels, while the bottom flap is supported
while being opened transversely by rollers carried by the flap which
engage the curved rail and, depending on the shape of the curved rail
are moved from closed to open position. At the conclusion of the step
of discharging the load, the flap is returned to closed position by further
movement of the car, and engagement of the rollers with the curved rail.
While the drop flap is being opened, the emerging loose material
generates a transverse force component such that the car is pressed
against the flanges of the bearing wheels on the longitudinal side of
the car on which the drop flap is rotatably mounted. Since thls pressure,
against the flanges of the bearing wheels by the adjacent support track
-- 1 --
~9~
occurs during entry of the car into the unloading station, the loose
material which is initially entirely withln the load space presses
particularly heavily against the drop flap as it is being opened, the
transverse force component ls thus particularly great and results in
considerable wear of the bearing wheels. Another disadvantage is that
the car tends to move quite appreciably to one side as a result of this
transverse force component with the result that derailment of the drop
flap rollers can occur, thus rendering impossible the automatic closing
of the flap after discharge of the load. With such displacement of the
upper section of the car, there is the danger that after the closing
process has been completed the main wheels of the car will no longer ride
up cleanly onto and properly engage the rails when leaving the unloading
station, resulting in derailment. Finally, such cars cannot be run into
the unloading station in reverse, since the discharge flap rollers are
then improperly placed with respect to the curved rail.
It is an object of the invention to provide a bottom-discharge
dump car of the kind described which enables satisfactory running of
the car onto the bearing wheels in the unloading station without undue
wear and without derailment of the rollers on the drop bottom flap.
The apparatus here disclosed is a bottom-discharge dump car of
the type described above in which drop bottom flaps are caused to open
in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the car and are thus mounted
on pivot bearings disposed transversely to the longitudinal axis of the
car. The result of these measures is that in the course of unloadlng
of the car a major transverse force component resulting from loose
material pressing against the drop bottom is no longer present, instead~
longitudinal force components are produced so that any lateral movement
of the car against the flanges of the bearing wheels is minimized, as
well as any outward movement of the rollers on the drop flaps. Satis-
factory running up of the support tracks onto the bearing wheels in the
unloading station, and satisfactory contact between the rollers on the
~ ~59~
drop ~laps and the curyed rail is at all times enabled. Wear o~ the
flanges of the ~earing wfieels? and derailment of the rollers can thus be
avoided.
The drop flaps may have rollers located on both sides~ arranged in
mirror symmetry to the longitudinal a~is of the car with curved rails for
cooperation with these. The car may thus be run into the unloading
station in reverse. The rollers located on both sides ensure satisfac-
tory opening and closing motions of the drop flaps to avoid warping ef-
fects. The drop flaps may be transversely divided in the middle of the
1() car and the pivot bearings on the upper section located adiacent the ends
of the car. ~ith such an arrangement, the drop flaps are lowered from
the middle of the car in opposite directions towards the end walls of the
car with the consequence that the longitudinal force components resulting
from the pressure of the loose material counteract one another. Thus, in
the course of unloading the car, satisfactory distribution of forces, in
equilibrium, is achieved~
Other features described are that in the closed state the drop flaps
are close together with the adjacent edges sealed by individual sealing
beads closely separated from one another, the beads being located in the
middle region of the car underneath a crosspiece preferably designed as a
deflecting roof, which overlies them. By separating the sealing beads for
the two drop flaps from one another, damage to the sealing beads from
crushing effects of material in the car are avoided, for instance, when
the two drop flaps do not close exactly at the same time. Satisfactory
sealing between a drop flap edge and its respective bead is effected in-
~ !
-- 3 --
5~L
dependently of the other ~Qttom flap and its sealing bead. To avoid
possi`ble inadvertent sideways discharge, the drop ~laps are provided
w~th chute walls overlapping the side walls o~ the car~ prefera~ly on
the outside, ~orming a chute. The chute walls may be high enough so that
even when the drop flaps are fully lowered there is no side gap.
2~
: - 3a
. .
:
The rollers are mounted rotatably on the chute walls, by means of pro-
filed brackets which at the same time contribute to the stabilization
and stength of the cute walls. The curved rails may be made mirror
symmetrical not only to the longitudinal axis of the car, but also
transversely to the longitudinal axis, so that they prov:ide identical
opening and closing curve segments for the flaps.
Advantages achieved by the disclosed apparatus are that the bottom-
discharge dump car performs satisfactory running up on the bearing
wheels of an unloading station with reduced wear phenomena and without
derailment of the rollers on the drop flaps. Self-closing of the drop
bottoms after unloading of the load space is thus effected, along with
smooth return of the main wheels to the rails. As a result the new
; bottom-discharge dump car is distinguished by greater functional re-
liability and longer li~e.
More particularly in accordance with the invention there is pro-
vided, a bottom discharge dump car for movement along rails and into an
unloading station, said car having a longitudinal axis~ comprising,
an upper section defining a load space having side and end walls~
- main wheels carried on said car for normal support of said car on
said rails outside said unloading station,
support tracks on either side of said upper section for engagement
with bearing wheels in the unloading station,
a pair of bottom discharge flaps to said car,
pivot bearings carried by said car for permitting lowering of each
said flap respectively about an axis transverse to said longitudinal
axis,
-- 4 --
a respective upstanding bearing bracket on each side of said flaps,
a roller mounted on each said bracket for support of said re
spective flap in said unloading station and Eor lowering subsequent
raising of said flap, while said car passes into and out of said unload-
ing station, by engagement with a respective curved rail adJacent said
bracket in said unloading station,
each saiddischarge flap having upstanding walls adjacent its side
edges and overlapping said side walls of the car, each said f:lap thereby
for~ing a chute for confining and directing material disch~rged from the
car when such flap is in lowered condition,
said main wheels running clear of said rails, and said car being
supported by cooperation of said support tracks with said bearing wheels
in said unloading station, and said flaps being laterally confined by
the respective curved rails and adjacent upstanding bearing brackets.
The main wheels may be carried on the bottom discharge flaps. The
rollers on either side of the car may be disposed in mirror symmetry to
the longitudinal axis of the car. The discharge flaps may provide a
transverse division in the middle of the car with respective pivot bear-
ings for the flaps adjacent respective ends of the car. There may be a
pair of sealing beads adjacent one another in the center of the car Eor
sealing the closing edges of the flaps with a roof form crosspiece pro-
tecting the beads. The curved rails may be so shaped to provide
identical opening and closing segmental paths for the respective dis~
charge flaps.
Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described
having reference to the accompanying drawings in which;
~ .
- 5 ~
`'` ! ~
, ~
.
`~' ' ` ' :
` ~995~
Figure 1 shows a bottom-discharge dump car schematically in end
elevation9 partly in vertical section, and
Figure 2 shows the apparatus of Figure 1 in side elevation with
lowered drop bottom flap.
In the figures there is shown a bottom-discharge dump car, particu-
larly for loose materials, comprising an upper car section 1 with load
space,support tr~cks 2 on both sides for running up engagement on bearing
whee~ 3 in an unloading station 4, and a lower section 5 with
bottom 6 closing off the load space. The bottom is divided into two
drop flaps 6a, 6b whlch are separated from each other, each fitted with
a main wheel-and-axle assembly 7. Drop flaps 6a and 6b are mounted on
pivot bearings 8 to be lowerable into a bin of unloading station 4, and
in the lowered state are supported by means of rollers 9 on a curved
rail 10. Drop flaps 6a, 6b open in the direction of longitudinal dump
car axis 11, and for this purpose are mounted lowerably on pivot bearings 8
aligned transversely to longitudinal axfs 11 of the car. The drop flaps 6a,6b
have rollers 9 disposed in mirror-symmetry on either side of the longitudinal
axis 11, with curved rails 10 cooperating with respective rollers. They
are transversely divided in the middle of the car, while in the vicinity
~0 of the ends of the car, pivot bearings 8 are located in the upper section
of the car. Drop flaps 6a, 6b thus fall away from each other during the
unloading process, thereby mutually compensating the longltudinal force
- 5a -
5~
components that arise. When closed, the flaps 6a, 6b are oriented
tightly together with their neighboring edges 12 at sealing beads 13a,_13b
and are thus closely separated from each other. The beads are located in
the middle of the car underneath a crosspiece 14 which covers them and is
preferably designed with a material deflecting roof shape. Drop Elaps 6a,
6b have upstanding walls 16 overlapping the side walls 15 of the car on
the outside, thus forming a chute. Rollers 9 are mounted rotatably on
the wall 16 by way of bearing brackets 17. Curved rails 10 have identical
opening and closing curve segments 18 and are thus also in mirror-symmetry
transversel~ to longieudinll c~r axi~ 11.
'
. .
