Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Field of the Invention
rrhe field of this invention relates to railway hopper
car discharge gates, and particularly to such devices that
are pneumatically evacuatedO
Description of the Prior Art
The prior art that is mainly in commercial use is
exemplified by Yrit2, U.S. Patent ~o. 3,797,891, utilized
in the ~orth American Car Company or Fabco gate; by Adler,
U.S. Patent No. 3,980,212, utilized in the ACF Transportation
Corporation gate and by Shaver, et al., U.S. Patent No.
3,693,~39, Shaver, et al., U.S. Patent No. 3,700,143 and
Adler U.S. Patent No. 3,724,909, all assigned to Pullman,
Inc. and Pullman Transport Leasing Company.
The Pullman gate structure basically employs a housing
divided into separate discharge chamhers each including an
elongated opening. The openings are regulated by valves
slidably positioned. A trough is disposed beneath the
openings for receiving materials therefrom and is adapted
to be connected to a pneumatic conveying means. Each
valve is movable to one side o~ the trough to an open
position. A tunnel is provided at the top of the trough
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and is co-extensive therewith above the valve in its
open position.
The principal problam with this type of valve
construction described is its high cost of construction.
The high cost derives mainl~ from the necessity ~o actuate
the wedge shaped valve member in a direction ~ransver8e
o~ the axis of the gate discharge tunnel. This requires
expensive mechanical gearing arrangements and also
requires a lot more material or the assorted shaf~ and
gear members, all of which add unnecessary weight and
C05t to -the gate structure. Another serious problem ~7ith
this gate is i-ts severely cor~stricted discharge opening.
New plastic particulate materials cause this gate to
jam and clog at its discharge port.
lS Another approach to gate construc-tion has been to
position a rotatable ribbed shaft in the discharge opening
between the bottom of the converging hopper walls and
the gate discharge tunnel. This shaft is rotatable
between a fully closed position wherein its ribs intersect
and seal against the edges of the said discharge opening
and a fully open position wherein said ribs are out of
contact with said discharge opening and the open pocket
between said ~ibs and fully expose~ to the material
disposed in the railway car above said shaf~. This valve
has proved difficult to maintain in good operating
condition because materials tend to jam in the pocke~s
be~ween the ribs, thereby interferiny with an operator's
ability to rotate the valve to perform the necessary
discharge operation. In fact, the valve is only about
3~) two inches in diameter and does no~ provide a large enouyh
opening to permit discharge of the new standard type of
plastic particulates~ This valve also has no center bearing
support and hence deflects, allowing pellets (particulates)
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to leak into the tube below. This valve also must move
against the load to move and, in practice, it is common
for an operator to torque the actuator handle right off
the shaft.
The new ~CF gate, called their "spllt butter~ly
valve discharge gate" also operates to open against the
load and this requires considerable force, so much so,
in fact, that a screw must be provided to provide sufficient
mechanical advantage to actuate the valve levers.
Summary of the Invention
The problems of the prior art are overcome by the
present inven~ion which broadly provides a hopper discharge
structure having a dischargin~ valve for evacuating
granular-like lading from hopper cars and the like:
(a) a hopper structure providing end walls and
inclined side walls, the confronting lower edges of which
are spaced apar-t to provide a discharge opening therebe-tween;
(b) a val.ve shaft comprisiny -two axially aligned
portions secured to each other for rotation together around
their axes and rotatably supported between the end walls
along a line parallel to the discharge opening formed
between the inclined side walls, the axial length of the
portions being at least equal to the length of the
discharge opening and each of the portions, for substantially
-the axial length thereof and in cross-secti.ons perpendicular
: to the axis of the shaft, having a peripherally extending
arcuate outer surface which is less than 360 but which has
a peripheral extent between the peripheral. edges of the
outer surface sufficient to extend at least from one of the
conEronting lower edges to the other of ~he conEronting
lower edges and having an inner sur:Eace extending from one
of the peripheral edges to the other, the inner surface being
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spaced from the outer surface substanlially throuyhout its
length between the peripheral edges by arl amount great~r
than the spacing between the irlrler surface an-l the outer
surface at the peripheral edges;
(c) the va].ve shaft having ils axis of rotation
located equally between and along a line beneath the
confronting lower edges of the inclined side walls with the
outer surfaces of the portions having a radius such that
such outer surfaces sit within and close the discharge
opening;
(d) the portions being mounted with their outer
surfaces displaced in the peripheral direction with
respect to each other to provide a plurality of channels
formed in selective portions thereof, with one channel in
one portion extending throughout the length of the valve
shaft, and with partial channels formed in adjacent portions
and of a length less than the one channel and on diametrically
opposite sides thereof;
(e) means for rotating the shaft within the
discharge opening so as to position the channels into
selective lading discharging positions;
(f) a trough underlying the valve shaft and
enclosing the discharge opening for receiving the lading
flowing therethrough, and
(g) a discharge port moun-ted on the trough
externally of the side walls through which the lading is
exhausted under pneumatic or vacuum means.
The Drawings
FIGURE 1 is a cross-sectional view of a one-piece
car hopper discharge skructure;
~ :;'IGURE' 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the
lower portion of the discharge structure shown in FIGURE :L
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with the "valve" of the present invention showrl at the
discharge portion of the hopper;
E'IGURE 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional v:l.e~" of
another embodiment of the hopper structure shown in
FIGURE 1 with the valve in closed position;
FIGURE ~ is an enlarged cross--sectional view of
another embodiment of the hopper structure shown in
FIGURE l;
FIGURE S is an end-sectional view of the end
cap on a discharge hopper tube of the type shown in
FIGURE l;
FIGURE 6 shows a valve in longitudinal cross-
section;
FIGURES 7a-7c are respectively cross-sectional
plan, side and end views of the spring bail shown in
assembled pos~tion in FIGURE 6;
FIGURES 8a and ~b are respectively end an~ side
elevation views of the bracket shown in assembled position
in FIGURE 6;
FIGURES 9a-9c are respectively bottom, end
and side views of the cap and upper bracket shown in
assembled position in FIGURE 6;
FIGURE 10 is an end-view, partly in cross-
section, of -the assembly shown in FIGURE 6, wi-th the cap
and a portion of the bracket removed;
FIGURES llA through llF are schemati.c represent-
ations of valve positions at various stages of s:haft
rotation; and
FIGURE 12 is a perspective view showing the
offset relatiorlship of valve pairs mounted on a common
shaft.
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Description of the Invention
Tlle presenl invention e:Liminates the diEEicult
cloggin~ problem of the prior art clevices where:LIl lubul.ar
valve structures are deployed above the opening at the
bottom of the discharge hopper used wit-h railwa~ cars.
Thi.s is accomplished by the use of an arcuate (a].though
not necessarily arcuate) member 9 which is crescent shaped
in cross-section and which is fixed to a rotatable shaft
10 having an axis disposed closely adjacent and sub
stantially parallel with the discharge opening ~ between
the bottom of the hopper 2 and the top of the gate
discharge tunnel 5. In one preferred embodiment, each
gate includes two valve shafts 10 with two valves 9, one
valve 9 carried by each shaft. In another embodiment,
the two valves are so designed and radially positioned
on a shaft so -that either side can be opened from one
side of the car and each valve (two per shait) can be
sequentially (as well as simultaneously) opened or closed.
This latter construction is shown schematically in E'IG~RE
11, and is described in detail hereinafter. The reason
for "either side control" is that to unload a car an air
cleaner is placed on the tunnel outlet at the far side
of the car (away from the operator), and the suc-tion is on
the other side and it is desired to operate the valves on
the side the suction machine is on, so the vacuum guage,
etc. can be read. Operators also want to open the far
side valve first with the near side closed. This is done
on the Pullrnan gate with two shafts and two valves, the
same way on the ACF gate, and on the North ~merican gate
by the location of the cut-outs in the valve. I'h:is ls
an important desiyn featllre for any gate of the present
type because, if the near side is opened first and
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unloaded air would then suck through the near side valve
instead of l:he air filter on t:he far side outlet, and one
could not unload the far side wi~hout challging the vacllulr
machine to the far side.
In the present invenl:ion the arcuate member 9
is crescent shapecl in cross-section and is sized such that
it may be rotated between a closed positlon (shown in
E'IGURE 2) wherein one longitudinal edge 36 engages a
boundary edge 6 of the said discharge opening between the
hopper 2 and tunnel 5 and a fully open position (not shown)
wherein the other longitudinal edge 37 of said arcuate
member does not engage the other boundary edge 6 of said
discharge opening. The effect of the offset mounting
of valve pairs 9 is shown in FIGURES 11~ through llF
wherein FIGURES l.lA and llB show the relative position
of the valve pairs (near side closed-far side closed)
during a certain rotational position of shaf-t 10. E'IGVRES
llC and llD show another operative position (near side
closed-far side open), and FIGURES llE and llF show still
another operative position (near side open-Ear side closed).
It is apparent that if -the valve pairs 9 are rotated 90
from the position shown in FIGS. llC and llD or in llE
and llF the discharge opening will be open along its entire
length.
The use of this type valve member eliminates
the "pockets" that are subject to overloading and jamming
associated with other prior ar-t devices wherein slotted
substantially tubular members or ribbed circular meïnbers
are disposed above the said hopper discharge opening.
By solving this problem it then becomes an unnecessary
and expensive expedient to employ a transversely slidable
val.ve arrangement as ernp]oyed in the patenled Shaver gates
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previously described.
Detailed Description of the Inverltiorl
A one-piece railway car hopper discharge strllcture
is shown in FIGURE 1 and includes converging wFllls ~ at
the upper end and E:Langes 3 for attachment to the car.
The converglng walls 2 Eorm a discharge aperture 4 at the
lower end before wideninc3 out into a discharge tunnel 5
of tubwlar configuration. Cleanliness requirements for
this gate demand that all welds be ground smooth inside
wlth no porosity, hairline cracks or pin holes. The one-
piece design of the discharge structure shown in FIGURE 1
and FIGURE 2 eliminates all longitudinal welds.
F'IGURE 2 shows the aper-ture 4 with rubber valve
seals 6 retained by plates 7 with screw and nuts 8. The
seals fit against valve 9 which rotates with the shaft 10.
The valve 9 is located in ~ubular discharge turl~el 5 so
that a three inch diameter probe can be inserted between
the
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valve 9 ln i-ts inverted position (indicated in phantom
lines) and the bottom of the dischar~e tunnel 5.
FIGURE 3 shows another type discharge structure
wherein the apertuxe ~ and the discharge tunnel 5 are
defined by extruding aluminum to make tunnel 5 and
welding same to the c,onverging walls 2 of the hoppex
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with rece~sed shapes ~ in tunnel S that permit the
rubber valve seals 11 to be slid into, and retained, in
position without clamping. These s~als may be made o~
any flexible material with good wear characteristics, and
in fact may even be non-flexible s~ch as cast nylon.
However, some flexion in these seals tends to enhance
gate opening and closing. The left side of FIGURE 3
shows the extrusion 5 butting a converging wall 2. The
weld at this point requires grindiny inside with extreme
care. The right side shows the extrusion 5 lappiny under
tho wall 2, thus eliminating the care required in grinding
the weld.
~s the material unloaded with this ~ate is apt to
bridge, it is desirable to have as large an aperture 12
(as shown in FIGURE 4) as possible. In order to eliminate
expen~ive extrusions, another embodiment is shown in
FIGURE ~. In this embodiment, the aperture 12 and outlet
tunnel 13 are defined by formed aluminum with ver~ical
:~, walls 14 and bottom sloping walls ]5 converging with a
one-and-one-half inch radius 16 so that a three inch
probe can be inserted. A portion of the top 17 of
outlet tunnel 13 i5 formed ~o that rubber valve seal 18
can be slid in position and retained so ~hat it cannot
be pulled out in operationO Portion 17 is attached to
the converginy wall 2 on ~he outside of the gate by
weldin~l. This loca~ion of ~he weld eliminates the problems
normally encountered which are assoc.iated with grinding,
pOrO.5 i ~y, hairline cracks, pin holes, etc.
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FIGURE 5 shows the hopper dlscharge structure of
FIGURE 6 as it is closed at its ends by vertical end
panel or cap 19 with aluminum outlet Z0 attached thereto.
Stainless steel tube 21 is of such dimensions that
standard vacuum unloaders can be connected to it and it
is pressed into outlet 20. ~ clean out apert:ure 22 is
above the outlet and the valve so that if the load bridges,
a probe rod can be inserted to break up the load.
PIGURE 6 shows valve 9 in longitudinal section
with 5/i3 inch thick supports 23 with center shaft 24 and
end shaft 25. The valve is operated with handle 26. The
support 23 and handle 26 are attached with 5/16 inch
diameter drive pins 27 and drilled in such a manner that
the pins can be driven through for disassembly. As shown
in FIG. 6 one of the valves 9 is also secured to the
shaft 25 and to the shaft 24 by pins 27, and the other
; valve 9 is secured to the shaft 24 by a pin 27 so that the
two valves 9 rotate together. Withou-t one of the pins 27
which connect the valves 9 to the shaft 24 one of the
valves 9 would be rotatable independently of the other
valve 9. The valve supports 23 are spaced one-halE inch
from the center bearing support 28 and end bearin~
support 29 so that material cannot be lodged between them
and it can be readily cleaned. The configuration of
beariny supports 28 and 29 is such that, when -the valve 9
is in the full open or inverted position, the edges 53 can
be seen and cleaned through the outlet supports. Bearing
supports 28 and 29 have a 45 sloping top surface so the
material can flow off and no ledge is formed.
The bearinys 30 are a woven plastic with seals
on both ends for cleanliness.
Thrust washer 31 is ~lade of steel and the handles 26
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are located longitudinally such that the end faces of
the aluminum valve 9 do not rub on the bearlny supports
28 and 29 which supports are al SO alUrllirlllm SO th;~l-
galling is prevented. The handle 26 is bent outward to
accommoclate a tube beiny placed over l.t for more Leve~acJe
and to clear the top flange 32 of the end panel shown in
E'IGURE 5. The clean-out hole 22 ls closed by a plug 33
with a handle ancl held in place with cotter pin 34 which
is chained by chain 35 to the gate and pluc~ so it cannot
be lost.
The valve 9 of FIGURE 2 is of such a configuration
that when i-t turns on its axis, none of the load is
displaced. In other words the valve surface can slide
circumferentially under the load without liftiny or
displacing any part of the load, which is not the case with
any of -the other known prior art devices. This is
important for ease of operation and minimum force on the
operating handle. The centerline of the axis of the
valve is near (or slightly below) the center of the
aperture 4 so that when the car is loaded the weight
of the lading does not tend to either open or close the
valve.
As shown in FIGURE 2, the far side valve is in
closed position when it is rotated clockwise the left
edge 36 moves above the left hand rubber seal 6 thus
opening the valve. When rotated counterclockwise, the
right hand edge 37 moves 1-7/8 inches before the valve
starts to open. The near side valve due to the location
of its left hand edge 39 when rotated clockwise remains
sealed until the far side valve is open over 1-7/8 inches,
and due to its right hand edge ]ocation 40, if the valve
is rotated counterclock~ise the near side opens immediately
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and the far side remains closed un-til the near side opens
over 1-7/B inches. These relationships are evident in
FIGURES llA through ]lF. This is true no matter which end
of the valve is being operated, and if the valve sh~ft is
moved far enough in either direction, both valves will be
open and the valves will be inverted where Ihe ga-te and
valves can read:ily he washed and cleaned. 'I'he reason for
this is that, if -the near side is open first and unloaded,
air would be sucked through the near side valve instead
of the air Eilter on the far side outlet and the operator
could not unload the far side without changing the vacuum
machine to the far side.
operation in the Field
A large company like Western Electric has large
unloading vacuum machines so they like both valves to be
open with the far one open more than the near one where
lhe vacuum machine is connected. A small user does not
have the capacity to unload fast, so they require only
one side at a time starting with the far side.
As shown in E'IGURE 6, the outlet tube 21 is
closed for transi-t by cap 41 pressed against gasket 42.
The cap is held in place by spring bail 43 and the bail
pivot point llO is so located that it is a spring fit over
the top corner 44 of cap 41. Bracket 45 ~s made so that
the bail 43 is also a spring fit onto it and lip 46 stops
the bail from falling down in transit. The two spring
fits at the bracket and cap ellminated the possibility of
the cap corning off in transit. Ilo:le 47 in the bracket 45
and a similar hole 106 in the bail 43 as shown in FIGURE
7A is for a wire seal. Aluminurn out]et 20 (as shown in
F'IGURI~ 6) is equipped with a face plate 4B as shown in
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FIGURES 8A and 8B with a two inch slot 49 which :Eits
bracket 50 which is attached to cap 41, all. as showrl irl
E`IGURES 6 and 9A-9C. Bracket 50 also has a slot 51. wilich
fits around the handle 26. The cap as shown :Ln l~IGURJ~ 6
has the advantage that, a single operat,ion wil,.}l the bail
loc]cs both the cap in position and the valve in the closed
position.
Cap 41 cannot be put on the outlet unless its
upper bracket 50 fits in slot 49 and around operating handle
26 in its vertical position. This ensures tha~ the valve
is closed and locked in position when the cap 41 and bail
43 are in place and sealed. iience the bail forms a double
lock by having to spring over the top of bracket 45 and
also over the top point 44 of the cap (as shown in FIGURE 6).
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Chain 52 (shown in FIGUI~E 6) is Eastcned to cap
bracket S0 and also to a bracke-t at the holt:ing fl~nge
of the gate to the car (not shown). It i.s i.n thi~
location so the caps are not 105 t and when the cap is
off, it does not have a seven inch diame~er of cap plus
another seven inches of chain (if a-ttached to bottom of
cap) dangliny on the ground as is common in competing
devices.
The outlet assembly 20 is made with a recess 54 in
the upper part so that the operating handle can be located
between the outlet tube 21 and the end panel 19.
The longitudinal faces 56 shown in FIGU~ 10 slope
downward from ace 55. This is to allow the m~l m~
rotation of the ~alve and still allow the inser~ion of a
three inch probe.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art
that other obvious modifications of the new gate proposed
are possible, but this invention .is limited only by the
scope of the appended claims.
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