Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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This invention relates to a railroad gondola
car, and particularly to a high side gondola car for
carrying coal.
Background of the Invention
Railroad gondola cars are typically open or
uncovered cars and they are used to carry a large
variety of industrial cargo. High side gondola cars or
hopper cars are especially useful for transporting coal,
particularly in unit trains, to destinations where the
cars can be readily and quickly emptied through bottom
discharge gates or by rotary dumping of the cars.
Gondola cars are subject to severe conditions
when they are being loaded and unloaded as well as
during travel over the railway track. The applied
stresses are particularly high where the side wall posts
are connected to body bolsters, cross bearers, cross
ties, side sills and top side chords and where internal
body braces are connected to the car floor and side
walls. These structural areas of the car are of concern
not only in cars made all of steel but are of even
greater concern in cars having a steel underframe and an
aluminum body because aluminum has a significantly lower
strength and ductility than steel. There is thus a need
for structural improvements in gondola cars so that the
railroads and the customers have durable and reliable
cars which meet their needs.
Summary of the Invention
According to the invention a plurality of
improvements is provided in a railroad gondola car com-
prising a center sill; a pair of generally vertical carend walls; a pair of generally vertical car side walls
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joined to the end walls; a longitudinal side sill at the
bottom of each car side wall; a longitudinal top chord
at the top of each car side wall; a body bolster near
each end of the car extending from the center sill to
the side sills; a railway truck having a bolster; each
body bolster being supported on a railway truck bolster;
a plurality of cross bearers extending from the center
sill to the side sills; each vertical car side wall
including a vertical plate having a lower horizontal
edge joined to the side sill and an upper horizontal
edge joined to the top chord; a plurality of spaced
apart vertical posts joined to the vertical plate and
with one or more of the vertical posts being joined to
the body bolsters and to the cross bearers; and a floor
plate supported by the body bolsters and the cross
bearers with said floor plate extending for sub-
stantially the distance between the car end walls and
the car side walls.
Generally, a post will be joined at the bottom
to each body bolster and posts will also be joined at
the bottom to a plurality of cross bearers.
One of the gondola car improvements has the
floor plate side edges spaced inwardly a short distance
from the respective side plates and with each side sill
having a horizontal leg on top of the floor plate and a
downwardly depending rib on the bottom of the horizontal
leg extending into contact with the body bolsters and
cross bearers between the respective edges of the floor
plates and the car side wall plates.
Each side sill can be a right angle structural
member having a vertical leg extending upwardly from the
horizontal leg and with the vertical leg joined to the
car side wall. The rib can be positioned below and as
an extension of the vertical leg. The bottom of the rib
will contact the top of the body bolsters and cross
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bearers thereby assisting the load transfer between
these underframe members and the side posts and thus
will reduce the stresses in the side posts.
A second gondola car improvement provided by
the invention comprises a cast metal connector at each
end of a tension tie lateral horizontal brace located
above each body bolster but near the top of the car
body.
Each tension tie lateral horizontal brace can
be a tubular member. The end of each tubular member can
have a separate cast metal connector telescoped onto the
tubular member. The cast connector can have an end with
an axial slot or groove extending inwardly from the end
of the casting. The car side wall opposing upper
internal portion can have a T-member positioned thereon,
with said T-member having the flanges of the T against
the car side wall vertical plate and with the stem of
the T being vertically positioned. The stem of each T-
member on the car side walls can be located in the slot
of a casting on the end of the horizontal brace.
Each T-member on the inside of a car side wall
can be located adjacent a car side post on the outside
of a car side wall and it can extend upwardly from a
body bolster. Doubler plates, such as subsequently
described, can be positioned on the post hat-section
flanges and fasteners can extend through the doubler
plate, hat-section flanges, car side wall plate and the
flanges of the T-member to connect these elements
together to provide a strong attachment means to which
the tension tie horizontal brace casting can be con-
nected.
Another gondola car improvement provided by
the invention comprises at least two pair of diagonal
braces located inside the car between the car side walls
with each pair of diagonal braces comprising two
opposing braces each of which has a separate cast metal
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connector at its upper end connected to an upper
internal portion of a car side wall and a separate cast
metal connector on each lower end connected to means on
the car floor.
Each diagonal brace can be a tubular member
and the end of each tubular member can have the metal
cast connector telescoped onto or into the tubular
member. The cast connector can have an end with an
axial slot extending inwardly from the end of the
casting. The car side wall upper internal portion can
have a T-member positioned thereon, with said T-member
having the flanges of the T against the car side wall
vertical plate and with the stem of the T being
vertically positioned. The car floor can have a T-
member positioned thereon with said T-member having the
flanges of the T against the floor plate and the stem of
the T vertically positioned and lateral to the car side
walls. The stem of the T-member on the side wall can be
located in the slot of the casting on the upper end of a
diagonal brace and the stem of the T-member on the floor
plate can be located in the slot of the casting on the
lower end of the diagonal brace.
The castings can be connected to the T-member
stems by mechanical fasteners which extend through the
castings and also through the T-member stems.
Each T-member on a car side wall desirably is
opposite a hat-section side wall post and also, desir-
ably, in a vertical plane above a cross bearer.
Doubler plates, such as subsequently
described, can be located along the flanges of the hat-
section posts opposite the T-member on the inside of the
car side wall to which the castings on the upper ends of
the diagonal braces are connected.
Still another gondola car improvement provided
by the invention has most, if not all, of the side posts
in the form of a hat-section structural member com-
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prising a channel portion with a base flange, side webs
extending normal to the flange and having top edges, and
flanges extending outwardly from the side web top
edges; the hat-section flanges contacting the car side
wall vertical plate; a doubler plate over and in contact
with each hat-section flange adjacent a vertical plate
on each end of the body bolsters and adjacent portion of
the car side wall; and fastener means penetrating the
doubler plates, hat-section flanges, car side wall and
body bolster vertical end plate to secure the said ele-
ments together.
Each doubler plate referred to above can be an
elongated member wider than the top of the hat section
flange which it contacts. The outer edge of the doubler
plate can have a short flange which projects into con-
tact with the side wall vertical plate. The inner edge
of the doubler plate can be rounded and nest in a con-
cavely curved root portion of the hat-section post
formed by the intersection of the hat-section side walls
and outwardly extending flanges.
The doubler plate will reduce the stresses in
the critical bolster post area which are the result of
transferring loads between the body bolsters and side
posts. Since the short flange on the outer edge of the
doubler plate contacts the side wall sheet or plate and
the inner edge of the doubler plate is in contact with
the curved root portion of the hat section post, the
surface bearing contact between the flanges of the hat-
section post and the side sheet or plate is maintained
and this further reduces the stresses in the post and
the fastener means.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Figure 1 is a side elevational view of
slightly more than one-half of a railroad gondola car,
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desirably having an aluminum body and a steel under-
frame, provided by the invention;
Figure 2 is a plan view of the gondola car
shown in Figure l;
Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the
line 3-3 of Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along the
line 4-4 of Figure 2;
Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along the
line 5-5 of Figure 4;
Figure 6 is a sectional view taken along the
line 6-6 of Figure 5;
Figure 7 is an enlarged sectional view of the
side wall top chord shown in Figures 3 and 4 and the
manner in which the side wall posts and side plate are
joined to the top chord;
Figure 8 is an enlarged sectional view of the
side sill and the manner in which the side wall plate,
side wall posts and floor plate are joined to the side
sill;
Figure 9 is an enlarged elevational view of
the upper portion of the car side wall post which ex-
tends upwardly from the end of the body bolster; and
Figure 10 is a sectional view taken along the
line 10-10 of Figure 9.
Detailed Description of the Drawings
To the extent it is reasonable and practical
the same or similar elements which appear in the various
views of the drawings will be identified by the same
numbers.
The high side railroad gondola car 20
illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 has a steel center sill
22 with a lateral steel body bolster 24 (Figure 4) at
each end. A center bearing plate 26 is mounted on the
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bottom of each body bolster 24. The center bearing
plate 26 is supported in the truck bolster bowl of a
conventional railroad four wheel two axle truck, not
shown.
Also extending laterally outwardly from center
sill 22 are three spaced apart cross bearers 28 and five
cross ties or minor cross bearers 30 which are in the
nature of cross bearers 28 but which are lighter and of
lower strength but which can also be considered to be
cross bearers. The top surfaces of the cross bearers
28,30 lie in a common horizontal plane and support a
floor plate 32.
The gondola car 20 has an aluminum end wall 34
at each end and a pair of identical aluminum side walls
36,38. The outer ends of each of the cross bearers
28,30 have a vertical end plate 39 to which the lower
end of an aluminum wall side post 40 is connected by
mechanical fasteners 41 such as rivets, bolts or
Huckbolts. The lower end of aluminum post 40A may or
may not be located at a cross bearer so it could be
connected, in part, to a reinforcing angle member 42
beneath floor plate 32 (Figure 1).
The top end of each of the side posts 40,40A
terminates at the same elevation in a horizontal line.
The aluminum side posts are structural members identical
in lateral section and have what can be referred to as a
hat-section shape (Figure 10). The hat-section shape
comprises a channel portion 44 with a base flange 46,
side webs 48,50 normal to base flange 46 and having top
edges 52,54, and with flanges 56,58 extending outwardly
from the side web top edges. The flanges 56,58 are in
the same plane. The intersection of side web 48 and
flange 56, as well as side web 50 and flange 58, are
curved 60 at a suitable root radius for strength.
The floor plate 32 longitudinal side edges 62
(Figure 8) terminate a short distance inwardly from the
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flanges 56,58 of the side posts 44 thereby providing a
gap 64 therebetween. A further gap 164 is provided
between flanges 56,58 and side sill 80.
A side wall plate 66 is attached to the inside
surface of side post flanges 56,58. The side wall plate
66 has its lower longitudinal horizontal edge 68
positioned slightly above the top of floor plate 32
thereby further defining gap 164 while the upper longi-
tudinal horizontal edge 70 is positioned a few inches
below the top of the side posts 40 (Figures 7 and 8).
A longitudinal side sill 80 is positioned at
the bottom part of each car side wall 36,38. Each side
sill 80 is a right angle structural member having a
horizontal leg 82 on top of floor plate 32 and a down-
wardly depending rib 84 on the bottom of the horizontalleg 82 extending into contact with the body bolsters and
cross bearers in the gaps 64 and 164 between the edge 62
of the floor plate and the lower edge 68 of the side
wall plate 66 (Figure 8). The side sill also has a
vertical leg 86 extending upwardly from the horizontal
leg 82 and with the vertical leg 86 joined to the car
side wall. The rib 84 can be considered an extension of
the vertical leg 86. Mechanical fasteners, such as
bolts 90, extend through horizontal leg 82, floor plate
32 and through the top plate 92 of either a body bolster
or cross bearer. Mechanical fasteners, such as bolts
94, extend at least through vertical leg 86, side wall
plate 66 and flanges 56,58 of the side wall posts 40.
The bolts can also extend through doubler plates 180,182
when used as will be discussed hereinafter.
When a load is applied against a car side wall
36,38 interior surface it is transferred by the side
wall posts to the outer ends of the body bolsters and
cross bearers as well as to the side sill vertical leg
86. The force tries to pull the vertical leg 86 out-
wardly thereby causing the rib 84 to be pressed against
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the top of the body bolster and cross bearers in
resisting the applied force in addition to the vertical
body bolster load as described previously above. With-
out the rib 84 this force could not be resisted as
successfully.
The top of each side wall has a top chord 100
which extends the length of the car body and is joined
to the end walls 34. The top chord 100 is a P-tube
structural member 102 located on top of the posts 40 and
having a downwardly depending stepped flange 104 having
a relatively thicker longitudinal portion 106 joined
directly to the flanges 56,58 of the side wall posts 40
and a thinner portion 108 overlapping the upper edge 70
of the side wall vertical plate 66 (Figure 7).
Mechanical fasteners, such as bolts 110, extend through
the thicker portion 106, side wall plate 66 and side
post flanges 56,58 thereby joining these elements
together. Similarly, bolts 112 extend through the
thinner portion 108, side wall plate 66 and side post
flanges 56,58 thereby joining these elements together.
A rib 113 projects downwardly from the tubular portion
of P-tube 102 (Figure 7). The rib 113 runs the length
of the top chord and is positioned to contact the top of
flange 46 of each side post 40. The rib 113 permits the
bottom of the P-tube tubular portion to be located
slightly spaced above the top of the side posts 40 to
accommodate the concavely curved internal corner 114
where the stem 104 joins the tubular portion.
The described structure of the P-tube permits
it to resist lateral forces from each side. Thus,
lateral force applied from inside the car, as well as a
downward vertical force, causes the rib 113 to press
against web 46 while a lateral force applied from out-
side the car is opposed by the tubular portion itself as
well as the thicker portion 106 of stem 104.
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A lateral horizontal tension tie cross brace
120 is located above each body bolster 24 (Figure 4)
near the top of the car body. Each lateral cross brace
120 is a tubular aluminum member 122 circular in cross
section with a cast aluminum connector 124 at each end.
Each cast connector 124 has a short
cylindrical end 126 which telescopes into the end of
tubular member 122 and is welded thereto (Figure 5).
The cast connector 124 also has a pair of mirror image
walls 128,130 separated by an axial slot or groove 136
extending inwardly from the end of the casting. Wall
128 is reinforced by an external rib 132 and wall 130 is
reinforced by an external rib 134.
Each car side wall upper internal portion is
provided with a T-member 140 which has a flange 142
against the car side wall vertical plate 66 and a stem
144 of the T vertically positioned (Figures 4 and 5) and
protruding outwardly from the wall towards the car
interior.
The flange 142 on both sides of stem 144 is
connected to the car side wall by mechanical fasteners,
such as bolts 146, which extend at least through the
flange 142, side wall plate 66 and the side post flanges
56,58. The walls 128, 130 of the cast connectors are
connected to a respective stem 144 by mechanical
fasteners, such as bolts 148, which extend through the
stem and casting walls. The use of mechanical fasteners
provides improved strength compared to welding, speeds
car manufacturing and provides connections which are not
brittle.
The gondola car is also provided with three
pair of diagonal braces 160 located inside the car
between the side walls 36, 38 above respective major
cross bearers. Each pair of diagonal braces comprises
two opposing identical braces 162,164 which are
essentially like the lateral cross braces 120. Each
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diagonal brace 162,164 has a tubular member 120A, like
tubular member 120, and a cast connector 124A, like cast
connector 124, at each end.
The upper ends of the diagonal braces are con-
5 nected to a T-member 140A located on each side wall
upper internal portion above a cross bearer. T-member
140A is essentially like T-member 140. T-member 140A
has a flange 142A, located against the car side wall
vertical plate 66 opposite a side post 40, and a stem
10 144A of the T-member vertically positioned (Figure 3)
and protruding outwardly from the wall towards the car
nter lor .
Mechanical fasteners, such as bolts 166,
extend through stem 144A of T-member 140A and through
15 the walls of cast connector 124A on the upper end of
each brace 162,164 and thereby connect the brace to the
stem. Mechanical fasteners, such as bolts 168, extend
through flange 142A, side wall plate 66, and side post
flanges 56,58 to connect it to the side wall.
The car floor plate 32 has a T-member 170
laterally positioned over the center sill in line with a
major cross bearer. The T-member 170 has a horizontal
flange 172 in contact with floor plate 32 and a vertical
upwardly extending stem 174 (Figures 2 and 3). The stem
174 fits into the slot or groove 136 in the cast metal
connectors on the lower ends of the diagonal braces
162,164. Mechanical fasteners, such as bolts 178,
extend through the cast metal connector walls and stem
174 and thereby join the braces to the T-member 170.
30 Similar mechanical fasteners not shown join the flange
172, floor plate 32 and cross bearer top plate 9 2
together.
The cast metal connectors 124,124A can, but
need not, be identical. If identical, the same part can
35 be used on the horizontal and diagonal braces. However,
different sized connectors can be designed for the
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specific loads on the different braces and in that case
the connectors would not all be identical.
Because of the increased loads and forces
which are applied to the lower ends of the side wall
posts connected to the ends of the body bolsters and
where the ends of the cross braces and upper ends of the
diagonal braces are connected to the T-members on the
car interior side walls it is considered desirable to
reinforce one or more or all of these locations by use
of special doubler plates mounted over the flanges 56,58
of the adjacent hat-section posts and to have the same
mechanical fasteners already described also extend
through such doubler plates.
Figures 4, 9 and 10 illustrate the use of
doubler plates 180,182 to reinforce the area where the
cross brace 120 connects with the car side walls
36,38. Each doubler plate 180,182 is an elongated
member wider than the top of a hat section flange 56,58
which it contacts. The outer edge of each doubler plate
180,182 has a short flange 184 which projects into
contact with the car side wall vertical plate 66. The
inner edge of each doubler plate is rounded 186 and
nests in the concavely curved root portion 60 of the
hat-section post formed by the intersection of a post
side web 44,48 and an outwardly extending flange
58,56. An exceptionally strong joint is obtained by use
of doubler plates having the described shape because the
bearing between the outwardly extending flanges 56,58 of
the posts and the car wall side sheet or plate is
maintained.
Although the use of the doubler plates 180,182
has been described in conjunction with the cross brace
connections to the car side walls, the same or similar
doubler plates can be used to reinforce the connection
where the wall side post 40 is connected to the body
bolster end plate 39 (Figures 1 and 4) and where the
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upper ends of the diagonal braces 162,164 are connected
to the car side walls. It should be understood that
when doubler plates are used the same previously
described mechanical fasteners need only be slightly
longer to extend through them to complete the connection
without using additional or supplemental fasteners.
The foregoing detailed description has been
given for clearness of understanding only, and no un-
necessary limitations should be understood therefrom, as
modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the
art.
