Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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STAKE POCKET FOR RAILROAD CAR
Field of the Invention
[0001] This invention relates to the field of stake pockets for railroad
freight cars.
Background
[0002] Railroad gondola cars are sometimes used for more than one
purpose. In
some configurations they may carry lading of one type, and in another
configuration they
may carry another type. Alternatively, the freight car may be one in which the
lading may be
relatively low density lading, such that the car may tend to bulk out (i.e.,
run out of volume
within the applicable AAR Plate envelope) before it reaches the maximum Gross
Rail Load
(GRL).
[0003] In such instances the lading carrying volume or body of the
car may be
provided with extensions, such as posts or poles or "stakes" that stand
upwardly of the car
body generally, and that function as retainers to discourage lading from
moving. An
example of such a use is found in gondola cars such as may sometimes be used
for carrying
lumber, or logs, or pipe.
[0004] Earlier examples of stake pockets are shown in US
2,009,468; US 1,863,364;
US 1,825,832; US 1,287,335; US 1,128,864; US 1,128,863; US 1,124,787; US
1,091,546;
US 1,123,181; US 1,123,144; and US 1,046,305.
Summary of the Invention
[0005] In an aspect of the invention there is a stake pocket for a
railroad car. The
stake pocket assembly has a stake pocket and an inteimediate or interface
member. The
stake pocket being movable between a deployed position and a retracted
position. The stake
pocket is frangibly mounted to the interface member. The interface member
defines a
mounting fitting for attachment to a wall member of the railroad freight car.
[0006] In a feature of that aspect of the invention, the assembly
includes an obliquely
angled hinge protector. In another feature, the stake pocket includes a throw
member and a
hinge retainer. The throw member has an accommodation for receiving a post.
The throw
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member has trunnion ends. The hinge retainer accommodates the trunnion ends of
the throw
member. In a further feature, the hinge retainer includes an obliquely-sloped
upwardly-
facing shed plate. In another feature, the stake pocket includes a toggle by
which to maintain
the stake pocket in a deployed position.
[0007] In another feature, there is a railroad gondola car having
a lading receptacle
bounded by first and second spaced-apart side walls. The gondola car has the
stake pocket
mounted to at least one of the side walls. In an additional feature the stake
pocket is
mounted to the interface member at a mechanical fuse. In another feature, the
stake pocket is
mounted to the interface member at a first connection. The interface member is
mounted to
the first side wall at a second connection. The second connection is more
resistant to
separation than is the first connection.
[0008] In still another feature, the first side wall includes a
side sheet. The interface
member includes a base plate mountable to the side sheet. The base plate
having a through-
thickness greater than the side sheet of the first side wall. In yet another
feature, the interface
member is a doubler for mounting to the side sheet of the first side wall. In
another feature,
the interface member is secured to the side sheet of the first side wall by a
first length of
weldment. The stake pocket is secured to the interface member by a second
length of
weldment. The second length of weldment is less than the first length of
weldment. In still
another further feature, the interface member is secured to the side sheet of
the first side wall
at a first attachment footprint. The first attachment footprint has a first
internal area and an
area moment of inertia. The stake pocket is secured to the interface member at
a second
attachment footprint. The second attachment footprint has a second internal
area and a
second area moment of inertia and (a) the first internal area is greater than
the second
internal area; and (b) the first area moment of inertia is greater than the
second area moment
of inertia. In an additional feature, the first and second attachment
footprints are defined by
weldmetal passes. In still another feature, the stake pocket is mounted to an
inside face of
the side sheet of the first side wall, and a side sheet stiffener is mounted
to an outside face of
the side sheet in alignment with the stake pocket.
[0009] In another aspect of the invention there is a railroad
freight car assembly. It
has a side wall of the freight car, an intermediate member, and a stake
pocket. The
intermediate member is mounted to the side wall. The stake pocket is mounted
to the
intermediate member.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-08-06
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[0010] In a feature of that aspect, the stake pocket is less well
secured to the
intermediate member than is the intermediate member to the side sheet. In
another feature,
the intermediate member is a doubler. In still another feature, the stake
pocket is frangibly
mounted to the intermediate member. In yet another feature the stake pocket is
mounted to
the side wall at the same longitudinal station as a stiffener of the side
wall. In a further
feature, the stiffener of the side wall has a moment connection to a cross-
bearer of the freight
car at that same longitudinal station. In still another feature, the stake
pocket is movable
between a first position in which to receive a stake, and a second position
for storage. In still
yet another further feature the stake pocket is a first stake pocket. There is
a second stake
pocket at the same longitudinal station. The first stake pocket is an upper
stake pocket and
the second stake pocket is a lower stake pocket. Both of the first and second
stake pockets
are movable between a first position in which to receive a stake, and a second
position for
storage.
[0011] These and other aspects and features of the invention may be
understood with
reference to the description which follows, and with the aid of the
illustrations of a number
of examples.
Brief Description of the Figures
[0012] The description is accompanied by a set of illustrative
Figures in which:
[0013] Figure 1 is a general arrangement, isometric view of a
railroad freight car;
[0014] Figure 2 is an isometric view of an enlarged detail of the
railroad freight
car of Figure 1 showing a stake pocket and a retainer post mounted
therein;
[0015] Figure 3a is a side view of the detail of Figure 2 taken on
a cross-section
of a side wall of the railroad freight car of Figure 1 at a cross-bearer;
[0016] Figure 3b is a side view as in Figure 3a, but at a cross-
tie;
[0017] Figure 4a is an enlarged detail of the sectional view of Figure 3
showing a
stake pocket in deployed position or condition;
[0018] Figure 4b is the same view as Figure 4a, but showing the
stake pocket in a
non-deployed position or condition;
[0019] Figure 5a is a front view of the enlarged detail of Figure
4a;
[0020] Figure 5b is a front view of the enlarge detail of Figure 4b;
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Detailed Description
[0021] The description that follows, and the embodiments described
therein, are
provided by way of illustration of an example, or examples, of particular
embodiments of the
principles, aspects, or features of the present invention (or inventions, as
may be). These
examples are provided for the purposes of explanation, and not of limitation,
of those
principles and of the invention. In the specification, like parts are marked
throughout the
descriptive text and the drawings with the same respective reference numerals.
The
drawings are generally to scale, and may be taken as being to scale unless
otherwise noted.
Unless noted otherwise, the structural members of the car may be taken as
being fabricated
from steel, most typically mild steel of 50 kpsi or ksi (thousands of pounds
per square inch)
yield strength. The structure may be of welded construction, most typically,
but may
alternatively include mechanical fasteners such as HuckTM bolts, rivets, and
so on. The
structure need not be entirely, or even partially, mild steel, but could
include other grades of
steel in particular locations, such as the discharge sections, may include
consumable wear
plates, or plates of greater hardness and wear resistance. In some instances,
some or all
portions of the primary structure may be made of stainless steel, aluminum, or
engineered
plastics and composites. Nonetheless, most commonly welded mild steel
construction may
be assumed as the default condition.
[0022] The terminology used in this specification is thought to be
consistent with the
customary and ordinary meanings of those terms as they would be understood by
a person of
ordinary skill in the railroad industry in North America. Following from
decision of the
CAFC in Phillips v. AWH Corp., the Applicant expressly excludes all
interpretations that are
inconsistent with this specification, and, in particular, expressly excludes
any interpretation
of the claims or the language used in this specification such as may be made
in the USPTO,
or in any other Patent Office, other than those interpretations for which
express support can
be demonstrated in this specification or in objective evidence of record in
accordance with In
re Lee, (for example, earlier publications by persons not employed by the
USPTO or any
other Patent Office), demonstrating how the terms are used and understood by
persons of
ordinary skill in the art, or by way of expert evidence of a person or persons
of at least 10
years experience in the railroad industry in North America or in other
territories or former
territories of the British Empire and Commonwealth.
[0023] In terms of general orientation and directional nomenclature, for
railroad cars
described herein the longitudinal direction is defined as being coincident
with the rolling
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direction of the railroad car, or railroad car unit, when located on tangent
(that is, straight)
track. In the case of a railroad car having a center sill, the longitudinal
direction is parallel to
the center sill, and parallel to the top chords. Unless otherwise noted,
vertical, or upward and
downward, are terms that use top of rail, TOR, as a datum. In the context of
the car as a
whole, the term lateral, or laterally outboard, or transverse, or transversely
outboard refer to a
distance or orientation relative to the longitudinal centerline of the
railroad car, or car unit, or
of the centerline of a centerplate at a truck center. The term "longitudinally
inboard", or
"longitudinally outboard" is a distance taken relative to a mid-span lateral
section of the car,
or car unit. Pitching motion is angular motion of a railcar unit about a
horizontal axis
perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. Yawing is angular motion about a
vertical axis.
Roll is angular motion about the longitudinal axis. Given that the railroad
car described
herein may tend to have both longitudinal and transverse axes of symmetry, a
description of
one half of the car may generally also be intended to describe the other half
as well, allowing
for differences between right hand and left hand parts. In this description,
the abbreviation
kpsi stands for thousand of pounds per square inch. To the extent that this
specification or
the accompanying illustrations may refer to standards of the Association of
American
Railroads (AAR), such as to AAR plate sizes, those references are to be
understood as at the
earliest date of priority to which this application is entitled.
[0024] Figure 1 shows an isometric view of an example of a railroad
freight car 20
that is intended to be representative of a wide range of railroad cars in
which the present
invention may be incorporated. While car 20 may be suitable for a variety of
general
purpose uses, it may be taken as being symbolic of, and in some ways a generic
example of,
a gondola car. In the example, gondola car 20 may have many different uses.
One of those
uses may be for carrying bundles of wood products. Another use may be for
transporting
logs. Another use may be for transporting pipe, carrying steel slab or scrap
steel, and so on.
Car 20 may be symmetrical about both its longitudinal and transverse, or
lateral, centerline
axes. Consequently, it will be understood that the car has first and second,
left and right
hand side beams, bolsters and so on. The car may be uncovered during rain or
snowfall.
[0025] By way of a general overview, car 20 may have a car body
22 that is carried
on trucks 24 for rolling operation along railroad tracks. Car 20 may be a
single unit car, or it
may be a multi-unit car having two or more car body units, where the multiple
car body units
may be connected at an articulated connector, or by draw bars. Car body 22 may
have a
lading containment vessel or shell 26 such as may include an upstanding wall
structure 28
which may have a pair of opposed first and second end walls 30, 32, that
extend cross-wise,
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and a pair of first and second side walls 34, 36 that extend lengthwise, the
end walls 30, 32
and side walls 34, 36 co-operating to define a generally rectangular form of
peripheral wall
structure 28. Wall structure 28 may include top chords 38 running along the
top of the walls,
and side sills 40 running fore-and-aft along lower portions of the side sheets
42 of side walls
34, 36. As a point of clarification, gondola cars conventionally have side
sills in the form of
a monolithic, longitudinally formed section, quite typically a large angle
iron. However,
other cars do not have side sills, as such, but rather rely upon the co-
operation of a lower
portion of the side sheet of the side wall to act as a vertical web, and on
the floor sheet to act
as the side sill flange, and thus as the lower flange of the side beam.
Although these later
cars do not have a sill, per se, the side sill function is still performed by
the joined members,
and, for the purposes of this discussion they can be thought of as being the
"side sill".
[0026] On each side wall of the car, the side sheet 42 extends
between side sill 40
and top chord 38. The side wall structure forms a deep beam in which the top
chord defines
the top flange, the side sill defines the bottom flange, and the side sheet
defines a shear web.
Car 20 may also have internal or external side wall sheet stiffeners 44 such
as may be spaced
along the side walls of the car, and such as may tend to prevent local
buckling of the side
sheets. A gondola car typically has the wall stiffeners mounted externally,
i.e., on the
outside face of the side wall sheet or web 42. The various top chords 38 on
the side walls
and end walls may co-operably define an opening, generally indicated as 46,
through which
lading may be introduced into the containment vessel.
[0027] Car 20 may also have an underframe structure, indicated
generally as 50.
Underframe structure 50 may include a center sill 52, be it a stub center sill
or a straight-
thorough center sill; and cross-members 48, such as may be cross-bearers 54.
Where there is
a straight through center sill, the cross-bearers 54 may have the form of
cantilevered arms
extending laterally from moment connections at which they mate with the center
sill.
Whether there is or is not a center sill, the cross-bearers may have moment
connections, such
as structural knees 58 at the junction at the side sills with the side sheet
stiffeners. Where
there is such a moment connection the side sheet stiffeners and cross-bearers
may act as
springs tending to discourage lateral deflection of the top chord, e.g., such
as may tend to
occur in buckling under longitudinal compressive loading of the structure.
[0028] In some instances car 20 may have stub center sills at
either end, in which
ease side walls 34, 36 may act as deep beams, and may carry vertical loads to
main bolsters
that extend laterally from the centerplates. Alternatively, or in addition to
deep side beams,
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car 20 may include a center sill 52, which may be a straight-through center
sill, running from
one end of the car body to the other. In the case of a single, stand alone car
unit, draft gear
and releaseable couplers may be mounted at either end of the center sill.
[0029] Car 20 may be a gondola car suitable for carrying bundles of lumber,
logs,
steel slabs, scrap steel, or pipe. Those types of lading may be relatively low
density forms of
lading. It may be that the volume of the gondola body of car 20 below the top
of top chords
38 is not such that, even if filled, the car may reach the permitted GRL, and
the center of
gravity of the car may still be well below the 98" limit above Top of Rail.
Car 20 may then
have a set of upwardly standing auxiliary retainers, indicated generally as
60. Those
retainers may have the form of posts or pillars, or stakes, 62.
[0030] The "stakes" 62 are auxiliary posts, or post extensions,
that are positioned in
spaced relationship along the side walls of the car body. The stakes may be
mounted inside
the side wall. The stakes are themselves retained by, or may seat in, holders
or fittings such
as may be identified as stake pocket assemblies, or stake pockets, 64. Each
stake pocket 64
may tend to have the form of, or may tend to include, a receiving member in
the form of a
shaped steel fitting, be it a metal hanger, or cleat or bracket 66. It may
tend to have a
channel or top-hat shaped loop of metal, such as a bent iron bar, of which the
three-sided
bent portion forms an eye or keeper, or socket 68. The post, or stake, 62, is
then passed
through the eye. There may typically be two pockets 64 at each given stake
location, there
being an upper pocket 72 near the top chord, and a lower pocket 74 near the
floor of the car.
The stake pockets may tend to line up with the external vertical stiffeners
44. That is,
stiffener 44 is mounted to the outside of the web of the side sheet, and the
stake pockets are
mounted to the inside of the web of the side sheet, at the same location. To
the extent that
the side sheet stiffener has a moment connection 58 at the side sill (e.g., to
the cross-bearer at
the same longitudinal station of the car body) and is therefore a cantilever,
the stake may be
considered an extension of that stiffener or cantilever. Since the stake is
retained at top and
bottom it has a single degree of freedom ¨ namely vertical translation to
thread the eyes of
stake pockets 72 and 74 during installation or removal.
[0031] The bottom or foot 70 of the post or stake 62 may seat on
the bottom of the
gondola body, as a floor sheet, or floor 76. In some embodiments the vertical
reaction may
be provided by a base fitting or abutment such as an angle bracket mounted
inside the
gondola side sheet with a flange thereof extending inwardly of the wall to
form a shelf or
footing for the post. Alternatively, the base of the post or stake 62 may rest
directly on the
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floor of the gondola, as shown. The location of the post fitting on the floor
may be
positioned directly above a cross-member, whether that cross-member is the
main bolster, a
cross-bearer, or a cross-tie. In alternate embodiments, the lower fitting,
stake pocket 74, may
be omitted, and a footing substituted in its place. The footing may have the
form of an
upwardly facing socket fitting, similar to the step of a mast, or it may by a
socket formed in
the floor sheet itself, such that the bottom of the stake may seat and be
discouraged from
displacement in the longitudinal (i.e., x-axis) or lateral (i.e. y-axis)
direction. A floor socket
may also have a drain.
[0032] In some embodiments, there may be openings, or holes, or eyes, or
apertures
78, 80 formed in the gondola car side wall near (i.e., just below) top chord
38. In the
embodiment shown, a pair of such apertures 78, 80 brackets each stiffener 44,
and,
equivalently, brackets each stake 62, when installed. Apertures 78, 80 are
provided to permit
the passage of banding therethrough for cinching lading such that the lading
may tend to be
secured in a fixed position in the gondola body and against the stakes, as may
be, prior to
movement of the railroad car.
[0033] Top chords 38 may have a cross-section as shown in Figure
3a, for example,
in which the upper surface 82 presents a rounded profile 84. The rounded
profile 84 may
tend to shed lading, rather than to facilitate the accumulation of lading
thereupon. The
rounded profile is continuous along the car from end to end. The rounded
profile is free of
cut-outs at the location of apertures 78, 80. That is, at the location of
apertures 78, 80, the
top chord presents a rounded, smoothly radiused profile against which the
banding may bear,
that profile being free of sharp edges such as might otherwise cut or fray the
banding.
[0034] Looking now at the stake pockets themselves, each stake
pocket, or stake
pocket 64 may be an assembly that includes a first or movable member 90; a
second or
stationary member or members 92, 94; and a third, or intermediate, or
interface, or seat
member 96. Third member 96 may have the foini of a sole plate, or footing, or
doubler. The
movable member may have the form of a bar formed to have a U-shaped throw 98,
and two
opposed stub-axle or trunnion ends 100, 102. The U-shaped throw has arms 86
and a reach
88 corresponding to the size of the depth (in the cross-wise direction of the
car perpendicular
to the side wall) and width (lengthwise direction of the car, parallel to the
side wall) of stake
62. Stationary member, or stationary members, 92, 94 may be the retainers, or
stationary
hinges, or hinge portions into which trunnion ends 100, 102 seat. That is, on
assembly the
retainers, members 92, are secured to the intermediate member, 94, and, when
so secured,
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capture trunnion ends 100, 102 in the space between member 92 and member 94.
The lateral
spacing between members 92 corresponds to (i.e., is slightly greater than) the
outside overall
width of U-shaped throw 98, which itself is dimensioned to receive (i.e., is
slightly greater
than) the width of stakes 64. In the example illustrated members 92, 94 may be
cut sections
of angle iron welded toes-in against the doubler, member 96, such that a
generally triangular
accommodation 104 is formed, into which the respective ones of trunnion ends
100, 102
seat. As so captured, the member 90 is movable from a first position, such as
the deployed
position shown in Figure 4a to a second, or retracted or stored, or storage,
or non-deployed
position, as shown in Figure 4b.
[0035]
As noted, the retainers, members 92, 94, are secured to the intermediate
member. This securement may be by mechanical fasteners, such as bolts, or
HuckTM bolts,
or rivets, or may be achieved by other means of adhesion or securement. In
particular it may
be achieved by a thermal fusion or melting process, such as may include
welding. Members
92, 94 may be welded to member 96 at fillets 106, 108 along their respective
upper and
lower toes 110, 112. The length of the fillet may correspond to the length of
the toe, and is a
known distance.
[003] 6
The intermediate or interface member, 96, is likewise secured to the car side
wall.
As with the retainer members, the securement may be by a variety of means,
whether
by mechanical fasteners, such as bolts, or HuckTM bolts, or rivets, or by
other means of
adhesion or securement. In particular it may be achieved by a fusing or
melting process,
such as by welding.
[0037] Member 96
may have a generally square or rectangular shape with generously
rounded corners, or a somewhat oval shape, as may be. It may have a height h96
and a width
vv96. The height, h96, is greater than the span extent h92 of members 92, 94
in the height
direction, and may typically be more than half as much again as that span
distance h92, i.e.,
h96> 3/2 h92. Similarly, width W96 is greater than the overall width W92 of
members 92, 94 as
mounted.
[0038]
Stake pocket 64 may be centered on member 96. That is, the periphery of the
footprint of stake pocket 64 on intermediate member 96 may fall entirely
within the
periphery of member 96. Expressed differently, relative to the centroid of
member 96, which
is taken also as being the centroid of the mounting footprint of stake pocket
64, the most
distant extremities of stake pocket 64 lie at shorter moment arm distances
from the centroid
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than do the corresponding extremities of member 96. The length of the
footprint contacts, or
weldments, of stake pocket 64, being the sum of the lengths of the toes
bearing against
member 96, is less than the arc length of the periphery of member 96.
[0039] Member 96 (and hence stake pocket 64) may be centered on the side
sheet
stiffener 44. In this position, member 96 may straddle, or bracket, or overlap
the width, W44
of stiffener 44 to both sides. The overlap on a centered (i.e., symmetric)
positioning will be
equal on both sides of the post by definition. Member 96 may be the same
thickness as, or
may be thicker or thinner than, side sheet 42.
[0040] Whether by mechanical fasteners or by welding, the
strength of the
attachment of stake pocket 64 to intermediate member 96 is weaker than the
strength of the
attachment of intermediate member 96 to side wall 34 or 36, such as may be. In
particular,
the shear strength of the attachment under an applied force parallel to the
face of the side
wall surface is less than that of member 96 to the side wall, as also may be
the tensile
strength of the attachment in a direction perpendicular to the inside face of
the side wall.
Further, in torsion, the length of the peripheral weld 114 of member 96 is
both greater in
total and at a larger moment arm distance from the centroid than is, or are,
the total weldment
length and corresponding moment arm distances of the welds of weld fillets
106, 108 of
members 92 and 94, such that in a torsional twisting or tearing motion members
92, 94 may
tend to be torn from member 96 more easily than member 96 may be torn from the
side wall.
Expressed differently again, a first peripheral boundary may be defined
circumscribing the
footprint of attachment of member 96 to the side wall. A second peripheral
boundary may
be defined that circumscribes the mounting footprint of members 92, 94 on
member 96. The
first attachment footprint has a first internal area and an area moment of
inertia. The second
attachment footprint has a second internal area and a second area moment of
inertia and (a)
the first internal area is greater than the second internal area; and (b) the
first area moment of
inertia is greater than the second area moment of inertia.
[0041] Member 96 as shown and described is mounted on the inside face of
side
sheet 42, and functions both as the interface member to which members 90, 92
and 94 are
mounted on assembly; and as a local doubler to resist tearing of side sheet
42. In alternate
embodiments, another doubler, which may have a footprint similar to member 96,
may also
be mounted to the outboard face of side sheet 42, so that the mounting is
reinforced both
inside and outside. Such an embodiment may require that the toes of the
associated side wall
stiffener be locally relieved or notched to accommodate the thickness of the
external doubler.
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[0042] When the stake pocket is not in use, it may move to a
storage position lying
flat against the inside wall of the car. The stake pocket may then define a
nodal point at
which the freedom of motion of the upstanding post is restrained in the x-
direction (i.e.,
along the car) and in the y-direction (i.e., across the car). Where two such
stake pockets are
placed in alignment one above the other, the post will be retained in an
upright orientation,
and will have only the single, vertical, up-and-down translational degree of
freedom that
permits insertion and extraction of the stake, as may be.
[0043] The collapsible stake pockets may have a receiving member that
rotates and a
stationary member that is attached to the side of the car. The receiving
member, when
extended to a deployed position generally perpendicular to the side of the
car, may then
accept the stake and may hold or retain it in position. When not needed, the
receiving
member is collapsed, or pivoted, or folded, downward, to the side of the car
to reduce the
likelihood of damage during loading and unloading of product. In the design
shown and
described herein, the stationary part of the hinge attached to an intermediate
member, or
interface member, such as a doubler or a backing plate, which may be of
various size and
shape, as opposed to being attached directly to the side of the car. This
backing plate is then
fixed to the side of the car, whether by welding, bolting, IIuckTM) bolting,
rivets, or so on.
[0044] Due to their location, stake pockets may be prone to damage
when loading
and unloading cars. They are mounted on the interior surface of the sides of
gondola cars
where product going into or out of the car may catch on the device and tear it
away from the
car.
[0045] Existing designs have the stationary part of the hinge
attached directly to the
side sheet of the cars. This design leaves potential for the ear body to be
damaged if the
stake pocket is torn off Cracks may propagate into surrounding structure and
may
necessitate extensive repairs.
[0046] The design shown and described herein has the stationary
part of the hinge
attached to the backing plate. This backing plate is the fixed to the side of
the car. By
design, the connection between the hinge and the backing plate is deliberately
made weaker
than the connection between the backing plate and the side sheet. In the event
that the stake
pocket is torn off the car, the damage may then tend to be to the backing
plate, as opposed to
the car structure. This design is favourable as it decreases the probability
of the car needing
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to be removed from service for structural repairs. This may tend to decrease
the frequency of
cars being removed from service for structural repairs.
[0047] As seen in the drawings, there is a stake pocket
assembly for a railroad freight
car 20. It has a stake pocket 64 and an interface member 96. Stake pocket 64
is movable
between a deployed position (Fig. 4a) and a stored position (Fig. 4b). Stake
pocket 64 is
frangibly mounted to interface member 96. Interface member 96 defines a
mounting fitting
for attachment to a wall member 28 of railroad freight car 20. The stake
pocket assembly
has an obliquely angled hinge protector shown as upwardly facing plat 95
(Figs. 4a and 4b).
The stake pocket assembly includes a throw member, 98, and a hinge retainer
92,94. Throw
member 98 has an accommodation for receiving a post 62. Throw member 98 has
trunnion
ends 100, 102. Hinge retainers 92, 94 accommodate trunnion ends 100, 102. The
stake
pocket assembly includes a toggle by which to maintain said stake pocket in a
deployed
position.
[0048] As also seen in the drawings, there is a railroad
gondola car 20. It has a
lading receptacle or containment vessel 26. It is bounded by first and second
spaced-apart
side walls 34, 36. Gondola car 20 has the stake pocket assembly mounted to at
least one of
side walls 34, 36. Stake pocket 64 is mounted to interface member 96 at a
mechanical fuse
105 (weld fillets 106, 108). Expressed differently, stake pocket 64 is mounted
to interface
member 96 at a first connection 65, (weld fillets 106, 108). Interface member
96 is mounted
to first side wall 34 at a second connection (weld fillet 114). The second
connection is more
resistant to separation than is the first connection. First side wall 34
includes a side sheet 42.
Interface member 96 includes a base plate 97 mountable to side sheet 42. That
is, interface
member 96 is a doubler for mounting to side sheet 42 of said first side wall
34. Interface
member 96 is secured to side sheet 42 of first side wall 34 by a first length
of weldment fillet
114. Stake pocket 64 is secured to interface member 96 by a second length of
weldment
106, 108. The second length of weldment is less than said first length of
weldment.
Expressed differently, interface member 96 is secured to side sheet 42 of
first side wall 34 at
a first attachment footprint (of peripheral weld 114), the first attachment
footprint having a
first internal area and an area moment of inertia. Stake pocket 64 is secured
to interface
member 96 at a second attachment footprint (of weld fillets 106, 108). The
first and second
attachment footprints are defined by weldmetal passes, (peripheral weld 114
and weld fillets
106, 108, respectively). Stake pocket 64 is mounted to an inside face of side
sheet 42 of first
side wall 34, and a side sheet stiffener is mounted to an outside face of said
side sheet in
alignment with stake pocket 64.
CA 2884034 2020-03-04
- 13 -
[0049]
Various embodiments have been described in detail. Since changes in and or
additions to the above-described examples may be made without departing from
the nature,
spirit or scope of the invention, the invention is not to be limited to those
details.
CA 2884034 2020-03-04
