Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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RAILROAD HOPPER CAR AND DOOR MECHANISM THEREFOR
Field of the Invention
[0001] This invention relates to the field of railroad freight cars,
and, in particular to
railroad freight cars such as may employ bottom unloading gates or doors.
Background
[0002] There are many kinds of railroad cars for carrying a lading of
particulate material,
be it sand or gravel aggregate, plastic pellets, grains, ores, potash, coal,
or other granular
materials. Many of those cars have an upper opening, or accessway of some
kind, by which the
particulate is loaded, and a lower opening, or accessway, or gate, or door, by
which the
particulate material exits the car under the influence of gravity. While the
inlet opening need not
necessarily have a movable gate, the outlet opening requires a governor of
some kind that is
movable between a closed position for retaining the lading while the lading is
being transported,
and an open position for releasing the lading at the destination. The
terminology "flow through"
or "flow through railroad car" or "center flow" car, or the like, may
sometimes be used for cars
of this nature where lading is introduced at the top, and flows out at the
bottom.
[0003] Discharge doors for coal gondola cars or other bottom dumping
cars may tend to
have certain desirable properties. First, to the extent possible it is usually
desirable for the door
opening to be large so that unloading may tend to be relatively fast, and for
the sides of any
unloading chute (e.g. slope sheets) to be relatively steep so that the
particulate will tend not to
hang up on the slope. Further, to the extent that the door can be large and
the slope sheets steep,
the interior of the car may tend to have a greater lading volume for a given
car length. Further
still, any increase in lading achieved will tend to be at a relatively low
height relative to Top of
Rail (TOR) and so may tend to aid in maintaining a low center of gravity. A
low center of
gravity tends to yield a better riding car that is less prone to derailment,
and perhaps less prone to
cause as much wear or damage to tracks. Some cars, such as ballast cars, or
cars designed for
releasing lading between the rails, may tend to benefit from having discharge
doors that are
oriented longitudinally, such that the discharge lip of the door runs
substantially parallel to the
longitudinal centerline of the car, and, in opening, the motion of the door
may tend to be
predominantly in a direction transverse to the centerline of the car.
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
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Summary of the Invention
[0004] In an aspect of the invention there is a railroad hopper car for
operation in a
rolling direction along railroad tracks. The railroad hopper car has a first
hopper. The first
hopper having a discharge. A pair of first and second doors mounted to govern
egress of lading
from said discharge. The doors are movable between a closed position for
retaining lading
within the first hopper and an open position for permitting egress of lading
under the influence of
gravity. A mechanical transmission is mounted to drive the doors. The first
and second doors
are longitudinal doors. The mechanical transmission including a splitting
member mounted to
the railroad hopper car at a fulcrum. A first linkage connected to the
splitting member to a first
side of the fulcrum, the first linkage is connected to transmit force from the
splitting member to
the first door. A second linkage connected to the splitting member to a second
side of the
fulcrum, the second linkage is connected to transmit force from the splitting
member to the
second door. An actuator mounted to drive the transmission, the actuator is
mounted to act
transversely relative to the rolling direction.
[0005] In a feature of that aspect of the invention, the first linkage
connects to the
splitting member at a first distance from the fulcrum, and the splitting
member receives drive
input from the actuator at a location more distant from the fulcrum than the
first distance. In
another feature, the first linkage connects to the splitting member at a first
distance from the
fulcrum, and the second linkage connects to the splitting member at a second
distance from the
fulcrum, the first and second distances are substantially the same. In another
feature, the railroad
hopper car having a longitudinal centerline vertical plane, and the fulcrum is
mounted
substantially at the longitudinal centerline vertical plane. In still another
feature, the splitter is a
lever, the lever acts in a plane transverse to the rolling direction of the
railroad hopper car, and
the splitter receives drive input from the actuator at a connection at a
height higher than the
fulcrum. In still another feature, the actuator is mounted to the hopper car
at a height higher than
the fulcrum. In yet another feature, the railroad hopper car has a second
hopper mounted
longitudinally adjacent the first hopper, and the actuator and the
transmission are mounted
between the first and second hoppers. In again another feature, the railroad
hopper car has first
and second side sills, the first hopper is mounted between the first and
second side sills, and the
actuator is carried at a height higher than the side sills. In a further
feature, the transmission is a
first transmission, the actuator is a first actuator, and the second hopper
has a second pair of first
and second doors mounted to govern egress of lading from a discharge of the
second hopper.
The first transmission and a second transmission are both mounted between the
first and second
hoppers. The first actuator and a second actuator are both mounted between the
first and second
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
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hoppers. In another feature the railroad hopper car has stub center sills.
[0006] In another feature, the railroad hopper car has a longitudinal
centerline plane. The
first door is a moving member of a four bar linkage. The first door has a
proximal margin and a
distal margin. In the closed position of the door the proximal margin is
transversely outboard of
the distal margin. A short linkage of the four bar linkage links the proximal
margin of the first
door to the railroad hopper car. A long linkage of the four bar linkage links
the distal margin of
the first door to the railroad hopper car. The transmission includes a first
crank operable to drive
the first door. In operation the short linkage counter-rotates relative to the
crank.
[0007] In another feature, the railroad hopper car having a
longitudinal vertical centerline
plane. The first linkage connects to the splitting member at a first distance
from the fulcrum, and
the splitting member receives drive input from the actuator at a location more
distant from the
fulcrum than the first distance. The second linkage connects to the splitting
member at a second
distance from the fulcrum, the first and second distances are substantially
the same. The fulcrum
is mounted substantially at the central plane. The splitter is a lever, the
lever acts in a transverse
plane of the railroad hopper car, and the splitter receives drive input from
the actuator at a
connection at a height higher than the fulcrum. In another feature, the
actuator is mounted to the
railroad hopper car at a height higher than the fulcrum. In still another
feature, the railroad
hopper car has a second hopper mounted longitudinally adjacent the first
hopper, and the
actuator and the transmission are mounted between the first and second
hoppers. The railroad
hopper car has first and second side sills, the first hopper is mounted
between the first and
second side sills, and the actuator is carried at a height higher than the
side sills. The
transmission is a first transmission, the actuator is a first actuator, the
second hopper has a
second pair of first and second doors mounted to govern egress of lading from
a discharge of the
second hopper. The first transmission and a second transmission are both
mounted between the
first and second hoppers. The first actuator and a second actuator are both
mounted between the
first and second hoppers. In another feature, the car has stub center sills.
[0008] In another aspect of the invention there is a railroad hopper
car for rolling along
railroad tracks in a longitudinal direction. The railroad hopper car has a
first end section and a
second end section. A hopper is mounted between the first and second end
sections. The hopper
has a bottom discharge. A door is mounted to govern egress of lading from the
hopper. The
door is movable transverse to the longitudinal direction between a first
position for retaining
lading in the hopper, and a second position permitting gravity influenced
egress of lading from
the bottom discharge of the hopper. The door defines a linkage of a four-bar
linkage. There is a
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
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first door actuator and a second door actuator. The first and second door
actuators are jointly
operable to move the door.
[0009] In a feature of that aspect of the invention, the door has a
first end and a second
end, the first end of the door is more proximate to the first end section of
the hopper car than is
the second end of the door. The first door actuator is mounted to drive the
first end of the door,
and the second door actuator is mounted to drive the second end of the door.
In another feature,
the first and second door actuators are pneumatic actuators. In another
feature, the hopper has a
first slope sheet and a second slope sheet, the first and second slope sheets
are downwardly
convergent, the first slope sheet is more proximate to the first end section
of the hopper car than
is the second slope sheet; and the first door actuator is mounted in a lee of
the first slope sheet.
In still another feature, the door is a full-length hopper door. In a further
feature, the bottom
discharge of the hopper has a length, L, in the longitudinal direction, and a
width, W, cross-wise
to the longitudinal direction, and the ratio of L/W is greater than 1.5. In
still another feature, the
first end section of the railroad hopper car has a stub center sill. In a
further feature, the first and
second door actuators are mounted transversely whereby the first and second
door actuators
drive motion that is predominantly cross-wise to the longitudinal direction.
In another feature,
the first door actuator is mounted to the first end section and the second
door actuator is mounted
to the second end section. In another feature, the hopper has a first end
slope sheet overhanging
the first end section, the first end section has a main bolster, and the first
door actuator is
mounted in a lee of the first end slope sheet and longitudinally inboard of
the main bolster. In a
further feature, a stub wall extends upwardly of the main bolster to meet the
first end slope sheet,
a first machinery space is defined between the stub wall and the first end
slope sheet, and the
first door actuator is mounted in the first machinery space. In a yet further
feature, a second
machinery space is defined at the second end section and the second door
actuator is mounted in
the second machinery space.
[0010] In an aspect of the invention there is a railroad hopper car for
rolling motion along
railroad track in a longitudinal direction. The hopper car has a longitudinal
centerline. The
hopper car has a first hopper and a second hopper. The second hopper is
longitudinally adjacent
to the first hopper. The first hopper is a single-door hopper. The second
hopper is a single-door
hopper. There is a first door. The first door is the single-door of the first
hopper. There is a
second door. The second door is the single-door of the second hopper. The
first door and the
second door move in opposite transverse directions during respective opening
thereof.
[0011] In a feature of that aspect of the invention the first door is
movable between a first
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
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position in which the first door obstructs egress of lading from the first
hopper, and a second
position in which the first door permits egress of lading from the first
hopper under the influence
of gravity. The second hopper has a second door. The second door is movable
between a first
position in which the second door obstructs egress of lading from the second
hopper, and a
second position in which the second door permits egress of lading from the
second hopper under
the influence of gravity. The first and second doors are each longitudinal
doors. In the first
respective positions the first and second doors straddle the longitudinal
centerline.
[0012] In another feature, the first hopper has a first discharge
opening, the second
hopper has a second discharge opening, and the first and second discharge
openings are
longitudinally aligned. In a further feature, the first and second doors are
each moving elements
of a four bar linkage. In another feature, the first and second doors are
operated by a common
transmission. In an additional feature, the transmission is mounted between
the first and second
hoppers. In another additional feature, the first and second hoppers have
adjacent, mutually
inclined slope sheets, and the transmission is sheltered in the lee of the
slope sheets. In a still
further additional feature, the transmission has an externally operable input.
In still another
further feature, the externally operable input is a lever having an externally
accessible extremity
for engaging an external trackside actuator as the hopper car is rolling on
railroad tracks. In
another feature the externally operable input is a first externally operable
input, and the
transmission also has a second externally operable input.
[0013] In another feature the first externally operable input is
operable to open the first
and second doors, and the second externally operable input is operable to
close the first and
second doors. In a further feature, the transmission includes a lever, the
lever is pivotally
mounted to the hopper car. The lever has a first end defining the first
externally operable input.
The lever has a second end defining the second externally operable input. In a
further feature,
the first end of the lever is externally accessible from a first side of the
hopper car to turn the
lever in a first direction as the hopper car passes a first trackside
engagement apparatus to open
the first and second doors. In another feature, the second end of the lever is
externally accessible
from a second, opposite, side of the hopper car to turn the lever in a second,
opposite, direction
to close the first and second doors as the hopper car passes a second
trackside engagement
apparatus.
[0014] In still another feature, the lever is a first lever and the
transmission includes a
second lever, the second lever is an output lever connected through a linkage
member to drive
the first door. In a further feature, the first lever is at a first height.
The second lever is at a
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
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second height. The first height is greater than the second height. The first
lever is connected to
the second lever by a predominantly upwardly standing torque shaft. In another
feature the
transmission includes at least one releasable lock for holding at least the
first door in one of (a)
an open position; and (b) a closed position.
[0015] In another feature, there is an auxiliary over-ride operable to
selectively drive the
doors to each of open and closed positions. In still another feature there is
an auxiliary over-ride
drive operable to engage the transmission. In an additional feature, the
auxiliary drive has a first
configuration for driving the doors to an open position. The auxiliary drive
has a second
configuration for driving the doors to a closed position. The transmission is
unobstructed by the
auxiliary drive when the auxiliary drive is not in use. In a further feature,
the auxiliary drive
comprises a drive screw and a cross-head, the externally operable input
defines a clevis, and the
cross-head and screw mating with the externally operable input.
[0016] In another feature, the first door includes a hollow-section
longitudinally running
reinforcement, and the reinforcement straddles the centerline when the first
door is closed. In a
further additional feature, the first door defines one bar of a four bar
linkage, the reinforcement
runs from end-to-end of the first door, and the reinforcement has linkage
fittings mounted at
either end thereof by which to connect with pivoting links of the four bar
linkage.
[0017] In another aspect of the invention there is a railroad hopper car for
rolling motion along
railroad track in a longitudinal direction. The hopper car has a longitudinal
centerline. The
hopper car has a first hopper and a second hopper. The first hopper is
longitudinally adjacent to
the second hopper. The first hopper has a first door. The first door is
movable between a first
position in which the first door obstructs egress of lading from the first
hopper, and a second
position in which the first door permits egress of lading from the first
hopper under the influence
of gravity. The second hopper has a second door. The second door is movable
between a first
position in which the second door obstructs egress of lading from the second
hopper, and a
second position in which the second door permits egress of lading from the
second hopper under
the influence of gravity. The first and second doors each are a longitudinal
door. The first and
second doors each are movable transversely between their respective first and
second positions.
In the first position the first and second doors straddle the longitudinal
centerline, and in the
second position the first door moves transversely toward a first side of the
longitudinal centerline
and the second door moves transversely toward a second side of the
longitudinal centerline.
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
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[0018] 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
[0019] The description is accompanied by a set of illustrative Figures in
which:
[0020] Figure la is a general arrangement, an isometric view, from above, of
an embodiment of
a railroad freight car according to an aspect of the invention;
[0021] Figure lb is a side view of the railroad freight car of Figure la;
[0022] Figure lc is a top view of the railroad freight car of Figure la;
[0023] Figure ld is a bottom view of the railroad freight car of Figure la,
without showing the
trucks, and with the hopper doors in a closed position;
[0024] Figure le is a perspective view, from above and to one side and one
end, of the door
opening mechanism of the railroad freight car of Figure la, with foreground
structure
being removed, and with the slope sheets and ridge plate assembly internal
gusset plate
in cut away;
[0025] Figure 2a is an isometric view, from underneath, of the railroad
freight car of Figure la;
[0026] Figure 2b is a perspective view, from underneath near the car
centerline and to one side,
of one hopper of the railroad freight car of Figure la, foreground structure
being
removed to show the relationship of door operation members with the discharge
doors in
a closed position at the driven end;
[0027] Figure 2c is a side view, with foreground structure being removed to
show the machinery
of the railroad freight car of Figure la ;
[0028] Figure 3a is a perspective view of the doors of Figure lc in a closed
position, with all
surrounding structure removed;
[0029] Figure 3b is an enlarged view of a single pair of doors of Figure 3a;
[0030] Figure 3c is a view taken on the centerline of the railroad freight car
of Figure la, with
trucks removed, showing the door operating apparatus of Figure 3b in the
closed
position;
[0031] Figure 3d is the same view as Figure 3c, with the door operating
apparatus in the fully
open position;
[0032] Figure 4a shows an isometric view of another embodiment of a railroad
freight car
similar to that of Figure la;
[0033] Figure 4b shows side view of the railroad freight car of Figure 4a;
[0034] Figure 4c shows a top view of the railroad freight car of Figure 4a;
[0035] Figure 4d shows an end view of the railroad freight car of Figure 4a;
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
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[0036] Figure 4e shows an isometric view, from underneath, of the railroad
freight car of Figure
4a;
[0037] Figure 4f shows an enlarged detail of Figure 4e, with the trucks
removed;
[0038] Figure 4g shows a perspective view, from above and to one side and one
end, of the
doors of Figure 4c, in a closed position and with all surrounding structure
removed;
[0039] Figure 4h shows a perspective view, of the doors of Figure 4g, in an
open position;
[0040] Figure 5a shows an isometric view of another embodiment of a railroad
freight car
similar to that of Figure la;
[0041] Figure 5b shows an isometric view, from below, of the railroad freight
car of Figure 5a;
[0042] Figure 5c shows a side view of the railroad freight car of Figure 5a;
[0043] Figure 5d shows a bottom view of the railroad freight car of Figure 5a,
with the trucks
removed;
[0044] Figure 5e shows a perspective view, from below and to one side and one
end, of the
doors of Figure 5d, in a closed position and with all surrounding structure
removed;
[0045] Figure 5f shows a perspective view, from above and to one side and one
end, of the
doors of Figure 5e, in the closed position;
[0046] Figure 5g shows a perspective view of the doors of Figure 5e, in an
open position;
[0047] Figure 6a is a general arrangement, perspective view from above and to
one corner of an
embodiment of a railroad freight car according to an aspect of the invention;
[0048] Figure 6b is a perspective view from below and to one corner of the
railroad freight car
of Figure 6a;
[0049] Figure 6c is a side view of the railroad freight car of Figure 6a;
[0050] Figure 6d is a bottom view of the railroad freight car of Figure 6a,
with the trucks
removed;
[0051] Figure 7a is a perspective view, from above and to one corner of hopper
doors and a door
operating transmission of the railroad freight car of Figure 6a;
[0052] Figure 7b is a perspective view from above and to another corner of the
hopper doors
and door operating transmission of Figure 7a;
[0053] Figure 7c is a perspective view from the opposite side of the hopper
doors and door
operating transmission of Figure 7a;
[0054] Figure 7d is an enlarged perspective view, from above, of one door and
the operating
mechanism of Figure 7a;
[0055] Figure 7e shows a perspective view, from below, of the railroad freight
car of Figure 6a,
with hopper doors closed;
[0056] Figure 7f shows a perspective view, from below, of the railroad freight
car of Figure 6a,
with hopper doors open;
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
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[0057] Figure 8a is a view taken on the centerline of the railroad freight car
of Figure 6a,
showing the door operating apparatus of Figure 7a in the closed position;
[0058] Figure 8b is a view taken on the centerline of the railroad freight car
of Figure 6a,
showing the door operating apparatus of Figure 7a in a fully open position;
[0059] Figure 9a shows a perspective view of a door actuator assembly of the
railroad freight
car of Figure 6a;
[0060] Figure 9b shows an exploded perspective view of the door actuator
assembly of Figure
9a;
[0061] Figure 10a is a general arrangement, perspective view from above and to
one corner of a
another embodiment of a railroad freight car according to an aspect of the
invention;
[0062] Figure 10b is a general arrangement, perspective view from below and to
one corner of
the railroad freight car of Figure 10a;
[0063] Figure 10c is a side view of the railroad freight car of Figure 10a;
[0064] Figure 10d is a bottom view of the railroad freight car of Figure 10a,
with the trucks
removed;
[0065] Figure ha is a perspective view, from above and to one corner of hopper
doors and a
door operating transmission of the railroad freight car of Figure 10a; and
[0066] Figure lib shows a perspective view, from below, of the railroad
freight car of Figure
10a, with hopper doors closed.
Detailed Description
[0067]
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 (thousand 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
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
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engineered plastics and composites. Nonetheless, most commonly welded mild
steel
construction may be assumed as the default condition.
[0068] 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 the
decision of the
Federal Circuit 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, in 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 having
at least 10 years
experience in the railroad industry in North America or in other territories
of the former British
Empire and Commonwealth.
[0069] In terms of general orientation and directional nomenclature,
for railroad cars
described herein the longitudinal direction is defined as being coincident
with the rolling
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
or rolling 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 terms
"longitudinally inboard" and
"longitudinally outboard" refer to distances 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, except as
otherwise noted 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.
Similarly, where male and
female parts engage, such as a ball and socket connection, a pin and bushing,
a pin and slot, and
so on, the male and female engaging part relationship may be interchangeable
or reversible, the
choice being somewhat arbitrary. Therefore unless otherwise noted, or unless
the context
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
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requires otherwise, interchangeability or reversibility of mating male and
female parts may be
assumed as a default without requiring further description of the reverse
arrangement. In this
description, the abbreviation kspi 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.
[0070] Bottom dumping gondola cars may tend to have either longitudinal
doors or
transverse doors. The term "longitudinal door" means a door that is oriented
such that the doors
operate on hinges or axes of rotation that are parallel to the direction of
travel (i.e., the
"longitudinal direction") of the railroad car generally. An example of a car
with longitudinal
doors is US Patent No. 3,633,515 to Shaver et al., issued January 11, 1972. By
contrast,
"transverse doors" are doors for which the axes of rotation of the hinges or
other pivots tend to
be predominantly cross-wise to the direction of travel, most often precisely
perpendicular to it on
a horizontal axis. An example of a car having transverse doors is shown in US
Patent
Publication No. 2008/0066642 of Forbes et al., published March 20, 2008.
[0071] This specification discusses four bar linkages. One kind of four
bar linkage has a
reference, or base, member defining the first link; a second link pivotally
connected to the base
member; a fourth link pivotally connected to the base member; and a third link
pivotally
connected to the distal ends of the second and fourth links. A drive input to
any one of the
second, third. or fourth links relative to the fixed base will then cause
motion of all of the second,
third, and fourth links relative to the reference member. In the discussion
that follows, the base
link is taken to be the underframe or body structure of the railcar generally,
that frame of
reference being taken as a datum during opening or closing of the various
doors. Of course, the
nominally "stationary" datum may itself be rolling, perhaps slowly, along a
railroad track as the
lading is being disgorged. In the examples given below the actual door panel
that blocks the
outlet opening of the car is the third link, namely the link that is pivotally
connected to the ends
of the second and fourth, links, linkages, or pivot arms, rather than being
directly connected to
the frame of reference. Most typically some kind of driving mechanism is
connected between
the first link, (i.e., the rigid structure of the railroad car defining the
datum or base or frame of
reference), and one of the moving links, be it the second or fourth links, or
the output member, or
third link, of the four bar linkage. Whatever bar of the linkage is driven,
the remaining moving
members are then slave linkages whose position is dictated uniquely by the
input motion and
displacement of the driven member relative to the datum. Most often the driven
member is one
of the second or fourth links.
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
- 12 -
[0072] Four bar linkages are often analyzed as if the linkage lies in a
plane. Indeed, to
the extent that out-of-plane forces are either non-existent or symmetrical and
opposite (and
therefore balanced), the forces and motions in question can be considered to
be wholly or
predominantly in a particular plane. In the examples herein, where the doors
are "longitudinal
doors" as defined above, the action of the forces, and the displacements,
whether translational or
rotational, may tend to be considered as occurring in a transverse, or cross-
wise, vertical plane.
[0073] In the examples of Figures la to 5g, the drive force is imparted
by an actuator,
which may be in the form of a pneumatic piston mounted to act cross-wise to
the longitudinal
centerline of the car. It acts through a drive shaft or ram or cylinder or
piston that is mounted to
reciprocate in that plane. The reciprocation is pure linear translation with
respect to the actuator
body, but since that body is itself pivotally mounted to the structure, the
output action may not
be linear but may be on a curve in the transverse plane. The drive piston
transmits both motion
and power through a splitter to drive connecting rods, or links, which impart
motion and drive
power to the door panels near the distal edges of those panels through their
mounts on the distal
edge backing-beam or reinforcement members adjacent the door edges. The
linkages rotate
about their base pivot mounts in parallel y-z planes, the axes of the pivots
extending in the x-
direction (i.e. longitudinally).
[0074] Figures la ¨ 3d show respective views of an example of a
railroad freight cars
indicated as 20. Although an open-topped hopper car is shown, the
illustrations are intended to
convey that the features and aspects of the invention (or inventions, as may
be) are pertinent to a
range of railroad freight cars, rather than a single embodiment. 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, flow through cars, in which lading is introduced by
gravity flow from above,
and removed by gravity discharge through gated or valved outlets below. "Flow
through", or
"center flow" cars may include open-topped hopper cars, grain cars, plastic
pellet cars, potash
cars, ore cars, coal gondolas, and so on. In one embodiment car 20 may be a
hopper car such as
may be used for the carriage of bulk commodities in the form of a granular
particulate, be it in
the nature of relatively coarse gravel or fine aggregate in the nature of fine
gravel or sand or
various ores or concentrate or coal. In either case 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.
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
- 13 -
[0075] 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 having
releasable couplers 47 at each end, as shown, 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
substantially permanent
articulated connectors, or draw bars. To the extent that car 20 may carry
relatively dense
materials, draw bar connections in a unit train might be employed. Car body
22, and the various
structural members and fittings described herein may be understood to be
typically of metal
construction, whether welded or HuckTM bolted, or riveted together, the metal
members being
most typically steel, stainless steel, or aluminum, as may be appropriate.
Some car builders have
also used reinforced plastic composites for car elements, and those materials
could also be
employed where suitable. Car body 22 may have a lading containment vessel or
shell 26 such as
may include an upstanding peripheral wall structure 28 which may have a pair
of opposed first
and second end walls 30, 32 that extend cross-wise, 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 as seen from above.
Wall structure 28
may include top chords 38 running along the top of the walls, and side sills
40 running fore-and-
aft (i.e., lengthwise) along lower portions of the side sheets 42 of side
walls 34, 36. Car 20 may
have stub center sills 44 at either end, in which case side walls 34, 36 may
act as deep beams,
and may carry vertical loads to main bolsters 108 that extend laterally from
the centerplates. In
the case of a single, stand-alone car unit, draft gear and releasable couplers
47 may be mounted
at either end of the center sill. Stub center sill 44 has first and second, or
left and right hand
vertical webs 46, 48, a bottom flange 50, and a top flange or top cover plate
52, those four
elements being arranged in the conventional manner to define a substantially
rectangular hollow
tube. Cover plate 52 is carried at a height in the range of something such as
41 to 43 inches
above TOR, such that the coupler and draft gear sit in the coupler pocket with
a coupler
centerline height for a light (i.e., unladen) car with unworn wheels of 34 1/2
inches above TOR,
the standard AAR undeflected coupler height. In a center flow, or flow through
car, the upper
portion of the car may typically include means by which to admit lading under
a gravity drop
system. Such an intake 54, or entryway may be a large rectangular opening such
as bounded by
top chords 38, or the car may have one or more hatches, whether covered or
uncovered.
[0076] Looking at the structure generally, car 20 may have two hoppers,
or hopper
assemblies, or hopper sections, identified generally and generically as a
first hopper 58 and a
second hopper 60. Each hopper has an end slope sheet 62 sloped in the
longitudinal direction,
and an intermediate slope sheet 64 also sloped in the longitudinal direction.
These slope sheets
slope upwardly, and away from, a respective first or second hopper discharge
section 66, 68. As
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
- 14 -
may be appreciated, the interior or intermediate slope sheets 64 of hoppers 58
and 60 run
upwardly and inwardly toward each other, more or less symmetrically, to meet
at what is,
roughly speaking, a common apex. More precisely, they engage opposite sides of
a ridge plate
assembly 70 that runs cross-wise between side walls 34, 36. Ridge plate
assembly 70 may be
made substantially as shown and described herein (or as in US Patent
Publication No.
2010/0132587 of Forbes et al.) and lies along the central plane of car 20. It
is not necessary that
end slope sheets 62 be inclined at the same angle as intermediate slope sheets
64. Those slopes
may be different. That is, the slope of end slope sheet 62 is substantially
shallower than the
slope of the intermediate slope sheets 64. It may be noted that a flat member,
or gusset, or plate
72 is mounted beneath ridge plate assembly 70 between the two adjacent
intermediate slope
sheets 64, such that a triangular tube is formed that extends across car 20
from side wall 34 to
side wall 36.
[0077] In the embodiment shown in Figures la ¨ 3d, the lower margins
74, 76 of slope
sheets 62, 64, respectively, terminate at a level corresponding to the height
of side sills 40, such
that margins 74, 76 and side sills 40 co-operate to define a generally
rectangular opening giving
on to hopper discharge sections 66, 68 of first hopper 58 and second hopper
60, respectively. A
lateral stiffener in the form of a hollow section beam, which may also be
termed the upper lateral
hopper support section, 78, 80 runs cross-wise from side sill to side sill
along lower margin 74,
76. Each hopper discharge section 66, 68 has a four sided shape that includes
first and second
side wall sheets or wall, or side wall members 82, 84 that depend downward on
an inward
decline from side sills 40, and first and second end walls, or wall members
86, 88 that run cross-
wise across the car, and may extend in substantially vertical planes
downwardly from lower
margins 74, 76 respectively. The bottom margins of wall members 82, 84, 86,
and 88 define a
generally rectangular opening 90. Egress of lading from opening 90 is
controlled by governors,
namely outlet doors or gates, indicated generally as first and second (or left
and right hand) doors
100, 102. These doors 100, 102 may be symmetrical, such that a description of
one serves also
to describe the other.
Full Length Side Sills
[0078] Side walls 34, 36 act as long deep side beams 104, 106 that
carry the vertical
loads of hoppers 58, 60, said walls having upper flanges formed by top chords
38, bottom
flanges formed by side sills 40 and webs defined by side sheets 42. The
vertical loads
transferred into the side beams are then carried into stub center sills 44 at
the locations of the end
stub wall assemblies 130 and main bolsters 108 at the truck centers. Main
bolsters 108 each
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
- 15 -
include an upper, or main, flange 110, a lower flange 112, and a web 114.
[0079] Car 20 has a shear plate 128 that extends over (or may define)
the top cover of
stub center sill 44, extending across the full width of car 20 from side sill
to side sill, such that it
underlies side sills 40 and overlies main bolster 108 (or defines the upper
flange thereof).
Outboard of main bolster 108, shear plate 128 extends to the end sill of car
20. Inboard of main
bolster 108, shear plate 128 has triangular portions 126 that taper outwardly
to underlie the side
sills, leaving an opening 124 beneath end slope sheet 62.
End Wall Defines Deep Lateral Beam
[0080] An end wall, or end wall assembly 130 of car 20 includes a deep,
predominantly
upwardly extending, transversely running shear web, member, panel, or wall,
132. Wa11132 has
a lower portion 134 and an upper portion 136. Lower portion 134 lies in a
predominantly
vertical cross-wise plane. Upper portion 136 is bent relative to lower portion
134, and extends
on an upwardly inclined plane to meet, and mate with, end slope sheet 62. The
lower margin of
lower portion 134 of wall 132 extends upwardly from shear plate 128. The lower
margin of
lower portion 134 of wall 132 is rooted at, or mates with, or is aligned with,
upper or main flange
110 of main bolster 108. In effect, end wall top chord 138, end slope sheet
62, beam 78, wall
132, and flange 110 co-operate to define a deep beam or deep beam assembly 140
that extends
across car 20 from side sill to side sill. The ends of beam 140 are capped by
the wings, or shear
web panel extensions 142, 144 of the side sheets 42. Further, support webs in
the nature of
elephant ears 146, 148 meet center sill cover plate 52 directly above
respective center sill webs
46,48, and are angled on an outwardly splayed slope slightly away from each
other, extending
upwardly to meet and reinforce end slope sheet 62 and end wall 132, thus
providing load paths
by which vertical portions of the shear load from side beams 104, 106 and the
lading are
resolved into stub center sill 44.
Large, Low, Substantially Horizontal Hopper Discharge Opening
[0081] It may also be noted that the lower margins of the stationary
structure of the
hopper discharge sections are reinforced by hollow structural sections, those
on end wall
members 86, 88 being identified as hollow structural sections or hollow beams
156 and those on
the sloped, laterally downwardly convergent side wall members 82,84 being
identified as hollow
structural sections, or reinforcements or hollow beams 158. As can be seen in
Figure 2b, side
sheets 82, 84 have members or extension portions identified as ears, or wings
160, that extend
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
- 16 -
over, and cap, the ends of the hollow section beams 78, 80, and 156 near the
top and bottom
margins of hopper discharge sections 66,68. Further, considering the
rectangular picture frame
defined by the lower margins of the four sheets that define the rectangular
discharge opening 90,
several feature may be noted. First, the opening is longer than wide. That is,
it has a length, L,
in the lengthwise direction of car 20, and a width, W, in the cross-wise
direction. The ratio of
L/W may be greater than 3:2 such that each of doors 100, 102 may be three
times as long as it is
wide. In one embodiment the length of the doors may be over 100 inches, and
may be about 103
inches, such that two hoppers have a combined opening length of over 200
inches. In this car of
Figures la ¨ 3d the truck center distance may be less than 500 inches, and in
one embodiment is
between 385 and 400 inches. Thus the ratio of door length to truck center
length is greater than
1:2, and may be in the range of as much as roughly 7:13. The length may be
even greater, being
roughly 155 inches, such that two doors give a total door length of more than
half and in one
embodiment as much as roughly 5/8 of the truck center spacing. Nonetheless,
the width of the
opening is less than 60 inches wide, and in one embodiment is approximately 60
inches wide.
Expressed differently, the opening is less than half the overall width of the
car, and in one
embodiment is roughly 5/11 of the width of the car. Expressed differently, the
width is less than
the gauge width of the tracks, and, in some embodiments may be in the range of
1/2 to as much
as 1 times the gauge width. Furthermore, the height of the opening above TOR
is low. It need
not be that the entire opening, or the periphery of the opening defined by
lower margins of walls
82, 84, 86, and 88, is planar or lies in a unique horizontal plane. For
example, the opening 90 of
car 20 is not precisely planar, but is angled slightly upwardly away from the
car centerline, the
angle in one embodiment being of the order of less than 40 degrees. However,
taking the
opening 90 as being substantially planar and horizontal, the height of the
midpoint of the
periphery of the opening 90 on the centerline of car 20 the structure may in
one embodiment lie
as little as 8 inches above TOR. That is to say, the opening width of the
discharge over the
mating double doors 100, 102 is more than four times, and in one embodiment
more than seven
times, the clearance height from top of rail to the lip of the opening of the
stationary structure,
and in one embodiment is more than 8 ¨ 1/2 times the clearance height (e.g.,
70" width, 8"
clearance). These various ratios are measures of, or proxies for, a physical
property of functional
significance, namely they are measures of the extent to which a very large,
substantially
horizontal gate opening permits the car to have a low center of gravity while
laded; potentially
permits the car to have a larger volume of lading than otherwise (depending on
the density of the
lading); permits the lading to be discharged more quickly given that the
opening is larger and at
the same time lower than the center sill, and permits the lading to be
discharged with more
accuracy and less spread than might otherwise be the case if discharged from a
greater height
above TOR.
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
- 17 -
Internal Machinery Accommodation Between Hoppers
[0082] In terms of stationary structure, it may be recalled that
interior slope sheets 64 of
hoppers 58 and 60 meet at ridge plate assembly 70. As such there is a
sheltered machinery space
170 defined between the two hopper discharge sections beneath, or in the lee
of, interior slope
sheets 64 of adjacent hoppers 58, 60, and, indeed, below plate 72 which forms
the bottom
closing member of the triangular tube. Although this description is written in
the context of a car
having two hoppers, the same commentary would apply to a car having any number
of hoppers
greater than one where the internal slope sheets of two adjacent hoppers meet
to form a
somewhat protected space. In existing open topped hopper cars the space under
the slope sheets
is often where so called "elephant ears" or triangular planar shear plates are
located, those planar
shear plates having one vertex running along the center sill cover plate over
one of the center sill
webs, a second vertex running upwardly on a diagonal along the back of one of
the intermediate
slope sheets and a third vertex running upward on a similar diagonal on the
back of the other
intermediate slope sheet. In the instant car 20, machinery space 170 is free
of such shear plates
or elephant ears, or planar web members, such as would otherwise obstruct the
space.
[0083] Since machinery space 170 is unobstructed, door drives in the
nature of
pneumatic cylinders, or pneumatic actuators, 162 and 164 may be located in the
accommodation
so defined. Location of actuators 162, 164 in this accommodation may tend to
mean that the
actuators are not fit into a tight or difficult machinery space over one of
the end sections of the
car, competing for space with the brake reservoirs or other equipment. It may
also mean that
there is better access for servicing and maintenance, and it may mean that the
drive train to
operate the doors is shorter and more direct than it might otherwise be,
because the actuator is
immediately beside the mechanism that it is intended to drive, and, in a
substantially transverse
installation as shown, the actuator is aligned predominantly in the direction
of action of force
that is desired, making a more compact drive train generally. An extra
pressurized air reservoir
172 for operating actuators 162, 164 may also be mounted in the machinery
space. Air reservoir
172 may have the form or a cylindrical reservoir mounted transversely at the
top of machinery
space 170 above actuators 162, 164, and may have, for example, a volume of 80
gal. (i.e., twice
the typical 40 gal. brake reservoir volume). Since air reservoir 172 is
mounted with actuators
162, 164 in machinery space 170, the air pipe distance between them is very
short. Actuation
may tend to be more rapid without the lag that might otherwise occur with a
more distant
reservoir.
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
- 18 -
Door Structure
[0084] As noted, the left and right hand doors 100, 102 are
symmetrical, such that a
description of one is equally a description of the other. The main portion of
door 100 (or 102, as
may be) is a sheet or pan 174, which may have a turned-up proximal flange 176
and a turned-
down distal lip 178, as indicated. Door pan 174 may also have turned up
lateral edges 180, the
door length (in the x-direction, or longitudinal direction) of car 20 being
suited to the opening
defined by the lower margins of the hopper discharge section, be it 66 or 68,
the upturned lateral
edges seating to either side of the fore-and-aft lower margins of the hopper
discharge section to
form a seal therealong when the door is closed. Pan 174 is reinforced by a
long-direction hollow
channel 182, oriented parallel to the x-direction of the car. Channel 182 is
welded toes-in to
form a hollow section. Pan sheet 174 is also reinforced by, and carried by,
first and second
reinforcements 184, 186 that run across the outward side thereof from the
proximal edge to
channel 182. The proximal ends of reinforcements 184, 186 extend beyond
proximal edge
flange 176, and curl upwardly partially therearound to define mounting lugs
200, 202. Further,
spindles, or stub shafts 204 are mounted at the ends of C-channel 182 and
define connection
interfaces, or connection points for both the door suspension members and the
door drive train.
Door Linkages
[0085] Doors 100 and 102 are suspended from a set of pivotally movable
members or
links such as may be generally identified as door support linkages 210. Those
linkages include a
pair of first and second, near end and far end distal linkages, or arms 212,
214, and a pair of first
and second, near and far, proximal, short, linkages, or arms 216, 218. As may
be noted, the
distal linkages, or arms, 212, 214 are longer than the proximal arms 216, 218.
Arms 212, 214
have respective first ends pivotally mounted to the upper lateral hopper
section support member,
namely hollow section beams 78, 80, respectively, at mounting lugs, or feet,
222. This is the
stationary, or reference or datum end of the link. The other end of arms 212,
214 is the pivot
mount at the connection interface defined at stub shaft 204, which may be
termed the distant or
swinging end. Similarly, the "fixed" or base, or reference, end of short arms
216, 218 is
mounted to a rotational angular motion and torque transmitting member
identified as torque tube
224, and the "free" or swinging ends of short arms 216, 218 pick up on
mounting lugs 200, 202.
Short arms 216, 218 are not rigidly fixed to torque tube 224, but rather are
mounted to rotate
independently of it. Torque tube 224 is itself mounted for rotation to a pair
of first and second
(or near and far) mounting fittings or brackets, or pedestals, or
reinforcement members or lugs
226, 228, which may themselves have the form of tapering hollow channel
sections mounted
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
- 19 -
toes-in to the outside face of the inwardly inclined side sloping sheets of
the hopper discharge
sections, those hollow sections also defining discharge section reinforcements
extending from
one end connected to side sill 40, and a second, lower end welded to hollow
structural
reinforcement 158.
[0086] As may be noted, the resultant structure defines a four-bar
linkage. The first bar,
or base, or datum, is the stationary structure whose position is rigidly fixed
as part of the car
body, namely the stationary structure of discharge section 66,68, which
includes the footings of
mounts of the linkages. The pair of long arm links 212, 214 forms the second
bar of the four bar
linkage. The pair of short arm links 216, 218 forms the fourth bar of the four
bar linkage, and
the door panel itself forms the third bar of the four bar linkage. As may be
noted, this four-bar
linkage is movable between a first position (namely the closed position, shown
in Figure 3c) and
a second position (namely the fully open position shown in Figure 3d).
[0087] In this motion, the long arm link moves through a significantly
smaller angular
displacement than the short arm link, the long arm moving through roughly 35
to 45 degrees of
arc (e.g. approximately 40 degrees), and the short arm link moving through 120
to 150 degrees
of arc (e.g. approximately 135 degrees). At the starting position of the
motion, both the short
and long arms are on angles inward of vertical, such that as the motion
begins, both the short and
long arms move toward a vertical orientation, and, in so doing, their
respective "free" pivot
interfaces move in a direction of motion that has both an outward and downward
component of
motion. That is, dz/dy at both free pivot interfaces is negative; dy being the
movement of the
interface in they, or lateral, direction (with the +y direction being defined
as a laterally outboard
direction) and dz being defined as the movement of the interface in the z, or
vertical, direction
(with the +z direction being defined as an upward direction). As will be
understood, the +y
direction for door 100 will be opposite the +y direction for door 102. Thus,
since there is a ¨z
component of motion, the initial motion serves to "lift" or "unseat" the pan,
i.e., move it away
from the seat, while the door is also moving predominantly laterally outboard
in the +y direction.
In this initial stage of motion, the absolute value of dz/dy is also
considerably less than 1; that is,
the motion is more strongly horizontal than vertical. This horizontal
predominance increases as
the swinging arms move toward their respective vertical positions. Once past
the vertical, the
respective pivot connections (or "free" pivot interfaces) begin to move upward
while moving
laterally outward. The angular displacement of the short arm is more rapid,
and its motion is
soon predominantly upward (dz/dy > 1), and continues so throughout the
remainder of the
stroke. While this occurs, the longer arm continues its predominantly
horizontal motion on a
less rapidly changing angular displacement and less strongly positive dz/dy.
The effect is that
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
- 20 -
the door panel itself tilts from a very nearly completely horizontal condition
to a tipped, inclined
position. At the end of the motion, the inside lip of the door may be
positioned substantially
directly above the rail, or just laterally shy of the inside of the rail
bullnose, such that lading
exiting the hopper discharge may tend to fall between the rails.
[0088]
As will be appreciated, returning the four-bar linkage from the second
position
(e.g. the fully open position shown in Figure 3d) to the first position (e.g.
the closed position,
shown in Figure 3c) is substantially the inverse of the motion described
above.
Drive Train
[0089]
The motion of the four bar linkage in the opening direction may be commenced
by a transmission or drive train 230, the same drive train being used to close
the doors in the
other direction once the lading has been discharged.
[0090]
The drive train includes drive actuators, 162, 164 noted above. Those
actuators
may be cylindrical rams, such as pneumatic cylinders. One end of each cylinder
is pivotally
mounted to a base, or reference, or datum or body lug 234. In the embodiment
illustrated, the
piston of each actuator is oriented inboard toward the center of the car, and
the back or the
actuator is oriented outboard toward side sill 40. The second end of each
actuator is pivotally
mounted to an output lever 240 at an output pivot connection 236. Output lever
240 has a fixed
fulcrum or pivot 238 mounted on a pedestal or footing mounted to the face of
end wall 88.
[0091]
Output lever 240 has two other pivotal connections namely first and second
output interface connections, 242 and 244. The fulcrum, namely fixed pivot
238, is located mid-
way between pivotal connections 242 and 244. Push rods, or connecting rods, or
links 256 and
264 respectively extend from connections 242 and 244 to the crank arms 246,
258 of the left and
right hand doors. Pivotal connection 244 is located at the distal end of
output lever 240. Pivot
connection 236 is located at the opposite end of output lever 240 from
connection 244. Lever
240 is effectively a force and motion splitting device. That is, the input at
236 transmits a total
input moment equal to the sum of the output at 242 and 244. Inasmuch as the
geometry is
symmetrical, the output transmitted to the cranks 246, 258 driving the pairs
of left and right
hand doors is also matched. In this embodiment the fulcrum, pivot 238, is
located on the
longitudinal centerline 122 of the car. The input from each respective
actuator is predominantly
transverse, and is transmitted to the splitter, i.e., lever 240, at a height
greater than the height of
the fulcrum 238.
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
- 21 -
[0092] A driving arm or crank arm or crank 246 is pivotally mounted to
the near end of
torque tube 224. A connecting member in the nature of a drag link or push rod
256 has a first
pivotal connection to output lever 240 at connection 242, and a second pivotal
connection at the
distal tip of crank 246. The drive train includes two further members, the
first being a driven
arm 248 and the second being a follower or slave link 250. In normal, or
automatic, or power-
driven mode, driven arm 248 is connected to crank 246, such that when crank
246 turns, driven
arm 248 turns through the same angle and transmits force and motion to slave
link 250, which, in
turn, drives the door, be it 100 or 102. Motion of connection 236 caused by
actuator 162 (or
164, as may be) will therefore necessarily cause crank 246 to move. As may be
understood, in
tripping door 100 (or 102) to open, member 256 acts in tension as a drag link.
In closing door
100, member 256 acts in compression as a connecting rod or push rod. Follower
250 is pivotally
joined at a connection 254 at one end to the distal tip of driven arm 248, and
also pivotally
connected to stub shaft 204. Rotation of driven arm 248 will move the location
of connection
254, which will, in turn cause stub shaft 204 to move, opening or closing door
100 (or 102).
Follower 250 also has an over-center lock in the form of a finger or abutment
252. When driven
arm 248 is moved to an over center condition with respect to follower 250
(i.e., the pivot axes at
255, 257, and 259 pass through a condition of planar alignment) abutment 252
engages driven
arm 248 preventing further motion. As the near end of door 100 (or 102) moves,
consequent
motion occurs in the links of the four bar linkage of the door. Torque tube
224 may tend to force
driven arms 248 at both ends of torque tube 224 to move in unison, and thereby
to discourage
twisting of the door.
[0093] A similar crank arm 258 is mounted to torque tube 224 of door
102, and functions
in the same manner, though of opposite hand. Force and motion are transmitted
to crank 258
from second output interface connection pivot 244 of output lever 240 by means
of a second
transmission member in the nature of a drag link or push rod 264. Thus motion
of the cylinder
of actuator 162 (or 164, as may be) results in laterally outboard motion of
drag links 256 and 264
in opposite directions on their respective sides of car 20, such that doors
100 and 102 operate at
the same time in a coordinated, substantially symmetrical manner. It may be
noted that output
lever 240 is also a force divider in the sense that the single force (and
motion) received from
actuator 162 (or 164, as may be) is split and distributed to the right and
left hand portions of the
drive train. As may be noted, in each case the crank counter-rotates relative
to the short,
outboard, links 216, 218 of the four bar linkage. That is, as crank 246 (or
258) turns clockwise,
the short linkages 216, 218 turn counter-clockwise.
[0094] The net result is a mid-car installation that does not compete
for space with the
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
- 22 -
brake cylinder or brake reservoir over the truck shear plate. Instead, the
mounting is sheltered
under the slope sheets above the level of the side sills in a relatively
protected location, in which
the actuators are also located above the fulcrum of the output divider. The
output divider has a
single input and two outputs, each of which drives a pushrod connected
directly to the respective
crank without additional intermediate linkages or connections.
[0095] In the embodiment of Figures 4a ¨ 4h, an open top hopper car 320
is substantially
similar to open-topped hopper car 20, and may be taken as having the same
structural features
unless noted otherwise. It differs therefrom to the extent that hopper car 320
has a car body 322
that has a single hopper 324 with full-length left and right hand doors 326,
328. It will be
appreciated that car 320 does not have intermediate slope-sheets, and
therefore lacks a mid-car
machinery space such as machinery space 170. In this instance there is a
machinery space
defined longitudinally inboard of stub wall 330 (and therefore longitudinally
inboard of main
bolster 108), in the lee of sloped end sheet 332. Main shear plate 334 tapers
forwardly of main
bolster 108 inboard thereof to underlie the side sills longitudinally to the
location of a stiffening
frame or stiffening box 336 to which the drive cranks 246, 258 are pivotally
mounted. The
geometry of the four bar linkage, and of doors 326, 328 may be taken as being
the same as that
of doors 100, 102, except that doors 326, 328 (and hopper discharge section
338) are much
longer than doors 100, 102 (and either of hopper discharge sections 66, 68),
and that there are
four second linkages, or short arms, 216 (or 218), rather than two. The four
short arms are not
joined by a common torque tube, although they could be. Since the door is very
long, it may be
generally be prone to twisting in torsion about the x-axis (or longitudinal
axis). For the purposes
of describing doors 326, 328, "very long" means that the length, L, of the
doors is greater than
50% of the overall trucks center distance, (i.e., the truck center distance,
D, is the distance from
the center of the web of one main bolster to the center of the web the other
main bolster). In the
embodiment shown, the ratio of L/D is about 2/3. The ratio of L/W is greater
than 3:1; where W
is the width of the door, in the cross-wise direction. To discourage torsional
twisting of doors
326, 328, car 320 has actuators 340, 342 mounted at both ends of the doors,
such that both ends
of each door are driven, rather than relying on one end to follow as a slave
linkage.
[0096] The presence of stub sill 344 requires placement of the splitter
lever 346 off-
center, as illustrated in Figure 4f. That is, fulcrum mount 348 is mounted to
a side web of stub
sill 344 inboard of the truck center closely adjacent to end wall member 86. A
cross-wise
internal shear web 350 is mounted within stub sill 344, co-planar with mount
348 to provide
shear web continuity. A first end of splitter lever 346 extends upwardly of
bottom flange 50 of
stub sill 344, and a first connecting rod 352 is pivotally connected from
between that first end of
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
- 23 -
lever 346 and crank 246. A second connecting rod pivot connection is located
to the other side
of the fulcrum, the first and second connecting rod pivot connections being
equidistant from the
fulcrum. A second connecting rod 354 extends between that second connecting
rod pivot
connection and crank 258. The actuator input pivot connection is located at
the far end of lever
346. As before, motion of the actuator drives lever 346, which drives the
connecting rods, which
turns cranks 246 and 258, operating doors 326, 328 accordingly.
[0097] Other features may also be noted in Figure 4f. For example, the
tapering
triangular portion 126 of main shear plate 334 is seen extending
longitudinally inboard of main
bolster 108, the tapered end underlying side sill 40. In view of the great
length of doors 326 and
328, the bottom reinforcement of the lower margin of wall member 82 is
reinforced by a
substantial closed section hollow structural member 360, which may be in the
form of a pressed
or roll-formed channel section welded toes-in to the lower margin of wall
member 82. Rather
than being mounted on a common torque-tube, the short linkage arms 218 may be
mounted to
angles or gussets mounted to the outside of wall member 82, and that extend
from side sill 40 to
member 360. The large mounting box frame 336 that defines the pivot support
for the end short
linkage arm 216 and the crank 246 (or 258) at the end of the car are shown as
336, and the
mounting box frames for the long, inboard linkage arms 212 are shown as 364,
366. As can be
seen, actuator 340 (or 342) is mounted above the level of main shear plate
334, (and, therefore,
above the level of the upper flange of the center sill, namely stub sill 344)
and above the level of
the bottom flange of side sill 40, tucked away in a compact installation in
the lee of the end slope
sheet, inboard of end stub wall 330 in a relatively protected location in a
machinery space in
which it does not compete for space with the brakes and brake reservoir.
[0098] The installation of Figure 4f is shown in the context of a car
having a single set
of, long, left and right hand doors on a single long discharge section.
However, such an end
installation could also be used in a car having internal slope sheets, such as
car 20, where it is
desired to have a powered-door transmission at both ends of a longitudinal
door (or doors),
whether to provide faster actuation, to deal with doors having greater
inertia, or to avoid twisting
e.g., of a door having low torsional stiffness about the x-axis. It may also
be noted that the
installation of Figure 4f can be used at a mid-car location in the lee of a
pair of internal slope
sheets in a car having a straight-through center sill (as opposed to stub
center sills), in each case
the actuators being mounted above the fulcrum of the splitting lever.
[0099] In the embodiment of Figures 5a ¨ 5f, a hopper car 420 is
substantially similar to
open-topped hopper car 20, and may be taken as having the same structural
features unless noted
otherwise. It differs therefrom to the extent that hopper car 420 has a single
door 400 or 402 for
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
- 24 -
each of hoppers 458 or 460, respectively, includes one actuator 462 for
opening and closing both
doors 400, 402 simultaneously, and is provided with a roof 404. To accommodate
this
configuration, doors 400, 402 extend laterally across the entirety of
rectangular openings 490,
492 of hoppers 458, 460, respectively. Roof 404 need not be included and car
420 may be an
open-topped hopper car in some embodiments.
[00100] In the previously described embodiment of hopper car 20, one
actuator 162 (or
164, as may be) simultaneously opened or closed two doors 100, 102 spaced
longitudinally from
the actuator 162 in the same direction. In the embodiment of car 420, one
actuator 462
simultaneously opens or closes two doors 400, 402 spaced longitudinally from
the actuator 462
in opposite directions. Resultantly, while the doors 100, 102 were
predominately offset in a
lateral direction from one another in car 20, the doors 400, 402 are
predominately offset in a
longitudinal direction from one another in car 420. With the exception of the
offset in the
longitudinal direction, the motion of the four bar linkage of doors 400, 402
is similar to that of
linkage of doors 100, 102.
[00101] The motion of the four bar linkage in the opening direction may
be commenced
by a transmission or drive train 430, the same drive train being used to close
the doors in the
other direction once the lading has been discharged. The drive train includes
drive actuator 462,
noted above. Actuator 462 may be a cylindrical ram, such as a pneumatic
cylinder. One end of
the cylinder is pivotally mounted to a base, or reference, or datum, or body
lug 434. In the
embodiment illustrated, the piston of the actuator is oriented inboard toward
the center of the car,
and the back of the actuator is oriented outboard toward side sill 40. The
second end of each
actuator is pivotally mounted to an output lever 440 at an output pivot
connection 436. Output
lever 440 has a fixed fulcrum or pivot 438 mounted centrally on a support
frame 494. Support
frame 494 spans the longitudinal space between hoppers 458, 460 is mounted to
hollow
structural sections 156 on the end wall 86.
[00102] Output lever 440 has two other pivotal connections namely first
and second
output interface connections, 442 and 444, which may be pivotal connections.
The fulcrum,
namely fixed pivot 438, is located mid-way between pivotal connections 442 and
444. Push
rods, or connecting rods, or links 456 and 464 respectively extend from
connections 442 and 444
to the crank arms 446, 448 of the front and back doors 400, 402. Second output
interface
connection 444 is located at the distal end of output lever 440. Pivot
connection 436 is located at
the opposite end of output lever 440 from connection 444. Lever 440 is
effectively a force and
motion splitting device. That is, the input at 436 transmits a total input
moment equal to the sum
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
- 25 -
of the output at 442 and 444. Inasmuch as the geometry is symmetrical, the
output transmitted to
the cranks 446, 448 driving the front and back doors is also matched. In this
embodiment the
fulcrum, pivot 438, is located on the longitudinal centerline 422 of the car.
The input from
actuator 462 is predominantly transverse, and is transmitted to the splitter,
i.e., lever 440, at a
height greater than the height of the fulcrum 438.
[00103] A driving arm or crank arm or crank 446 is pivotally mounted to
the near end of
torque tube 424. A connecting member in the nature of a drag link or push rod
456 has a first
output interface connection to output lever 440 at connection 442, and a
second output interface
connection at the distal tip of crank 446. The drive train includes two
further members, the first
being a driven arm 452 and the second being a follower or slave link 450. In
normal, or
automatic, or power-driven mode, driven arm 452 is connected to crank 446 (or
448, as may be),
such that when crank 446 turns, driven arm 452 turns through the same angle
and transmits force
and motion to slave link 450, which, in turn, drives the door, be it 400 or
402. Motion of
connection 436 caused by actuator 462 will therefore necessarily cause cranks
446 and 448 to
move. As may be understood, in tripping door 400 to open, member 456 acts in
tension as a
drag link. In closing door 400, member 456 acts in compression as a connecting
rod or push rod.
Follower 450 is pivotally joined at a connection 454 at one end to the distal
tip of driven arm
452, and also pivotally connected to stub shaft 406. Rotation of driven arm
452 will move the
location of connection 454, which will, in turn cause stub shaft 406 to move,
opening or closing
door 400. Follower 450 also has an over-center lock in the form of a finger or
abutment 466.
When driven arm 452 is moved to an over center condition with respect to
follower 450 (i.e., the
pivot axes at 455, 457, and 459 pass through a condition of planar alignment)
abutment 466
engages driven arm 452 preventing further motion. As the near end of door 400
moves,
consequent motion occurs in the links of the four bar linkage of the door.
Torque tube 424 may
tend to force driven arms 452 at both ends of torque tube 424 to move in
unison, and thereby to
discourage twisting of the door.
[00104] A similar crank arm 448 is mounted to torque tube 424 of door
402, and functions
in the same manner, though of opposite hand. Force and motion are transmitted
to crank 448
from second output interface connection pivot 444 of output lever 440 by means
of a second
transmission member in the nature of a drag link or push rod 464. Thus motion
of the cylinder
of actuator 462 results in laterally outboard motion of drag links 456 and 464
in opposite
directions on their respective sides of car 420, such that doors 400 and 402
operate at the same
time in a coordinated, substantially symmetrical manner. It may be noted that
output lever 440
is also a force divider in the sense that the single force (and motion)
received from actuator 462
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
- 26 -
is split and distributed to the right and left hand portions of the drive
train. As may be noted, in
each case the crank counter-rotates relative to the short, outboard, links
416, 418 of the four bar
linkage. That is, as crank 446 (or 448) turns clockwise, the short linkage 416
(or 418) turns
counter-clockwise.
[00105] The net result is a mid-car installation that does not compete
for space with the
brake cylinder or brake reservoir over the truck shear plate. Instead, the
mounting is sheltered
under the slope sheets above the level of the side sills in a relatively
protected location, in which
the actuators are also located above the fulcrum of the output divider. The
output divider has a
single input and two outputs, each of which drives a pushrod connected
directly to the respective
crank without additional intermediate linkages or connections.
[00106] The doors in the various cars may be operated by a control unit
that is connected
to operate the valves of the system causing the actuators to advance or
retract, as may be. Such a
control unit may be used on any of cars 20, 320, or 420. In this instance a
control box, or
controller is indicated as 480. Controller 480 may be mounted in the lee of
the slope sheets
closely adjacent to whichever actuator it is intended to control, such that
the various air pipes
may be kept short, such as may reduce lag time in reaction to commands.
Controller 480 may
have an external actuation interface member 482, that is, a member defining an
interface such
that the controller may be operated externally to car 20, 320, or 420. In the
examples shown,
external actuation interface member 482 may have the form of a magnetic field
sensor 484 such
as may be mounted on an outside portion of the car. In the examples of Figures
la, and 2a,
magnetic sensor 484 is mounted to the side of the car above side sill 40 at a
mid-car, or mid-span
location immediately adjacent to controller 480. When exposed to a magnetic
signal of a first
polarity, the doors open; when exposed to signals of the opposite polarity,
the doors close. An
unloading facility may have magnetic signal emitting devices at track-side
such that as the car
rolls past, the signals are received and the doors open and close accordingly.
It may be that the
signal sensor may also need a coded recognition signal to prevent inadvertent
or unauthorized
opening and closing of the doors.
[00107] Other features may also be noted in Figure 5f. For example,
short linkages 416,
418 include slots 470 at the end of the linkages distal from the connection
between the linkages
416, 418 and the torque tubes 424.
[00108] In Figures 6a to 11b, the drive force is imparted by an actuator
assembly. The
output of the actuator assembly acts through a connecting rod that is mounted
to actuate a crank
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
- 27 -
arm, which in turn operates the door it is connected to impart motion and
drive power to the door
panels. The door assemblies are four bar linkages in which the first or base
link is the car body,
the door panel forms the third link, the long pivot arms form the second link,
and the short pivot
arms form the fourth link. The geometry of the various pivot arms gives the
door a non-circular
arcuate motion between a closed position obstructing egress of lading to an
open position
permitting egress of lading under the influence of gravity. In the example
shown the linkages
rotate about their base pivot mounts in parallel y-z planes, the axes of the
pivots extending in the
x-direction (i.e. longitudinally).
[00109] Figures 6a ¨ 6d and 10a ¨10d show respective views of an example
of a railroad
freight car indicated as 20 (or 620, as may be). Although a covered hopper car
is shown, such as
might be used for potash service, the illustrations are intended to convey
that the features and
aspects of the invention (or inventions, as may be) are pertinent to a range
of railroad freight
cars, rather than a single embodiment. 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, flow
through cars, in which lading is introduced by gravity flow from above, and
removed by gravity
discharge through gated or valved outlets below. "Flow through" or "center
flow" cars may
include open-topped hopper cars, grain cars, plastic pellet cars, potash cars,
ore cars, coal
gondolas, and so on. In one embodiment car 20 may be a hopper car such as may
be used for the
carriage of bulk commodities in the form of a granular particulate, be it in
the nature of relatively
coarse gravel or fine aggregate in the nature of fine gravel or sand or
various ores or concentrate
or coal. In either case 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.
[00110] 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 having
releasable couplers at each end, as shown, 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
substantially permanent
articulated connectors, or draw bars. To the extent that car 20 may carry
relatively dense
materials, draw bar connections in a unit train might be employed. Car body
22, and the various
structural members and fittings described herein may be understood to be
typically of metal
construction, whether welded or Huck" bolted, or riveted together, the metal
members being
most typically steel, stainless steel, or aluminum, as may be appropriate.
Some car builders have
also used reinforced plastic composites for car elements, and those materials
could also be
employed where suitable. Car body 22 may have a lading containment vessel or
shell 26 such as
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
- 28 -
may include an upstanding peripheral wall structure 28 which may have a pair
of opposed first
and second end walls 30, 32 that extend cross-wise, 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 as seen from above.
Wall structure 28
may include top chords 38 running along the top of the walls (best seen in
Figures 10a to 10c),
and side sills 40 running fore-and-aft (i.e., lengthwise) along lower portions
the side sheets 42 of
side walls 34, 36. Car 20 may have stub center sills 44 at either end, in
which case side walls 34,
36 may act as deep beams, and may carry vertical loads to main bolsters 108
that extend laterally
from the centerplates. In the case of a single, stand-alone car unit, draft
gear and releasable
couplers 47 may be mounted at either end of the center sill. Stub center sill
44 has first and
second, or left and right hand vertical webs 46, 48, a bottom flange 50, and a
top flange or top
cover plate 52, those four elements being arranged in the conventional manner
to define a
substantially rectangular hollow tube. Cover plate 52 is carried at a height
in the range of
something such as 41 to 43 inches above TOR, such that the coupler and draft
gear sit in the
coupler pocket with a coupler centerline height for a light (i.e., unladen)
car with unworn wheels
of 34 1/2 inches above TOR, the standard AAR undeflected coupler height. In a
center flow, or
flow through car, the upper portion of the car may typically include means by
which to admit
lading under a gravity drop system. Such an intake 54, or entryway may be a
large rectangular
opening such as bounded by top chords, or the car be a covered car having a
roof and may have
one or more hatches 55, whether covered or uncovered.
[00111]
Looking at the structure generally, car 20 (or 620, as may be) may have two
hoppers, or hopper assemblies, or hopper sections, identified generally and
generically as a first
hopper 58 and a second hopper 60. Each hopper has an end slope sheet 62 sloped
in the
longitudinal direction, and an intermediate slope sheet 64 (best seen in
Figure 10a) also sloped in
the longitudinal direction. These slope sheets slope upwardly, and away from,
a respective first
or second hopper discharge section 66, 68. As may be appreciated, the interior
or intermediate
slope sheets 64 of hoppers 58 and 60 run upwardly and inwardly toward each
other, more or less
symmetrically, to meet at what is, roughly speaking, a common apex. More
precisely, they
engage opposite sides of a ridge plate assembly 70 (best seen in Figure 10a)
that runs cross-wise
between side walls 34, 36. Ridge plate assembly 70 may be made substantially
as shown and
described herein or as in US Patent Publication No. 2010/0132587 of Forbes et
al., or it may, in a
covered hopper car, be a full height partition. In either case it lies along
the central plane of car
20. It is not necessary that end slope sheets 62 be inclined at the same angle
as intermediate
slope sheets 64. Those slopes may be different. That is, the slope of end
slope sheet 62 is
substantially shallower than the slope of the intermediate slope sheets 64. It
may be noted that a
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
- 29 -
flat member, or gusset, or plate 72 (best seen in Figures 6d and 10d) is
mounted beneath ridge
plate assembly 70 between the two adjacent intermediate slope sheets 64, such
that a triangular
tube is formed that extends across car 20 (or 620, as may be) from side wall
34 to side wall 36.
[00112] In the embodiment shown, the lower margins of slope sheets 62
and 64 terminate
at a level corresponding to the height of side sills 40, such that lower
margins of slope sheets 62
and 64 and side sills 40 co-operate to define a generally rectangular opening
giving on to hopper
discharge sections 66, 68 of first hopper 58 or second hopper 60 respectively.
A lateral stiffener
in the form of a hollow section beam 78, 80 (shown in Figure 7e) runs cross-
wise from side sill
to side sill along lower margins of slope sheets 62 and 64. Each hopper
discharge section 66, 68
has a four sided shape that includes first and second side wall members 82, 84
that depend
downward on an inward decline from side sills 40, and first and second end
wall members 86,88
that run cross-wise across the car, and may extend in substantially vertical
planes downwardly
from the lower margins of slope sheets 62 and 64, respectively. The bottom
margins 92, 94, 96
and 98 of wall members 82, 84, 86 and 88 define a generally rectangular
opening 90 (shown in
Figure 7f). Egress of lading from opening 90 is controlled by governors,
namely outlet doors or
gates, indicated generally as first and second (or front and back) doors 100,
102. These doors
100, 102 may be symmetrical, such that a description of one serves also to
describe the other.
Full Length Side Sills
[00113] Side walls 34, 36 act as long deep side beams 104, 106 that
carry the vertical
loads of hoppers 58, 60, said walls having upper flanges formed by top chords
38, bottom
flanges formed by side sills 40 and webs defined by side sheets 42. The
vertical loads
transferred into the side beams are then carried into stub center sills 44 at
the locations of the end
stub wall assemblies 130 and main bolsters 108 at the truck centers. Main
bolsters 108 each
include an upper, or main, flange 110, a lower flange 112, and a web 114.
[00114] Car 20 (or 620, as may be) has a shear plate 128 that extends
over (or may define)
the top flange 110 of stub center sill 44, extending across the full width of
car 20 from side sill to
side sill, such that it underlies side sills 40 and overlies main bolster 108
(or defines the upper
flange thereof). Outboard of main bolster 108, shear plate 128 extends to the
end sill of car 20.
Inboard of main bolster 108, shear plate 128 has triangular portions 126 that
taper outwardly to
underlie the side sills, leaving an opening 124 beneath end slope sheet 62.
End Wall Defines Deep Lateral Beam
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
- 30 -
[00115] An end wall, or end wall assembly 130 of car 20 (or 620, as may
be) includes a
deep, predominantly upwardly extending, transversely running shear web,
member, panel or
wall, 132. Wall 132 has a lower portion 134 and an upper portion 136. Wall 132
lies in a
predominantly vertical cross-wise plane. Upper portion 136 meets end slope
sheet 62. The
lower margin of wall 132 extends upwardly from shear plate 128. The lower
margin of wall 132
is rooted at, or mates with, or is aligned with, upper or main flange 110 of
main bolster 108. In
effect, end wall top chord 138, end slope sheet 62, beam 78, wall 132, and
flange 110 co-operate
to define a deep beam or deep beam assembly 140 that extends across car 20
from side sill to
side sill. The ends of beam 140 are capped by the wings, or shear web panel
extensions 142, 144
of the side wall shear web sheets 42. Further, support webs in the nature of
elephant ears
146,148 meet center sill cover plate 52 directly above respective center sill
webs 46, 48, and are
angled on an outwardly splayed slope slightly away from each other, extending
upwardly to meet
and reinforce end slope sheet 62 and end wall 132, thus providing load paths
by which vertical
portions of the shear load from side beams 104, 106 and the lading are
resolved into stub center
sill 44.
Large, Low, Substantially Horizontal Hopper Discharge Opening
[00116] The lower margins of the stationary structure of the hopper
discharge sections are
reinforced by hollow structural sections, those on end wall members 86, 88
being identified as
156 and those on the sloped, laterally downwardly convergent side wall members
82, 84 being
identified as 158. Further, considering the rectangular picture frame defined
by the lower
margins of the four sheets that define the rectangular discharge opening 90,
several features may
be noted. First, the opening is longer than wide. That is, it has a length, L,
in the lengthwise
direction of car 20 (or 620, as may be), and a width, W, in the cross-wise
direction. The ratio of
L/W may be greater than 3:2 such that each of doors 100, 102 may be three
times as long as it is
wide. In one embodiment the length of the doors may be over 100 inches, and
may be about
103 inches, such that two hoppers have a combined opening length of over 200
inches. In this
car of Figures 6a ¨ 6d the truck center distance may be less than 500 inches,
and in one
embodiment is between 385 and 400 inches. Thus the ratio of door length to
truck center length
is greater than 1:2, and may be in the range of as much as roughly 7:13. The
length may be even
greater, being roughly 155 inches, such that two doors give a total door
length of more than half
and in one embodiment as much as roughly 5/8 of the truck center spacing.
Nonetheless, the
width of the opening is less than 60 inches wide, and in one embodiment is
approximately 60
inches wide. Expressed differently, the opening is less than half the overall
width of the car, and
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
-31 -
in one embodiment is roughly 5/11 of the width of the car. Expressed
differently, the width is
less than the gauge width of the tracks, and, in some embodiments may be in
the range of 1/2 to
as much as 1 times the gauge width. Furthermore, the height of the opening
above TOR is low.
It need not be that the entire opening, or the periphery of the opening
defined by lower margins
92, 94, 96, 98 is planar or lies in a unique horizontal plane. For example,
the opening of car 20
is not precisely planar, but is angled slightly upwardly away from the car
centerline, the angle in
one embodiment being of the order of less than 15 degrees. However, taking the
opening as
being substantially planar and horizontal, the height of the midpoint of the
periphery of the
opening on the centerline of car 20 the structure may in one embodiment lie as
little as 8 inches
above TOR. That is to say, the opening width of the discharge over the single
doors 100, 102 (or
mating double doors, as may be for car 620) is more than four times, and in
one embodiment
more than seven times, the clearance height from top of rail to the lip of the
opening of the
stationary structure, and in one embodiment is more than 8 ¨ 1/2 times the
clearance height (i.e.,
70" width, 8" clearance). These various ratios are measures of, or proxies for
a physical property
of functional significance, namely they are measures of the extent to which a
very large,
substantially horizontal gate opening permits the car to have a low center of
gravity while laded,
potentially permits the car to have a larger volume of lading than otherwise,
(depending on the
density of the lading); permits the lading to be discharged more quickly given
that the opening is
larger and at the same time lower than the center sill, and permits the lading
to be discharged
with more accuracy and less spread than might otherwise be the case if
discharged from a greater
height.
Internal Machinery Accommodation Between Hoppers
[00117]
In terms of stationary structure, it may be recalled that interior slope
sheets 64 of
hoppers 58 and 60 meet at ridge plate assembly 70. As such there is a
sheltered machinery space
170 defined between the two hopper discharge sections beneath, or in the lee
of, interior slope
sheets 64 of adjacent hoppers 58, 60, and, indeed, below plate 72 which forms
the bottom
closing member of the triangular tube. Although this description is written in
the context of a car
having two hoppers, the same commentary would apply to a car having any number
of pairs of
hoppers where the internal slope sheets of two adjacent hoppers meet to form a
somewhat
protected space. In existing open topped hopper cars the space under the slope
sheets is often
where so called "elephant ears" or triangular planar shear plates are located,
those planar shear
plates having one vertex running along the center sill cover plate (assuming
the car has a
straight-through center sill) over one of the center sill webs, a second
vertex running upwardly
on a diagonal along the back of one of the intermediate slope sheets, and a
third vertex running
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
- 32 -
upward on a similar diagonal on the back of the other intermediate slope
sheet. In the instant car
20 (or 620, as may be), machinery space 170 is free of such shear plates or
elephant ears, or
planar web members, such as would otherwise obstruct the space.
[00118]
Since machinery space 170 is unobstructed, a door drive assembly may be
mounted therein (discussed in greater detail below). Door drive assembly
includes a large lever,
or actuation member. Location of an actuator in this accommodation may tend to
mean that the
actuator is not fit into a tight or difficult machinery space over one of the
end sections of the car,
competing for space with the brake reservoirs or other equipment. It may also
mean that there is
better access for servicing and maintenance.
Door Structure (Single Doors)
[00119]
Referring to Figures 6a to 9b, as noted, the first and second doors 100, 102
are
the same, such that a description of one is equally a description of the
other. The main portion of
door 100 (or 102, as may be) is a sheet or pan 174. The upward face of door
pan 174 may also
have laterally running edges 181. The door length (in the x-direction, or
longitudinal direction)
and width (in the y-direction, or transverse direction) of pan 174 is suited
to the opening defined
by the lower margins of the hopper discharge section, be it 66 or 68, the
lateral edges mating
with that opening by the fore-and-aft lower margins of the hopper discharge
section to form a
seal therealong when the door is closed. Pan 174 is reinforced by a long-
direction hollow
channel 182, oriented parallel to the x-direction of the car. Channel 182 is
welded toes-in to
form a hollow section. In the embodiment shown, channel 182 is located in the
middle of door
pan 174, such that when door 100 (or 102) is closed, channel 182 may tend to
overlap the
longitudinal centerline plane of car 20 more generally, and may be centered on
the centerline.
Pan 174 is also reinforced longitudinally by further longitudinal stringers
166 and 168 that run
parallel to channel 182 adjacent to distal edge 179 and proximal edge 177.
Stringers 166 and
168 are made by welding a formed angle toes-in to pan 174.
[00120]
Pan sheet 174 is also reinforced by, and carried by, first and second
transverse
reinforcements 184, 186 that run across the outward side thereof from the
proximal edge 177 to
channel 182. Web continuity gussets (not shown) may be mounted within channels
182, and
reinforcement continuations reinforcements, 188, 190, in line with
reinforcements 184, 186,
extend from channel 182 to the distal edge 179 of doors 100, 102. The proximal
ends of
reinforcements 184, 186 define mounting lugs 200, 202. Further, spindles,
trunnions or stub
shafts 204 are mounted at the ends of C-channel 182 and define connection
interfaces, or
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
- 33 -
connection points for both the door suspension members and the door drive
train.
Door Linkages (Single Doors)
[00121] Doors 100 and 102 are suspended from a set of pivotally movable
members or
links such as may be identified generally as door support linkages 210. Those
linkages include a
pair of first and second, near end and far end distal door linkages, or arms
212, 214, and a pair of
first and second, near and far, proximal, short, door linkages, or arms 216,
218. As may be
noted, the distal linkages, or arms, 212, 214 are longer than the proximal
arms 216, 218. Distal
arms 212, 214 have respective first end pivotally mounted to the upper lateral
hopper section
support member, namely hollow section beams 80, 78 at mounting lugs, or feet,
222, 522 (as
best seen in Figure 7e). This is the stationary, or reference or datum end of
the link. The other
end of arms 212, 214 is the pivot mount at the connection interface defined at
stub shaft 204,
which may be termed the distant or swinging end. Similarly, the "fixed" or
base, or reference,
end of short arms 216, 218 is mounted to a rotational angular motion and
torque transmitting
member identified as torque tube 224, and the "free" or swinging ends of short
arms 216, 218
pick up on mounting lugs 200, 202. Short arms 216, 218 are not rigidly fixed
to torque tube 224,
but rather are mounted to rotate independently of it. Torque tube 224 is
itself mounted for
rotation to three mounting fittings or brackets, or pedestals, or
reinforcement members or lugs
220, 226, 228, which may themselves have the form of tapering hollow channel
sections
mounted toes-in to the outside face of the inwardly inclined side sloping
sheets of the hopper
discharge sections.
[00122] As may be noted, the resultant structure defines a four-bar
linkage. The first bar,
or base, or datum, is the stationary structure whose position is rigidly fixed
as part of the car
body, namely the stationary structure of discharge section 66,68, which
includes the footings of
mounts of the linkages. The long arm pair of arms 212,214 forms the second bar
of the four bar
linkage. The short arm pair of arms 216, 218 forms the fourth bar of the four
bar linkage, and
the door panel itself forms the third bar of the four bar linkage. As may be
noted, this four-bar
linkage is movable between a first position (namely the closed position, shown
in Figure 8a) and
a second position (namely the fully open position shown in Figure 8b).
[00123] In this motion, the long arm link moves through a significantly
smaller angular
displacement than the short arm link, the long arm moving through roughly 35
to 45 degrees of
arc (e.g. approximately 40 degrees), and the short arm link moving through 120
to 150 degrees
of arc (e.g. approximately 135 degrees). At the starting position of the
motion, both the short
and long arms are on angles inward of vertical, such that as the motion
begins, both the short and
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
- 34 -
long arms move toward a vertical orientation, and, in so doing, their
respective "free" pivot
interfaces move in a direction of motion that has both an outward and downward
component of
motion. That is, dz/dy at both free pivot interfaces is negative; dy being the
movement of the
interface in they, or lateral, direction (with the +y direction being defined
as a laterally outboard
direction) and dz being defined as the movement of the interface in the z, or
vertical, direction
(with the +z direction being defined as an upward direction). As will be
appreciated, the +y
direction for door 100 will be opposite the +y direction for door 102. Thus,
since there is a ¨z
component of motion, the initial motion serves to "lift" or "unseat" the pan,
i.e., move it away
from the seat, while the door is also moving predominantly laterally outboard
in the +y direction.
In this initial stage of motion, the absolute value of dz/dy is also
considerably less than 1; that is,
the motion is more strongly horizontal than vertical. This horizontal
predominance increases as
the swinging arms move toward their respective vertical positions. Once past
the vertical, the
respective pivot connections (or "free" pivot interfaces) begin to move upward
while moving
laterally outward. The angular displacement of the short arm is more rapid,
and its motion is
soon predominantly upward (dz/dy > 1), and continues so throughout the
remainder of the
stroke. While this occurs, the longer arm continues its predominantly
horizontal motion on a
less rapidly changing angular displacement and less strongly positive dz/dy.
The effect is that
the door panel itself tilts from a very nearly completely horizontal condition
to a tipped, inclined
position. At the end of the motion, the inside lip of the door may be
positioned substantially
directly above the rail, or just laterally shy of the inside of the rail
bullnose, such that lading
exiting the hopper discharge may tend to fall between the rails.
[00124] As will be appreciated, returning the four-bar linkage from the
second position
(e.g. the fully open position shown in Figure 8b) to the first position (e.g.
the closed position,
shown in Figure 8a) is substantially the inverse of the motion described
above.
Drive Train (Single Doors)
[00125] The motion of the four bar linkages of doors 100, 102 may be
driven by a
transmission or drive train 530, the same drive train being used to close the
doors in the other
direction once the lading has been discharged.
[00126] The drive train includes an input member 532, an output member
534, and a link
or transfer member 536. In this instance input member 532 may have the form of
a large lever,
540 having a first end 542, a second end 544, and a central pivot axis 546.
Output member 534
may similarly have the form of a lever 550 having a first end at a first
output interface
connection 552, a second end at a second output interface connection 554 and
sharing the same
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
- 35 -
central pivot axis 546. Transfer member 536 may have the form of a shaft or
torque tube 560
mounted to a reaction frame 562 that is itself rooted to the lateral
structural members of the
hopper discharge sections. As may be noted, lever 540 is mounted at a level or
heightjust below
side sills 40, and lever 550 is mounted lower. Output lever 550 has two other
pivotal
connections namely first and second output interface connections, 552 and 554.
The fulcrum,
namely the fixed pivot at central pivot axis 546, is located mid-way between
pivotal connections
552 and 554. Push rods, or connecting rods, or links 556 and 558 respectively
extend from
connections 552 and 554 to the crank arms of the front and back doors. That
is, connecting rods
556, 558 carry transmitted motion and force from the respective output
interface connections or
ends 552 and 554 of output lever 550 to the first and second door cranks, 564,
566 of the drive
mechanisms for doors 100 and 102 respectively.
[00127] First end 542 of lever 540 extends laterally proud of side sill
40, and is carried in
a slot defined in a bell-mouth 568 that has an arcuately formed outer surface,
the bottom wall
portion thereof defining a cam 570 that includes a lever disengagement portion
572. First end
542 may be split or bifurcated to form a clevis 574, as shown. The leading and
trailing sides of
end 542 may be broadened or splayed, to form a catch, or notch, or engagement
seat 576.
Second end 542 of lever 540 may be similarly formed but may not have the
clevis feature.
[00128] Lever 550 is effectively a force and motion splitting device.
That is, the input at
torque tube 560 transmits a total input moment equal to the sum of the output
at 552 and 554.
Inasmuch as the geometry is symmetrical, the output transmitted to the cranks
driving doors 100,
102 is also matched. In this embodiment the fulcrum, pivot located at central
pivot axis 546, is
located on the longitudinal centerline of the car.
[00129] The door mechanism driving arm or crank arm or crank, be it 564
or 566, is
pivotally mounted to the near end of torque tube 224. The drive train includes
two further
members, the first being a driven arm 578 and the second being a follower or
slave link 580 (as
seen in Figure 7d, 8a, and 8b). In normal, or automatic, or power-driven mode,
driven arm 578
is connected to crank 564, (or 566) such that when crank 564 turns, driven arm
578 turns through
the same angle and transmits force and motion to slave link 580, which, in
turn, drives the door,
be it 100 or 102. Motion of lever 540 caused by an input received at one or
the other of the input
interfaces defined by first and second ends 542, 544 will therefore
necessarily cause crank 564 or
566 to move. As may be understood, in tripping door 100 (or 102) to open,
member 556 (or
558) acts in tension as a drag line. In closing door 100, member 556 acts in
compression as a
connecting rod or push rod. Follower 580 is pivotally joined at a connection
584 at one end to
the distal tip of driven arm 578, and also pivotally connected to stub shaft
204. Rotation of
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
- 36 -
driven arm 578 will move the location of connection 584, which will, in turn
cause stub shaft
204 to move, opening or closing door 100 (or 102). Follower 580 also has an
over-center lock in
the form of a finger or abutment 582. When driven arm 578 is moved to an over
center
condition with respect to follower 580 (i.e., the pivot axes at 585, 587 and
589 pass through a
condition of planar alignment) abutment 582 engages driven arm 578 preventing
further motion.
As the near end of door 100 (or 102) moves, consequent motion occurs in the
links of the four
bar linkage of the door. Torque tube 224 may tend to force driven arms 578 at
both ends of
torque tube 224 to move in unison, and thereby to discourage twisting of the
door.
[00130] Thus motion of lever 540 results in laterally inboard motion of
drag links 556 and
558 in opposite directions on their respective sides of car 20, such that
doors 100 and 102
operate at the same time in a coordinated, substantially symmetrical, though
opposite-handed,
manner. It may be noted that output lever 550 is also a force divider in the
sense that the single
force (and motion) received from lever 540 (whichever end 542 or 544 receives
the input) is split
and distributed to the right and left hand portions of the drive train. As may
be noted, in each
case the crank counter-rotates relative to the short, outboard, links of the
four bar linkage. That
is, as crank 564 (or 566) turns clockwise, the short linkage 216, 218 turns
counter-clockwise.
[00131] Lever 540 may be actuated as car 20 is in rolling motion along
railroad tracks. A
trackside interface member, being a post, or biased structural member or
engaging arm, which
may be spring loaded, may be mounted at track-side, and may stand sufficiently
upwardly to
engage first end 542 of lever 540. As car 20 rolls forward, lever 540 is
driven to cause doors
100, 102 to open. As the spring loaded member works its way around the
outwardly facing
surface of bell-mouth 568, the doors open further. When they reach the fully
open position, cam
570 disengages the spring loaded arm from lever 540. When the car has advanced
somewhat
further, and has discharged its lading (presumably through a floor grid or
grating beneath the
rails), second end 544 of lever 540 may encounter a similar post or biased
structural member on
the other side of car 20, reversing the process to move doors 100, 102 to
their closed, centered
position.
[00132] Lever 540 has a widened portion 590 located between axis 546 and
first end 542.
Widened portion 590 has first and second accommodations, or seats, or
apertures 592, 594. A
frame, fitting, or beam 596 is mounted to the underside of the internal slope
sheets. An indexing
member, such as may be in the nature of a spring loaded ball is mounted inside
a socket 598.
When lever 540 is move to the "closed" position of doors 100, 102, the
indexing member, i.e.,
the spring loaded ball, seats in aperture 592 and discourages lever 540 from
moving. When the
external trackside engagement member encounters second end 544 of lever 540,
the force
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
- 37 -
applied causes the spring loaded ball to disengage from aperture 592. When
lever 540 moves to
the open position of doors 100, 102, the spring loaded ball member then seats
in aperture 594,
thus tending releasably to secure the actuator, i.e., lever 540, in the open
position.
Door Structure (Double Doors)
[00133] In the embodiment shown in Figures 10a to 11b, hopper car 620 is
substantially
similar to hopper car 20, and may be taken as having the same structural
features unless noted
otherwise. Hopper car 620 differs from hopper car 20 to the extent that hopper
car 620 has a pair
of double doors 600, 602 for each hopper 58, 60. To accommodate this
configuration, doors 600,
602 extend laterally across only half of rectangular openings 90 of hoppers
58, 60.
[00134] Left and right hand doors 600, 602 are symmetrical, such that a
description of one
is equally a description of the other. Similarly, the first pair of doors for
hopper 58 is
symmetrical to a second pair of doors for hopper 60, such that a description
of one pair is equally
a description of the other pair. The main portion of door 600 (or 602, as may
be) is a sheet or
pan 674, which may have a turned-up proximal flange 676 and a turned-down
distal lip 678, as
indicated. Door pan 674 may also have turned up lateral edges 680. The door
length (in the x-
direction, or longitudinal direction) of car 620 being suited to the opening
defined by the lower
margins of the hopper discharge section, be it 66 or 68, the upturned lateral
edges seating to
either side of the fore-and-aft lower margins of the hopper discharge section
to form a seal
therealong when the door is closed. Pan 674 is reinforced by a long-direction
hollow channel
682, oriented parallel to the x-direction of the car. Channel 682 is welded
toes-in to form a
hollow section. Pan sheet 674 is also reinforced by, and carried by, first and
second proximal
reinforcements 684, 686 that run across the outward side thereof from the
proximal edge to
channel 682. The proximal ends of reinforcements 684, 686 extend beyond
proximal edge
flange 676, and curl upwardly partially therearound to define mounting lugs
700, 702. Further,
spindles, or stub shafts 704 are mounted at the ends of C-channel 682 and
define connection
interfaces, or connection points for both the door suspension members and the
door drive train.
Door Linkages (Double Doors)
[00135] Doors 600 and 602 are suspended from a set of pivotally movable
members or
links such as may be generally identified as door support linkages 710. Those
linkages include a
pair of first and second, near end and far end distal door linkages, or arms
712, 714, and a pair of
first and second, near and far, proximal, short, door linkages, or arms 716,
718. As may be
noted, the distal linkages, or arms, 712, 714 are longer than the proximal
arms 716, 718. Arms
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
- 38 -
712, 714 have respective first ends pivotally mounted to upper lateral hopper
section support
member 78, 80, respectively, at mounting lugs, or feet, 722. This is the
stationary, or reference
or datum end of the link. The other end of arms 712, 714 is the pivot mount at
the connection
interface defined at stub shaft 704, which may be termed the distant or
swinging end. Similarly,
the "fixed" or base, or reference, end of short arms 716, 718 is mounted to a
rotational angular
motion and torque transmitting member identified as torque tube 724, and the
"free" or swinging
ends of short arms 716, 718 pick up on mounting lugs 700, 702. Short arms 716,
718 are not
rigidly fixed to torque tube 724, but rather are mounted to rotate
independently of it. Torque
tube 724 is itself mounted for rotation to two pairs pair of first and second
(or near and far)
mounting fittings or brackets, or pedestals, or reinforcement members or lugs
226, 228, which
may themselves have the form of tapering hollow channel sections mounted toes-
in to the
outside face of the inwardly inclined side sloping sheets of the hopper
discharge sections, those
hollow sections also defining discharge section reinforcements extending from
one end
connected to side sill 40, and a second, lower end welded to lower edge
reinforcement 158.
[00136] As may be noted, the resultant structure defines a four-bar
linkage. The first bar,
or base, or datum, is the stationary structure whose position is rigidly fixed
as part of the car
body, namely the stationary structure of discharge section 66,68, which
includes the footings of
mounts of the linkages. The long arm pair of arms 712, 714 forms the second
bar of the four bar
linkage. The short arm pair of arms 716, 718 forms the fourth bar of the four
bar linkage, and
the door panel itself forms the third bar of the four bar linkage. As may be
noted, this four-bar
linkage is movable between a first position (namely the closed position, shown
in Figure 10b)
and a second position (namely the fully open position, not shown).
[00137] In this motion, the long arm link moves through a significantly
smaller angular
displacement than the short arm link, the long arm moving through roughly 35
to 45 degrees of
arc (e.g. approximately 40 degrees), and the short arm link moving through 120
to 150 degrees
of arc (e.g. approximately 135 degrees). At the starting position of the
motion, both the short
and long arms are on angles inward of vertical, such that as the motion
begins, both the short and
long arms move toward a vertical orientation, and, in so doing, their
respective "free" pivot
interfaces move in a direction of motion that has both an outward and downward
component of
motion. That is, dz/dy at both free pivot interfaces is negative; dy being the
movement of the
interface in they, or lateral, direction (with the +y direction being defined
as a laterally outboard
direction) and dz being defined as the movement of the interface in the z, or
vertical, direction
(with the +z direction being defined as an upward direction). As will be
understood, the +y
direction for door 600 will be opposite the +y direction for door 602. Thus,
since there is a ¨z
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
- 39 -
component of motion, the initial motion serves to "lift" or "unseat" the pan,
i.e., move it away
from the seat, while the door is also moving predominantly laterally outboard
in the +y direction.
In this initial stage of motion, the absolute value of dz/dy is also
considerably less than 1; that is,
the motion is more strongly horizontal than vertical. This horizontal
predominance increases as
the swinging arms move toward their respective vertical positions. Once past
the vertical, the
respective pivot connections (or "free" pivot interfaces) begin to move upward
while moving
laterally outward. The angular displacement of the short arm is more rapid,
and its motion is
soon predominantly upward (dz/dy > 1), and continues so throughout the
remainder of the
stroke. While this occurs, the longer arm continues its predominantly
horizontal motion on a
less rapidly changing angular displacement and less strongly positive dz/dy.
The effect is that
the door panel itself tilts from a very nearly completely horizontal condition
to a tipped, inclined
position. At the end of the motion, the inside lip of the door may be
positioned substantially
directly above the rail, or just laterally shy of the inside of the rail
bullnose, such that lading
exiting the hopper discharge may tend to fall between the rails.
[00138] As will be appreciated, returning the four-bar linkage from the
second position
(e.g. the fully open position, not shown) to the first position (e.g. the
closed position, shown in
Figure 10b) is substantially the inverse of the motion described above.
Drive Train (Double Doors)
[00139] The motion of the four bar linkages of doors 600, 602 may be
driven by a
transmission or drive train 730, the same drive train being used to close the
doors in the other
direction once the lading has been discharged. Drive train 730 is the same as
drive train 530,
except insofar as each side of the output member 734 in drive train 730
actuates two doors (i.e.
both doors 600, or both doors 602, as may be), whereas each side of the output
lever 534 in drive
train 530 actuated only one door 100 (or 102, as may be).
[00140] The drive train includes an input member 732, an output member
734, and a link
or transfer member 736. In this instance input member 732 may have the form of
a large lever,
740 having a first end 742, a second end 744, and a central pivot axis 746.
Output member 734
may similarly have the form of a lever 750 having a first end at a first
output interface
connection 752, a second end at a second output interface connection 754 and
sharing the same
central pivot axis 746. Transfer member 736 may have the form of a shaft or
torque tube 760
mounted to a reaction frame 762 that is itself rooted to the lateral
structural members of the
hopper discharge sections. As may be noted, lever 740 is mounted at a level or
heightjust below
side sills 40, and lever 750 is mounted lower. Output lever 750 has two other
pivotal
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
-40 -
connections namely first and second output interface connections, 752 and 754.
The fulcrum,
namely a fixed pivot at central pivot axis 746, is located mid-way between
pivotal connections
752 and 754. Push rods, or connecting rods, or links 756 and 758 respectively
extend from
connections 752 and 754 to the crank arms of the front and back doors. That
is, connecting rods
756, 758 carry transmitted motion and force from the respective output
interface connections or
ends 752 and 754 of output lever 750 to the first and second door cranks, 764,
766 of the drive
mechanisms for doors 600 and 602 respectively.
[00141] The door mechanism driving arm or crank arm or crank, be it 764
or 766, is
pivotally mounted to the near middle of torque tube 724. The drive train
includes two further
members, the first being a driven arm 778 and the second being a follower or
slave link 780 (as
seen in Figure 11a). As will be appreciated, in the embodiment of Figures 10a
to 11b, crank 764
(or 766, as may be) drives four driven arms 778 (two for each door attached to
torque tube 724);
in the previously described embodiment, crank 564 (or 566, as may be) drove
two driven arms
578. In normal, or automatic, or power-driven mode, driven arm 778 is
connected to crank 764,
(or 766) such that when crank 764 turns, driven arm 778 turns through the same
angle and
transmits force and motion to slave link 780, which, in turn, drives the door,
be it 600 or 602.
Motion of lever 740 caused by an input received at one or the other of the
input interfaces
defined by first and second ends 742, 744 will therefore necessarily cause
crank 764 or 766 to
move. As may be understood, in tripping door 600 (or 602) to open, member 756
(or 758) acts
in tension as a drag link. In closing door 600, member 756 (or 758) acts in
compression as a
connecting rod or push rod. Follower 780 is pivotally joined at a connection
784 at one end to
the distal tip of driven arm 778, and also pivotally connected to stub shaft
704. Rotation of
driven arm 778 will move the location of connection 784, which will, in turn
cause stub shaft
704 to move, opening or closing door 600 (or 602). Follower 780 also has an
over-center lock in
the form of a finger or abutment 782. When driven arm 778 is moved to an over
center
condition with respect to follower 780 (i.e., the pivot axes at 785, 787 and
789 pass through a
condition of planar alignment) abutment 782 engages driven arm 778 preventing
further motion.
As the near end of door 600 (or 602) moves, consequent motion occurs in the
links of the four
bar linkage of the door. Torque tube 724 may tend to force driven arms 778 at
both ends of
torque tube 724 to move in unison, and thereby to discourage twisting of the
door.
[00142] Thus motion of lever 740 results in laterally inboard motion of
drag links 756 and
758 in opposite directions on their respective sides of car 620, such that
doors 600 and 602
operate at the same time in a coordinated, substantially symmetrical, though
opposite-handed,
manner. It may be noted that output lever 750 is also a force divider in the
sense that the single
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
- 41 -
force (and motion) received from lever 740 (whichever end 742 or 744 receives
the input) is split
and distributed to the right and left hand portions of the drive train. As may
be noted, in each
case the crank counter-rotates relative to the short, outboard, links of the
four bar linkage. That
is, as crank 764 (or 766) turns clockwise, the short linkage 716, 718 turns
counter-clockwise.
[00143] Lever 740 may be actuated as car 620 is in rolling motion along
railroad tracks, in
the same manner as lever 540, previously described.
Auxiliary Drive
[00144] In the event that the doors should become dislodged, or stuck in
either the open
position or the closed position, and the car is not at an unloading terminal
with an appropriate
track-side actuator, it may be desirable to be able to open or close the doors
with auxiliary
power. To that end, car 20 (or 620, as may be) may have an auxiliary door
drive 610 (shown in
Figure 7d). Drive 610 may have the form of a screw 512 and cross-head 614.
Cross-head 614 is
shaped to engage notch or engagement seat 576 from either side, i.e., with the
screw 512 driven
in one direction under axial tension to pull on first end 542 of lever 540 to
open doors 100, 102
(or 600, 602, as may be); and driven in the opposite direction in compression
to drive doors 100,
102 to the closed position, (with cross-head 614 pushing into the notch on the
other side of clevis
574) such as may also be aided by gravity.
[00145] 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
but only by a purposive
interpretation of the claims as required by law.
Date recue/Date received 2024-05-17
