Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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SPECIFI CATION
BACK~ROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates in general to
material transportation cars, and, more particularly,
to railroad cars.
The American Association of Railroads (AAR)
has specific regulations regarding sizes and structures
of railway cars. To most efficiently utilize a car,
the volume and load capabilities thereof must be
maximized within the restraints of AAP~ regulations.
For example, a longer car is permitted if width is
decreased correspondingly. However, the weight oE a
car increases as that car is lengthened. Thus, to
achieve a payload in excess of 193,000 pounds, the car
cannot exceed 70,000 pounds.
Thus, there is need for a means of increasing
the volume of existing cars while remaining within
the requirements set by the AAR.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The device of the present invention permits
increasing the volume of a 4,000 cubic foot car, referred
to hereinafter as PD 4,000, to greater than 5,000 cubic
feet while still remaining within the requirements set
by the AAR, and having pressure holding capabilities up to
15 psi with proper safety factors, such as factors which
permit personnel in the close vicinity of the car.
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The device includes a planar section located in
the unitary, integral, arcuate shell of a car. The~s~hell
is reinforced longitudinally and laterally of the car.
The center section of the car is isolated by allowing the
upper and lower sections of the car to function as pressure
shells without changing the shape of those sections.
The planar section is not exposed to pressure
established internally of the car, that is the pressure
of the product, air or other fluid. The pressure is applied
to the surface of the longitudinally extending support
means. Vents areincluded so that a dead air space defined
by the longitudinal support means is at atmospheric
pressure.
The lateral support means includes a cross tie
which is end abutted against a ring covering the plates.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
_ _ ... . .
It is a main object of the present invention to
increase the volume of an existing rail car while
remaining within the constraints set by the AAR.
It is another object of the present invention
to irlcrease the volume of an existing rail car while
remainin~ within the constraintsset by the AAR and to
provide secure pressure retention capability for that
rail car.
These together with other objects and advantages
which will become subsequently apparent reside in the
details of construction and operation as more fully
hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had
to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein
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like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a railroad car
embodying the teachings of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a railroad car
embodying the teachings of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a view taken along line 4 of FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 3.
FIG. ~ is an alternative embodiment of the
support structure used in the railroad car embodying
the teachings of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a perspective of a cross tie and a
retention ring used in the railroad car embodying the
teachings of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a perspective of a cross tie,
a longitudinal support beam and a retention ring used
in the railroad car embodying the teachings OI the
present invention.
FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective of the FIG. 8
elements plus a cover.
FIG. 10 is a perspective showing the junction
of the longitudinal and lateral supports used in the
railroad car embodying the teachings of the present
invention.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Shown in FIG. 1 is a rail car 10 for use in
transporting material such as dry product which can
include flour, sugar, starch and the like. It is also
noted that the car 10 can be adapted to transport slurries
by using the teachings of U.S. Patent No. 4,189,262.
The car 10 includes undercarriage 12, unitary shell 14
and a plurality of manholes 16, as well as a top rail
assembly 18. A product discharge system 30 includes a
plurality of hoppers 32, piping 34 and standpipe
assembly 36~ As shown in FIG. 3, the standpipe assembly
is supported by brackets B and U-bolt brackets U~ As
best shown in FIG. 1, the hoppers 32 are of varying
heights. For example, hopper 32' and hopper 32" have
different heights, and thus apex 38' of the hopper 32'
is at a different level than apex 3~ of the hopper 32''/
This varying hopper height is a result of the increased
volume of the car 10.
The car shell is unitary and includes flat or
planar plate extension sections 40 in the shell thereof to increase
the volume of that car. As best shown in FIG. 3, the
flat sections cause the car 10 to assume the shape of a
truncated prolate spheroid ln transverse cross-section.
This hopper is located in the truncated portion of the
car.
- Each of the flat sections is elongate and
extends longitudinally of the car for essentially the
entire length of the car, as indicated in FIG. 1. As
shown in FIG. 3, the internal structure of the car
includes an internal ring 44 which is preferably channel
shaped, which extends transverseiy of the car and is
arcuate in shape to follow the arcuate
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shape of the car shell 14. ~he lower ends of those rings
that are located adjacent a hopper are cut away to
accommodate apex 38 of a hopper, as best shown in
FIG. 8. A channel filler 46 is located on each end of
the ring, and a gusset 48 is located adjacent the
channel filler. A plurality of rings are included in
the car at longitudinally spaced locations thereof.
The car 10 has a continuous and uninterrupted inte~ior.
That is, there ar~ no internal bulkheads, or the like,
located within the car 10, and the car 10 is not divided
into compartments, but is an open volume. However, it
is noted that baffles and/or bulkheads can be installed
if so desired. The internal rings maintain the sectioal
shape o the car.
Each ring 44 includes an upper section 44V and
a lower sectionA4L having ends 52 and 54, respectively.
A splice piece 58 is attached as ~y welding 59~ or the like,
to the ring to fixedly connect the ring upper and lower
sections together. Preferably, the splice piece is a
channel brack,et.
A planar section reinforcement system 70 incluaes
a beam 72 extending the length of the car and associated
with the planar section, and a cross tie 74 extending
laterally across the car. The beam 72 is a longitudinal
support means and the cross tie 74 is a lateral support
system. The rings 44 are located at the intersection
of those support meansO
~ s b~st shown in FIGSo 3 and 4, the beam 7~
is approximately ~-shaped in transverse cross-section
and includes a web 76 to which is integrally coupled
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leg 78 and leg 80, with leg 78 being essentially per-
pendicular to the web and the leg 80 being upwardly
inclined therefrom. The upward inclination of the leg
80 facilitates product flow over the beam during
discharge of the product from the car. The beam is
hollow, thereby defining a dead air space 82. The beam
legs are attached, as by welding, or the like, to the
shell of the car so that the planar section 40 is not
exposed to internal pressure established within the car
10. This pressure is applied t instead, to the outer
surface o~ the beam 72~
A vent 90 includes a coupling 92 located
outside the car 10 and a bore 94 fluidly connected
to the vent to fluidly connect the dead air space 82
with the atmosphere. The dead air space can thus be
vented to atmosphere so that atmospheric pressure is
established within the beam dead air space.
As best shown in FIG. 5, the cross tie 74
` is polygonal in transverse cross-section and includes
a pair of gussets 100 and 102 which are attached at
one end to the tie 74 and which are inclined lon~itu-
dinally of the car. The gussets are located at the
terminal ends of the tie and are right triangular in
shape with the base 106 thereof attached to the tie 74
by welding, or the like. The gussets have a height
along the base 106 which is essentially equal to the
distance between the internal ring and the inner
surface 108 of the beam 72, As shown in FIG. 5, the
gussets are clockwise inclined from the tie 74 as viewed
along line 5-5, and structurally connect the tie 74
to the ring 44. Preferably, the tie is hollow.
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As shown in FIG. 3, the tie h~s the ends
thereof abutting the rinas 44 to reinforce the planar
portions against collapse laterally of the car.
A prototype car having a scale weight of
about 69,400 pounds has attained ~ volume of 5,148
cubic feet while using planar portions and selected
hopper spacings to increase the volume of a PD 4,000
car, and a pressure of 22.5 psi ~ith a load of 320,000
pounds of water. Preferably, the planar portions are
about 19 inches in width from top to bottom. It is
also n~ted that many parts of one car can be interchanged
with parts of other cars.
An alternative embodiment of the present invention
is shown in FIG~ 6, and includes a beam 72' which is
V-shaped in cross section. The beam 7~' is similar to
beam 72 in all other respects, and includes a vent 90',
The angle betweèn legs 120 and 121 of the beam 72' is
greater than 90, and, preferably, is approximately
100. Thus, material movement over leg 1~0 is facilitated.
Assembly of the reinforcing ring and cross tie
is best shown in FIGS. 7-10, and attention is now
directed to those figures.
The cross tie is welded to the ring 44 as shown
in FIG. 7 and as aiscussed above. The beam 72 is also
affixed to the shell of the car to cover the flat section
40 thereof. Welds D, or the like, can be used to attach
the beam to the car shell. The beam is separated to
accommodate the rings 44, and thus, adjacent each ring,
the beam has ends 120 and 123 which abut sides 124 and 126,
respectively, of the ring 44.
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A cover member 130 includes a top cap 132 and
a bottom cap 134. The top cap is integral and includes
a sloping body member 140 and a downwardly depending
flange 142. The slope of the top cap body with respect
to the flange is essentially equal to the slope of leg
80 with respect to web 76 of the beam 72.
A rectangular cutout portion 144 is defined in
the top cap body to snugly accommodate the ring 44,
. and an angular cutout portion 146 is defined in the
flange 142 to snugly accommodate the cross tie 74. The
top cap body has rear end edge 150, front end edge 152
and side edges 154 and 156 as best shown in FIG. 9.
The bottom cap is similar to the top cap
except that body 160 thereof is at essentially a right
angle with respect to bottom cap flange 162 to match
the orientation of beam bottom 78 with respect to
beam web 76. The bottom cap has end edges 164 and 166
and side edges 168 and 170 as shown in FIG. 9.
.. The top and bottom caps are attached ~o the car
shell, to the beam, to the ring, and to each other at
edges 152 and 164 as shown in FIG. 10 by welding or the
like, along all the edges of the caps.
A cover similar to the just-described cover
can be used with the FIG. 6 embodiment, Such a cover
will have both body portions sloped to form an angle
at the junction thereof of greater than 100 to
accommodate the beam 72'. The cover member 130' is
shown in FIG. 6 to include top cap 132' and bottom
cap 134'. No flanges similar to flanges 142 and 162
are present in the cover member 130', so cutout portions
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similar to the cutout portion 146 of the member 130
are defined in the body of the member 130' to accommodate
the cross tie 74. Cutouts similar to cutouts 144 of
the member 130 are also defined in the member 130' to
accommodate ring 44. The cover member 130' is attached
to the longitudinal and lateral support members 72
and 74, respectively, at the junction thereof and at
the junction of those members and the ring 44 in a
manner similar to the aforediscussed attachment of the
cover member 130 to those elements, that is, welds
or the like can be used.
As this invention may be embodied in several
forms without departing from the spirit or essential
characteristics thereof, the present embodiment is,
therefore, illustrative and not restrictive, since the
scope of the invention is defined by the appended
claims rather than by the description preceding them,
and all changes that fall within the metes and bounds
of the claims or that form their functional as well as
conjointly c~operative equivalents are, th~refore,
intended to be embraced by those claims.
