Door assemblies for insulated boxcars and refrigerated boxcars

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12434744-B2
Application number	US-202217839132-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 13, 2022
Priority date	Jun 13, 2022
Publication date	Oct 7, 2025
Grant date	Oct 7, 2025

Abstract

Door assemblies for insulated boxcars and refrigerated boxcars are disclosed. In some embodiments, the door assemblies include a generally planar base, a liner spaced from the rear surface of the base. The liner includes a central portion and a perimeter portion surrounding the central portion. The door assemblies additionally include a perimeter gasket attached to the perimeter portion and surrounding the central portion. The door assemblies further include first and second end wall members. The base, the liner, and the first and second end wall members define an interior compartment therebetween. The door assemblies additionally include insulation disposed within the interior compartment, wherein the first and second end wall members are shaped such that insulation is disposed within one or more planes that are perpendicular to the base and to the perimeter portion of the liner and that include a portion of the perimeter gasket.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A door assembly for an insulated boxcar or a refrigerated boxcar, the door assembly comprising:
a generally planar base having front and rear surfaces, opposed horizontal end portions, and opposed vertical end portions;
a liner spaced from the rear surface of the base, the liner having a central portion and a perimeter portion surrounding the central portion, the central portion being more spaced from the base relative to the perimeter portion, the perimeter portion being adjacent to the horizontal and vertical end portions;
a perimeter gasket attached to the perimeter portion and surrounding the central portion;
a first end wall member having spaced first and second portions, the first portion is attached to the first end portion of the base and the second portion is attached to the third end portion of the perimeter portion, the third end portion being disposed between the first portion and the perimeter gasket;
a second end wall member having spaced fourth and fifth portions, the fourth portion is attached to the second end portion of the base and the fifth portion is attached to the perimeter portion, the perimeter portion being disposed between the fourth portion and the perimeter gasket, wherein each of the first and second end wall members is distinct from the base and the liner, wherein the base is distinct from the liner, and wherein the base, the liner, and the first and second end wall members define an interior compartment therebetween; and
insulation disposed within the interior compartment, wherein the first and second end wall members are shaped such that insulation is disposed within one or more planes that are perpendicular to the base and to the perimeter portion of the liner and that include a portion of the perimeter gasket.

2. The door assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first end wall member further includes a third portion disposed between the first and second portions, and the second end wall member further includes a sixth portion disposed between the fourth and fifth portions.

3. The door assembly of claim 2 , wherein the first and second portions of the first end wall member are parallel to each other, and the fourth and fifth portions of the second end wall member are parallel to each other.

4. The door assembly of claim 3 , wherein the third portion is perpendicular to the first and second portions, and the sixth portion is perpendicular to the fourth and fifth portions.

5. The door assembly of claim 4 , wherein the third and sixth portions are along planes that do not include a portion of the perimeter gasket.

6. The door assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first and second end wall members are shaped such that insulation is disposed within all planes that are perpendicular to the base and to the perimeter portion of the liner and that include a portion of the perimeter gasket.

7. The door assembly of claim 1 , wherein the front surface of the base includes two vertical channels that extend along a portion of the height of the base, the two channels being parallel and spaced to each other.

8. The door assembly of claim 7 , further comprising a locking mechanism that selectively secures the door assembly to a frame of the insulated boxcar or the refrigerated boxcar, wherein the locking mechanism includes:
two elongate crank rods each received in a corresponding vertical channel of the two vertical channels;
at least one horizontal lock bar that extends perpendicular to the two elongate crank rods, the at least one horizontal lock bar having two curved portions that each wrap around a portion of a corresponding crank rod of the two elongate crank rods such that the curved portions are disposed between the two elongate crank rods and the base;
a lock gear assembly mechanically connecting the two elongate crank rods and the at least one horizontal lock bar; and
a handle attached to the lock gear assembly to allow the user to engage or disengage the crank rods and the at least one horizontal lock bar.

9. The door assembly of claim 8 , wherein the front surface of the base includes at least two horizontal channels that receives the two curved portions.

10. The door assembly of claim 9 , wherein each of the at least two horizontal channels is connected to a corresponding vertical channel of the two vertical channels.

11. A railway car, comprising
a cargo-carrying container having an opening; and
the door assembly of claim 1 .

12. The railway car of claim 11 , wherein the cargo-carrying container includes a door frame assembly, the door frame assembly including an inner door frame defining the opening and an outer door frame surrounding the inner door frame, the inner door frame being made of one or more plastic materials and the outer door frame being made of steel, wherein the perimeter gasket contacts at least a portion of each of the inner and outer door frames when the door is in a closed position.

13. The railway car of claim 11 , wherein the cargo-carrying container includes a pair of end walls and a pair of side walls, further comprising a fuel tank mounted on an end wall of the pair of end walls.

14. The railway car of claim 13 , wherein the end wall includes a plurality of keyhole-shaped apertures.

15. The railway car of claim 14 , further comprising a refrigeration unit attached to the end wall via a plurality of fasteners received in the plurality of keyhole-shaped apertures.

16. The railway car of claim 11 , wherein the cargo-carrying container is at least partially insulated.

17. The railway car of claim 11 , further comprising at least one refrigeration unit.

Assignees

• Gunderson Llc

Inventors

• Aberle Dan

Classifications

• F25D23/028

  Details · CPC title

• F25D23/021

  Sliding doors · CPC title

• B65D90/008

  Doors for containers, e.g. ISO-containers (locking E05B83/12) · CPC title

• F25D23/02

  Doors; Covers (F25D23/08 takes precedence {locks or fastenings E05B65/0042}) · CPC title

• B61D19/001

  for wagons or vans (closure elements for hopper car discharge openings B61D7/16; doors convertible into loading and unloading ramps B61D47/00; B61D19/003 takes precedence) · CPC title