Railroad car and door mechanism therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9266539-B2
Application number	US-201313747208-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 22, 2013
Priority date	Jan 27, 2009
Publication date	Feb 23, 2016
Grant date	Feb 23, 2016

Abstract

A hopper car discharge outflow is controlled by closure members, at least one of which is movable. The doors are hingeless, being mounted on four bar linkages, such that the distal edge of the doors sweeps predominantly horizontally while the proximal edge of the door moves predominantly upwardly. The doors move through noncircular arcs, such that the size of the vertically projected door opening is abnormally large compared to the clearance heights of the door. The doors are driven by a longitudinal shaft that is mounted within the center sill. It drives a set of single input, double output bell cranks that drive adjacent pairs of doors, and that employs an over-center toggle to hold the doors in the closed position when the car is laded. The actuators may be mounted in shelters midway along the car, and may be offset from the centersill. The actuators may be mounted predominantly vertically such that gravity may obviate the need for a secondary lock. The doors of a transverse car need not all be of the same size. The over center may include a manual release having a fulcrum with a progressive decrease in mechanical advantage.

First claim

We claim:

1. A railroad hopper car comprising:
a body for carrying particulate matter lading, said body being mounted upon railroad car trucks for rolling motion along railroad tracks in a longitudinal direction, and having draft sills at either end thereof to permit said railroad hopper car to be connected to other railroad car bodies;
said body including a first hopper, said first hopper having a discharge through which the lading may be disgorged under the influence of gravity, said discharge having an horizontal length in the longitudinal direction when seen in a vertical projection on to an horizontal plane;
said discharge being governed by a door mechanism, said door mechanism including a transverse door, said transverse door including a door panel, said door panel being mounted on linkages to move on a non-circular arc path in the longitudinal direction during motion between a first position defining a closed position, and a second position defining an open position;
said discharge having a periphery for engagement by said door panel, said periphery having a clearance distance from Top of Rail when said hopper car is on level tangent track; and
said horizontal length being greater than three times said clearance distance.

2. The railroad hopper car of claim 1 wherein said railroad hopper car has a center sill, said center sill including one of (a) a stub sill and (b) a straight through center sill and said door mechanism includes a longitudinally acting drive shaft sheltered by said center sill.

3. The railroad hopper car of claim 1 wherein:
said transverse door panel is movably connected to said car body by at least a first linkage member and a second linkage member;
said first linkage member and said second linkage member swing in the longitudinal direction;
said first linkage member is pivotally connected to said body and pivotally connected to said door panel;
said second linkage member being pivotally connected to said body and to said door panel; and
said car body, said first and second linkage members and said door panel defining a four bar linkage.

4. The railroad hopper car of claim 1 wherein said railroad hopper car includes a longitudinally acting drive mechanism connected to move said door panel between said open position and said closed position.

5. The railroad hopper car of claim 4 wherein said drive mechanism includes members acting in both longitudinally forward and longitudinally rearward directions.

6. The railroad hopper car of claim 5 wherein said door panel is a first door panel, said railroad hopper car has a second door panel, and wherein said drive mechanism includes a crank, and said crank drives said first door panel and said second door panel in opposite directions.

7. The railroad hopper car of claim 6 wherein said railroad hopper car has a straight-through center sill, said drive mechanism includes a longitudinally acting drive shaft, and said longitudinally acting drive shaft is connected to said crank by a drag link.

8. The railroad hopper car of claims 1 wherein said first linkage member is shorter than said second linkage member.

9. The railroad hopper car of claim 8 wherein said railroad hopper car has a center sill having spaced apart center sill webs, and said second linkage member is mounted to swing between said center sill webs in the longitudinal direction.

10. The railroad hopper car of claim 3 wherein:
said railroad hopper car body has a cross-member extending cross-wise to the longitudinal direction; and, in said open position,
said first linkage member is sheltered by said cross-member.

11. A railroad hopper car comprising:
a car body mounted on railroad car trucks for rolling motion along railroad tracks in a longitudinal direction;
said car body including at least a first hopper, said first hopper having a first discharge, said first discharge having an horizontal length in the longitudinal direction when seen in a vertical projection on to an horizontal plane;
said first discharge having at least a first hopper door, said first hopper door being a transverse hopper door, said first hopper door including a door panel mounted on linkages to move on a non-circular path in the longitudinal direction during motion between a first position defining a closed position; and a second position defining an open position;
said discharge has a periphery for engagement by said door panel;
said linkages include at least a first linkage member and a second linkage member;
said first linkage member being pivotally connected to said body at a first location;
said door panel has a proximal portion and a distal portion, said first linkage member is pivotally connected to said door panel at a connection that is closer to said proximal portion than to said distal portion, said second linkage member is connected to said door panel closer to said distal portion than is said first linkage member, and:
(a) said proximal portion of said door panel moves from a position lower than said first location to a position higher than said first location during motion of said door panel from said closed position to said open position; and
(b) said proximal portion of said door panel has an overall dz/dx when said door panel moves between said first position and said second position that is greater than one;
said first hopper door is a left hand door, and said hopper car also has a right hand second hopper door, said left and right hand door panels being spaced apart from each other cross-wise; and
said first hopper door and said second hopper door constrained by a yoke to move together through the same longitudinal motion;
said first linkage member is shorter than said second linkage member;
said first linkage member is connected to said proximal portion of said first door panel;
said second linkage member has a first end connected to said yoke between said first and second door panels, said yoke being connected to said distal region of said first door panel;
said hopper car has an actuator connected to said yoke between said left hand and right hand door panels to transmit motion thereto.

12. The railroad hopper car of claim 11 wherein:
said transverse door panel is movably connected to said car body by a first linkage member and a second linkage member;
said first linkage member and said second linkage member swing in the longitudinal direction;
said car body, said linkage members and said door panel defining a four bar linkage.

13. The railroad hopper car of claim 11 wherein said railroad hopper car includes a longitudinally acting drive mechanism connected to move said door panel between said open position and said closed position.

14. The railroad hopper car of claim 13 wherein said drive mechanism includes members acting in both longitudinally forward and longitudinally rearward directions.

15. A railroad hopper car according to claim 11 , and further comprising:
a second hopper discharge having a second transverse door operable to permit egress of lading from said second hopper discharge;
said first and second hopper discharges having a discharge flow dividing member located therebetween, said discharge flow dividing member having first and second flanks extending downwardly therefrom toward said first and second discharges respectively, a sheltered accommodation being defined between said flanks;
said first door panel having a proximal region and a distal region, said proximal region being closer to said flow dividing member than is said distal region when said door panel is in its closed position; and
in opening operation, said proximal re

Assignees

• Nat Steel Car Ltd

Inventors

• Forbes James W
• Bis Tomasz

Classifications

• B61D7/04 Primary

  the openings being above axle level during discharge · CPC title

• B61D7/26 Primary

  mechanical · CPC title

• B61D7/14

  Adaptations of hopper elements to railways · CPC title

• B61D7/32

  Means for assisting charge or discharge · CPC title