RAILWAY CAR
United States Patent 3713400
A gondola type railway car has a bottom plate of parabolic shape extending down between the wheel assemblies or trucks of the car and free of external and internal reinforcement, giving maximum capacity with minimum car weight.
US Patent References:
Railway car
Charles et al. - March 1966 - 3240168
Vehicle tank construction
Ferguson - May 1937 - 2078939
METHOD OF EXPANDING A RAILWAY TANK CAR
Brown - November 1969 - 3475809
Railway car
Charles et al. - March 1966 - 3240168
Vehicle tank construction
Ferguson - May 1937 - 2078939
METHOD OF EXPANDING A RAILWAY TANK CAR
Brown - November 1969 - 3475809
Application Number:
05/050807
Publication Date:
01/30/1973
Filing Date:
06/29/1970
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Export Citation:
Primary Class:
Other Classes:
280/2, 105/422
International Classes:
B61D9/00; B61D15/00; B61D17/10
Field of Search:
180/5A 105/358,360,46R,413,422
Primary Examiner:
Forlenza, Gerald M.
Assistant Examiner:
Bertsch, Richard A.
Claims:
What I claim as my invention is
1. An open top gondola railway car comprising,
2. A gondola type railway car as claimed in claim 1, wherein said side sills are on the outside of said side panels.
3. A gondola type railway car as claimed in claim 2, said reinforcing means including box section side plates at the tops of said side panels, on the outside thereof, and vertically extending reinforcing members secured to said side sills and said side plates.
4. A gondola type railway car as claimed in claim 3, wherein said end panels are tapered downwardly, said side panels converge downwardly and curved plates are secured in the corners where said end and side panels meet each other and where said side and end panels meet end decks of the said car bottom above said wheel assemblies.
5. A gondola type railway car according to claim 1, wherein said bottom also includes transversely extending end sheets secured to the longitudinal ends of the bottom sheet and connecting the same to the remainder of the said bottom.
1. An open top gondola railway car comprising,
2. A gondola type railway car as claimed in claim 1, wherein said side sills are on the outside of said side panels.
3. A gondola type railway car as claimed in claim 2, said reinforcing means including box section side plates at the tops of said side panels, on the outside thereof, and vertically extending reinforcing members secured to said side sills and said side plates.
4. A gondola type railway car as claimed in claim 3, wherein said end panels are tapered downwardly, said side panels converge downwardly and curved plates are secured in the corners where said end and side panels meet each other and where said side and end panels meet end decks of the said car bottom above said wheel assemblies.
5. A gondola type railway car according to claim 1, wherein said bottom also includes transversely extending end sheets secured to the longitudinal ends of the bottom sheet and connecting the same to the remainder of the said bottom.
Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to railway cars and more particularly to a railway car of the open gondola type in which lading is loaded and unloaded from the open top.
Gondola cars are normally employed to carry bulky materials, such as coal, sand, gravel, steel structures and the like. Such gondola cars usually have a continuous center sill structure extending the length of the car which limits the capacity of the car and produces a relatively high center of gravity in the loaded car as well as increasing the weight of the car.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an open gondola type railway car which does not employ a continuous center sill structure extending the length of the car and has a minimum height center of gravity for the loaded car.
An additional object of this invention is the provision of such a railway car which has a relatively smooth unobstructed interior and is particularly adapted for rotary unloading with a highly effective clean-out of the car.
A further object of this invention is the provision of a gondola type railway car having a maximum volume or capacity within minimum height, length and weight ranges.
Briefly described, the gondola type railway car of the present invention comprises connected sides and ends with an open top, an end stub center sill structure at each end of the car over an associated wheel assembly, and a dropped center portion between the stub center sill structures.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART.
Prior attempts have been made to achieve the objects of the present invention. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,240,168, issued Mar. 15, 1966, to A. F. Charles et al., for example, a gondola car is described which has end stub center sills over wheel assemblies and between the latter a pocket is defined by a trough-shaped plate formed of a plurality of sections welded together and secured to end plates. Transverse stiffeners of channel shape are spaced longitudinally along the plate and follow the outer surface of the plate between the side sills of the car.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The main difference between the car disclosed in that U.S. patent and a car according to the present invention lies in the use of a parabolic bottom plate rather than the trough-shaped plate. The parabolic plate eliminates the need for external reinforcing such as the transverse stiffeners called for in the aforesaid U.S. patent. When a car according to the present invention is loaded with coal, the pressure of the coal stabilizes the contour of the parabolic plate or sheet. From an engineering point of view the sheet functions very efficiently and does not require reinforcing because it is subjected only to tensile stresses in a modified hoop stress manner. The of the reinforcement at the bottom of the car, of course, makes for a lighter-weight car then hitherto thought possible.
Another feature in a car according to a preferred embodiment of the invention is an obstruction-free interior which permits free-flow of the lading. The side posts and other upper structural members are all located on the outside of the car shell. The sides and ends are tapered, all square corners are rounded, and these features combined with the rounded bottom assure rapid evacuation of the load with little or no residue left in the car.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section and partly broken away, of a gondola car embodying the invention; and
FIG. 2 is a section taken on the line 2--2 of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The car has downwardly converging side panels 10 made of reinforced sheet material 11, secured at the top to box section side plates 12 and at the bottom to box section side sills 13. Channel section side posts 14 and stiffeners 15 extend between beams 12 and sills 13.
At the respective ends of the car the sills 13 are seated upon body bolsters 16 that are united to end stub center sills 17. Wheels 18 are secured to body bolsters 16 and are adapted to rest upon the car trucks (not shown). Between the trucks a bottom sheet 19 in the form of a parabolic curve is welded, by continuous welding, to protruding flanges 20 and faces 21 of the box section side sills 13. To prevent lateral movement of the side panels, tubular spacers 22 and 23 are welded, at spaced intervals, to the side sills 13 and to reinforcing members 24 secured adjacent to the top edges of the side panels. The ends of the pocket formed by the parabolic sheet are closed by sloping sheets 26 welded thereto and which terminate at and are secured to shear plates 25. The respective ends of the car are closed by downwardly converging panels 27 which are secured to the side panels 10 by welding. The said end panels are strengthened by diagonal braces 28.
The car is provided in known manner with rotary coupling means, which need not be described in detail.
Small, curved plates 29 are welded into the corners where the side panels 10 and end panels 27 meet and where those panels meet the decks 25.
This invention relates to railway cars and more particularly to a railway car of the open gondola type in which lading is loaded and unloaded from the open top.
Gondola cars are normally employed to carry bulky materials, such as coal, sand, gravel, steel structures and the like. Such gondola cars usually have a continuous center sill structure extending the length of the car which limits the capacity of the car and produces a relatively high center of gravity in the loaded car as well as increasing the weight of the car.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an open gondola type railway car which does not employ a continuous center sill structure extending the length of the car and has a minimum height center of gravity for the loaded car.
An additional object of this invention is the provision of such a railway car which has a relatively smooth unobstructed interior and is particularly adapted for rotary unloading with a highly effective clean-out of the car.
A further object of this invention is the provision of a gondola type railway car having a maximum volume or capacity within minimum height, length and weight ranges.
Briefly described, the gondola type railway car of the present invention comprises connected sides and ends with an open top, an end stub center sill structure at each end of the car over an associated wheel assembly, and a dropped center portion between the stub center sill structures.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART.
Prior attempts have been made to achieve the objects of the present invention. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,240,168, issued Mar. 15, 1966, to A. F. Charles et al., for example, a gondola car is described which has end stub center sills over wheel assemblies and between the latter a pocket is defined by a trough-shaped plate formed of a plurality of sections welded together and secured to end plates. Transverse stiffeners of channel shape are spaced longitudinally along the plate and follow the outer surface of the plate between the side sills of the car.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The main difference between the car disclosed in that U.S. patent and a car according to the present invention lies in the use of a parabolic bottom plate rather than the trough-shaped plate. The parabolic plate eliminates the need for external reinforcing such as the transverse stiffeners called for in the aforesaid U.S. patent. When a car according to the present invention is loaded with coal, the pressure of the coal stabilizes the contour of the parabolic plate or sheet. From an engineering point of view the sheet functions very efficiently and does not require reinforcing because it is subjected only to tensile stresses in a modified hoop stress manner. The of the reinforcement at the bottom of the car, of course, makes for a lighter-weight car then hitherto thought possible.
Another feature in a car according to a preferred embodiment of the invention is an obstruction-free interior which permits free-flow of the lading. The side posts and other upper structural members are all located on the outside of the car shell. The sides and ends are tapered, all square corners are rounded, and these features combined with the rounded bottom assure rapid evacuation of the load with little or no residue left in the car.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section and partly broken away, of a gondola car embodying the invention; and
FIG. 2 is a section taken on the line 2--2 of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The car has downwardly converging side panels 10 made of reinforced sheet material 11, secured at the top to box section side plates 12 and at the bottom to box section side sills 13. Channel section side posts 14 and stiffeners 15 extend between beams 12 and sills 13.
At the respective ends of the car the sills 13 are seated upon body bolsters 16 that are united to end stub center sills 17. Wheels 18 are secured to body bolsters 16 and are adapted to rest upon the car trucks (not shown). Between the trucks a bottom sheet 19 in the form of a parabolic curve is welded, by continuous welding, to protruding flanges 20 and faces 21 of the box section side sills 13. To prevent lateral movement of the side panels, tubular spacers 22 and 23 are welded, at spaced intervals, to the side sills 13 and to reinforcing members 24 secured adjacent to the top edges of the side panels. The ends of the pocket formed by the parabolic sheet are closed by sloping sheets 26 welded thereto and which terminate at and are secured to shear plates 25. The respective ends of the car are closed by downwardly converging panels 27 which are secured to the side panels 10 by welding. The said end panels are strengthened by diagonal braces 28.
The car is provided in known manner with rotary coupling means, which need not be described in detail.
Small, curved plates 29 are welded into the corners where the side panels 10 and end panels 27 meet and where those panels meet the decks 25.