HOPPER CAR WITH LADING DISLODGEMENT FITTINGS AND METHOD OF OPERATION

• US 20080223252A1
• Filed: 03/13/2008
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Steel Car Limited
• Original Assignee: National Steel Car Limited
• Inventors: Bis, Tomasz, Forbes, James W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,921,783 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 105/280
• CPC Class Codes: B61D 7/02 with discharge openings in the bottoms with body in two halves and discharge by tipping the halves B61D9/00
• CPC Class Codes: B61D 7/08 with openings capable of discharging only outside the wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B61D 7/18 pivoted
• CPC Class Codes: B61D 7/28 hydraulic or pneumatic
• CPC Class Codes: B61D 7/32 Means for assisting charge or discharge

Abstract

A hopper car discharge section may be wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. Outflow is controlled by closure members, at least one of which is movable. The closure members come together to a closed condition or position for retaining lading. When apart, in an open position or condition, lading may be discharged. A seal member or seal member assembly is mounted to one or both of the closure members. The closure member may have a lading discharge encouragement feature, which may be in the nature of a tine, or blade, or knife that extends upwardly through the throat of the discharge section. Movement of the door may tend to move the blade, thereby tending to dislodge lading that may be otherwise reluctant to move.

Claims

1. A door assembly for a rail road car hopper discharge, said door assembly having:

a door panel, a hinge connection by which said to mount said door assembly to a rail road car, and a protruding member;

said door panel being movable to a closed position relative to the hopper discharge to obstruct egress of lading from the hopper discharge;

said door panel having an inside and an outside;

said protruding member being mounted to said inside of said door panel; and

said protruding member extending upwardly of said hinge connection when said door panel is mounted to the rail road car.

2. A rail road hopper car having a receptacle for lading carried by rail road car trucks, said receptacle for lading having at least one hopper discharge;

said receptacle for lading having a depth Z;

said discharge having a throat, said throat having an hydraulic diameter, D_H, Z being greater in magnitude than D_H;

egress of lading from said discharge outlet being controlled by a door, said door having a door panel movable to a closed position to obstruct passage of lading through said discharge;

said door having a lading dislodgement apparatus mounted thereto, in said closed position of said door said lading dislodgement apparatus extending upwardly and away from said door panel within said hopper discharge beyond said throat.

3. The rail road hopper car of claim 2 wherein said dislodgement apparatus is a member mounted substantially perpendicularly to said door panel.

4. The rail road hopper car of claim 2 wherein said dislodgement apparatus has an end distant from said door panel, and said distant end has a pointed tip.

5. The rail road hopper car of claim 4 wherein a cross-wise member is mounted at said distant end of said dislodgement apparatus.

6. The rail road hopper car of claim 5 wherein said cross-wise member includes at least one tine.

7. The rail road hopper car of claim 5 wherein said cross-wise member is a plate.

8. The rail road hopper car of claim 2 wherein said dislodgement apparatus has an end distant from said door panel, and said distant end has an array of fingers mounted thereto.

9. The rail road hopper car of claim 2 wherein, in said closed position of said door, said lading dislodgement apparatus extends upwardly beyond said throat a distance greater than one half of said hydraulic diameter.

10. The rail road hopper car of claim 9 wherein said lading dislodgement apparatus extends a distance greater than ¾

of said hydraulic diameter upwardly beyond said throat.

11. The rail road hopper car of claim 2 wherein said door panel mates with a stationary opening, said stationary opening having side edges, each side edge having a length, and said lading dislodgement apparatus having a distal portion extending a distance away from said door panel, said distance having a greater magnitude than said side edge length.

12. A rail road hopper car having:

a car body carried on trucks for rolling motion along rail road tracks;

said car body including an upstanding peripheral wall structure for containing particulate lading, and a straight through center sill;

said car body including at least a first hopper and a second hopper, each of said first and second hoppers having first and second sloped side sheets and first and second sloped end sheets co-operably mounted to define an inverted truncated pyramidal funnel;

at least said first hopper having twin first and second discharge sections lying to each side of said center sill, each said discharge section having a throat and a respective discharge door, said respective discharge doors being yoked together for common movement, and being operable to move between open and closed positions to govern discharge of particulate lading from said first hopper;

each of said discharge doors having a movable door panel, and a protruding lading dislodgement prong member mounted to said door panel, said prong member extending generally upwardly of said door panel and inwardly relative to said first hopper; and

when said doors are in their respective closed positions, each said prong member having an uppermost extremity, said uppermost extremity being located at a height corresponding to that of said throat.

13. The rail road hopper car of claim 12 wherein said lading dislodgement prong member has a cross-wise member mounted at said uppermost extremity.

14. The rail road hopper car of claim 12 wherein said center sill includes an upper flange and a lower flange, and, when its respective door is in the closed position, said uppermost extremity of said lading dislodgement prong member is located at a height that corresponds to that of said upper flange of said center sill.

15. The rail road hopper car of claim 12 wherein said prong member includes a substantially planar member extending away from said door panel, and an out-of-plane member mounted at said uppermost extremity.