US3033130A - Refrigerated car - Google Patents

Description

May 8, 1962 P. N. ERICKSON REFRIGERATED CAR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 14, 1960 May 8, 1962 P. N. ERICKSON REFRIGERATED CAR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 14, 1960 IN VEN TOR. /vdz/ /1,/ fri-$077.

3,033,130 Patented May 8, 1962 Delaware Filed Apr. 14, 1960, Ser. No. 22,269 5 Claims. (Cl. 10S-396) The present invention relates to refrigerated railroad cars and more particularly, to an improved construction for such a car in which the insulated side walls of the car are provided with supporting elements for co-operating with freight bracing members to enable the improved bracing and supporting of merchandise in fully refrigerated railroad cars.

In the railroad industry a well recognized distinction has developed between insulated cars and refrigerated cars, the former term insulated cars being used to refer to cars which do not carry any refrigeration system and which are provided with only token insulation. it is well known to equip insulated cars with supporting elements along the side walls for co-operation in the supporting and bracing of merchandise in the cars. The term refrigerated car is recognized in the railroad industry as identifying a car which carries its own refrigerating system and which is fully insulated. In these cars the manufacturers have continuously refused to permit any installation of supporitng elements for use as a part of the freight bracing apparatus on the insulated side walls of the cars where this installation results in detracting in any way from the insulating characteristics of the unmodified refrigerated car. Accordingly, it has been impossible to mount such Vsupporting elements in refrigerated cars by connecting these supporting elements to the outer walls of the car, or in any way modifying the construction in a manner such as to provide a path along which heat may more readily flow from the refrigerated compartment to the outer walls of the car.

The assignee of the present application has developed and marketed under its trademarks QL and DF improved freight bracing apparatus for the supporting and bracing of merchandise in freight cars. One form of this DF apparatus is illustrated in Tobin et al. Patent No. 2,725,826, and one preferred form includes belt rails mounted upon and extending longitudinally of the side walls of the car. These belt rails may be used either to support cross-bars, one form of which is illustrated in the above mentioned Tobin et al. patent, or they may be used as a part of the QL apparatus to support and secure in place a movable bulkhead, one form of which is illustrated in the co-pending application of S. M. Nampa, Serial No. 669,170, filed July 1, 1957, also assigned to the assignee of the present application.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved refrigerated railroad car Construction including supporting elements adapted to form a part of a freight bracing apparatus and including an improved construction for mounting these support elements on the insulated sidewalls of the refrigerated car.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide such an improved construction which does not materially alter the insulating characteristics of the unmodified insulated side wall of the refrigerated car.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide such an improved refrigerated car construction which is readily adapted either for incorporation in the car during the initial manufacture thereof, or for incorporation in existing cars by a modification thereof.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved refrigerated car construction of the above mentioned type which is readily usable with supporting elements of widely differing shapes and designs.

Other and more detailed objects of the present invention will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art from a consideration of the following specification, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a transverse sectional view of a refrigerated railroad car constructed according to the present invention and showing the interior of the car in perspective, the undercarriage being omitted and portions being broken away to show additional features of construction;

FlGURE 2 is an enlarged sectional view of that portion of the structureshown in FIGURE 1 indicated by the circle 2 thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view in perspective showing a portion of the structure illustrated in FIGURE 2 and having portions removed to show additional detail; and

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the portion of the structure illustrated in FGURE 1 indicated by the circle 3 thereof.

Referring to the drawings, there is there illustrated one preferred embodiment of the present invention and it will be appreciated that the improvements of the present invention may be readily embodied in constructions employing a wide variety of freight bracing apparatus supporting elements. For purposes of illustration, but not by way of limitation, in the preferred embodiment illustrated, the supporting elements shown are angle-shaped belt rails as hereinafter described. The improvements of the present invention may obviously be readily employed for the support of supporting elements of widely diifering shapes and sizes.

In FIGURE l the refrigerated car there illustrated is generally designated yby the reference character 10 and the opposite side walls thereof each include an outer sheet 12 of sheet metal. inwardly of this outer sheet each side wall includes a relatively thick layer of insulating material 14 disposed adjacent thereto and two additional layers of insulating material 16 and 18 disposed inwardly thereof. Structural support for each side wall is provided -by a series of longitudinally spaced vertically extending post members 2t), in accordance with conventional car construction, these posts 20 being of what is known as hatsection shape, as illustrated in the lower left-hand portion of FIGURE 1, and the outer sheet y12 being secured thereto as by welding. The posts 20 carry a plurality of vertically spaced longitudinally extending stringers 22 formed of wood or other suitable insulating material and which are supported in spaced relation relative to the post 2li by laminated insulated blocks 24 which are formed of a suitable insulating material such as hardboard or plywood. The above mentioned insulating layers la and 18 extend vertically ybetween the adjacent horizontally extending stringers 22. Inwardly of the inner insulating layer 18 is a dead-air space 26 which is defined by spaced layers 28 and 30 of hardboard or other suitable material, the layer 28 being against the inner surface of the layer 18 and extending between adjacent upper and lower stringers 22 and the layer 3@ being secured to the inner faces 32 of the stringers 22. Also secured to and supported on the stringersZZ are a plurality of vertically extending longitudinallyV spaced inner dining supporting members 34 which, in the preferred embodiment illustrated, are 2 X 4s These verticals 34 are secured to the stringers Z2. by suitable securing means (not shown) such as nails, screws, bolts orthe like extending through the hardboard layer 30. The inner lining of each side wall consists of a plurality of longitudinally extending tongue and groove interftted wood lboards *36.

The construction so far described is conventional in previously known refrigerated railroad cars. In accordance with conventional practice, such cars also include,

as above mentioned, their own refrigerating system (not shown) and circulate air into a header space in the overhead, which space is indicated at 38 and from which the air circulates down through the side walls between the inner lining boards 36 and the hardboard 30 through vertically extending air channels 4t) between the spaced verticals 34. Also, in accordance with conventional practice, this air flows into the merchandise compartment adjacent the floor 42 of the car and returns below the floor grate 44 which supports the merchandise in spaced relation above the oor 42.

In accordance with the present invention, the above described conventional construction is modified at a plurality of vertically spaced points along the car wall vertically aligned with the stringers 22 to provide a suitable mounting for freight bracing apparatus supporting elements, which in the preferred embodiment illustrated are the angle-shaped belt rails 46 which extend longitudinally of the car.

At each level at which a belt rail 46 is to be mounted the car wall inner lining 36 is omitted or removed to provide an opening defined by spaced upper and lower inner lining boards 36 and there is substituted between the spaced upper and lower inner lining boards 36 the belt rail supporting structure best illustrated in FIGURE 2 which, as there illustrated, comprises an elongated flat metal strip or plate 48 disposed to extend horizontally of the car through the air channels A4G and with the upper and lower portions thereof, 50 and 52, respectively, in engagement with the upper and lower inner lining boards 36. The verticals 34 may be relieved to tit over the strip `48.

A second elongated metal strip or plate 54 of hatshaped cross section has a central web portion 56 disposed in engagement with and welded to the central portion of the strip 48 and having upper and lower offset edge portions 58 and 6G, respectively, which overlie the opposite surface of the upper and lower inner lining boards 36 and thus co-operate with the upper and lower portions 50 and 52 of the strip 58 to deiine upwardly and down wardly facing channels which receive the adjacent edge portions of the upper and lower boards 36.

As best illustrated in FIGURE 2, a continuous layer of a sealing and adhesive material 62 is provided between the channels dened by the plate portions Sti, 52, 58 and 60 and the portions of the lining boards 36 received therein. Also, screws or bolts 64 may be provided extending through the channels defined by the plates 48 and 54 and through the boards 36 received therein, to draw the channels up tightly against the boards 36. The plate 48 is supported on the adjacent Stringer 22 by a plurality of spaced clips 66, each of which, as best illustrated in FIGURE 2, has a central web portion 68 extending along and welded to the adjacent outer face of the central portion of the strip 48 and has a pair of oppositely extending flange portions 70 disposed in spaced parallel relation to the web portion 68 and which are secured to the stringers 22 by screws 72 extending through the hardboard layer 30 and into the stringer 22.

In the preferred embodiment, in addition, a layer of adhesive material 74 is also provided between the clip flanges 70 and the hardboard 30. The adhesive material indicated at 62 and 74 is a conventional structural adhesive material which performs both sealing and bonding functions. The web portion 56 of the strip 54 provides a support upon which may be mounted the belt rail 46 or any other suitable freight bracing apparatus supporting element. In the preferred embodiment illustrated the angle-shaped belt rail 46 is disposed with a vertical flange 76 extending along and in contact with the web portion 56 and is welded thereto and the horizontal flange 78 of the belt rail is provided with a plurality of spaced apertures Si). As indicated above, the particular belt rail 46 illustrated is adapted for cooperation with a freight supporting and bracing bulkhead indicated at 82 which may be supported on and attached to the belt rails 46 by sprockets and fittings or latch members (not illustrated) which may be of the construction illustrated and dcscribed in the above mentioned co-pending Nampa appli cation, Serial No. 669,l70, or of any other suitable construction. Also, as pointed out above, if desired the belt rails 46 may be employed to ysupport crossbars (not shown) of any suitable construction, one embodiment of which is illustrated and described in the above mentioned Tobin et al. Patent No. 2,725,826.

FIGURE 4 illustrates the mounting of the uppermost belt rail 46. Since this uppermost belt rail 46 is to be mounted substantially below the uppermost Stringer 22, and since the support for the belt rail 46 in this case replaces the uppermost inner lining boards 36, the supporting plate 54' corresponding to the above described supporting plate 54 has its upper edge portion 58' spaced from the upper edge portion 50 of the plate 48 to define an upwardly facing channel portion adapted to receive the ceiling Stringer 84. Also, in place of the clips 66, the assembly comprising the plate S4 and the plate 4S to which it is secured is supported on the uppermost Stringer 22 by a plurality of longitudinally spaced hangers 86, the depending flange S8 of which is welded to the central portion of the plate `4S and an upwardly extending flange 9? of which is secured by suitable bolts 92 to the uppermost stringer 22. The lower portion of the construction illustrated in FIGURE 4 is the same as that illustrated in FIGURE 2 and described above.

While only one specific embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described herein, it will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art that numerous modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

l. In a `refrigerated railroad car having insulated side walls, spaced vertical metal reinforcing members in said side walls, vertically spaced horizontal non-metallic Stringer members disposed inwardly of said car relative to and mounted on said reinforcing members, each of said side walls also including a car inner lining which includes vertically spaced upper and lower car inner lining portions, horizontally disposed metal structural means extending longitudinally of said car and substantially coextensive in length with said side walls and disposed between spaced upper and lower car inner lining portions and defining upwardly and downwardly opening channels tted over and receiving said upper and lower car inner lining portions, a substantially continuous layer of sealing material between each of said upper and lower inner lining portions and the channel in which it is received, said structural means being disposed inwardly of said car relative to said Stringer members in spaced relation thereto to permit the circulation of air therebetween, supporting means disposed between said Stringer members and said structural means at a plurality of points spaced longitudinally thereof and connected to said stringer members and to said structural means to support said structural means on said Stringer members, and a horizontally disposed belt rail extending along and connected to and supported on said structural means.

2. In a refrigerated railroad car having insulated side walls, spaced vertical metal reinforcing members in said side walls, vertically spaced horizontal non-metallic Stringer members disposed inwardly of said car relative to and mounted on said reinforcing members, each of said side walls having an inner lining which includes vertically spaced upper and lower inner lining elements disposed adjacent one of said Stringer members, metal structural means disposed between said upper and lower lining elements extending longitudinally of said side walls of said car and sealed to each of said elements to substantially prevent the ow of air or moisture therebetween, said structural means being disposed inwardly of said car relative to said Stringer members in spaced relation thereto to permit the circulation of air therebetween, a plurality of supporting means spaced longitudinally of and supporting said structural means on said one of said Stringer members, and a belt rail extending longitudinally of and supported on said structural means.

3. The combination deiined in claim 1, wherein said `structural means includes a pair of interconnected plates deiining spaced oppositely facing channel portions adapted to lit over said upper and lower inner lining portions and an intermediate support portion along which said belt trail extends.

4. The combination defined in claim 1, wherein said means supporting said structural means comprises a plurality of clips spaced longitudinally of said structural means and supporting said structural means on said Stringer member in spaced relation thereto and inwardly References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,610,587 Pietzsch Sept. 16, 1952 2,891,489 Pietzsch .lune 23, 1959 2,911,924 Hopkins et al Nov. 10, 1959 2,914,004 Hopkins Nov. 24, 1959

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