US3604578A

US3604578A - Unloading assist for covered hopper cars

Info

Publication number: US3604578A
Application number: US886815A
Authority: US
Inventors: Garth R Smith
Original assignee: ACF Industries Inc
Current assignee: ACF Industries Inc
Priority date: 1969-12-22
Filing date: 1969-12-22
Publication date: 1971-09-14
Anticipated expiration: 1988-09-14

Abstract

A gas inflatable bag is mounted on the slope sheet of a covered hopper car adjacent the bottom discharge outlet. The bag is secured along its upper marginal portion to the slope sheet and upon inflation bulges outwardly into the hopper. Upon deflation of the bag when a bulk commodity, such as potatoes, is carried by the hopper, the space previously occupied by the inflated bag is reoccupied by the bulk commodity thereby to aid in discharging any of the bulk commodity tending to bridge over the discharge opening.

Description

United States Patent Inventor Garth R. Smith Maryland Heights, Mo.

Appl. No. 886,815

Filed Dec. 22, 1969 Patented Sept. 14, 1971 Assignee ACF lndustries,1ncorp0rated New York, NY.

UNLOADING ASSIST FOR COVERED HOPPER CARS 6 Claims,5 Drawing Figs.

U.S.Cl 214/501], 214/17 A, 222/195,214/152 Int. Cl Bfiflp 11/00, Bp 1/56 Field of Search 214/82, 83.3,10.5 D, 17 A500, 152; /369 BA; 302/52, 53; 222/ [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,931,523 4/1960 Nelligan 214/82 3,139,998 7/1964 Seaman 214/82 Primary Examiner-Albert J. Makay Attorney- Eugene N. Riddle ABSTRACT: A gas inflatable bag is mounted on the slope sheet of a covered hopper car adjacent the bottom discharge outlet. The bag is secured along its upper marginal portion to the slope sheet and upon inflation bulges outwardly into the hopper. Upon deflation of the bag when a bulk commodity, such as potatoes, is carried by the hopper, the space previously occupied by the inflated bag is reoccupied by the bulk commodity thereby to aid in discharging any of the bulk commodity tending to bridge over the discharge opening.

PATENIEU SEP14|97| 3,604,578

sum 1 [1F 5 FIG.

INVENTOR. GARTH R. SMITH ATTORNEY PATENTED SEPI 41911 SHEET 2 UF 5 FIG. 2.

UNLOADING ASSIST FOR COVERED HOPPER CARS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Various types of lading assist devices have been employed, heretofore, such as aeration pads, to aerate or fluidize the material being unloaded for minimizing bridging over of the lading and to speed the unloading process. However, aeration is ineffective when bulk commodities of a relatively large individual size, such as potatoes, oranges, lemons, and the like, are being unloaded. At times, such bulk commodities tend to bridge over. the bottom discharge opening to impede the unloading.

DESCRIPTION OF TIIE INVENTION An air inflatable member is mounted on at least one of the end slope sheets of a railway hopper car generally adjacent the bottom discharge opening and secured along an upper marginal portion generally in face-to-face contact with the associated slope sheet when in deflated relation. The air inflatable member bulges outwardly into the hopper when inflated to occupy space normally occupied by the bulk commodity or lading, such as potatoes, oranges, or the like, and upon deflation of the member when the bulk commodities are being discharged from the hopper, the space previously occupied by the deflated member is occupied by the bulk commodity thereby aiding in discharging any of the lading tending to bridge over the discharge opening. If the air inflatable member is inflated at least partially before the loading of the car, the fall or drop of the bulk commodity will be cushioned by the inflatable member. The air inflatable member is several feet in width as measured transversely of the car and when inflated bulges outwardly as much as 12 inches in thickness thereby to occupy a substantially large space within the hopper. The inflatable member may be alternately inflated and deflated to aid in the discharge of the material from the hopper.

The invention accordingly comprises the constructions hereinafter described, the scope of the invention being indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which one of various possible embodiments of the invention is illustrated,

FIG. I is a side elevation of a railway covered hopper car having the present invention disposed on slope sheets adjacent the bottom discharge openings of the hoppers;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken generally along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section view of means to permit a supply of air to the air inflatable member;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged section of the air inflatable member inflated and bulging outwardly into the hopper to displace the bulk commodity carried within the hopper; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 4 but showing the hopper during unloading with the gate and cover removed from the bottom discharge opening.

Referring now to the drawings for a better understanding of this inventioh, a covered hopper car is indicated generally and comprises a plurality of hoppers l2. Hopper car II) includes a pair of sides I4 having an upper roof 16 extending therebetween. Roof 16 has a hatch opening 18 for each hopper 12 and a hatch cover 20 over each opening 18 is adapted to be moved between open and closed positions for loading of hoppers 12. A side sill 22 extends along each side of railway car 10 and opposed side slope sheets 24 slope downwardly from side sills 22 to a bottom discharge opening 28 for each hopper 12. End slope sheets 26 extend transversely of the car 10 and lead downwardly to bottom discharge opening 28.

A gate 30 forms a closure for opening 28 and is supported on a housing 31 defining bottom discharge opening 28. A rack and pinion combination generally indicated 32 is provided for opening and closing gate 30. A layer of polyurethane foam 34 is applied to the exterior of railway car 10 for insulation. To insulate gate 30 and associated housing 31, a lower cover generally indicated 36 is provided and includes an outer fiberglas body 38 having an inner layer of poylurethane foam material 40 thereon for insulation. Cover 36 is adapted to fit tightly against an outer peripheral flange 42 extending about the upper portion of gate housing 31. Suitable gaskets are provided to seal cover 36 about the gate housing 32 and gate 30.

For movement of gate cover 36 between open and closed positions, a pair of parallel links 44 are pivoted about their upper ends at 46 to supports on gate housing 31 and are pivoted adjacent their lower ends at 48 to cover 36. An operating shaft 50 forms one of the pivots 46 and has an arm 52 secured thereto. The extending end of arm 52 is pivoted at 54 to an overcenter link 56 which has its lower end mounted about a pivot 48. A capstan 58 is secured to operating shaft 50 and upon rotation by a suitable handspike or the like, overcenter link 56 is moved past an overcenter position and cover 36 is swung outwardly to the position of FIG. 5. In this position, pivot 54 moves to an overcenter position in relation to

pivots

48 and 46 to hold cover 36 in an open position as shown in FIG. 5 for the discharge of lading from bottom discharge opening 28.

An inflatable bag is generally indicated 60 and is positioned in face-to-face contact with an adjacent end slope sheet 26 extending transversely of car 10. A flange 62 along the upper marginal edge portions of bag 60 terminates at an upwardly extending protuberance 64. A metal securing strip 66 is disposed over flange 62 adjacent protuberance 64 and suitable nut and bolt combinations 68 secure strip 66 and flange 62 to slope sheet 26. To provide air for bag 60, an air line (not shown) from a suitable source of air, such as an air compressor (not shown), may be releasably connected to tee fitting 72 at the unloading site. A safety valve 74 is connected to tee 72 and may be set for actuation at an internal pressure, such as 12 p.s.i. A connecting air line 76 secured at 78 to a removable end 79 of housing 80 disposed about an opening 82 in slope sheet 26. The upper end of connecting line 76 terminates at a nipple 83 fitting within sleeve 84 secured to a plate 86 which is positioned within a pocket formed between an intermediate layer 88 of bag 60 and the outer layer thereof. An opening 90 is provided in intermediate layer 88 and air enters bag 60 through opening 90 for inflation thereof. Removable lower end 79 of housing 80 permits access to connecting line 76. Inflatable bag 60 may be formed of either a nonelastomeric material, such as nylon, or an elastomeric material, such as rubber. Since bag 60 is secured along its upper marginal portion, inflatable bag 60 may stretch in various directions if formed ofan elastomeric material.

In operation, bag 60 may, if desired, be partially or fully in flated before loading of hopper car 10. Then, upon opening of hatch covers 20 and the loading of hoppers I2, the drop of the lading into the hopper will be cushioned by the inflatable member. Normally, bag 60 would be deflated before hopper I2 is fully loaded in order for hopper I2 to be fully loaded. Upon discharge, cover 36 is moved to open position by rotation of shaft 50. Then, gate 30 is opened by operating rack and pinion combination 32. Bag 60 may be inflated to break any tendency of the material to bridge over opening 28, or may be alternately deflated or inflated to assist in the unloading of the lading.

What is claimed is:

1. In a covered hopper railway car particularly for carrying bulk commodities such as potatoes, a plurality of hoppers each having a bottom discharge opening, means for controlling the discharge of the bulk commodity through the discharge opening including a movable closure for the opening, pairs of opposed slope sheets for each hopper sloping downwardly to the associated discharge opening, and an air inflatable member mounted on at least one of said slope sheets generally adjacent the discharge opening and disposed generally in face-to-face contact with said associated slope sheet when in deflated relation, said air inflatable member bulging outwardly into the hopper when inflated to occupy space normally occupied by the bulk commodity transported within the hopper, the deflation of said member when the bulk commodity is being discharged from the hopper permitting the space previously occupied by the inflated member to be occupied by the bulk commodity thereby aiding in dislodging any bulk commodity bridging over the discharge opening for effecting rapid unloading of the commodity.

2. In a covered hopper railway car particularly for carrying bulk commodities such as potatoes, a plurality of hoppers each having a bottom discharge opening, means for controlling the discharge of the bulk commodity through the discharge opening including a movable closure for the opening, pairs of opposed slope sheets for each hopper sloping downwardly to the associated discharge opening, and an air inflatable member mounted on at least one of said slope sheets generally adjacent the discharge opening and disposed generally in face-to-face contact with said associated slope sheet when in deflated relation, said air inflatable member bulging outwardly into the hopper when inflated to occupy space normally occupied by the bulk commodity transported within the hopper, the deflation of said member when the bulk commodity is being discharged from the hopper permitting the space previously occupied by the inflated member to be occupied by the bulk commodity thereby aiding in dislodging any bulk commodity bridging over the discharge opening for effecting rapid unloading of the commodity, said air inflatable member having its lower end positioned closely adjacent the discharge opening and being of a width as measured transversely of the car at least around 2 feet, said inflatable member when inflated being as much as around twelve inches in thickness at its center thereby bulging outwardly from the associated slope sheet a substantial distance.

3. In a covered hopper railway car as set forth in claim 2, said inflatable member comprising an air tight bag having its upper marginal edge portion secured to the adjacent slope sheet.

4. In a covered hopper railway car as set forth in claim 2, said bag having a flange along its upper marginal portion, and

a clamping strip over said flange securing the flange to the subjacent slope sheet.

5. In a covered hopper railway car particularly for carrying ladings such as potatoes, a plurality of hoppers each having a bottom discharge opening, means for controlling the discharge of the lading through the discharge opening including a movable closure for the opening, a pair of opposed end slope sheets for each hopper extending transversely of the car and sloping downwardly to the associated discharge opening, an air inflatable member mounted on at least one of said slope sheets generally adjacent the discharge opening and disposed generally in face-to-face contact with said associated slope sheet when in deflated relation, said air inflatable member bulging outwardly into the space within the hopper when inflated to occupy space normally occupied by the lading trans ported within the hopper, the inflation of said inflatable member before loading of the associated hopper acting to cushionv the fall of at least a portion of the lading, the deflation of said member when the lading is being discharged from the hopper permitting the space previously occupied by the inflated member to be occupied by the lading thereby aiding in dislodging any lading bridging over the discharge opening for effecting rapid unloading of the lading, and means mounted adjacent the outer face of the associated slope sheet in fluid communication with the inflatable member to permit the entry of air within the inflatable member for inflating the inflatable member.

6. A method of loading and unloading bulk commodities in a covered hopper railway car, comprising the steps of, inflating an air inflatable member on a hopper slope sheet positioned adjacent a bottom discharge opening for an associated hopper, loading the bulk commodity through a hatch opening in the roof of the car with the inflatable member cushioning the fall of a portion of the bulk commodity being loaded, un-

loading the bulk commodity from a bottom discharge 0 ening, and simultaneously deflating the inflatable member w ile unloading thereby to assist the unloading.

Claims

4. In a covered hopper railway car as set forth in claim 2, said bag having a flange along its upper marginal portion, and a clamping strip over said flange securing the flange to the subjacent slope sheet.

5. In a covered hopper railway car particularly for carrying ladings such as potatoes, a plurality of hoppers each having a bottom discharge opening, means for controlling the discharge of the lading through the discharge opening including a movable closure for the opening, a pair of opposed end slope sheets for each hopper extending transversely of the car and sloping downwardly to the associated discharge opening, an air inflatable member mounted on at least one of said slope sheets generally adjacent the discharge opening and disposed generally in face-to-face contact with said associated slope sheet when in deflated relation, said air inflatable member bulging outwardly Into the space within the hopper when inflated to occupy space normally occupied by the lading transported within the hopper, the inflation of said inflatable member before loading of the associated hopper acting to cushion the fall of at least a portion of the lading, the deflation of said member when the lading is being discharged from the hopper permitting the space previously occupied by the inflated member to be occupied by the lading thereby aiding in dislodging any lading bridging over the discharge opening for effecting rapid unloading of the lading, and means mounted adjacent the outer face of the associated slope sheet in fluid communication with the inflatable member to permit the entry of air within the inflatable member for inflating the inflatable member.

6. A method of loading and unloading bulk commodities in a covered hopper railway car, comprising the steps of, inflating an air inflatable member on a hopper slope sheet positioned adjacent a bottom discharge opening for an associated hopper, loading the bulk commodity through a hatch opening in the roof of the car with the inflatable member cushioning the fall of a portion of the bulk commodity being loaded, unloading the bulk commodity from a bottom discharge opening, and simultaneously deflating the inflatable member while unloading thereby to assist the unloading.