US2318863A

US2318863A - Railway car

Info

Publication number: US2318863A
Application number: US370917A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jabelmann Otto
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1940-12-20
Filing date: 1940-12-20
Publication date: 1943-05-11
Anticipated expiration: 1960-05-11

Description

May 11, 1943- o. JABELMANN RAILWAY CAR Filed Dec. 20, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. 02%0 h!) (a /f//(/ 0/1 y 1943- o. JABELMA-NN 2,318,863

RAILWAY CAR Filed Dec 20, 1940 s Sheets-Sheet 2 46 INVENTOR. Otto JQZDQ l/ /f/f/Q' BY r I I y 1943- o. JABELMANN RAILWAY CAR Filed Dec. 20, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 v INVENTOR. Ozfzo Jab/ 21! am ///5 fi 7 x Patented May 11, i943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RAILWAY CAR Otto Jabelmann, Omaha, Nebr. Application December 20, 1940, Serial No. 370,917

18 Claims.

The invention relates to vehicle bottom construction involving the use of a housing extending longitudinally of the vehicle between its sides for enclosingunderneath equipment and means for controlling air currents beneath and at opposite sides of the housing.

The invention further contemplates the use of an air baffle extending longitudinally of the housing to reduce the efiect of side or cross winds and to establish definite lanes of travel for the air streams upon opposite sides and along the bottom of said housing induced by train movement.

Another and particular object is to provide means for effectively minimizing turbulence of air streams resulting from pressure of quartering winds against the vehicle sides whereby the air currents against the baffle and housing sides will be diverted to prevent the lifting of ballast and abrasion of window glass and car sides.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a railway passenger-train car equipped in accordance with the invention and showing the streamlined vestibule step arrangement, the louvered portion of the apron depending from the car sides, the equipment housing extending between the trucks of the car, and a fin or baffie plate secured to and depending from the housing;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1 showing the louvered apron means associated with respectively adjacent housing sides for relieving side wind pressure against the housing sides by diverting the air outwardly from the car sides and an air fin or baflle plate in a preferred position on the underside of the housing;-

Fig. 3 shows a modified form of air fin in which belting material or rubber is used for the body of the fin instead of metal, together with means for removably securing such fin;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a car equipped in accordance with the invention showing the relation of an air fin when positioned at the side of the housing bottom and adjacent rail when car is on a curve in the track; and

Figs. 5, 6, and '7 show, respectively, a front elevation, a vertical section, and rear elevation,

in enlarged view, of the louvered aprons and con-' necting brackets and hangers and a preferred form of locking means for holding the apron door section.

In the drawings, l0 represents the body of the l I the underframe to which may 55:

car as a whole,

be secured underneath equipment such as the water tanks l2 and fuel or air reservoirs l3 and other items of equipment arranged upon opposite sides of the longitudinal center of car to prevent excessive swaying of the car body during train movement. In high-speed train service for which this invention is particularly designed, it is important that all of the car body exposed to the action of winds tending to impede car travel be formed to present surfaces streamlined and free from projections which would offer possible obstruction to air flow with resultant lag in car movement. For cars fitted with underneath equipment, the desired streamlining of the underside of the car body is efiected by means of a housing [5 for enclosing the motor, batteries, compressor and condenser units and control valves of the air conditioning system and formed to present smooth exterior surfaces at its opposite and lower sides, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The sides It of the housing are arranged to slope downwardly and inwardly to the connecting floor I! of the housing and are secured at their upper margins l8 to respectively contiguous margins of laterally arranged extension plates is which extend longitudinally the full length of the car.

Upwardly and outwardly of the upper margins I8 of the housing sides J6 extend the laterally arranged plates l9 virtually the full length of the car and underlying the side sills 35 and cross members 20 of the underframe II to provide a smooth surface for the underside of the car body upon opposite sides of the housing proper to the car sides, as best shown in Fig. 2. Plates [9, extending longitudinally of the car, are joined at their outer edges to the car side sills 35 and supported attheir'inner margins by flanged members l9 extending longitudinally between cross members 20f of unde'rframe l l.- That portion of the space I l between the underframe members 20 of the; underfram and between the underlying housing extension plates l9 and the floor 9 of the car and between the center $111 2-! "of the underframe and respectively adjacent car sides 8, con

stitutes, for all practical purposes, extensions of the enclosure capacity of housing Hi to afford additional housing for the accommodation of drain age and water supply pipes and electrical supply cables and conduits customarily installed below the floor line and which may likewise be reached through access doors 6 in thehousing sides It for the air conditioningsystem-units before mentioned. I

Depending from the s'1deS 8 of the car upon.

opposite sides of the housin I5 and in operative relation to respectively adjacent housing sides I6 and lateral surfaces of plates H] are means for controlling and directing air currents developing under thrust of cross winds against the car and housing sides. The air directing and controlling means preferably take the form of fixed and

removable apron sections

22 and 23, respectively, arranged lengthwise of the car and extending for at least the length of the housing l5, as indicated in Fig. l. lhe louvers 25 of the aprons are arranged in series and mounted to preserve the streamline contour of the body at respectively adjacent car sides 8, as best shown in Fig. 2. The

'louvers may be of any approved type, but are formed preferably with their respective web portions 26 bent or curved in cross-section, substantially as shown in Fig. 6, to rigidify the louvers between their ends and with their inner margins 21 and outer edges 26 thickened further to stiffen the louvers against possible distortion resulting from impacts against the apron sides. The louvers are preferably connected at their ends to supporting brackets 30 by separate angle clips 39' welded to the louvers, though preferably otherwise secured to the brackets to facilitate fabrication and assembly. The louvers, of whatever form, are disposed preferably with their outer margins 26 in planes below the inner margins 21 of the respertive louvers, as best shown in Fig. 6,

so that they may assume generally inclined positions with their bodies sloping downwardly and outwardly to provide air passages 29 having substantially the contour of the louvers defining them.

The hanger brackets 36 supporting the louvers 25 are pivotally hung from the car body by means of open hook pieces 3| having a bearing on pins 32 seated in hinge brackets 33 which form preferably integral parts of depending brackets 34 fixed to side sill 35 of the underframe. Thus suspended, the hinged door sections 23 f the aprons may be removed by a thrust upwardly upon the doors until the hooks 3| become disengaged from the respective pins 32, whereupon they may be released and removed to expose adjacent housing doors 6 to obtain access to the housing for inspection or replacement of equipment parts underneath the car underframe.

The relatively fixed brackets 34 support and I;

brace the fixed portions 22 of the louvered aprons. The louvers 25 of these sections are secured at their ends to adjacent brackets 34 by means substantially similar to that employed in mounting the louvers of the removable sections 23 and dis posed in similar fashion. For greater stability and to provide attaching means for connecting the brackets to the side sill and underframe, the brackets are formed with a web portion 36, upper attaching flange 31, and a rigidifying and door stop flange 38. The brackets are rigidly secured to side sills 35 and contiguous underframe portions H by attaching devices 66 passing through bracket flange 31, side sill 35 and underframe parts H, the flanges 38 serving also to limit the inward swing of the apron doors 23. To prevent unauthorized removal or raising of the apron doors, suitable locking means of any approved form may be used to hold the doors closed. As.

shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the hanger brackets 30 on the doors are provided with hinge pieces 6| with hearing pins 39 for swivel bolts 62 fitted preferably with wing nuts 63 to facilitate manipulation of the lock. The bearing pins 39 arepreferably parallel with the pivotal axis of the doors, as shown, so that they may be disconnected from or brought into engagement with respectively adjacent fixed brackets 34; for this purpose, such brackets are provided with keeper plate portions 64 formed with slots 65 adapted to receive the bolts 62 with the nuts 63 in position to be tightened up against the underside of the keeper plates 64. The bolts may be disengaged from keeper plates 64 and raised out of the way, as shown in broken lines in Fig. 6, to release the apron doors 23. To facilitate restoration of the doors, the bolts 62 are held in their raised, out-of-the-way position preferably by means of friction spring plates formed U-shape to straddle a hinge butt jaw 66 having their leg portions perforated to receive bolt 39 with inner leg 61 of the spring plate disposed between the head 66 of swivel bolt 62 and the hinge jaw 66 and the other leg 69 of the spring spaced outwardly from said jaw with a bearing under pressure against castellated nut '10 adapted, upon rotation, to adjust the pressure of leg 61 against head 68 of the bolt 62 through pressure against outer leg 69 so that the bolt 62 will be held frictionally in any of its positions about the bolt 39. Once adjusted, the nut 10 is held against rotation by pin H on bolt 39 to insure pressure sufficient at bolt head 68 to frictionally support the bolt raised until lowered.

Both the fixed and door portions of the aprons may be assembled in units of convenient length, end to end, to establish continuity of the aprons further to enhance the streamline definition of the body lines. The several units of th apron comprise the respective brackets and connecting louvers 25, the assemblies constituting each a rigid unit adapted to be fabricated in the shop and which may be mounted in sections upon the car. The aprons may be made up in greater part of fixed sections 22 and relatively few movable arts 23, as indicated in Fig. 1, or they may comprise doors in excess of the number required in the present embodiment of the design, depending upon the type of the car and the number and position of the access doors 6 in the housing sides which vary with different types of cars-the length of the several sections being determined by the size and location of the various pieces of underneath equipment.

The housing l5 has mounted upon its underside I"! one or more air fins or baflie plates 40 designed to restrict the passage of cross winds between the roadbed land rails 2 and car bottom to an extent suihcient to prevent lifting of ballast by air currents set up during train movement or by passing trains. A baflle plate 40 may be secured at any position on the housing bottom 11 intermediate the housing sides IE, but, for all practical purposes, it is located preferably along the trainpassmg side of the car in circumstances requiring but a single baflie plate which may be mounted on the housing at a point nearest the adjacent rail 2, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Thus applied, the opening 4| for the air currents between the lower edge 42 of the bafiie plate and the head of the rail may be reduced to a minimum. Should conditions along the railroad right of way indicate the need for additional throttling of such air currents, a second baflie plate may be secured to the housing bottom and located, as in the case of the single bafiie plate, at a point nearest the opposite rail 2, as shown in Fig. 2. In place of the baffle plate 40 of metal as shown in Fig. 2 the bafiie may take the form indicated in Fig 3 wherein a body member 44 of rubber or belting or other resilient or liable material is used so that the bailie would yield upon impact with an obstruction in the road and have the characteristic of resuming its normal condition after such impact. In this embodiment, the baille member 44 may be secured to housing bottom I! by means of an angle member 45 having one of its flanges 46 riveted to the housing fioor and its other flange 41 taking bolts 48 for removably supporting the baflle plate 44, the bafile plate being held by a clamping plate 49 providing a solid bearing surface for the securing nut 50. As shown in this view, the lower edges of both clamping plate 49 and of angle flange 41 are flared outwardly from'the baflle plate as shown, respectively, at 5| and 52'. It is obvious that with bafile plates of this embodiment this member may be made of greater depth than those of metal because of their capacity to assume their normal condition after distortiona characteristic'p'articularly useful when but one baflle of this type is employed and located at the longitudinal center line of the car, since the distance from the housing floor to the roadbed at that point is greater by an amount equal to at least the depth of the rails 2. If desired, flexible baflles may also be used at the sides of the housing instead of the metal ones 40 and made deeper, as suggested, further to restrict the openings 4i between such plates and adjacent rails 2.

In operation, the air currents generated by the impact of cross winds against a car side 8 would be deflected upwardly from the ground by the bafile plate 40 and adjacent housing side l6 and directed laterally toward the car side by the plates l9 at the underframe, thence downwardly and outwardlyby the louvers of respectively

adjacent aprons

22, 23, whereby the resultant curtain of air discharged from the louvered aprons and surging downwardly away from the windows 3 and respective car sides functions to prevent abrasion of window glass and car body by entraining the, ballast particles lifted by the air currents to carry them away from the car, all as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2 showing the course of such air stream.

In the foregoing embodiment of the invention, there has been provided a vehicle body having its underside effectively streamlined and substantially devoid of projecting surfaces, whereby the air currents induced by car movement or passing trains would be free to move unhampered for substantially the full length of the car.

What I claim is:

1. A vehicle having a body and a pair of supporting trucks, a housing portion depending from beneath said body for enclosing underneath equipment between the trucks, movable and relatively fixed louvered apron members spaced laterally from said housing and depending from the respective car sides, streamlining plates extending between the upper portion of said apron members and respectively adjacent housing sides, and means for locking said movable apron members.

2. A vehicle having a body and a housing portion depending from beneath said body for enclosing underneath equipment, louvered apron members spaced laterally from said housing and depending from the respective car sides, and streamlining plates extending between the upper portion of said aprons and respectively adjacent housing sides.

3. In a vehicle having a body and a housing a 4. A vehicle havinga body and. a housing portion depending from beneath said body for en-' closing underneath equipment, louvered apron members depending from the car sides and in laterally spaced relation with the housing,

' streamlining plates extending between the upper portion of said aprons and respectively adjacent housing sides, and air baille or fin plates depending from the lower portion of and extending longitudinally of said housing at opposite sides thereof.

6. In a vehicle having a body and a housing portion depending from beneath said body for enclosing underneath equipment, streamlining plates extending laterally from the upper margins of the housing sides to the sides of the car body and defining the lower sides of branch enclosures forming extensions of the housing enclosure, a floor defining the upper side of said enclosures, and underneath equipment part within said enclosures. v

'7. In a vehicle having a body and a housing depending from beneath said body for enclosing underneath equipment on the body, an air baffle or fin plate depending from the lower portion of and extending longitudinally of said housing, and louvered apron members depending from the car sides in laterally spaced relation with said housing and fin plate.

8. In a vehicle having a body and a housing depending from beneath said body for enclosing underneath equipment on the body, an air bafile or fin plate depending from the lower portion of and extending longitudinally of said housing at one side thereof, louvered apron members depending from the car sides in laterally spaced relation with said fin plate and housing. and streamlining plates extending between the upper portion of said aprons and respectively adjacent housing .sides for directing the air currents generated beneath the car to the louvered aprons.

9. In a vehicle having a body and a housing depending from beneath said body for enclosing underneath equipment on said body, an air bafile or fin plate depending from the lower portion of and extending longitudinally of said housing, and louvered apron members depending from the car sides in laterally spaced relation with said housing having outwardly and downwardly extending louvers adapted to direct air currents generated beneath the car at said housing and fin plate outwardly and downwardly from the respective car sides.

10. In a vehicle having a body and a housing depending from beneath said body ioren'closin underneath equipment on the body, an air baflle or fin plate depending from the lower portion of and extending longitudinally of said housing at one side thereof, louvered apron members depending from the car sides in laterally spaced relation with said fin plate and housing and disposed with the louver thereof sloping outwardly and downwardly, and streamlining plates extending between the upper .portion of said aprons and respectively adjacent housing sides for directing the air currents generated beneath the car to the louvered aprons, said aprons being adapted to direct such air outwardly and downwardly from the respective car sides.

11. In a vehicle having a body and a housing depending from beneath said body for enclosing underneath equipment on the body and provided with access doors in the -housing sides, and louvered apron sections depending from the vehicle sides and movably secured to the vehicle body in laterally spaced relation from the housing to provide access to said doors of the housing and comprising each two or more bracket members and louvers supported on and connecting said bracket members.

12. In a vehicle having a body and'ahousing depending from beneath said body for enclosing underneath equipment on the body and provided with access doors in the housing sides, and louvered apron sections depending from the vehicle sides and movably secured to the vehicle body in laterally spaced relation from the housing to provide access to said doors of the housing and comprising each two or more depending bracket members and a series of louvers supported upon and rigidly connecting said brackets, said louvers being arranged to slope outwardly and downwardly from the car.

13. A vehicle having a body and a pair of supporting trucks, a housing portion depending from beneath said body for enclosing underneath equipment'between the trucks, movable and rela-' tively fixed louvered apron members spaced laterally from said housing and depending from the respective car sides, and means for locking said movable apron members.

is. A vehicle having a body and a pair of supporting trucks, a housing portion depending from beneath said body for enclosing underneath equipment between the trucks, and louvered apron members spaced laterally from said housing and depending from the respective car sides.

15. A vehicle having a body and a housing portion depending from beneath said body forenclosing underneath equipment; and apron members spaced laterally from said housing and depending from the respective car sides.

16. In a vehicle having a body and a housing depending from beneath and extending longitudinally of the body for enclosing underneath equipment on the body, an air bafile or fin plate adapted to restrict. and deflect cross winds depending from and extending longitudinally substantially the length of said housing.

17. In a vehicle having a body and a housing depending from beneath and extending longitudinally of said body for enclosing underneath equipment on the body, a yieldable air baflie or fin plate adapted to restrict and deflect cross winds depending from and extending longitudinally substantially the length of said housing.

18. In a railway car having an underneath equipment housing extending longitudinally thereof, a baflie or fin beneath the housing to restrict and deflect cross winds comprising a plate having a. flat body portion substantially coextensive with .the length of said housing and arranged longitudinally in a vertical plane to project downwardly from the underside of the housing in fixed relation thereto.

OTTO JABELMANN.