US3291072A

US3291072A - Steel-coil carrying car

Info

Publication number: US3291072A
Application number: US435291A
Authority: US
Inventors: James B Cunningham
Original assignee: General Steel Industries Inc
Current assignee: Lukens General Industries Inc; General Steel Industries Inc
Priority date: 1965-02-25
Filing date: 1965-02-25
Publication date: 1966-12-13
Anticipated expiration: 1983-12-13

Description

M A H G m N N U c B lm STEEL-COIL CARRYING CAR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 25, 1965 QOOZOOO 0000 LJnIlIIII Dec. 13, 1966 Filed Feb. 25, 1965 J. B. CUNNINGHAM STEEL-COIL CARRYING CAR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f :74,1155 5MM/WMM nited States Patent 3,291,072 STEEL-COIL CARRYING CAR .lames B. Cunningham, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to General Steel Industries, Inc., Granite City, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 25, 1965, Ser. No. 435,291 6 Claims. (Cl. 10S-367) The invention relates to railway rolling stock and consists particularly in a vehicle for carrying steel coils or other heavy cylindrical objects.

Conventional coil-carrying cars are provided with a superstructure forming a single V-shaped though extending lengthwise of the car, the coils being seated in the trough with their axes extending llengthwise of the car and their peripheries resting in tangential relation with the sloping sides of the trough. Because such coils vary in diameter from 30 inches up to 90 inches, there is much space wasted in conventional cars when coils of smaller diameter are transported.

It is accordingly a main object of the invention to provide a coil-carrying car or other vehicle in which large diameter coils may be carried in the usual way, and the lading capacity of the car may be fully utilized when coils are carried.

The foregoing and additional more detailed objects and advantages will be achieved by the construction described hereinafter and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. l is a top view of a car embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view along line 2 2 of FIG. 1.

FlGS. 3 and 4 are transverse vertical sectional views along lines 3*?, and 4 4 of FIG. l.

The car includes the usual wheels 1, axles 2. and an underframe preferably of one-piece cast steel construction and comprising longitudinally extending center sill 3, transversely extending end sills 5, body holsters '7, cross bearers 9, cross ties 10, and at each side between the body bolster and the adjacent end sill, a short side sill 11.

The superstructure includes transveresly extending upright end walls 13, connected by a pair of elongated outwardly-facing longitudinally-extending channels with upright webs 17, horizontal top flanges 19 and

double bottom flanges

21, 23, the latter resting on and being secured rigidly to the transverse underframe members substantially intermediate the center sill and the sides of the underframe. Channel members 15 are preferably of cast construction and are formed with upright transverse reinforcing ribs 25 spaced apart the same distance as, and adapted for vertical alignment with, cross bearers 9 and cross ties 10. On the inner vertical surfaces of their webs 17 and in transverse alignment with ribs 25, channel members 15 are also formed with integral hinge brackets 27. At their ends cross bearers 9 and cross ties lil mount upright posts 29, preferably of l section, and these in turn rigidly support elongated anglesection side plates 31 which extend the full length of the car at each side and are rigidly secured at their ends to end walls 13. Side posts 29 and side plates 31 extend to a substantially higher level than channel members 15, and, with the latter, provide support for the ends of inwardly and downwardly inclined members 33. Alternate members 33 are supported at their outer ends against side posts 29 and the remaining intermediate members 33 are supported against plates 35 mounted on side plates 31 by brackets 37, the inclination of members 33 transversely of the car being such that their projections would intersect substantially on the longitudinal center line of the top surface of center sill 3. Pivotally secured 3,2%,072 Patented Dec. i3, 1966 rice to hinge brackets `27 are folding frame members 39 each comprising a rectangular casting with transversely outwardly extending apertured brackets at their ends adapted for registry with stationary pivot brackets 27 and for the receipt of pivot pins 41, the length of individual frames 39 being the same distance as the interval between adjacent cross bearers and cross ties, the transverse dimentions of frames 39 being such that when their bevelled inner terminals rest on the upper surface of center sill 3, their upper surfaces are aligned with the upper surfaces of stationary sloping members 33 and form therewith a V-shaped trough extending lengthwise of the car. The upper surfaces of members 33 support planking 43 extending the full length of the car and each of the frames 39 is similarly planked throughout `its length as at 45 to provide a supporting surface for the steel coils.

With frames 39 in their lowered positions with their lower bevelled terminals resting on top of center sill 3, coils of any diameter not exceeding the inside distance between the side plates 31 may be supported in the single V-shaped trough so formed.

If smaller coils not exceeding in diameter half the width of the car between the inside of the insides of the side plates are to be transported, frames 39 are arranged to be positioned as shown in FIG. 4, i.e., with their inner ends elevated and secured to each other by pin 46, thus forming, with

stationary sloping members

33, 43, a pair of V-shaped troughs extending side by side lengthwise of the car and adapted to support pairs of smaller diameter coils in side by side relation. With this arrangement, because frames 39 are short and can be positioned at either of the two described positions, the car can be arranged with a single central trough throughout part of its length to accommodate large diameter colis and can be formed with double side by side troughs throughout the remainder of its length to accommodate smaller diameter coils in side by side relation, as described above. For separating individual coils from each other lengthwise of the car and preventing shifting of the coils lengthwise of the car, the usual movable cross members 51 are slidably supported at their ends on the tops of side plates 31 and are adapted for positioning thereon lengthwise of the car by pins 53 extending through registering holes in the cross member and side plates, the latter holes being spaced apart at frequent intervals lengthwise of the car to permit selective positioning of cross members 51 lengthwise of the car in accordance with the width of the supported coils.

Operation of the car is as follows: If it is determined that a full carload of large coils are to be loaded, frames 39 are positioned in the lower position shown in FIG. 3, the coils are individually positioned therein and the separators 51 are moved into engagement with the individual coils and are held in this position by pinning them to the side plates. If, on the other hand, coils of such diameter that two could be accommodated abreast of the car, are to be transported, frames 39 are swung to the position shown in FIG. 4 and are secured therein by pins passing through the aligned openings in their inner terminal portions, the coils are seated in the side by side troughs in the usual way and separators 51 are positioned Vand secured as described above. lf, on the other hand, both large diameter and smaller diameter coils are to be transported, proportionate portions of the car may be arranged to accommodate each group of coils.

The detail of the car may be varied substantially without departing from the spirit of the invention and the -exclusive use of those modifications coming within the scope of the appended claims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. In a vehicle for carrying cylindrical objects, an uuderframe, first members adjacent the sides of said underframe and having transverse inwardly and downwardly sloping surfaces forming the upper portions of the legs of a V-shaped trough extending lengthwise of the vehicle, second members disposed transversely inwardly of said first members and having surfaces forming the lower portions of both legs of said V-shaped trough, the inner margins of said second members converging along the longitudinal center line of said underframe and there being supported on said underframe, means rigidly mounted on said underframe and forming a support thereon for said first members along the outer and inner margins of the latter, said second members being pivoted about longitudinal axes along their margins to said means supporting the inner margins of said first members, and being swingable upwardly -about said axes to form with each other an inverted V and with the upper members a pair of upright V-shaped troughs, and additional means for securing said second members in said raised position.

2. In a vehicle according to claim 1, said second members being divided transversely at spaced intervals lengthwise of the vehicle, each division being separately pivoted whereby the lower portions of said legs in part of the vehicle can be lowered to form a single V-shaped trough and the lower portions of said legs in another part of the vehicle can be raised to form with the adjacent rst members a pair of V-shaped troughs.

3. In a vehicle according to claim 2, said underframe comprising a longitudinally-extending center sill and a plurality of transverse members, said means supporting the outer margins of said first members comprising upright side posts mounted on the ends of said transverse members,

4. In a vehicle according to claim 3, said means supporting the inner margins of said rst members comprising longitudinally-extending upstanding beams supported on said transverse members intermediate said center sill and the outer extremities of said transverse members.

5. In a vehicle according to claim 4,'said side posts supporting longitudinally extending side plates, said side plates forming additional supports for the outer ends of said first members intermediate said side posts.

6. In a vehicle according to claim 5, said rst members comprising spaced transversely extending beams, and said second members comprising rectangular frames.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,389,359 8/1921 Hosceit 10S-243 1,419,769 6/1922 Scherl 10S-243 1,569,997 l/l926 Moller -243 ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

DRAYTON E. HOFFMAN, Examiner.