CA2334562A1 - A smooth, nailable floor for a railroad car - Google Patents
A smooth, nailable floor for a railroad car Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CA2334562A1 CA2334562A1 CA002334562A CA2334562A CA2334562A1 CA 2334562 A1 CA2334562 A1 CA 2334562A1 CA 002334562 A CA002334562 A CA 002334562A CA 2334562 A CA2334562 A CA 2334562A CA 2334562 A1 CA2334562 A1 CA 2334562A1
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- Prior art keywords
- floor
- top plate
- nailable
- panel
- channels
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
- Y02T30/00—Transportation of goods or passengers via railways, e.g. energy recovery or reducing air resistance
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Abstract
A smooth, nailable floor for a railroad car of the type having side and end sills. This floor is assembled from a number of panels. Each panel is rectangular and the panels are installed side by side along the length of a railroad car. Each panel extends the width of the railroad car and is supported on the side sills of the car. Each panel consists of a top plate of metal having a top surface and a bottom surface, end edges and side edges. A
corrugated metal reinforcing member formed with continuous, integral channels and flanges is resistant welded to the bottom of the top plate by a pattern of spot resistant welds in the flanges. The channels of the reinforcing member extend across the panel from end edge to end edge of the top plate. The side edges of the top plates of adjacent panels form nailable joints.
The channels are supported on the side sills of the car. The nailable joints are filled with an elastomeric compound level with the top surface of the panel.
corrugated metal reinforcing member formed with continuous, integral channels and flanges is resistant welded to the bottom of the top plate by a pattern of spot resistant welds in the flanges. The channels of the reinforcing member extend across the panel from end edge to end edge of the top plate. The side edges of the top plates of adjacent panels form nailable joints.
The channels are supported on the side sills of the car. The nailable joints are filled with an elastomeric compound level with the top surface of the panel.
Description
A SMOOTH, NAILABLE FLOOR FOR A RAILROAD CAR
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Nailable metal steel floors have been used in railroad cars for many years.
These floors utilize relatively narrow rectangular panels that extend side to side across the width of a railroad car with the longitudinal ends of the panels resting on and fastened to the side sills of the railroad cars. The longitudinal edges of the adjacent panels of such a nailable floor are deformed with nesting projections and recesses which interflt to form a tortuous channel between panels to bend and hold nails that are driven through wood chucks and blocks to secure cargo against movement during transit. A typical nailable steel floor is shown in U.S.
Patent No. 2,783,718.
The seams formed between the longitudinal edges of the adjacent narrow floor panels of a nailable steel floor into which :nails are driven result in irregular projections which interfere with the sliding of palletized loads across the floor especially when the palletized loads are pushed by forklift trucks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is directed. to a smooth, nailable metal floor for a railroad car which provides the ability to secure loads against undesired movement while also providing a smooth surface which allows lift vehicles to travel across the floor without excessive flexing of the floor and to slide heavy loads across the surface of the car floor without hangups due to projecting ridges and ragged edges at the joints between the floor panels which constitute the floor.
An object of this invention is a railroad car floor formed of panels which are prefabricated and installed in a railroad car to provide a smooth strong floor with nailable joints which panels are lightweight to facilitate final assembly of the floor.
Another object of this invention is a railroad car floor panel which is both strengthened and lightened by a continuous corrugated reinforcing member that is resistant welded to the metal top plate of the panel.
Yet another object of the invention is a railroad car floor panel having a continuous corrugated reinforcing member with channels and flanges in which the pattern and number of resistant welds which connect the flanges to the top plate of the floor are arranged to provide maximum strength while using material of minimum thickness and tensile strength.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Nailable metal steel floors have been used in railroad cars for many years.
These floors utilize relatively narrow rectangular panels that extend side to side across the width of a railroad car with the longitudinal ends of the panels resting on and fastened to the side sills of the railroad cars. The longitudinal edges of the adjacent panels of such a nailable floor are deformed with nesting projections and recesses which interflt to form a tortuous channel between panels to bend and hold nails that are driven through wood chucks and blocks to secure cargo against movement during transit. A typical nailable steel floor is shown in U.S.
Patent No. 2,783,718.
The seams formed between the longitudinal edges of the adjacent narrow floor panels of a nailable steel floor into which :nails are driven result in irregular projections which interfere with the sliding of palletized loads across the floor especially when the palletized loads are pushed by forklift trucks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is directed. to a smooth, nailable metal floor for a railroad car which provides the ability to secure loads against undesired movement while also providing a smooth surface which allows lift vehicles to travel across the floor without excessive flexing of the floor and to slide heavy loads across the surface of the car floor without hangups due to projecting ridges and ragged edges at the joints between the floor panels which constitute the floor.
An object of this invention is a railroad car floor formed of panels which are prefabricated and installed in a railroad car to provide a smooth strong floor with nailable joints which panels are lightweight to facilitate final assembly of the floor.
Another object of this invention is a railroad car floor panel which is both strengthened and lightened by a continuous corrugated reinforcing member that is resistant welded to the metal top plate of the panel.
Yet another object of the invention is a railroad car floor panel having a continuous corrugated reinforcing member with channels and flanges in which the pattern and number of resistant welds which connect the flanges to the top plate of the floor are arranged to provide maximum strength while using material of minimum thickness and tensile strength.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a partial top plan view of the smooth, nailable floor for a railroad car embodying the novel features of this invention with a portion of the top floor surface broken away and with structural features hidden under the floor surface only selectively shown for clarity of illustration;
Fig. 2 is a vertically exaggerated view taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is an enlarged top plan view of a typical panel comprising the smooth, nailable floor of Fig. l;
Fig. 4 is an enlarged, partial cross section view taken along line 4-4 of Fig.
Fig. 1 is a partial top plan view of the smooth, nailable floor for a railroad car embodying the novel features of this invention with a portion of the top floor surface broken away and with structural features hidden under the floor surface only selectively shown for clarity of illustration;
Fig. 2 is a vertically exaggerated view taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is an enlarged top plan view of a typical panel comprising the smooth, nailable floor of Fig. l;
Fig. 4 is an enlarged, partial cross section view taken along line 4-4 of Fig.
3 showing a spot resistant weld connecting the top floor plate to the corrugated metal reinforcing member;
Fig. 5 is a partial, orthographic view of side by side floor panels showing the smooth, nailable floor joint of the invention;
Fig. 6 is an enlarged, partial cross sectional view taken along line 6-6 of Fig. 1 showing one embodiment of a bolster top cover plate;
Fig. 7 is an enlarged, partial cross sectional view taken along line 7-7 of Fig. l;
Fig. 8 is a partial view taken along line 8-8 of Fig. l;
Fig. 9 a partial, cross sectional view taken line 9-9 of Fig. 1 and showing a smooth, nailable joint between floor panels;
Fig. 10 is a partial, cross sectional view similar to the view of Fig. 9 and showing a nail driven into a smooth, nailable joint between floor panels; and Fig. 11 is an enlarged, partial cross sectional view similar to the view of Fig. 6 and showing another embodiment of a bolster top cover plate.
Description of the Preferred Embodiment Fig. 1 is a partial, top plan view of a railroad car floor 11 embodying the novel aspects of this invention. As is typical, the floor 11 is formed of panels which are supported on the side sills 13 (Fig. 8), end sills 15 (Fig. 7) and longitudinally extending stringers 17 (Fig. 8) of a conventional railroad car frame. For clarity of illustration, only the portions of the frame which are necessary for an understanding of the invention are depicted in the drawings.
Three different types of floor panels are installed in the railroad car floor 11 of this invention. They include a bolster top cover plate panel 21, a smooth, nailable panel 23 and a wheel bay panel 25. The bolster top cover plate panel 21, shown in location in Fig. 1 and in detail in two embodiments in Fig. 6 and 11, is provided to span the bolster of the railroad car truck. While a conventional panel, it has been modified to include some of the novel aspects of this invention to permit its incorporation in the smooth, nailable floor of this invention. The bolster top cover panel 21 which is shown in one embodiment in Fig. 6 includes a heavy metal base plate 31 to which cross supports 33 are attached to the underside of the plate 31. Three narrow floor panel sections 34, each eight inches wide, are mounted on the plate 31. A U-shaped channel 35 is welded to the under side of the top plate 37 of each panel. Each top plate 37 is formed with downturned edges 39 which interfit with similar edges of other panel sections 34 to form a nailable groove as shown in U.S. Patent No. 2,783,718, which is incorporated herein by reference. One edge 39 is formed with a concave portion 41 while the opposite edge of the panel is foamed with a convex portion 43. The concave edge of a panel section 34 interfits with a convex edge of an adjacent panel section 34 to form a nailable joint 45. The downwardly turned edges 39 also include reversely bent inwardly directed flanges 47 which in this construction rest on the upper surface of the metal base plate 31. The provision of the downturned edges 39 on the top plate 37 of the bolster cover top plate 21 provides nailable joints 45 which enable it to be incorporated into the smooth, nailable floor of the invention. The panel sections 34 are placed, one at a time, on the heavy metal base plate 31 when the plate is positioned as shown in Fig. 6. Customarily, a panel section 34 is placed on the plate 31 at the left as viewed in Fig. 6 where its downwardly turned edge 39 is adjacent the downwardly turned edge 39 of tithe panel 23. The panel 34 is welded at its top plate 37 to the top plate of the floor panel 23 at four spaced locations along the length of the joint 45. The downturned edge 39 on the opposite side of the panel 34 is welded to the plate 31. The second of the panels 34 is positioned on the plate 31 and is welded in place in the same manner. The third and final panel is placed in position between the second panel 34 and the floor panel 23 on the right as viewed in Fig. 6. The third panel 34 is welded to the adjacent panel 34 and the floor panel 23 only at its top plate 37 because its downturned edges are not accessible. The aforementioned welds are not shown in the drawings for clarity of illustration.
Another embodiment of a bolster top cover plate panel is shown in Fig. 11 of the drawings in which the top cover plate panel 121 includes a single floor panel section 123 which is as wide as the three panel sections 34 of the embodiment of Fig. 6 or twenty four inches wide so that this embodiment and the embodiment of Fig. 6 are interchangeable.
The floor panel section :L23 includes four inverted U-shaped channels 125 which are first welded to the metal base plate 31. A slotted top plate 127 is welded to the bases 129 of the inverted channels by fusion welds 129 applied through the slots in the top plate 127. The top plate 127 is formed with downturned edges 39 at its sides with one edge formed with a concave portion 41 and the other with a convex portion 43 to form nailable joints 45 as described for the embodiment oi' Fig. 6.
The smooth, nailable floor panel 23 shown in detail in Figs. 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10 and the floor panel 123 shown in Fig. 1 I of the drawings are each rectangular in shape with their longer dimension as shown in Fig. 3 for panel 23 extending across the width of a railroad car.
For purposes of description, the longer sides of a panels 23 and 123 will be referred to as the longitudinal sides 51 and the shorter sides of the panels will be referenced as the transverse sides 53. The panels will be installed in a railroad car with their sides having opposite alignment to the longitudinal and transverse dimensions of the railroad car.
The panel 23 includes a top plate 55 having downturned edges 39 along its longitudinal sides 51 as shown in Fig. 9 of the drawings. These downturned edges interfit with similar edges of other panels to form a nailable groove as shown in U.S. Patent No.
2,783,718. One edge 39 is formed with a concave portion 41 while the opposite downturned edge of the panel is formed with a convex portion 43. The concave edge of a panel interfits with a convex edge of an adjacent panel to form a nailable joint 45. The downward turned edges 39 also include reversely bent inwardly directed flanges 47 which are welded to the undersurface of the top plate 55.
Reinforcing for the top prate 55 of the panel 23 is provided by a corrugated metal member 65 formed with continuous and integral channels 67 and flanges 69 which extend from one transverse side 53 of the panel to the other transverse side of the panel as shown in Figs. 3, 5 and 7. The flanges 69 which connect the channels are welded to the top plate 55 by a row of spot resistant welds 71 as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 of the drawings. By spot resistant welds, it is meant welding by using the application of mechanical forces to forge the heated parts together. The use of spot resistant welds 71 eliminates the introduction of extraneous materials, such as fluxes, filler rods, etc. into the metallography of the weld. It utilizes the application of mechanical forces to forge the heated parts together thereby reducing the heat input compared to fusion welding. The heat is also generated rapidly so that a minimum amount of heat will be dissipated to cooler adjacent metal. The use of resistant spot welding with its lower generation of heat and less dissipation of heat results in less distortion. It is particularly advantageous in fastening the top plate 55 to the flanges 69 of the corrugated member 65 because. as shown most clearly in Fig. 4 of the drawings, it provides a smooth surface 72 for the top plate 55 ~rith the indentation 73 formed by the welding tool to be located on the underside of the assembly. Narrower flanges 75 are provided at the longitudinal sides of the panel 23 and these flange~~ are resistant welded to the top plate 55 each by a single row 5 of resistant welds 71. The panels installed at the front and rear ends of the railroad car (the longitudinal ends of the car) have one of the downturned edges 57 omitted with the top plate 55 extended, as shown in Fig. 7 to rest on a spacer plate 81 which is supported on an end sill 15 of the railroad car underframe.
At the sides of the railroad car as shown in Fig. 8, the ends of the channels 67 of the corrugated metal member 65 are supported on car side sills 13 with the channels 67 extending to the edges of the top plate 55. The open ends of channels of the corrugated member 65 are closed by end plates 85 which are welded to the open ends of the channels and flanges as shown in Figs. 5 and 8. The end plates 85 are flush with the top surface of top plate 55 and terminate short of engaging the car sill 13. The car builder may install a plate (not shown) to close the gap between the floor -panel 23 and the side wall 95 of the railroad car.
The wheel bay panels 25 are shown in detail and most clearly in Fig. 6 of the drawings where they are shown located on opposite sides of the bolster plate cover plate 21. Their construction is similar to that of the smooth, nailable panel 25 but the wheel bay panels also include a bottom plate 100 welded to the bottoms of the channels 67 of the corrugated reinforcing 65. The wheel bay ;panels eliminate the need for a wheel bay cover which was previously used in railroad car construction and also continues the smooth, nailable floor provided by the panels 23 and bolster top cover plate 21 and 121 because each of these floor components have downturned edges which form nailable joints 45.
The smoothness of the nailable joints 45 is improved by filling the joints with an elastomer compound 101 as shown in Figs. 5, 9 and 10 to a level flush with the upper surface of the top plate 55. Nails 103 can be driven into and removed from the elastomer compound.
The elastomer compound supports forklift tires without excessive flexing. The elastomer compound can be readily replaced to maintain the smoothness of the car floor.
Unexpected strength of the smooth, nailable floor panel 23 and ease of manufacture, and therefore reduced cost, has been obtained in the smooth floor panel of this invention for the following reasons. The top plates 37 and 55 may be formed of 10 gauge steel having a 50,000 or 60,000 lb. tensile yield stren~;th. The steel is available in coils of sufficient width to be formed into a top plate with downturned edges and inwardly turned flanges. The corrugated reinforcing member 65 is also formed of the same steel in nine gauge . The attachment of the top plate 55 to the corrugated reinforcing member is accomplished by spot resistance welding.
Spot resistance welding creates less heat, thereby minimizing distortion, and permits faster welding speeds. It also provides a smooth upper surface for the top plate 55 that does not require grinding.
It has been found through experiment and testing that there is an advantageous sizing of the channels 67 and flanges 69 of the reinforcing member 65 and the spacing and location of spot resistant welds 71 which provides maximum strength at minimum cost. The channels 67 should be formed with a width n.ot greater than 1 17/32 inches and the flanges 69 should be formed with a width not exceeding 1 3/4 inches. The selection of this width for the flanges permits the use of a single row of spot resistant welds. The spacing of the spot resistant welds along with length of the flanges may be varied, but will be approximately 6 inches.
Fig. 5 is a partial, orthographic view of side by side floor panels showing the smooth, nailable floor joint of the invention;
Fig. 6 is an enlarged, partial cross sectional view taken along line 6-6 of Fig. 1 showing one embodiment of a bolster top cover plate;
Fig. 7 is an enlarged, partial cross sectional view taken along line 7-7 of Fig. l;
Fig. 8 is a partial view taken along line 8-8 of Fig. l;
Fig. 9 a partial, cross sectional view taken line 9-9 of Fig. 1 and showing a smooth, nailable joint between floor panels;
Fig. 10 is a partial, cross sectional view similar to the view of Fig. 9 and showing a nail driven into a smooth, nailable joint between floor panels; and Fig. 11 is an enlarged, partial cross sectional view similar to the view of Fig. 6 and showing another embodiment of a bolster top cover plate.
Description of the Preferred Embodiment Fig. 1 is a partial, top plan view of a railroad car floor 11 embodying the novel aspects of this invention. As is typical, the floor 11 is formed of panels which are supported on the side sills 13 (Fig. 8), end sills 15 (Fig. 7) and longitudinally extending stringers 17 (Fig. 8) of a conventional railroad car frame. For clarity of illustration, only the portions of the frame which are necessary for an understanding of the invention are depicted in the drawings.
Three different types of floor panels are installed in the railroad car floor 11 of this invention. They include a bolster top cover plate panel 21, a smooth, nailable panel 23 and a wheel bay panel 25. The bolster top cover plate panel 21, shown in location in Fig. 1 and in detail in two embodiments in Fig. 6 and 11, is provided to span the bolster of the railroad car truck. While a conventional panel, it has been modified to include some of the novel aspects of this invention to permit its incorporation in the smooth, nailable floor of this invention. The bolster top cover panel 21 which is shown in one embodiment in Fig. 6 includes a heavy metal base plate 31 to which cross supports 33 are attached to the underside of the plate 31. Three narrow floor panel sections 34, each eight inches wide, are mounted on the plate 31. A U-shaped channel 35 is welded to the under side of the top plate 37 of each panel. Each top plate 37 is formed with downturned edges 39 which interfit with similar edges of other panel sections 34 to form a nailable groove as shown in U.S. Patent No. 2,783,718, which is incorporated herein by reference. One edge 39 is formed with a concave portion 41 while the opposite edge of the panel is foamed with a convex portion 43. The concave edge of a panel section 34 interfits with a convex edge of an adjacent panel section 34 to form a nailable joint 45. The downwardly turned edges 39 also include reversely bent inwardly directed flanges 47 which in this construction rest on the upper surface of the metal base plate 31. The provision of the downturned edges 39 on the top plate 37 of the bolster cover top plate 21 provides nailable joints 45 which enable it to be incorporated into the smooth, nailable floor of the invention. The panel sections 34 are placed, one at a time, on the heavy metal base plate 31 when the plate is positioned as shown in Fig. 6. Customarily, a panel section 34 is placed on the plate 31 at the left as viewed in Fig. 6 where its downwardly turned edge 39 is adjacent the downwardly turned edge 39 of tithe panel 23. The panel 34 is welded at its top plate 37 to the top plate of the floor panel 23 at four spaced locations along the length of the joint 45. The downturned edge 39 on the opposite side of the panel 34 is welded to the plate 31. The second of the panels 34 is positioned on the plate 31 and is welded in place in the same manner. The third and final panel is placed in position between the second panel 34 and the floor panel 23 on the right as viewed in Fig. 6. The third panel 34 is welded to the adjacent panel 34 and the floor panel 23 only at its top plate 37 because its downturned edges are not accessible. The aforementioned welds are not shown in the drawings for clarity of illustration.
Another embodiment of a bolster top cover plate panel is shown in Fig. 11 of the drawings in which the top cover plate panel 121 includes a single floor panel section 123 which is as wide as the three panel sections 34 of the embodiment of Fig. 6 or twenty four inches wide so that this embodiment and the embodiment of Fig. 6 are interchangeable.
The floor panel section :L23 includes four inverted U-shaped channels 125 which are first welded to the metal base plate 31. A slotted top plate 127 is welded to the bases 129 of the inverted channels by fusion welds 129 applied through the slots in the top plate 127. The top plate 127 is formed with downturned edges 39 at its sides with one edge formed with a concave portion 41 and the other with a convex portion 43 to form nailable joints 45 as described for the embodiment oi' Fig. 6.
The smooth, nailable floor panel 23 shown in detail in Figs. 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10 and the floor panel 123 shown in Fig. 1 I of the drawings are each rectangular in shape with their longer dimension as shown in Fig. 3 for panel 23 extending across the width of a railroad car.
For purposes of description, the longer sides of a panels 23 and 123 will be referred to as the longitudinal sides 51 and the shorter sides of the panels will be referenced as the transverse sides 53. The panels will be installed in a railroad car with their sides having opposite alignment to the longitudinal and transverse dimensions of the railroad car.
The panel 23 includes a top plate 55 having downturned edges 39 along its longitudinal sides 51 as shown in Fig. 9 of the drawings. These downturned edges interfit with similar edges of other panels to form a nailable groove as shown in U.S. Patent No.
2,783,718. One edge 39 is formed with a concave portion 41 while the opposite downturned edge of the panel is formed with a convex portion 43. The concave edge of a panel interfits with a convex edge of an adjacent panel to form a nailable joint 45. The downward turned edges 39 also include reversely bent inwardly directed flanges 47 which are welded to the undersurface of the top plate 55.
Reinforcing for the top prate 55 of the panel 23 is provided by a corrugated metal member 65 formed with continuous and integral channels 67 and flanges 69 which extend from one transverse side 53 of the panel to the other transverse side of the panel as shown in Figs. 3, 5 and 7. The flanges 69 which connect the channels are welded to the top plate 55 by a row of spot resistant welds 71 as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 of the drawings. By spot resistant welds, it is meant welding by using the application of mechanical forces to forge the heated parts together. The use of spot resistant welds 71 eliminates the introduction of extraneous materials, such as fluxes, filler rods, etc. into the metallography of the weld. It utilizes the application of mechanical forces to forge the heated parts together thereby reducing the heat input compared to fusion welding. The heat is also generated rapidly so that a minimum amount of heat will be dissipated to cooler adjacent metal. The use of resistant spot welding with its lower generation of heat and less dissipation of heat results in less distortion. It is particularly advantageous in fastening the top plate 55 to the flanges 69 of the corrugated member 65 because. as shown most clearly in Fig. 4 of the drawings, it provides a smooth surface 72 for the top plate 55 ~rith the indentation 73 formed by the welding tool to be located on the underside of the assembly. Narrower flanges 75 are provided at the longitudinal sides of the panel 23 and these flange~~ are resistant welded to the top plate 55 each by a single row 5 of resistant welds 71. The panels installed at the front and rear ends of the railroad car (the longitudinal ends of the car) have one of the downturned edges 57 omitted with the top plate 55 extended, as shown in Fig. 7 to rest on a spacer plate 81 which is supported on an end sill 15 of the railroad car underframe.
At the sides of the railroad car as shown in Fig. 8, the ends of the channels 67 of the corrugated metal member 65 are supported on car side sills 13 with the channels 67 extending to the edges of the top plate 55. The open ends of channels of the corrugated member 65 are closed by end plates 85 which are welded to the open ends of the channels and flanges as shown in Figs. 5 and 8. The end plates 85 are flush with the top surface of top plate 55 and terminate short of engaging the car sill 13. The car builder may install a plate (not shown) to close the gap between the floor -panel 23 and the side wall 95 of the railroad car.
The wheel bay panels 25 are shown in detail and most clearly in Fig. 6 of the drawings where they are shown located on opposite sides of the bolster plate cover plate 21. Their construction is similar to that of the smooth, nailable panel 25 but the wheel bay panels also include a bottom plate 100 welded to the bottoms of the channels 67 of the corrugated reinforcing 65. The wheel bay ;panels eliminate the need for a wheel bay cover which was previously used in railroad car construction and also continues the smooth, nailable floor provided by the panels 23 and bolster top cover plate 21 and 121 because each of these floor components have downturned edges which form nailable joints 45.
The smoothness of the nailable joints 45 is improved by filling the joints with an elastomer compound 101 as shown in Figs. 5, 9 and 10 to a level flush with the upper surface of the top plate 55. Nails 103 can be driven into and removed from the elastomer compound.
The elastomer compound supports forklift tires without excessive flexing. The elastomer compound can be readily replaced to maintain the smoothness of the car floor.
Unexpected strength of the smooth, nailable floor panel 23 and ease of manufacture, and therefore reduced cost, has been obtained in the smooth floor panel of this invention for the following reasons. The top plates 37 and 55 may be formed of 10 gauge steel having a 50,000 or 60,000 lb. tensile yield stren~;th. The steel is available in coils of sufficient width to be formed into a top plate with downturned edges and inwardly turned flanges. The corrugated reinforcing member 65 is also formed of the same steel in nine gauge . The attachment of the top plate 55 to the corrugated reinforcing member is accomplished by spot resistance welding.
Spot resistance welding creates less heat, thereby minimizing distortion, and permits faster welding speeds. It also provides a smooth upper surface for the top plate 55 that does not require grinding.
It has been found through experiment and testing that there is an advantageous sizing of the channels 67 and flanges 69 of the reinforcing member 65 and the spacing and location of spot resistant welds 71 which provides maximum strength at minimum cost. The channels 67 should be formed with a width n.ot greater than 1 17/32 inches and the flanges 69 should be formed with a width not exceeding 1 3/4 inches. The selection of this width for the flanges permits the use of a single row of spot resistant welds. The spacing of the spot resistant welds along with length of the flanges may be varied, but will be approximately 6 inches.
Claims (6)
1. A smooth, nailable floor for a railroad car of the type having side sills and end sills, said floor including:
a plurality of panels, each of said panels being of rectangular shape, said panels being installed side by side along the length of a railroad car and each of said panels extending the width of said railroad car from side sill to side sill, each of said panels including:
a top plate of metal having a top surface and a bottom surface, end edges and side edges, a corrugated metal reinforcing member formed with continuous, integral channels and flanges, said flanges attached to said bottom surface of said top plate by a plurality of spot resistant welds, said channels extending across said panel from said end edge to said end edge of said top plate and extending parallel to said side edges of said top plate, said side edges of said top plates of said panels forming nailable joints, said channels supported on said side sills of said railroad car.
a plurality of panels, each of said panels being of rectangular shape, said panels being installed side by side along the length of a railroad car and each of said panels extending the width of said railroad car from side sill to side sill, each of said panels including:
a top plate of metal having a top surface and a bottom surface, end edges and side edges, a corrugated metal reinforcing member formed with continuous, integral channels and flanges, said flanges attached to said bottom surface of said top plate by a plurality of spot resistant welds, said channels extending across said panel from said end edge to said end edge of said top plate and extending parallel to said side edges of said top plate, said side edges of said top plates of said panels forming nailable joints, said channels supported on said side sills of said railroad car.
2. The nailable floor of claim 1 in which closure plates are welded to said channels and said flanges of said reinforcing members at said edges of said top plate.
3. The nailable floor of claim 1 in which said nailable joints are filled with an elastomeric compound up to said top surface of said top plate.
4. The nailable floor of claim 1 in which said spot resistant welds are arranged in a single row extending along the length of each of said flanges between each of said channels.
5. A smooth, nailable floor panel for a railroad car of the type having side sills and end sills, said floor including:
a top plate of metal of rectangular shape having a top surface and a bottom surface, end edges and side edges, a corrugated metal reinforcing member of rectangular shape formed with continuous, integral channels and flanges, said flanges attached to said bottom surface of said top plate by a plurality of spot resistant welds, said channels extending across said panel from said end edge to said end edge of said top plate and extending parallel to said side edges of said top plate, said side edges are complementary in shape with one of said side edges having a downturned edge with a convex projection and said other of said side edges having a down-turned edge with a concave projection.
a top plate of metal of rectangular shape having a top surface and a bottom surface, end edges and side edges, a corrugated metal reinforcing member of rectangular shape formed with continuous, integral channels and flanges, said flanges attached to said bottom surface of said top plate by a plurality of spot resistant welds, said channels extending across said panel from said end edge to said end edge of said top plate and extending parallel to said side edges of said top plate, said side edges are complementary in shape with one of said side edges having a downturned edge with a convex projection and said other of said side edges having a down-turned edge with a concave projection.
6. The nailable floor of claim 5 in which said spot resistant welds are arranged in a single row extending along the length of said flanges between each of said channels.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US53121200A | 2000-03-20 | 2000-03-20 | |
| US09/531,212 | 2000-03-20 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2334562A1 true CA2334562A1 (en) | 2001-09-20 |
Family
ID=24116704
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002334562A Abandoned CA2334562A1 (en) | 2000-03-20 | 2001-02-08 | A smooth, nailable floor for a railroad car |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2334562A1 (en) |
| MX (1) | MXPA01002464A (en) |
-
2001
- 2001-02-08 CA CA002334562A patent/CA2334562A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2001-03-08 MX MXPA01002464A patent/MXPA01002464A/en unknown
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| MXPA01002464A (en) | 2003-08-20 |
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