JPS6018584B2 - railway tank car - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention further relates to railway tank cars, and more particularly to manifold tank cars, for the loading and unloading of tank cars from a single point along the group without moving the entire group of interconnected cars. The present invention relates to a manifold tank car which can carry out continuous loading, transport and unloading of fluid cargoes, and can easily organize a train.

The idea of having a series of interconnected railway tank cars fluidly routed through the lotus had been proposed in the past, but
Known systems lack inter-tank connections that would allow for safe handling of fluid loads during transportation.
For example, R. Welker U.S. Patent No. 154,211
No. 6 describes a railway tank car that is interconnected by a manifold device, allowing continuous unloading of connected tanks from a single location without moving or disconnecting the cars. has been done. However, the Wecker device does not allow continuous loading of connected tanks from a single point and is disadvantageous because the load connections between the tanks extend along the longitudinal axis of the tanks. Furthermore, in this device the valves for controlling the flow of the fluid volume load are exposed and these valves must be operated individually and manually. WilljamJ
U.S. Pat. No. 3,722,556 to ef Enterprises et al. discloses a manifold tank car system which allows a series of interconnected tank cars to be loaded and unloaded from a single location. However, in this device, the inter-tank cargo connection member is provided at the bottom of the tank, and the cargo flow rate limiting valve is exposed and unprotected, so it lacks safety when the tank car is running. .

Furthermore, since this system does not provide a loading conduit that automatically determines the final volume of the load in the tank during loading, in the case of certain bulk goods, the tendency of the goods to expand during transport There is. According to the present invention, in a railway tank car used as a train, loading or unloading can be carried out from a single point without moving the train, and the continuous loading, transport and A railway tank car is obtained which enables unloading safely and with a minimum of time and effort.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a railway tank car adapted to be connected in fluid communication to an associated similar tank car by means of a flexible connecting conduit for the continuous loading of fluid volume loads. A mechanized railway tank car having a wheeled undercarriage structure, the undercarriage structure being provided with an undercarriage coupling device for coupling with the undercarriage of an associated similar tank car, the undercarriage structure comprising: A tank is dispatched to the tank, and two cargo auxiliary conduits are connected to the tank adjacent to each end thereof in fluid communication with the tank, and each of the cargo conduits is connected to the tank in fluid communication with the tank. a flexible connecting conduit extending outwardly from the tank adjacent to the top of the tank, each of the cargo conduits being provided with a conduit coupling device and connecting the cargo conduits at the top of the tank; The tank is connected to the adjacent bridge of the aircraft to place the tank in fluid communication with the tank of the adjacent tank car of the same aircraft, and the foundation is designed to allow safe relative movement between adjacent tank cars during transportation. said tanks are connected to each other in series with associated similar tanks, and the fluid loads are allowed to flow through the tanks connected in series to one another for continuous loading of said fluid loads. and the position of the load conduit adjacent to the top of the tank allows for safe relative movement between adjacent tank cars during transport; The flexible connecting conduit is a flexible hose, and the support for the hose is mounted to an adjacent end of the railway tank car, and the flexible connecting conduit is connected to a height above the height of the associated conduit connecting device. A railway tank car is provided which is maintained at a height and adapted to allow the evacuation of all cargo from a flexible conduit to an associated conduit coupling and from said coupling to said tank. Ru.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In FIGS. 1-7, the railway train represented in its entirety by 501 consists of three railway tank cars, each of which is represented in its entirety by 601.

Each tank car 60 has a pair of bogies 70 arranged at opposite ends of the tank car and with railroad wheels 75
The wheels are adapted for rolling engagement with the rails of standard railway track 55. Each tank car 60 is further provided with a coupler 80 at each of its machine parts, so that adjacent tank cars are connected in series. A longitudinally extending beam 90 and an arcuate polster 95 are strung above each truck assembly 70 and adapted to support one end of an associated tank, generally designated 500, in a well-known manner. The tank 500 has a body 501 having a generally cylindrical inner side wall or shell 503, the longitudinal axis of which is disposed substantially horizontally in use.

The shell 503 is surrounded by a cylindrical outer jacket 504, which is spaced apart from the shell 503 by a predetermined distance in the radial direction and cooperates with the bracket shell to define an insulating space. , the space can be filled with a suitable insulating material 506. Opposing ends of the tank body 501 are closed off by a generally dome-shaped tank head 505 to define a completely enclosed liquid cargo chamber. A cylindrical passage 507 is formed in the top of the cylindrical tank body 501 approximately at the center of both ends thereof, and the passage extends substantially perpendicularly upward from the tank body 501, and its upper end is closed by a passage cover 509. has been done. Connected to the bottom of the tank body 501 is a loading or unloading assembly generally represented by a line 51 approximately in the center of each end thereof, which assembly is installed in a complementary hole in the tank body 501. It has a suspended fitting 511 and is connected to a short loading pipe 513 through a valve 512. This pipe extends vertically downward from the fitting 511 and is closed at its lower end by a cap 514. tank 5
Mounted on top of 00 is a liquid load level detector, generally designated 515, having a pipe 516 projecting downwardly into the tank and housing the sensor.

The sensor is an electronic sensor, including a thermistor, and an electrical socket 51 positioned close to the bottom of the tank.
7. Note that the lower end of the pipe 516 is closed by a cap 518. In use, a suitable display device is inserted into the socket 517 to display the readings obtained by the liquid level detector 515. The tank 500 also has a cargo discharge conduit 520 disposed adjacent to one end of the tank 500.
0 and a cargo extraction conduit 520A disposed adjacent to the other end of the cargo extraction conduit 520A.

Extraction conduit 520A is the input to tank 500 when the conduits are used for loading, vent conduit 520 is the output from tank 500, and discharge conduit 62 is the input to tank 500 when unloading. The extraction conduit 520A is the output to the tank 500. 4-7, the discharge conduit 520 has a cylindrical pipe 521 extending inwardly through a complementary hole provided in the top of the tank body 501 and having an annular shape at the other end. A mounting flange 523 is provided, and this flange is connected to the outer surface of the tank shell 503 by welding or the like, so that the pipe 521 is hung vertically. The inner end 522 of the pipe 521 flares outwardly and downwardly to accommodate the increased loading speed of the tank 500 and to provide a relatively downwardly extending portion from the top of the tank shell 503 for purposes as described below. It extends to a short predetermined distance. Directly above the flange 523 is a valve generally designated by 530.

This valve will be explained in more detail later. A elbow pipe 525 is installed directly above this valve, and a tank 525 is mounted on the elbow pipe.
The upper part is curved outwardly towards the adjacent end of 0. The cubital tube 525 has an annular mounting flange 526 at its lower end, and is adapted to be mounted on the mounting flange 523 with the valve 530 therebetween. Furthermore, the upper end of the elbow tube 525 is attached to the horizontal cylindrical pipe section 5 by suitable means such as welding.
27 and the pipe section weave is attached to the associated valve 53
0 and a domed tank head 5 at the adjacent end of the tank.
It is located between 05 and 05. As seen in FIGS. 5 and 7, flange 526 has six cutouts around its periphery through which six bolts 528 extend to connect it to flange 523. Further, six bolts 528A are provided for directly connecting the upper valve flange 532 to the mounting flange 523. Therefore, the valve 530 is connected to the bag rack flange 52.
IZ bolts are used to connect flange 526 to flange 523, while six bolts are used to connect flange 526 to flange 523. Therefore, in the event of damage to the assembly due to the force applied to the elbow tube 525, such as in the event of a derailment, capsizing, etc., the connection between the long tube 525 and the valve 530 will fail, but the six additional bolts 529 holds valve 530 in operative relationship with mounting flange 523 and the bore of discharge pipe 521. Extraction conduit 520A (
5 and 6) has an extraction pipe 521A extending vertically downward within the tank 500, and has an annular mounting flange 523A at its upper end.

This flange is attached to the outer surface of the tank shell 503 by welding or the like, and the extraction pipe 521A is mounted on the stereotaxic layer. Inner end 522A of extraction pipe 521A
is flared downwardly and outwardly and its lower end is positioned proximate the bottom of the shell 503 to permit substantially complete unloading of the tank through the pipe. By widening the lower end 522A in this manner, its lower periphery can be positioned very close to the shell 503, and the lower end 522A can be positioned very close to the shell 503.
Extraction pipe 521A is substantially between 2A and shell 503.
A total flow area equal to the inner area of can be maintained. The outward flare of the inner end 522A accommodates increased unloading speeds and minimizes foaming or fringing during loading. Another valve 530 is disposed directly above the mounting flange 523A so as to form the same shape D as the mounting flange 523A. A cubital tube 525A having the same structure as the cubital tube 525 is mounted directly above the valve 530 and extends upwardly and outwardly toward the adjacent end of the tank 500.

The cubital tube 525A has an annular flange 526A at its lower end, and a mounting flange 523A with a valve 530 disposed therebetween.
The upper end is attached to a short horizontal pipe section 527A by welding or the like. As is clear from FIGS. 5 and 6, the flange 5
26A has six cutouts around its periphery through which six bolts 528 extend to connect the flange to flange 623A, and further connects the upper valve flange 532 to the mounting flange. Six bolts 528A are provided for direct connection to 523A. Therefore, to connect 530 to mounting flange 523A, 1
Two bolts are used, while six bolts are used to connect flange 526A to flange 623A. Therefore, in the event of damage to the assembly due to forces applied to the cubital tube, such as in the event of a distress, the connection between the cubital tube and the valve 530 will fail, but the six additional bolts 528
A holds the valve 530 in operative relationship with the mounting flange 523A and the bore of the air pipe 521A. A cylindrical male joint 566 of a pipe connecting member, generally designated by 565, is attached to the horizontal pipe section 527A by welding or the like, as shown in the drawing D in the horizontal pipe section 527A.

The pipe connecting member 565 is also an internally threaded nut 5.
68, the nut is rotatable relative to the male fitting 566, but is held in position by a mating flange in a known manner. The end of the nut 568 reaches a point between the associated valve 530 and the domed tank head 505 at the adjacent end of the tank 500. It can be seen that the pipe connection member 565 is of the "quick connection" and "quick release" type.

Since the valves 530 connected to the exhaust conduit 520 and the extraction conduit 520A are identical in construction, only one of the valves 530 associated with the extraction conduit 520A will be described in detail. Especially the 6th
As shown in Figures 5 and 7, the valve 530 has a cylindrical valve body 531 disposed coaxially with the extraction conduit 521A and having an annular diamond flange 53 at its upper and lower ends.
2, which flanges are separated from output pipe flange 523A and cubital tube flange 526A, respectively, by suitable gaskets 534. flange 523A,
526A and 532 all have complementary holes rounded around their peripheries to receive mating bolts 528 and 528A, allowing the output pipe 521A, valve 530 and elbow tube 525A to be connected in a sealed manner as described above. This is desirable. The valve 530 is commonly called a butterfly valve, and the valve body 5
valve body 531, including a disk (not shown) disposed within the valve body 531, the disk being adapted to move between a closed position, which prevents fluid from passing through the valve body 531, and an open position, which allows fluid to pass therethrough. There is. This valve 530 has a rotatable shaft 537, and the shaft is connected to the valve body 531.
It projects laterally from the valve body and is connected to a disc within the valve body so as to be rotatable between said open and closed positions. The shaft 537 has a valve position indicator 53 that can be observed from the outside.
9 is installed to know the position of the valve. The shaft is also used as a handle for manually operating the valve 530. Said valve is preferably an automatic valve, and for this purpose a valve actuator side, generally designated 535, is provided.

This valve operating mechanism has a piston disposed within a cylinder 538 and is screwed together with a valve rod 537, so that when the piston reciprocates, the valve rod 537 is rotated accordingly. There is. A spring in cylinder 538 flexibly urges piston and valve stem 537 to a closed position, thereby normally closing valve 530. Valve actuation mechanism 535 can be magnetically or pneumatically actuated, but is pneumatically actuated in the preferred embodiment of the invention. In this case, the actuating mechanism 535 has an air hose for connecting its connector directly to the pneumatic actuating bladder, generally designated by 540'. The valve and calendar display 539 can be used as an overriding indicator of the automatic device. The valves 530 are located on the same side of the tank 500, but may be arranged in other manners.
The air actuator 540 has a network of air conduits, the main conduit 543 of which extends longitudinally along one side of the tank 500 adjacent to the top of the tank 500 and connected to the input conduit by a short branch conduit 541. 520 and is connected by a branch pipe 542 to the valve actuation mechanism 535 of output conduit 520A.

At opposite ends of the tank 500, the main pipes 543 are each connected to two tank head pipes 545. These tank head pipes extend outwardly over adjacent tank heads 505 and are each connected to a Y-connector 546. Each Y-coupler 546 is further connected to the pneumatic system of the tank car by a chassis pipe 547 and to a tank manifold 549 by a pipe 548, which in turn is connected to the pneumatic system 540' of the next adjacent tank car. This is connected. Each tube 548 has a release valve 549A. Thus, the pneumatic actuators 5401 of all the interconnected tanks 500 of the tank cars 60 forming the train
It will be appreciated that compressed air can be delivered simultaneously by operating the train's central air system from one location.
Each of the valves 530 is disposed within a protective structure designated by the numeral 550, and since each of the chambers 550 is identical in construction, only one will be described in detail.

With particular reference to FIGS. 5-7, the protective chamber 550 is
It has a pair of arcuate welded abutment plates 551 arranged in front and rearward of the common valve 530, extending in the lateral direction of the tank arm 503, and fixed to the outer surface of the ear by welding. Protective plates 552 made almost symmetrically with each other are hung above each of the welding plates 551, and each of the protecting plates 552 is made of a steel plate considerably thicker than the tank body, and is welded together. It is preferable to fix it to a contact plate 551 that is attached to the base plate 551.

Each of the guard plates 552 is generally rectangular, but the bottom edge has an arcuate shape that follows the welding plate 551, and the guard plate 552 extends vertically upward and laterally from the tank body 503, and has a length formed at the corresponding end of the valve 530. They are close together and are parallel to each other. Each of the guard plates 552 is further coupled to a cooperating weld plate 551 by a reinforcing plate 553 that is arranged approximately midway between the opposite edges of the guard plate 552 and extends outwardly from the valve 530 . An andal 554 is secured to the outer surface of each of the guard plates 552, and this angle serves to connect the guard plate 552 to the adjacent tank jacket green cut to accommodate the valve 530. Protective plate 552 protects valve 530 from physical damage, such as capsizing of tank car 500, for example. To protect the valve 530 from the weather, a pair of parallel chamber end walls 557 are each arranged parallel to the outside of the guard plate 552, and a pair of side walls 558 are each arranged parallel to the edge 557.
They are arranged so as to extend almost perpendicularly to the end.

The end walls 557 and side walls 558 are all provided with internally bent flanges at their upper edges and receive a square cover plate 555 held in place by screws 559, which cover plate has an elbow 5.
25 [or 525A], and the cover plate 555 cooperates with the end wall 557, the side wall 558, the tank body 503, and the jacket 504 to form a common valve 5.
It is surrounded by a weather-protected enclosure. The guard plate 552 prevents damage to the valve 530 in the event of an accidental derailment or capsizing of the tank car, or inadvertent contact with an object on the tracks. 1 tank 500 ventilation pipe 52 rivers,
It is connected to the discharge pipe 520A of the adjacent tank 500 by a steerable connecting pipe generally indicated at 560.

The connecting pipe 560 has a flexible hose 561 provided with annular connecting flanges 562 at both ends, and at least one of the flanges
The ventilation pipe 520 is connected by the usual bolt method.
This is the mating flange of the connecting flange 529. A separate pipe feed system long enough to accommodate all the relative movements between the two coupled tank cars during train operation can also be accommodated, and such a separate flexible connection can be 560
It is understandable that it can be used in places such as A connecting extension pipe 56 is attached to the flange 562 at the other end of the hose 561.
No. 3 connecting flanges 564 are connected with bolts. The female part 567 of the pipe joint 565, which is intended to mate with the male part on the discharge pipe 520A of the adjacent tank 500, is arranged in a concentric and surrounding relationship with the connecting extension pipe 563, and is fixed by welding. The female part is threaded on the outside for threaded engagement with a nut 568, and the nut 568 tightly connects the male and female parts 568, 567 to prevent leakage.
This allows mutual circulation with the adjacent tank 500. It will be appreciated that the pipe fitting 565 provides a device for quickly and easily connecting and disconnecting the connecting pipe 560 from the tank 50. The female part 567 is freely supported on the opposite end of the connecting pipe 56 and the tank car 60 is connected to the connecting pipe 56.
(somewhat connected to the connecting flange 529 of the ventilation pipe 520), and then connect the discharge pipe 5 of the adjacent tank car with the pipe support 565.
It is preferable to connect it to 20A. Kason connecting pipe 560
is long enough to provide considerable slack when connected to an adjacent tank car. In order to completely empty the connecting pipes 560 after loading into the tank car train 50 and before transport, a pipe support 600 is provided between each pair of tank cars 60, and this pipe support 600 is connected to the first Figures 4 and 5
It is clearly shown in the figure. As shown, near the upper side of the adjacent ends of the tank 500 (slightly away from the center line (see Figure 5))
A protrusion 601 carries a series of rotating links 602. One of the links 602 is threadedly connected to a threaded tube 603 carrying a hook 604 at its outer end.
A wire rope 605 is tied between the hook 604 and the other link 602. A clamp 610 is disposed approximately at the midpoint of the flexible connecting tube 560 from which a strut 612 extends and is connected to a tube 611 that slidably receives a wire rope 605. wire row
The tension of the rod 605 can be adjusted by a ratchet 606 that is in driving engagement with the thread cutting tube 603.
It carries a handle 607 which the user can grip to operate the ratchet 606, thereby turning the thread cutting tube 603 to tension the wire loop as required. Additionally, a bracket 608 is provided on top of the tank 500 near the handle 607 and cooperates with the forehead 609 to hold the handle 607 in the adjusted position. Ratchet 60 is used to hold the center lines of tube support 60, clamp 610, and cooperating flexible connecting tube 560 at a height slightly above the center lines of cooperating tubes 527 and 563.
6, so that after the tank 500 has been finned and the tube 560 is completely drained before shipping, all of which will be discussed below.

Referring to FIG. 7A, the fixed inner end 6 of tube 521 is shown in FIG.
A modified adjustable vent pipe is shown located at 22, thereby making the exhaust of the associated tank car adjustable. As shown in the figure, the movable inspector 700 has a ventilation pipe 521
and a suitable packing 701 is provided therebetween to prevent leakage. Inspector 700
Extending outwardly is a pair of arms 702 whose outer ends have holes for receiving the lower ends of adjustment bolts 705 . The lower end of the adjustment bolt carries a nut 706 and the upper end of the adjustment bolt extends through the tank shell 503 and terminates in an outer end 707 shaped to receive a tool for turning the bolt 705. bolt 70
5 penetrates the body plate 503, the body plate 503 passes through the body plate 503 at 712.
Packing box 710 with outer box 711 welded to
is provided. A nut 713 closes the top end of packing box 710 to hold packing 714 in place. A pin 715 is provided at the rear end, which limits the distance that the movable policer 700 can move upwardly, thus setting the minimum evacuation that can be achieved by adjusting the vent tube. Vacuuming achieved with the vent pipe 520 using the adjustable guard 700 can be achieved outside the tank car 500 by turning the bolts upwards and downwards to reposition the guard 700 higher or lower relative to the top of the tank chest 503. It can be adjusted from

The higher the position of the inspector 700, the less the evacuation, and the minimum evacuation achieved with this system is determined by the position of the pin 715. As bolt 705 is turned to move inspector 700 downward, the resulting discharge increases. Referring to Figure 78, there is shown yet another extensible vent pipe, this form requiring entry into the tank in order to adjust the position of the movable pipe section and therefore the discharge. It is.

Reference numerals that are recognized to be similar to those used in FIG. 7A are appended with B. Instead of passing through the shell 503, the bolt 705B ends in a contact plate 708B that is welded to the inside of the shell 503. An additional nut 7098 is provided on each bolt 705B to engage the top surface of the associated arm 702B, thereby positively positioning the arm 7028. It will therefore be appreciated that the discharge obtained with the configuration of FIG. 7B can also be adjusted to be more or less as desired. Also, Figures 8 to 1
Referring to FIG. 1, this is represented by 570,
A connection release and locking mechanism is shown which prevents the inadvertent or accidental disconnection of two adjacent tanks 500 having tanks 500 in communication with each other by a connecting pipe 560. This is to prevent

Each end of the tank car 60 is provided with a work ramp or passageway 511 arranged horizontally near the bottom of the tank 500, the passageway 571 having a handrail 569 and a grab bar 57.
9 and one or more vertically aligned steps 572 are fixed to facilitate access to the aisle. As best seen in FIGS. 8 and 10, the steps 572 are preferably metal strips bent into a generally square shape and secured to the underside of the passageway 571 along the sides. Securely attached to the outermost side of the steps 572 is one end of an elongate angle 574, which extends generally perpendicular to the steps 572 and laterally along the adjacent end of the tank car.

Angle 574 has a raised mounting flange 576 and a horizontal flange 575, one end of which is securely secured to step 572 by a suitable attachment method, and the other end of which is secured to step 572.
It is firmly fixed to the bag rack plate, or bracket 573, suspended from the bag. The lower side of the horizontal flange 575 has a U-shaped lower end 587 at longitudinally spaced points marked 5
Depending there are two brackets 577, shown at 80, for receiving release rods. In the horizontal flange 575 between the brackets 577 is a hole surrounded by a tubular cylinder 578, which has a square hole and is fixed to the upper surface of the horizontal flange 575. The release rod 580 is an elongated unitary body with a handle portion 581 extending downwardly from the support bracket 577 and the remainder of the release rod 580 defining an elongated U-shaped member extending generally perpendicular to the handle portion 581; At the end remote from the handle portion 581, it also has a pair of long legs 582 and 583 connected to each other by a cove 584.

In use, the release twill 58 is arranged to be placed within the U-shaped lower end 587 of the placket 577 together with the leg 583;
This U-shaped end 587 serves as a bearing to facilitate rotational movement of the release bar 580 about the longitudinal axis of the leg 583.

An annular portion 586 at one end of a connecting rod 585 is secured around legs 582 and 583 of the release rod 580, and the other end of the connecting twill is coupled to a coupler 80 at an adjacent end of the tank car 60. There is. When using, Haru 581,
Between the connected configuration shown in solid lines in FIGS. 8 to 11 and the released configuration shown in dotted lines in FIGS. 8 to 11, the handle portion 58
1, the movement of said release rod 580 from the connected configuration to the released configuration is controlled by the coupling rod 585 for releasing the adjacent tank car.
to move to the release condition.

Since neither conduits 560 nor 520 nor 520A are designed to receive the push and pull forces of a moving train, two adjacent tank cars may be in fluid communication with each other through portable coupling conduit 560'. It is important to ensure that the disconnection rod 580 is never moved into the disconnection condition by accident, so that the connection is not broken when this is done.

A locking pin 590 is provided for this purpose. The pin extends vertically through a hole in sleeve 578 and adjacent horizontal flange 575. The pin 59 has a square cross-sectional shape, has a handle 591 at its upper end, and a locking tab 592 at its lower end. This tab has a receiving surface 593. When the locking pin is in the lower position, as shown in solid lines in FIGS.
2 to prevent movement of rod 580 from the connected state to the disconnected state. In order to disconnect the adjacent tank car 60, the locking pin 590 must be manually moved to the first position.
All you have to do is raise it to the unlocking position shown by the broken line in Figure 1. As a result of this operation, the locking tab 592 is disengaged from the passageway of the upper leg portion 582, thus allowing the disconnection bar 580 to move between the disconnected and connected conditions. When the handle 581 is released, the upper leg 582 contacts the sloped surface 592 and the locking tab 592 pivots, allowing the leg 582 to momentarily be in the middle position, where the locking tab 592 is in the locked position. return. In operation, a plurality of tank cars 60 are interconnected as shown in FIG.

The pent conduit 520 of one vehicle is now connected to the extraction conduit 520A of an adjacent vehicle by a flexible coupling conduit 560 as previously described, ``wherein the vehicles' tanks are in fluid communication with each other and in continuous flow.'' form a storage container.First
Although the figure shows only three railway cars interconnected in this way, it goes without saying that the number of tank cars in the train 50 is arbitrary. When loading river fluid cargo into the tank 50 of the train 50, the input end of the train is brought close to the fluid sanitary source 40. The source is provided with a sub 567 that connects with a sub 566 at the free end of the coupling conduit 560 which is connected to the extraction conduit 520A at the adjacent end of the train. The pent conduit 520 at the other end of the train may be vented to atmosphere or coupled to a scrubber 30 or other suitable decontaminating device. The valves 530 of all tanks 500 are then opened to the actuator 536 by supplying pressurized air. This operation can be performed from a single remote location as described above. A fluid (usually liquid) load is introduced into a first tank at the right end of train 50, as shown in FIG.

Once the tank is filled to a predetermined level, the pressure in the tank above the liquid load increases and forces the liquid upwardly into the pent conduit 520 at the other end of the tank, causing the liquid to pass through the flexible conduit 560 and into the next Extraction conduit 520A of tank 500 enters that tank. Once this tank is filled to a predetermined amount, the liquid load is passed from there to the next tank, and so on until all tanks 500 of the train 50 are filled with a predetermined amount of liquid load. 60 tank cars 1
It should be noted that an entire train's tank cars can be loaded from one source without having to separate the cars one by one. One salient feature of the present invention is that the level of liquid load that fills the tank 500 is determined by the length between the inner end 522 of the vent tube 521 and the top of the tank shell 503.

The level is preferably set such that there is free gas space or "room" above the liquid load at the top of tank 500. Such gas spaces are necessary if the liquid cargo is explosive or flammable. tank 5
When the level 595 of the liquid load in the tank 500 reaches the bottom end of the pent tube 522, the inlet is closed so that no further gas can be released and the gas remaining in the top of the tank 500 is released into the tank. Compressed with liquid loading. The air pressure is then increased by pent tube 5 to move the liquid load to the next tank.
22 until it is pumped out continuously. Proper selection of the length of vent pipe 522 thus determines the maximum level of liquid load in the tank, ie, the minimum volume of free area or "room" at the top of the tank.
When a predetermined amount of fluid is loaded into the tank car located farthest from the fluid load source 40, the liquid load level detection device 515 in that tank is activated and controls the pump that feeds the load into the tank. The final tank car is also diluted with liquid only to a predetermined level. The sensing device 515 can also be used to monitor the process of sequential feeding of the tank 5001. After a train 50 of tank cars 60, particularly its tanks 500, has been loaded, and before the train 50 is run, a flexible coupling conduit 560 between the tanks 500 is installed.
, and conduits 520 and 520A between this conduit and valve 530.
It is desirable to empty all fluid loads within.

For safety reasons, it is desirable that no fluid load remain in the conduit outside the tank 500, ie, outside the valve 530, while the train 50 is running. If the cargo is flammable or otherwise dangerous, it is better not to have the cargo in those pipes in case the pipe is damaged while the train is running or the vehicle and its tank are separated due to some kind of accident. . A first preferred method of removing all loads from the pipes 520, 520A, 560 at the end of a loading job is to couple a high pressure gas source to the input end of the tank car train, specifically to the source 40 of the liquid load. to the extraction conduit 520A.

This causes gas pressure to push the liquid load from the rightmost conduit 520A, thereby pushing a corresponding amount of the load up into the rightmost vehicle pent conduit 520 and into the flexible coupling conduit 56.
0 and is sent into the next vehicle, the middle vehicle in Figure 1. As soon as the level of fluid in the rightmost vehicle drops below the lower end of pent conduit 520, the pressurized air pushes all of the fluid up and out of vent conduit 520 and its associated flexible conduit 560.
, and a coupled extraction conduit 52 above the central vehicle fluid level.
Push it out of the 0A part. This process is carried out sequentially for all tank cars until conduit 520, steerable conduit 560, and the portion of extraction conduit 520A above the fluid level in the long left car are empty, thus all conduits along the length of the train are empty. 520
, 520A, and 560 become empty. It is understood that the level in the tank of the last car loaded prior to emptying these conduits must be such that it can accommodate all the cargo coming from the conduits of all 50 trains. According to a second method of emptying the conduits 520, 520A, 560, the extraction conduit 620A coupled to the liquid supplementary source 40' is closed and the pent conduit 520 coupled to the scrubber 301 is closed. is coupled to a low pressure or vacuum source.

By this, as in the case of the first method, the first
The rightmost extraction conduit 520A and the leftmost pent conduit 520 in the figure.
A pressure difference is created between the conduits 520, 520A and 560 from the right side to the left end of the train 50 in FIG.
are emptied one after another. After the pressure in the tank has reached atmospheric pressure, the extraction conduit 52 which was connected to the liquid delivery 40
0A to atmosphere. It is known that even with this method, the level of liquid cargo in the leftmost vehicle, that is, the last vehicle to be loaded, must be low enough to accommodate all of the cargo discharged from conduits 520, 520A, 560. Good morning. After train 501 is fully loaded with liquid cargo and conduits 520, 520A, 560 have been emptied as described above, the supply of compressed air is removed and valve 530 is closed, whereupon the valve 530 is closed by the force of the spring. Return to normal closed state.

As previously discussed, all valves 530 can be closed simultaneously from a common remote location. There is one such point for each tank car. The closed state of the valve 530 is determined by the position of the display device 539, such that when the valve is closed, the display device is in a horizontal position, and when the valve is open, it is in a vertical position, and the position can be visually inspected and changed. Can be done. The train 50 will then be transported to an unloading station in a known manner. Conduits 520, 520A and flexible coupling conduit 560
It is an advantage of the present invention that the structure and configuration of the tank car 60 is adapted to accommodate all kinds of movements that normally occur in a moving train, thus facilitating the safe and unhindered transport of the train of tank cars 60. This is an excellent feature. More specifically, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, conduit 5
The outer end of 20,520A is the dome-shaped head 505 of the tank.
It is positioned further back.

That is, the ends are set between the protective housing 550 and the head 505 near the tank ends. Conduit 520
, 520A at the rear position,
The length of the flexible coupling conduit 560 can be extended one length with a considerable amount of headroom between the tanks when they are in the straight portion of the track. Because the length of the coupling conduit 560 has such a margin, maneuverability is maintained even when the train runs on various track conditions such as curved curves, diagonal curves, banked curves, uneven rails, etc. No stress is applied to conduit 560 or conduits 520, 520A. If conduits 520 and 520A extend outwardly from the end of tank 500, sacrificial coupling conduit 5601 is required when using conventional tracks and standard overhangs as shown in FIGS. 1-5. It would not be possible to give the extra length.

This is because although the coupling conduit 5601 is flexible, it has sufficient hardness so that it will not bend.
Therefore, in order to provide mutual clearance for the coupling conduits, their length must be increased. From this point of view, if the conduits 520, 520A are attached to the top of the tank 500, the length of the flexible coupling conduit 560 can be fully explored, whereas if the conduits 520, 520A are attached to the head 505 of the tank 500, Can not. Furthermore, it should be noted that by locating the conduits 520, 520A at the top of the tank 500, the possibility of leakage of the liquid cargo in the event of a train 50 derailment or a car 60 separation accident is minimized. Be as small as possible.

Additionally, each of the valves 530 is provided with a protective plate 552 to minimize the possibility of damage to the valves 530. The protective plate 552 has sufficient thickness and strength to prevent damage to the valve 530 unless a force strong enough to destroy the tank 500 itself is applied. Guard plate 552 is designed to protect valve 530 even if tank 500 is tipped over.
When train 50 reaches its destination, the tank 500 is unloaded at one end of the train by coupling extraction conduit 520A to a liquid tank or other storage facility by a suitable coupling device.

Here, the valves 530 of the tank 500 are all automatically opened together by sending pressurized air to the valve actuator 535. This operation can be performed from one common remote location as described above. Applying pressure to the opposite end of the train, such as by pumping a suitable gas into the vent conduit 520, forces the internal liquid load up into the extraction tube 521A, through the steerable conduit 660, and then into the adjacent At the same time, the liquid load in that tank is pushed out of the pond end of the train and into a storage facility. In this way the entire train of tank cars is dripped one after another. The unloading continues until the first pressurized tank 500 is empty, and then each tank 500 is unloaded one after the other until the entire train is unloaded. In other words, it is known that the dripping of the entire train can be done in one single operation at one location without moving the train or separating the cars. Loading and unloading assembly 51 at the bottom of the
A variation of the method of filling and emptying a train of tank cars using 0 is shown.

In this method, during a loading operation, the liquid source 40 and the nearby assembly 510 of the tank car 500 are connected by a pipe 510A. Similarly, for dripping of train 50, pressurized gas is routed through line 510A coupled to conduit 520 or assembly 510 and a suitable drip container, thereby sequentially unloading the train. In yet another method for unloading the train 50 of the tank car 500, the tank car 5
00, preferably in a tank car at one end of the train 50.
Fill with an inert gas such as nitrogen pressurized to a high pressure such as 7.5 k9/ground (250 p.s.i.).

When the train reaches the drip point, the inert gas is coupled to the pent conduit 520 of the adjacent tank car containing the load, and the pressure of the gas is used to push the load out of the tank car in the same manner as previously described. It is put out.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a railway train consisting of three tank cars constructed in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view of one of the tank cars shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an end view of the tank car of FIG. 2, viewed from the right end. 4 is an enlarged side view, partially in vertical section, of the joined ends of two adjacent tank cars shown in FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 5 shows a partially cut-out top surface of the continuous end of the tank car shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 5 showing the load extraction conduit and valve assembly for the tank car. FIG. 7 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view, with some portions missing, of the load discharge conduit and valve assembly of FIG. 5 taken along line 7--7 of FIG. Figures 7A and 7B are views similar to Figure 7, but illustrating one other embodiment of a load discharge conduit useful in the present invention. FIG. 8 is a partially cut away end view of the release locking assembly of the present invention showing the release bar locked in the coupled position. 9 is a partially cut away top view of the release pole locking assembly shown in FIG. 8; FIG. 10th
The figure is a partially sectional side view of the release lock assembly shown in FIG. 8, viewed from the left side, with the released state of the release bar indicated by dashed lines. Figure 11 is the first
FIG. 3 is an enlarged, partially cutaway side view of the release cross locking assembly shown in FIG. 0, with the release position of the locking member indicated by dashed lines; In the figure, 50 is a railway train, 55 is a track, 60 is a tank car, 70 is a bogie, 75 is a railway wheel, 80 is a coupler,
90 is the middle beam, 95 is the bolster, 500 is the tank, 501
503 is the grain, 504 is the outer jacket, 5 is the main body.
05 is the tank head, 506 is the insulating material, 507 is the passage,
509 is a passage cover, 510 is a loading/unloading assembly, 5
11 is a fitting, 512 is a valve, 513 is a loading pipe, 5
14 is a cap, 615 is a load level detector, 516 is a pipe, 517 is a socket, 518 is a cap, 520
520A is a cargo extraction conduit, 521 is a cylindrical pipe, 521A is an extraction pipe, 522, 522
A is the inner end, 523, 523A is the mounting flange, 525,
525A is the cubital tunnel, 526, 526A is the annular flange, 5
27, 527A is a horizontal pipe section, 528, 528A is a bolt, 529 is an additional bolt, 530 is a valve, 531 is a valve body, 532 is a valve flange, 534 is a gasket, 535
is a valve operating mechanism, 537 is a valve shaft, 538 is a cylinder, 53
9 is a valve position indicator, 54 is a pneumatic actuator, 541, 5
42 is a branch pipe, 543 is a main pipe, 545 is a tank head pipe, 546 is a Y-shaped connector, 547 is an undercarriage pipe, 548 is a pipe, 549 is a tank connecting pipe, 549A is a discharge valve, 565 is a pipe connecting member, 566 is a male joint, and 568 is a nut. ''C. '''G. 2′′G. 3''G. ''G. C''G. C''G. O''G. 9''G. 'O''G. 〃''6.7''G. ShinF'G. Bu○

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A railway tank car adapted to be connected in fluid communication to an associated similar tank car by a flexible connecting conduit and configured for continuous loading of fluid volume loads. A railway tank car has a wheeled undercarriage structure, the undercarriage structure is provided with an undercarriage coupling device for connection with the undercarriage of an associated similar tank car, and the undercarriage structure includes a tank. two cargo conduits are connected in fluid communication with the tank adjacent opposite ends of the tank, each of the cargo conduits being connected to the top of the tank. Adjacently extending outwardly from the tank, each of the cargo conduits is provided with a conduit coupling device to connect the cargo conduit to an adjacent end of an associated flexible coupling conduit at the top of the tank. at least the tank is configured to place the tank in fluid communication with the tank of an adjacent similar tank car and to allow safe relative movement between adjacent tank cars during transportation; are connected to each other in series with associated similar tanks, so as to allow fluid loads to flow through the tanks connected in series to each other to effect continuous loading of the fluid loads. and the position of the cargo conduit adjacent the top of the tank is configured to allow safe relative movement between adjacent tank cars during transport, and the flexible connecting conduit is a flexible hose, and a support for the hose is mounted to an adjacent end of the railway tank car to maintain the flexible connecting conduit at a height greater than or equal to the height of the associated conduit connecting device; A railway tank car adapted to permit the evacuation of all cargo from a sex conduit to an associated conduit coupling device and from said coupling device to said tank.