US1859312A - Railway car construction - Google Patents

Description

May 24, 1932.

W. P. MURPHY RAILWAY CAR CONSTRUCTION 5 Sheets-Street 1 Filed Jan. 14, 1929 May 24, 1932. w. P. MURPHY 1,859,312

RAILWAY CAR CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 14', 192.9 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IL. :jfzr l-i-i J l lz zvezztor: Wa Zfer'R Murphy May 24 1932.

w. P. MURPHY RAILWAY GAR CONSTRUCTION File Jan. 14, 1929 a Sheets-Sheet s Invnfor: Walter E Murphy Attorneg Patented May 24, 1932 UNITED, STATES PATENT- OFFICE warren r. MURIBHY, or cirrcaeo, I/LLINOIS, AssIeNoR TO UNION METAL rnonocrs COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,'A CORPORATION oFlDE'LAwARE- RAILWAY cAR con s'raoorroii" Application filed January 14, 1929. .Serial No. 332,326.

The device relates to railway freight cars, particularly, to that class of equipment havingdoors which are opened or dropped to discharge part or all of the lading.

The object of the invention is to provide a spreader or beam for simultaneous operation of a pair of swingable doors in a railway freight car, which spreader is operated by any of the numerous door raising mechanisms now being marketed. A further object of the invention is to provide such a spreader or beam with spaced apart portions, each of which preferably engages one of the swingable doors preferably adjacent its vertical medial line, whereby the spreader forms an equalizing lever. Any force applied by the operating mechanism adjacent the middle of the spreader is substantially equally distributed to the two doors, and furthermore, the force transmitted to one of the doors by the spreader is substantially equally dis tributed to the opposite vertical edges or margins of the door.

A further object of the invention is to reduce the cost and weight of the spreader and car by forming it of a casting so that the metal can be evenly distributed commensurate with the stresses. 7

Another object of the invention is toengage the spreader with the door adjacent a stiffening rib or ribs sothat the stresses caused by the lifting of the door will not be taken by the body portion of the door.

In the drawings:

Figs. 1 to 3 show a typical application of my device to a typical railway car.

Figs. 4 to 10 show various modifications of the invention.

Figs. 1, 2 and 3 show a typical application of my invention to a typical so-called hopper car wherein the lower portion of the car on each side of the center sills 2 or center ridge is formed into a hopper, each hopper being provided with a swingable door 3. These doors are connected for simultaneous operation by a spreader 4 operated by amechanism 5 connected to the middle portion thereof and positioned between the center sills and under the ridge for protection from the lading and provided with a shaft 6 extending to opposite sides of the car for operation by a wheel 7 or wrench. There are numerous types of'hopper dump cars'in service on the railways with the hopper-so positioned as to discharge the load between the rails and some designed to discharge the load outside of the rails and" there are also so-called general seryice cars of the gondola type having fiat floorscomprising a plurality of hinged doors, such doors being hinged tothe center construction so as to discharge the'load outside ofthe rails. There are also dump cars used in the-coke service having a floor sloping towardone side ofthe carwith the side wall comprising aplurality "ofswingable doors to discharge the coke all on'one side of the car. My invention is adaptable to any one of the above described cars, or in fact, to any car-having two" or moredoors simultaneously closed-by a single operative mechanism.

In theform-illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the spreader beam 4 comprises an integral casting andmay be provided with a hole 8 adjacent its middleportion for reception of a part of the operating mechanism. This castingpreferably comprises an eye beam sec tion having each of its ends secured to one "'of the swingable doors, preferably adjacent its vertical medial line, or adjacent a vertical line 9 substantially midway between the hinge supports 10*. The ends 11 of e the spreader are flared out to give greater bear- '1ng:area for connectionto'the door, and'in the form illustrated, is secured thereto by rivets 12. The central portion ofthe'spreader is olfset so as 'not to interrupt the flange 13 on "the perimeter of the door. Mechanically speaking, this spreader is a beam sup ported atits ends having a concentrated load at its center, therefore, by formingthe spread- 'er of. a' casting, the material can be distributed according to known methods for "designing such a beam',thereby obtaining the maximum strength for the minimum weight of material. I

Figs-Aand 5 show a modification wherein eachdooris reinforced by a central rib28 and diagonally dispos edribs 29 which-extend to the c'ornersof the'door. The spreader is connected to thefcentral rib 28 of each" ill i or adjacent the. reinforcing gages,

door. In this arrangement the force applied by the spreader to the door is distributed over substantially the entire area of the door to the flanges 31-32 adjacent the perimeter of the door.

Figs. 6 and 7 show a construction wherein the dooriis reinforced by a pair of parallel ribs 5-36 preferably positioned horizontally nd connecting opposite portions of the reinf rcing flanges 37 adjacent the perimeter of th door. The spreader 38is connected' cent thezperimeter of the door;

diagonal ribs at their junctionandalso preferably to the bodyportion of the door-:by rivet 43. I

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be provided with flanges (not shown) which could .portion of the flanges T41 a'dja- 1 I The spreader 42 nests in and is secured to bothiof these adjacent their intersection and to the body portion of the door, and a door operating mechanism attached to said spreader adjacent the center thereof.

3. In a railway car, a pair of hinged dumping doors, each having a body portion with a flange adjacent its perimeter, and a, stiffener extending between opposite portions of said flange, a spreader having spaced apart portions, each portion secured'to the body portion of one-ofsaid doors-adjacent said'stifiailway car, a pair of hinged dumping doors, each having a body portion with a flange adjacent its perimeter, and stiffeners extending. between opposite corners of 'the ,door, spreader having spaced apart sportions, each portion secured to said stifleners adj acentrtheir. intersection and to .the .body

door. 1 v WALTER P0, MURPHY.

,In some cars the spreader are extendedto i engage locking mechanisms supportedby and secured .to the side of the car. ..A common form of locking mechanism comprises a hook which falls intoplace by gravity and enthe extremities Y of; the spreader, hook is held in place byalockingcam. p, In some cars-these outsidelockingnnecjhwhich anisms constitute the only means of holding the spreader and :the doors in closed position. When it is desired to use such arlocking mechanism I extend my spreaders, sothat their "extremities may, engage such locking mechanisms.

' The "accompanying drawings illustrate the pregerred form of the invention, though it is to e limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as'it is obvious that.

- various modifications thereof within the scope ofthe claims will occur to persons skilled in the art. f r g I claim:

1. In a railway car,a-pa-ir of hinged dump- I ingdoors, each having abody portion with a flange adjacent its perimeter, and astifiener extending between opposite portions of [said flange, a spreader having spaced apart por- -tions', each portion securedto-the body porr I tion of one of said doors adjacent saidstiifenunderstood that the inventionls not er, and a door operating mechanism attached f gjto said spreader adjacentthe center thereof.

2. In a railway car, a pair of hingeddumping*doors,'each having a body portion-with a flange adj acentits perimeter, and stiifeners extending between opposite corners of; the

. .'door,,a spreader having spaced apartpor- :tions, each port onsecured to' saldistifieners

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