US1943294A

US1943294A - Railway hopper car structure

Info

Publication number: US1943294A
Application number: US583825A
Authority: US
Inventors: Frederic H Bender
Original assignee: General Steel Castings Corp
Current assignee: General Steel Castings Corp
Priority date: 1931-12-30
Filing date: 1931-12-30
Publication date: 1934-01-16
Anticipated expiration: 1951-01-16

Description

Jan. 16, 1924. F. H. BEQDER 1,943,294

RAILWAY HOPPER CAR STRUCTURE Filed Dec. 30, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Wren/0f Qf/orney Jan. 16, 1934. F. H. BENDER RAILWQY HOPPER CAR STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 30, 1931 MVP/716x" I F/[ fiends/ mg labor.

Patented Jan. 16, 1934 RAILWAY HOPPER CAR STRUCTURE Frederic iii. Bender, Chicago, 111., assig'nor to General Steel (lastings Corporation, Granite City, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application December 30, 1931 Serial No. 583,825

This invention relates to railway rolling stock and consists in a novel hopper car construction. I

It is customary to fabricate railwaycars by cut- 5 ting and drilling a large number of plates and structural shapes, including gussets and connect.-

ing angles, etc., and then assembling the numerous parts and riveting them together. This involves a great deal of machine work and erect- Railway car hoppers constructed in this manner have numerous rivet heads which interfere with the movement of the car load over the hopper walls, and the rivet heads and other joints between assembled parts provide numerous crevices in which moisture and dirt may accumulate and set up corrosive action tending to widen the joints and loosen up the securing means. This is particularly true where certain classes of merchandise are used having a sul- 0 phurous or other acid creating content. Since the hopper structure is subject to the disintegration indicated, it cannot be relied upon as having a load carrying or longitudinal force transmitting value. 5 For these reasons it is desirable to form the car underirame, including the hoppers, of as few parts as possible and having as few Joints and inter-securing elements as possible and one way of meeting the difliculties indicated above and securing the desired result is to cast the en tire underframe in a single unit. 1

However, if a large car underframe is constructed as a single integral casting, the various members must be of suflicient thickness to mold. Because of this requirement, many of the sections resulting from casting an underframe as a. unit are heavier than is necessary to meet strength requirements. If an attempt is made to 0 include in the casting floor-like or wall-like members of relatively large area, there is further likelihood of producing additional unnecessary weight.

The present invention has for its main object the reduction in weight and an increase in the facility of manufacture incident upon integral construction, while at the same time providing for individual sections of size and weight-commensurate with strength requirements. This object and others are attained substantially by costing the hoppers and other portions of the underframe in comparatively few units of such size and form as best adapted to foundry practice, and then welding the units into an essentially integral structure.

insure proper. flow of metal to all parts of the This main object and other detail objects apparent from the following specification are attained by the structure illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- The left-hand portion of Figure 1 is a top view of one-half of a hopper car underframe, and the right-hand portion oi. Figure 1 is a bottom view of the other half of the underframe.

The left-hand portion of Figure 2 is a side elevation of one-half of the underirame, and the right-hand portion of Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the center line of the other half of the underframe. I

Figures 3, 4 and 6 are vertical transverse sections taken on the corresponding section lines of m Figure 2.

Figure 5 is an end view of the underframe.

The underframe shown in the drawings has eight hoppers and comprises a plurality of separately cast units. Adjacent units and separately 7 formed strut and brace elements therefore are welded to each other along their intersections.

Each of the. bolsters A (Figure 4) constitutes a casting of general I shape cross section having an upright web 1 with perforations 2 to lighten the structure, and a top plate 3 suitably inclined to support hopper floor extension 22. Plate 3 is braced by a series of-corner ribs 4, and diagonal ribs 5, extending between perforations 2, reinforcing the upright web. 1.'

The bolster casting also includes jacking plates 6, side bearings '7, and a center plate 8. The ends of the bolster are flanged as at 24 formounting superstructure side sheets 19.

A tub'ular center sill 10 extends lengthwise between the bolsters and constitutes a separate casting with its ends inserted in openings 9 therefor in the bolsters and is welded to the latter.

The hoppers constitute eight separate castings B, C, D, E, F, G, H and J. Each hopper casting includes inclined floor elements 13 and 14 and side walls 43 and 44, the latter being shaped at the inner side of the hopper to conform with the contour of tubular center sill 10. Floor elements 13 are braced by ribs 15. Floor elements 14 have rectangular door openings 16 and hinge elements 17. Angular flanges 18 extend along the outer side edges of the hopper castings and have upright webs 18a arranged to serve as bottom chords for side frame giggels (not shown) and to mount side sheets 19. ese angular flanges are braced by internal comer ribs 20 and external corner ribs 21.

Each of the hoppers B, C, E, F, G and H is providedwith an upright web 25 at one end. no

When the hoppers are assembled, the inner end of each web 25 slightly overlaps a corresponding web on the opposite side of the underframe and the overlapping ends of webs 25 are welded together, as indicated at X. The structure just described provides a cross beam of substantial strength extending from side to side of the car.

Crescent-shaped plates 26 extend across the bottom of the center sill and are welded thereto and to the sloping floors of the adjacent hoppers, as indicated at W. The intersections of the hopper floors with each other and with the center sill are also welded together, as indicated at Y. These plates form a tie or connection below the center sill between the hoppers on each side and also increase the effective depth of the cross beam, formed by the upright webs 25, at its center portion to form a stronger load carrying member, between the sides of the underframe.

The draft sills and adjacent structure at each end of the car constitute another cast unit designated K" including a striking plate 27, a carry iron 28, spaced draft sills 29, and upstanding angle brackets 30. The inner ends of the draft sills 29 merge in a tubularportion 29a fitting within the end of center sill 10 and provided with a hollow column 32 over center plate 8 for receiving the king pin (not shown). The engaging ends of the center sill and draft sills are also welded to each other to form an integral structure.

Each end of the underframe includes an end sill 31, welded to brackets 30, channel side members 12, having horizontal flanges inserted in recesses 11 in the ends of the corresponding bolster, diagonal struts 33, shown as comprising sections of heavy piping, and corner castings L.

Each casting L includes a push pole pocket 34 and superstructure mounting flanges 35, and is recessed at the center for receiving the end of strut 33. All of the underframe end elements are welded together and to the adjacent underframe structure.

It will be seen that the assembled underframe comprises essentially an integral whole, while the casting of the various units separately results in the parts being of size and proportions according to strength requirements and they may be made free of restrictions present if all of the parts are cast together.

Various details of the construction illustrated are not essential, as for instance, the size, shaping and number of the hoppers used and also of various other structural elements. The tubular center sill and the form of bolster shown may be changed to-suit different conditions. These and other modifications as to details may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and the exclusive use of all such modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. In a railway hopper car, a body bolster member, a center sill member, a plurality of hopper members, and draft sill members, each of said members comprising a separately formed unit of integral structure and all of said members being welded together to form an-integral underframe structure.

2. In a railway hopper car, a body bolster member, a center sill member, a plurality of hopper members, draft sill members, and end framing members, each of said members comprising a separately formed unit of integral structure and all of said members being welded together to form an integral underframe structure.

- of said draft sill units.

secured to the underside of said cyl ndrical cen- 3. In a railway hopper car, spaced bodv bolster members each with a center plate and side bearings, a tubular center sill member joining said bolster members, and draft sill members each with a striking plate and a carry iron, each of said members comprising a separately formed unit of integral structure and all of said members being welded together to form an integral underframe structure.

4. In a railway hopper car, a center sill, and hopper members on opposite sides of said sill. each of said members being welded to said sill substantially throughout the depth of the latter and having an upstanding end portion overlapping and welded at its end to the adjacent end of a corresponding portion of the other member and forming therewith an underframe cross beam.

5. In a railway hopper car, a cylindrical center sill, and hoppers on each side thereof having sloping end walls extending transversely of said sill, the inner edges of said walls being shaped to conform with the contour of said sill and welded thereto.

6. A hopper for a railway car having an upright portion at its outer edge arranged to form a bottom chord of a car side frame truss or girder.

7. In a railway hopper car, a center sill, hopper members on each side thereof having portions intersecting said sill and shaped to conform with the contour thereof, and secured to each other, and a separately formed bracing element extending transversely of said sill and connecting said members.

7 8. In a railway hopper car, a center sill, hoppers on opposite sides of said sill and having upstanding end portions extending across the top of said sill and cooperating toform an underframe cross beam, and a plate extending across the bottom of said sill and being welded to said hoppers and serving to increase the effective depth of said beam.

9. In a railway hopper 'car, a cylindrical center sill, integral hopper members on each side thereof including sloping floor elements, and a tie element extending transversely of said sill and 0 connecting said members, said members, sill and tie being welded together along their intersections. to form an integral underframe structure.

10. In a railway car, a bolster unit, a cylindricalcenter sill unit extending through an open- 12 ing in said bolster unit and secured to the latter, and a draft sill unit terminating at its inner end in a portion received in said center sill unit and secured thereto.

11. In a railway car, draft sill units each comprising upright elements for mounting a draft gear and a cylindrical inner end portion, a tubular center sill unit extending between said draft sill units and united therewith to form a continuous longitudinal member from end to end of the car.

12. A structure as specified in claim 11 which also includes bolsters apertured to receive said center sill unit and secured thereto independently 13. In a railway car, a cylindrical center sill, hoppers on opposite sides of said sill, said sill forming a longitudinal ridge between said hoppers.

14. In a railway car, a cylindrical center sill, hoppers on opposite sides of said sill, the upper edges of the inner side walls of said hoppers being ter sill.

aerator 15. In a railway hopper car, a series of hoppers disposed lengthwise of the car, each hopper being cast in a single piece, the upper portions or said hoppers side walls at the side oi the car being secured to each other to form a car side sill.

16. A structure as specified in claim 15 in which the side sill forming portions of said hoppers are ofiset to form an angular sill and the opposite portions are provided with a series of transversely extending stifiening ribs.

17. In a railway hopper car, spaced bolsters, a series of hoppers disposed lengthwise of the car, the upper portions oi the side walls of? said hoppers being secured to eachother and formlog a side sill extending between said bolsters.

it. in a railway hopper car, spaced holsters, a series of pairs of hoppers disposed lengthwise of the car, the upper portions of the outer side walls of said hoppers being secured to each other and forming side sills extending between said bolsters, and the end walls of the hoppers of each pair being united with each other and merging with said sill constituting portions to form cross bearers integral with the side sills.

19. A structure as specified in. claim 15 in which the side sill forming portions of said hoppers are oilset to form an angular sill.

20. In a railway hopper car, separately formed hoppers on opposite sides of the car, said hoppers including integral transverse end portions overlapping and cooperating with each other to form a cross beam for supporting a portion of the load.

21. In a railway hopper car, a center sill, hopper members on each side thereof having portions intersecting said sill and shaped to conform with the contour thereof, and secured to each other and to said sill, and a bracing element extending transversely of and below said sill and connecting said members and sill.

22. In a railway hopper car underframe center sill structure, separately formed hopper members on opposite sides of said center sill structure, said members including transverse end portions cooperating with each other to form an underfrarne cross beam having an efiective depth correspondto that of said sill structure.

23. In a railway hopper car underirame center sill structure, a plurality of separately formed hopper members on opposite sides of said center sill structure, said members on one side of said center sill structure having respective. sloping end portions secured to the corresponding portions of the members on the other side of said sill structure above and below the level of said sill structure to form an underframe cross beam.

FREDERIC H. BENDER.