US2015902A - Ice bunker - Google Patents

Description

oct. 1, 1935. 5, LUNDVALL 2,015,902

' ICE BUNKER Filed July 5, 1952 2 Sheets-Skieet 1 Patented Oct. 1, l93

UNETED STATES .ICE BUNKER John S. Lundvall, Chicag 0, EL, assignor to Equipment Specialties Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application July 5, 1932, Serial No.-620,851

9 Claims.

My invention relates in general to refrigeration and has more especial reference to the refrigeration of vehicles for the transportation of cargo and particularly to an ice chamber or" bunker for use in refrigerated cars.

An important object of the invention is to provide an ice containerformed to present a relatively large area of the ice pack, contained therein, to the air circulating in the refrigerator sys tem in order to expedite the cooling and render the same more eificient.

Another important object is to form the walls of the ice chamber with channels to increase the exposure of the ice pack to the air circulating past the basket.

Another important object resides in the setting of wall sections of the ice bunker inwardly at intervals to create lateral air channels in the ice pack.

Another important object resides in forming the lateral channels in the side of the ice basket, which faces and is in communication with the refrigerated compartment.

Still another important object resides in forming the ice bunker or basket of perforated plates, and further in re-enforcing the perforated plates in order to render the structure more rigid.

Another important object resides in using perforate plates in combination with Woven screen material in order to produce a rigid basket having lateral channels at intervals in the walls thereof.

Another important object of the invention resides in the provision of a cheap, yetrigid, floor or grate construction for the ice basket.

Another object resides in the provision of a cheap, yet rigid, floor structure for an icebasket of the class described having walls indented inwardly at intervals.

Another object resides in theprovision of a floor structure, which may be assembled at any desired elevation in the ice basket in order to determine the capacity of the ice basket.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure l is a substantially vertical section taken substantially along the line l--i in Figure 2 through the ice bunker of a refrigerator car em bodying my present invention,

Figures 2 and 3 are, respectively, horizontal and vertical sections taken substantially along the lines 22 and 3-3 in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary horizontal section substantially similar to Figure 2 to illustrate a modified floor construction for the ice basket; and 5 Figure 5 is a vertical section taken substantially along the line 5--5 in Figure 4.

To illustrate my invention, I have shown on the drawings a refrigerating system embodied in a refrigerator car I I, comprising outer walls l3 built upon a frame comprising the studs and an inner sheathing I! in spaced relationship with the outer wall in order to provide a heat insulating air space [9, which may be and preferably is filled with insulation. 15

The car also hasa bottom 2! of the usual structure and is provided with a Vertical partition 23 spaced from the end of the car in order to divide the same into an ice compartment 25 and a cold storage compartment 2'! on opposite sides of the partition. The partition is preferably erected upon a beam 29 resting upon the bottom 2| and extending across the car in parallel and spaced apart relationship with respect to the end wall thereof.

On one side of the beam 29, the floor 3| extends horizontally within the cold storage compartment in spaced relationship upon the bottom 21 of the car in order to provide an air space therebetween, which may be filled with insulating material if 30 desired.

The cold storage compartment is also provided with a false bottom 35, which rests upon the floor 3!, in order to support the stored goods above the floor and provide a space beneath the goods for the circulation of the refrigerating air. On the opposite side of the beam 29, the floor of the re friger-ator is formed to receive the drip from the melting ice, which is stored in said compartment. To this end, the bottom of the compartment is provided with a pan 3?, having a drain of any suitable or preferred construction. The pan is preferably formed of sheet metal built into the bottom of the compartment and having flanged portions 39 extending upwardly and over the top of the beam 29. Above this flanged portion, the beam carries brackets 4i mounted thereon, which, in turn, support vertical uprights 43, extending to the top of the-car, the upper ends of the uprights being secured to the horizontal roof trusses 45. The roof trusses 45 also support the car roof 49 and the ceiling 5| of the storage compartment 27.

The uprights 43 carry the partition 23, which is preferably fastened to the surface of the upright facing the compartment 21 and the partition extends from a point spaced above the beam 29 in order to provide an opening 53 through which cool air may emerge from the compartment 25 to the storage compartment 21 and the partition is also terminated beneath the car ceiling to provide an air space 55 to permit the relatively warm air from the storage compartment Z'E to enter the upper end of the refrigerator compartment 25, the opening 55 being preferably covered with wire netting 51 for a reason and purpose which will hereinafter be more fully explained.

The roof of the car above the refrigerator compartment 25 is preferably provided with openings 59 to facilitate the introduction of ice into the compartment from outside of the car.

Within the ice compartment 25,1 build an ice basket of novel construction and having advantageous characteristics. The basket comprises a container 55, the walls of which are foraminous and are built onto the walls of the compartment 25 in such a manner that there are vertically extending air spacesbetween the walls of the compartment and the walls of the ice bunker.

The walls of the ice bunker may be formed of woven wire to, or any other suitable foraminous material and are attached in any suitable or convenient manner as by means of staples 63 to preferably vertically extending studs 65, which, in turn, are fastened to the inner walls of the refrigerator compartment 25 by means of the bolts 61.

' I prefer toform the rear and side walls of th ice bunker of the wire mesh aforesaid as shown in Figures 1, 2,'and 3. Obviously, a perforated plate structure, similar to that hereafter described for the front of the basket, may be used forthe sides and back of the basket, if desired. The front wall of the ice bunker, however, preferably comprises a plurality of perforated sheet metal members including substantially wide plates 69, having lateral flanges II, of substantially the same depth as the widthof the uprights as, and substantially narrow members 13 of U- shaped, cross-sectional configuration. The members i9 and T3 are arranged .alternatelyto form the front wall of the ice basket, and the members l3provide substantial ducts or recesses 15 extending vertically in the forward portion 'of the ice pack to provide an increased circulation of --air past theiceipack inthebasket and to substantially increase the area of the ice pack which is exposed to the circulating air. Theuprights 43,.which support the partition 23, are spaced properly .so that the contiguous edges of the plates $9 and '53 may be bolted each to an up- L right 53 to secure the parts in place.

The upper ends of the channel members 13 are provided with an inclined top H, which is preferably perforate and is provided simply to prevent ice, introduced through the opening 59, from falling downinto the channels or ducts i5. It will be noted that the plates 69 define, with the partition 23,.a relatively wide air space (9 of shallow depth, which communicates at its lower end with the opening 53 and at its upper end withthe opening 55, while the members 13 define the. relatively narrow air channels or ducts -15 of greater depth, which communicate their lower ends with the opening 53 and at their upper ends with the opening 55 at the top of the partition.

It will be apparent that warm air entering the opening 55maytraveldownwardly throu h the channels 19 across the front of the ice pack, or down through the channels 75 substantially within the ice pack, since the upper portions of the members 13 are perforate as well as the upper portions of the members 69. entering the channel, may circulate over the upper portions of the ice pack and down through the spaces provided between the sides of the ice basket and the walls of the refrigerator compartment 25 and thence out under the ice basket and out through the opening 53. The air, in traveling these courses, is, of course, cooled by contact with the ice pack in the ice basket.

It will be noted that the channel members 13 form buttresses in the walls of the ice container and thus add materially to the strength and rigidity of the structure.

In order to support the ice pack in the basket,

a floor or bottom SI is provided. This floor is mounted on angle irons 83, which are bolt-ed to the uprights 43 at the front of the ice basket and to the-studs 65 at the sides and back of v the basket at the proper elevation to support the bottom 8! within the confines of the side Walls of the ice basket. It will be obvious that any desired ice capacity may be provided by simply altering the elevation of the bottom.

The bottom preferably comprises a plurality of perforated plates 85 and 81. In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 3, the plates g are of two sizes. One size 85 has a length equal to the width of the basket between the back wall and the plates 69, and a width equal to the distance between the side wall and the side of the channel F3, or the distance between the fac-; ing sides of adjacent channel members 13, while the other size of plate 81 has a length equal to the distance between the innermost portion of the members 13 and the back wall of the ice bunker. The plates 85 also are. preferably formed with spaced apart longitudinal beads 89 in order to improve their strength and prevent buckling when loaded with a heavy ice pack and the plates are also provided with flanges 9| along their edges to permit the same to be fastened together and to the members 13 as by means of the bolts 93. The plates 85 and 81 also may be fastened as by the bolts 95 to the supporting angle irons 83.

It will be seen that the structure illustrated lS relatively simple and inexpensive to erect, will be adequately sturdy to support ice packs of considerable size and weight, will permit of maximum exposure of the ice pack to the circulating air and provide an ice basket without partitions so that a workman may pass from one part of the basket to another when cleaning the same.

In Figures 4 and 5, I have illustrated a basket in which the plates 69 and members 13 are formed of woven wire netting and wherein a modified floor structure is utilized. It is possible, of course, to use the floor structure shown in Figures 4 and 5 in place of the floor structure illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 3, and vice versa.

In building the front wall structure shown in Figures 4 and 5, the uprights G3, which, in

the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 3,

1 comprise channel members, are replaced by preferably wooden studs 91 similar to the studs 65, heretofore described, since it is easier to fastenv wire netting on a wooden stud, the same being accomplished by nailing or bolting a washer to the stud with the wire netting held by and between the stud andthewasher.

The wire netting 99, forming the front wall75,

Some of the air, 5

front and back of the basket.

of the ice bunker in Figures 4 and 5, is cut away at intervals to provide for the U-shaped member I13, which corresponds to the U-shaped member 13 of the embodiment shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3. Obviously a perforated sheet metal member may be used in the embodiment shown in Figures 4 and 5 in place of the mesh member illustrated, if desire The members I13 comprise'stfips of woven wire fabric having their opposite side edges held by and between adjacent studs 91, the bodies of the strips extend inwardly of the studs through the openings in the front wall 99 of the ice basket to form the air duct I15 within the ice pack. The central portions of the members I13 are held in place by being guided around angle irons IBI, which are supported at their lower ends from the floor of the ice compartment by being secured to members are mounted on the beam I 29, the upper ends of the angle irons IOI being secured in any convenient manner and preferably by bending them outwardly and securing them to the upper ends of the studs to which the opposed ends of the members I13 are secured. This construction provides a sloping top similar to the top 11 of the structure shown in Figure 3.

The floor structure shown in Figures 4 and 5 of the'drawings comprises a composite built-up portion I85 and an intermediate portion I81, the portion I85 comprising a plurality of members I05 comprising channel members having flat intermediate portions and depending lateral flanges I01, the members I05 are wider at their ends than at their mid-portions so that when a number of the members are assembled in adjacent relationship, as shown in Figure 4, there will be an elongated opening between adjacent pieces. A number of elements may be adjacently arranged and secured together as by means of the connecting rod I99 passing through perforations formed in alignment in depending flanges at opposite ends of the members. In this way,

the composite floor member I85 may be built up to a size sufiicient to fit between the front and back walls of the ice basket and between the side walls of the basket and the members I13, or between adjacent members I13 between the The floor elements I85 are supported in position by being mounted on a bridge member I I I comprising an angle iron having legs, one of which rests on the beam I29 and is bolted to a stud 91, while the other leg rests on a support H3 carried on the floor of the ice compartment at the rear thereof. Intermediate the legs, the bridge has a horizontal portion, which receives the ends of the members I05, which form. the floor section.

An additional floor section I81, preferably comprising a perforated plate, similar to the plate 81 illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 3, extends adjacent the fioor sections in order to fill the portion between the inner end of the channel I85 and the rear wall. 7

It is thought that the invention and numerous of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it is obvious that numerous changes may be made in the form,

construction, and arrangement of the several parts'without departing from the spirit or scope of my invention or sacrificing any of itsattendant advantages, the forms herein described being'preferred embodiments for the purpose of illustrating my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I I03, which, in turn,

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. In a refrigerator having an ice compartment and a storage compartment separated by a partition having openings through which air may 5 circulate between the compartments, the combination of an ice basket in said ice compartment comprising a container having air pervious walls offset, at intervals, from the general con- .tour of the cage, to provide channels in the basket wall facing the partition, said basket being formed with hooded means communicating with the openings and with the channels to promote the circulation of air in said channels.

2. An ice basket for the ice bunker of a refrigerator car, said basket comprising a container having an open top adapted to extend under the ice loading hatch of the refrigerator car and air pervious walls offset at intervals from the general contour of the cage to provide vertically extending lateral channels, and guard means at the upper end of the channels to prevent ice dropped through the hatch from falling into the channels.

3. An ice basket comprising a container having air pervious walls of material strong enough to sustain an ice pack in the basket, said walls being formed at intervals with vertical flues extending into the ice pack and opening laterally of the basket whereby to increase the effective area of the ice pack exposed to air circulating exteriorly of the ice basket and inwardly facirng chute means at the upper end of said flues for deflecting falling ice into the basket and to prevent it from falling into the flues. V

4. In a refrigerator having an ice compartment through which air may circulate, the combination of an ice basket in said ice compartment comprising air pervious walls, one, at least, of which is formed at intervals with inwardly extending portions, forming buttresses for strengthening the structure and providing vertically extending flues to increase the area of exposure of the ice pack contained within the basket, and a floor for said basket comprising a plurality of plates formed with elongated upwardly arched flutes or beads, means to inter-connect the plates together and to mount them in the basket in a desired spaced relationship with respect to the floor of the ice compartment to determine the maximum load capacity of the ice cage.

5. In a refrigerator having an ice compartment through which air may circulate, the combination of an ice basket in said compartment comprising side walls of air pervious material strong enough to support an ice pack in the compartment, a floor for said basket comprising a plurality of plates having marginal flanges, means to interconnect the flanges of adjacent plates to form a unit'floor of size and shape to fit the basket and means to mount the floor at a desired elevation with respect to the walls of the basket whereby to determine the capacity of the basket.

6. In a refrigerator having an ice compartment through which air may circulate, the combination of an ice basket in said compartment comprising side walls of air pervious material strong enough to support an ice pack .in the compartment, a floor for said basket comprising a plurality of plates of rectangular shape and having upstanding marginal flanges whereby a plurality of plates may be interconnected to form a floor of a desired size and shape to fit the basket, certain of said plates having upwardly arched flutes and having perforations to permit-water, from the melting ice ;-pack, to drain OIL-and means to support the floor within the'walls of the basket.

7. In a structure of the class described, an ice bunker comprising means forming sidewalls havingindented portions at spaced. intervals, and a floor comprising a main section extending opposite theiunindented portions of-the wall, and adjacent sections extending opposite the indented portions, said main and adjacent sections beingsupported at a predetermined height within the walls to-determine the capacityof the ice bunker.

8 In a structure of the class described, an ice bunker comprising a basket having foraminous walls; bays formed at intervals in saidwalls to or beads formedtherein-to strengthen the plates provide vertically extending;- lateral air channels through vthe icepackin thebunker and a floor having a peripheral configuration conforming with the bayed walls of the-basket in order to provide a support. for the ice pack within the basket between thebays Without extending into the bays and obstructing they air channels.

9. An ice basket for the bunker of a refrigerator car, said basket comprising a container having an open-top adapted to. extend under the iceloading hatch of the refrigerator car and having air pervious walls, means forming lateral verticallyv extending channels at said walls, and guard means at the upper ends of the channels to deflect ice into the container andprevent it from entering the channels.

J OI-I'N; S. LUNDVALL.

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