US2143547A - Rail car structure - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 10, 193 9.

A. G. DEAN 2,143,547

RAIL CAR STRUCTURE ori inal Fi l ed Sept. 18, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheetl k h h a l INVENTOR.

ALBERT GDEAN Jan. 110, 3%39.

A. G. DEAN RAIL CAR STRUCTURE Original Filed Sepia. 4 s t sh t 2 INVEN TOR.

ALBERT CI. DEAN:

ATTORNEY;

Jam W, 139.

G. DEAN RAIL CAR STRUCTURE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed Sept. 18, 1935 .INVENTOR.

ALBERT G. DEAN- BY ATTORNEY.

Jan. W 1939. A. G. DEAN RAIL CAR STRUCTURE Original Filed Sept. 18, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.

ALBERT G. DEAN A TTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 10, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RAIL CAR STRUCTURE Albert G. Dean, Narberth, Pa., assignor to Edward G. Budd Manufacturing Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application September 18, 1935, Serial No. 41,031

Renewed November 8, 1937 15 Claims. (Cl. 105-1397) This invention has to do with rail car construcextending hold for the auxiliary equipment, aftion of the light weight order such as is now fording longitudinally extending space free of being very commonly used by the railroads in obstruction by strength afiording frameworks, connection with the light weight streamline high and arrange for accessibility to this hold through 5 speed Diesel powered economically operated ara longitudinally extending series of hatchways 5 ticulated trains. These trains are being conin the bottom of the hold rather than through structed today either of alloy steel or aluminum the floor which is it top. This hold I suspend and considerable numbers are being constructed from the strength affording framework of the of high tensile stainless steel which is pre-cold car by members generally free from strength afworked to give extremely high strength values. fording function in connection with the main Such structures have given rise to many new body. Thus the equipment is freely accessible problems connected with the attaining maximum throughout the length or the car. Thus the t t With mum weight, t Obtaining f hold may be given any desired configuration for light Weight P B and u l y equipmeniifind streamlining Without reference to the strength the light W t pp from and housing Within affording framework of the car, yet it is of itself the streamline form of the structure of the equipa permanent Structure quite 50 permanent as ment This invention ha particularly to d the bottom of a ship. Thus neither need the with the solution of the problem of disposition, equipment he modified or handicapped in fumesupport n hOuSing of h auxiliary equipment. tion in order to locate it for there is abundant 20 In rail car construction heretofore two orders openispace Thus damage t trength afiording 0 of development afiecting the auxiliary equip frameworks incident to attachment of equipment have been Predominant Accqrding (me the or erroneous alteration to accommodate equiptransvel'se or longitudinal frameworks x ment is avoided. And thus the under side of the of them m respectively afford principal flooring per se of the car and the framework of transverse strength and principal longitudinal the hold provide ready accessible anchoring and strength to the car, have been free y ed securing means for the equipment without the in diverse ways below the floor level irrespective y of resort directly to Strength of the problem of providing Space for auxiliary fording framework of the car; In brief through equipment below the floor level and the altxmary this separate hold of free space for the auxiliary equipment has been fitted best mlght t3 equipment, the thoroughness and emciency of its 1 Z g i if P zfi g f accommodation in these light weight structures 22 3' s i i f 22 22 d g becomes coordinate with the thoroughness and y a e g e m or er efiiciency of the provision of strength affording the space. The dominant extended strength afr, fording frameworks are covered by streamlining i ffggi g g g mam body framework Instead sheathing. According to the other order of de- In the accompanying drawings I Show that velopment the strength affording main body framework structures were not extended dom form of mventlon new best known to me but inantly below the floor level to such extents as Very obvlously there must be others 40 materially to interfere with the accommodation the drawmgsfl i of auxiliary equipment, and thereafter an under figure 1 15 an almost whole transverse cross cover or streamline sheathing is laid over the Sectlon of the lower part of the m1] car body installed equipment. In some cases this is a mere Figure 215 a floor plan of the Strength affording dust cover and not a streamline. Various admixframework of the 5 tures of these rders of develgpment have of Figure 3 is a vertical elevation of the framework course occurred. of one side of the car looking at it from the in- My invention gives rise to a new orde of d side of the car by means of a section taken on velopment, a development in which space for the line of 2 This Clearly ShOWS he rameauxiliary equipment, light weight yet strong work of the hold for auxiliary equipment below mounting therefor, and streamline housing are e or le 50 put on'a parity of consideration with general Figure 4 is a view of the bottom of the car streamlining and covering on the one hand, and showing the bottom of the hold and its hatchways. main strength affording frameworks for the car One is looking upward substantially in the dion the other. I attain this object by providing rection of the arrows 4-4 applied to Fig. 3.

below the floor level of the car a longitudinally Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective of one of plan view from the inside of certain of the hatchways and hatch doors. I

Figure 10 is a transverse cross section of one of these hatchways and its door taken on line Ill-l0 of Fig. 9.

Figure 11 is a longitudinal door.

Figure 12 is a similar hatch door.

Figure 13 is an enlarged section of adjoining ends of the doors of Figs. 11 and 12, such section being taken substantially on line i3|3 of Fig. 9.

The main body strength affording frameworks of the car are designated respectively, the transverse framework A and the longitudinal framework B, while the hold for auxiliary equipment which I provide is designated generally C. In this connection reference may be had particularly to Figs. 1 and 3.

The transversely extending framework of the car, A, is embodied principally in relatively shallow transversely extending floor beams 20 of which there are provided a'great number as clearly appears in Figs. 2 and 3. These beams 2@, as can be seen most clearly in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, are of box cross section. Their caps or chords are comprised of through running strips 2! reinforced by channels 22. Their webs are comprised of vertically corrugated sheet stock 23. The whole is electrically spot welded together in the regions where the several parts 2I 2223 overlap each other. Such beams from six to twelve inches deep and from one to three inches thick provide an extremely great transverse strength. By reason of their construction, however, and a uniform cross section from end to end, they are relatively shallow as respects the general depth of the bottom portion of the car as shown in Fig. 1 and do not project a great distance below the level of the flooring 24.

The floor 24 is supported from these floor beams 20 by means of a transverse series of longitudinally extending floor stringers 25 of inverted channel form. These stringers are integrally continuous from one end of the car to the other. They are spot welded by their flanges 26 down upon the caps 2! of the beams 20. They are spot welded to their tops in turn through running strips 21 to which again in turn the flooring 24 is spot welded. The flooring 24 is formed of trans versely corrugated metal sheet. The transverse strength affording structure comprised of beams 28 is longitudinally spaced apart and longitudinally bound together not only by these floor stringers 25 but also by the central draft and bumper structure 2829. This structure comprises two upper and two lower wide throughrunning relatively heavy gauged strips 30 whose main bodies are spot welded down upon the caps 2! of the beams and spot welded to each other through the outturned lapped flanges 3| of their adjacent edges. To their juxtaposed margins are welded angle strips 32 the ends of which abut the section of a hatch section of an adjacent chord members 22 of the beams 20. The inwardly disposed free branches of the angle cross sections of members 32 are vertically joined together by a thin gauged corrugated sheathing 33. Through-running channel members 34 laid on their sides support the flooring 24 from the upper members 3G. These channels are welded by one branch to the outer margins of the members 3!) in the same region as are the angles 32 and by the other branch are welded to the flooring 24. Flanged channels 35 are welded by their flanges to the lower members 30, the outermost flange being welded in the same region as the angles 32. A through-running plate 36 bridges these through-running channels and is welded thereto through the intermediary of the flange strips 37 which are welded to the bottoms of the channels 35 before these channels are welded down upon the members 36.

The through-running character of this member 2829 can be clearly seen in Fig. 2. However, this member does not ailord substantial longitudinal strength. It is prevented from doing so by the employment of such thin gauged stock for the side walls 33 as to preclude this stock from giving adequate web strength to the structure 2829, such web strength as to make it behave as a beam. Moreover, the interruption of the connections 33 at their transverse beam 20 destroys their continuity entirely. Nevertheless, the various angle channel and box cross sections afforded by the structure 28-29 have a very high compressive strength to resist bumping strains and needless to say, the tensile strength of the through-running structure under draft strains is very great. These draft and bumping strains are shared by the structure 28--29, with the floor stringers 25, up to and including that floor stringer 25 on each side of the center which immediately adjoins the stair well 38. See Fig. 2. These strains are transmitted directly to members 25, 28 and 29 from the draft connections 3939 at the opposite ends of the car. While these members do not substantially enter into the longitudinal load supporting structure of the car, they do tie together and transmit loads to the transverse load supporting structure comprised of the beams 20.

The longitudinal strength aifording structures B is comprised principally of the side trusses 4| which lie substantially in the planes of the opposite side walls of the car and the principal portion of which lies below the belt line 42. The structure above the belt line comprising the trussing 43 between the windows, top rail 44, and the roof of the car and the sheathing (not shown) enters subordinately into longitudinal load supporting relation. Outstandingly, however, the lower trusses 4! comprised of the bottom sill members 45, the belt line members 42, the vertically extending posts 46, and the diagonals d7 constitute this principal longitudinal strength aifording framework. The detailed construction is generally well understood and inasmuch as it does not enter into this invention except as subsequently described, it need not be repeated here.

This longitudinally extending load supporting structure is joined to the transversely extending load supporting structure comprised of beams 20 by the joints shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7 and appearing in Fig. 1 within the circle designated 5. The posts 46 are of outwardly flanged channel cross section. The caps 2! of the transverse beams 29 are interrupted short of their ends. The angles 22 and the webs 23 however are not interrupted. instead they are both extended.- to outwardly lap the side walls of channels 46 at the lower ends of the carlines and are in this overlapped region generally spot welded throughout the overlapped region to these side walls. Through-running gusset members 49 welded on the inside of the car fast to the channel bottom, through running marginal floor stringersv 50 of channel section welded to the gussets 49 by the channel bottoms, and also by one side wall to the caps 25 or the floor beams 20, augment the very great strength of this nested, lapped and welded joint; Both the members 49 and 50 become with the moulding channel 5| and other parts in this region, such forexample, as gusset '52, lower moulding 53 and corrugated paneling 54 a part of the through-running construction of the lower chord i5 of the truss 4!. Thus is substantially entire prbvisioh made on the one hand by the organization of transverse beams 2!] for the transverse load suppbrting and strength affording structure of the car and on the other, by the throng -running side trusses 4| for the longitudinal load carrying and strength affording structure of the main body.

Now substantially entirely independent of these transverse and longitudinal strength affording structures designated in the first instance A and B, I construct the hold C. I but substantially suspend the hold structure from these two strength afiording structures of the main body. Suspension is by means of vertical stay'sts and56. Stays 55 are of longitudinally presenting channel cross. section and connected at their upper ends by welding of their side walls interiorly oi the channel cross section of certain of the floor stringers 25 and at their lower ends similarly with the ob-verted channel cross section of the through-running hatchway sill 51 of the hold framework. The stringers 25 to which the suspension stays 55 are connected are not of the conventional channel section of the remaining stringers 25 but instead are given a channel form by constituting them of angles 58-59 welded by one branch together and by the remaining branches respectively by one to the caps 2| of the beams 23 and by the other to the floor plates 2?. There are two longitudinal series of stays 55 so connected, each of which extends longitudinally of the car from truck to truck as clearly appears in Fig. 3. The stays themselves in each series are arranged in pairs one on each side of each beam 20. Appropriate gussets may be used as desired as indicated in Fig. 3, the better to effect and the greater to strengthen the end connections. The stays 56 on the other hand are connected by their upper ends to the longitudinally extending strength afiording structure B the connection being through the same joint by which transverse structure A is connected with longitudinal structure B as shown in Fig. 5. Stays 56 are of channel section presenting outwardly and bottom and side walls of the channel are nested over the outside of the channel walls of the posts 6 and between these walls and the overlapped parts 48 of the beams as clearly appears in Figs. 6 and 7. They may be welded together by one and the same welding operation. The side walls of stays 56 are flanged, the side walls of the hatchway sill 5? are flanged, and the lower ends of the stays are connected to the sills 5? by welding together the flanges as clearly appears in Fig. 1. There are as many stays 55 substantially as there are posts in thab portion of the structure B which is flanked by the hold 9, Thus we have two longitudinal series of stays 56. The stays of the series 56 are bowed outwardly, the more effectively to resist external darnage and to afford more efficient streamline form. They enter into an approximately triangular bracing relation to the stays 55 and constitute the framework of the hold comprised of them together with the hatchway sills 51 a structure transversely very rigidand strong. Yet it does not partake of any of the load of the main car frameworks A and B nor does it partake of their characteristics except that in the region of the step well 38 as shown in Figs. 3 and 8, I use stringers 2's" and "hatchway sills 51 to help bridge the stair well gap. This I do by interrupting the continuity of the stays 55 in. this region and providing diagonals 58 to form a trussing between stringer and sill 51. In such side door cars this may constitute a part of a torsion beam structure the details of which need not enter here. The stays 55 which are interrupted are joined to the side walls of the bottom to bottom channels of which the diagonals 58 are comprised as clearly appears in Fig. 8. Angle strips 59 tie them all to the bottoms of beams 20.

The hatchways may be constituted by the longitudinally extending through-running hatchway sill members alone or by them in combination with certain transverse members which may be 3 provided, as for example, as suggested at the points 55 in Fig. 4. But I prefer not to use these transverse members 55. The hatchways are closed by a longitudinal seriesof transversely applied hatch doors or covers 6!. These doors are supported by their opposite side margins in longitudinally extending channels 62 and 63 of differential depth, the channel 53 being deeper than the channel 62. The width of the door is less than the distance between the bottom of the deeper channel 53 andthe mouth of the shallow channel 52. Thereby the door may be entered and removed by first moving the side in the deeper channel 53 to the bottom of the channel and then moving the opposite side upwardly and into the mouth of the shallow channel 62. The doors so applied are retainedin place by laterally extending spring plungers 5'4 permanently urged laterally outwardly against the bottom of channel 63 by means of an engaging spring 55 also re-actively engaged within the confining clip or brackets 56 welded to the side of frame members 6'! of the door.

Doors iii are alternately provided with difierent widths of abutting end margins 68 and alternately with different lengths of overlapping end flanges 69 as clearly appears in the alternate doors illustrated in Figs. 11 and 12 in longitudinal section of two adjacent doorspand Fig. 13 a longitudinal section of two such adjacent doors as overlap. A short margin 58 is provided with a long overlapping flange 59 whereas the long margin (-38 is provided with a short flange 69 the short flange terminating inwardly of the edge of the margin whereby the edge of the margin may be overlapped by the long flange 59 and the flanges 59 may abut. Through this abutting of the flanges 69 the edges ill of the margins are prevented from following each other and yet the long overlapped flange 69 efiectually seals the joint between them.

The manner in which the structure described attains the advantages I have outlined to be my aim is believedto be so fully apparent as not to necessitate additional recital of the advantages themselves. Sufiice it to say that they are each and all attained through the employment of this hold as suspended from the main strength affording framework. It is emphasized that through this system of suspension by longitudinal series of stays themselves substantially free from load carrying function, the auxiliary equipment cannot interfere with the main load carrying structures of the car on the one hand nor can the main load carrying structures interfere with the auxiliary equipment. The space encompassed by the longitudinal series of stays is free of obstructing frameworks of any kind from truck to truck of the car, from end to end of the hold. Through the elimination of cross connections such as 60 except at the extremities of the hold, when the hatch doors are removed, one may stand in a work pit over which the car is run and walk standing from end to end of the hold thereby reaching freely to each and all elements of the auxiliary equipment.

The spaces H and 12 in Fig. 4 are reserved for panels or hatch covers of especial order, such for example, as screens for air conditioning equipment. Cross members 6D may or may not be used at such special points but are preferably not so used.

The circumstantial terminology which is utilized in the foregoing description and the annexed claims is an outgrowth of my present best efforts to describe the form of my invention which I have illustrated, the best embodiment now known to me. The generic spirit of my invention should give the interpretation of the annexed claims rather than the immediate import of this terminology, for there is no doubt but what my invention is susceptible of much modification without departing from its generic spirit.

What I claim is:-

1. A rail car construction comprising a main body strength framework including a transverse strength system including transversely extending floor beams interconnected by longitudinal floor stringers, and a longitudinally extending strength framework, together with a hold for auxiliary equipment suspended below the floor beams by means of transversely triangulated longitudinally extending series of suspension stays the outer of which is connected at its upper ends with the lower ends of the carlines and the inner of which is connected at its upper ends with the floor stringers, the triangulated series of stays on opposite sides of the body being widely spaced apart and forming between them a downwardly open space to receive auxiliary equipment.

2. A rail car construction comprising a main body framework including relatively shallow transversely extending floor beams affording principal transverse strength to the car, a longitudinally extending framework connected with the beams embodying vertically extending posts and affording principal longitudinal strength for the car, and a hold structure for auxiliary equipment beneath the floor beams, which hold structure is suspended from the said strength affording frameworks by suspension stays, the upper ends of said stays, said posts and the outer ends of said transverse floor beams being nested and secured together.

3. A rail car structure according to claim 2 in which the posts and the suspension stays are of outwardly presenting channel cross section nested together as channels and the floor beam embodies two. vertical extending side wall members which respectively exteriorly flank the side walls of the aforesaid channel cross sections.

4. A rail car construction having a floor structure including transverse floor beams and longitudinally extending angular cross section floor stringers secured to said beams, together with a hold for auxiliary equipment suspended below the floor structure, said suspension being in part by vertical members welded at their upper ends to vertical branches of the stringers, the suspension members being in laterally spaced relation thereby leaving an unobstructed downwardly open space between them for the reception of auxiliary equipment.

5. A railway car comprising a main body strength framework including transverse floor beams and a main longitudinal framing charac terized by the provision of a sheathed in hold for auxiliary equipment beneath the floor beams, means to support said hold from said beams, hatchways in the bottom of the hold and means to suspend the hold from the main body framework of the car including spaced longitudinally extending series of suspension stays individu ally transversely braced, said stays encompassing longitudinal hold space throughout the length and breadth of main body strength framework and providing between the stays a downwardly open space substantially free of obstructing framework.

6. A railway car comprising a transverse floor structure and a main longitudinal framing, a longitudinally extending sheathed in hold for auxiliary equipment beneath the floor structure, hatchways in the bottom of the hold, means to support said hold from said fioor structure including two transversely spaced longitudinally extending series of vertical suspension stays anchored to the floor structure and projecting downwardly, longitudinally continuous hatchway sills connected with the lower ends of the stays, and a longitudinally extending series of hatch covers supported from said sills.

7. A rail car construction comprising a transversely extending floor structure and main longitudinally extending framing together providing the principal transverse and longitudinal strength structure of the car, and a sheathed in hold for auxiliary equipment located below the floor structure extending throughout the width of the car and as a structure suspended from the main body structure, said hold being provided with longitudinally extending hatchway sills suspended from said floor structure by transversely spaced longitudinal series of stays, stair well structures interrupting the longitudinal strength affording framework of the car, and diagonals between the floor structure and the hatchway sills in the vicinity of the stair wells, there converting the suspension stay series into truss girders spanning the stair well.

' 8. A rail car construction comprising a floor structure and main longitudinally extending framing together providing the principal transverse and longitudinal strength structure of the car, and a sheathed in hold for auxiliary equipment located below the floor structure extending throughout the width of the car and as a structure suspended from the main body structure, said hold being provided with longitudinally extending hatchway sills suspended from said floor structure by spaced longitudinal series of stays, stair well structure interrupting the longitudinal strength affording framework of the car, and diagonals between the floor stringers and the hatchway sills in the vicinity of the stair wells converting the suspension stays series into truss girders spanning the stair well region, together with means in this region tying the stays to the floor structure independently of the stringers.

9. A railway car comprising a main body strength framework including transverse floor beams and a main longitudinal framing characterized by the provision of a sheathed in hold for auxiliary equipment beneath the floor beams, means to support said hold from said floor beams, hatchways in the bottom of the hold, the hatchways being provided on their opposite sides with juxtaposed channel cross section seats for hatch doors which seats are of difierential depth and hatch doors less in width than the distance from the bottom of the deeper channel to the mouth of the shallow channel, entered in said channels and retained therein by spring pressure exerted between the bottom of the deep channel and the adjacent side of the hatch door.

10. A railway car comprising a main body strength framework including transverse floor beams and a main longitudinal framing characterized by the provision of a sheathed in hold for auxiliary equipment beneath the floor beams, means to support said hold from said floor beams, hatchways in the bottom of the hold, said hatchways being provided on their opposite sides with juxtaposed channel cross section seats for hatch doors which seats are of differential depth, and hatch doors less in width than the distance from the bottom of the deeper channel to the mouth of the shallow channel, entered in said channels and retained therein by spring pressure exerted between the bottom of the deep channel and the adjacent side of the hatch door, the lower side walls of the channels being discontinuous between one longitudinal end of the door and another whereby to prevent extended freezing of the door to the channels.

11. A rail car body including a floor structure, an underframe hold construction including downwardly and inwardly extending stays extending from the sides of the floor structure to a position inward and below the underframe and a plurality of transversely spaced vertical stays secured to the floor construction and to the inward ends of the first mentioned stays, and vertically supporting said stays, the laterally spaced vertical stays forming a hatchway therebetween, sheathing on said first mentioned stays and closure means secured to the bottom of said hatchway and supported by said vertical stays.

12. A rail car body including a floor construction, an underframe hold construction including downwardly and inwardly extending stays extending from the sides of the floor construction to a position inward and below thereof, a plurality of vertical, transversely spaced stays secured to the floor construction and to the inward end of the stays and supporting said stays, sheathing on said first mentioned stays, longitudinally extending hatchway sill means joining the terminal portions of said inwardly extending stays and vertical stays, said means forming a substantially continuous opening throughout the length of the car body.

13. A railway car comprising an underframe, a sheathed in hold below said underframe, said hold being suspended by two transversely spaced longitudinally extending series of vertically disposed suspension stays, which series encompass between them longitudinally extending hold openings substantially free of strength framework obstruction throughout its length, and means to close said opening.

14. A rail car construction comprising a main strength framework including main longitudinal side frames having vertical posts of angular cross section and transverse floor beams interconnecting the posts of the opposite side frames, a hold for auxiliary equipment beneath the floor beams, said hold having lateral walls comprising down- Wardly and inwardly curved stays of angular cross section secured to the bottoms of said posts, said lateral walls terminating at the bottom in widely spaced relation thereby leaving an unobstructed downwardly open space between them for the reception of auxiliary equipment and outer sheathing applied to said stays and secured thereto.

15. A rail car construction according to claim 14 in which the outer sheathing is continuous and longitudinally corrugated.

ALBERT G. DEAN.

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