US2152617A

US2152617A - Condensationproof car construction

Info

Publication number: US2152617A
Application number: US75471A
Authority: US
Inventors: William D Thompson
Original assignee: Standard Railway Equipment Manufacturing Co
Current assignee: Standard Railway Equipment Manufacturing Co
Priority date: 1936-04-20
Filing date: 1936-04-20
Publication date: 1939-03-28
Anticipated expiration: 1956-03-28

Description

March 28, 1939. w. D. THOMPSON CONDENSATIONPROOF CAR CONSTRUCTION Filed April 20, 1936 INVENTOR WILLIAM D. THOMPSON Patented Mar. 28, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,152,617 CONDENSATIONPROOF CAR CONSTRUCTION Application April 20, 1936, serial No. 75,471

4 Claims.

The invention relates to cars designed for the transportation of materials such as flour, which during transit liberate a relatively large amount of condensable water vapor. Such materials 5 when loaded in freight cars are usually at relatively high temperature, while the walls and roof of the cars, particularly in the winter season, are at much lower temperature both at the time of loading and during transit. The difference in temperature may be as great as from 80 to 100 F. for the temperature of the material loaded, and a drop of the external temperature as low as from to 30 below zero. Thus the vapor laden air within the interior of the car 15 coming in contact with the cold walls will condense, and by dropping on to the load or draining on to the floor on which the load is piled, may work injury thereto.

In my c-o-pending application Ser. No. 725,672, filed May 14, 1934, I have described means for preventing such condensation, consisting essentially in the provision of a moisture absorbent material, such as that known as dry felt, which is placed as a lining on the walls and the roof of the car. The only objection to such construction is that in loading and. unloading, this lining material may be injured. I have therefore devised an improved construction, still using the absorbent material, but placing the same so as to protect it from injury. Such construction is shown in the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a cross section through the car of my improved construction;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through the roof of the car;

Figure 3 is a cross-section through a portion of the car, showing a modification.

Modern freight cars are quite largely built of steel comprising a steel frame having uprights A and sheeting B secured outside said uprights; also a steel roof C. Such cars are frequently provided with a wooden lining comprising side walls D and a ceiling E. Also, the floor F is formed of wood, but of much greater thickness than that forming the side walls and ceiling. While the thermal conductivity of wood is much less than that of metal it is, nevertheless, true that with these wooden lined cars loaded with flour or similar moisture containing material, 50 condensation does occur to the injury of the contents.

My improved construction is a car of the type just described in which the absorbent material F, such as dry felt, is placed between the wooden 5 lining and the metallic portions of the car. This serves a double function: first, of greatly improving the heat insulation; and second, of absorbing condensed moisture. The latter function is performed for the reason that the wooden lining is not an air-proof or vapor-proof structure, but will permit the vapor-laden air to pass through the crevices between adjacent boards where it meets the absorbent material, so that the water content is largely absorbed.

It is usual in house car constructions to terminate the wooden lining at the sides of the car a short distance above the floor so as to leave an opening into the space between the lining and the outer sheeting. When cars of this type are loaded with grain, some of the material may pass through cracks or openings in the lining into the space between the same and the sheeting and to return this into the car it is customary to provide so-called grain strips G which are placed in the corner between the floor and outer sheeting and extend between the uprights A. The inner faces of these grain strips are beveled and, therefore, any grain falling thereon will be directed inward into the car. A further function performed by these strips is to stop any leakage of grain or other material through any crevice between the floor and outer sheeting. With my improved construction, I preferably place absorbent material adjacent to these grain strips so as to absorb any condensation which may drop or run down the inner face of the outside sheeting and might otherwise run in onto the floor of the car.

As shown in Figure 1, this material extends along the inclined face, as indicated at F, and also has its upper edge turned in between the grain strips G and the sheeting. In the modified construction shown in Figure 3, the absorbent material H, preferably a folded strip thereof, extends between the entire length of the grain strip G and the adjacent sheeting. It is also of sufficient length to extend upward above the grain strip to be in the path of any water draining down from the sheeting, so as to absorb the same. Thus, it performs the same function as the material F but leaves the inner face of the grain strip free.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A car for transporting moisture laden ma.- terial and protecting the same from condensation comprising a car body, a lining therefor which is pervious to moisture laden air and moisture absorptive material arranged and extending substantially continuously between said body and lining covering substantially the entire outer surface of the latter, said material having sufiicient capacityto absorb the moisture as liberated.

2. A car for transporting moisture laden material and protecting the same from condensation comprising a. car body, a lining therefor which is pervious. to moisture laden air, and absorptive material arranged and extending substantially continuously between the body and lining covering substantially the entire outer,

surface of the latter and forming thermal insulation and having sufficient capacity to absorb the moisture as liberated.

3. A car for transporting moisture laden material and protecting the same from condensation comprising a metal car body and a wooden lining therefor which is pervious to moistureladen air, an absorptive material extending subouter surface of the later, and absorbent material adjacent to said grain strip for intercepting any condensation draining from said sheeting.

WILLIAM D. THOMPSON.