US2179679A - Mine car - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 14, 1939.

H. E. ABKOWITZ 2,179,679

MINE CAR Filed Aug. 19, 1938 IN V EN TOR.

} A TORNgZ Patented Nov. 14, 1939 MINE CAR Harold E. Abkowitz, Pittsburgh, Pa, assignor to Pressed Steel Gar Company, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa a corporation of Pennsylvania Application August 19, 1938, Serial No. 225,704

5 Claims.

This invention pertains to end dump mine cars and has for its object an improved mounting of the end gate upon the side wall of the car.

Mine tunnels are restricted in width and height for obvious reasons. The usual practice in mounting end gates on mine cars is to provide rigid side arms on the gate, which arms extend inwardly of the car body and outside the side walls of the car body. The body side walls and gate side arms are of relatively thin metal insufficient of themselves to provide adequate bearing surfaces for the members pivotally connecting the gate to the body side walls. For this reason reinforcements must be applied to the gate arms and side walls which reinforcements increase the overall width of the cars at these points. The present invention seeks to retain these reinforcements without the resultant increase of car width heretofore resulting from the use thereof.

In the drawing, forming part of this specification, Fig. 1 shows in side elevation a car equipped with the invention; Fig. 2 shows in elevation the gate end of the car; Fig. 3 shows in enlarged detail a section taken on line 3--3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 shows in enlarged detail a portion of the inner face of the car side wall at the pivot for the gate.

The car illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 of the drawing comprises a conventional floor 8 and supporting wheels and axles 2 with lading retaining side walls 3 rising above the floor. At one end of the car the opening between the side walls is closed by an end wall ll rigidly connecting the side walls 3. At the opposite end of the car the opening between the side walls is closed by an end gate comprising an end wall 5 having side arms 6 rigidly connected therewith and extending inwardly of the car outside the side walls 3. The end wall 5 extends between the side walls 3 of the car and upwardly from the door to adjacent the top of the said side walls. In cases where the car is wider at the top of the side walls than at the floor of the car the end wall 5 is shaped accordingly. The side arms 6 of the end gate may be of any desired form but I prefer the substantially triangular shape in order to reduce the dead weight of the car.

In order to reinforce the side walls 3 body girths i connect the floor 5 and side walls 3. These body girths I prefer to place inside the walls 3 as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing. In addition to these girths the walls 3 adjacent the end gate may be connected by a tie adjacent the upper edges of the side walls. This tie has not been shown as it is well known in the art and may be of any of the many forms heretofore used. The side arms 6 of the end gate will also serve to stiffen the side walls 3 transversely of the car when placed outside the said side walls and in this position will not interfere with the aforesaid tie extending between the side Walls or the lading within the car body.

The end gate is pivoted to the side walls 3 by means of pivot pins 8 mounted in the side walls 3 adjacent ends of the gate side arms 6. Because of the weight of the end gate and the relatively thin metal in the side walls 3 and gate arms 6 it is necessary to reinforce these members at the pins 8. The usual practice is to fasten reinforcing plates to the members 3 and 6 at the portions thereof through which the gate pivot pins 8 extend. Such practice resulted in cases where overall width of car must be maintained in reducing the width between side walls 3 a distance equal to twice the thickness of both said reinforcing plates. This reduction extending throughout the length and width of the side walls 3.

By the present invention I obtain the maximum possible Width between side walls 3 for a predetermined overall width of car and thickness of material forming the side walls and gate arms. The gate side arms 6 on each side of the car are provided with reinforcing or hearing plates 9 disposed on the side of the gate arm adjacent the car side wall. These plates may be of any desired contour but are preferably circular and of the necessary thickness for their intended purpose. An aperture is formed in each side wall 3 adjacent the plate 9 and of suificient diameter to admit plate 9 for rotary movement therein. This aperture is closed by a cover which is preferably a pan-shaped member I9 having a flat base and side flanges secured to the inner face of the car side walls 3 to hold the said fiat base in spaced relation to the said side walls 3 and adjacent the bearing plate 9. The spacing of said base from the outer face of the side wall 3 is slightly less than the thickness of the plate 9 so that the arm 6 of the gate does not bear upon side wall 3 and bind. To the base of the member In and on the side opposite the bearing plate 9 is secured the bearing plate H. The bearing plates 9 and II are preferably secured to their respective members 6 and I0 by welding and the whole suitably apertured to receive the gate pivot pins 8. The pin 8 is preferably provided at one end with threads to receive a suitable nut !2 for securing the end gate in position upon the car and the head of the pin is countersunk flush with the gate arm 6.

From the foregoing description and an examination of the drawing it will be obvious that this method of mounting the gate materially increases the lading capacity of the car over that obtained by the former method of securing the bearing plates directly to the gate arms and car side walls 3. Likewise by countersinking the head of the pivot pin the spacing of the side walls may be increased without increasing the overall width of the car.

Having thus described the invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a mine car having a body including spaced side walls and a gate forming an end wall of the body, the combination of gate side arms extending rearwardly from opposite sides of said gate and disposed adjacent said body side walls, apertures in said side walls adjacent the free ends of said side arms, a bearing member secured to each said side arm and disposed within said adjacent aperture, a cover plate secured to the inner face of each side wall at each said aperture and including a portion disposed in parallel spaced relation to said side wall to provide an abutment forsaid side arm bearing member disposed in the adjacent aperture, a bearing member secured to each said cover plate portion at the side thereof opposite said side arm bearing member, aligned apertures in each said gate arm bearing members and cover plate, and a bearing pin disposed in said aligned apertures pivotally securing each gate arm to the adjacent body side wall.

2. In a mine car in combination, spaced body side walls, a gate disposed across one end of said side walls, side arms on said gate overlying the outer faces of said side walls, apertures in said side walls adjacent the free ends of said arms, a closure for each said aperture secured to the inner face of said side walls, a bearing and reinforcing member secured to said gate side arm and disposed in said adjacent side wall aperture, and means pivotally connecting each side arm to the adjacent side wall and extending through said adjacent aperture and closure.

3. In a mine car in combination, spaced body side walls, a gate forming a body end wall and including side arms overlapping the outer face of said walls, and means disposed wholly within the vertical planes of said side arms for connecting each said side arms to the adjacent side Wall to provide the maximum spacing apart of said side walls for any predetermined overall width of gate and side walls each said means including a side arm reinforcing member extending past the vertical plane of the adjacent side wall, a suitable indentation in the side wall to receive said reinforcing member and a pivot member extending through said side arm reinforcing member and side wall.

4. In a mine car in combination, relatively thin body side walls, an end gate having relatively thin side arms disposed substantially against the outer face of said side walls, means pivotally connecting said side arms to said side walls and disposed between the vertical planes of said side arms, said means including reinforcements for said side arms and side walls, the major portion of each said reinforcements being disposed between the vertical planes of the outer faces of said side walls.

5. In a mine car in combination, spaced body side walls, an end gate connecting said side walls to form a body end wall, side arms on said gate disposed outwardly of said side walls, a pivotal connection between each gate side arm and body side wall, reinforcing means on said side arms at said pivotal connection and suitably shaped indentations in said side wall at said pivotal connection for reception of said side arm reinforcement.

HAROLD E. ABKOWITZ.

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