US2198430A

US2198430A - Running board construction for car roofs

Info

Publication number: US2198430A
Application number: US258507A
Authority: US
Inventors: Bonsall Charles David
Original assignee: Standard Railway Equipment Manufacturing Co
Current assignee: Standard Railway Equipment Manufacturing Co
Priority date: 1939-02-25
Filing date: 1939-02-25
Publication date: 1940-04-23
Anticipated expiration: 1957-04-23

Description

Search Room 23, 1940. c. D. BONSALL RUNNING BOARD CONSTRUCTION FOR CAR ROOFS Filed Feb. 25, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheer, 1

.416 41' To R/VE Ks Search R 23, 1940. c. D. BONSALL RUNNING BOARD CONSTRUCTION FOR CAR ROOFS Filed Feb. 25, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 110.5 HTTORA/F e Patented Apr. 23, 1940 RUNNING BOARD CONSTRUCTION FOR CAR ROOFS Charles David Bonsall, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to Standard Railway Equipment Manufacturing- Company, New Kensington, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Application February 25, 1939, Serial No. 258,507

11 Claims. (Cl. 105-457) search Room UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE This invention relates to running board constructions for car roofs, particularly metal running board constructions for metal freight car roofs of the type wherein the roof sheets are adapted and arranged to form alternating ribs and channels and are connected by rigid upstanding seams located in said channels and the running board is supported by said ribs and said seams. The principal object of the present invention is to devise a strong and durable, simple and economical lightweight metal running board construction that can be quickly and easily applied to roofs of the above type and will better provide for the support of the running board. The invention consists in the metal running board construction and in the parts and in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification and wherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portion of a car roof provided with a running board construction embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section through the roof on the line 2--2 in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section through the roof at one side of the running board,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal section through the roof at the ridge on the line 4-4 in Fig. 1,

Figs. 5 and 6 are vertical cross-sections on the lines 5-5 and 6-6, respectively, in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the running board saddles or brackets.

In the accompanying drawings, my invention is illustrated in connection with a metal freight car roof having alternating flat-topped ribs A and flat-bottomed channels B which extend crosswise of the car and slope downwardly from ridge to eaves thereof, and upstanding seams C located in said channels along the longitudinal middle portions thereof. Said metal roof is made up of metal roof sheets I that slope downwardly from ridge to eaves of the car where they are turned down and rigidly secured to the side plates 2 thereof by rivets 3. The roof sheets I are provided along their adjacent margins with upstanding flanges 4 that are straddled by seam caps 5, all secured together by rivets 6 to form the seams C, the ends of said caps being bent down over the side plates 2 and secured thereto by the securing rivets 3 for the downturned ends of said roof sheets. As shown in the drawings, the roof sheets are offset upwardly along the middle portions thereof to form the hollow roof ribs A, while the intervening portions at the lower level of said sheets cooperate to form the roof channels B.

The roof is provided with a metal longitudinal running board construction comprising longitudinally corrugated sections D that are disposed between the roof seams C in the endwise alinement along the ridge of the roof with their upper surfaces disposed substantially at the level of the ridge portions of said seams. The adjacent ends of the metal running board sections D are secured to the roof seams C disposed therebetween by running board saddles preferably in the form of metal angle brackets I that are disposed on opposite sides of said seams with one flange down and secured to the sides of the seam caps 5 by the securing rivets 6 therefor and with the other flanges extending outwardly beneath said ends of said running board sections and secured thereto at the corners thereof by vertical rivets 8 having fiat upper heads. The portions of the roof seams located between the spaced ends of adjacent running board sections are protected by means of sheet metal flashings 9 having hollow ribs that straddle said seams and outstanding base flanges I that are interposed between the outstanding top flanges of the running board saddles 1 and the overlying end portions of said sections.

Each of the metal running board sections D has depending side marginal flanges H with inturned lower marginal portions l2 and relatively wide longitudinal tread portions l3 separated by relatively narrow channels or grooves H of equal depth formed by a series of spaced longitudinal flat-bottomed ribs IS on the under side of said section between said side marginal flanges. The tread portions are preferably provided with series of bossed-up openings l6 that are spaced apart longitudinally of said portions from end to end thereof; and the bottoms of the channels are provided with series of longitudinally spaced drain openings ll.

As shown in Fig. 5, the outstanding top flanges of the running board saddles I extend between the depending side marginal flanges ll of adjacent running board sections and are offset downwardly intermediate between their ends to form depressed seats l8 for the end portions of the longitudinal depending ribs l of said sections. The base flanges ID of the flashings 9 are also depressed, as at I 9, intermediate between their ends to seat in the depressed seats I8 in the outstanding top flanges of the running board brackets.

The running board sections extend from roof seam to roof seam across and above the line of the tops of the roof ribs where they are supported by and welded or otherwise rigidly secured to one or more running board brackets or saddles 20 that rest on the tops of said ribs. These running board saddles are disposed beneath and crosswise of the metal running board sections and are preferably of Z-shaped cross-section; that is, each of said saddles comprises a vertical web portion with an outstanding top flange 2| on one side thereof and with an outstanding base flange 22 on the other side thereof. As shown in the drawings, the base flanges 22 of the running board saddles 20 slope downwardly from their middle to their ends in conformity with the slope of the tops of the roof ribs A so as to seat flatwise there on. The top flanges 2| of the running board saddles 20 are depressed at intervals between their ends to form a series of alternating flatbottomed ribs 23 and flat-bottomed grooves 23a adapted to form flat, longitudinal seats for the tread and depending groove portions l3 and I4, respectively, of the running board sections. As shown in Figs. 6 and 7, the webs of the running board saddles 20 are slit vertically near their ends and bent outwardly to form notches 24 at the lower corners of said saddles and flanges 25 at the tops of said notches that project horizontally from the base flange sides of said webs. These notched and laterally flanged ends of the running board saddles fit snugly between the marginal treads I3 of the running board sections and the horizontally disposed inturned lower marginal portions l2 of the depending side marginal flanges l I of said sections. The depending side marginal flanges of the running board sections are preferably of decreased depth above the roof ribs to provide surplus metal which is utilized to increase the width of the inturned lower marginal portions I2 of said flanges and thus increase the area of surface contact between said inturned portions of said flanges and the outstanding flanges 25 at the notched ends of the running board saddles 20.

The hereinbefore described metal running board construction is light, durable and inexpensive and may be quickly and easily applied to the roof without any alteration thereof. The hollow depending ribs and side marginal flanges serve to strengthen and stiffen the running board sections and thus increase the load carrying capacity thereof; and said hollow ribs are comparatively shallow ribs all of the same depth and cross-sectional shape. The running board sections are supported intermediate between their ends by saddles that rest on and are shaped to fit the angle of ridge portions of the roof ribs; and said saddles afford flat horizontal seats for the running board sections and are interlocked therewith to prevent vertical and sidewise separation thereof. The running board sections and their supporting saddles may be furnished for application to the roof as complete preassembled units.

What I claim is:

1. A running board construction for car roofs, said running board comprising a metal section having depending side marginal flanges with inturned lower marginal portions, metal brackets secured to the ends of said section and adapted to be secured to said roof, and a metal bracket disposed beneath and crosswise of said section intermediate between the ends thereof and having its end portions shaped to flt between said inturned lower marginal portions of said depending side marginal flanges and the portions of said section located thereabove.

2. A running board construction for car roofs having upstanding seams, said running board comprising a metal section adapted to fit between adjacent seams and having a tread portion and depending side marginal flanges with inturned lower marginal portions, metal brackets secured to the under side of said tread portion at the ends of said section between the depending side marginal flanges thereof and adapted to be secured to said adjacent seams, and a metal bracket disposed beneath and crosswise of said section intermediate between the ends thereof and having its end portions shaped to fit between the inturned margins of said depending side marginal flanges and the under side of said tread portion, said end portions of said last mentioned bracket having outstanding side flanges adapted to seat flatwise upon the inturned lower marginal portions of said depending side marginal flanges.

3. A running board construction for car roof having upstanding seams and raised panels between said seams, said running board comprising a metal section adapted to fit between adjacent seams above the raised roof panel therebetween and having a tread portion and depending side marginal flanges with inturned lower marginal portions spaced below said tread portion, metal angle brackets at the ends of said section arranged with one flange up and disposed between said side marginal flanges in contact with the under side of said tread portion and with the other flange down and adapted to be secured to an adjacent seam, a bracket disposed beneath and crosswise of said section intermediate between the ends thereof and having its end portions shaped to flt between the under side of said tread portion and the inturned margins of said side marginal flanges, said end portions of said last mentioned bracket having outstanding side flanges adapted to seat flatwise upon the inturned lower marginal portions of said side marginal flanges, the portion of said bracket disposed between said inturned lower marginal portions extending therebelow and having its bottom portion shaped to fit the angle of the ridge portion of said raised roof panel.

4. A running board construction for car roofs having upstanding seams, said running board comprising a metal section adapted to fit between adjacent seams and having depending side marginal flanges with inturned lower marginal portions, metal brackets secured to the ends of said section and adapted to be secured to said adjacent seams, and a metal bracket disposed beneath and crosswise of said section intermediate between the ends thereof and having its end portions shaped to fit between the inturned margins of said depending side marginal flanges and the portions of the running board section located thereabove. said end portions of said last mentioned bracket having outstanding side flanges adapted to seat flatwise upon the inturned lower marginal portions of said depending side marginal flanges, said section being longitudinally corrugated from end to end between said side marginal flanges and the upper surfaces of said first mentioned brackets being offset downwardly between their ends to provide depressed seats for the corrugated portion of said section, and the upper surface of said second mentioned bracket being corrugated crosswise to fit the under side of the corrugated portion.

5. A running board construction for car roofs comprising a metal running board having de pending side marginal flanges with inturned lower marginal portions, and a metal running board supporting bracket disposed beneath and crosswise of said running board and having its end portions shaped to fit between the inturned lower margins of said depending side marginal flanges and the portions of the running board located thereabove, said running board being longitudinally corrugated between said side marginal flanges and the upper surface of said bracket being corrugated crosswise to fit the under side of the longitudinally corrugated portion of said running board.

6. A running board construction for a car roof comprising a metal running board having depending side marginal flanges with inturned lower marginal portions, and a metal running board supporting bracket disposed beneath and crosswise of said running board and having its end portions shaped to fit between the inturned lower margins of said depending side marginal flanges and the portions of the running board located thereabove, said running board being longitudinally corrugated between said side marginal flanges, the top of said bracket being corrugated crosswise to fit the under side of the longitudinally corrugated portion of said running board and the bottom of said bracket being shaped to fit the ridge portion of said car roof.

7. A running board construction for car roofs comprising a metal running board having depending side marginal flanges with inturned lower marginal portions, and metal running board saddles disposed beneath and crosswise of said running board and having their upper corner portions shaped to fit between the inturned lower marginal portions of said depending side marginal flanges of said running board and the under side thereof, said corner portions of said saddles having outstanding side flanges adapted to seat flatwise upon the inturned lower marginal portions of said depending side marginal flanges.

8. A running board construction for car roofs comprising a metal running board having depending side marginal flanges with inturned lower marginal portions, and metal running board saddles disposed beneath and crosswise of said running board and having their upper corner portions shaped to fit between the inturned lower marginal portions of said depending side marginal flanges of said running board and the under side thereof, said corner portions of said saddles having outstanding side flanges adapted to seat flatwise upon the inturned lower marginal portions of said depending side marginal flanges, said running board being longitudinally corru- Search Roorr gated between said side marginal flanges, and said saddles having their upper surfaces shaped to fit the under sides of the longitudinally corrugated portion of said running board.

9. A running board construction for a car roof comprising a metal running board having depending side marginal flanges with inturned lower marginal portions, and a metal running board saddle disposed beneath and crosswise of said running board with its upper surface in contact with the under side of said running board substantially from side flange to side flange thereof, and having their upper corner portions shaped and flanged to seat on the inturned lower marginal portions of said depending side marginal flanges, said running board being longitudinally corrugated between said side marginal flanges and said saddle having its upper surface shaped to fit the under sides of the longitudinally corrugated portion of said running board and having its bottom shaped to fit the slope of the ridge portion of said car roof.

10. A running board construction for car roofs comprising a metal running board having a longitudinally corrugated tread portion and depending side marginal flanges, and a metal running board saddle disposed beneath and crosswise of said running board and having a lateral top flange extending substantially from side flange to side flange of said running board and shaped to fit the under side of said corrugated tread portion, said saddle being slit upwardly from the bottom thereof adjacent to the ends thereof and the metal between said slits and said ends being bent to form outstanding flanges at the side of said saddle, the lower portions of said depending side marginal flanges of said running board being bent inwardly beneath said outstanding side flanges of said saddle.

11. A running board construction for a metal car roof having upstanding seams extending crosswise thereof, said construction comprising a. metal running board section adapted to fit between adjacent seams and having depending side marginal flanges, and a plurality of spaced longitudinal hollow depending ribs extending from end to end of said section between the depending side marginal flanges thereof, and metal angles for securing the ends of said section to said roof seams, said angles being disposed crosswise of said section at the ends thereof with one flange down and adapted to be secured to the side of an adjacent roof seam and with the other flange extending beneath said section between the depending side marginal flanges thereof and oflset downwardly intermediate between its ends to form a depressed seat for the overlying end portions of the depending hollow ribs of said section.

CHARLES DAVID BONBALL.