US2239109A - Refrigerator car construction - Google Patents

Description

April 22, 1941 J. 5. LUNDVALL REFRIGERATOR CAR CONSTRUCTION Filed July l, 1959 1N VENTOR.

Patented Apr. 22, 1941 REFRIGERATOR CAR CONSTRUCTION John S. Lundvall, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Union Asbestos & Rubber Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application July 1, 1939, Serial No. 282,399

9 Claims.

' The present invention relates to insulated walls and floors and more particularly to the insulated walls and floors of railway refrigerator cars.

The conventional refrigerator car wall comprises spaced inner and outer walls with heat insulating material therebetween. The insulating material is usually secured to the outer spaced wall by means of spaced apart cleats of wood bolted to the Wall and the inner spaced wall is then secured to the cleats, as by nailing.

The conventional refrigerator car floor is constructed in the same manner, substantially, having inner and outer walls, insulation therebetween, cleats or stringers for holding the insulation against the outer wall and the floor is then secured to the cleats or stringers as by nailing.

An object of this invention is to provide a rigid connection between the spaced walls whereby to prevent the inner wall from moving, relative to the outer wall, due to thrusts caused by shifting of lading in the car.

Another object is to provide uniform, predetermined compression of the insulation by the cleats, which uniformity is difficult to obtain by the prior method of tightening the bolts against a compressible insulation with no compression limiting means.

Another object is to provide an inner wall free from unevenness throughout its area, which unevenness is caused in the prior structures by an uneven alignment of the cleats to which the inner wall is secured, caused by a variation in the tightening of the cleat securing bolts.

Another object is to prevent relative movement between the spaced walls which causes a loosening up of the Wall seams and joints, permitting moisture from interior of car to enter the insulation, causing deterioration and general lessening of the insulating value of the wall or floor.

Another object is to permit the use of a continuous blanket of insulating material of substantially the same area as the area of the wall to be insulated, thereby eliminating joints and seams between a plurality of sections of insulation as used in prior constructions to cover a wall of given area, said joints and seams being subject to opening up or otherwise separating and permitting an exchange of air between the interior of car and the exterior of car.

Another object is to provide a refrigerator car floor rigidly supported, intermediate the sides of the car, by a part of the car underirame, wherebyto prevent sagging or springing of the lading supporting floor due to the placing of varying loads upon the floor and. the action of said loads upon the floor caused by the vertical oscillation of the car in transit, particularly in the case Where steel flooring is used. Steel flooring is usually constructed as adjoining steel sheets secured at the seams in order to make them watertight and any movement of the sheets relative to the adjoining sheets results in a loosening of the joints and resultant leakage of the car moisture into the insulation.

Numerous other objects, advantages and inherent functions of the invention will become apparent as the same is more fully understood from the following description, which, tlakeh with the accompanying drawing discloses a preferred embodiment exemplifying the invention.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a transverse sectional View through a refrigerator car, showing the floor construction.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the floor and end wall, taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line 6-4 of Fig. 2, showing a modification of the cleat spacing means illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3.

In the drawing the usual parts of the car are shown, such as center sill I5; -side sill ll; side wall l9; car floor 2|; end Wall 23 and floor rack 25.

In the construction shown in the drawing the end wall comprises a corrugated metal outer wall 27, an inner wooden wall 29 and an insulation 3| between the two walls and held in contact with wall 2'! by means of spaced apart cleats 33 intermediate wall 29 and said insulation, said cleats being adapted to squeeze the insulation against wall 27. The outwardly extending corrugations in wall 2'! may be provided with wood fillers 35 which may be secured to wall 2? by suitable fastening means, as bolts 31, said fillers providing backing means, intermediate the inwardiy extending corrugations, for insulation 3!.

Insulation it may be compressively held between cleat 33 and filler 35 by means of a bolt 39 having a headed portion 4! countersunk in the outer face of filler 35, said bolt extending through filler cleat i3 and a compression limiting member d3, intermediate cleat 33 and filler 35. A washer 35 may be provided on bolt 39 intermediate member 53 and filler 35 to prevent the member 43 from pulling into the wood filler when bolt 39 is pulled up tight.

Member 43 may comprise a platedike member 45 adapted for parallel, abutting engagement with the compression face of cleat 33 and may have opposed marginal flanges 41 adapted to embrace the adjacent sides of cleat 33. Plate-like member 46 may be provided with a laterally and outwardly extending embossment 4t terminating in a sleeve-like member 56 adapted to abut washer 35, said embossment and associated sleeve-like member having a centrally located bore i therethrough, whereby bolt 39 may extend through bore 51 and a threaded tightening nut may be applied to the threaded portion of bolt 35, within the cavity formed by the embossment 48, in countersunk relationship with plate-like men ber 45.

Bolt 39 may be mounted in filler 35 before said filler is mounted on wall 21. After mounting filler 35 on wall 2'! the threaded portion of bolt 39 1 will extend in a horizontal position in the manner of studs, and bolts 32 are preferably provided in aspaced apart row or series extending across the face'of the wall. Insulation 3% may comprise a plurality of layers of compressible insulating material and may have apertures therethrough adapted to register with the outwardly extending bolts 39. The apertures in the insulation may be of suitable size to permit the embossment 38 and adjacent sleeve-like portion 56 to extend through said apertures in the mounted insulation.

The preferred method of applying the insulation and completing the wall construction consists of the following:

Washer 45 may be mounted upon outwardly extending bolt 39 with one surface abutting adjacent face of filler 35. The insulation 3! may be temporarily secured in position against wall 2? and filler 35, with bolts 39 extending through the apertures in said insulation. Compression limiting means G3 may be inserted in the apertures through insulation 3i and mounted upon bolt 39 with sleeve portion 59 of the member 13 abutting washer 45, after which a threaded nut may be applied to bolt 39 and tightened against the inner surface of embossment 58 whereby member 43 is clampingly secured in mounted position upon end wall 27, and the insulation is relatively loosely positioned upon said car end by means of member 43.

Cleat 33 is adapted to squeeze insulation 3i against wall 21 and fillers 35 and may comprise 'a Wooden stringer having apertures therein adapted to register with the projecting threaded bolts and may be supported in the saddle portion of member t3 defined by plate-like member 46 and flanges A l. Aperture 55 may have an enlarged counterbore adjacent one of its ends adapted to receive tightening nut 57 and associated washer 53, applied to end of bolt 39, whereby nut 57 and the end of bolt 39 will not extend beyond adjacent face of cleat 33. Upon tightening nut 5? upon bolt 39 cleat 33 may be drawn tightly against member '23, whereby insulation 3i will be compressed between cleat 33 and wall 27. After cleat 33 is secured in insulation compressing position the inner wall 29 may be secured to the cleat 33, as by nailing.

The floor construction shown in the drawing comprises a lower floor 5i and a spaced apart upper floor 63 with insulation 64 therebetween. A stringer 55, for supporting upper floor 63 in rigid spaced relationship with center sill l5 and for compressing insulation 64 against center sill aeeaioe l5, may extend longitudinally of the car, intermediate upper fioor 63 and insulation 64.

Stringer 65 may be secured in predetermined spaced relationship with center sill l5 and the compression of insulation 64, by stringer 65, may be regulated by the rigid spacing members 43 intermediate stringer 65 and center sill l5. The stringer and associated spacing members 43 may be clampingly secured upon center sill It by bolts El extending through stringer, spacing members and center sill.

While I have shown and described what I now consider to be the preferred manner of carrying out my invention, the same is merely illustrative and I contemplate all changes and roodifications that come Within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

What I claim is:

1. In a refrigerator car, means forming an outer wall, a layer of insulating material on said wall and having an aperture therethrough and means to hold it in place comprising a cleat, anchoring means extending through the aperture in said insulating material and anchoring said cleat on said outer wall, and spacing means extending through the aperture in said insulating material for limiting the compressive efiect of the cleat on said insulating material, said anchoring means comprising a bolt carried on said wall, said spacing means comprising a plate having a socket opening on one side of the plate and an elongated embossment on the other side of said plate, said plate having an aperture through said embossment opening in said socket for receiving said bolt whereby said plate may be supported on the bolt, and held in place by a nut on said bolt in said socket whereby the cleat may be held against said plate by fastening means on said bolt without interference from said nut in said socket.

2. Insulation for a refrigerator car wall comprising a support extending from and amxed to s id wall, a flexible insulating sheet suspended from said support, a washer on said support provided with an embossment extending toward said wall, a thimble on said support intermediate said embossment and said wall, clamping means on said support countersunk in said embossment adapted to clampingly secure said washer in predetermined spaced relationship with said wall whereby said insulating sheet will be compressively held between said washer and said wall.

3. A heat insulating structure comprising a vertical wall, a blanket insulation suspend-ed upon said wall, a support for said insulation extending from and affixed to said wall, said support extending through a. perforation in said insulation, a washer mounted upon said support, a socket in said washer, a thimble upon said support intermediate said socket and said wall, clamping means on said support within said; socket adapted to clampingly secure said washer in predetermined proximity to said wall whereby said insulation will be compressively secured between said washer and said wall.

4. In a refrigerator car wall, a flexible sheet insulation affixed thereto, a cleat for compressively securing said insulation in adjacent relationship with said wall, a support extending through said insulation and said cleat and affixed to said wall, a perforated plate on said support intermediate said cleat and said insulation provided with an embossment, a thimble on said support intermediate said wall and said embossment clamping means on said support within said em bossment adapted to clampingly secure said plate in predetermined spaced relationship with said wall, and clamping means on said support adapted to clampingly secure said cleat in abutting relationship with said plate, said insulation bein supported normally by said cleat, said plate and said thimble.

5. A refrigerator car wall comprising spaced inner and outer walls and a flexible insulating sheet therebetween, a cleat intermediate one of the spaced walls and said sheet adapted to compressively secure said sheet between said cleat and the opposite spaced wall, bolt means afiixed to said last named wall and extending transversely through said sheet and said cleat, a perforated plate on said bolt means parallel with and intermediate sai d sheet and said cleat provided with an embossment extending toward said sheet, a thimble upon and coaxial with said bolt means intermediate said embossment and said last named wall, threaded holding means on said bolt means within said embossment adapted to clampingly secure said plate in predetermined spaced relationship with said last named wall, and threaded holding means on said bolt means adapted to secure said cleat in abutting relationship with said plate, said insulating sheet being suspended upon said bolt means.

6. A refrigerator car wall comprising inner and outer spaced walls and a flexible insulation therebetween, a plate intermediate one of the spaced walls and said insulation adapted to compress said insulation between said plate and the opposite spaced wall, 'bolt means aflixed to said last named wall extending horizontally therefrom and extending through said insulation and said plate whereby to suspend said insulation and said plate upon said last named wall, said plate being provided with an embossment extending toward said insulation, a thimble upon and coaxial with said bolt means intermediate said embossment and said last named wall, and clamping means upon said bolt means Within said embossment adapted to c lampingly secure said plate in predetermined spaced relationship with said last named Wall.

'7. A refrigerator car wall having a flexible sheet of insulation in parallel, adjacent, suspended relationship therewith, a cleat for compressively securing said sheet in adjacent relationship with said Wall, means for limiting the compressive movement of said cleat toward said wall comprising a plate parallel with and intermediate said cleat and said sheet, a laterally projecting member on said plate having cooperative backing engagement with said wall, said plate having a socket portion opening toward said cleat, bolt means affixed to said wall and extending horizontally therefrom and transversely through said sheet, said plate and said cleat, clamping means on said bolt means within said socket portion adapted to clampingly secure said plate in predetermined insulation-compressing, spaced relationship with said wall, and clamping means on said bolt means adapted to secure said cleat in abutting engagement with said plate.

8. A structure a defined in claim 7 wherein the plate is provided with opposed marginal flanges adapted to embrace adjacent opposed sides of said cleat to prevent movement of said cleat laterally of said plate.

9. In a floor structure having a sill, an insulation, supported by said sill, a flooring above said insulation, a stringer intermediate said insulation and said flooring, a supporting member intermediate said stringer and said sill comprising a saddle portion adapted to supportably engage the under surface of said stringer and having a laterally extending portion thereon adapted. to extend transversely through said insulation and abut said sill,v said laterally extending portion being relatively small in cross-section whereby the aperture in said insulation will be relatively small, and whereby to limit the movement of said stringer toward the said sill and provide a predetermined compression of said insulation between said stringer and said sill.

JOHN S. LUNDVALL.

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