US2367761A - Composite mine car - Google Patents

Description

Jan.v23, 1945. R E. DENDLER ETA.

COMPOS ITE MINE CAR Filed May 1, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIIL m mm m m mm Q 5 bRaZ R. E. DENDLER ETAL Jan. 23, 1945.v

` COMPOSITE MINE CAR Filed Hay l, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I INVENTORS Ralph fendler qberZ'CY/(epner ATTORNEY SYM a Patented Jan. 23, 1945 COIMPOSITE MllNE CAR Ralph E. Dendler, Berwick, and Robert C'. Kepner, Bloomsburgh, Pa., assignors to American Car & Foundry Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application May 1, 1943, Serial No. 485,558 I (Cl. 10S-364) 11 Claims.

para-tively cheap car which can be easily repaired may be built. A car built of wood and metal is not only cheap and easy ,to repair but becomes exceedingly important in times of national emergency when conservation of metal is necessary without a restriction in the mining activity. It is an object, therefore, of the present invention to provide a mine car of the drop bottom type constructed of Wood and a minimum of metal so arranged as to produce the requisite strength.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a mine car of the composite type having a low iirst cost and which may be easily repaired.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a mine car having a combined wing brace, oor support and wheel hood.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art from a study of the following description and accom- 'panying drawings, in which:

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be seen that the car is constructed of metal side sills having a lower iiange 2 and an upwardly directed web 4 and an upwardly and outwardly inclined flange 6. This general type of sill is old as shown in numerous patents such as Patent 1,616,564. In the present case, however, in order to obtain better attachment for the wheel hoods and end sill structures, the outwardly inclined flange 6 is clipped at certain areas and bent vertically to give a true angle form in the wheel and end sill zones. It is, of course, obvious that this sill could also be constructed by starting with a true angle form sill instead ofthe sill shown in Patent 1,616,564, in which case the upper portion of the angle would be clipped and the parts between the Wheel zones and between the end sills and wheel zones would be bent outwardly. The side sills have connected thereto boxes or bearings 8 supported on axles A which in turn are carried by wheels `W. The ends of the side sills are connected together by end sill structures l0 which include bumpers B and coupling pins C. The side sills are additionally tied together by means of axle hood structures I2 extending over and protecting the axles' and at the same time .serving as shed platesbetween the doors D.V As

shown, the doors are three in number, each hinged on` rods supported by the side sills in such a position that the free edges of two of the doors are supported on the hinged edges of the adjacent doors, with the free edge of the third door held by a latch structure L. This latch structure includes a latch arm I4 extending outwardly to one side of the car and adapted to be tripped by a trackside ramp as is well known. Thus the spaced side sills are tied together by the end structures and by the axle hood structures and the space between the sills is closed by the doors which form the center bottom of the car. These parts are made of metal since they are the main load carrying parts of the car and'mu'st not only support the load but must also resist the bumping and haulage strains as well as weaving strains caused by uneven tracks.

In order that the car may carry a greater load and discharge the same through the space between the side sills, sloping wing portions are provided and these are constructed and supported in a manner now to be described. As clearly shown in the gures, particularly Figure 3, short angular shaped members are provided having vertical legs I6 welded or otherwise attached to the webs lof the side sills and having upwardly and cutwardly'inclined legs I8 spaced below and in substantial parallelism with the flanges 6 of the side sill. These short members are substantially co-extensive with the inclined flanges 6 and form with the side sill in this zone what may be termed a triple flange side sill. Short planks 20 are ,provided having their lower ends inserted between flanges 6 and i8 and firmly gripped by bolts 22 extending through the flanges and through the lower ends of the planks. These planks preferably have the grain ofthe wood directed toward the doors in order that the material may slide more readily and have their outer or upward ends supported upon an inwardly and downwardly directed leg 24 of a belt rail. The other leg 26 of the belt rail is directed upwardly and has attached thereto the lower ends of longitudinally extending short planks 28 forming the side walls of the car. The side wall planks have their upper edges inserted in and protected by a top rail 30. As clearly shown, this top rail is of inverted J formation having a long vertical leg 32, a short vertical leg 34 and a connecting web 36. As clearly shown the belt rail, top chord and side sills are continuous from end to end of the car and are joined at their ends by means of angle shaped corner members 38. These corner members have one leg directly connected to the top chord, belt rail and tothe ilange I8 of the short members carried by the side sills. The other legs 40 of the corner members are directed inwardly toward each other and substantially parallel to the end walls of the car. The end walls are formed by short planks 42 bolted at their ends to the anges 40. The upper ends of the end planks are bolted or otherwise secured to an end top rail 44 similar in cross section to the side top rail and the end top rails are joined to the side top rails by the angle formed corner members as well as by corner caps or plates 46 (Figs. 2, 3 and 4). The intermediate` portions of the end planks 42 are braced by means of Z formed members 48 bolted to the planks and riveted or otherwise secured to the end top rails by means of gusset plates 50. The lower edges of the end wall planks are bolted to a plate 52 extending across the car immediately above the end sill structure and attached to ilanges 40 of the corner connections as well as to braces 48.

In order that the side wall structures may be braced and supported intermediate their ends a combination wing brace, side stake and wheel hood structure is provided. As clearly shown each of these structures is made up of a pair of angles having legs 60 positioned substantially parallel to the sloping wing floors and vertical side walls and directed away from each other. The other legs 62 are positioned at all times substantially normal to the side walls and sloping floor portions and are riveted or otherwise secured together to provide in general a member having a lT cross section. The angle members which are fastened together to form the T cross section member are deformed so as to provide a vertically directed stake portion 64 and an inclined wing floor brace 66. At a point 68 adjacent the wheels the angles forming the T are bent l so as to diverge downwardly to clear the wheels and after clearing the Wheels they are again bent as at to provide a short connecting portion which may be attached to the side sills. As clearly shown, the legs 60 of the angle members rest upon and are attached to the flange I8 forming part of the side sills, while the other leg 62 is welded or otherwise secured to the web 4 of the side sills and this connection is braced by short gussets 12 (Fig. 5) attached to the side sill webs and to the legs 62 of the combined wing brace and wheel hood structure. In order to close the space over the wheels a substantially flat plate 14 is provided of general triangular outline and having its edges welded or otherwise secured to the edges of flanges 62. In the present ca'se the flanges 62 are relatively high and their inner ends must be coped oir in order that they do not project above the upper edge of the side sills. This permits bending of the top plate of the wheel hood downlin wardly as at 'I6 for attachment to the upper edge of the side sill. In order to tie the wing braces together across the car, cross ties 18 are provided having their ends attached to the inwardly directed anges 62 of the T formed stake and wing support. The ends of the side wall planks 28 and the side edges and ends of certain of the sloping floor planks 20 are supported upon and attached to the ilanges 6D of the combined wing brace, floor support and wheel hood structure just described. In some cases where the flanges 62 are of insufficient length it may be necessary to raise the hood top plate 14 in a small area, such as 80, in order that suilicient clearance may be provided between the plate and the ange of the wheel. It will be seen from the preceding that an extremely strong combined wing brace, iloor support and wheel hood structure has been provided with the vertically directed or stake portion and part of the sloping iioor support portion of T cross section with the leg of the T directed inwardly between the planks forming the sides and ends of the car. In this manner the car may be built of extremely short lengths of lumber and of more or less standard rolled metal sections. It is, of course, obvious that any breakage of plank will be limited to a short length of plank and, therefore, repairs may be easily and cheaply made. In cases where the metal frame really is damaged this also may be readily repaired by substituting a suitably formed rolled section. It will also be seen that the wheel hood is in general Wedge shaped with the apex of the wedge directed into the ow of material toward the center doors and that the top surface formed by a substantially flat plate is substantially parallel to the sloping wing floors. The sides or ends of the hood which are formed by the legs 62 of the combined wing brace, floor support structure are normal to the sloping wing floors and, therefore, it is impossible for material to lodge in the car at the wheel hoods. Construction ofthe wheel hoods in the manner shown eliminates the necessity of expensive formers or dies.

In some cases it may be desirable to use long planks for the side walls and this may be done without changing the skeleton frame as is shown in Figure 6. In this modification the side wall planks 8| extend from end to end of the car outside of the flanges 6U of the combined wing brace and floor supports and are held in place by the bolts 82 acting in tension. In order to protect the upper edge of the planks the top rails 30 previously described are moved to opopsite sides of the car, thus placing the short iiange 34 on the outer side of the car instead of the inner as previously described.

Irrespective of the manner in which the planking is arranged, it will be seen that a car of the drop bottom type has been provided utilizing a minimum of metal without sacriiicing strength. It will also be seen that the superstructure is formed of a metal skeleton providing the strength elements, with the load held in the skeleton by planking carried by and attached to the skeleton.

As shown and described, the skeleton sides are formed by full length top rails, belt rails and side sills connected together by end angles and by the combined wing brace, floor support and wheel hood structure. The end walls of the skeleton frame are formed by the top rails and a bottom plate fastened to the corner angles and additionally joined together by the end wall braces 48. While the car has been described more or less in detail, it will be obvious that modications and rearrangements of parts other than those shown and described may be made and all such modifications and rearrangements of parts are contemplated as will fall Within the scope of the following claims defining our invention.

What is claimed is:

l. In a composite mine car the combination of metal side sills, metal end sills joining the side sills together adjacent their ends and inclosing a space therebetween, doors hingedly carried by the side sills and adapted to swing to open position for discharge of lading through the space inclosed by the side sills and end sills, belt rails extending substantially from end to end oi the car in spaced relation to the side sills, upwardly and outwardly sloping wing floors formed of wood plank having the grain thereof directed toward the space inclosed by the sills, said plank having their ends supported by said belt rails and side sills, and spaced apart metal members connecting said side sills and belt rails together and supporting the side edges of certain of said wood plank.

2. In a composite mine car the combination of metal side sills, metal end sills joining the side sills together adjacent their ends and inclosing a space therebetween, doors hingedly carried by the side sills and adapted to swing to open position for discharge of lading through the space inclosed by the side sills and end sills, belt rails extending substantially from end to end of the car in spaced relation to the Side sills, upwardly and outwardly sloping Wing floors formed of wood plank having the grain thereof directed to ward the space inclosed by the sills, said plank having their ends supported by said belt rails and side sills, and spaced apart metal members connecting said side sills and belt rails together and supporting the side edges of certain of said wood plank, each of said metal members being of angular cross-section and positioned with 'a part extending through the plane of the wing floors.

3. In a composite mine car the combination of metal side sills, metal end sills joining the side sills together adjacent their ends and inclosing a space therebetween, doors hingedly carried by the side sills and adapted to swing to open position for discharge of lading through the space inclosed by the side sills and end sills, belt rails extending substantially from end to end of the car in spaced relation to the side sills, upwardly and outwardly sloping wing floors formed of wood plank having the grain thereof directed toward the space inclosed by the sills, said plank having their endssupported by said belt vrails and side sills, metal top rails extending from end to end of thecar in vertically spaced substantially parallel relation to said belt rails, longitudinally extending wood plank forming side walls for the car and resting on said wing oors and occupying the space between said belt rails and top rails, spaced apart metal members connecting said side sills, belt rails and top Arails together, and means connecting the side edges of certain of the wing iioor plank and ends of the side wall plank to said spaced apart metal members.

4. In a composite mine car the combination of metal side sills, wheels and axles supporting the side sills, metal end sills joining the side sills together and defining a space therebetween,

belt rails extending substantially parallel to said side sills and substantially from end to end of the car and in upwardly and outwardly spaced relation to the side sills, top rails-)extending substantially from end to end' of' 'the 4car substantially in vertically spaced parallelism to said belt rails, spaced apart metal members connected to said side sills and to said belt rails and vtop rails and forming therewith a skeleton car frame, short wood planks having their ends secured to said belt rails and side sills to form the side wings of the car, and other short wood planks having their ends secured to said spaced apart metal members to form the side Walls of the car. l

5. In a composite mine car the combination of metal side sills, wheels and axles supporting the side sills, metal end sills joining the side sills together and defining a space therebetween, belt rails extending substantially parallel to said side sills and 'substantially' from end to end of the car and in upwardly and outwardly spaced rela'- tion to the side sills, top rails extending substantially from end to end of thecarsubstantially in vertically spaced parallelism to said belt rails, spaced apart metal members connected torsaid side sills and to said belt rails and top rails and forming therewith a skeleton car frame, short wood planks having their ends secured to said belt rails and side sills to form the side wings of the oar, and other short wood planks having their ends secured to said spaced apart metal members to form the side walls of the car, certain of said short wood planks having their side edges connected to the spaced apart metal members and certain of said other short wood planks having atleast one of their side edges connected to the belt rails and top rails.

6. In a composite mine car the combination of metal side sills, wheels and axles supporting the side sills, metal end sills joining the side sills together and defining a space therebetween, Ibelt rails extending substantially parallel to said side sills and substantially from end to end of the car and in upwardly and outwardly spaced relation to the side sills, top rails extending substantially from end to end of the car substanf tially in vertically spaced parallelism to said belt rails, spaced apart metal members connected to said side sills and to said belt rails and top rails and forming therewith a skeleton car frame, certain of said spaced apart metal members being located in the vertical plane through the axles and having their inner ends deformed to clear said wheels, metal plates connected to the deformed inner ends and forming therewith wheel hoods, transversely extending wood plank connected to and supported by said sidesills and belt rails, and longitudinally extending wood plank connected to said spaced apart metal members and forming side walls for the car.

7. In a metallic skeleton frame for a mine car the combination of substantially parallel and coextensive spaced apart side sills, belt rails and top rails, end sills connecting the side sills together, spaced apart members rigidly connected' to said rails and sills and located in planes substantially normal thereto, and a plate secured to certain of said spaced apart members and the adjacent side sill and forming therewith a wheel hooding structure.

8. In a metallic skeleton frame for a mine car the combination of substantially parallel and coextensive spaced apart side sills, belt rails and top rails, end sills connecting the side sills together, spaced' apart members rigidly connected to said rails and sills and located in planes substantially normal thereto, certain of said memto provide a T cross-section in the zone of the' Abelt rails and top rails and diverging between the belt rails and side sills to provide clearance for the reception of parts of wheels.

9. In a metallic skeleton frame for a mine car the combination of substantially parallel and coextensive spaced apart side sills, belt rails and top rails, end sills connecting the side sills together, spaced apart; members rigidly connected to said rails and sills and located in planes substantially normal thereto, certain of said members being constructed of angles secured together to provide a T cross-section in the zone of the belt rails and top rails and diverging between the belt rails and side sills to provide clearance for the reception of parts of wheels, and metal plates secured to the diverging parts of said members and forming therewith a wheel hooding structure.

10. A ,combined side stake, wing floor brace and wheel hood for a mine car comprising a pair of metallic angles bent to conform to the contour of the wing floors and side walls of the mine car and secured together adjacent their outer ends in back to back relationship to provide s. T cross-section, the inner end portions of said angles being additionally bent in a direction substantially parallel to the wing oors to provide divergent portions adjacent the car wheels, and a metal plate secured to the top edges of the dlvergent portions of the angles and forming therewith a wheel hood.

ll. A combined side stake, wing oor brace and wheel hood for a mine car comprising a pair of metallic angles bent to conform to the contour of the wing floors and side walls of the mine car and secured together adjacent their outer ends in back to back relationship to provide a T cross-section side stake and brace for the outer portion of the wing oors, said angles diverging adjacent their inner ends and' being secured together by a -metal plate welded to the angles to form a wheel hood and an inverted flanged channel brace forthe inner portion of the wing floors.

RALPH E. DENDLER. ROBERT C. KEPNER.

Images