US2412118A

US2412118A - Automatic trap for refrigerator car drainpipes

Info

Publication number: US2412118A
Authority: US
Inventors: Edwin R Battley; George E Mccoy
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1945-01-26
Filing date: 1945-01-26
Publication date: 1946-12-03
Anticipated expiration: 1963-12-03

Description

Dec, 3, w46. E. R. BATTLEY ET AL AUTOMATIC lTRAP FOR REFRIGERATOR CAR DRAIN PIPS Filed Jan. 26, 1945 Patented Dec. 3, 1946 v AUTOMATIC TRAP FOR REFRI-GERATOR CAR DRAINPIPES EdwinvR. lattley and George E. McCoy,

l Montreal, Quebec, Canada Application January 26, 1945, SerialNo. 574,789

This invention relates to an automatic sealed trap for the liquid discharge pipe of a railway refrigerator car.

The trap of the present invention is secured to the under side of the car floor in position to coact with the discharge pipe of the car, and to provide a water seal within the trap which serves to prevent the ingress of air and heat to the interior of the car therethrough or egress of cold air from said car.

The trap is so constructed as to maintain itself in normal sealing position but is adapted to be easily tilted to discharge the water therefrom when it is desired to clean the trap or bowl or car.

The principal object of the invention is to provide such a trap wherein the bowl thereof is manually movable from under said discharge pipe to a position where it will remain free and clear of said discharge pipe so that the latter may be Iconveniently cleansed when necessary.

1A further object of the invention is to provide a counterweight for said bowl to automatically hold the bowl in closed or service position.

A still further object is to so associate said counterweight with the pivotal support of said bowl and pipe that said counterweight will, when the bowl is manually moved to open position, automatically maintain the bowl in said open position And it is the ultimate object of the invention to y provide such a trap wherein the bowl will be .automatically released from open position by a service movement or jar of the car, so that should said bowl be inadvertently left in open position it will automatically return, when jarred, to service position.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description thereof.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing forming part of this lapplication and wherein like reference characters indicate like parts:

The drawing is a central vertical sectional view of a refrigerator car discharge pipe showing my improved trap as secured thereto.

The lower end of a refrigerator car drain pipe is shown 'at I as projecting downwardly from the bottom of the :car floor 2 for the drainage of moisture from the melting refrigerant, or other liquids from the car.

The sealing trap comprises a bowl 4 of circular or rectangular cup shape formation, which is hingedly attached, as at 6, to the drain pipe I or other partl of the car. To one side of the bowl 4 a counterweight 8 is supported, it being formed upon the outer end of the laterally extending strap 2 Claims.

IU secured to the bottom of the bowl so -that said bowl and counterweight are fixedly associated together. The respective weightsv of the bowl and counterweight in relation to their distances from the hinge axis are proportioned so as to maintain the bowl by gravity only in closed or service position, and, furthermore, when so desired, to maintain said bowl, by gravity, in open position.

In the modification shown the counterweight 8 overbalances the weight of the bowl 4 and holds the bowl normally in closed position, as shown in full lines, but when the bowl is manually moved to open position, as shown in dotted lines, the center of gravity 9 of the counterweight 8 moves slightly over and beyond the center of the hinge B and overbalances the weight of the bowl 4 and holds the bowl in open position. It will b-e noted that in open position the center of gravity I2 of the bowl is practically below the center of the hinge. Furthermore, the axis of the hinge extends preferably crosswise of the car.

Railway cars in service are violently moved in all directions due to coupling shocks, air brake application, uneven track causing swaying of the car, etc., any one of which would cause the counterweight, if inadvertently left in open position,

to move back over the center of the hinge and' thence to closed position by gravity. In this arrangement no manually operable latch is needed or required to hold the bowl in open position. In such installations as are provided with a latch, if such latch were not released by the operator, the bowl would remain in open position, thus allowing cold air to escape from the car, or warm air to enter the car through the open drain pipe. This, obviously is an undesirable situation which the present invention is designed to overcome.

The axis of the hinge 6 preferably extends substantially transversely of the car since the great majority and more forceful movements of the car are in a direction lengthwise thereof.

Furthermore, it is obvious that the bowl 4 may be manually moved to open position by simply raising the counterweight 8 until it passes the center 6 of the hinge, and that it may be returned, manually, from open position by moving said counterweight in the reverse direction over said center when it will fall by gravity and thus swing the bowl under the discharge pipe.

The accompanying drawing illustrates the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not'limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications 3 thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

We claim:

1. In a refrigerator oar having a drain pipe to drain liquid out of the interior of the car; a liquid trap for the lower end of the drain pipe, said trap including a bowl hingedly supported by a xed car part at one side of the hinge axis, and a counterweight `iixedly associated with said bowl at the other side of the hinge axis so as to cause said bowl to normally surround the lower end' of said pipe and provide a water seal therefor,

the respective weights of the bowl and the coun-vr terweight in relation to their distances from the hinge axis being so proportioned as to maintain the bowl in said water sealing position by gravity, said bowl being movable to open position during which movement said counterweight passes to the other side of said hinge axis suiiiciently to overbalance the weight of the bowl and thereby hold the bowl in open position by gravity and when in said open position a slight movement of the car will jar the counterweight sufficiently to cause the bowl to :be moved by said eounterweight to water sealing position.

2. A trap for a refrigerator car having a. drain pipe to drain liquid out of the interior of the car; said trap including a. bowl and a counterweight xedly associated together, `and a hinge having one part thereof xed to a car part and the other part thereof xed to said trap intermediate said bowl and counterweight with the hinge axis extending substantially transverselyof said car and so that said bowl may be swung to a position surrounding the lower end of said pipe to provide a. water seal therefor and be held in said position by said counterweight, said bowl being swingable about said hinge axis to open position during which movement the center of gravity of said counterweight passes the vertical plane of the hinge axis sufficiently to overbalance the weight of the bowl and thereby hold said bowl in open position, and when in said open position a slight movement of the car will jar the counterweight suiiiciently. to cause the bowl to be moved by said counterweight to water sealing position.

EDWIN R. BATTLEY. GEORGE E. MCCOY.