US2925632A - Unitary car door closure - Google Patents

Description

B. H. FORD 2,925,632

UNITARY CAR DooR cLosURE Filed April 16. 1957 Feb. 23, 1960 /NVE/V TOR.'

nited States Patent l UNITARY CAR DOOR CLOSURE Barton H. Ford, Omaha, Nebr., assgnor, by mesne assignments, of one-half to International Paper Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York, and one-half to The Stanley Works, New Britain, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application April 16, 1957, Serial No. 653,133 3 Claims. (Cl. 20-27) This invention relates to a unitary car door closure, and more particularly to a temporary closure for a railway car which is particularly adapted to prevent the escape of grain therefrom.

A heretofore widely used temporary closure for grain car doorways included a flat sheet provided with side and bottom flats and supported in place by a number of metal straps that extended across the doorway. The employment off the metal straps presents a number of disadvantages and problems. First, additional labor is required in the fabrication of the temporary closure in order to secure the 'straps firmly to the sheet. If such is not done, there is a chance that the straps will become detached and the temporary closure weakened. In installation, it is necessary to nail or otherwise secure the straps to the framing of the doorway. This involves time consuming carpentry work and, after a number of temporary closures have been applied to a given car doorway, tends to weaken the framework. Further, the handling of the temporary closures of the prior art before and after installation always presents a danger in that the sharp edges of the straps may injure those persons who are engaged in handling the doorways.

An object of this invention is to provide a temporary closure which overcomes the disadvantages and problems of the heretofore employed closures. Another object is to provide a closure in which metal straps are eliminated. Yet another object is to provide a closure which includes an integral sheet that is readily installed in a doorway opening. A still further object is to provide a temporary closure for grain car doors that is installed and maintained in place in a doorway with a minimum of securing means. Another object is to provide a temporary closure for a grain car door wherein the closure is maintained in place substantially only by the weight of grain within the car. A further object is to provide a temporary closure for a grain car door constructed of a sheet of substantially rigid material and equipped with flanges along three sides that permit the closure to be maintained in place substantially only by the pressure of the grain carried by the car. A still further object is to provide a grain car temporary closure as described in the object immediate preceeding and in which stiffening means is provided between the side flanges and sheet to limit deformation of the sheet outwardly of the grain car. Other specific objects and advantages of my invention will appear as this specification proceeds. The invention is shown, in an illustrative embodiment, by the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a railway car opening partly closed by a temporary closure or barricade embodying my invention; Figure 2 is a fragmentary crosssectional view taken along the line 2 2 of Figure 1; and Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view similar to that depicted in Figure 2 but showing another embodiment of my invention.

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In the illustration given, I provide a sheet of a substantially rigid material designated generally by the numeral 10. This is employed to barricade or obstruct the doorway 11 of a grain railway car, the doorway being defined by upright framing members 12 and floor 13.

Sheet 10, as best seen in Figure 2 is provided with an inwardly extending integral flange portion 14 along a vertical edge. The same type of flange is provided along the opposite vertical edge as indicated by the numeral 15 in Figure 1. Both inwardly extending flanges 14 and 15 are provided at their inner extremities withsidewardly extending flanges 16 and 17 respectively. Nails 18 and 19 extend through sidewardly extending flanges 16 and are anchored in upright members 12 for purposes which will be explained later. The bottom edge of sheet 10 is also provided with an inwardly extending flange 20 as can be seen in Figure 1.

When a unitary sheet structure 10 is installed in a doorway 11 as shown in Figures 1 and 2, and the car filled with grain as indicated by the numeral 21 in Figure 2, the closure achieved thereby appears to act as a beam with secured ends, irrespective of whether any securing means such as nails 18 and 19 are provided. Although the operation of my invention is imperfectly understood, it is believed that the pressure of grain acting against flanges 16 and 17, as well as flanges 14 and 15, effectively secure sheet 10 in place. It is to be noted, however, that sheet 10 must be constructed of a substantially rigid enough material so as to limit outward deflection of sheet 10 so that the above mentioned flanges would not be displaced from their positions adjacent vertical framing members 12. If sheet 10 is substantially non-rigid, the sheet acts like a beam with free ends which are able to shift. Once the ends of such a beam member begin to shift, the effective force against the flanges defining the ends is lessened permitting greater outward deformation of the beam-like sheet 10. This lessens the surface area of the flanges in contact with framing members 12 and therefore the holding force exerted thereby. This then permits greater outward deilection of sheet 10 and ultimate disengagement of the side flanges from the framing members 12.

When a relatively rigid material is used to construct sheet 10, this problem is ordinarily avoided except, perhaps, during the initial stages of filling a car with grain when grain might be piled up immediately adjacent the center of sheet 10 and none against the side flanges 14, 15, 16 and 17. For this reason I provide nails 18 and 19 to prevent undue bowing out of sheet 10 and consequent disengagement of the side flanges during the initial stages of filling a car when inequalities of grain pressure might exist.

By employing a rigid but slightly deformable material to construct sheet 10, I not only achieve an easily installed temporary closure for a grain car door but, at the same time provide a door that is uniformly more resistant against rupture than heretofore provided closures. By eliminating the use of metal straps, I avoid the possibility that the sheet material supported by the straps might shift therefrom and permit grain loss. Rather, by employing an integral structure with flanged sides and bottom I achieve a superior seal to retain grain and at the same time provide a means for readily maintaining the closure in position. Satisfactory results are achieved when the sheet 10 is constructed of sheet metal such as sheet steel or a variety of rigid plastic materials. Such plastic materials may take the form of thermoplastic or thermo-setting plastic materials. Such may be either vinyl plastics or plastics derived from phenolic resins. The plastic materials may be copolymers such as polyvinyl chloride and polyvinylidene chloride. Ethylene teraphthalate may be used. Alternatively cellu- 3 losic products such as hardboard or pressed wood can be used.

In another embodiment of my invention, as depicted in Figure 3 I provide a stitlening rib 22 between sheet 10 and inwardly extending flange 14'. In Figurel 3 the nomenclature employed ,irl` Figures l .and 2 is followed where possible but with the exception of adding a prime to the numeral indicating a similar element. By providing a stiiening rib such as indicated at 22' I substantially eliminate the need for employing nails 18 and 19 even during the initial stages of car lling. It is believed that a stifening rib Such as 2,2' acts to tix the ends of sheet 10 in position so as to make it act like a beam with fixed ends. Thus, it is possible to employ even a less rigid material to construct sheet 10' than is the case in the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Preferably l form rib 22' integral with sheet 10 and flange 14'.

While in the foregoing specification, I have set forth a specific structure in considerable detail Yfor the purpose of illustrating the invention, it will be understood that such details of structure can be varied widely by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1` In combination with a vehicle carrying grain, a temporary closure comprising a flat, substantially rigid, rectangular sheet, said sheet having integral inwardly projecting flanges on threel sides thereof, :the oppositely disposed flanges on two of said sides being additionally provided with integral anges extending sidewardly away from said sheet, the said two oppositely disposed anges being disposed against the vertical framing of the doorway of the vehicle to position the at portion of the sheet a spaced distance outwardly ofthe inner side of said framing, said ilat portion and said oppositely disposed flanges cooperating to dene pockets in which grain is supported in substantially immobile condition.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which said sheet along the sides equipped with the oppositely-disposed ange is equipped with stittening ribs extending between said a't portion and said oppositely-disposed flanges.

3. ln combination with a vehicle carrying grain, a temporary closure comprising a flat, substantially rigid,

y rectangular sheet, said sheet having Aintegral inwardlyis supported in substantially immobile condition.

References Cited in the lile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Lawrence May 12, 1936 Suess u Mar. 13, 1956

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