US2973886A

US2973886A - Drop-bottom shipping container

Info

Publication number: US2973886A
Authority: US
Inventors: Elgaard Lauritz
Original assignee: Allied Chemical Corp
Current assignee: Allied Corp
Priority date: 1959-03-09
Filing date: 1959-03-09
Publication date: 1961-03-07
Anticipated expiration: 1978-03-07

Description

March 7, 1961 ELGAARD DROP-BOTTOM SHIPPING CONTAINER 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 9, 1959 FIG.|.

INVENTOR LAURITZ ELGAARD ATTORNEY L. ELGAARD DROP-BOTTOM SHIPPING CONTAINER March 7, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 9, 1959 INVENTOR LAURITZ ELGAARD ATTORNEY March 7, 1961 ELGAARD 2,973,886

DROP-BOTTOM SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed March 9, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR LAURITZ ELGAARD ATTORNEY March 7, 1961 ELGAARD 2,973,886

DROP-BOTTOM SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed March 9, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR 7 LAURITZ ELGAARD ATTORNEY f Fig. .Fig. 1.

Fig. 2.

United States Patent'O 2,973,886 DROP-BOTTOM SHIPPING CONTAINER Lauritz Elgaard, Malverne, N.Y., assignor to Allied Chemical Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Mar. 9, 1959, Ser. No. 798,183

4 Claims. (Cl. 222-556) This invention relates to shipping containers and more specifically to a drop-bottom shipping container for bulk materials provided with a locking device for locking and releasing the bottom dump door of the container.

In accordance with the invention, a drop-bottom shipping or transporting container has a bottom discharge opening, a hinged door for the discharge opening, and a locking assembly mounted on the container adjacent the free end of the door adapted to receive and support the free end and lock the same in closed position upon closure of the door and to effect release of the door end at will to permit the door to swing downwardly to open and discharge position, the locking assembly comprising a vertical pivoted locking member providing a pair of spaced jaws positioned and adapted to efiect rotation of the member and to receive and support respectively the door end as the latter in upward movement approaches and reaches closed position, the locking member having an upwardly extending arm subject to movement through a predetermined arc between extreme positions at which the door end is supported and released respectively by the jaws, a lock arm mounted at one end on a fixed pivot to extend toward the locking member arm, a roller carried by the lock arm for engaging the periphery of the locking member arm, the lock arm being positioned and adapted to maintain the engagement of its roller with the periphery of the locking member arm throughout movement of the locking member arm through the arc, spaced recesses in the periphery of the locking member arm adapted and arranged to receive the roller at the aforesaid extreme positions, spring means attached to the lock arm arranged and attached to maintain the engagement of the lock arm roller with the periphery of the locking member arm under pressure at all times, the recess at the extreme position of the locking member arm for supporting the door end being a step of depth greater than the radius of the lock arm roller for insuring re- ,ceipt of the rollertherein to lock the locking member farm against motion through the arc, and release means .vent travel of the locking member arm therebeyond and .to 'resist' but permit initiation of reverse movement of the locking member arm upon closure of the door.

1 In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section of the shipping container of the instant invention.

Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1.

3 is a vertical section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on line 44 of Fig. 5 is a vertical section similar to Fig. 4 showing idle-relationship between the parts of the locking device ICC 2 when such locking device permits opening movement of the dump door.

Fig. 6 is a section taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a horizontal section talcen on line 7-7 of taken on line 8-8 of container 15 comprises

side walls

16 and 17 and

end walls

18 and 19. The container is adapted for use on railroad freight cars, trucks or other vehicles for transportation of bulk materials, e.g. coke, coal, ore or the like.

Lifting hooks

20 and 21 are provided at the top of container 15 for lifting the same by means of chains or cables and suitable hoisting mechanism. The base of the container is formed by generally channel shaped side and

end members

22 and 23 and 24 and 25 respectively. As shown, the container is rectangular in shape and has a filling opening at its top and a discharge opening at its bottom, such discharge opening being adapted to be closed by hinged dump door 26 preferably provided with reinforcing corrugations 27. Reinforcing bars for the side and end walls of the container as shown at 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 and 35. Inwardly directed

slope sheets

37, 38, 39 and 40 are provided at the sides and ends of the container for directing or guiding the material within'thecontainer toward the discharge opening. The slope sheets are provided with

vertical flanges

41, 42,, 43 and ,44 in alinement with the respective downwardly extending flanges of the generally channel-shaped base members, the slope sheet vertical flanges being secured by welding to the base members as is clearly shown in Fig. 3.

Referring to Figs. 1-3, door 26 is constructed of corrugated plates 45 and 46 joined together by means of a suitable reinforcing member (not shown). Channelshaped marginal reinforcing

members

48 and 49 and 50 and 51 are provided at the ends and sides of the door respectively. Projection 52 is secured to the swinging or free end of door 26 by means of anchoring member 53 integral therewith, member 53 extending through an opening in channel member 50 and being secured thereto by welding. Pipe 54 is aflixed to the lower portion of the swinging end of door 26 to facilitate sliding of the door end on the ground or freight car floor when the door is open. Door 26 is hinged to one side of the container by means of

hinges

54, 55, 56 and 57, each hinge comprising

hinge plates

58 and 59. As more clearly shown in Figs. 9 and 10, each hinge is aflixed to the end of the door by welding and is mounted on hinge pin 60 by means of the opening of eyelet 61 which provides support for the door. To cushion the opening movement of the door,

plate 62 extends between and is secured as by welding to each of the pairs of

hinge plates

58 and 59, rubber bumper 63 being afiixed to plate 62 by means of bolt 64 embedded or secured in the inner portion of the to.

Spacer pins

68a and 113 extend between and are secured to

side plates

66 and 67 to maintain the plates the desired distance apart. Locking member or bell crank 69 having an upwardly extending arm is pivotally mounted on horizontal pin 70 extending between and secured to lower portions of

side plates

66 and 67. Nut 71 is on the threaded end of pin 70 and washer 72 is disposed between side plate 67 and nut 71. The locking of latch member has spaced lower and

upper jaws

73 and 74 respectively in a lower portion thereof, and two spaced recesses or

depressions

75 and 76 each having concave surfaces in an upper portion thereof, depression 76 being located more outwardly of the container than depression 75. Inner depression 75 has depth greater than the radius of roller 88 of -forked lock arm 83, and outer depression 76 has depth less than the radius of roller 38 for the reasons aforementioned.

Rocker member 77 having long arm 78 and short arm 79 is pivotally mounted on horizontal pin 80 extending between and secured to upper portions of

side plates

66 and 67, pin 80 having nut 81 on a threaded end thereof and washer 82 between side plate 67 and nut 81. Forked lock arm 83 is pivotally mounted on horizontal pin 84 extending between and secured to portions of

side plates

66 and 67 intermediate the places of securing of

pins

70 and 80. Pin 84 is provided with nut 85 on its threaded end and washer 86 is between side plate 67 and nut 85. Roller 88 is carried by forked arm 83 for engaging depression 75 of locking member 69 for maintaining locking member 69 in locking engagement with door 26. Such engagement of roller 88 with depression 75 of the locking member is shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and in more detail in Figs. 6 and 7. Roller 88 is mounted on pin 89 extending between

arm members

90 and 91 of forked arm 83.

Link 94 connects rocker member 77 and forked arm 83 carrying roller 88. Link 94 is connected to rocker member 77 by means of pin 97 having

nuts

92 and 96 on its threaded opposite ends, pin 97 being inserted through registering openings in short arm 79 of rocker member 77 and link 94. Link 94 is also connected to forked arm 83 carrying roller 88 by means of pin 89 inserted through another opening in link 94, cotter pin 93 being inserted through an opening in pin 89 for retention of link 94 and also spring 99 on pin 89. Coil spring 95 is attached to link 94 and housing cover plate 68. -As show'ninFigs. 3 and 4, spring 95 urges link 94 in a direction outwardly of the container thereby biasing roller 88 of forked arm 83 into engagement with depression 75 of locking member 69. A second coil spring 99 is attached to pin 89 of forked lock arm 83 'and to housing side plate 67 by means of bolt 100 having nut 101. Spring 99 urges roller 88 of forked arm 83 in 'a direction downwardly of the container thereby assisting the other spring 95 in maintaining roller 88 in engagement with depression 75 of locking member 69.

Circular opening 102 formed in cover plate 68 is covered by frnsto-conical member 103 welded to cover plate 68-, frustrorconical member 103 having smaller diameter circular opening 104 in the inner end thereof. Chain 105 extends through opening 102 and opening 104 and is fastened to long arm 78 of rocker member 77. Chain 105 is provided with large diameter ring 106 for manually or otherwise applying a pull upon the chain which imparts swinging movement to rocker member 77.

Bolts 108 are inserted through registering small diameter openings in housing cover plate 68 and container side wall 16 for'secnring or attaching cover "plate 68 and hence the locking device securely to the container. As shown, bolts 108 are flat headed screws having nuts 109 on their inner threaded end portions. By removal of the bolts, the locking device can be removed or lifted from the container as a complete and individual unit which facilitates it's repair, assembly, installation and removal.

The locking device is installed in container 15 by first moving or turning the locking device in a counterclockwise direction a sumcient distance to provide for clearance between notch or cut out 110 in

housing side plates

66 and 67 and stop bar 111 welded to the top of channel member 22. When such clearance is accomplished, the locking device is moved in a clockwise direction and inserted into the lower side portion of the container until housing cover plate 68 is substantially parallel to and abuts side wall 16 of the container. Cover plate 68 is then moved or oriented until its marginal perforations for the bolts register with the perforations of side Wall 16. Bolts are then inserted in the registered perforations and nuts are screwed on the inner threaded ends of the bolts to attach cover plate 68 and the locking device securely to the container. Bottom dump door 26 is in an open position during installation of the locking device. In removing the locking device from the container, the nuts are unscrewed from the bolts and the bolts then removed from the container wall and housing cover plate. With dump door 26 in an opened position, the locking device is removed from the container by moving the device in a counterclockwise direction a sufficient distance to provide clearance between cut out 110 in

side plates

66 and 67 and stop bar 111 to enable the locking device to be lifted out of the container. Such removal is easily accomplished and is advantageous for the reasons stated. A cover or housing to protect the locking device from the container contents is provided over the locking device by plate 112 welded both to container side wall 16 and vertical flange 43 of slope sheet 38.

To open or release the door to discharge the contents of the container, an outward pull is given to chain 105 with the aid of ring 106 thereby imparting swinging movement to rocker member 77 and to link 94 against the action of spring 95 and to forked arm 83 carrying roller 88 against theact'ion of spring 99. Roller 88 is lifted and disengaged from depression of locking member 69 by reason of such swinging movement thereby permitting locking member 69 to swing or turn in a clockwise direction. The weight of the contents of the container and of the door 26 at this time cause locking member 69 to swing in a clockwise direction so that the swinging or non-hinged end of the door is released from between lower and

upper jaws

73 and 74 respectively of the locking member, and the door opens. The relationship between the constituent parts of the locking device after the door has been opened or released is clearly shown in Fig. 5. During clockwise swinging movement of locking member 69, roller 88 disengaged from inner recess or depression 75 is moved into engagement with outer recess or depression 76 of the locking member and maintained in depression 76 by the biasing action of spring 99, thereby maintaining locking member in the slanting position shown in Fig. 5 with lower and

upper jaws

73 and 74 respectively in a receptive position for engaging the swinging end of door 26 during closing movement of the door. As shown in Fig. 10, door 26 when open hangs at an angle of approximately 45 to the bottom of the container, its opening movement being cushioned by rubber stop 63.

When the container with door 26 open is lowered toward the ground or bottom of the railroad car, the lower edge of door 26 is rnove'd upw'a'rdly after making contact and projection 52 integral with the swinging "end of door 26 engages upper jaw 74 'of locking member 69 and causes this locking member to be swung or returned in a counterclockwise direction to its former position. Roller 88 is thereby moved out of outer depression 76 of locking member 69 and drops in place and engages inne'r depression 75 of locking member 69 and maintains the locking member in locking engagement with door 26.

Link 94 and forked arm 83 carrying roller 88 under the influence of springs and 99 cooperate inm'aintaining .5 roller 88 in depression 75. Closing and locking of the door is then completed.

Although certain preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed for purpose of illustration, it will be evident that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A container for transporting bulk material providing a bottom discharge opening, a hinged door for said opening, and a locking assembly mounted on said container adjacent the free end of said door adapted to receive and support said free end and lock the same in closed position upon closure of said door and to effect release of said door end at will to permit said door to swing downwardly to'open and discharge position, said locking assembly comprising a vertical pivoted locking member providing a pair of spaced jaws positioned and adapted to effect rotation of said member and to receive and support respectively said door end as the latter in upward movement approaches and reaches closed position, said locking member having an upwardly extending arm subject to movement through a predetermined are between extreme positions at which said door end is supported and released respectively by said jaws, a lock arm mounted at one end on a fixed pivot to extend toward said locking member, a roller carried by the look farm for engaging the periphery of said locking member arm, said lock arm being positioned and adapted to maintain said engagement of its roller with the periphery of the locking member arm throughout movement of said, locking member arm through said are, spaced recesses inthe periphery of said.locking member arm jadaptedand arranged to receive said lock arm roller at the aforesaid extreme positions, spring means attached to said lock arm arranged and adapted to maintain said engagement of the lock arm roller with the periphery of the locking member arm under pressure at all times,

the recess at the extreme position of said locking member arm for supporting said door end being a step of depth greater than the radius of said lock arm roller for insuring receipt of the lock arm roller therein to lock the locking member arm against motion through said arc, and release means connected to said lock arm for lifting said lock arm roller out of said step thereby permitting rotation of said locking member armby said door end, the recess at said other extreme position being of depth substantially. less than the radius of said lock ,arrn roller and adapted to prevent travel of said locking member arm therebeyond and to resist but permit initiation of reverse movement of the locking member arm upon closure of said door.

2. A container for transporting bulk material providing a bottom discharge opening, a dump door hinged to the container for closing the discharge opening and supporting the container contents when in closed position, and a locking assembly mounted on said'container adjacent the free end of said door adapted to receive and support said free end and lock the same in closed position upon closure of said door and to effect release of said door end at will to permit said door to swing downwardly to open and discharge position, said locking assembly comprising a housing including spaced vertical side plates and a vertical cover plate joining outer edges of the side plates, a vertical pivoted locking member having a pair of spaced upper and lower jaws positioned and adapted to effect rotation of said member and to receive and support respectively said door end as the latter in upward movement approaches and reaches closed position, said looking member having an upwardly extending arm subject to movement through a predetermined are between extreme positions at which said door end is supported and released respectively by said jaws, a rocker member pivotally mounted on said side plates, a lock arm pivotally mounted at one end on the side plates to extend toward said locking member arm, a roller carried by the lock said locking member arm through said are, a link connecting the rocker member and the swinging end of the lock arm, spaced recesses in the periphery of said locking member arm adapted and arranged to receive said lock arm roller at the aforesaid extreme positions, spring means attached to said lock arm arranged and adapted to maintain said engagement of the lock arm roller with the periphery of the locking member arm under pressure at all times, the recess at the extreme position of said locking member arm for supporting said door end being a step of depth greater than the radius of said lock arm roller for insuring receipt of the lock arm roller therein to lock the latch arm against motion through said are, an opening in said cover plate communicating the interior of the housing with the exterior ofithe container, and release means accessible external of the container fastened to the rocker member for lifting said lock arm roller out of said step thereby permitting rotation of said locking member arm by said door end, the recess at the other extreme position being of depth substantially less than the radius of said lock arm roller and adapted to prevent travel of said locking member arm therebeyond and to resist but permit initiation of reverse movement of the locking member arm upon closure of said door.

3. A container for transporting bulk material having a top filling opening and a bottom discharge opening, a

dump door hinged to one side of the container for closing the dischargeo'pening and supporting the container contents when in closed'position, a locking .device fastenedto the container adjacent the free end of the door for locking and releasing the bottom dump door, said locking :device comprising a housing including spaced vertical side plates and a vertical cover plate joining outer edges of the side plates, a vertical bell crank for the door pivotally mounted on lower portions of the side plates, said bell crank having a pair of spaced upper and lower ja-ws in a lower portion thereof and two spaced depressions in .an upper portion thereof, one of said depressions being located more outwardly of the container than the other,

a rocker member pivotally mounted on upper portions of the side plates, a forked lock arm pivotally mounted on one end to portions of the side plates intermediate and inwardly of the places where .said bell crank and said rocker member are mounted, a r'oller'carriedby said forked lock arm for engaging the inner depression of the bell crank and maintaining the bell crank in locking engagement with the door when in closed position, said inner depression having depth greater than the radius of the roller, a link connecting the rocker member and the swinging end of the forked arm, a first spring attached to said link and to said housing cover plate, said firstl spring urging the link in a direction outwardly of the container thereby biasing the forked arm roller into engagement with the inner depression of the bell crank, a second spring attached to said forked arm carrying the roller and to the housing side plate, said second spring urging the forked arm carrying the roller in a direction downwardly of the container thereby assisting said first spring in maintaining the roller in engagement with said I am ss the door, the disengaged roller moving into engagement with said outer depression of the bell crank as a result of the locking member movement, said outer depression having dep'th less than the radius of the roller to resist but permit initiation of counterclockwise movement of the bell crank upon closure of the door, the bell crank being moved into a position by the opening door movement wherein its spaced upper and lower jaws are in areceptive position for engaging a swinging end of the door diiring closing movement of the door, the bell crank being maintained in the last-mentioned position by means of the forked ar' m roller being biased into engagement with the outer depression of the locking member by said second spring, and fastening means removably inserted through the housing cover plate and the container side wall for attaching the locking device securely to the container, said locking device being removable from the container as a complete unit when 'said fastening means are removed from the container side wall.

4. A container for transporting bulk material having a top filling opening and a bottom discharge opening, a dump door hinged to one side of the container for closing the discharge opening and supporting the container contents when in closed position, a locking device fastened to the container adjacent the free end of the door for locking and releasing the bottom dump door, said locking device comprising a housing including spaced, vertical side plates and a vertical cover plate joining outer edges of the side plates, a first pin extending between and secured to lower portions of the side plates, a vertical bell crank for the door pivotally mounted on said first pin, said bell crank having a pair of spaced upper and lower jaws in a lower portion thereof and two spaced depressions each having cohcave surfaces in an upper portion thereof, one of said depressions being located more outwardly of the container than the other, 'a second pin extending between and secured to upper portions of the side plates, a rocker member having a longer arm and a shorter arm pivotally mounted on said second pin, a third pin extending between and secured to portions of the side plates intermediate and inwardly of the places where said first and second pins are secured, a forked lock arm pivotally mounted on one end on said third pin, a roller carried by said forked lock arm for engaging the inner depression of the bell crank and maintaining the bell crank in locking engagement with the door when in closed position, said inner depression having depth greater than the radius of the roller, a link connecting the shorter arm of the rocker member and the swinging end of the forked arm, a first spring attached to said link and to said housing cover plate, said first spring urging the link in a direction outwardly of the container thereby biasing the forked arm roller into engagement with the inner depression of the bell crank, a second spring attached ta said forked arm carrying the roller and to the hotisirig side plate, said second spring urging the forked arm carrying the roller in a direction downwardly of the container thereby a'ssi'stin'g said first spring in maintaining the roller in engagement with 'said inner depression of the bell crank, an opening in said cover plate communicating the interior of the housing with the exterior of the container, and a chain accessible external of the container extending through said opening and fastened to the longer arm of the rocker member for imparting swinging movement to the rocker member and thereby to the link and to the forked arm carrying the roller against the action of said first and second springs to lift and disengage the roller from the inner depression of the bell crank thereby permitting clockwise movement of the bell crank and opening movement of the door, the disengaged roller moving into engagement with said outer depression of the bell crank as a result of the locking member movement, said outer de pression having depth less than the radius of the roller to resist but permit initiation of counterclockwise movement of the bell crank upon closure of the door, the bell crank being moved into a position by the opening door movement wherein itssp'aced upper and lower jaws are in a receptive position for engaging a projection at the swinging end of the door during closing movement of the door, the bell crank being maintained in the last-mentioned position by means of the forked arm roller being biased into engagement with the outer depression of the locking member by said second spring, and bolts removably inserted through the housing cover plate and the contain'er side wall for attaching the locking device securely to the container, said locking device being removabl'efrdrn the container as a complete unit when said bolts are removed from the container side wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,697,002 Iohan'sson Dec. '14, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 489,821 Germany t Dec. 23, 1927