US3089437A - Diagonal brace for bulkhead flat cars - Google Patents

Description

May 14, 1963 w. HENDRICKER 3,0 7

DIAGONAL BRACE FOR BULKHEAD FLAT CARS Filed Feb. 2, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR fa; 76m

ATTORNEY y 1963 G. w. HENDRICKER 3,089,437

DIAGONAL BRACE FOR BULKHEAD FLAT CARS Filed Feb. 2. 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INV EN TOR GEORGE W fiewamclrfl? ATTORNEY This invention relates to railroad flat cars of the type wherein substantial bulkheads are fixed at the ends of the cars and extend from side to side of the car and are about as high as they are wide. Being of appreciable height, and such cars designed for carrying heavy lading, such as plywood, etc., which shifts against said bulkheads during service movements of the car, it is desirable that additional means of support be provided in the form of a brace to take impact shocks against the bulkheads. This is the principal object of the invention.

It is another object of the invention to provide such bracing means as an adjustable fixture to the car, and which may be folded intermediate of its ends out of the way when the car is being loaded, and then extended to diagonal position from near the top of the bulkhead to the side sill of the car remote from the bulkhead, and thus provide a simple and eflicient means of additional support to the bulkhead, the operation of which does not require removal of bolts, pins, or locking pieces. Being fixed to the car there is little danger of the brace being lost therefrom when the car is unloaded. The design does not require that the device be removed from the car when the car is being loaded or unloaded.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent from the following description of the invention which has reference to the accompanying drawing illustrating one practical embodiment of the invention, and wherein FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one end of a bulkhead fiat car illustrating the diagonal braces attached to the bulkhead and showing one of the braces in folded position for unobstructed loading of the car.

FIGURE 2. is a similar view showing both of the braces in extended position as they would appear when the car is loaded.

FIGURE 3 is a top view of the top portion of the brace.

FIGURE 4 is a view at right angles to FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a top plan view of the lower portion of the brace.

FIGURE 6 is a view at right angles to FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 7 is an end elevation of the side sill bracket.

FIGURE 8 is a side elevation of the side sill bracket.

FIGURE 9 is an top elevation of the bulkhead bracket.

FIGURE 10 is a side view of the bulkhead bracket.

FIGURES 11 and 12 are side and end views respectfully of the adjusting nut for the lower portion of the brace.

FIGURES l3 and 14 are side and end views of the safety toggle or detent for the side sill bracket.

FIGURES 15 and 16 are side and end views of the locking bar or detent.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, there is shown in FIGURES l and 2 a railroad flat car indicated generally at 10 and which includes a floor 12 suitably mounted upon car trucks indicated at 14. The car of course is provided with substantial side sills 16 which extend from end to end of the car.

Across the ends of some of such cars are provided substantial bulkheads such as indicated at 18, which extend the width of the car end and are about as high as they are wide. These bulkheads, being of substantial height, need bracing to maintain them in upright position Patented May 14, 1963 and to resist the shocks to which they are constantly subjected during service movements of the car.

I therefore provide foldable braces for each of these bulkheads, each comprising two pivotally united parts. Only one of these braces will be described as it will be understood they are identical and that two are provided for each bulkhead as shown.

A bulkhead bracket 20* is provided which is fixed to the bulkhead, in diagonal position thereon, adjacent to the upper inner corner of the bulkhead. This bracket is in the form of a clevis provided with two spaced arms having registering holes 22 therethrough through which a pin 24 extends and pivotally holds within the clevis the flattened end 26 of the top portion 28 of the brace. The other or lower end of the portion 28 is in the form of a clevis 30, having registering holes 32 therethrough through which a pin 34 extends and pivotally holds within the clevis the flattened upper end 36 of the lower portion 38 of the brace. The other end of the portion 38 is provided with an enlarged screw-threaded portion 40 inwardly from the end of portion 38. Immediately adjacent the screw-threaded portion 40 is welded a strip of metal &2 to provide a locking seat for the safety toggle or detent 44, hereinafter described.

A side sill bracket is provided comprising two welded together parts 46 and 48 which together provide a trough like saddle for the lower part 38 of the brace when in operating position. The part 46 comprises a piece of fiat metal which is bent in angular form as at 50 providing one-half of the saddle like trough. A triangular gusset 52 is welded along one edge at right angles to the part 46. The other part 48 also comprises a metal piece having right angled flanges, one of which 54 is welded along its edge to the part 46, normal thereto. Thus parts 46 and 48 have flanges in parallel spaced relation. A semicylindrical wear piece 56 is provided and positioned within the saddle formed by flange 54 and the upturned margin of part 46 to provide a seat for the brace when installed therein. This side sill bracket is secured to the side sill 16 of the car immediately below the overhanging ends of the floor boards. The longitudinal axis of the sill bracket is in line with the corresponding axis of the bulkhead bracket 20 so that when the brace is installed it will extend diagonally between the upper corner of the bulkhead and the side sill as shown in FIGURE 2. When so installed, a nut 58 is screwed onto the threaded part 4% of the lower portion 38 of the brace and screwed up almost tightly against the side sill bracket, but free enough so that the brace may be easily lifted therefrom. This adjustment permits varying the length of the brace between its connections with the bulkhead and the side sill to compensate for any change of angularity of the bulkhead with respect to the floor of the car due to service movements thereof. This adjustment also permits ease of removal of the brace when necessary without sacrificing its rigidity. The overhanging ends of the floor boards are cut away as at 39 so that the brace will be within the overall width of the fioor.

Mounted upon the under side of the overhanging end of the floor boards immediately above the sill bracket just described, is the hereinbefore mentioned safety pawl or detent bracket 43, which is in the form of a clevis, and pivotally holds the pawl or detent 44 so that it depends by gravity over the rod portion 38 and prevents it from bouncing or being accidentally removed from the saddle 46. When, however, it is desired to unload the car, for example, the detent may be moved on its pivot out of the way so that the brace rod may be lifted from the saddle and made to assume the folded position shown in FIGURE 1.

A short length of chain 66 is attached at one end to 3 the end of the brace portion 38 and at the other end to the side sill as indicated in FIGURES 1 and 2, so that the brace may not become disengaged from the car.

A bracket 62 is also attached to the side sill of the car to hold the portion 38 of the brace when the brace is folded as shown in FIGURE 1.

Also a bracket is provided at the elbow of the two portions of the brace to maintain them in aligned position, when disposed as shown in FIGURE 2. This bracket is shown in FIGURES 15 and 16 and comprises a plate like portion 70 approximately as wide as the clevis '36, and provided with a hole 72 therethrough through which a bolt 75 (FIG. 2) may pass and also through a corresponding hole 76 (FIGS. 3 and 4) in the clevis end of portion 28 so as to pivotally hold the bracket to the brace. The bracket is of a length to underlap the two pivotally united ends of portions 28 and 38 and thus hold them in alignment. At the lower inner side of the plate portion a hook member 74 is welded on edge to the plate portion so as to extend substantially normal thereto. The hook portion is adapted to hook over the end of portion 38 and thus hold the jointed members in alignment. in the area of the hook portion the plate portion 70 is bent slightly as at 77, and the free edge of the hook portion 75 is chamfered at the same angle as at 78. Edge 78 and portion 77 are spaced slightly more than the diameter of the brace portion 38, so that when the brace is to be folded, the detent is swung out of the way, the brace lifted from sill bracket 46, and then the portion 38 pivoted on pin 34 until it is at the angle of the edge 78 and portion 77 when the plate 70 may be swung laterally on bolt 75 as a pivot, out of alignment with the brace, at which time the brace may be folded as shown.

From the foregoing it is evident that I have devised a simple bracing means for the bulkhead of bulkhead flat cars, which brace is adjustable from an extended bracing position to a foldable stored position, and which brace not only supports the bulkhead but also assists in retaining the load on the car. It will be understood that the brace of my invention could be used to support a bulkhead at any location transversely along the length of the car, and when so located have braces extending from the bulkhead to the underframe on opposite sides of the bulkhead.

aving thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

The combination with a freight car having an upright bulkhead transversely of said car, and an underframe, of a foldable brace, in extended position, disposed diagonally from the upper outer corner of said bulkhead to the side of said underframe remote from the bulkhead, one end of said brace being pivotally attached to said bulkhead and the other end of said brace being removably attached to said underframe, means intermediate of the ends of said brace providing a foldable joint for said brace, second means secured to said side sill to removably receive said other end of said brace in its folded position, means movably attached to said joint to prevent said joint from accidentally folding, said underframe attachment comprising a trough-like bracket secured to the underframe to receive the lower end of said brace, and a detent pivotally mounted to said underframe, depending over said brace to retain said brace in said bracket, and swingable to one side of said brace to permit removal of said brace from said bracket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,188,330 Schaefer June 20, 1916 1,785,342 Gilbert Dec. 16, 1930 2,038,143 Swanson Apr. 21, 1936 2,407,091 McMullen Sept. 3, 1946 2,819,688 Hall Ian. 14, 1958 2,826,156 Hall Mar. 11, 1958 2,835,522 Serto May 20, 1958 2,845,292 Dunning et al. July 29, 1958 2,978,993 Hall Apr. 11, 1961

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