US843559A

US843559A - Safety device for hopper-car doors.

Info

Publication number: US843559A
Application number: US34284206A
Authority: US
Inventors: Andrew Christianson
Original assignee: STANDARD STEEL CAR CO
Current assignee: STANDARD STEEL CAR CO
Priority date: 1906-11-10
Filing date: 1906-11-10
Publication date: 1907-02-05
Anticipated expiration: 1924-02-05

Description

PATENTED FEB. 5, 1907.

A. GHRISTIANSON.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR HOPPER GAR DOORS.

APPLIOATIN FILED NOV. 10l 1908.

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PATENTED FEB. 5, 1907.

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A. GHRISTIANSON. SAFETY DEVICE POR HOPPER GAR DUORS.

APrLmATIoN rILnD Nov 1o, 190s WITNESSES.

mu ma; L mi UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

ANDREW CHRISTIANSON, OF BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO STAND- ARD STEEL CAR COMPANY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPO- RATIoN or PENNSYLVANIA,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 5, 1907.

Application filed November l0, 1906. Serial No. 342,842.

To all whom it may concern: y

Be it known that I, ANDREW CHRISTIAN- SON, a resident of Butler, in the county of Butler and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Safety Devices for Hopper-Car Doors; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.-

This invention relates to safety devices for Io the 'doors of hopper-cars or hopper-bottom gondola cars. l The object of the invention is to provide a device which is simple of construction, easy of operation, which does not interfere with I 5 the ordinary door-operating mechanism, and which eectively holds the door closed in case the usual door-closing vmechanism fails. In all railway-cars provided with swin g drop-doors, whether arranged horizontal yor zo on an incline, there is always danger of the door-closing means failing. Usually these doors are closed by means of a rotating shaft connected to the doors either by means of chains, links, or other flexible connectors, 2 5 and the doors are usually held in closed position by locking the shaft against rotation. This locking means' is liable to become dislaced or the flexible connectors sometimes reak, in either event permitting the doors to 3o swing open and discharge the lading.

This Invention is intended to provide additional safety devices which prevent the doors from swinging open in case any of the foregoing contingencies arise.

The invention comprises the arrangement of ptarts hereinafter described and claimed.

the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse section throucrh the bottom portion of a hopper-car and s owin my inven- 4o tion ap lied thereto. Fig. 2 is a ongitudinal vertica section of the bottom portion of the car, taken between the center sills; and Fi s. 3 and 4 are similar views of a portion of t e mechanism, showing different positions of 'the door.

In the drawings the invention is shown applied to a hopper-car provided with hoppers closed by transverse inclined doors, although it is evident that it can be ap lied to any 5o form of hopp er-bottom car havin either inclined or horizontal doors exten ing either transversely or longitudinally of the car.

The car shown is provided with center sills 1, which are standard rolled channel-beams laced with their anges projecting inwardly.

he car side is shown at 2, the inside hoppersheet at 3', the outside hopper-sheet at 4, the inclined floor-plate at 5, and the transverse hood at 6. The doors 7 are hinged to a transverse angle 8, riveted to the lower edge of the hood-sheets, and the lower edges of said doors when closed abut a ainst the bottom edge of the inclined floor-p ate 5 in the usual way of one type of hopper-bottom cars.

'lhe doors preferably are arran ed in pairs, one on either side of the center sil s, as shown in Fig. 1, the individuals of the air being connected by a beam 10 of any preferred construction, that shown comprising two channel-sha ed pressed members placed back to bac-k with one of the flanges of each secured to the doors, as shown in Figs. 2 to 4.

The door-closing 'mechanism may be of any desired type, such as winding chains connected to the usual winding-shaft or any of 75 the other usual forms of such mechanism. That shown comprises a link 1 1, connected to the beam 10 between the center sills and having a hooked end 12, which is connected by another link 13 to an arm 14 on arotating member 15, mounted between the hoppers and actuated from a transverse shaft extending out to the sides of the car. This is the wellknown Simonton door-operating mechanism and willbe understood without further description.

My invention is an additional or' safety device to prevent the doors from falling open in case the door-operating mechanism fails from any cause. This safety device comprises a hook or hooks 1-7, two such hooks being shown pivotally mounted in brackets 18, secured to the inside hopper-sheets-between the hoppers, said hooks being arranged to engage a drum 19 on a transverse shaft 20, 95 mounted in suitable bearings 21 on the beam 10, said shaft extending out to the side of the car and being there provided with suitable rotating means, such as the hand-wheel 22. Preferably the drum 19 and hooks 17 are roo provided with interengaging serrated or toothed faces, as shown. The nose of the hook is inclined or rounded, as shown at 24, so that it is automatically lifted to pass the drum 21 when the door is being closed, as 105 shown in Fig. 4.

. fully closed the serrated faces of the drum and hooks are not in engagement, as seen in Fig. 2 so that the hook can drop down so as to be in the path ofthe drum when the latter swings open. Should the door-closing mechanism fail 'for any reason, either Whollyl or partly, the door will fall back until the drum 19 engages the hook, as seen in Fig. 3, and in this position is securely held so as to revent` discharge of the lading. In o enmg the door the same thing'occurs, -an to permit the door to swing fully open it is necessary to operate the hand-Wheel 20, thus rotating the drum 19 and through the toothed engagement of the same Withthe hook lifting the latter until it clears the drum, thus permit,- ting the door to swing fully open.

The mechanism described 1s simple of construction and can be applied t0 various types of hopper-bottom cars and without interfering with the usual door-operating mechanism. It acts automatically on the closing of the door and etectually prevents the doors from opening incase of failure of the door# closing mechanism.

What I claim is-.

y 1. A railway-car provided with a swinging bottom door, closing mechanism for said door, a safety device comprising a movable latch, and a movable member in position to bev engaged by the latch and therethrough` hold the door closed and arranged, when moved, to release said. latch.

2. A railway-car provided witha swinging bottom door, closing mechanism for said door, a safety device comprising a latch movably mounted on the body, and a movable member on the door in position to be engaged by the latch when the door is closed and arranged When moved to release said latch.

' 3. A railway-car provided with a swinging bottom door, closing mechanism for said door, a safety device comprising a latch movably -mounted on the body, and a movable member on the door in position to be engaged by the latch and arranged when moved to release the latch, said movable member and latch being provided with interengaging connections.

4. A railway-car provided With a swingingl bottom door, closing mechanism for said door, a safety device comprising a latch movably mounted on the body, a movable member on the door in position to be engaged by the latch when the door is closed and arranged When moved t0 release the latch, said movable member and latch being provided with toothed or serrated engaging faces.

5. A railway-car provided with a swinging bottom door, closing mechanism for said door, a safety device comprising a hook pivoted to the body, and a movable member on the door in position to be engaged by the hook and arranged when moved to disengage the hook.l v

6. A railway-car provided with a swinging bottom door", closing` mechanism ,for said door, a safety device comprising a hook pivotally mounted on the body and a rotatable member on the door in position to be engaged by the hookwhen the door is closed, said rotatable member and hook being provided with toothed or serrated engagingfaces.

7. A railway-car rovided With a swinging bottom door, a sha t rotatably mounted on the door, closing mechanism for said door, and a safety-hook pivoted on the car-body in position to engage the shaft when the door? is closed, said vhook and shaft beingprovided with interengaging connections.

4 8. A railway-'car provided with center sills,

a'hopper on either side ofthe sills, transverse doors for said hoppers, door-closing mechanism, a safety device comprising a hook pivotally connect-ed to the 'body'between the hoppers, and a shaft mounted on the door trar's- A versely von the car and having a serrated member in hook when t 'e door' is closed and provided at its outer end with rotating means.

In testimony whereof I, the said ANDREW CHRIs'rIANsoN, have hereunto set my hand.

ANDREW CHRISTIANSON.

rosition to ,be 'engaged by the