US897049A - Means for operating the doors of hopper-bottom cars. - Google Patents

Description

O PATENTED AUG. 25, ms. W. s. ATWOOD & F. DITGHPIELD, MEANS FOR OPERATING THE DOORS 0F HOPPER BOTTOM CARS.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 13, 1908.

Wifnuonzo unrrnn STATES; PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM-STEPHEN:ATWOOD, or

wEs'ruoUNr, ANl) FRANK DITCHFIELD, or MONTREAL,

. QUEBEC, CANADA.

mums FOR oPERa'rn' G'rBE- noons or HOPPER-BOTTOM cans.

ins-emp re Sp'ecifieation'of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 25, 1908.

a icaaon filed February 13, 11908. Serial No. 415,725.

To all whom it coiw'erh:

. -Be it known that we,-W1L1'.rAiu STEPHEN city .A'rwoon, of Westmoun-t, Province. of Quebec, Canada, and FRANK DITCHFIELD, of the j of Montreal, Province of Quebec, Can ads), have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Operating the Doors of Hopper-BottomOars; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full,

clear,' 'a nd exact descriptionof the same. 3 Our lnvention has for' its object to provide means whereby greater ower can be exerted .to open the-door for t e purpose of over-' com'mgits resistance when held closed by frost or other extraneous causes.

The-invention may be said, briefiy, to consistof acompression link and a tension mem ber flexibly connecting such-link to a device 7 adapted to, when manually operated for the purpose of closing the door, take .up the tension'member and bring the'compression link into engagement with such device in order that upon the reverse action of thesaid device sufficient compression can be exerted through the link, outwardly upon the door, to loosen thelatter from its seat even if it is stuck, the tension member then allowing it to fallto' its full open position.

For :full comprehension, however, of our invention reference must be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this s ecification, in which similar reference 0 aracters indicate .the same parts, and wherein Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of the underside of a car fitted with our invention;

and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view taken on line- A A Fig.1 Fig. 3 is a per' spective view of the quadrant'and compres sioulink. Y

The body I) of the car, the hopper bottoma, and door (1' are of well known construction and as theyform no part of our invention we will not describe them.

Specifically stated our invention comprises a compression link gpivoted as at h to the door and having its free end connected by a chain is to a quadrant m and furnished with a pair of lateral pin projections or studs n. s

The quadrant isformed on opposite sides,

' fat its pivot point, with trunnions 0 and p journaled in bearings 7' mounted on the un' derside of the car body, the trunnion p having a square axial opening toallow of the consional nection of the usual operating shaft, a portion whereof is indicated at 8, while the body of this quadrant is slottedat right angles to and across the pivot point, as at t, to accommodate -the.link. Each side of one end of this .slotted .portion (which is also one end of the curved, portion of the quadrant) has a hooked lug u and a shoulder Q) adapted to receive between them one of the pin projections.

' or studs 1, the chain being of just sufficient length to cause this engagement to take place and the link to assume a position within the slot t and below the pivot point of the quadrant, when such chain is wound on the quadrant.

When the operating shaft is rotated in the direction indicated in Fig. 2, the chain is wound on the curved portion of the quadrant,

which is recessed to accommodate it, and the pins or studs n are drawn over the shoulders and seated in the recessesbetween the latter and the hooked lugs. When in this position the link lies within the quadrant and beneath the center "of rotation thereof and consequently tends to retain the quadrant against rotation in the direction required to displace it to allow the door to open. When the door .is either closed or open this link acts as a tension member through the medium of which the door is hung from the quadrant.

, Toopen the door the quadrant is rotated in the reverse direction to that indicated,

thereby causing the pin projections or studs n to be first lifted above the center of rota tion and then borne-upon by the hooked lugs, thus placing the link in compression, sufficient power being in this manner made available to start the door. What we claim is as follows:

1. The combination with a hopper door,

- of a compression link connected to the door,

a tension member connected to such link and'a manually operated device adapted to at different times take up and pay out the said tension member,- and means within the a chain connected to the link, and a quadrant having the chain connected thereto and such quadrant presenting structural features adapted to engage and retain the link during the time the chain is Wound thereon, the said structural features being further adapted to exert compression through the link and upon the door.

The combination with a hopper door, of a compression link having lateral pins or studs at one end and pivotally connected at its other end to the door, a chain connected tothe free end of such' link, a qnadrant formed with a slot extending inwardly across 15 the pivot point to accommodate the I, link, one end of the slotted .portion' being formed at each side with a shoulder and hooked lug and the opposite end of the quadrant having the chain connected thereto.

In testimony whereof, We have signed our names to this specification, in the presence of the two subscribing Witnesses.

I WILLIAM STEPHEN ATWGOD FRANKDITCHFIELD YVitnesses \VrLLI'AM P. MCEEAT, F ner) J. SEARS.

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