US924065A - Grain-door for cars. - Google Patents

Description

GRAIN DOOR FOR GARS.

APPLICATION FILED NQV. 16, 1907.

924,065. Patented June 8, 1909.

2 SHEETS-sund.

jJ.. HENRY. GRAIN DOOR FOB. GARS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 16, 1907 924,065. Patented June s, 1909.

2 SHEBTS-SBEET 2.

JOHN HENRY, OF GRAND FORKS, NORTHy DAKOTA GRAIN-DOOR FOR CARS.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 8, 1909 Application ledNovember 16, 1907. Serial No. 402,421.

To all whom 'it may concern.;

Be it knownv that I, JOHN HENRY, of Grand Forks, in the countyof Grand Forks and State of North Dakota, have invented certain new 'and useful Improvements in Grain-Doors for Cars; and I do hereby delare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,"such as will enable others sl 4illed in the art to which it appertains to ma te and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in grain doors for cars the object being to provide means for automatically elevating or moving the dloor out of the way, after it has been unlocked and the pressure of the grain against same removed.

lVith this end in view my invention consists in the parts and combinations of parts as will be more fully explained and 'pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a section of a `car from the inside showing the door in its locked position. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the door elevated. Fig. 3 is a similar View from the outside showmg the locking mechanism. Fig. 4 is a View in horizontal section throughthe' door and posts. Fig. 5 is a view in vertical section, showing the door in .its'opera'tive position in full lines and in its folded position against the underside of the roof, in dotted lines.

1 represents the side sill, and 2 the door posts of an ordinary box car, each post being provided with a recessor keeper -3, the inner wall of -which is beveled inwardly from its top, for a purpose to be hereinafter explained.

- The door is composed of an uppermain section 4, and a lower section 5 hinged to the main section, and adapted toswingoutwardly so as to .permit of the free discharge of all the grain adjacent to the-doors. The upper section of the door comprises a top panel G, extending from one door post 2 to the other, and having an easy fit between them, and the strips or battens 7 to which the panel is secured at its ends. These end strips or battens', overlap the inner 'faces of the posts'2,- and absolutely prevent the door from being forced out by a Vpressure from within. The battens\7 project below the panel 6, and when in operative position, reston the sill 1, as shown in Figs 1 and 2.

The lower section 5 of the door, is hin ed to panel (l, the hinges being on the outside I charged.

so as to permit section 5, to swing outwardly when it is desired to discharge the grain from the car. This lower hinged sect1onv5 of the door, is overlapped at its.' ends by the battens which prevent it from swinging, or being' forced inwardly, and its lower end is adapted to rest against the inner .edge of the door sill 9, which latter as shown is secured to vthe side sills of the car between the posts 2.

With the door in place, with the lower edge ofthe door projecting below and engaging the inner edge of the sill, the lower or hinged section will be held against any swinging movement, hence in order to release the lower section, so as to permit it to swing outwardly, the door fastening devices, to be hereinafter described, must first be released, and the door moved bodily upwardly, by means of a bar or stick inserted between the door sill and the shoulder 8 near the lower edge of the door. As soon as the swinging section of the door is clear of the door sill, the pressure of the grain will force it outwardly, thus permitting the grain rwhich will gravitate out, to be dis- The swinging section of the door is provided on 'its inner face with the flanged strips 10, the anges 11 of which bear againstthe edges of the battons 7 and prevent the escape ofV any grain at these points.

Pivot-ally secured to the outer face of the upper section el of the door, bars 12, the shorter ends of bars are .turned to av horizontal position, enter the socketedkeepers 13 in the posts 2.,

and lock the door in place. The inner walls of the keepersare inclinded upwardly and outwardly so that the bars 12, which enter the keepers from below, engage the inclined walls .as shown at 14, and\forcibly pull the gate into contact with the inner faces of the post, while the contact of the locking bars with the top walls of the keepers, force` the gate solidly down onto the floor of the car.

The upper section of the gate is provided on its outer face with the shouldered plates 15, two of which are for holding the lock-v ing bars 12 horizontally or in their locking positions, and two for holdin the bars in vertical position. The shoul ers on these plates have inclined surfaces over which the yielding or spring Shanks of the bars ride,

when moving to ntheir two positions, the shoulders operating to hold the bars in these are the locking" which, when positions against the possibility of accdental displacement. To movey the bars from one position to another, it is simply necessary to flex or bend the bar outwardly until it is clear of the shoulder holding it in place, and then turn it on its axis until it is in its other position.

If desired I may provide the upper section 4of the door with an inwardly folding hinged leaf 17, which forms an' upper extension, and which may be used in extra heavy cars, or when it is desired to load above the top of the main section of the dooi'.

The door thus constructed is provided at its side edges, near its top, with the brackets 18 to which the free ends of the cords or cables 19 are attached. These cords or cables extend upwardly and .pass through eyes (or sheaves) 20 secured to the car frame in a plane above the door opening, and are secured at their free ends to the end of a coiled spring the latter being secured to the ear frame to one side of the door and preferably in the plane of the eyes 20. The spring is of a strength to lift and sustain the door in its elevated position, and the parts are so constructed that the tension or power of the spring is slightly greater than the weight of the door, hence but slight power is required to lower the door to its I operative position.

The upper ends of the locking bars 12, are bent inwardly at their upper ends as at 22, and as the door is elevated, their bent ends pass between the guiding brackets 23 and the supporting pintles 24, the bent end of the bars 12 projecting toward the latter. By now turning the gate inwardly and upwardly toward the roof of the car, the bent ends of the locking bars engage and pivot on the pintles 24 and support the upper end ofwthe gate, suitable hooks or other devices being attached to the roof of the car for engaging and holding the free or lower end of thefgate in a position immediately under the roo When ,the gate is released from the roof and turns to its vertical position, the hooked ends of the bars 12, becolne disengaged from the pintles 24 thus leaving the gate free to be pulled down into its operative position.

When the door is not in use, it can be moved up and then turned against the roof of the car and secured in this position out of the way, by the hooks or any suitable fastening device before referred to.

lVhen it is desired to convert the box ear into a grain car, the door is lowered, and is secured in place by turning the locking bars from their vertical positions to horizontal positions, the handles or shanks of the lock- -ing bars, being readily accessible from the keepers, and the door bodily raised by a bar or stick inserted between the door sill and the shoulder on the door. As soon as the swinging section of the door clears the door sill, the pressure of the grain forces said swinging section outwardly thus permitting the grain to flow from the car. All the grain bearing against the door, will gravitate out, and as soon as all that will naturally flow from the car has passed out, the door will then be free Vto be raised out of the way, thus permitting the remaining grain to be shoveled out.

It is evident that many slight changes might be resorted to in the relative arrangement of parts shown and described without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention hence I would have it. understood that I do not wish to confine myself to the exact construction herein shown and described, but,

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is l 1. In a grain door for cars, the combina tion of a door, bars on the door for locking same in operative position, and pintles adjacent to the top of the door frame, the locking bars on the door, adapted to engage said pintles when the door is elevated and turned upwardly and cooperating with said pintles to form temporary hinges.

2. In a grain door for cars` the combination a door, bars on the door for locking same 'in operative position, the upper ends of said .bars heilig bent outwardly, and pintles on the car frame adapted to be enga-ged by the bent ends of the locking bars when the door is elevated and turned up against the underside of the top of the car, said locking bars adapted to coperate with said pintles to form temporary hinges.

3. The combination with a car and pintles on the door posts, of a vertically movable grain door, and pivoted bars on the door cooperating with the door posts to lock the door and coperating with said pintles to form temporary hinges.

4. The combination with a ear and pintles and guide brackets in front thereof on the door posts below' the lintel, of a vertically movable door, and hook bars on the door, said hook bars movable between the guides vand pintles on the door posts and arranged to project above the guide brackets when the dooris raised and adapted to cooperate with said pintles to form temporary hinges for the door.

In testimony whereof, I have signed thisl specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN HENRY. Witnesses A. N. MrroHnLL, GEonen F. DowNlNo.

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