US2113863A - Floor rack for refrigerator cars - Google Patents

Description

April 12, 1938. v. E. SISSON 2,113,863 H FLOOR RACK FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS I Filed Dec. 1, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 12, 1938 PATENT OFFICE FLOOR RACK FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS Vinton' E. Sisson, Winnetka,

111., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Standard Railway Equipment Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Delaware Application December 1, 1936, Serial No. 113,680

'6 Claims. (Cl. 105-375) The invention relates to insulated railway refrigerator cars used to transport perishable commodities, such as vegetables, fruits, berries, meats, eggs, frozen fish, etc., and to maintain such 6 commodities while in transit within a predetermined range of temperature, thus necessitating the use of a cooling means in the summer and a heating meansin the winter. It has been found that perishable commodities which have not been allowed to get too cold (freeze) or too hot (bake) have a high market value because they have a longer storage life.

The invention relates specifically to floor racks for such refrigerator cars which comprise a foraminous or perforated floor, arranged to support the lading in the car in spaced relation to the insulated floor of the car so that air, after it has been cooled by a refrigerant, or heated by a heater, may pass under the lading and through the foraminous floor and up through or between the lading.

Spaced apart wooden slats supported by wooden stringers have been used for this purpose, but such construction is objectionable because it becomes" insanitary, retains odors, becomes water sogged and heavy, and is expensive to maintain.

An object of the invention is to provide a floor rack comprising a foraminous floor supported by stringers which is very light in weight for its strength; has a large total area of apertures in the foraminous floor for the passage of circulating air; offers the minimwn resistance to the air moving in a horizontal direction under the foraminous floor; is economical to make and install or remove from the car; is cheap to maintain; is sanitary and will provide a substantially smooth surface for walking upon and rolling trucks thereupon.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows a typical unit of my floor rack.

' Fig. 2 is a side view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an end view of Fig. 1.

Figs. 4 and 5 show a modified construction.

Fig. 6 shows my improved foraminous floor with an improved stringer.

Fig. 7 shows a fragmentary longitudinal section through a refrigerator car provided with my floor rack.

Fig. 8 shows a cross section through Fig. 7.

The floor rack comprises a foraminous floor supported by spaced apart springers to provide an air space between the foraminous floor and the regular floor of the car. I v

The foraminous floor comprises a metallic plate 5 formed with alternate upper (2) and lower (3) portions substantially the same widths spaced apart in parallel planes connected by webs 4, which construction produces a series of very strong beams for the amount of material used, as the compression member 3 is equal in strength 5 to the tension member 2.

The upper portions arepreferably curved 6 upwardly to form arches between the adjacent webs l and also to drain water into the valleys between the webs. The lower portions 8 are pref- 1o er-ably curved downwardly to form gutters to direct the water into the apertures. Fig. 5 shows a modified construction wherein the upper and lower portions are formed on a series of straight lines instead of curves. 15

The upper portions are provided with apertures l0 alternately disposed with apertures II in the lower portions to allow the air-to rise from the space below the foraminous floor up through or between the lading. If the apertures In in the upper portions were in alignment with the apertures in the lower portions II the structure, as a series of parallel beams, would be materially weakened, therefore, I arrange the apertures ID in the upper portion to alternate with the aper- 25 tures H in the lower portion, as shown in Fig. 1, thereby obtaining a stronger structure.

The stringers l2 engage foraminous floors between the apertures l0--l l, as shown in Fig. 1, so as not to close any of the apertures and there- 30 by interfere with the free circulation of air.

The stringers are also provided with a plurality of apertures l3 to allow free circulation of air below the foraminous floor, but the portion of the stringers below the webs 4-4 are imperforate, or without openings, so that, for instance, the portion of the stringer l4 between the apertures l3 and I3 forms a column to support the web 4.

'(See Fig. 3.)

. wall F therebetween.

A refrigerant is supported by the grates J in 50 the refrigerant chamber B in spaced relation to the floor of the car and the basket (or netting) K spaces the refrigerant from the end wall L and bulkhead A to provide the flues M. The apertured floor rack N supports the lading 0 so as the flues M. A refrigerant, such as ice, induces a convection air current from the flues M, through the space P and the apertures in the floor rack N, and as the air is warmed by the lading 0, it rises and passes through the bulkhead upper opening D and thence through the fluesM, and being cooled by the refrigerant, repeats the convection cycle.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it,is obvious that'various modifications thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In a refrigerator car having a wall with a flue adjacent thereto, a floor rack for supporting the car lading so as to provide a space between the lading and the floor of the car communieating with said flue comprising a floor supported by spaced stringers, said floor formed of a metallic plate comprising alternate upper and lower portions of substantially the same width in spaced apart parallel planes connected by webs, said upper portions provided with apertures alternating with apertures in the lower portion and means to induce an air current from said flue through said space and said aperture.

2. In a refrigerator car having a wall with a flue adjacent thereto, a floor rack for supporting the car lading so as to provide a space between the lading and the floor of the car communicating with said flue comprising a floor supported by spaced stringers, said. floor formed of a metallic plate comprising alternate upper and lower portions of substantially the same width in spaced apart parallel planesconnected by webs, said upper portions provided with apertures alternating with apertures in the lower portion and means to induce an air current from said flue through said space and said aperture, said stringers engaging said floor between the apertures.

3. In a refrigerator car having a wall with a flue adjacent thereto, a floor rack for supporting the car lading so as to provide a space between spaced stringers, said floor formed of a metallic plate comprising alternate upper and lower por- .to provide the space P which communicates with tions connected by webs spaced substantially equi-distant apart, said upper portions being curved upwardly to form arches between the webs and said lower portions being curved. downwardly to form gutters between the webs, said upper portions provided with apertures alternating with apertures in the lower portion and means to induce an air current from said flue through said space and said aperture.

4. In a refrigerator car having a wall with a flue adjacent thereto, a floor rack for supporting the car lading so as to provide a space between the lading and the floor of the car communicating with said flue comprising a floor supported by spaced stringers, said floor formed of a metallic plate comprising alternate upper and lower portions connected by webs, said upper portions being curved upwardly to form arches between the webs and said lower portions being curved downwardly to form gutters between the webs, said upper and lower portions having apertures for air circulation from said flue through said space.

5. In a refrigerator car having a wall with a flue adjacent thereto, a floor rack for supporting the car lading so as to provide a space between the lading and the floor of the car communicating with said flue comprising a floor supported by spaced stringers having horizontal openings therein, said floor formed of a metallic plate com prising alternate upper and lower portions of substantially the same width in spaced apart parallel planes connected by webs, said upper and lower portions having apertures for air circulation and means to induce an air current from said flue through said space and said aperture, the portions of said stringers below said webs being without openings.

6. In a refrigerator car having a wall with a flue adjacent thereto, a floor rack for supporting the car lading so as to provide a space between the lading and the floor of the car communicating with said flue comprising a floor supported by spaced stringers having horizontal openings therein, said floor formed ofa metallic plate comprising alternate upper and lower portions ofsubstantially the same width in spaced apart parallel planes connected by webs, said upper portions provided with apertures alternating with apertures in the lower portion, the portions of said stringers below said webs being without openings.

VINTON E. SISSON.

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