US2321539A - Refrigerator car construction - Google Patents

Description

' June 8, 1943. K. E. ZEIDLER ,3

REFRIGERATOR CAR CONSTRUCTION Filed April 24, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 [I I/ ll l/ l 1/ N t INVENTOR.

circulation of air.

Patented June 8, 1943 REFRIGERATOR CAR CONSTRUCTION Kurt E. Zeidler, Chicago, 111., assignor to Standard Railway Devices Company, a corporation 7 of Delaware Application April 24, 1941, Serial No. 390,081

8 Claims.

I This invention relates to refrigerator cars used to transport perishable commodities at a predetermined temperature. The essential features of a refrigerator car are an insulated body to prevent or retard ingress of heat during warm weather and egress of heat during cold weather, and a cooling means and a heating means to be used during warm and cold weather respectively.

This invention applies particularly to cars in which the cooling means, preferably containers for water ice, eutectic ice, brine or dry ice, are disposed immediately below the roof of the car. The lading is supported in spaced relation to the floor by a foraminous rack. Flues, preferably associated with the side walls of the car, communicate between the cooling means and the space under the floor rack to provide a path for the The path is from the cooling means downwardly through the aforementioned flues, through the space under the floor rack, upwardly through the lading compartment, thereby cooling the lading, and finally to the cooling means from where the cycle is repeated.

The refrigerant containers often used in a car of this type are substantially imperforate tanks in which is loaded the refrigerant which is usually comprised of ice or a mixture of ice and salt which forms, when the ice melts, water or a brine solution respectively. Overflow holes are usually provided in one or more sides of the container at a predetermined distance above the bottom thereof so that when the brine or other liquid refrigerant reaches the height of the holes such refrigerant flows through the holes and passes through a series of ducts in intimate contact with the circulating air, thereby both refrigerating and humidifying such air. Containers partially or wholly foraminous may also be provided in which case a liquid drips from the container as the refrigerant melts. This liquid flows to the lower part of the car through the above mentioned side wall fiues and is disposed upon the floor or in a gutter from where it is drained by suitable means to the exterior of the car.

Doorways are provided through one or both side walls of the car for the purpose of providing access to the interior thereof and fiues are associated with the doors and aligned with the above mentioned side wall fiues when the doors are closed for the purpose of conducting air and liquid to the lower part of the car as hereinabove described. The provision of a flue associated with the door necessarily leaves an opening for how of air and liquid between the threshold and the floor rack, which opening is a detriment to the car to the interior thereof.

fiow of air to the space under the floor rack and also preferably for the flow of liquid to the fioor or gutter of the car from which it may be disposed of.

Another object is to make such auxiliary threshold 'member integral with the. threshold .of the'car for the purpose of providing a more even surface and also to impart greater strength to such auxiliary member.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will'be apparent from the following detailed description by referring to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings: Fig; 1 is a transverse section through a refrigerator car embodying my invention, the left side of the figure being a section through the doorway and the-right side being a section through the side wall remote from the doorway.

Fig. 2 is a plan section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1

:with a part of the door broken away to more clearly show the threshold construction.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a modified form of auxiliary threshold member.

shown in Fig. 1 are insulated roof A; side walls B: floor D; refrigerant containers E; hatches F for loading refrigerant into the containers E; side wall flues G; foraminous fioor rack H and space J between the rack H and the floor D. One of the refrigerant containers E is positioned directly below the roof A and adjacent a side Wall B. A drip pan K is provided below the container E and a partition L is disposed in an upstanding position at the edge of the drip pan K. The drip pan K and the partition L cooperate with the roof A andthe upper part of the side wall B to form an enclosure M around the container E, an air inlet opening N to the enclosure M being provided by spacing the partition L from the roof A. An air discharge opening P leads from the enclosure M to the flue G at a lower elevation than the air inlet opening N. Cars of this type commonly have a row of refrigerant containers E near each side wall B, which containers are spaced apart at the center of the car. The partitions L are also spaced apart to form a duct Q which communicates between the lading compartment R and openings N.

Air circulation is as follows: Air in the lading compartment R, is warmed by contact with the lading and rises through the duct Q to enter the enclosing structures M through the air inlet openings N. The air is then cooled by contact with the cold refrigerant containers E and falls by reason of its lower temperature and therefore greater density through the discharge openings P and flues G to the space J whence it rises through the rack H to the lading compartment R. The above described cycle is thereafter continuously repeated.

In the modification shown, the refrigerant containers E are tanks provided with apertures 2 in certain walls 3 thereof at a predetermined height above the bottoms 5 of he containers for overflow of liquid refrigerant. Hoods 6 are preferably provided over the apertures 2 to prevent splashing of liquid through the duct Q into the lading compartment R. Liquid overflowing through the apertures 2 flows through the passages 6 between the containers E and the drip pans K and then downwardly through the side wall flues G. During flow through the passages 8 and flues G, the liquid and circulating air are in intimate contact and the air is thereby further cooled and humidified. Means not shown on the drawing may be provided to drain such liquid from the car.

A doorway is provided in a side wall B of the car, as illustrated at the left side of Fig. 1. The doorway is defined by spaced apart door posts I4, (see Fig. 2), a header IT and a threshold l8, which threshold is preferably covered by a slab of relatively hard material, which may be either metal or a heat insulating composition. A door 2|, which may be of either the swinging or sliding type, is adapted to close the doorway and has associated therewith a vertically extend ing flue 23 aligned, when the door is closed, with the fixed part 24 of the side wall flue G above the doorway. The door flue 23 cooperates with such fixed part 24 of the side wall flue G for the purpose of conducting air and liquid to the lower part of the car, as hereinabove described.

The opening between the threshold l8 and the floor rack H is bridged by an auxiliary threshold member which, in effect, is angle shaped with the vertical leg 3| thereof rigidly secured to the threshold IS. The auxiliary threshold member 36 preferably has strength enough to support the wheels of heavily loaded trucks which carry lading into the car. The member 30 is provided with a plurality of spaced apart apertures 33 in the horizontal leg 34 thereof so that air flowing downwardly through the door flue 23 may flow through the apertures 33 and into the space J below the floor rack H, from where it may enter the lading compartment R to cool the lading. Liquid passing downwardly through the door flue 23 also passes through the apertures 33 in the auxiliary threshold member 36 and is deposited on the floor of the car. Spaced apart vertically disposed web plates 36 are provided to reinforce the auxiliary threshold member 30.

Fig. 3 shows a modified form of auxiliary threshold member 46 in which the upper or horizontal leg 41 is concave upwardly in order to insure complete drainage thereof and to minimize the danger of liquid discharged from the door flue 23 splashing under the door lining 43 and into the lading compartment R.

Fig. 4 shows a modification of the invention wherein the threshold 56 of the car comprises the wooden members 5|, 53 encased within a metal sheathing 54. A longitudinally extending gutter 56 is provided depressed below the upper surface 51 of the car floor D and disposed adjacent the threshold 56. The part 51 of the threshold 56 below the door flue 23 is provided with a plurality of spaced apart holes 59 whose upper ends are aligned with the lower end of the door flue 23 in position to receive air and liquid discharged from the lower end of the flue 23. The holes 59 are inclined downwardly and inwardly so that the lower ends thereof are directly above the gutter 56 and opposite the space J under the floor rack H, thereby directing air into the space J and liquid into the gutter 56. Means not shown on the drawing may be provided to drain the liquid from the gutter 56.

Fig. 5 shows a threshold construction similar to that shown in Fig. 4, but wherein the holes comprise angularly disposed parts, 66, 68 the upper part 66 being substantially vertical and aligned with the door flue 23 and the lower part 68 being substantially horizontal and directed inwardly toward the space under the floor rack H.

In the modification shown in Fig. 6, the car structure is substantially like that shown in Fig. 4 but the threshold 12 is comprised of the three wooden members 14, 75, 16. The sheathing 1B which covers the threshold 12 is comprised of an inner part 86 and outer part 8| spaced apart to retard heat flow between the exterior and interior of the car. The inner part 86 of such sheathing has a portion 83 which underlies the door flue 23 and is provided with apertures 84 for passage of air and liquid, as described in reference to Fig. 1. An inclined member 86 serves the double purpose of reinforcing and supporting the metal sheathing l8 and of directing air into the space J below the floor rack H and liquid into the gutter 56. Web plates 61 secured to both the sheathing 18 and the inclined member 86 are providing for reinforcing purposes.

The floor rack 90 shown in Figs. 4 and 6 consists of a plurality of longitudinally extending spaced apart slats 61 supported by transversely extending metallic straps 93 formed with alternating upper (35) and lower (96) portions.

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 modification thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In combination with the roof, floor and a wall of a refrigerator car, refrigerating means near the roof, a doorway through said wall defined in part by a threshold and a door adapted to close said doorway and including a' flue arranged to conduct cold air and liquid from said means to the lower part of the car, said threshold being substantially as wide as the combined thickness of said door and flue and including a part below said flue provided with apertures for passage of said air and liquid.

2. In combination with the roof, floor and a wall of a refrigerator car, refrigerating means near the roof, a foraminous rack for supporting the lading arranged to form a space between the floor and the lading, a doorway through said wall defined in part by a threshold and a door adapted to close said doorway and including a flue arranged to conduct cold air from said means to the lower part of the car, said threshold being at least as wide as the combined thickness of said door and flue and having its inner edge disposed adjacent an edge of and substantially flush with said rack for hauling lading into said car, said threshold including a part below said flue provided with apertures for passage of said air into said space.

3. In combination with the roof, floor and a wall of a refrigerator car, refrigerating means near the roof, a foraminous rack for supporting the lading arranged to form a space between the floor and the lading, a doorway through said wall defined in part by a thresholdand a door adapted to close said doorway and including a flue arranged to conduct cold air and liquid from said means to the lower part of the car, said threshold being at least as wide as the combined thickness of said door and flue and having its inner edge disposed adjacent an edge of said rack for hauling lading into said car, said thresh-' old including a part below said flue provided with apertures for passage of said air and liquid.

4. In combination with the roof, floor and a wall of a refrigerator car, refrigerating means near the roof, a foraminous rack for supporting the lading arranged to form a space between the floor and the lading, a doorway through said wall defined in part by a threshold and a door adapted to close said doorway and including a flue arranged to conduct cold air from said means to the lower part of the car, said threshold being at least as wide as the combined thickness of said door and flue and including a part below said flue provided with apertures for passage of said air, and means below said part for directing said air into said space.

5. In combination with the roof, floor and a wall of a refrigerator car, refrigerating means near the roof, a foraminous rack for supporting the lading arranged to form a space between the floor and the lading, a doorway through said wall defined in part by a threshold, a door adapted to close said doorway and including a flue arranged to conduct cold air and liquid from said means to the lower part of the car, a gutter associated with said floor vertically unaligned with said flue, said threshold being substantially as wide as the combined thickness of said door and flue and including a part below said flue provided with apertures for passage of said air and liquid, and means below said part for, directing said air into said space and said liquid into said gutter.

6. In combination with the roof, floor and a wall of a refrigerator car, refrigerating means near the roof, a foraminous rack for supporting the lading arranged to form a space between the floor and the lading, a doorway through said wall defined in part by a threshold, a door adapted to close said doorway and including a flue arranged to conduct cold air and liquid from said means to the lower part of the car, a gutter associated with said floor vertically unaligned with said flue, said threshold being at least as wide as the combined thickness of said door and flue and including a part below said flue provided with apertures for passage of said air and liquid, and means comprising an inclined member below said part for directing said air into said space and said liquid into said gutter.

7 In combination with the roof, floor and a wall of a refrigerator car, refrigerating means near the roof, a foraminous rack for supporting the lading arranged to form a space between the floor and the lading, a doorway through said wall defined in part by a threshold, a door adapted to close said doorway, and a flue associated with said door and arranged to conduct cold air from said refrigerating means, a portion of said threshold being positioned below said flue and provided with'means to direct said air downwardly through said threshold from the flue to said space.

8. In combination with the roof, floor and a wall of a refrigerator car, refrigerating means near the roof, a foraminous rack for supporting the lading arranged to form a space between the floor and the lading, a doorway through said wall defined in part by a threshold, a door adapted to close said doorway, a flue associated with said door and arranged to conduct cold air and liquid from said refrigerating means, and a gutter associated with said floor, a portion of said threshold being positioned below said flue and provided with means to direct said air through said threshold from the flue to the lower part of the car and to direct said liquid from said flue to said gutter.

KURT E. ZEIDLER.

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