US3291071A

US3291071A - Multiple closure toggle actuated hopper outlet assembly

Info

Publication number: US3291071A
Application number: US239692A
Authority: US
Inventors: George B Dorey
Original assignee: Enterprise Railway Equipment Co
Current assignee: Enterprise Railway Equipment Co
Priority date: 1962-11-23
Filing date: 1962-11-23
Publication date: 1966-12-13
Anticipated expiration: 1983-12-13

Description

Dec. 13, 1966 G. B, DOREY 3,291,071

MULTIPLE CLOSURE TOGGLE ACTUATED HOPPER OUTLET ASSEMBLY Filed Nov. 23, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR GEORGE E. DORE) G. B. DOREY Dec. 13, 1966 MULTIPLE CLOSURE TOGGLE ACTUATED HOPPER OUTLET ASSEMBLY 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 23, 1962 GEORGE E. DORE) G. B. DOREY Dec. 13, 1966 MULTIPLE CLOSURE TOGGLE ACTUATED HOPPER OUTLET ASSEMBLY Filed NOV. 25, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR GEORGE E. DORE) R -mm G. B. DOREY Dec. 13, 1966 MULTIPLE CLOSURE TOGGLE ACTUATED HOPPER OUTLET ASSEMBLY 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed NOV. 23. 1962 INVENTOR GEORGE E. DORE) tes to Enterprise Railway E ui meat Com lll., a corporation of lllino is p pany, Chlcago,

Filed Nov. 23, 1962, Ser. No. 239,692 7 Claimsn (Cl. 105-253) The invention relates to an improved Load Discharing Hopper Car of the type generally employed in railway operations and is of special importance in connection with a car having openings for discharge of lading centrally between the rails.

The disposition of hoppers for discharging centrally between the rails, especially when associated with closures operable by transversely extending shafts, renders operation of the closures inconvenient and even hazardous unless the operating shafts are extended well beyond the hoppers towards the car sides. Sufficient lengthwise extension of the shafts in this manner to provide the necessary convenience and safety of operation renders the long overhanging shaft portions vulnerable to bending and distortion.

This invention proposes a solution to this problem by ate nt FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 except that the locking dog and its associated linkage and operating mechanism is shown in overbalanced released position.

FIGURE 4 is a vertical elevational view of the structure shown in FIGURE 1 as viewed from right to left.

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of FIGURE 4 with the hopper walls eliminated to better illustrate the construction.

FIGURE 6 is a vertical sectional view taken transversely of the car and showing slightly more than one half ofthe width of the lower portion of the car embodying the invention, said view being taken on a line corresponding substantially to line 6-6 of FIGURE 5.

FIGURE 7 is a detached frontal elevational view on an enlarged scale of the operating head.

FIGURE 8 is a side elevational view of the operating head shown in FIGURE 7 as viewed from left to right.

FIGURE 9 is an elevational view of the operating head illustrating the relative position of thehead and its operating bar as the shaft overruns the bar.

FIGURE 10 is a transverse vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale, as taken on a line ll01tl of FIG- means of a frame structure embodying outrigger frame 1 members for directly supporting the shaft adjacent its operating locations and thus eliminating objectionable shaft overhang.

Objects of this invention among others are to provide a closure assembly incorporating framing members, closures and door operating mechanisms assembled in a single package applicable to the car as a self-contained unit; to provide a frame work structure surrounding a hopper and having outrigger frame members for rotatably supporting an operating shaft; to provide mechanisms for the complete operation of closing and sealing as well as opening and rupturing of the sealing ribbon of hopper closures from any one side of the car; to provide an improved safety operating head for operating quick discharge closures and to provide locking dogs on opposite sides of the car with'toggle locking linkage mechanisms operable from either side of the car.

The invention furtherrelates to the arrangement of the operating shaft and its associated linkage in relation to other parts of the car structure and in the novel frame structure for supporting the hopper closures and mechanisms therefor.

The invention further resides in details of construction and arrangement of parts such as shown in the drawings or described in the specification.

For further comprehension of the invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawings wherein an embodiment of the invention is shown as applied to a hopper of a railway car, said darwings showing only enough of the car structure as to show the application to one hopper, it being understood that a plurality of such hoppers is usually incorporated in a railway car of standard construction.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGURE 1 is a partial side elevational view of the lower portion of a hopper showing only as much of the hopper as necessary to show the application of the invention to one hopper, said view showing the outer portion of the operating head as well as the outer wall of the dog supporting bracket broken away to better illustrate the parts.

FIGURE 2 is a fractional side elevational view on an enlarged scale of the shaft locking and sealing mechanism as viewed with the parts in locked position and the sealing ribbon applied.

URE 4, showing by full lines the swinging doors in closed position and indicating by conventional dot and dash lines the same doors in open position.

Referring now to the drawings, the relation of the hopper to the rails and to the side of the car is well seen in FIGURE 6 Where one of the rails is indicated atllll,

one of the wheels of the car indicated by conventional dot and dash lines at 11, a side wall of the car at 12, a side sill 12a, and one of the hoppers at 13.

The hopper 13 is formed by oppositely sloping transverse'walls 14-14 meeting with longitudinal oppositely sloping walls ]l5]l5 to form an inverted four-sided truncate-like structure.

The sloping walls lead to an opening 16 which is located to discharge lading centrally between the rails. The discharge opening 16 is surrounded by a framing structure 17 which is preferably composed of transversely extending frame members lit-18, preferably of angle shape, with one wall 19 overlying the longitudinally sloping hopper walls 1414 and having the adjacent wall 20 extending at a normal to the sloping wall 14. The walls 19 throughout the distance of the discharge opening are bent to present a substantially vertically downwardly extending wall section 21.

The said framing members Iii-18 are extended well beyond the hopper opening to present cantilever extensions 22 of appreciable length lying beyond the hopper openings.

Connecting the distal ends 23-43 of the extensions 22 are beam members 24 which are preferably of angle shape with one wall 25 vertically disposed and the adjacent wall 26 extending laterally outwardly. The said members 2424 are welded to the members l818 as indicated at 27 (FIG. 5) and function as outrigger frame members for supporting co-operation with an operating shaft and. closure operating mechanisms as will be described. The space intermediate the hopper walls and the outwardly spaced outrigger frame members provide wells 28 for the accommodation of door connecting linkages.

The pair of framing members 18-18 are further united together by longitudinally extending members 2929 which each include a sloping wall 30 overlying the lower portion of sloping hopper wall 15 and depending from said sloping wall 30 is a vertically disposed wall section 31.

The said depending

wall sections

21 and 31 thus pro vide a four-sided opening having substantially vertical walls on all sides. The said longitudinal members 2929 are welded to transverse frame 18*18 at 32 (FIG. 5).

21 and 31 are oppositely swinging doors 35-35 and a transversely extending ridgemember 36 disposed midway of the opening area. The ridge member 36 is of generally inverted V shape presenting oppositely downwardly sloping walls 37-37 which overlie the swinging edges of the doors when in closed position.

The said ridge member extends between the depending wall sections 31 and is welded thereto at 38. Each door includes a flat plate body member 39 having upwardly extending side walls 40-40 and front and rear upwardly extending walls 41 and 42, the latter merging into a hollow tubular formation 43. The said tubular formation 43 is adapted to be positioned in the angle formed by angularly

related walls

19 and 20 of framing member 18 and is hingedly retained by a continuously extending rod 44 which is inserted therethrough and held at each end in bearing plates 45. The plates 45 are fitted edgewise in the angle presented by

walls

19 and 20 of member 18 and welded thereto as shown at 46. The said rods 44 are maintained against axial displacement by means of stops 47 welded to the

respective walls

19 and 20.

'The doors when in closed position enclose the longi- -tudinal depending side walls 31 and the transversely extending

walls

21 and 37 thus providing leak proof seals completely around the discharge opening. Outwardly of the side walls 31 are shield plates 48 which effectively guard the lading against adverse weather conditions.

The operation of the doors is effected through the medium of a transversely extending rotatable shaft 49 journalled in bearings 50 carried by the outrigger frame members 24. The bearings 50 are located midway of the members 24 which allows the shaft to extend beneath the centrally located ridge 36. The said bearings 50 preferably include vertical and

horizontal walls

51 and 52 for attachment to the

respective walls

25 and 26 of the frame members 24.

The respective doors are reinforced on the underside by angle shaped members as indicated at 53 and 54 respectively and said members are fitted at each end with end brackets 55 each having a body portion 56 received in the angle presented by the angled walls of the reinforcements. Lugs 57 extending lengthwise from the body portion 56 are apertured at 58 for connection with door mechanisms.

Disposed to extend within the wells 28 between the hopper walls and outrigger frame members are

door linkage connections

59 and 60. The said

linkage connections

59 and 60 are of similar construction except that linkage 59' approaches its final locking position from an overhead direction, whereas linkage 60 approaches its locking position from an underhead direction. For each hopper there are two overhead linkages 59 and two underhead ones 60 but inasmuch as the construction of the individual linkage assemblies is similar the description herein will be confined to only one of such linkage assemblies. Each linkage assembly includes a radially extending arm 61 having a hub 62 encircling the shaft 49 and fastened therto by welding as indicated at 63. The arm 61 includes a pair of walls 64-64 spaced apart and apertured at 65 (FIG. 10). A link member 66 is sandwiched between the walls 64-64 and pivotally united therewith by a pivot 67 extending through the aperture 65 (FIGS. 4 and 5). The opposite end of the link member 66 is forked to present spaced walls 68-68 which straddle an eyebolt 69 and is pivotally connected therewith by a pivot 70. The eyebolt 69 includes a serewthrcadcd bolt portion 71 which extends through aperture 58 of the lug 57. The screwthreaded portion 71 is fitted with a complementary screwthreaded nut 72 whereby adjustment may be effected to obtain tightly closed doors. A locknut 73 is applied to the bolt on the opposite face of the lug 57.

As will be observed by reference to FIGURE 10, the

linkage connections when in closed position assume an overcenter toggle locked position with the direction of pull for the overhead linkage 59 extending along a line 74 lying below the axis 75 of the shaft 49 whereas this direction of pull for underhead linkage 60 extends above the axis 75 of the shaft on a line 76. The link members are concaved at 77 to permit the overcenter locking action described.

Rotation of the shaft 49 is effected from either side of the car and to thisend an operating head 78 is nonrotatably mounted on each end of the shaft outwardly of the outrigger frame members. The operating head includes a hub portion 79 encircling the shaft and welded thereto at 80 and 81 and outwardly of said hub there is a cam-like body portion 82 having a rim face 83 specially contoured for co-operation with locking means as will be hereinafter described.

Outwardly of the body portion 82 the head is provided with spaced

bar gripping means

84 and 85 for holding a removable operating bar 86 therebetween. The gripping means 84 is in the form of an opensided pocket 87 axially aligned with the shaft 49 and having a partially closed outer end 88 for retaining the end of the bar against unwarranted slippage.

The companion gripping means 85 includes a laterally outwardly extending wall 89 spaced lengthwise from the pocket 87. The side edges 90 of the wall 89 constitute bearing seats for the operating bar 86. The seating edges 90 flare outwardly towards the outer end of the wall to form stops 91 for preventing outward slippage of the operating bar.

The gripping means 84 and 85 are so disposed as to release the operating bar 86 upon overrunning of the shaft as the doors suddenly drop. The release of the bar 86 is effected in part by an outward sidewise movement imparted thereto by inclined edge surfaces 92 of the walls 93 leading to the pocket 87. The inclined walls 93 merge into the gripping wall 89 and the latter extends from said merging location at an acute angle to the shaft thereby adequately spacing the gripping locations to provide a secure hold on the operating bar, The shaft is locked against reverse rotation by locking dogs 94 disposed on opposite sides of the car in alignment with the rim face 83 of the operating heads. Each locking dog 94 is pivotally mounted at 95 on a bracket 96 and is formed with an arcuately shaped locking face 97 adapted to register with an abutment wall 98 of the rim face 83 of the head. The locking dogs are swingable to an overbalanced released position out of the path of the abutment wall 98 and in order to guard against accidental return of the dogs to locking position, unless the doors are fully closed, the rim face 83 of each head includes an arcuately shaped section 99 concentrically related to the axis 75 of the shaft 49 and adapted to bar return of the dogs as seen in FIGURE 3.

Coordinated movement of the locking dogs on opposite sides of the car is effected through the agency of a transversely disposed locking shaft 100 rotatably mounted in bearings 101 which in turn are mounted on the outrigger beams 24. Lever arms 102 which are non-rotatably secured to the shaft 100 by welding as at 103 are aligned with the respective dogs 94 and connected therewith by pairs of elongated links 104-104 through the medium of

pivots

105 and 106. The lever arms 102 are provided with outwardly laterally extending handle portions 107 and the shaft 100 is likewise provided with outwardly laterally extending hub portions 108 aligned with said handle portions there-by permitting insertion of a removable bar 109 therebetween for prolongation of leverage.

The lever arms 102 and links 104 operate as a jackknife mechanism moving to closed position in togglelocked relation as seen in FIGURE 2. The handle 107 limits over center knuckling movement of the parts by resting on the center of the links 104. Similarly the opening movement of the links 104 and levers 102 is limited by contact between the links and the shaft 100 as seen in FIGURE 3. The lever arms 102 and links 104 are provided with apertures 110 and 111 respectively which are arranged to lie in registering alignment when the parts are in full locking arrangement for the accommodation of a sealing ribbon 112 as seen in FIGURE 2. It is to 'be noted that the sealing ribbon may be applied on either side of the car and rupturing effected from either side.

Assuming the doors in closed position and the seal in position as seen in FIGURE 2, the unloading operation is effected by swinging the lever arms 102 to position as seen in FIGURE 3 thereby rupturing the sealing ribbon 1112. Thereafter the removable bar is positioned as indicated by full lnes in FIGURE 9 and sufficient upward movement imparted to the bar to release the mechanism whereupon the doors open and the operating head overruns the bar as indicated by conventional dot and dash lines displacing the bar sidewise outwardly and at the same time the gripping wall 89 swings beyond the end of the bar thereby assuring complete disengagement of the latter.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In combination, a railway hopper car having side and end walls and a centrally disposed hopper including an opening for downward discharge of lading centrally between the rails comprising:

(a) transversely extending frame members adjacent opposite sides of the opening,

(b) oppositely swinging doors for the opening pivotally mounted on said transverse members,

(c) said transverse frame members having projecting portions extending appreciably beyond the hopper toward the sides of the car,

(d) beam members extending between and connecting the distal ends of the projecting members to provide an open well between each beam and the facing hopper wall,

(e) bearings disposed midway of the beam members and carried thereby,

(f) a shaft journalled in said bearings to extend transversely of the car between the swinging edges of the doors and (g) linkage mechanisms extending between the shaft and the ends of the doors and being disposed in the open wells.

2. The invention set forth in claim 1 wherein the shafts are extended outwardly of the bearins and are there provided with operating heads arranged to releasably hold a removable bar at an acute angle to the shaft.

3. In a railway car having a hopper and an opening for the downward discharge of ladi-ng and a pivotally mounted door for the opening, in combination,

(a) an operating shaft,

(b) winding linkage mechanism connecting the shaft and door for lifting the latter from open to closed position by rotation of the shaft and holding the door in closed position;

(c) said shaft upon initial rotation in an unwinding direction effecting release of the door and allowing said door to drop to the open position,

(d) said dropping door effecting unwinding of the linkage and causing rotation of the shaft,

(e) means on the shaft for releasably accommodating a removable operating bar including:

(f) an operating head having (g) spaced gripping seats for seating the bar therebetween,

(h) one of said seats comprising a pocket axially aligned with the shaft for holding an end of the bar and (i) the other of said sea-ts including a wall extending outwardly laterally beyond the shaft at an acute angle to the axis of the shaft and having the edges of said wall forming seats for the bar,

(j) said wall upon overrunning movement of the shaft under the influence of the dropping door being adapted to circle beyond the pocketed end of the bar during opening of the door and releasably displace the latter by imparting an outward sidewi'se movement thereto.

4. As an article of manufacture, a discharge outlet and doors therefor with door operating mechanism assembled in a self contained package .for application as a unit to the downwardly inwardly converging walls of a four sided hopper of a railway car of the type adapted for discharge centrally between the rails with operation of the doors available from either side of the car, said assembly including:

(a) a frame structure for bordering the hopper formed in part by (b) transversely and longitudinally extending frame members disposed to overlie the hopper sloping walls and arranged for attachment thereto,

(c) said transverse members being extended beyond the overlying longitudinal members to present overhanging extensions,

(d) outwardly spaced beams extending longitudinally between and connecting the distal ends of the overhanging portions of the transverse beams,

(e) oppositely swinging doors hinged to the transverse overlying frame members,

(f) bearings carried by the outwardly spaced longitudinal beam members at a midway location thereof,

'(g) a rotatable shaft journalled in the bearings and extending transversely through the hopper above the meeting edges of the swinging doors when closed,

(h) an inverted V shaped ridge extending transversely between the longitudinal overlying members and secured thereto,

(i) said ridge being disposed above the shaft and above the swinging edges of the doors when in closed position,

(j) self locking linkage mechanisms connecting the shaft and the ends of the doors and disposed between the hopper and the outwardly spaced longitudinal beams,

(-k) means on opposite ends of the shaft and disposed outwardly of the bearings [for rotating the shaft and thus actuating the doors from either side of the assembly,

(l) a radially extending lug on each of said rotating means,

(m) a pivotally mounted locking dog at each side of the assembly and aligned with said lugs for engagement therewith for preventing rotation of the shaft,

(11) means for moving the respective dogs in unison from either side of the assembly including:

(o) a rotatable locking shaft juxtaposed to the operating shaft,

(p) radially extending lever arms fast on the locking shaft in alignment with each dog and (q) linkage pivotally connected to the lever arms and to the dogs for moving the latter by rotation of the locking shaft.

5. The invention set forth in claim 4 wherein the radial arms include an outwardly laterally extending handle 7 8 adapted to rest on the linkages to thereby limit overcenter References Cited by the Examiner knuckling movement of the aims and linkages.

6. The invention set forth in claim 5 wherein the lock- UNITED STATES PATENTS in g dogs are swung to released position by opening the 763:185 6/1904 Johnson X angle (between the linkages and arms and limiting such 5 112801152 10/1918 BTOWII 105-289 opening movement by contact between the linkages and 1,308,421 7/ 1919 Hillmall vl05310 X the locking shaft. 2,950,144 8/ 1960' Doiey 105-304 X 7. The invention set forth in claim 6 wherein the locking shaft is provided with hub portions disposed outwardly ARTHUR LA POINT, Pnmary Examine"- Of the arms and in alignment With the handles of the radial 10 LEO QUACKENBUSH MILTON BUCHLER arms whereby a removable operating bar may be posi- Exaziners tioned between the handle and hub portion for prolongation of operating leverage. H. BELTRAN, Assistant Examiner.

Claims

1. IN COMBINATION, A RAILWAY HOPPER CAR HAVING SIDE AND END WALLS AND A CENTRALLY DISPOSED HOPPER INCLUDING AN OPENING FOR DOWNWARD DISCHARGE OF LADING CENTRALLY BETWEEN THE RAILS COMPRISING: (A) TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING FRAME MEMBERS ADJACENT OPOSITE SIDES OF THE OPENING, (B) OPPOSITELY SWINGING DOORS FOR THE OPENING PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID TRANSVERSE MEMBERS, (C) SAID TRANSVERSE FRAME MEMBERS HAVING PROJECTING PORTIONS EXTENDING APPRECIABLY BEYOND THE HOOPER TOWARD THE SIDES OF THE CAR, (D) BEAM MEMBERS EXTENDING BETWEEN AND CONNECTING THE DISTAL ENDS OF THE PROJECTING MEMBERS TO PROVIDE AN OPEN WELL BETWEEN EACH BEAM AND THE FACING HOPPER WALL, (E) BEARINGS DISPOSED MIDWAY OF THE BEAM MEMBERS AND CARRIED THEREBY, (F) A SHAFT JOURNALLED IN SAID BEARINGS TO EXTEND TRANSVERSELY OF THE CAR BETWEEN THE SWINGING EDGES OF THE DOORS AND (G) LINKAGE MECHANISMS EXTENDING BETWEEN THE SHAFT AND THE ENDS OF THE DOORS BEING DISPOSED IN THE OPEN WELLS.