US3656437A

US3656437A - Hopper car door actuating mechanism

Info

Publication number: US3656437A
Application number: US22302A
Authority: US
Inventors: Roland T Kuzmicki
Original assignee: United States Steel Corp
Current assignee: United States Steel Corp
Priority date: 1970-03-24
Filing date: 1970-03-24
Publication date: 1972-04-18
Anticipated expiration: 1989-04-18

Abstract

A hopper door operating and locking apparatus for bottom-opening containers, which is especially suited for use in railroad hopper cars. The locking apparatus is a vertically movable frame which, when in the raised position, allows the operating apparatus to open and close the doors, and when in the lowered position, prevents the operating apparatus from opening the doors.

Description

ilnited States Patent Kuzmieki [15] $656M? [451 Apr. 1%, 1972 154] HOPPER CAR DOOR ACTUATING MECHANISM [72] Inventor: Roland T. Kuzmicki, Birmingham, Ala. [73] Assignee: United States Steel Corporation [22] Filed: Mar. 24, 1970 [21] Appi. No.: 22,302

[52] US. Cl ..105/240, 49/111,105/251, 105/255, 105/290, 105/308 C, 105/308 R, 105/311 [51] lnt.Cl. ..B61d 7/08,B61d 7/18,B61d7/28 [58] Field of Search ..105/240, 251, 255, 290, 308 R, 105/308 C, 311 R, 313; 214/58; 49/109, 110, 111,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,470,149 10/1923 Davis ..214/58 2,268,290 12/1941 Landis ..105/240 X 780,761 l/1905 Otis 3,515,076 6/1970 Aquino 1,077,299 ll/l913 Priebe ..105/240 Primary Examiner-Arthur L. La Point Assistant Examiner-Howard Beltran Attorney-Ralph H. Dougherty [57] ABSTRACT A hopper door operating and locking apparatus for bottom-- opening containers, which is especially suited for use in railroad hopper cars. The locking apparatus is a vertically movable frame which, when in the raised position, allows the operating apparatus to open and close the doors, and when in the lowered position, prevents the operating apparatus from opening the doors.

10 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPR 18 1912 SHEET 1 BF 3 INVENTOR. ROLAND T. KUZM/CK/ y )zzw/d/frwq Attorney FATEWEDW 18 I972 3,656,437

SHEET 3 BF 3 l/VVEIVTOR. ROLAND 7. KUZM/CK/ Afforney HOPPER CAR DOOR ACTUATIING MECHANISM This invention relates to an improved apparatus for operating hopper doors located at the bottoms of hoppers. Although my invention is not so limited, it is especially suitable for hopper bottom railroad cars used to transport raw materials for basic industries, and particularly for use in steelmaking.

Most known hopper cars have transverse doors with a latching device at each end of each door, or have several doors on each side of the center sill. These hopper cars require two men working on opposite sides of the car to open their hopper doors. The men open one door at a time. Material discharges from the portion of the car above the open door until it forrns a bridge over the vacant space above the door. This fbridge is broken by poking a rod at it, by shaking the car with a car shaker, by pounding on the sides of the car, or by using an overhead crane with a clamshell or other appropriate device. All of these methods are time consuming, and shaking or using a crane involves an additional cost.

In the case where the doors do not extend transversely across the width of the car, and when all the doors on one side only have been opened, such car has been known to turn over. This, of course, is extremely dangerous to life and limb.

Whenever hopper doors are warped, bent, or strained, they must be repaired by heating and pounding them back into shape.

I have invented an apparatus for opening and closing hopper doors and for securing such doors in a closed position,

which apparatus enables one man to unload a hopper car in less time than known hopper cars can be unloaded by two men, yet is much safer to operate than hopper cars available before my invention.

It is the primary object of my invention to provide an apparatus for rapid opening and closing of all doors simultaneously on hopper bottoms for rapid discharge of materials.

It is another object to provide a positive latching mechanism that will not allow doors to open in transit.

It is a further object to provide an apparatus capable of being operated by a single individual.

It is also an object to-provide a means for adjusting warped or strained doors without heating them.

It is another object of my invention to provide an apparatus that can be operated with a high degree of safety.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a railroad hopper car equipped with my invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-section along line IIII of FIG. 1, showing the latching mechanism;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the lock and lifting arrangement;

FIG. 4 is a side view of an alternative lifting arrangement; and

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the door operating mechanism and associated linkage.

My invention comprises a manually actuated locking and unlocking system and an air-operated door opening and closing mechanism. A single individual in a standing position can unlock the door, unload the hopper and close and lock the doors in approximately twenty seconds regardless of the material contained in the hopper.

Referring now to the drawings:

A hopper bottom railroad car (FIG. 1) is equipped with a pair of horizontally opposed hopper doors 12. A center sill 13 (FIGS. 2 and 3) runs the length of the car, as is standard in railroad car constructions. My locking apparatus comprises an operating shaft, a lock frame, a lock frame guide and locking lugs. Operating shaft 15 extends transversely across the recess between the two hopper bottom areas and has an operating handle 16 afiixed to one end. A worm gear fixed to the shaft and an operating wheel with associated drive gear could be substituted for the handle. The shaft 15 is joumaled for rotation in bearings 17 which are fixed to side sills 19 of the car and in bearings 18 which are fixed to the center sill. A pair of roller links 21a and 21b are welded to shaft 15 and have a hole r adapted to receive a roller pin 22 which is free to rotate therein. Lock frame 24 includes a top plate 25, two trapezoidal side supports 26 (FIG. 3), four locking lugs 27 and two cross members 28 (FIG. 2). Fixed to the top plate of the lock frame is a locking and unlocking cam 30 adapted to receive roller pin 22. The lock frame straddles center sill 13. Rotation of shaft 15 rotates roller links 21a and 21b and roller pin 22, which moves in cam 30 and lifts the lock frame. Movement of the frame is confined to a vertical direction by lock frame guides 32 which are fixed to the sides of center sill 13. The lock frame is normally in a lowered position. It must be moved to the raised position before the door operating mechanism can be activated.

An alternative lifting means is depicted in FIG. 4. A cam 35 is fixed on operating shaft 15. Cam follower 36 is fixed to the top plate of the lock frame. Rotation of the shaft 15 causes cam 35 to lift the lock frame.

My hopper door operating mechanism (FIG. 5) comprises an air-cylinder actuating means and appropriate linkage. Three-way air valve 40 (shown only diagrammatically) controls a double-acting air cylinder 41 having opposed pistons 42a and 42b. Connecting links 44 are pivotally connected to the piston rods of pistons 42 and to scissor arms 45. Each set of scissor arms pivot around a respective common axis defined by a pin 46 passing through the center of each arm and attached to center sill 13. Each extremity of each scissor arm carries an adjustable connecting link 48, shown as a turnbuckle, the other end of which is fastened to an eye 49 in hopper door 12. Whenever door 12 is warped or strained, ad-

justment of the appropriate link or links will return the door to the proper configuration. Operating air valve 40 actuates air cylinder 41 forcing pistons 42 outward, thus causing links 44 to pivot scissor arms 45 in opposite directions about pin 46, causing links 48 to open hopper doors 12 simultaneously. Activating cylinder 41 in the opposite direction causes the process to be reversed and the doors to close.

The doors are locked in the closed position by rotating operating handle 16 causing the lock frame 24 to move vertically downward and locking lugs 27 to be seated in notches 50 located on scissor arms 45. The locking lugs and notches can be tapered to prevent frictional forces from resisting the un- Iatching action, and to lift the lock frame if the air cylinder should be actuated to close the doors with the lock frame in the lowered position. When the lock frame is raised, the locking lugs clear the notches to allow the scissor arms to pivot as already described.

From the foregoing description it is readily apparent that I have invented a rapid opening and closing door mechanism that can be operated safely by a single individual, and a positive latching mechanism that will not allow the hopper doors to open in transit.

Iclaim:

l. A combination with a container having opposed doors on its bottom of an operating mechanism for actuating said doors, said mechanism comprising;

an actuating means,

a pair of scissor arms pivoted to said container,

a first pair of links connecting said actuating means to each of said scissor arms adjacent the pivot point of said scissor arms, and

a second pair of links on each of said scissor arms connecting said scissor arms to respective doors.

2. A combination as defined in claim 1 in which said first links are pivotally connected to said actuating means, said scissor arms are pivotally joined to a fixed member and to each other, one end of each of said second connecting links is fastened to each end of each scissor arm, and the other end of each of said second connecting links is fastened to a door.

3. A combination as defined in claim 1 in which said actuating means is a piston driven by an air cylinder.

4. A combination as defined in claim 1 further comprising a lock frame, means for raising and lowering said lock frame, and locking lugs depending from said lock frame adapted for engagement with said scissor arms.

5. A combination as defined in claim 4 in which said means comprises an operating shaft, a cam fixed to said shaft, a cam follower fixed to said lock frame and means for rotating said shaft.

6. A combination as defined in claim 4 including guide means attached to a fixed member for confining movement of said lock frame to a vertical direction.

7. A combination as defined in claim 4 in which said means comprises an operating shaft journaled for rotation in bearings depending from a fixed member, a roller link having a hole therein and fixed to said shaft, a roller pin inserted in said hole and free to rotate therein, a locking and unlocking cam fixed to said lock frame and adapted to receive said roller pin, and means for rotating said shaft and thus raising and lowering said lock frame.

8. A combination as defined in claim 7 in which said lastnamed means is a handle fixed to said shaft for manual manipulation.

9. In a railway hopper car having opposed doors on its bottom of an operating mechanism for actuating said doors, said mechanism comprising;

an actuating means,

a pair of scissor arms pivoted to said car,

a second pair of links on each of said scissor arms connection ends of said scissor anns to respective doors.

10. A railway hopper car as defined in claim 9 further comprising a lock frame slidably engaging said car, means for raising and lowering said lock frame, and locking lugs depending from said lock frame adapted for engagement with said scissor arms.

Claims

1. A combination with a container having opposed doors on its bottom of an operating mechanism for actuating said doors, said mechanism comprising; an actuating means, a pair of scissor arms pivoted to said container, a first pair of links connecting said actuating means to each of said scissor arms adjacent the pivot point of said scissor arms, and a second pair of links on each of said scissor arms connecting said scissor arms to respective doors.

8. A combination as defined in claim 7 in which said last-named means is a handle fixed to said shaft for manual manipulation.

9. In a railway hopper car having opposed doors on its bottom of an operating mechanism for actuating said doors, said mechanism comprising; an actuating means, a pair of scissor arms pivoted to said car, a first pair of links connecting said actuating means to each of said scissor arms adjacent the pivot point of said scissor arms, and a second pair of links on each of said scissor arms connection ends of said scissor arms to respective doors.