Patent Application
20090260538
The invention relates generally to a mechanism for enhancing the capacity of vehicles that haul products. More particularly, the invention relates to an extension system for a rail car side or end.
When hauling loose flowing bulk commodity products, the amount of product that can be hauled by a vehicle is limited in a variety of ways, the following are the two most prevalent. In a high density load situation the amount of product being transported may be limited by the maximum weight capacity of the vehicle hauling the product. In a low density load situation the amount of product that may be transported is often limited by the cubic volume of the vehicle hauling the product.
There are two primary vehicles used for transporting commodities—rail cars and trailers. With rail cars, the commodities are generally loaded via openings on the top of the rail cars. The commodities are typically unloaded by tipping over the rail car or by opening doors on the bottom of the rail cars.
Unloading by tipping over the rail car often enables the rail car to haul commodities that would not unload well through doors on the bottom of the rail car, i.e. loads that bridge, don't flow well, freeze or stick to the interior require this method, in other cases faster unloading is the primary reason for using doors on the bottom of the rail cars. Tipping over the rail cars places forces on the sides of the rail cars that must be accounted for in the design of the rail car to prevent damage to the rail cars during the tipping process.
The maximum width and length of the rail cars and trailers is typically limited by law or regulation. Accordingly, it is generally not possible to increase the capacity of rail cars and trailers for low density loads by increasing the width and length of the rail cars and trailers.
While there are often restrictions on the height of rail cars and trailers, the rail cars and trailers are often manufactured shorter than the maximum allowed height due to the anticipated commodity that the vehicle was destined to haul. There have been various attempts to increase the capacity of rail cars and trailers by placing extensions on the top of the sides of the rail cars and trailers.
When attaching extensions to rail cars or trailers, it is often desirable for the extension to be removable so that they can be detached when not needed. Additionally, when attaching the rail car extensions to the rail car, it is often desirable to not use attachment mechanisms that could impact the structural integrity of the rail cars.
An embodiment of the invention is directed to a rail car extension system that includes a first main rail section, a second main rail section and a plurality of bow structures. The first main rail section is mounted with respect to an upper surface of the first side wall. The first main rail section includes a first upper rail portion and a first lower rail portion that extends from the first upper rail portion. The second main rail section is mounted with respect to an upper surface of the second side wall. The second main rail section includes a second upper rail portion and a second lower rail portion that extends from the second upper rail portion. The plurality of bow structures are each attached to and extend between the first main rail section and the second main rail section.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of embodiments and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments and together with the description serve to explain principles of embodiments. Other embodiments and many of the intended advantages of embodiments will be readily appreciated as they become better understood by reference to the following detailed description. The elements of the drawings are not necessarily to scale relative to each other. Like reference numerals designate corresponding similar parts.
An embodiment of the invention is directed to a side rail extension system, as illustrated at 10 in the Figures. The side rail extension system 10 enables the volume of product that may be transported in the rail car 12 to be increased.
The side rail extension system 10 is particularly suited for use with rail cars 12 having open tops. However, the concepts of the invention may be adapted for use with other transport vehicles such as trailers and cargo boxes on trucks.
The concepts of the invention are also adapted for use with rail cars 12 that unload products hauled therein by tipping or rotating the rail cars 12 so that the rail car 12 is at least partially inverted. The concepts of the invention may also be used in conjunction with rail cars that unload products using doors on the bottom of the rail cars.
The side rail extension system 10 generally includes a main rail section 20, as illustrated in
The main rail section 20 may include an upper rail portion 30 and a lower rail portion 32. In one configuration, the upper rail portion 30 has a top panel 34, a bottom panel 36 and a pair of side panels 38, 40 that may be connected in a generally rectangular shape. Forming the upper rail portion 30 with the preceding configuration provides the main rail section 20 with sufficient strength to resist deformation when transporting products in the rail car 12 as well as tipping the rail car 12 to remove the products from the rail car 12.
The main rail section 20 may include a leg 42 extending from a lower surface of the upper rail portion 30 opposite the lower rail portion 32, as illustrated in
The lower rail portion 32 extends from and may be integrally formed with the upper rail portion 30. The lower rail portion 32 facilitates attachment of the main rail section 20 to the rail car 12 but also may enhance the strength of the main rail section 20. The lower rail portion 32 may include a plurality of apertures 46 to facilitate attachment of the main rail section 20 to the rail car 12 using bolts 48 or other fastening devices.
The main rail section 20 may be fabricated from using a variety of techniques and materials. In one configuration, the main rail section 20 has a substantially consistent shape along the length thereof. This configuration facilitates fabricating the main rail section 20 using extrusion. Examples of materials that may be used to fabricate the main rail section 20 are aluminum, fiberglass, plastic composite and steel.
For rotary tipper cars, the system may include a first end rail section 22 and a second end rail section 24 to clear clamps, as illustrated in
The first end rail section 22 and the second end rail section 24 may have a profile that is similar to the profile of the main rail section 20. The first end rail section 22 and the second end rail section 24 are used to adapt the side rail extension system 10 for rail cars 12 having different lengths.
The side rail extension system 10 may include at least one bow structure 80 that extends between the main rail section 20, as illustrated in
The at least one bow structure 80 may include a central bow region 82 and a pair of bow attachment regions 84. The central bow region 82 may have a variety of configurations such as tubular or solid, and may have a convex shape. To further strengthen the central bow region 82 a cross bar 86 may be attached hereto. The cross bar 86 may be substantially straight and may extend substantially between the ends of the central bow region 82.
The bow attachment regions 84 facilitate attachment of the central bow region 82 to the main rail section 20. The bow attachment regions 84 may include a first attachment section 90 and second attachment section 92 that are pivotally attached to each other.
The first attachment section 90, as most clearly illustrated in
The side rail extension system 10 may include a latch plate 94, as illustrated in
A leg 41 may also be provided on the lower surface of the main rail section 20 that is opposite the leg 42, as illustrated in
A gap may be provided between the main rail section 20 and the first end rail section 22 and the second end rail section 24, as illustrated in
In the preceding detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. In this regard, directional terminology, such as “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “back,” “leading,” “trailing,” etc., is used with reference to the orientation of the Figure(s) being described. Because components of embodiments can be positioned in a number of different orientations, the directional terminology is used for purposes of illustration and is in no way limiting. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The preceding detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.
It is contemplated that features disclosed in this application, as well as those described in the above applications incorporated by reference, can be mixed and matched to suit particular circumstances. Various other modifications and changes will be apparent to those of ordinary skill.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Applic. No. 61/046,581, entitled RAIL CAR EXTENSION SYSTEM, which was filed on Apr. 21, 2008, the details of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61046581 | Apr 2008 | US |
