1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed in general to a device for opening the hopper doors of a railroad car, and, in particular, to a system for automatically opening and closing the hopper doors of a railroad car.
2. Description of the Related Art
A common type of railroad freight car in use today is the freight car of the type wherein the load is discharged through hoppers in the underside of the body. Such cars are generally referred to as hopper cars and are used to haul coal, phosphate and other commodities.
After hopper cars are spotted over an unloading pit, the doors of the hoppers are opened, allowing the material within the hopper to be emptied into the pit.
Hopper cars, which may be covered, are usually found with one of two hopper configurations: transverse, in which the doors closing the hoppers are oriented perpendicular to the center line of the car; or longitudinal, in which the doors closing the hoppers are oriented parallel to the center line of the car. An example of a hopper car with transverse doors is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,531, while an example of a hopper car with longitudinal doors is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,224,877.
Prior art references which teach operating mechanisms for opening and closing hopper doors include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,596,609; 4,741,274; 3,187,684; 3,611,947; 3,786,764; 3,815,514; 3,818,842; 3,949,681; 4,222,334; 4,366,757; 4,601,244; 5,823,118; and 5,249,531. There are several disadvantages to the hopper door operating mechanisms described in some of the aforementioned patents. One problem is that some of the prior art mechanisms are designed such that each actuating mechanism is connected to doors from two separate hoppers. Thus, if the mechanism fails, it effects the operation of two hoppers. Another disadvantage of some of the above described hopper door mechanisms is that the operating mechanisms limit the distance of the door motion, thus limiting the open area of the car's bottom. This arrangement slows the unloading process and causes additional costs and potential damage to the car due to increased periods in thaw sheds. However, many of these systems usually require automatic operation of the doors, which requires an operating cylinder and valving.
Finally, it is often desirable to empty the contents of a railcar while the car is in motion, thus allowing the car to be emptied quicker. This method of operation also normally requires the use of expensive air cylinders and valving.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an actuating mechanism which allows the discharge doors of a hopper car to open and close automatically.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a simple automatic mechanism for actuating the discharge doors of a hopper car which can quickly empty the contents.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an actuating mechanism for a hopper car which can be used on transverse doors.
These and other objects of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the descriptions and drawings which follow.
FIGS. 3A-C, taken together, show a plan view of a six pocket railroad car using the present invention;
FIGS. 4A-B, taken together, show a partial plan view including transverse ridges and door hinge connectors;
Referring now to
Referring now to
FIGS. 3A-C, taken together, show a typical six pocket hopper car, designated at 20. Hoppers 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32 are shown, with door 34 of hopper 22 operating in a different direction than doors 34 for the other hoppers. Doors 34 for hoppers 22, 24 are shown in the fully open position, while door 34 for hopper 26 is shown in the closed position. Door 34 for hopper 28 is shown in the open position, while the doors for hoppers 30, 32 are not shown in
FIGS. 4A-B show the connecting points for doors 34 for hoppers 22, 24 and 26. Door 34 for hopper 22 mounts to link 38, while door 34 for hopper 24 mounts to link 40. These links are covered by a transverse ridge 42. Door 34 closing hopper 26 mounts to link 44, which is shown covered by another transverse ridge 42.
The actuating beam for opening the doors can be seen at 46 while an actuating beam fulcrum 48 can be seen in
To operate the door opening mechanism, actuating beam 46 is shifted in the direction shown by arrow A in
The reversing linkage of the operating mechanism is shown in
As actuating beam 46 travels in the direction of arrow A, lever 74 causes reversing lever 72 to rotate about pin 76 in a counterclockwise direction, forcing lever 78 to cause actuating lever 50 to rotate about pin 55, rotating link 52 and causing door 34 to move to the open position away from hopper 22. Further travel of actuating beam 46 in the direction of arrow A causes door 34 to open to its fully open position as shown in
When all of the doors have been shifted to the open position, the total area of discharge is approximately 140 square feet larger than any other car of this size in the market place.
In the above description, and in the claims which follow, the use of such words as “clockwise”, “counterclockwise”, “distal”, “proximal”, “forward”, “rearward”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, and the like is in conjunction with the drawings for purposes of clarity. As will be understood by one skilled in the art, the mechanisms will operate on hopper doors which open in opposite directions, and thus will use opposite terminology.
While the invention has been shown and described in terms of preferred embodiment, it will be understood that this invention is limited to this particular embodiment, and that many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
This application claims benefit from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/673,458, filed Apr. 21, 2005 which application is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60673458 | Apr 2005 | US |