U.S. patent number 3,581,672 [Application Number 04/787,415] was granted by the patent office on 1971-06-01 for hopper closure actuating and latching mechanism.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Pullman Incorporated. Invention is credited to Herman A. Aquino.
United States Patent |
3,581,672 |
Aquino |
June 1, 1971 |
HOPPER CLOSURE ACTUATING AND LATCHING MECHANISM
Abstract
In a railroad hopper car, discharge door operating means
including pneumatic drive means, longitudinally extending slide
linkage, opposed transversely extending arm structures pivotally
connected to the slide linkage and to respective door locking bar
means, biasing means resisting locking of each bar means to the
door to allow the pivoted doors to close before the respective arm
structures are placed in the door closed and locked position, and
counterbalancing spring means resisting fast gravity opening of the
horizontal doors of the empty hopper but allowing the doors to open
gradually and assisting door closing, said pneumatic drive means
placing the arm structures in an over center door locking position
and being double acting for moving the arm structures back past the
over center position.
Inventors: |
Aquino; Herman A. (Hobart,
IN) |
Assignee: |
Pullman Incorporated (Chicago,
IL)
|
Family
ID: |
25141401 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/787,415 |
Filed: |
December 27, 1968 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
105/240; 105/244;
105/251; 105/290; 105/304; 105/248; 105/255; 105/299; 105/310 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B61D
7/28 (20130101); B65D 90/587 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B61D
7/28 (20060101); B61D 7/00 (20060101); B65D
90/58 (20060101); B65D 90/00 (20060101); B01d
007/04 (); B01d 007/18 (); B61d 007/28 () |
Field of
Search: |
;105/240,241,244,247,248,250,251,255,290,299,38C,377,304,310 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: La Point; Arthur L.
Assistant Examiner: Beltran; Howard
Claims
What I claim is:
1. In a hopper means having bottom discharge means, door operating
mechanism for hopper discharge door means,
power driven longitudinally reciprocal slide means,
force transfer link means having a pivotal connection with said
slide means and with said door means for movement of the link means
in multiple planes from a longitudinally generally horizontally
extending collapsed door opened position to a transversely upwardly
and outwardly directed extended door closed position,
door locking means being mounted on said door means and pivotally
connecting with said force transfer link means and being moved by
the link means for reciprocal movement transverse of the slide
means toward and away from the side of the hopper means for
engagement therewith pursuant to locking the door in the closed
position of the door,
said door locking means having biasing means urging said locking
means from the door locked position to the door unlocked position
away from engagement with the side of the hopper means to
sequentially delay the seating of the door locking means by the
force transfer link means, said force transfer link means in moving
from the longitudinal direction to the transverse direction moving
said locking means and overcoming the force of the biasing means to
place the locking means into the door locking position.
2. The invention according to claim 1, and
said bottom door means being in a general horizontal plane and
opening from the horizontal plane to a generally downwardly
extending plane,
said locking means being mounted on the underside of said bottom
door means and being released by said force transfer link means to
allow the door means in its horizontal closed position to fall as
by gravity to the downward open position.
3. The invention according to claim 1, and
said door locking means including a locking member mounted on the
underside of said door means and having said biasing means urging
said locking member from the door locked position to the door
unlocked position.
4. The invention according to claim 3, and
said biasing means comprising spring means urging the locking
member out of engagement with the side of the hopper means.
5. The invention according to claim 1, and
slide operating power means in the form of a fluid pressure
operated jack being spaced in longitudinal alignment with respect
to said slide means and connecting therewith for reciprocatively
operating said slide means in longitudinal direction pursuant to
opening and closing of said hopper door means.
6. The invention according to claim 1, and
power means moving said slide means in an over center door holding
position with respect to the connection of the slide means with
said force transfer link means for maintaining said door means in
the raised closed and locked position and moving over said over
center door holding position to allow said door means to fall by
gravity.
7. A railroad hopper car having a hopper provided with horizontally
extending bottom hopper door means,
door operating means being disposed beneath said hopper,
said door operating means comprising:
door operating power means,
longitudinally spaced driven slide means reciprocally moved
longitudinally of the car by said power means and operatively
connected therewith,
force transfer link means operatively connected with said driven
slide means and having longitudinally extending collapsed position
along the sides of said driven slide means and having a transverse
extended position outwardly of the side of the driven slide
means,
locking bar means mounted on the underside of said door means and
operatively connected with said force transfer link means and
reciprocally movable for releasably engaging said locking bar means
in the sides of said car,
biasing means mounted on the underside of said door means and
engageable with said locking bar means for limiting movement of
said locking bar means into locking position in the sides of said
car until said force transfer link means have raised said door
means from a downward position to a raised closed position, the
locking bar means being sequentially biased by the biasing means to
sequentially delay the seating of the locking bar means by the link
means in the door locked position, whereupon the force of
resistance of the biasing means is overcome for the locking of said
locking bar means in the side of the car,
first pivot means operatively connecting said force transfer link
means with said locking bar means and second pivot means
operatively connecting said force transfer link means with said
driven slide means to provide for universal movement between said
locking bar means and said force transfer link means and between
said force transfer link means and said driven slide means,
the pivotal connection of the driven slide means with the force
transfer link means being in an over center position to prevent
falling of the door means in the door closed position, said power
means being two way acting type whereby said power means moves said
transfer link means in the over center position with respect to
said slide means upon closing of said door means and moves said
transfer link means back past the over center position to permit
falling of said door means by gravity.
8. The invention according to claim 7, and
said driven slide means comprising a slide block and longitudinal
guide rod means carrying said slide block, and support structure
depending from said car and carrying said guide rod means and
having abutment means limiting movement of said slide block for
closing of the door means.
9. The invention according to claim 7, and
said force transfer link means comprising a pair of arm structures
each extending from a respective side of said driven slide means,
each arm structure having first and second spaced arm end parts
rotatably journaled on a common axis and relatively rotatable with
respect to one another, said first arm end part being pivotally
connected with said locking bar means and said second arm end part
being pivotally connected with the driven slide means, said first
pivot means including a first pin rotatably mounted on the locking
bar means and a clevis pin connected with said first pin and
pivotally connected with said pin and forming part of said first
arm end part and said second pivot means comprising a second pin
rotatably connected on said driven slide means and including a
clevis member forming part of said second arm part and connecting
with the pin of the second pivot means whereby said arm structure
has a universal connection with said locking bar means and with
said driven slide means.
10. The invention according to claim 7, and
said door means being hingedly connected to said car for swinging
movement from a horizontal position to a downward depending
position and counterbalancing means mounted on said car and
operatively engageable with said door means to limit the rate of
descent of said door means from the closed position to the open
position due to the falling of the door means from the closed to
the open position whereby the descent of said door means is made
more gradual.
Description
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a general object of this invention to provide a vehicle
discharging operating arrangement and in particular to provide for
a railroad hopper car discharge door operating arrangement
including a longitudinal slide pivotally carrying a pair of opposed
laterally extending arm structures each of which is pivotally
connected to a respective door locking bar, each door locking bar
overcoming a biasing means in an over center position of the
respective arm structure with the slide to lock the hopper
discharge door to the side of the car.
It is a further object of this invention to provide for
counterbalancing means resisting gravitational opening of the doors
when the arm structure has passed back of the over center position
to allow gradual descent of the door downward.
Another object of the invention is to provide for pneumatic slide
drive means for operating the slide in either direction and in and
out of the over center position of each arm structure with respect
to the slide.
Another object of the invention is to place the door operating
structure below the horizontally placed doors to increase the floor
of the hopper and thereby increase the cubic capacity of the
hopper.
Still another object of this invention is to provide for arm
structures each of which are so connected with the slide and with
the door locking bar as to be pivoted with respect thereto in
several planes to facilitate minimal operational space of the arm
structures by allowing folding of the arm structures between
transversely extending door locked positions and longitudinally
collapsed and stored door opened positions.
It is a further object of this invention by such a construction as
aforesaid to minimize sloping of the hopper slope sheets so that
the load to be discharged can move more quickly out of the
discharge opening. Also the minimizing of the sloping of the slope
sheets increases the cubic capacity of the hopper.
These and other objects, purposes and advantages of the invention
will become more readily apparent from reference to the following
description, attached drawings and appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a top plan view generally and diagrammatically
illustrating the relationship of the hopper door operating means on
the hopper car;
FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of the door operating
means;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3
showing the door operating means in the door closed position;
and
FIG. 5 is a partial view similar to FIG. 4 but with the door
operating means shown in the door opened positioned.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With reference now to the FIGS. and in particular with reference to
FIG. 1, there is shown a vehicle or railroad hopper car 2 provided
with sidewall structures 3 and end wall structures 4 and end draft
gear structure 5. The end and sidewall structures define a hopper
portion 6 provided with end slope sheets 7 adjacent elevated end
platform areas 8. Between the slope sheets and the sidewall
structures are located two longitudinally spaced hopper areas 9 and
10 separated from one another by the central slope sheet and cross
ridge arrangement 11. Each hopper area 9 or 10 is provided with a
central longitudinally extending inverted V-shaped hood 12 and a
pair of smaller longitudinally extending inverted V-shaped side
hoods 13, one on each side of the central hood. The hoods extend
between the cross ridge structure 11 and a respective end slope
sheet 7. A horizontally longitudinally extending hopper door
structure 14 extends between each of the sidewall structures 3 and
each side hood 13 and between each side hood 13 and each central
hood 12 in each hopper section 9 or 10, the doors in each hopper
area or section extending longitudinally of the car and being
spaced longitudinally of the doors in the other hopper section.
Each of the two door structures 14 on each side of the car in each
hopper section 9 or 10 are power opened by a common power driving
means or pneumatically operated or air operated cylinder means 15
which drives each door operating mechanism 16 connecting with each
end of the pneumatic means 15. Thus, each car is provided with
eight such door operating mechanisms driven by four pneumatic drive
means 15 through appropriate drive connecting linkage 17.
With reference now to FIGS. 2 and 3, it will be seen that each door
structure is pivotally connected to a longitudinally extending
reinforcing stringer member or channel beam 18 by door hinge
structure 19 (which includes the door mounted underside plate 19a
and car mounted hinge means 19b connected to the under plate 19a as
seen in FIG. 3) to allow the door structure 14 to swing from the
horizontal closed or locked position (as seen in solid line) to the
downwardly extending or door opened position (as seen in dotted
line). The travel of the door from the horizontal or outwardly
extending closed position to the downwardly inwardly extending or
opened position occurs when the locking bar structure 20 is pulled
away from the side of the car and the door structure is allowed to
fall to the down position due to gravity acting on the weight of
the door. The rate at which the door falls to the open position is
reduced by engagement of the underside of door abutment 21 (as seen
in FIG. 3) with the spring arm 22 of the coil spring or
counterbalancing spring means 23 carried by spring support
structure 24 depending from the underside of the channel member 18.
As seen in FIG. 3, the abutment 21 is spaced above and away from
the spring arm 22 when the door structure 14 is in the horizontal
position and when the door is allowed to fall after releasing of
the locking bar mechanism 20, the door deflects the arm 22 downward
and the door swings slowly down to the dotted line position.
The pneumatic ram unit or jack 15 is coupled with the connecting
linkage 17 having a pin connection 25 with the driven slide link 26
of the slide assembly 27 of the door operating mechanism 16. The
slide assembly 27 is further provided with upper and lower cradle
shaped slide elements 28 and 29 attached to the forward end of the
slide link 26 and being respectively guided along longitudinally
extending guide rods 30 and 31 carried on and between depending
supports 33 and 34 depending from the channel member 18. The right
hand support 34, as seen in FIG. 2, is provided with slot 35 to
permit reciprocating action of the slide link 26 therethrough. As
seen in FIGS. 2 through 5, on each side of the slide link 26 and
between the upper and lower slide elements 28 and 29 there is
provided a pivot pin 36 each having upper and lower projections 37
mounted in the respective slide elements 28 and 29 for permitting
pivotal movement of each pin 36 about a vertical axis, as seen in
FIG. 3. Each pivot pin 36 has a horizontal pin 38 extending
therethrough intermediate its ends. Each horizontal pin has
attached to it a clevis element 39 of a transversely extendable arm
structure 40, the clevis element being pivotal about the horizontal
pin 38 to thereby provide for pivotal movement in vertical and
horizontal planes of the arm structure 40 with respect to the guide
structure 27 which carries each arm structure 40. Each arm
structure 40 extends outwardly of the guide structure 27 toward
respective sides of the car 2.
Each arm structure 40 is provided with an annular stop 41 fixedly
mounted on the shaft 42 of the clevis element 39, the shaft 42
extending through the tubular or cylindrical element 43 and
rotatable with respect thereto, the outer or free end of the shaft
42 extending beyond the cylinder element 43 and having thereon a
retainer block 44 engageable with the end of the cylinder element
43 but rotatable with respect thereto in the slotted portion 45 of
the bifurcated portion 46 of the clevis element 47, the bifurcated
portion 46 extending about and connected with the outer surface of
the barrel or cylindrical member 43. The clevis element 47 is on
the same axis as the clevis element 39 and because of such
construction and arrangement of the elements 41, 42, 43, 44 and 46
the clevis element 47 is rotatable with respect to the clevis
element 39 about the same axis which allows the clevis element 47
to be moved in three planes or to have a universal action with
respect to the slide structure 27. The clevis element 47 is
pivotally connected to upright locking bar pin 48 for pivotal
movement about a horizontal axis by pivot pin 49 connecting with
the clevis element 47 and with the pivot pin 48, as seen in FIG. 3.
The pivot pin 48 is in an upright position and is pivotally mounted
for rotation about a vertical axis in the upper and lower ears 50
and 51 of the end clevis member or part 52 of the locking bar
structure 20. Therefore, the locking bar structure 20 has pivotal
movement in three planes or universal movement with respect to the
clevis element 47.
The end clevis member 52 forms the connection of locking bar
structure 20 to the clevis element 47 of arm structure 40, the bar
53 being fixedly attached to the end clevis member 52. The free end
54 of the locking bar 53 of structure 20 is extendable into the
aperture 55 of the depending lock plate 56 attached to the
underside of the downwardly inwardly sloping side sill apron member
56 (as seen in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3) attached and depending from the
side sill 58 on each side of the car 2. As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3,
the end clevis member 52 in addition to having the clevis portion
52a for holding the pin 48 has a retainer member 52b which extends
longitudinally of the car and engages compression springs 59 and 60
contained in box structure 61 encompassing the bar 53, the box
structure 61 being connected to the underside of the door 14. The
box structure 61 not only houses the springs 59 and 60 in
respective box chambers 60a and 60b but also acts as a stop for the
retainer element 52b and also has a carrier structure for the
locking bar structure 20 on the underside of the door. Movement of
the locking bar structure in the locking bar support housing 61
from door locked position to door unlocked position is shown in
FIG. 3, where the solid line position of the clevis member 47 shows
the locked position with the end 54 of the locking bar 53 extending
into the sidewall portion or depending apron portion 56 of the side
sill structure to the door unlocked or dotted line position where
the end portion 54 of the locking bar 53 is withdrawn from the
aperture 55 of the depending member 56 to allow the door to fall
downwardly when the linkage 17 further carries the slide bar
structure 27 toward the pneumatic drive means 15. Movement of the
slide assembly 27 to the door closed and locked position is
terminated by engagement of the members 28 and 29 with the stops 62
as seen in FIGS. 2 and 4.
The operational movements of the linkage of the door operating
mechanism can be seen in FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 5. FIGS. 2--4 are views
showing the door in the raised, closed, locked position whereas
FIG. 5 is a partial view of the door operating mechanism showing
the door in the opened position. In the door locked position the
end 54 of the lock bar 53 extends into the side portion 56 of the
car 2, the arm structure or linkage 40 having previously raised the
door 14 also against the depending side structure 57 before the arm
structure 40 compressed the springs 59, 60 to extend the bar 53
into the side of the car. The compressing of the springs 60 and the
movement of the bar 53 into the opening 55 occurs only after the
door 14 itself is raised up adjacent the under side of the
depending member 57 by the arm structure 40. If the projecting end
54 of the door bar were to engage the aperture 55 at an earlier
time, upper travel of the door would terminate and closure of the
door would not occur. It is therefore seen that the compression
springs serve the function of preventing accidental and premature
closing of the door because a greater force is required to cause
the final locking to occur. Each of the arm structures 40, in going
from the open position as seen in FIG. 5 to the closed position as
seen in FIGS. 2--4, has a universal action with respect to lock bar
structure 52 and with the slide structure 27 wherein the arm
structure or linkage 40 has its one portion rotating relative to
its other portion about the same axis as well as having end
connecting portions having connection with the lock bar and the
slide structure 27 such that movement occurs in two planes to
provide three plane movement of the arm structure 40 with respect
to the lock bar 52 and with respect to the slide assembly 27. In
FIG. 4 the arm structure is in the closed position of the door and
is substantially transverse of the car or generally perpendicular
with respect to the slide assembly 27 except that the right end
clevis 39 is slightly above the left end clevis 47, that is, the
arm structure 40 is slightly over center with respect to the pivot
pin 36. This over center condition of the arm structure 40 with
respect to its connection with the slide bar assembly 27 insures
that the door cannot become unlocked and fall down from its
underposed position against the under side of the depending side
portion 57. The double acting pneumatic cylinder means 15 in
closing the door causes this over center position by moving the
slide assembly 27 longitudinally of the car (upwardly as viewed in
FIG. 4). The return stroke of the double acting cylinder means
causes the slide assembly to move down, as seen in FIG. 4, to snap
or pass by the over center position whereupon the door locking bar
is withdrawn by the action of the compression springs 59 and 60 and
the door becomes unlocked and it then starts to descend downwardly
about its pivot means 19, the weight of the door pushing the slide
assembly downwardly, as seen in FIG. 4, or to the right as seen in
FIG. 2, until the door assumes the dotted line position shown in
FIG. 3, the rapid descent of the door being broken by the
counterbalancing spring means 23 (which is wound up by descent of
the door).
Each arm structure 40, in going from the longitudinally collapsed
position where the door is opened to the transversely extended
position where the door is closed, raises the door from a lowered
position to a door closed position and once the door is closed
further movement of the arm transversely outwardly of the slide
assembly causes the arm to compress the spring and move the lock
bar structure. Prior to closing of the door the arm structure takes
the path of least resistance which is raising the weight of the
door to the closed position and not to move the lock bar structure
to locking position because of the resistance offered by the
compression springs. The longitudinally collapsing position of the
arm structures provides for out of the way storage of the arm
structures.
The addition of the downward depending member 57, and the extending
of the door structures 14 underneath the member 57 and to the
bottom of the member 18 which would be in line with the bottom of
the center sill structure 5a of the car, increases the cubic
capacity of the hopper vehicle.
The foregoing description and drawings are given merely to explain
and illustrate the invention, and the invention is not to be
limited thereto since those skilled in the art who have the
disclosure before them will be able to make modifications and
variations therein without departing from the scope of the
invention.
* * * * *