Railway rolling stock – Special car bodies – Dumping
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-09
2003-10-28
Morano, S. Joseph (Department: 3617)
Railway rolling stock
Special car bodies
Dumping
Reexamination Certificate
active
06637346
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to railroad hopper cars and, more specifically, to a gate assembly which is attachable to a body of a railroad hopper car to selectively control the discharge of ballast in the railroad hopper car to a railbed below. A method for operating the gate assembly is also disclosed.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
Gate assemblies allowing for unloading of ballast from railroad hopper cars are well known in the art. Such gate assemblies are typically arranged to opposite sides of the longitudinal centerline of the railroad hopper car and lengthwise along a bottom of the hopper car. Moreover, it is common to design each gate assembly such that ballast can be selectively distributed from the railcar to one or the other or both sides of the rails along which the railcar travels. In this regard, a frame of each gate assembly defines inner and outer outlets from which ballast can be discharged from the hopper car. The gate assembly furthermore includes door assemblies arranged in operable combination with the outlets to selectively control the discharge of ballast from the hopper car as a function of the disposition of the door assembly relative to the respective outlet.
Some such gate assemblies employ manually actuated door opening and closing devices. That is, by manually rotating a handle, as with an elongated steel bar or the like, and through a linkage, each door assembly is moved between open and closed positions. Thus, a control opening on each side of the gate assembly and through which the ballast is discharged must be set by hand when the train is stationary. Alternatively, operators, on each side of the railcar, and for each door assembly, initially set the control opening and then move down the track at the speed at which the railcar moves to maintain control over the discharge of ballast from the railroad hopper car.
To reduce numerous problems associated with manually controlling the disposition of the doors of such gate assemblies, some gate assemblies have been designed with powered drivers for controlling the disposition of the door assemblies relative to the outlets in the frame of the gate assembly. For example, some gate assemblies have been designed with hydraulic drivers disposed between the gate assembly frame and each door assembly for positioning the door assemblies relative to the frame thereby controlling the discharge of ballast from the hopper car. As will be appreciated, the railroad cars equipped with these gate assemblies operate in various temperature climates. Unfortunately, extremely cold conditions have an adverse effect on and often prohibit the use of hydraulic drivers for such gate assemblies.
Hydraulically operated gate assemblies are furthermore hindered by the relatively high maintenance required for the hydraulic drivers of such gates. Moreover, and as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, such hydraulic drivers are not easily repaired. Inadvertent or other forms of contamination of the hydraulic fluids associated with these types of drivers is also a paramount concern. Additionally, and especially when used in conjunction with gate assemblies, hydraulically operated drivers normally consume more power than other types of drivers primarily due to the frictional operating characteristics inherent with such drivers. Hydraulically operated gate assemblies furthermore present serious environmental concerns during maintenance and throughout the life span of the drivers.
Gate assemblies utilizing pressurized air operated drivers are likewise susceptible to failure. An unavoidable accumulation of moisture in the reservoirs and accumulators of air operated gates tends to quickly freeze valves typically arranged in operable combination therewith. Of course, when the valves freeze, such gate assemblies are rendered substantially inoperable until the valves are sufficiently thawed to allow for operation of the air operated system. This can cause a significant delay. Of course, such delays are both costly and cannot always be tolerated.
Another problem which has been identified with air operated systems involves the size or diameter of the cylinders which are required to develop the necessary force or power required to move the gates from a closed position toward an open position when a full load or weight of the ballast is applied against the gates. Of course, diminishing the diameter or width of the drivers and thereby yielding more spaciousness in the area of the gates is a continuing and long sought goal of railroad hopper car gate designers for such spaciousness can alternatively and advantageously be used for alternative purposes. Like hydraulically operated systems, air operated systems are not easily repaired. Moreover, the hoses or conduits extending from the air cylinders, ultimately, have to be connected to the locomotives, thus, adding to the overall costs of such systems.
Electric drivers for such railroad hopper car gate assemblies typically suffer from several drawbacks. First, known electric drivers have neither the speed nor power to allow the door assemblies to be moved from a closed position toward an open position without placing an extremely heavy draw on the power source. Second, lengthy electrical conduits are required between the door assemblies on those railcars at the rear of the train consist and the locomotive or an alternative source of power for such electrical drivers. Moreover, component parts of such electric motors are susceptible to shocks and vibrations of the railcar as the car is transported between locations across the country.
Often times, railroad cars having electrically operated gates are equipped such that the electric motors on such gates can be operated either through switches on the railcar or through use of a remote control apparatus. Research has found that when one operator or maintenance person is manually controlling the electrically operated gate in a certain direction, as through a switch on the side of the car, another operator or maintenance person, with the remote control apparatus, and although inadvertent, often signals or directs the same electrically driven gate to operate in an opposite or reverse direction, thus, causing significant problems. As will be appreciated, directing or controlling the same electric driver for a gate assembly from two opposite sources but in opposite directions can cause significant problems typically resulting in damage to the electric motor.
Thus, there is a continuing need and desire for a railroad hopper car gate assembly which uses other than manually operated door assemblies so as to promote remote or automatic actuation of the gate assembly in an efficient and effective manner without having each railroad car equipped with such a door assembly having to be connected to a common power source and which is operable through all temperatures ranges. Furthermore, there is a continuing need and desire to protect the electric drivers for such door assemblies against concurrent and inadvertent control directives derived from two sources and which are in opposition relative to each other.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above, and in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a railroad hopper car gate assembly including a frame configured for attachment to a hopper body of a railroad hopper car in material receiving relation relative to an outlet on the railroad car, and wherein the frame defines at least one discharge opening. A door assembly is mounted on the frame for generally vertical sliding movements between open and closed positions relative to the discharge opening on said frame. One salient feature of the present invention relates to providing a driver which is operably coupled between the frame and the door assembly for selectively effecting sliding movements of the door assembly relative to said discharge opening between the open and closed positions.
To overcome problems of heretofore known drivers for such railroad hopper car gate assemblies, the driver of th
Harbst John W.
McCarry, Jr. Robert J.
Miner Enterprises Inc.
Morano S. Joseph
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