Low platform railway car for glass stands

Details Low platform railway car for glass stands Low platform railway car for glass stands

2001-06-01

2003-09-30

Gordon, Stephen T. (Department: 3612)

Freight accommodation on freight carrier

Particular article accommodation

Grouped

C410S032000, C410S034000, C410S038000, C410S066000, C410S128000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06626619

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a transport vehicle for the transport of objects having large dimensions, especially low-platform railway cars which feature a long loading area that is built to fit the measurements of the rails and which also features low-set steering controls which are set in a distance to each other. The long loading area is bounded by a loading board on both sides and on its head side it features a connecting loading ramp which allows a short coupling with other low-platform railway cars.
Such transport vehicles could either be railway cars or freight trucks to transport glass sheet packages that measure a length of more than 6 meters and a height of more than 3 meters. Those glass sheet packages are set in an angle against an A-shaped or L-shaped glass stand and then they are taken by the especially designed transport vehicle. With freight trucks it is customary to arrange for U-shaped longitudinal carriers on the floor to correspond with the glass stands. The longitudinal carriers are shaped to also correspond with the according longitudinal carrier elements of the freight truck so that they can be loaded during, or better, after lowering the back part of the freight truck. Air bellows that correspond with the wheels are used for lifting or lowering, in order to lift and lower the back part of the freight truck towards the wheels. The corresponding longitudinal carriers on the frame feature fixating fixtures or stand fixing devices in order to support the glass stands which are set inside the freight truck or the glass sheet packages that rest upon the stands. Those fixtures are known from the DE-OS 35 16 914.1 whereas here, parallelogram struts are used which can be moved via a hydraulic cylinder. A disadvantage of those freight trucks is that they are road vehicles which can put pressure on the environment. Furthermore, practically only interior loading equipment in connection with an articulated vehicle can be used that are only suitable for the transport of such glass stands. As stated, such loading gear has limited use for transporting other goods or cannot be used for other goods at all. To comply with general efforts to transfer as many transports as possible onto the rail, low-platform railway cars were developed which can also transport freight trucks. Those freight trucks can be loaded with various goods including in theory articulated equipment with connected interior loading gear. If such low-platform railway cars shall receive or be loaded directly with those glass stands it is compulsorily necessary that these glass stands are loaded onto the railway cars by cranes in order to transport them. Such glass stands can move and lose their position during the transport, in other words, while the railway car is moving, so that they are very much in danger. A special problem results from the fact that only A-shaped glass stands can be used in order to avoid slipping and an imbalanced loading of the low-platform railway cars. L-shaped glass stands, which by nature cause an imbalanced loading of a wagon, cannot be used although the glass industry uses more and more of those L-shaped glass stands. As previously stated, it is especially disadvantageous that crane-type equipment is always necessary for loading, which might be available at the glassworks but in most cases not at the location of the buyer of such glass sheets. The EP-0548037-A1 shows a railway car with a completely over-all enclosed structure. Via roller construction it is possible to lift and lower the fold bellows. It is disadvantageous because it makes it difficult to drive through the area between two wagons and even makes it impossible for a vehicle that transports glass sheets. This is also true for the convoy of vehicles according to U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,491. Even though it is stated in the EP-0 463 505 A1 that the roof shall be constructed so that it can be raised, but that only concerns railway cars which are to transport cars on two levels. Once the upper level is occupied, the roof can be lowered again. A fixation of the cargo is not intended. The EP 0 672 566 A1 however shows a low-platform railway car for the transport of freight trucks. The roof structure can be widened to drive in or for loading in order to facilitate the loading process especially the driving onto the railway car. Objects with large dimensions, above all, glass stands cannot be transported, and in particular specialized vehicles cannot unload and pick up glass stands. The solutions according to U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,235,285 and 4,248,472 as well as EP 0 461 448 A1 also show only details concerning a roof that can be raised. The railway vehicle according to EP 0 924 130 A2 requires a separate crane in order to set the glass stand with the glass sheets onto the loading area. This results in considerable problems and disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention therefore has the task to create a transport vehicle which can be loaded with objects having large dimensions and with that in particular transport stands for glass sheets without requiring a crane.
The task is solved according to the invention through the disclosed characteristics.
Because of the special construction of the transport vehicle it is possible to drive onto the entire loading area, to set the individual glass stands, regardless whether it is an A-shaped or a L-shaped glass stand, unto the loading area and to secure them there in such a fashion that the glass stands as well as the cargo, meaning the glass sheets, are secured during the transport. This could be a low-platform railway car as well as a low loading car which is accessible for specially equipped vehicles to drive onto, in this case Osila-glass-transport vehicles, in order to unload the glass stands as described and to secure them afterwards. It is especially advantageous that the loading as well as the unloading can be done without a crane, while the Osila-glass-transport vehicles are special equipment which are available at the glassworks because they are required for internal transport. They can also be used without a problem at the buyer's location because they are usually available there, whereas for precautionary measures a large transport with multiple low-platform railway cars could also include an appropriate Osila-glass-transport vehicle which would be part of the transport and can therefore take care of the loading and unloading of the glass stands at the destination points. With this, a very versatile procedure or transport vehicle has been created, which, no matter whether it is a railway vehicle or a road vehicle, can be used for the specified tasks without requiring elaborate cranes or similar equipment. Due to the reinforcement boards which run in longitudinal direction an overloading of the actual loading area is ruled out or, in other words, it is not necessary to make the entire loading area appropriately stable which would make the loading of goods more difficult. Those reinforcement boards furthermore are designed in such a manner that a sliding of the glass stands on them and a sliding of the glass stands with the reinforcement boards is difficult, or better, impossible. A loading process with a standard osila-glass-transport vehicle with its elevated driver booth is advantageously possible because the structure that rests on the loading area features a roof that can be raised. During the loading of the loading area the roof will be raised accordingly so that the Osila-glass-transport vehicles can, without a problem, drive the glass stands cross the loading area and place them there. When the loading process is completed, the roof will be lowered and you are looking at an advantageously designed low-platform railway car or low-loader. The side walls are stabilized and connected with the loading area, or better, with the loading board in such a manner that they can be used as a bearing for the fixtures that are securing the loaded goods. Thus the side walls can, for example, be set in appropriate load-retaining stanchions in the

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