Railway rolling stock – Special car bodies – Freight
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-28
2001-12-18
Gordon, Stephen T. (Department: 3612)
Railway rolling stock
Special car bodies
Freight
C105S404000, C105S406100, C105S409000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06330863
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to railcars, more specifically, the present invention relates to railcar tub designs.
2. Prior Art
In railcars, it has long been known to provide additional storage below the center sill in a pair of cargo areas formed between a center sill and a side sill, generally referred to as tubs. Examples of these types of railroad car designs can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,361,097 and 5,216,958. These existing designs include a pair of tubs extending longitudinally along the center sill with an end cap arrangement on each respective end of the tub. A full semi-circle is commonly utilized for the tub cross-section to provide the necessary strength to the tub. Presently, the end caps are constructed from a plurality of separate, connected pieces. Additionally, each end cap must include drain holes built into the end cap to allow egress of excess moisture in the tub. With the provision of multiple drain holes, a plurality of drain hole covers are provided with separate fasteners for each cover. The existing tub designs do not maximize the storage capacity available in the tub configurations. The current tub designs, particularly the end caps, represent a relatively complex structure increasing assembly time and manufacturing costs.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a railcar with an improved tub design overcoming the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a tub design with an improved cross-sectional configuration which is easy to manufacture and maintains the necessary structural integrity for the tub. A further object of the present invention is to provide a simplified tub closure at the respective ends of the tub.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above objects are achieved with a railroad car tub according to our invention. The railroad car tub body of our invention includes a flat, horizontal base section running along the longitudinal length of the tub. A pair of curved sections extend from the horizontal base section to vertically extending attachment ends on either side of the tub body. The pair of curved sections may have an equal radius or each have a different radius. Additionally, each curved section may be formed of more the one radii. The center(s) of the radius of curvature for the curved sections will be spaced from each other. One attachment end is adapted to be attached by mechanical fasteners to the center sill, while the other vertically extending attachment end is adapted to be attached to a side sill of a railcar.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the cross-section of the railroad car tub body has a base section extending approximately one-fifth of the width of the tub while each of the curved sections have an inside radius of approximately two-fifths of the width. In one embodiment of the present invention, the railroad car tub body may be formed of aluminum plate formed in a cold-forming operation. Alternatively, the tub body may be formed of a composite material.
The railroad car tub of my invention additionally includes a one-piece tub closure at each end of the car tub body. The one-piece tub closure may be a composite structure or a press shaped aluminum structure. The one-piece tub closure includes a flat end member and an overlapping extension member extending away from the end member substantially along the longitudinal length of the car tub. A curved transition segment attaches the end member with the extension member. The extension member substantially conforms to the cross-sectional shape of the tub body with the exception of an arched drain formed generally at the bottom of the composite tub closure. The extension member includes a plurality of through holes to receive connecting members for attaching the one-piece tub closure to the car tub body and the center sill and side sill of the railcar. The end member additionally includes apertures along the top thereof for receiving fastener members therethrough.
The cross-sectional configuration of the car tub body of our invention increases the carrying capacity of the car tub over the prior art structure while maintaining the desired strength characteristics of the tub. Additionally, the one-piece tub closure of our invention significantly reduces the tub components reducing manufacturing and assembly costs. These and other advantages of the present invention will be clarified in the brief description of the preferred embodiments taken with the attached figures wherein like reference numerals represent like elements throughout.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4254714 (1981-03-01), Heap
patent: 4361097 (1982-11-01), Jones et al.
patent: 4579065 (1986-04-01), Zehnder
patent: 5216958 (1993-06-01), Kurtz
patent: 5341747 (1994-08-01), Fetterman et al.
patent: 5373792 (1994-12-01), Pileggi et al.
patent: 5443016 (1995-08-01), Erickson
patent: 5458067 (1995-10-01), Weiss et al.
patent: 5813353 (1998-09-01), Sauter
Kurtz William E.
Lydic Todd L.
Blankenship Greg
Gordon Stephen T.
JAC Patent Company
Webb Ziesenheim & Logsdon Orkin & Hanson, P.C.
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