Abstract:
A method of loading a railway hopper car is disclosed including densifying the lading during loading of the car by vibrating the hopper car with a vibrator mounted in a vibrator bracket assembly which applies the vibrational loads to the car essentially entirely in shear.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND OBJECTS 
     It is known in the art to apply a vibrator to a railway car to assist in unloading difficult to unload ladings. The vibrator tends to break up and dislodge bridged or clogged lading. Examples of such vibrator mountings on railway cars are shown in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,634,008; 1,644,175; 2,108,416; 2,229,037; 2,621,813; 2,694,498: 2,706,566; 2,504,789; 3,420,480 and 3,468,504. However, these and other vibrator constructions apply the vibrational force to the railway car in such a way to induce local bending and tension in the structural components to which the vibrator is attached. Particularly when high vibratory loads are utilized there is a tendency for part of the railway car to fail, particularly in fatigue, particularly at locations adjacent to the vibrator. 
     It therefore is an object of the present invention to provide a vibrator bracket assembly whereby the likelihood of fatigue failure of railway car parts is reduced. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a railway car vibrator bracket assembly which applies the vibrational loads to the car body in shear. 
     It is another object of the present invention to facilitate utilizing the full available cubage of a hopper or railcar by utilizing a vibrating technique during loading. 
     Other objects will be apparent from the following description and drawings. 
    
    
     THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a railway hopper car having curved sides to which the vibrator bracket assembly of the present invention is adapted to be utilized; 
     FIG. 2 is an enlarged view along the lines 2--2 in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 2A is a perspective view along the lines 2--2 in FIG. 1 which shows the force vectors involved in the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention wherein the vibrator bracket assembly is mounted on the roof of the car; 
     FIG. 4 is a side view along the lines 4--4 of FIG. 1 in which the bracket assembly is applied to a single slope sheet and side sheet; 
     FIG. 5 is a perspective view of other embodiments of the present invention in which the vibrator bracket assembly is applied to a flat sided hopper car; 
     FIG. 5A is a view along the lines 5A--5A in FIG. 5. 
    
    
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A method of loading a railway hopper car comprising densifying the lading during loading of the hopper car by vibrating the hopper car with a vibrator mounted on a vibratory bracket assembly which applies the vibratory loads to the car essentially entirely in shear. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1-3, a railway hopper car is indicated generally at 10. The hopper car comprises trucks 12 on opposite ends thereof having wheels 13 which support the hopper car on a railway car track T. Hopper car 10 comprises a plurality of hoppers 14, 16 and 18 having curved side sheets 14a, 16a, 18a, and having transverse bulkheads 15 and 17 respectively, therebetween. The car may comprise more or less hoppers as desired. End hoppers 14 and 18 have slope sheets 20 extending from the transverse bulkheads downwardly toward outlets 21, 23 and 25 respectively and along slope sheets 22 extending over trucks 12. Hopper 16 has slope sheets 20, each extending downwardly from bulkheads 15 and 17 toward outlet 23. 
     The vibratory bracket assembly of the present invention is indicated generally at 30 in the drawings and is preferably applied to the hopper car 10 below either or, if desired, below both transverse bulkheads 15 and 17. For the purpose of illustration, the enlarged view shown in FIG. 2 is taken below bulkhead 17. 
     Openings are drilled in the side sheets indicated at 16b and 18b respectively. Additionally, a metal plate 32 which has openings provided therein 32b is welded to side sheets 16a and 18a, as illustrated. Rods 34 are then placed in the respective openings 32b, 16b and 18b and are welded respectively to the slope sheets 20 in each of hoppers 16 and 18. 
     Rods 34 have a longitudinal axis a 1  as shown in FIG. 2A. 
     It is apparent from FIGS. 2 and 2A the rods 34 extend into the hoppers a suitable distance such as, for example, ten to forty inches along the slope sheets 20. A vibrator mounting bracket 36 is then welded to rods 34 and plate 32 bracket 36 has first and second bracket planar surfaces 36a and 36b which are parallel to the longitudinal axis a 1  of rod 34. Again, as shown in FIG. 2A, rods 34 and vibrator bracket 36 extend outwardly from the side of the car a suitable distance sufficient for the vibrator to grasp the mounting plate 32, but insufficient to violate AAR transverse clearance restrictions. For example, an outward extension of about 2 to 12 inches may be used. A suitable vibrator is indicated in the drawings generally at V. The vibrator may be any of the known and/or commercially available vibrators for vibrating railway cars and/or industrial bins, example of which vibrators are illustrated in the foregoing patents, which may be clamped to mounting plate 32, or modified to do so may be used the vibrators are clamped to the surfaces 36a and 36b of mounting plate 36. 
     Vibrators generally are of two types. The reciprocating type applies the vibrator loads to the bracket in a back and forth linear motion usually by means of a piston. This results in a transverse Force vector shown generally as T 1 , into the rods 34 in FIG. 2A which is taken out by shear loads S 1 , applied to slope sheets 20. 
     The rotating type vibrator results in a rotating vector shown generally as RV 2  for any given time which may be resolved into a transverse component T 2  and a longitudinal component L 2 . The transverse component is taken out by shear loads S 2  applied to slope sheets 20. The longitudinal component L 2  is taken out by shear loads SS 2  applied to the side sheets (18a in FIG. 2A), and by a couple C 2  which applies shear loads to slope sheets 20. 
     In another embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3, a vibrator bracket assembly indicated generally at 130 is applied to the roof portion of the car. Railway car 10 is provided with a suitable roof sheet 50 and a plurality of hatches 52, 54 and 56 respectively for loading hoppers 14, 16 and 18. In accordance with this embodiment the vibrator bracket assembly is mounted between hatches 52 and 54 or between hatches 54 and 56. By way of example, it will be assumed that the vibrator assembly is mounted between hatches 52 and 54 adjacent transverse bulkhead 15. 
     Vibratory bracket assembly 130 comprises a horizontally extending plate 132 which is preferably provided with generally vertically extending support members 134 and 135 which extend transversely of the car. These support members may comprise a suitable angle, channel or T-shaped member which is preferably welded to opposite ends of plate 132 as indicated. Assembly 130 further comprises a mounting bracket 136 which extends generally transversely of the car and vertically above the car. Bracket 136 is welded to plate 132 bracket 136 is provided with first and second bracket planar surfaces 136a and 136b suitable for mounting a bracket thereon as illustrated in FIG. 3. At opposite ends of bracket 136 vertically extending plates 140 and 142 are integrally affixed thereto, preferably by welding plates 141 and 142 each have an longitudinal axis a 2  extending vertically in FIG. 3. Suitable openings 51 and 53 are cut in roof sheet 50, and plates 140 and 142 are provided with slots respectively 141 and 143 adapted to engage transverse bulkhead 15 by welding as shown. A suitable vibrator V is then mounted on surfaces 136a and 136b of bracket 136. 
     The vibrating loads are applied in a manner similar to that described in FIG. 2A. The piston-reciprocating type vibrator applies a vertical force vector shown generally as V 3  which is in turn applied by plates 140 and 142 to bulkhead 15 as shear loads BS 3 . The rotating vibrator results in a rotating force vector shown generally as RV 4  for any given time which may be resolved into a transverse component T 4  and a vertical component V 4 . The vertical component V 4  is applied to the bulkhead as shear forces BS 4 . The transverse component T 4  is applied to the roof sheet as shear forces RS 4 , by means of plate 132, and corresponding couple forces C 4  are applied to bulkhead 15 as shear by plates 140 and 142. 
     In another embodiment of the invention the vibrator bracket assembly may be applied to a single slope sheet as shown in FIG. 4. In this embodiment a vibrator mounting bracket 236 is applied to a slope sheet 222 and to a side sheet 218. Rods 234 are integrally affixed preferably by welding to slope sheet 222 rods 234 each have a longitudinal axis a 3 . Preferably a plate 232 is also applied to sheet 218. 
     The loads resulting from a reciprocating type vibrator are applied as shear forces to slope sheet 222 and the loads resulting from a rotating type vibrator applied as shear forces to side sheet 218 and the corresponding couple forces are applied as shear to the slope sheet, according to the same principles as described in regard to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. 
     The vibrator bracket assembly can also be applied directly to the side sheets of a flat sided hopper car. Thus, as shown in FIG. 5 a vibrator bracket assembly 430 having a mounting bracket 432 may be applied at either end of the car and supports 434 will apply shear and couple forces respectively to side sheets 414 and 418 support 434 each have a longitudinal axis a 4 . As described above, a rotating vibrator results in a vertical component which may be applied as shear to end sheet 440 or side sheet 418, individually or in combination as desired. 
     In still another embodimemnt shown in FIG. 5, a bracket assembly 530 having a mounting bracket 532 may be applied to the side sheet 516 and to roof sheet 550 bracket in assembly 530 includes a pair of supports 534 each having a longitudinal axis a 5 . When a reciprocating vibrator is used, the bracket assembly 530 causes the application of shear force to side sheet 516 and when a rotary vibrator is used, bracket assembly 530 causes the application of shear force to the roof sheet 550 or the side sheet 516 (individually or in combination as desired) and the corresponding couple forces are applied to side sheet 516 as shear. 
     In still another embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 5A a bracket assembly 630 may be applied to side sheet 516 and slope sheet 518. A pair of supports 636 are integrally affixed to inwardly inclined slope sheet 518 and a pair of plates 634 extend vertically. Supports 636 are provided with a longitudinal axis a 6 . Mounting plate 632 is parallel thereto. Shear from reciprocating vibrators is applied to inclined slope sheet 518 by means of supports 636. The rotary type vibrator applies shear to side sheet 516 and slope sheet 518, and a couple to slope sheet 518. 
     Since in all of the embodiments the vibratory loads are applied to the car structure in shear, the problem of bending stresses resulting in fatigue failures, particularly adjacent to the vibrator, according to prior art mounting bracket assembly, is largely reduced or eliminated. 
     It will be apparent that the vibratory bracket assembly of the present invention may be applied to all kinds of hopper cars including covered hopper cars, pressure cars, pressure differential cars, and to open top hopper cars, such as coal and ore cars. 
     It is also within the purview of the present invention to utilize the vibratory bracket assembly of the present invention to densify the lading as the car is being loaded, or after the car is partially loaded to facilitate obtaining as full a load as possible during transit. Examples of ladings for which densification is desirous are plastic pellets, asbestos, diatomaceous earth, kaolin clay and talc. 
     The following is a specific example of using the vibratory bracket of the present invention. 
     Two ACF cars at West Memphis, Ark. were selected and one vibrator bracket assembly was applied to each car per the application described in FIGS. 1, 2 and 2A. 
     A demonstration test to determine unloading characteristics of system was performed at Temple Gypsum facilities in West Memphis, Ark. 
     1. Cars were Amcar 3560 ft. 3  Center flow.sup.® hopper cars. 
     2. Commodity -- Gypsum Rock (varies from fist size rocks to powder fines). 
     3. Vibrator used at bracket assembly was designated CCV6-60-6A &#34;Brute&#34; manufactured by Martin Engineering Co., Neponset, Illinois. 
     4. Vibrator was operated at a pneumatic line pressure of 60 psig (which is equivalent to a vibration frequency of 2,200 rpm and a force output of 7,000 No.). 
     5. Elapsed time for complete unloading; approximately 20 minutes. 
     6. Examination following test showed no car damage. A structural endurance test was performed at Temple Gypsum facilities over a four-day period. Purpose of test was to subject vibrator bracket and empty car to eight hour continuous vibration in order to determine extent of structural damage. Significant items: 1. Line pressure was 60 psig and same vibrator as mentioned previously;measurements indicated as follows: frequency 2,600 rpm and peak force output, 9,500No. 
     2. Local structure and general car structure were examined periodically to determine damage. 
     3. After eight hours duration no damage occurred to the vibrator bracket or to car structure to which it was attached. There was damage of a minor nature which occurred at running board support brackets and brake line support brackets (which was readily and quickly repaired at minor expense). 
     4. The test was a complete success from the standpoint of no structural damage to the car structure to which the shear loads were applied. 
     Since the vibratory bracket assembly of the present invention applies to the vibratory loads to the structural parts of the car in shear, there is much less likelihood that use of vibrators to effect densification will result in fatigue failures of car parts, particularly those adjacent the area where the shear loads are applied.