Patent Publication Number: US-10315668-B2

Title: Hopper car gate with multiple openings

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not applicable. 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention is related generally to hopper cars and in particular to a hopper car gate having multiple openings. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Hopper cars are commonly used to transport bulk materials. Hopper cars include one or more hoppers which hold bulk materials or other cargo for shipment. Each hopper has a discharge opening at its bottom in order to discharge the cargo upon arrival at its intended destination. A gate is joined to each opening to control the discharge of cargo from the hopper. Typically, the gate will have a frame defining an opening and a door moveable between a closed position which blocks the opening and an open position which allows cargo to exit through the opening. An opening mechanism allows a user to move the door between its closed and open positions. 
     The hopper openings must be spaced a distance sufficient to prevent interference between adjacent hopper gate doors when they are in their open position. Between adjacent hopper openings there are sloped hopper surfaces to facilitate discharge of the cargo within the hoppers. The area beneath the sloped surfaces is wasted space. Reducing the spacing between adjacent hopper openings reduces the wasted space beneath the sloped hopper surfaces, thus increasing the hopper car&#39;s carrying capacity. The length or width of hopper cars cannot be increased to increase carrying capacity because there are maximum exterior dimensions to which hopper cars must conform. For example, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) establishes maximum clearance dimensions for all railcars including hopper cars. It is important to maximize a hopper car&#39;s carrying capacity while ensuring the car has dimensions within the specified maximum clearance dimensions. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A hopper car gate with a frame having at least first and second openings and a solid section positioned between the first and second openings, an operating mechanism coupled to the frame, and a door supported by the frame. The door has at least first and second solid sections with an opening positioned between the first and second solid sections. The door is movable by the operating mechanism between a closed position, in which the first and second solid sections of the door block the first and second openings in the frame, respectively, and an open position, in which the opening in the door is aligned with at least one of the first and second openings in the frame and the solid section of the frame is aligned with at least one of the first and second solid sections of the door. 
     Preferably, the operating mechanism includes a shaft coupled to the frame and a gear mounted to the shaft. The gear preferably engages a gear rack on the door. The door preferably includes a central portion, a first side portion coupled to and extending outward from a first side of the central portion, and a second side portion coupled to and extending outward from a second side of the central portion. Preferably, each of the first and second side portions is continuous and solid. 
     Because the hopper car gate has a frame with multiple, spaced apart openings, the door only needs to move a relatively short distance from its closed position to its open position, in which cargo may discharge through each opening in the frame. The multiple openings in the frame give the gate a relatively large overall discharge opening size in comparison to the overall size of the frame. Since the door only moves a short distance, it does not extend an appreciable distance outward from the frame when the door is in its open position. This allows two of the gates to be positioned relatively close together without interference between the doors of the gates when the doors are opened. By spacing the gates close together, the overall cargo carrying capacity of the car to which the gates are mounted may be increased due to a reduction in the wasted space underneath the sloped surfaces of adjacent hoppers. 
     Additional aspects of the invention, together with the advantages and novel features appurtenant thereto, will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned from the practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a hopper car gate with a door in an open position; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the hopper car gate of  FIG. 1  with the door in a closed position; 
         FIG. 3  is a side elevational view of the hopper car gate of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a front elevational view of the hopper car gate of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a rear elevational view of the hopper car gate of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view showing a bottom of the hopper car gate of  FIG. 1  with the door in the open position; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view similar to  FIG. 6  but with the door in the closed position; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a portion of the bottom of the hopper car gate of  FIG. 1  showing a pair of seals; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the door of the hopper car gate of  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view through the line  10 - 10  of  FIG. 2 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A hopper car gate in accordance with one embodiment of the invention described herein is identified generally in  FIG. 1  as  10 . Hopper car gate  10  has a frame  12 , an operating mechanism  14  that is coupled to the frame  12 , and a door  16  that is supported by the frame  12 . Hopper car gate  10  has a relatively large total opening area for cargo to pass through when the door  16  is in the open position shown in  FIG. 1 . Further, the door  16  only moves a relatively short distance from the closed position shown in  FIG. 2  to the open position shown in  FIG. 1 , which means that the door  16  extends only a relatively short distance beyond the frame  12 , if at all, when the door  16  is in the open position. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , frame  12  has first and second side rails  18  and  20  joined by a first vertical section  22 , a second vertical section  24 , and cross rails  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32 , and  34 . First and second side walls  36  and  38  (shown in  FIG. 1 ) are joined to first and second side rails  18  and  20 , respectively, and first and second end walls  40  and  42  are joined to first and second vertical sections  22  and  24 , respectively. First and second side walls  36  and  38  are joined with first and second end walls  40  and  42  at the corners of the frame  12 . A first solid section includes first and second dividing walls  44  and  46  each of which joined with and extending between first and second side walls  36  and  38 . A second solid section includes third and fourth dividing walls  48  and  50  each of which joined with and extending between first and second side walls  36  and  38 . A top opening  52  of frame  12  is formed by side and end walls  36 ,  38 ,  40 , and  42 . Top opening  52  is surrounded by a flange  54  that is mounted to and extends away from an upper portion of side and end walls  36 ,  38 ,  40 , and  42 . Flange  54  includes openings that are configured to receive fasteners for joining hopper car gate  10  to the hopper of a railcar. First and second side rails  18  and  20  and first and second vertical sections  22  and  24  include a bottom flange extending around a bottom of the frame  12 . 
     Frame  12  includes first, second, and third bottom openings  56 ,  58 , and  60 , respectively. First bottom opening  56  is formed by first end wall  40 , first and second side walls  36  and  38 , and first dividing wall  44 . Second bottom opening  58  is formed by second dividing wall  46 , third dividing wall  48 , and first and second side walls  36  and  38 . Third bottom opening  60  is formed by second end wall  42 , first and second side walls  36  and  38 , and fourth dividing wall  50 . First and second dividing walls  44  and  46  are positioned between first and second bottom openings  56  and  58 , and third and fourth dividing walls  48  and  50  are positioned between second and third bottom openings  58  and  60 . 
     Side and end walls  36 ,  38 ,  40 , and  42  slope downward and inward from top opening  52  to bottom openings  56 ,  58 , and  60  to facilitate discharge of cargo through bottom openings  56 ,  58 , and  60  when door  16  is in the open position shown in  FIG. 1 . Upper ends of first and second dividing walls  44  and  46  are joined together adjacent top opening  52 , and upper ends of third and fourth dividing walls  48  and  50  are joined together adjacent top opening  52 . First dividing wall  44  slopes from its upper end to opening  56  downward and toward first end wall  40 . Second dividing wall  46  slopes from its upper end to opening  58  downward and toward third dividing wall  48 . Third dividing wall  48  slopes from its upper end to opening  58  downward and toward second dividing wall  46 . Fourth dividing wall  50  slopes from its upper end to opening  60  downward and toward second end wall  42 . 
     Three door support rails  62 ,  64 , and  66 , shown in  FIG. 6 , extend between the first vertical section  22  and the second vertical section  24  of the frame  12  just below bottom openings  56 ,  58 , and  60 . Door  16  is supported by the door support rails  62 ,  64 , and  66  adjacent openings  56 ,  58 , and  60 . Referring to  FIG. 8 , a side seal assembly  68  is mounted to the bottom of side wall  38  to prevent material from passing between door  16  and side wall  38  when the door  16  is in its closed position, and another side seal assembly (not shown) is preferably mounted to the bottom of side wall  36 . An end seal assembly  70  is mounted to the bottom of end wall  42  to prevent material from passing between door  16  and end wall  42  when the door  16  is in its closed position, and another end seal assembly (not shown) is preferably mounted to the bottom of end wall  40 . Similar seal assemblies (not shown) are also preferably mounted to cross rails  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32 , and  34  to prevent material from leaking through the bottom openings  56 ,  58 , and  60  when door  16  is closed and to prevent material from entering the space under dividing walls  44  and  46  and interfering with operating mechanism  14 . 
     The components of frame  12  described above, namely, side rails  18  and  20 , vertical sections  22  and  24 , cross rails  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32 , and  34 , side walls  36  and  38 , end walls  40  and  42 , dividing walls  44 ,  46 ,  48 , and  50 , flange  52 , and door support rails  62 ,  64 , and  66 , are preferably joined by welding. While frame  12  is shown and described herein with three bottom openings  56 ,  58 , and  60 , it is within the scope of the invention for frame  12  to have only two bottom openings, in which case third and fourth dividing walls  48  and  50  may be omitted. Further, frame  12  may have more than three bottom openings, in which case frame  12  would have additional sets of dividing walls extending between side walls  36  and  38 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , operating mechanism  14  includes a shaft  72  that is supported by frame  12  such that shaft  72  is rotatable with respect to frame  12 . As shown in  FIG. 10 , shaft  72  extends through an opening  74  in first side wall  36 . Shaft  72  extends through another opening (not shown) in first side rail  18  aligned with opening  74  and into a support tube  76  ( FIG. 5 ) that is joined to and extends outward from first side rail  18 . A socket  78  is mounted to the end of shaft  72  and includes an opening for receiving a tool that can rotate shaft  72 . Shaft  72  also extends through aligned openings (not shown) in second side wall  38  and second side rail  20  and into a support tube  80  that is joined to and extends outward from second side rail  20 . A socket  82  is mounted to the end of shaft  72  and includes an opening for receiving a tool that can rotate shaft  72 . Bearings or bushings (not shown) may be mounted within the support tubes  76  and  80  to receive shaft  72  and facilitate its rotation with respect to frame  12 . Shaft  72  is positioned under the first and second dividing walls  44  and  46 . 
     A first gear  84  is mounted to shaft  72  adjacent first side rail  18 . First gear  84  is positioned beneath first and second dividing walls  44  and  46 . As shown in  FIG. 10 , first gear  84  extends through opening  74  in first side wall  36 . A second gear (not shown) is mounted to shaft  72  adjacent second side rail  20 . The second gear is also positioned beneath first and second dividing walls  44  and  46  and extends through an opening (not shown) in second side wall  38 . A locking mechanism  86 , shown in  FIG. 4 , is joined to and extends between side rails  18  and  20  for preventing unwanted motion of door  16 , as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,171,907. 
     As shown in  FIG. 9 , door  16  includes a central portion  88 , a first side portion  90  joined to and extending outward from a first side of the central portion  88 , and a second side portion  92  joined to and extending outward from a second side of the central portion  88 . Each of the first and second side portions  90  and  92  is continuous and solid from a first end  94  of the door  16  to a second end  96  of the door  16 . Central portion  88  has a first solid section  98 , a second solid section  100 , a third solid section  102 , a first opening  104  positioned between the first and second solid sections  98  and  100 , and a second opening  106  positioned between the second and third solid sections  100  and  102 . It is within the scope of the invention for door  16  to only include two solid sections with one opening positioned between the solid sections. Further, door  16  may have more than three solid sections with an opening positioned between each solid section. Door  16  preferably has the same number of solid sections as the number of bottom openings  56 ,  58 , and  60  in frame  12 . 
     The openings  104  and  106  in door  16  are sized to be approximately the same size as the openings  56 ,  58 , and  60  in frame  12 . The lengths L 1 , L 2 , and L 3  of solid sections  98 ,  100 , and  102 , respectively, are sized to be at least slightly greater than the lengths L 4 , L 5 , and L 6  (see  FIG. 2 ) of bottom openings  56 ,  58 , and  60  so that the solid sections  98 ,  100 , and  102  completely block openings  56 ,  58 , and  60  when the door  16  is in the closed position to prevent commodity from passing through openings  56 ,  58 , and  60 . The length L 2  is preferably approximately the same as the length L 7  of first and second dividing walls  44  and  46  so that solid section  100  is positioned beneath dividing walls  44  and  46  when door  16  is in the open position. Likewise, the length L 3  is preferably approximately the same as the length L 8  of third and fourth dividing walls  48  and  50  so that solid section  102  is positioned beneath dividing walls  48  and  50  when door  16  is in the open position. The length L 9  of opening  104  in door  16  is less than the length L 7  of first and second dividing walls  44  and  46  so that opening  104  is completely covered when the door  16  is in its closed position. Likewise, the length L 10  of opening  106  in door  16  is less than the length L 8  of third and fourth dividing walls  48  and  50  so that opening  106  is completely covered when door  16  is in its closed position. Preferably, lengths L 4 , L 5 , L 6 , L 9  and L 10  are approximately three inches less than lengths L 2 , L 3 , L 7 , and L 8 . Length L 1  is preferably slightly longer than lengths L 2 , L 3 , L 7 , and L 8  as shown in  FIG. 9 . 
     Door  16  includes first and second gear racks  108  and  110  mounted to the first and second side portions  90  and  92 , respectively. First and second gear racks  108  and  110  extend lengthwise on door  16  approximately coterminous with opening  104  and solid section  100 . First gear rack  108  engages first gear  84 , and second gear rack  110  engages the second gear (not shown) described above. Gear racks  108  and  110  are positioned on an upper side of door  16 . It is also within the scope of the invention for gear racks  108  and  110  to be positioned on a bottom side of door  16 , in which case shaft  72  and gear  84  would be positioned beneath door  16 . Door stops  112  and  114  are mounted on the upper side of door  16  adjacent first end  94 . 
     In operation, the hopper car to which hopper car gate  10  is mounted is loaded with cargo when door  16  is in the closed position shown in  FIG. 2  and transported to its destination. In the closed position, solid sections  98 ,  100 , and  102  of door  16  block openings  56 ,  58 , and  60 , respectively, of frame  12 . The cargo is discharged by inserting a tool within one of sockets  78  or  82  and rotating the socket and shaft  72  in the counter-clockwise direction, when viewed as shown in  FIG. 3 . Rotation of shaft  72  causes first gear  84  and second gear (not shown) to engage first and second gear racks  108  and  110  and move door  16  to the open position shown in  FIG. 1 . In the open position, openings  104  and  106  in door  16  are aligned with the first and second openings  56  and  58  in frame  12 , respectively, and third opening  60  is unblocked by door  16 . In the open position, first and second dividing walls  44  and  46  of frame  12  are aligned with and positioned above the second solid section  100  of door  16 , and third and fourth dividing walls  48  and  50  are aligned with and positioned above the third solid section  102  of door  16 . 
     From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one well adapted to attain all ends and objectives herein-above set forth, together with the other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the invention. 
     Since many possible embodiments may be made of the invention without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matters herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings are to be interpreted as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense. 
     While specific embodiments have been shown and discussed, various modifications may of course be made, and the invention is not limited to the specific forms or arrangement of parts and steps described herein, except insofar as such limitations are included in the following claims. Further, it will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims.