IMPROVEMENTS IN REFRIGERATORS AND REFRIGERATOR-CARS
Year: 1884

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
I, HENRY CARR GOODELL, of Atchison, in the County of Atchison and State of
Kansas, United States of America, Grain Dealor, do hereby declare the nature of
my Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN REFRIGERATORS AND REFRIGERATOR-CARS,"
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My Invention relates to refrigerators and refrigerator-cars and includes first, an
improved packing or non-conducting lining, and second, an improved construction
and arrangement of the ice receptacles.
In refrigerators and refrigerator cars in respect to the non-conducting linings, it
is desirable first, that the substance or substances employed, should be light in
weight; second, that it should occupy the least possible space consistent with the
effectual exclusion of heat; and third, it should be such in quality that it will
not settle under any jolting to which it may be subjected.
To meet these requirements my Invention consists of a filling or lining of
lamp black and mica or equivalent admixture and means for retaining the lamp black
in place.
i
In respect to the refrigeration of the car compartment, or other receptacle, the
points to be attained are first, the holding of the ice compactly and in convenient
position within this car compartment, or other receptacle; second, to expose as
much as possible of refrigerating surface to the air; third, to provide a suitable
system of drainage; fourth, to provide the most efficient and active circulation of
the air from the ice to the center of the car compartment, or other receptaclo; and
fifth, to economize the space and provide the largest possible amount of room, for.
suspending meats or other articles to be refrigerated.
I will now proceed to describe my Invention more particularly with reference to
refrigerator cars.
}
In the accompanying Drawings I have represented in Figure 1, a vertical cross
section of a car with my improved filling and refrigerating apparatus.
Figure 2, is a detail of a part of the wall of the car. Figure 3, is a detail of one
of the metal trays.
·
Figure 4, shows a modification of my ice box and drain. Figure 5, is a detail
view.
:
In general form the car may be of ordinary or any preferred construction. It is
provided with sills A, A, running longitudinally, which sills are provided. with
strips a, a, fixed thereto to support the coverings and partitions b, b. These form

page_text: air spaces in the bottom of the car below that containing the non-conducting
filling. Air spaces are also provided in the walls of the cars by means of outer
and inner walls c, d, which are preferably formed of matched boards nailed to
studding, e, and horizontal strips f. This air space is continued by like construction
on the top of the car and is also extended across the ends.
At the bottom of the car above the upper line of partitions b, is placed the
filling of lamp black. It rests preferably in shallow sheet metal trays 9, the flange
of which may be tacked to the sides of the sills. Instead of these trays however,
I may place the filling directly upon a cloth, which is laid upon the upper surface
of the upper partition b, and retains the lamp black, preventing any sifting
through cracks and consequent loss of the filling. After the filling is in place
I prefer to place cloth over it, and in order to fill the space left above the
filling between it and the flooring of the car, I lay the pieces h, h, upon the cloth,
which also adds to the prossure upon the filling and tends to provent sifting.
The board floor is then laid directly upon the cloth or the lamp black alone, as
preferred.
In the wall of the car, the non-conducting filling is laid against the inner wall d,
which may if preferred, be covered with cloth, j, or other suitable material. Before
applying the filling however I nail to the inner wall, a vertical strip i, shown in
Figure 2, any suitable distance apart, say from one to two feet, and on the inside
of these I tightly stretch cloth, taking care to make tight joints around the edges.
The strips are preferably about one inch thick, or from one to two, according to
the thickness which may be desired of the non-conducting filling. I may apply
the cloth filling to the car in the following manner :-
I tack on the cloth along the bottom to the height of a number of inches and
then nail matched boards of corresponding width upon the cotton forming a
wall d', and 'then fill in the lamp black or other filling between the inner cloth and
its backing and the wall d', and between the vertical strips. I then tack the
cotton a few more inches and back it up with another board, and so on in this
manner until the top is reached, and in this way I form a tight space for holding
the lamp black, and prevent it from sifting out by the jolting of the car through
cracks in the original structure or the wood work, or formed during use.
I do not however confine myself to this particular mode of putting up the lining.
Instead of cloth I may use any other suitable material, but I prefer cloth.
The lamp black forms a most efficient non-conducting filling, is extremely light,
and by reason of its lightness and slight elasticity will resist any tendency to
pack from jolting. The lamp black possesses also another important qualification,
in as much as it is totally impervious to moisture.
I may however increase the elasticity and lessen the cost of the packing by
mixing with the lamp black, pulverized mica, which is extremely well fitted for
the purpose, being highly elastic and also non-conducting. I mix it thoroughly
with the lamp black and pack the mixture in the manner heretofore described.
Short fibre may be used instead of the mica scales, but the latter is a cheap and
very efficient ingredient. A packing one inch in thickness of the lamp black or
the mixture described, in connection with dead air space outside of this packing
will afford a sufficiently high resistance for ordinary purposes.
The doors of the car under the plan described are preferably hinged and are
secured in any desired manner. They may be constructed and packed in the same
manner as the walls.
The desired construction of the car in respect to the linings and the nature of
the non-conducting material used, all combine to give the necessary lightness, and
at the same time occupy a minimum of space. This combination of lightness
and compactness is favorable for the location of the ice box in the upper
part of the car. For certain and positive circulation, the location of the ice
box in the top of the car is highly advantageous, and where the non-conducting
filling is itself light and occupies but little space it lessens the objection to the
location of the somewhat heavy and bulky ice box in the top of the car,

page_text: In order to adapt the box to this location I have constructed it in the form
shown in the Figure 1. In this Figure the bottom of the ice box rests upon
joists K, arranged across the car and supported as hereinafter described.
The floor of the ice box is preferably sloped downward slightly from the center
to the sides for the purpose of causing the ready outflow of drainage and also in
order that the central opening for the ascent of the warmer air may be higher than
the openings on the side for the downflow. This central opening shown in the
Figure at N, extends preferably the entire length of the car and is formed by two
walls, m, m, which divides the ice box into two compartments, and leaves the
aforesaid central opening, for the admission of the warm air which rises from the
car, and, passing through the space between the walls m, m, flows over these walls,
and enters the ice box, on each side. The sides of these compartments next to the
wall of the car, are formed by walls n, n, lower than the central walls but of
sufficient height to arrest the flow of the drip from the ice and to turn it towards
any suitable escape pipe. The rest of the wall is formed by the depending
flanges o, o, set inclined as shown in the Figure and projecting down to or near
the level of the upper edge of the walls n, n. These flanges hold the ice in
position, but allow the free circulation of the air under the flanges, and over the
walls n, and the circulation will tend in this direction, because of the outward
inclination of the floors of the compartments. In order to provent small pieces of
ice from passing under the flanges o, o, I form prongs p, out of strap iron or other
suitable material which are bolted as shown to the lower edge of the flanges o, o,
and twisted quarter way round in order to turn the edge in the direction of the
outflow, and to interfere as little as possible with the current of air. Slender rods
of iron may then be placed through holes in these prongs, to form a grating against
which the ice may rest but through which it cannot pass.
Instead of employing the flanges, prongs and rods, I may use wooden or metallio
strips, rods or bars, properly secured.
The space outside the walls n is not covered, and there is a free downward
passage for the cooled air throughout the entire length of the car. The joists K,
rest on scantlings, bolted to the wall of the car, and receives further support in the
center from a row of rods k, extending from the roof. At suitable points along the
roof of the car, trap doors are provided to place the ice within the refrigerator, and
at such points the walls m, m, (if the doors be in the center) are cut away to allow..
the ice to be easily and readily admitted.
The construction described converts perfectly the larger part of the upper space
of the car into room for the ice box, and with so large an area of bottom, the box
need not be more than fifteen or twenty inches deep. I prefer to make the
openings on the sides for the passage of cold air, about six inches wide, but do not
confine myself to these dimensions.
Instead of having the ice chamber in the upper part of the car, storage-room, or,
compartment, it may be located at one end; or there may be two ice chambers,
one at each end of the car or compartment. Figures 4 and 5 illustrate a mode of
carrying out this part of the Invention.
Referring to these Figures, Figure 4, is a vertical sectional view of an ice
chamber located at one end of a car, storage room, or compartment. S is the inner
wall, and T the outer wall or the one nearest the end of the car. These walls are
constructed of upright posts, s, and t, and horizontal strips s³, and t. The posts t, aro
close against the end wall of the car or compartment, and the posts 8, are walled
up with matched boards. To the inner sides of the posts a, and t, are attached the
horizontal strips s³, and 12, the upper and lower edges of which are beveled
downward as shown, in order to carry off the drippings of moisture which may
accumulate thereon.
The strips 8, and t, also servo to hold the ice away from the outer walls of the
ice box, and to create chambers between said strips, the outer walls and the
uprights 8, and t, and thereby affording a largo refrigerating surface, and providing