Covered Hopper Car Partition Attachment Stiffness Sheet Modifier

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to railway cars and particularly to a roof and partition sheet structure in the area of a roof step, upstanding coaming and hatch opening.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 1,101,824 which discloses a carline of channel bars of a certain configuration with a cutaway portion to form an access into the channel.

The prior art also includes partition sheet assemblies that divide covered railway hopper cars into compartments. The partition sheet assemblies are attached at their upper portions to overhead framing members usually by welding. When the partition sheet assemblies are subjected to a force they are caused to flex. It is this cyclic flexing which causes hard spots and stress concentrations culminating in fatigue fractures in the upper areas of the partition sheets of the prior art.

The present invention is an improvement over the prior art by the inclusion of elongated openings in the partition sheet assemblies in the areas of high stress concentrations reducing stiffness in those areas thereby relieving stress concentrations and improving fatigue characteristics, while still allowing the partition sheet assemblies to act as a roof support element and a stiffening element for the top framing bar.

In the present invention covered railway hopper cars include a plurality of partition sheet assemblies. These partition sheet assemblies are secured rigidly at their upper ends to a top framing bar. The partition sheet assemblies act as compartment dividers, roof support elements, stiffening elements for the top framing bar and load restraining devices.

The forces created during the coupling-uncoupling operation of railway vehicles and during acceleration, cause loads which the partition sheet assembly must restrain. To restrain the load each partition sheet assembly flexes, much like a membrane. Since the partition sheet assembly is rigidly attached to the top framing bar it must act as a unit in the flexing mode or fail. Therefore, when the partition sheet assembly flexes the top framing bar rotates. It is this rotation of the top framing bar which reduces stress concentrations in the partition sheet preventing fatigue fractures.

The top framing bar is prevented from rotating in the area of its intersection with the roof step, upstanding coaming and hatch opening. This causes a high degree of stress concentration in the partition sheet assembly just below the roof step, and upstanding coaming area adjacent to the hatch opening causing premature fatigue cracking under cyclic flexing.

To improve the fatigue characteristics in the partition sheet assembly, elongated openings are placed in the partition sheet assembly. These openings are placed in the area of the intersection of the roof step, upstanding coaming and hatch opening with the top framing bar, but sufficiently away from the top framing bar. These elongated openings modify the stiffness of the partition sheet assembly in said high stress areas relieving stress concentrations and improving fatigue characteristics while still allowing the partition sheet assembly to act in its capacity as a roof support element and top framing bar stiffener.

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a covered railway hopper car;

FIG. 2 is a section through a portion of a covered railway hopper car;

FIG. 3 is a section taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a section taken along the line 4--4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a section taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 1 discloses a covered railway hopper car generally designated by reference numeral 10. The covered railway hopper car 10 includes a body 11 having side walls 12. Connected to opposite ends of the side walls 12 are end walls 13 which slope downwardly. The hoppers 14 include partition sheet assemblies 15 and downwardly sloping sheets 16 leading to discharge openings 17. The side walls 12 are also provided with the usual type of vertical posts 18. The car body 11 is supported on conventional wheel trucks generally designated at 19.

As best shown in FIG. 2 is a roof generally designated as reference numeral 20. The roof 20 consists of a roof sheet 21 having flanges 22 at its outer ends. The flanges 22 are connected to top side plates 23 which are connected to the side walls 12, all by means of gussets 24. The roof sheet 21 extends laterally from its flanges 22 to a roof step and upstanding coaming area generally designated as 25. The roof sheet 21 is attached to a top framing bar 26. The roof step portion 27 rises into an upstanding coaming 28 including an elongated hatch opening 29.

FIGS. 2 and 5 show U-shaped shields generally designated as reference numeral 30. The U-shaped shields are elements having a central flange 31 and laterally spaced leg members 32 connected to the central flange 31. The U-shaped shields 30 are welded to the top framing bar 26 having the central flange 31 adjacent to the hatch opening 29 and the laterally spaced leg members 32 within the roof step portion 27. The U-shaped shields 30 prevent the collection of material along the top framing bar 26 beneath the roof step and upstanding coaming area 25.

FIGS. 2 and 4 show the partition sheet assembly 15 welded at its upper ends to the top framing bar 26. A plurality of elongated openings 33 are placed at the upper end of the partition sheet assembly 15 below the roof step portion 27, upstanding coaming 28, and hatch opening 29, substantially adjacent to and beneath the top framing bar 26. The ends of the elongated openings 33 are to be disposed between a point below the roof sheet 21 adjacent to its rise into the roof step portion 27 and a point below the area of the hatch opening 29 adjacent to the area of the roof step portion 27 rising into the upstanding coaming 28. The partition sheet assembly 15 and top framing bar 26 are rigidly attached and must act as a unit under load or fail. FIG. 3 instructs that while the partition sheet assembly 15 flexes under load F.sub.1, the top framing bar 26 rotates about its axis A under load F.sub.2, thus relieving stress concentrations which would lead to fatigue cracking. The top framing bar 26 is restricted in its rotation in the roof step portion 27 and upstanding coaming 28 area adjacent to the hatch opening 29 thereby creating hard spots in the partition sheet assembly 15 leading to fatigue cracks. In the present invention, the elongated openings 33 placed as hereinabove described act as stiffness modifiers allowing the partition sheet assembly 15 to flex under load in the area of the roof step portion 27 and upstanding coaming 28 without stress concentration thereby improving fatigue characteristics. The specified placement of the elongated openings 33 also allow the partition sheet assembly 15 to act in its function as a roof support member and a stiffening element for the top framing bar.