Railroad hopper car door assembly
US6019049A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 2, 1998 |
| Grant date | Feb 1, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 2, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB61D7/28
- WIPO fieldTransport
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A discharge door assembly for a bottom dump covered railroad hopper car is provided. The discharge door assembly includes a plurality of longitudinally mounted discharge doors arranged in end-to-end relation across a bottom of the hopper car; with each discharge door being movable between open and closed positions about a pivot axis disposed parallel to and adjacent a longitudinal axis of the hopper car. A door operating mechanism including a single powered actuator operates all of the discharge doors substantially simultaneously to effect rapid discharge of matter from the hopper with significantly less operator involvement. The door operating mechanism further includes a lock for releasably holding the discharge doors in a closed position. A venting system inhibits imploding of the walls of the hopper car upon discharge of particulate matter from the car. Deflectors are arranged on opposite sides of the hopper car to combine with the pivoted discharge doors in limiting the discharge pattern of material from the hopper car to a relatively narrow pattern or stream disposed between the rails on which the hopper car moves.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.