US3397654A - Sliding hopper gate operating mechanism - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 20, 1968 5. J. SNYDER SLIDING HOPPER GATE OPERATING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 10. 1967 TN I I I I l J I INVENTOR. SAMUEL J. SNYDER ATTORNEY Aug. 20, 1968 5. J. SNYDER SLIDING HOPPER GATE OPERATING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 10, 1967 Aug. 20,- 1968 5. J. SNYDER S LIDING HOPPER GATE OPERATING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 10, 1967 gcrr Aug. 20, 1968 S. J. SNYDER SLIDING HOPPER GATE OPERATING MECBANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Feb. 10, 1967 QN N.\\\\ \\\\\\\P Aug. 20, 1968 5. J. SNYDER SLIDING HOPPER GATE OPERATING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 10, 1967 United States Patent 3,397,654 SLIDING HOPPER GATE OPERATING MECHANISM Samuel J. Snyder, Long Island City, N.Y., assignor to ACF Industries, Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Feb. 10, 1967, Ser. No. 615,130 8 Claims. (Cl. 105-305) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The high force often required to open the sliding gate of ahopper of a railroad car or the like is supplied by a cam fixed to the same shaft as is the pinion of a rack and pinion drive for the gate, the cam and the pinion being enabled to turn at the same rate by a lost motion connection between the rack and the gate. Should the gate become stuck at an intermediate point of its travel, the lost motion connection permits an impact to be applied to the gate to restart its movement.

Background of the invention Sliding hopper gates of a relatively large size, such as twenty-four (24) inches by forty-two (42) inches, re quire relatively high initial opening forces, especially under severe cold weather conditions and with ladings, such as cement, that tend to bind and adhere to the gates. Heretofore, gear reduction units having mechanical advantages varying from around three-to-one to twelve-toone have been employed to overcome the high initial opening forces. However, with gear reduction units, the rate of gear travel and the rate of gate movement are reduced by the ratio of the mechanical advantage. Thus, particularly with gear units having a relatively high mechanical advantage, a low opening rate is obtained which results in a long gate travel time. An alternative arrangement disclosed in Reissue Patent 26,093 provides impacting means for starting the opening of the gate.

Application Ser. No. 581,383, filed Sept. 22, 1966 and assigned to the assignee of this application, provides a camming mechanism for sliding hopper gates in which a high opening force at a low gate travel Speed is applied forinitially opening the gate a distance of around two (2) inches. Then, a fast opening rate for the remainder of gate travel is obtained by a direct drive. Thus, the slow gate travel is employed only when the gate is initially cracked open and thereafter, a fast gate travel is obtained to open the gatein a minimum of time. The gate opening mechanism is operated by a continued rotation of the pinion shaft without any separate operations or steps'being involved.

Summary of the invention Briefly described, the present invention comprises a pinion and rack combination for opening and closing the gate, there being preferably two pinions fixed to a pinion shaft for engaging racks on opposite sides of the gate in a direct drive to slide the gate to a full open position at a fast gate travel rate. Separate means, specifically, a cam, is fixed on the pinion shaft for initially breaking the gate open independently of the racks and pinions and is operable only during the initial opening movement of the gate from a fully closed position. Thus, the initial rotation of the pinion shaft fromth'e full closed position of the gate first actuates a mechanism for initially breaking the gate open at a low travel rate and continued rotation of the pinion shaft actuates the pinions for the full opening of the gate at a fast gate travel rate. Lost motion means connect the racks to the gate to permit the initial 3,397,654 Patented Aug. 20, 1968 'ice Brief description of the drawing In the accompanying drawings, in which one of several possible embodiments of the invention is illustrated:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a covered hopper railway car having a plurality of bottom outlet structures comprising the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged side elevation of a bottom outlet structure, showing in dashed lines the position of the rack when the gate is open;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan of the sliding gate structure shown in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged top plan of the mechanism for opening the sliding gate illustrating the gate in a fully closed posiiton;

FIGURE 5 is an end elevation of the bottom outlet structure shown in FIGURES 2 and 3;

FIGURES 6 and 7 are sectional views taken along lines 6-6 and 77 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 8 is a partial view showing particularly the positions of the movable elements after the gate is initially opened;

FIGURE 9 is a view similar to that of FIGURE 8 showing the positions of the elements at the end of the opening of the gate;

FIGURE 10 is a view similar to that of FIGURES 8 and 9 showing the positions of the elements after the beginning of the closing of the gate.

Description of the preferred embodiment Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGURE 1, a covered hopper railway car is generally designated 10 and has a plurality ofhopper structures 12 separated by partitions orbulkheads 14. A truck assembly 16 is arranged at each end of car 10. Spaced along the top of the car 10 are hatch covers 18 for loading of the car.Hopper sheets 20 of eachhopper structure 12 slope downwardly to a bottom discharge opening defined by an outerperipheral flange 22. The hopper and gate structure is illustrated and described in application Ser. No. 581,383, filed Sept. 22, 1966 by F. C. Pulcrano and Carl E. Becker, and the disclosure of that application is incorporated herein by reference.

Secured toperipheral flange 22 beneath each bottom discharge opening is a bottom outlet structure generally indicated 24. Eachbottom outlet structure 24 comprises an upper generally rectangular peripheral flange 25 formed by the upper horizontal legs of angle-shapedend frame members 26 andside frame members 28. Mounted on the upper surfaces ofend members 26 andside members 28 for sliding movement is agate 30. Spacers onend members 26 and on oneside member 28 fit betweenperipheral flanges 22 and 25adjacent gate 30 to provide clearance forgate 30 betweenflanges 22 and 25.Flange 22 is spaced from theother side member 28 adjacent the gate operating mechanism to form a slot to receivegate 30. Suitable bolt and nut combination (not shown) securebottom outlet structure 24 toflange 22. An intermediate support 34 secured betweenside members 28 supportsgate 30 between its ends. Anangle 35 secured to the upper surface ofgate 30 is adapted to fit overadjacent flange 22 in the closed position of the gate thereby to prevent the entry of foreign matter betweenflange 22 andgate 30.

Secured to opposed side edges ofgate 30 areblocks 36 positioned above the upper surface ofend members 26 and adapted to move therealong withgate 30.Stub shafts 38 are welded togate 30 as shown in FIG. 7 and each extends through aslot 37 of aloop 39 of arack 40 supported for sliding movement along the upper surface of the subjacentend frame member 26, so thatshaft 38 and loop 39 form a lost motion connection between the rack and the gate. Arack retainer clip 41 is secured to eachend frame member 26 to guide the associatedrack 40 as shown in FIGURE 3.

Ahearing support bracket 42 having abearing 44 thereon is secured to the underside of eachend frame member 26 by aclamp 43 andbolts 45. Apinion shaft 46 is mounted inbearings 44 for rotation and has acapstan 48 fixed to each end thereof. A suitable handspike (not shown) or the like may be inserted in openings ofcapstans 48 to rotateshaft 46 for opening and closinggate 30.

To provide a mechanical advantage and a relatively high force for initially openinggate 30, acam 40 fixed topinion shaft 46 adjacent each side thereof acts against anadjacent block 36. Apinion 52 adjacent each end ofshaft 46 is fixed onshaft 46. As shown in FIGURE 4, an opening 62 in the horizontal leg of eachside member 26 beneathcam 50 receivescam 50 upon rotation thereof. Positionedadjacent cam 50 on eachblock 36 is aroller 64 mounted on anaxle 66 for rotation and in engagement withcam 50 for minimizing frictional contact betweencam 50 andblock 36.

To securegate 30 in closed position, alatch rod 68 is mounted for rotation onside members 26 and haslatch bars 70 thereon adapted to swing behind anadjacent stub shaft 38 whengate 30 is in closed position to prevent opening of the gate.Latch bars 70 are supported ontabs 72 in the closed position of the gate indicated in FIGURE 4 and ontabs 74 in the open position ofgate 30.

For initially openinggate 30 from the fully closed position shown in FIGURES 2 and 4,latch rod 68 is rotated to the position of FIGURE 8 andpinion shaft 46 is rotated manually by a suitable hand-spike incapstan 48 from either side ofgate 30. Initial rotation ofshaft 46 rotatescams 50 in clockwise direction as viewed in FIGURES 8 to 10.Cams 50 are in engagement withrollers 64 andurge blocks 36 outwardly to movegate 30 in an opening direction. Pinious 52 move racks 40 much more rapidly thangate 30 moves, so thatloop 39 moves relative to pins orstub shafts 38 until the elements reach the positions shown in FIGURE 8. Upon rotation ofcams 50 around threehundred-fifty degree (350) as shown in FIGURE 8,gate 30 opens a distance of around two (2) inches, and pins 38 completely traverseslots 37. The mechanical advantage ofcams 50 is around five-to-one so a large opening force is obtained for initially breakinggate 30 open.

When thegate 30 is fully opened upon extreme movement in the direction of arrow 78, the elements attain the positions shown in FIGURE 9. When it is desired to move the gate toward a closed position,shaft 46 is rotated in the opposite direction and pinions 52move racks 40 in the direction ofarrow 80, until the left hand side ofloop 39encounters pin 38, as shown in FIG. 10. Thereafter, upon continued rotation ofshaft 46,gate 30 moves withracks 40 until the gate is closed, and the rack moves to the solid line position in FIGURE 2, from the dashed line position.

The positioning and dimensions ofrollers 64 andcams 50 are such thatcams 50 move into the position of FIG- URE 2 upon the full closing ofgate 30. Therefore, whengate 30 is fully closed,cams 50 are in proper position for again openinggate 30.

From the foregoing, it is to be understood that the present invention provides a gate opening mechanism which has a high force for initially breaking the gate open and then has a high rate of travel for moving the gate to fully open position after the initial opening of the gate. If the gate becomes stuck or very hard to move at an intermediate point of its travel,shaft 46 may be reversed for a part of a turn, and thenshaft 46 may be given a hard turn so that the racks acquire a high velocity and, in view of their considerable mass, impart a heavy blow topins 38 to move the gate. It is apparent that if the camming mechanism were omitted, the lost motion connection would permit impacts to 'be applied to open the gate initially.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results obtained.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawingsshall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In a railway hopper car having a frame defining a bottom discharge outlet, a gate mounted for sliding generally horizontally on said frame for closing said outlet, a rotatable shaft mounted close to said frame, a horizontal rack slidably mounted on said frame, pinion means fixed to said shaft and engaging said rack, a lost motion connection between said rack and said gate, whereby the rack moves the gate after a predetermined, amount of lost motion therebetween, and force multiplying additional drive means on said shaft positioned to engage said gate when said gate is closed or slightly open for sliding said gate horizontally to a partially open position before said gate is moved by said rack.

2. The structure defined in claim 1, wherein the lost motion connection is dimensioned to provide a movement of the rack relative to the gate produced 'by a major portion of one turn of the pinion.

3. The structure according to claim 2, wherein the lost motion connection includes a pin and a slotted member surrounding the pin, one of which is fixed to the rack and the other of which is fixed to the gate.

4. The structure according to claim 1, wherein the lost motion connection includes an impactable member fixed to the gate and an impacting member fixed to the rack.

5. The structure according to claim 1, comprising a pair of racks on opposite sides of the gate, said pinion means including a pinion engaging each rack, and a lost motion connection between each rack and the gate.

6. The structure according to claim 5, wherein each lost motion connection includes an impactable member fixed to the gate and an impacting member fixed to the rack.

7. The structure defined in claim 1, wherein said additional drive means includes a cam fixed to said shaft and a member fixed to said gate and engaging said cam when the gate is in its closed position or is only slightly open.

8. A hopper comprising a chute-like enclosure having a bottom discharge opening, a gate for said discharge opening movable in a generally horizontal direction between opened and closed positions relative to the discharge opening, support means on opposite sides of said enclosure on which said gate is movable beyond one side of the enclosure to opened position, a rotatable shaft mounted on said support means, drive means fixedly coupled to said shaft for moving the gate between opened and closed positions, a lost motion connection between said drive means and said gate, whereby the drive means moves the gate after a predetermined amount of lost motion therebetween, and additional drive means connected to said shaft to initially open the gate a predetermined amount independently of said first mentioned drive means from the fully closed position of the gate, said additional drive means having a relaitvely high opening force and a relatively small opening rate.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 835,595 11/1906 Bishop 222505 3,110,270 11/1963 Ingram 222505 3,127,852 4/1964 Beachamp -253 ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner.

H. S. LANE, Assistant Examiner.

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