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US 12,509,129 B2Granted
Large plate tilt railroad car
AssigneeGunderson LLC
InventorsDaniel Schuller, Peter L. Jones
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A large plate tilt railroad car including a plate support assembly having a plurality of spaced-apart plate supporters including a plurality of plate holders simultaneously movable from loading positions in which one or more large steel plates can be loaded on the railroad car to transit positions in which one or more large steel plates can be transported using the railroad car.
Claims19
A large plate tilt railroad car comprising:
- a frame;
- a deck connected to the frame, the deck having a first end and a second end;
- and
- a plate support assembly connected to the deck, the plate support assembly including:
- a drive assembly, and
- a plurality of spaced-apart plate supporters including:
- first and second plate supporters on the first end of the deck,
- third and fourth plate supporters on the second end of the deck, and
- a plurality of plate supporters on the deck between:
- (a) the first and second plate supporters, and (b) the third and fourth plate supporters,
- each of the plate supporters including a plate holder operable to move from a plate loading/unloading position to a plate transit position, each plate supporter including a jackscrew coupled to the drive assembly and to the plate holder of the plate supporter,
- wherein the plate holders of the plurality of plate supporters are not connected to the plate holders of the first and second plate supporters, and
- wherein the plate holders of the plurality of plate supporters are not connected to the plate holders of the second and third plate supporters.
10 more elements
A large plate tilt railroad car comprising:
- a frame;
- a deck connected to the frame;
- and
- a plate support assembly connected to the deck, the plate support assembly including:
- a drive assembly including:
- a gear reducer,
- a first group of first drive shafts coupled to the gear reducer,
- a second group of first drive shafts coupled to the gear reducer,
- such that rotational forces provided to either first or second groups of first drive shafts from a powered external drive actuator that is not part of the large plate tilt railroad car is transferred through the respective group of first drive shafts to the gear reducer,
- a third group of second drive shafts coupled to the gear reducer, and
- a fourth group of second drive shafts coupled to the gear reducer;
- and
- a plurality of spaced-apart plate supporters coupled to the drive assembly, each of the spaced-apart plate supporter including a plate holder operable to move from a plate loading/unloading position to a plate transit position via rotational forces provided by one of the third and fourth groups of second drive shafts of the drive assembly.
10 more elements
A large plate tilt railroad car comprising:
- a frame;
- a deck connected to the frame;
- and
- a plate support assembly connected to the deck, the plate support assembly including:
- a drive assembly, and
- a plurality of spaced-apart plate supporters that each include a plate holder operable to move from a plate loading/unloading position to a plate transit position,
- each plate supporter pivotally supported by a leg, and
- each plate supporter including a plate holder pivot actuator including a first pivot member receiver at its top end and a second pivot member receiver at its bottom end, the second pivot member receiver connected by a pivot pin to a follower of a jackscrew supported by the deck, the follower including a plurality of freely rotatable cylindrical follower support members rotatable on the deck, the freely rotatable cylindrical follower support members configured to transfer forces from the plate supporter to the deck.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.