Hopper Railcar Composite Partition

A composite partition for separating at least two hoppers of a railcar, the composite partition comprising:

• a frame comprising a first material and a center opening, wherein the frame is for coupling to a pair of side walls and a floor of the railcar to provide structural support for structural loads exerted on the pair of side walls and the floor;
• and
• a composite section comprising a second material coupled to the frame and covering the center opening of the frame, wherein the composite section is configured to withstand loads exerted on the composite section by a commodity transported in the at least two hoppers and comprises a curved section forming a bubble extending into one of the at least two hoppers.

A composite partition for separating at least two hoppers of a railcar, the composite partition comprising:

• a frame comprising a first material and a center opening, wherein the frame is for coupling to a pair of side walls and a floor of the railcar to provide structural support for structural loads exerted on the pair of side walls and the floor;
• and
• a composite section comprising a second material coupled to the frame and covering the center opening of the frame, wherein the composite section is configured to withstand loads exerted on the composite section by a commodity transported in the at least two hoppers and wherein the composite section comprises openings for mechanically coupling the composite section to the frame, and the openings are reinforced with a third material embedded into the composite section.