Vibrator bracket assembly for hoppers and railway cars

A railway hopper car comprising:

• a plurality of hoppers supported by trucks at opposite ends of the car;
• at least two of said hoppers having a transverse slope sheet planar surface and an adjacent side sheet planar surface;
• at least no spaced support members adapted to extend parallel to and integrally engage respectively one of said transverse slope sets;
• said spaced support members each having a longitudinal axis;
• a vibrator mounting bracket extending between said support members and having first and second bracket planar surfaces, said bracket planar surfaces being parallel to the longitudinal axis of said spaced support members and adapted to receive a vibrator suitable for facilitating loading and/or unloading of the hopperby applying vibrational forces to the hopper;
• whereby reciprocating vibrational forces applied to the vibrator mounting bracket are transmitted through said spaced support members and respectively are applied to said transverse hopper slope sheets planar surfaces essentially entirely as shear loads in the plane of said transverse slope sheet planar surfaces.

A railway hopper car comprising:

• a plurality of hoppers supported by trucks at opposite ends of the car;
• said hoppers comprising a transverse bulkhead between said hoppers having a bulkhead planar surface;
• at least two spaced support members adapted to extend parallel to and integrally engage a planar surface of said bulkhead;
• said support members each having a longitudinal axis;
• a vibrator mounting bracket extending between said support members and having first and second bracket planar surfaces, said bracket planar surfaces being parallel to the longitudinal axis of said spaced support members and adapted to receive a vibrator suitable for facilitating loading and unloading of the hopper by applying vibrational forces to the hopper;
• whereby reciprocating vibrational forces applied to the vibrator mounting bracket are transmitted through said spaced support members and are applied to said bulkhead essentially entirely as shear loads in the plane of said bulkhead planar surface.

A railway hopper car comprising:

• a plurality of hoppers supported by trucks at opposite ends of the car;
• said hoppers comprising at least two spaced support members adapted to extend parallel to and integrallly engage a planar side sheet surface of at least one of said hoppers;
• said spaced support members each having a longitudinal axis;
• a vibrator mounting bracket extending between said support members and having first and second bracket planar surfaces, said bracket planar surfaces being parallel to the longitudinal axis of said spaced support members and adapted to receive a vibrator suitable for facilitating loading and/or unloading of the hopper by applying vibrational forces to the hopper;
• whereby reciprocating vibrational forces applied to the vibrator mounting bracket and transmitted through said spaced support members and are applied to said side sheet essentially entirely as shear loads in the plane of said side sheet planar surface.