Railway car nailable floor
AssigneePullman Incorporated
InventorsJ. W. Hogue, B. Dean Horner, Dudley Foster
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A nailable floor panel structure including a plurality of generally inverted-channel shaped parallel floor planks with depending flanges disposedly downwardly in generally abutting relation, and generally linear end caps affixed and rigidly interconnecting the respective ends of the panel planks. Each end cap includes longitudinally spaced, laterally offset portions corresponding to the floor plank junctures, and cut-out portions at the ends of the cap conforming in shape to the depending flanges of the channel-shaped floor planks. The design provides enhanced structural integrity of the finished floor panel and facilitates modular fabrication of the finished panel.
Claims4
In a freight vehicle having an underframe, a nailable metal floor structure mounted on said underframe comprising:
- a plurality of metal planks disposed in side by side generally parallel relation with one end of each plank in general alignment with a common plane, each plank comprising a generally inverted channel-shaped section having a horizontal web forming the surface of the floor and having flanges depending from the edges of said web so that the adjacent flanges of contiguous planks are complemental to each other thereby providing nailing grooves between each adjacent pair of said planks, and
- a generally linear upright end cap rigidly affixed across the ends of said planks generally adjacent to said plane and in flush relation with the underside of said webs of said metal planks thereby enhancing vertical support of said webs,
- said end cap including longitudinally spaced, laterally offset portions comformingly fitted to adjacent flanges of contiguous planks.
A modular nailable floor panel structure for a freight vehicle comprising:
- a plurality of generally channel-shaped planks,
- each plank having a web and a pair of flanges depending therefrom and said planks being disposed in spaced generally parallel relation with the respective ends of each plank in general alignment with respective common planes, said webs adapted to form a portion of the vehicle floor surface and the adjacent flanges of said contiguous planks defining nailing grooves therebetween,
- connector straps spanning and rigidly interconnecting the respective ends of said adjacent planks, each strap being generally adjacent to one of said planes,
- said straps being in generally flush relation with the lower side of said webs of said planks thereby enhancing vertical support of said modular nailable floor panel structure, and
- said connector straps including a plurality of longitudinally spaced outwardly offset portions bridging adjacent flanges of said contiguous planks.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.