Rail car dumpers
AssigneeStrachan & Henshaw Limited
InventorPaul J. Dowden
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A rotary rail car dumper has a rail car platform forming part of a rigid tipping structure which, through end ring members, is mounted for rotation about a central longitudinal axis for tipping a rail car to dump its contents. Between the rail car platform and the ring members are pin joint connections allowing flexure under gravity loading independently of the ring members, at least before tipping. The maximum stresses occurring during operation of the dumper are thereby reduced. The dumper installation is also provided with means for extending the length of the rail car platform in order to handle rail cars of different lengths in unit trains.
Claims12
A rotary dumper for dumping the contents of a rail car, the rotary dumper comprising:
- a tipping structure having a platform for the rail car and coaxial ring members at or adjacent the ends of the structure, clamping means mounted on said structure for clamping the rail car on said platform, rotary mountings supporting said ring members for rotation of the tipping structure about the common axis of the ring members from an upright position to dump the contents of the rail car clamped on the platform, and flexible connection means which provide a connection between the rail car platform and the ring members that limits the transmission to the ring members of bending moments produced by loads on the rail platform when the tipping structure is in the upright position.
A rail car dumper installation having a tipping structure comprising a rail car platform, a first section of rail track mounted on said platform, the tipping structure having means for clamping the rail car on said first section of track on the platform while the structure is rotated from an upright position to dump the contents of the rail car, a fixed second section of rail track located at end of the platform for alignment with said first section with the tipping structure in its upright position, said first and second sections of track having a spacing between them, a linking section of track spanning said spacing, said linking section forming an extension of a selected one of said first and second sections and being secured to the selected section, for forming an extension thereof to the other of said sections, whereby the operative length of the rotary rail car platform is varied.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.