US2260505A - Refrigerator car - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 28, 1941. C, D, BONSALL 2,260,505

REFRIGERATOR CAR v Filed April'ZO, 1939 rack and lading compartment I3.

Patented Oct. 28, 1941 REFRIGERATOR CAR Charles D. Bonsall, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to Standard Railway Devices Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application April 20, 1939, Serial No. 269,003

3 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in construction of refrigerator cars used to transport perishable commodities, which cars have their walls, oors and roofs insulated to prevent the entrance of warm air from the outside or the egress of cooled air from the inside or vice versa.

My improvement particularly relates to the socalled top bunker refrigerator car wherein refrigerant containers are positioned adjacent the roof above the lading space.

It is common in refrigerator car construction to nail or screw a wood lining to wood stringers which in turn are secured to the car framing. With my improved construction I eliminate the necessity for wood stringers as I propose to use metallic sheet faced with plywood or some similar material for inside sheathing and to secure this sheathing directly to the metallic framework of the car body.

An object of my invention is to provide means for the movement of air within the car wall, from top to bottom thereof or vice versa.

Another object is to provide, within the car wall, vertical flues having their upper ends in communication with the refrigerant container adjacent the roof and their lower ends in communication with the lading space.

Another object is to construct an insulated wall having the strength required in railway service at the same time providing the flues hereinbefore mentioned.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through the car.

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the plane of line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section as indicated by the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, the wall insulation having been omitted to more clearly show the details of construction.

The parts of the refrigerator car shown in Fig. 1 are indicated generally as follows: roof 2, side wall 3, floor 4, refrigerant container 5, hatch 6, side wall flue 1, drip pan 8, passage 9, center duct I0, foraminous oor rack II, space I2 below the Air in the lading compartment I3, upon being warmed by the lading, rises through the duct I to the passage 9 where it is cooled by contact with the cold bottom wall of the refrigerant container 5. The air then flows, by reason of its greater density, downwardly through the flue 1 to the space I2 and thence upwardly through the rack to the lading compartment I3, thereby cooling the lading placed therein.

The floor 4 includes a center sill 20, side sills 2l spaced from the center sill 20 on opposite sides thereof, a lower retaining sheet 22 and spaced apart transversely extending beams 24 above and in contact with the sheet 22. The beams 24 and sheet 22 are riveted or otherwise secured to the center sill 20 and side sills 2I, the sheet 22 preferably being formed with an upwardly projecting panel 26 to stiffen the sheet 22 and to retain the insulation in position. Insulation 23 is laid on top of the beams 24 and sheet 22, and wooden stringers 29 are disposed on top of the insulation 28. The stringers 29 are supported by the beams 24 through the insulation 28 which is compressed in order to form a support. An upper metallic sheet 30 is provided to form a waterproof surface; the sheet 30 resting upon the stringers 29.

The side Wall 3 includes outer posts 35 and outer sheathing 36 secured together, each being rigidly secured to the outer side plate 31. Each of the side posts is secured to one of the floor beams 24 by some means, such as the brackets 39 which are welded to the posts 35 and to the beams 24 and also riveted to the outer side sill 2|.

The inner side sill 45 is secured to and insuiated from the beams 24 by the cups 4s secured to the beams 24, the insulating piece 48 and the rivets 49. The inner posts 52 are rigidly secured to the inner side sill 45 and are braced by a gusset 53 having a vertical portion welded at 55 to the posts 52 and a horizontal portion secured by the rivets 49 to the sill 45. The inner posts 52 are riveted at their upper ends to the depending leg of a Z-bar inner side plate 51. A sheet member extends between and is secured to the inner side plate 51 and the inner side sill 45. The sheet member 60 is for-medwith one or more offset portions 6I between each inner post 52, the offset portions 6I projecting away from the interior of the car and extending substantially between the inner side plate 51 and inner side sill 45. An inner sheathing 64 is secured to the inner posts 52 and disposed flatwise to the sheet member 60 to form a plurality of flues 65 between the sheathing 64 and the offset portions 6I. The sheathing 64 does not extend completely between the inner side plate 51 and inner side sill 45, being spaced therefrom to form the upper (B1) and lower (B8) openings which provide communication between the iiues 65 and the interior of the car. The inner sheathing 64 is preferably made of wood and may be protected by a metallic sheet 69 secured thereto. 'I'he wood functions as insulation between the ues 65 and the interior of the car.

The roof 2 comprises an outer sheet 15 extending between the outer side plates 31, an inner sheet 16 extending between the inner side plates 51 and insulation between the sheets 15, 16. A hatch frame 18 is preferablyv welded to the outer sheet 15 at 19' and secured to the inner sheet 16 by the rivets 80. Insulation 82 is provided between the inner sheet 16 and the hatch frame 18. The refrigerant container may be suspended by any convenient means.

A gutter 81 is provided substantially below the lues 65 and may be formed integral with the sheet member 60 or may be welded thereto. The gutter 81 is preferably welded at 88 to the upper floor sheet 30. n

Fig. 2 shows the post arrangement intended to assist in holding the side wall insulation 92 in place. The insulation 92 is arranged around the outer posts 35 and projects into the inner posts52, thereby forming a clampY on the insulation. Cleats 93, 94Y are also provided to hold the insulation in place.

The Aaccompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood. that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim: Y

1. Inv a refrigerator car an insulated floor, an outer side sill, a transversely extending floor beam embedded in the floor insulation and supported at one end by said sill, an inner side sill supported by and insulated from said beam, sub'- stantially vertical posts secured at their lower parts to said inner sill, lining secured to said posts, sheathing spaced outwardly from said lining, and insulation between said lining and said sheathing.

2. In a refrigerator car an insulated floor, an outer side sill, a transversely extending oor beam embedded in the oor insulation and supported at one end by said sill, an inner side sill supported by and insulated from said beam, substantially vertical posts secured at their lower parts to said inner sill, means secured to said posts and arranged to form a vertically extending flue, sheathing spaced outwardly from said means, insulation between said sheathing and said means and means to direct a flow of refrigerated air downwardly through said flue.

3. In a refrigerator car an insulated floor, an outer side sill, a transversely extending floor beam embedded in the floor insulation and supported at one end by said sill, a lower floor member forming the boundary of said floor, an inner side sill supported by and' insulated from said beam, an upper floor member secured to said inner sill in spaced relation to said beam, substantially vertical posts: secured at their lower partsto said inner sill, means secured to said posts andarranged to form a vertically extending flue, sheathing spaced outwardly from said means, insulation between said floor members and between said sheathing and said means, 'a floor rack supported by said upper floor member and arranged to form a space therebetweenr which communicates with the lower part of said flue, and means to direct. a ow of refrigerated air downwardly through said. flue.

CHARLES D. BQNSALL.

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