US3208403A

US3208403A - Load divider suspension

Info

Publication number: US3208403A
Application number: US304459A
Authority: US
Inventors: Gerald M Magarian; Paul Z Anderson
Original assignee: Preco LLC
Current assignee: Preco LLC
Priority date: 1963-08-26
Filing date: 1963-08-26
Publication date: 1965-09-28
Anticipated expiration: 1982-09-28

Description

' swt 2g, W65 G. iw. MAGARIAN ETAL 3,208,403

` LOAD DIVIDER SUSPENSION Filed Aug. 26. 1963 5 rfga. a@

3&1

@man M MAaAQ/m 10h01. .2'. Anas/$5016 INVENTORS States The present invention relates to load dividers in the form of movable gates or bulkheads for containers such as vans or freight cars, and has particularly to do with the suspension of such elements. The invention will be here described in the illustrative form of a suspension for swinging divider gates, but it will be apparent how the improved suspension, here described typically as applied to a longitudinally travelling transverse overhead beam structure, may be used as suspension for other types of gates. For example, such transverse longitudinally travelling beam structures have been used for suspending gates hinged on horizontal axes at their upper edges to such a beam and movable against a car end-wall or swingable up against the ceiling of a car or the like; and also for centrally swivelly suspending a gate. The present improved suspension is here described as suspending a gate of the former type, but without necessary limitation thereto.

The general type of suspension on which` the present invention is an improvement involves a transverse beam structure made up of a beam member or clement supported on a transverse squaring shaft having gear-like sprockets at its ends riding longitudinal rack-formation rails. The present improvement has mainly to do with an improved structure in which the transverse beam structure and the squaring shaft are dropped to a level below the rails for the purpose of allowing space under eg.

atene if 3,2%,4ll3 Patented Sept. 28, 1965 two rows may merge laterally, as their spacings may preferably be one a multpile of the other. Supporting rollers a car ceiling for certain installations such as a flow duct. t

It is desirable to position the rails as high as practicable under a car ceiling so as not to interfere with car loading, and the present invention drops the squaring shaft and the transverse beam structure below such high-positioned rails.

The characteristics of the invention will be best understood from the following description of typical and illus trative embodiments, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevation showing an illustrative suspen sion;

FIG. 2 is an enlargement of a portion of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2a is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing a preferred variant; and FIG. 2b shows a further variant; and

FIG. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of FIG. l, but showing the gate swung to horizontal position Linder a car ceiling.

FIG. 1 shows two longitudinal overhead rails 20 lying directly under the ceiling structure 22, secured to and depending from that structure on the spaced brackets 21. In the figure the suspended gate 24 is shown as a halfwidth gate adapted to extend transversely from a car side wall 26 to approximately the car center designated CL in the figure. Consequently the right hand rail 20 in FIG. 1 is located close to that center line, and the structure here Shown would be duplicated at the other side of CL. It will be understood however that such right hand rail can be mounted under the ceiling near the opposite side wall and that gate 24 and the suspension beam structure can be correspondingly increased in their transverse dimensions to make gate 24 one of full width.

Each rail 20 has a single horizontal flange 30 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) which has a longitudinal rack-like series of spaced apertures 32; and, for the form of gate suspension here illustratively shown, also a longitudinal series of spaced locking apertures 34. The apertures of these l thereon.

36, mounted on stub shafts at the upper ends of plate-like end members 38, of the beam structure, ride the upper faces of flanges 30. Those end members 38 extend down to a level below flanges 30 and, at their lower ends are secured as by welding to the ends of beam member 40. A squaring shaft 42 is journaled near its ends in suitable bearings in end plates 3S and at its ends outside those plates carries gear-like sprocket rollers 44 whose teeth ride in the rack openings 32 from underneath flange 30. That fact places squaring shaft spacedly below the rail flanges. Beam member 40, as here shown lies entirely under the squaring shaft 42. Although it could be of such sectional form as to extend over that shaft it is here preferred not to do so in order to keep the clearance of the whole beam structure under the car ceiling as large as practicable, to clear such an element as the flow duct indicated at D, without having to further lower the squaring shaft.

As shownlillustratively here, beam member 40 is of general box-type welded to the two end plates 38 so that the beam member 40 is rigidly carried by those plates and rollers 36.

As previously indicated, gate 24 is here shown suspended from beam member 49 by a hinge formation 60 on an axis parallel to the underside of 40 to be swung up under the ceiling. FIG. 3 shows the gate swung to horizontal position, where it can be secured by latch means of any desired type. In its vertical operating position, or for stowing the gate against the car end wall, the gate is locked to upper rails 20 by projectible and retractable pins 74, and to lower floor rails 810 by similar pins 82, the pins entering longitudinally spaced perforations 34 in the rail flanges. The locking pins may be projected and retracted by suitable mechanism, such as double throw cranks 62 on a shaft 64 and coupled to the several locking pins by linkages 66, shaft 64 being operated by manual handle 68.

FIG. 2a shows further preferred details for the form shown in FIG. 2. The forms of FIG. 2a have mainly to do with the supporting roller 36, the sprocket roller 44, and their cooperation with the rail flange 30 and with each other.

In FIG. 2a supporting roller 36a has two axially spaced flange-riding flanges 36h and 36e with an annular relief 36d between them. Flange 36b is peripherally formed, as shown, to ride the curved edge of rail flange 30. Roller flange 36C rides rail flange 30 outside the row of rack perforations 32-that is, at the side of those perforations opposite to the rail flange edge-with the relief at 36d over those perforations to allow the sprocket teeth of sprocket roller 44a to project up above the upper face of rail flange 30.

Sprocket roller 44a on squaring shaft 42 has a flange 44b at its inner end of suflcient radial depth to overlie the projecting edge of roller flange 36h, as shown in the figure. A spring 42a may press sprocket roller 44a outwardly on shaft 42, that roller being splined to the shaft as indicated. The spring presses sprocket roller flange 44b against supporting roller flange 3611, holding the latter against the edge of rail flange 30. However the spring is not essential; registration of the sprocket teeth with the rack perforations holds the flange of the sprocket roller over against the supporting roller. Supporting roller 36a is axially slidable on its stub shaft 38a as well as rotatable The structure of FIG. 2a is desirable for at least one end of the beam member 40 and squaring shaft 42. The described arrangement takes care of varying distances between the two ceiling rails 20, and keeps both

rollers

36a and 44a in proper alinement with the rails and their rack perforations 32.

In the described arrangements the rail flanges 30 project horizontally toward each other and the sprocket rollers 44 are mounted on squaring shaft 42 outside the terminal elements 3S. But those rail flanges may project away from each other as indicated in the variant of FIG. 2b at 30a. ln this variant terminal elements 33a, mounted on the ends of beam member 40 as before, lie outside rail flanges 30a and the stub shaft for supporting roller 36a projects inwardly from element 38a. Sprocket roller 44 and squaring shaft 42 are mounted and cooperate with the rail flange as before. In this variant form locking pins 74a may preferably be located in a plane spaced from the vertical plane of 40, 42, that not being necessary in the form of FIGS. l and 2.

In thc following claims the term load dividing gate is to be taken as including any compartment partition such as a gate, bulkhead, etc.

We claim:

ll. A suspension for a load dividing gate in a compartment, comprising in combination,

a pair of overhead longitudinally and laterally spaced rails with horizontally projecting flanges having longitudinally extending rack-like formations,

a gate supporting beam structure comprising a transversely extending beam element adapted for gate support,

upwardly extending terminal elements at the ends of the beam element,

supporting rollers mounted on the upper ends of said terminal elements and riding the upper faces of said rail flanges,

a transversely extending squaring shaft journaled at its end portions in said terminal elements effectively above said gate supporting beam element and below said rail flanges,

and sprocket rollers rotatively secured on the end portions of said squaring shaft riding the lower faces of said rail flanges and engaging their rack-like formations from below the llanges.

2. The combination of claim Il and in which said rail flanges project horizontally toward each other,

and said sprocket rollers are secured to the ends of the squaring shaft outside said terminal elements.

3. The combination of claim 1 and in which said rail anges project horizontally away from each other,

and said sprocket rollers are secured to the end portions of said squaring shaft inside said terminal elements.

4. The combination defined in claim 1 and including a gate supported on said beam element,

and gate locking means carried bythe gate and lockingly engaging said rail flanges.

5. The combination defined in claim l and in which atleast one of said supporting rollers is movable axially with reference to the terminal element on which it is mounted and has a peripheral ilange adapted to contact the edge of the rail flange,

and said sprocket roller which rides the same rail flange has a peripheral flange adapted to bear against the supporting roller flange to press it against the rail flange edge,

said sprocket roller being axially movable on the squarng shaft.

6. The combination dened in claim 5 and also including a spring tending to press the sprocket roller flange against the supporting roller flange.

7. The combination defined in claim 5 and in which said supporting roller flange is located at one axial end of the supporting roller and includes a portion riding the upper face of the rail llange adjacent the rail flange edge,

and said supporting roller also has at its other axial end another flange riding the upper face of said railA site faces of the same rail aremovable axially with re spect to the beam structure and have respective peripheral roller flanges,

one of said roller tlanges being adapted to Contact the edge of 4the rail flange, and the other of said roller flanges being adapted to guidingly engage the roller that has said one roller flange,

and means yieldingly urging the roller that has said other roller flange in a direction to maintain said one roller flange in contact with the edge of the rail flange.

9. A suspension for a load dividing gate in a compartment, comprising in combination,

supporting rollers riding the upper faces of the rail flanges, I

means supporting the gate from said rollers with the upper edge of the gate below said llanges,

a laterally extending squaring shaft located below said flanges and mounted in bearings associated. with said supporting means,

and sprockets on the ends of the squaring shaft riding the lower faces of the rail flanges and engaging their rack-like formation from below.

10. A suspension for a load dividing gate in a compartment, comprising in combination suspension structure including;

a pair of fixed overhead longitudinally extending and laterally spaced suspension members provided with upper riding surfaces and with longitudinally extending rack-like formations in their lower surfaces,

supporting rollers riding the upper surfaces of said members,

a laterally extending squaring shaft -located below the lower surfaces of said members and supported rotatively from said rollers,

and sprockets rotatively fixed to the ends of said squaring shaft and riding the rack-like formations of said members from below their lower surfaces;

and means suspending the gate from said suspension structure.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,017,842 1/62 Nampa 105--376 4/62 yShaver 10S-376y

Claims

10. A SUSPENSION FOR A LOAD DIVIDING GATE IN A COMPARTMENT, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION SUSPENSION STRUCTURE INCLUDING; A PAIR OF FIXED OVERHEAD LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING AND LATERALLY SPACED SUSPENSION MEMBERS PROVIDED WITH UPPER RIDING SURFACES AND WITH LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING RACK-LIKE FORMATIONS IN THEIR LOWER SURFACES SUPPORTING ROLLERS RIDING THE UPPER SURFACES OF SAID MEMBERS, A LATERALLY EXTENDING SQUARING SHAFT LOCATED BELOW THE LOWER SURFACES OF SAID MEMBERS AND SUPPORTED ROTATIVELY FROM SAID ROLLERS, AND SPROCKETS ROTATIVELY FIXED TO THE ENDS OF SAID SQUARING SHAFTS AND RIDING THE RACE-LIKE FORMATIONS OF SAID MEMBERS FROM BELOW THEIR LOWE SURFACES; AND MEANS SUSPENDING THE GATE FROM SAID SUSPENSION STRUCTURE.