Aerated hopper discharge apparatus for railroad cars

Claim 2

In a hopper discharge apparatus for a hopper body having a main hopper section provided with downwaRdly converging sidewalls terminating in a bottom opening and a bottom hopper section adapted to be secured to the lower end of the main hopper section, in registration with said bottom opening; the improvement wherein the bottom hopper section includes a pair of transversely spaced-apart upright end walls, a pair of opposite, downwardly converging material-supporting members having their lower edges terminating in spaced relation to define a transversely extending, elongated, material discharge opening, a transversely extending tubular conduit secured to and extending through said end walls, said conduit having one or more elongated openings registering with the discharge opening formed by the spacing of the lower edges of the material-supporting members, a tubular sleeve valve rotatably mounted within the conduit and having a pair of elongated port openings spaced apart in axial and totally nonaligned circumferential directions, and openings being selectively and separately registerable respectively with opposite halves of the length of said elongated material discharge opening, said sleeve valve having opposite portions extending outwardly beyond the ends of said conduit, and means operably connected to the outer ends of the sleeve valve for rotating it from either end, in either direction, to selectively and separately cause either of said port openings to register to a selected extent with said material discharge opening, the supporting members including sintered panels for passage of air therethrough and the bottom hopper section being provided with a pair of oppositely disposed sidewalls tapering downwardly toward each other and interconnected and surrounding, in spaced apart relation said tubular conduit and connected to said end plates and said sidewall end walls together with said supporting members forming a plenum chamber.

Claim 3

A hopper discharge apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein a drain plug is provided in the bottom interconnecting portion of said sidewalls.

Claim 4

In a hopper discharge apparatus for a hopper body having a main hopper section provided with downwardly converging sidewalls terminating in a bottom opening and a bottom hopper section adapted to be secured to the lower end of the main hopper section, in registration with said bottom opening; the improvement wherein the bottom hopper section includes a pair of transversely spaced-apart upright end walls, a pair of opposite, downwardly converging material-supporting members having their lower edges terminating in spaced relation to define a transversely extending, elongated, material discharge opening, a transversely extending tubular conduit secured to and extending through said end walls, said conduit having one or more elongated openings registering with the discharge opening formed by the spacing of the lower edges of the material-supporting members, a tubular sleeve valve rotatably mounted within the conduit and having a pair of elongated port openings spaced apart in axial and totally nonaligned circumferential directions, said openings being selectively and separately registerable respectively with opposite halves of the length of said elongated material discharge opening, said sleeve valve having opposite end portions extending outwardly beyond the ends of said conduit, means operably connected to the outer ends of the sleeve valve for rotating it from either end, in either direction, to selectively and separately cause either of said port openings to register to a selected extent with said material discharge opening, said means comprising sleeve members operably connected to the ends of said sleeve valve and journaled on the outer ends of the tubular conduit, and said means including handles pivotally connected to the exterior of the sleeve members, said handles being foldable against the sleeve members, and closure caps pivotally supported on the bottom hopper section and movable over and sealingly enclosing the ends of said sleeve valve and said sleeve members and the handles when the latTer are in folded position.

Claim 5

In a hopper discharge apparatus for a hopper body having a main hopper section provided with downwardly converging sidewalls terminating in a bottom opening and a bottom hopper section adapted to be secured to the lower end of the main hopper section, in registration with said bottom opening; the improvement wherein the bottom hopper section includes a pair of transversely spaced-apart upright end walls, a pair of opposite, downwardly converging material-supporting members having their lower edges terminating in spaced relation to define a transversely extending, elongated, material discharge opening, a transversely extending tubular conduit secured to and extending through said end walls, said conduit having one or more elongated openings registering with the discharge opening formed by the spacing of the lower edges of the material-supporting members, a tubular sleeve valve rotatably mounted within the conduit and having a pair of elongated port openings spaced apart in axial and totally nonaligned circumferential directions, said openings being selectively and separately registerable respectively with opposite halves of the length of said elongated material discharge opening, said sleeve valve having opposite end portions extending outwardly beyond the ends of said conduit, means operably connected to the outer ends of the sleeve valve for rotating it from either end, in either direction, to selectively and separately cause either of said port openings to register to a selected extent with said material discharge opening, said means comprising sleeve members operably connected to the ends of said sleeve valve and journaled on the outer ends of the tubular conduit, and said means including handles pivotally connected to the exterior of the sleeve members, said handles being foldable against the sleeve members, and closure caps pivotally supported on the bottom hopper section and movable over and sealingly enclosing the ends of said sleeve valve and said sleeve members and the handles when the latTer are in folded position.