Railroad tank car

Claim 2

In a railroad tank car for use in transporting a commodity at other than ambient temperature, having an elongated tank designed for support near its ends over conventional wheel trucks; the combination comprising: a. an inner commodity confining shell; b. an outer shell surrounding said inner shell; c. insulating material located between said inner and outer shells; and d. center sill means for supporting said inner and outer shells above said wheel trucks; e. said center sill means including a pair of Z-sectIons secured together at their top flanges to form a channel shaped member having a substantially horizontal top surface, a pair of substantially vertical leg portions depending from the longitudinal edges of said top surface, and a pair of substantially horizontal bottom flanges extending outward respectively from the lower edges of said leg portions; f. said center sill means being received within a removed bottom section of said outer shell; such that the longitudinal edges of said outer shell, formed by the removal of said bottom section, are secured to said leg portions of said center sill means immediately below said top surface.

Claim 3

The invention of claim 1 wherein said longitudinal edges of said outer shell are secured to said leg portions by fillet welds on both sides of said outer shell thickness.

Claim 4

The invention of claim 1 wherein a longitudinally extending reinforcement plate is secured to said top surface substantially equadistant from said longitudinal edges of said top surface.

Claim 5

The invention of claim 3 wherein said reinforcement plate being slightly bent to clear a weld securing together the top flanges of said Z-sections.

Claim 6

The invention of claim 1 wherein a pair of longitudinally extending reinforcement plates are secured repsectively to the undersurfaces of said bottom flanges of said center sill means.

Claim 7

The invention of claim 5 wherein a plurality of spaced apart battens extend between said reinforcement plates.

Claim 8

The invention of claim 1 wherein said outer shell is formed of metallic plates having a thickness in the range of three-sixteenths inch to five-sixteenths inch.

Claim 9

The invention of claim 1 wherein said insulating material is formed of a foaming plastic material.

Claim 10

The invention of claim 8 wherein the annular area located between said inner and outer shells is encircled in spaced relationship with a plurality of inflatable bag means so as to compartmentalize said annular area.

Claim 11

The invention of claim 9 wherein at least a portion of the compartments located adjacent the bolster assembly being filled with higher density foaming material than the other compartments.

Claim 12

The invention of claim 10 wherein the foaming material in the main body compartments having a density of approximately 4 lbs./cu.ft., the foaming material in the end compartments having a density of approximately 5 lbs./cu.ft., and the foaming material in at least the bottom portion of said compartments adjacent the bolster assembly having a density of approximately 16 lbs./cu.ft..

Claim 13

In a railroad tank car having an elongated tank shell, for confining a commodity, supported near its ends over conventional wheel trucks; the combination including: a. a removed longitudinally extending section formed in a bottom portion of said tank shell; b. center sill means for supporting said tank shell above said wheel trucks; c. said center sill means including a pair of Z-sections secured together at their top flanges to form a channel shaped member having a substantially horizontal top surface, a pair of substantially vertical leg portions depending from the longitudinal edges of said top surface and a pair of substantially horizontal bottom flanges extending outward respectively from the lower edges of said leg portions; d. said center sill means being received within said removed bottom section of said tank shell; and e. bolster assembly means for supporting the weight of the tank from the wheel trucks; f. said bolster assembly means including an arcuate saddle means which is inset and overlaps a removed portion of the lower sides of said tank shell.

Claim 14

In a railroad tank car having an elongated tank shell, for confining a commodity, supported near its ends over conventional wheel trucks; the combination including: a. a removed longitudinally extending section formed in a bottom portion of said tank shell; b. center sill means for supporting said tank shell above said wheel trucks; c. said center sill means including a pair of Z-sections secured together at their top flanges to form a channel shaped member having a substantially horizontal top surface, a pair of substantially vertical leg portions depending from the longitudinal edges of said top surface and a pair of substantially horizontal bottom flanges extending outward respectively from the lower edges of said leg portions; d. said center sill means being received within said removed bottom section of said tank shell; and e. bolster assembly means for supporting the weight of the tank from the wheel trucks; f. said bolster assembly means including an arcuate saddle means which is inset and overlaps a removed portion of the lower sides of said tank shell.

Claim 15

The invention of claim 12 wherein the longitudinal edges of said shell, formed by the removal of said bottom section, are secured to said leg portions of said center sill means immediately below said top surface by fillet welds on both sides of said tank shell thickness.

Claim 16

The invention of claim 12 wherein: a. the longitudinal edges of sAid shell, formed by the removal of said bottom section, are secured to a portion of said leg portions of said center sill means below said top surface of said center sill means; and b. said saddle means is secured to said leg portions of said center sill immediately above said longitudinal edges of said shell so as to eliminate a discontinuous bolster top chord loading path.

Claim 17

In a railroad tank car for use in transporting a commodity at other than ambient temperature, having an elongated tank designed for support near its ends over conventional wheel trucks; the combination comprising: a. an inner commodity confining shell; b. an outer shell surrounding said inner shell; c. insulating material located between said inner and outer shells; and d. bolster assembly means for supporting the weight of the tank from the wheel trucks; e. said bolster assembly means including an arcuate saddle means which is inset and overlaps said outer shell adjacent a removed portion of the lower sides of said outer shell.

Claim 18

In a railroad tank car for use in transporting a commodity at other than ambient temperature, having an elongated tank designed for support near its ends over conventional wheel trucks; the combination comprising: a. an inner commodity confining shell; b. an outer shell surrounding said inner shell; c. insulating material located between said inner and outer shells; and d. bolster assembly means for supporting the weight of the tank from the wheel trucks; e. said bolster assembly means including an arcuate saddle means which is inset and overlaps said outer shell adjacent a removed portion of the lower sides of said outer shell.

Claim 19

The invention of claim 15 wherein the outer periphery of said saddle means is welded to the inner surface of said outer shell and the edges of said outer shell formed by said removed portion are welded to the bottom surface of said saddle means.

Claim 20

The invention of claim 15 wherein longitudinally extending center sill means is received within a removed bottom section of said outer shell.

Claim 21

The invention of claim 7 wherein the longitudinal edges of said outer shell, formed by the removal of said bottom section, are secured to a substantially vertical portion of said center sill means spaced below the top surface thereof and said saddle means is secured to said vertical portion of said center sill means immediately above said longitudinal edges of said outer shell so as to eliminate a discontinuous bolster top chord loading path.

Claim 22

The invention of claim 18 wherein said outer shell is formed of metallic plates having a thickness in the range of 3/16 inch to 5/16 inch.

Claim 23

In a thin skin insulated railroad tank car for handling and transporting materials under other than ambient temperature conditions and wherein the tank car includes an elongated and enclosed commodity confining inner tank shell, an outer tank shell formed of metallic plates in the range of three-sixteenths inch to five-sixteenths inch thickness which forms an enclosure for and effects the confinement of insulating material that substantially entirely surrounds and supports said inner tank shell, and center sill means and bolster assembly means for supporting said inner and outer shells above a pair of wheel trucks; an improved structure wherein: a. said center sill means includes a pair of Z-sections secured together at their top flanges to form a channel shaped member having a substantially horizontal top surface, a pair of substantially vertical leg portions depending from the longitudinal edges of said top surface, and a pair of substantially horizontal bottom flanges extending outward respectively from the lower edges of said side surfaces; b. said center sill means being received within a removed bottom section of said outer shell; and c. the longitudinal edges of said outer shell, formed by the removal of said bottom section, are secured to said leg portions of said center sill means spaced a short distance below said top surface.

Claim 24

In a thin skin insulated railroad tank car for handling and transporting materials under other than ambient temperature conditions and wherein the tank car includes an elongated and enclosed commodity confining inner tank shell, an outer tank shell formed of metallic plates in the range of three-sixteenths inch to five-sixteenths inch thickness which forms an enclosure for and effects the confinement of insulating material that substantially entirely surrounds and supports said inner tank shell, and center sill means and bolster assembly means for supporting said inner and outer shells above a pair of wheel trucks; an improved structure wherein: a. said center sill means includes a pair of Z-sections secured together at their top flanges to form a channel shaped member having a substantially horizontal top surface, a pair of substantially vertical leg portions depending from the longitudinal edges of said top surface, and a pair of substantially horizontal bottom flanges extending outward respectively from the lower edges of said side surfaces; b. said center sill means being received within a removed bottom section of said outer shell; and c. the longitudinal edges of said outer shell, formed by the removal of said bottom section, are secured to said leg portions of said center sill means spaced a short distance below said top surface.

Claim 25

The invention of claim 20 wherein: a. said bolster assembly means includes an arcuate saddle means which is inset and overlaps a removed portion of the lower sides of said outer shell; and b. the outer periphery of said saddle means is secured to the inner surface of said outer shell and the edges of said outer shell formed by said removed portion are secured to the bottom surface of said saddle means.

Claim 26

The invention of claim 21 wherein said saddle means is secured to said leg portions of said center sill means immediately above said longitudinal edges of said outer shell so as to Eliminate a discontinuous bolster top chord loading path.

Claim 27

In a thin skin insulated railroad tank car for handling and transporting material under other than ambient temperature conditions and wherein the tank car includes an elongated and enclosed commodity confining inner tank shell, an outer tank shell formed of metallic plates in the range of three-sixteenths inch to five-sixteenths inch thickness which forms an enclosure for and effects the confinement of insulating material that substantially entirely surrounds and supports said inner tank shell, and center sill means and bolster assembly means for supporting said inner and outer shells above a pair of wheel trucks; an improved structure wherein: a. the annular area located between said inner and outer shells is encircled in spaced relationship with a plurality of inflatable bag means so as to compartmentalize said annular area; and b. at least the bottom portion of the compartments located adjacent said bolster assemblies being filled with a higher density insulating material than the other compartments.

Claim 28

In a thin skin insulated railroad tank car for handling and transporting material under other than ambient temperature conditions and wherein the tank car includes an elongated and enclosed commodity confining inner tank shell, an outer tank shell formed of metallic plates in the range of three-sixteenths inch to five-sixteenths inch thickness which forms an enclosure for and effects the confinement of insulating material that substantially entirely surrounds and supports said inner tank shell, and center sill means and bolster assembly means for supporting said inner and outer shells above a pair of wheel trucks; an improved structure wherein: a. the annular area located between said inner and outer shells is encircled in spaced relationship with a plurality of inflatable bag means so as to compartmentalize said annular area; and b. at least the bottom portion of the compartments located adjacent said bolster assemblies being filled with a higher density insulating material than the other compartments.

Claim 29

The invention of claim 23 wherein said insulating material is formed of a foaming plastic material.

Claim 30

The invention of claim 24 wherein the foaming material in the main body compartments having a density of approximately 4 lbs./cu.ft., the foaming material in the end compartments having a density of approximately 5 lbs./cu.ft., and the foaming material in at least the bottom portion of said compartments adjacent said bolster assemblies having a density of approximately 16 lbs./cu.ft.