Method of applying a rigid polyurethane foam to the exterior of a railway car

Claim 1

A METHOD OF APPLYING A LAYER OOF RIGID INSULATING FOAM MATERIAL TO THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF A RAILWAY TANK CAR COMPRISING IN A FIRST STEP: RELEASABLY SECURING A JIG ON A FIRST EXTERIOR SIDE OF THE CAR, RELEASABLY SECURING AN OUTER SHELL MOLD TO THE EXTERIOR OF A SECOND SIDE OF THE CAR, SAID MOLD BEING AFFIXED AT ITS UPPER AND LOWER PORTIONS TO SAID JIG, SAID MOLD HAVING A HORIZONTAL DIMENSION CONSIDERABLY LESS THAN THE LENGHT OF THE CAR, AND A VERTICAL CONTOUR CONFORMING TO THE SHAPE OF THE CAR AND INDENTICAL TO THE DESIRED CONTOUR OF THE DESIRED FOAM LAYER, THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID MOLD BEING PROVIDED WITH A LINER SHEET, INTRODUCING FOAM REACTANT INTO THE COMPARTMENT DEFINED BY SAID LINED MOLD AND THE SIDE OF SAID CAR, ALLOWING SAID FOAM MATERIAL TO FOAM AND HARDEN, REMOVING SAID MOLD, LEAVING SAID HARDENED FOAM MATERIAL ADHERING TO THE SIDE OF SAID CAR AND SAID SHEET ADHERING TO THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID HARDENED FOAM MATERIAL; IN A SECOND STEP RELEASING SAID MOLD AND SAID JIG TO REALIGN SAID MOLD AND A FRESH LINER AS IN THE FIRST STEP; FILLING, MOLDING AND HARDENING AS IN THE FIRST STEP, AND REPEATING SAID FOREGOING STEPS AS REQUIRED TO COVER SAID CAR WITH LINER-COVERED HARDENED FOAM MATERIAL ADHERED TO SAID CAR.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF APPLYING A LAYER OOF RIGID INSULATING FOAM MATERIAL TO THE EXTERIOR SURFACE OF A RAILWAY TANK CAR COMPRISING IN A FIRST STEP: RELEASABLY SECURING A JIG ON A FIRST EXTERIOR SIDE OF THE CAR, RELEASABLY SECURING AN OUTER SHELL MOLD TO THE EXTERIOR OF A SECOND SIDE OF THE CAR, SAID MOLD BEING AFFIXED AT ITS UPPER AND LOWER PORTIONS TO SAID JIG, SAID MOLD HAVING A HORIZONTAL DIMENSION CONSIDERABLY LESS THAN THE LENGHT OF THE CAR, AND A VERTICAL CONTOUR CONFORMING TO THE SHAPE OF THE CAR AND INDENTICAL TO THE DESIRED CONTOUR OF THE DESIRED FOAM LAYER, THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID MOLD BEING PROVIDED WITH A LINER SHEET, INTRODUCING FOAM REACTANT INTO THE COMPARTMENT DEFINED BY SAID LINED MOLD AND THE SIDE OF SAID CAR, ALLOWING SAID FOAM MATERIAL TO FOAM AND HARDEN, REMOVING SAID MOLD, LEAVING SAID HARDENED FOAM MATERIAL ADHERING TO THE SIDE OF SAID CAR AND SAID SHEET ADHERING TO THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID HARDENED FOAM MATERIAL; IN A SECOND STEP RELEASING SAID MOLD AND SAID JIG TO REALIGN SAID MOLD AND A FRESH LINER AS IN THE FIRST STEP; FILLING, MOLDING AND HARDENING AS IN THE FIRST STEP, AND REPEATING SAID FOREGOING STEPS AS REQUIRED TO COVER SAID CAR WITH LINER-COVERED HARDENED FOAM MATERIAL ADHERED TO SAID CAR.

Claim 6

A method of applying in situ a layer of an insulating polyurethane foam material to the exterior surface of a covered hopper railway car having side sheets, side sills along the lower marginal portions of the side sheets, and side plate members along the upper marginal portions of the side sheets; the steps comprising: applying a liner of between around 1/16 inch and 1/64 inch to the inner surface of a mold having a length substantially less than the length of a side sheet; removably securing the mold and liner to an associated side sill and associated side plate member on one side of the railway car in spaced relation to but generally following the outer contour of the associated side sheet to form a compartment between the outer surface of the side sheet and the inner facing surface of the liner with the mold extending in a generally vertical direction between the associated side sill and associated side plate member; introducing polyurethane foam forming reactants into the compartment whereby the foam forming reactants fill the compartment; allowing the reactants to foam and harden to form an insulating layer of polyurethane foam on the outer surface of the side sheet; removing the mold from the side sill and top side plate member after the rigidizing of the polyurethane foam material with the inner liner adhering to the polyurethane foam material thereby to provide an exterior polyurethane foam layer of a uniform thickness and having a hard smooth outer surface covering, and then moving the mold along the length of the adjacent side sheet to another position for repeating the sequence of steps set forth above thereby to form the insulating polyurethane foam layer in adjacent sections.

Claim 7

A method of applying in situ a layer of an insulating polyurethane foam material to the exterior surface of a covered hopper railway car having side sheets, side sills along the lower marginal portions of the side sheets, and side plate members along the upper marginal portions of the side sheets; the steps comprising: applying a liner of between around 1/16 inch and 1/64 inch to the inner surface of a mold having a length substantially less than the length of a side sheet; removably securing the mold and liner to an associated side sill and associated side plate member on one side of the railway car in spaced relation to but generally following the outer contour of the associated side sheet to form a compartment between the outer surface of the side sheet and the inner facing surface of the liner with the mold extending in a generally vertical direction between the associated side sill and associated side plate member; introducing polyurethane foam forming reactants into the compartment whereby the foam forming reactants fill the compartment; allowing the reactants to foam and harden to form an insulating layer of polyurethane foam on the outer surface of the side sheet; removing the mold from the side sill and top side plate member after the rigidizing of the polyurethane foam material with the inner liner adhering to the polyurethane foam material thereby to provide an exterior polyurethane foam layer of a uniform thickness and having a hard smooth outer surface covering, and then moving the mold along the length of the adjacent side sheet to another position for repeating the sequence of steps set forth above thereby to form the insulating polyurethane foam layer in adjacent sections.