Filament composite railroad car

Claim 1

A railway hopper car comprising: an elongated load bearing railroad car body having sloping end walls at each longitudinal end thereof and substantially continuous longitudinal side and bottom walls intermediate said sloping end walls, said longitudinal side and bottom walls being substantially straight in a direction along the railroad car longitudinal axis to form a car body, said end walls and said longitudinal side and bottom walls being formed of a fiber-reinforced organopolymeric resin composite comprising from about 60 to about 75 weight percent of glass reinforcing filaments and from about 25 to about 40 weight percent of a structural polyester organopolymeric matrix resin, said matrix having a heat distortion temperature of at least about 90° C., a flexural strength of at least about 20,000 psi, a flexural modulus of at least about 5.0×10 5 psi, and a tensile elongation of at least about 3.0 percent, said glass reinforcing filaments of said resin composite of said car body being oriented in said car body at an angle such that said glass filaments and said matrix resin are capable of providing a composite comprising from about 70 to about 80 percent by weight of glass fibers and from about 20 to about 30 percent of said matrix resin and in the direction of winding having a tensile strength of at least about 100,000 psi, a flexural modulus of at least about 6×10 6 psi, an interlaminar shear strength of at least about 5,000 psi, an interlaminar shear strength after 24 hour water boil of at least about 5,000 psi, a flexural strength at room temperature of at least about 100,000 psi, a flexural fatigue strength for 1×10 6 completely reversed cycles of at least about 30,000 psi, and a density of from about 0.07 to about 0.08 pounds per cubic inch, a bearing strength of at least about 25,000 psi and a self-extinguishing flammability rating; coupling means at each end of the car for coupling the car to other cars; a truck at each end of the car body, and supporting means pivotably mounted on each of said trucks for supporting said car body at each respective sloping end wall thereof for transport on rails.