GB1564205A - Rail car discharge apparatus - Google Patents

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO RAIL CAR DISCHARGE APPARATUS (71) We, DRG (UK) LIMITED, a British Company of 1 Redcliffe Street, Bristol, BS99 7QY do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us and the method by which it is to be performed to be particularly described in and by the following statement This invention relates to discharge apparatus for rail cargo vehicles such as rail cars or wagons, referred to hereinafter simply as rail cars.

It is known to discharge the contents of a train of rail cars by means of tipplers in which a support in the form of a rail table mounted in a rotary tipping frame is tilted with the movement of the frame to overturn a rail car on the table and so empty its contents into a hopper or the like. The train is brought to the tippler along an entry track section with which a track section on the rail table can be aligned to transfer the rail cars individually or in pairs onto the table for discharge, and an exit track section lies in line with the entry track section but at the other end of the rail table for removing the discharged rail cars.

Such an arrangement requires a considerably amount of space beyond the discharge tippler itself for the loop or return line that the exit track section forms part of and that is provided to route the train of empty rail cars away from the tippler.

When the space available does not permit the use of such a return line, it has been known to have the exit track section on a traversing mechanism, where after being taken off the tippler rail table the discharged rail cars are displaced laterally to align them with a further track running parallel to the entry track, so that they can then be shunted back in the reverse direction. but even this requires a substantial amount of space beyond the discharge apparatus. Also, the discharge process may be slowed down by the large number of separate step-wise displacements of each rail car, which will be uncoupled from the train before it is discharged and can be recoupled only after it has been brought to the further track by said traversing arrangement.Thus, each rail car must at separate stages be driven first from the entry track section onto the rail table, next from the rail table onto the traversing mechanism, then laterally with the traversing mechanism to the further exit track section, and is finally reversed from the traversing mechanism onto that further track section where it may be recoupled to a preceding wagon of the train.

According to the present invention, there is provided a rail car discharge apparatus comprising a rotary tipping frame provided with a support for receiving a rail car and arranged to tip the rail car on the support to discharge its contents, the support being disengageably coupled to the rotary tipping frame and a traversing mechanism being provided to displace the uncoupled support transversely away from the tipping frame whereby the support can be so positioned with any of a plurality of track sections disposed in laterally spaced relation as to permit the exit movement of a rail car off the support onto a track section different from the track section from which it entered onto the support.

With such an arrangement both entry and exit track sections can be disposed to one side of the tipping frame. It will generally be convenient to have one said section so disposed that when the support is registered with it, the support is also coupled or in a position in which it is capable of being coupled to the rotary tipping frame.

In a preferred construction, for the displaceable coupling there are mutually engageable elements on the support and the rotary frame that comprise pivot members and openended recesses for receiving the respective pivot members, the open ends of said recesses facing or being arranged to face laterally away from the tipping axis for disengagement of the pivot members from the recesses with said displacement of the support. Conveniently the recesses are provided on the tipping frame and are arranged to be engaged with the pivot members when the frame has been rotated to put the open ends of the recesses in an upwardly inclined position.

For the traversing movement, a crosscarriage may be provided on which said support comes to rest when said coupling between the support and the tipping frame are disengaged. It can be arranged that further rotation of the tipping frame in the disengagement direction brings the recesses and pivot members to relative positions in which the support can be freely displaced laterally away from the tipping frame by entrainment of its cross-carriage.

The invention will be more particularly described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein : Figure 1 is a plan view of rail car discharge apparatus according to the invention; Figures 2 and 3 are a side elevation and a sectional view on the line A-A of Figure 2, respectively, of the apparatus in Figure 1, and Figures 4 and 5 are sectional views on the lines B-B and A-A of Figure 2 respectively, showing the apparatus in a discharge position in Figure 4 and showing the traversing mechanism in use in Figure 5.

Figures 1 and 2 show a rail entry track section 2 aligned with a track section 4 on a rail table 6 that is positioned on a tippler frame 8 comprising rigidly interconnected end frames 10 that are rotatably supported on pairs of fixed trunnions 12. Each end frame has a lower cantilever arm 14 (Figure 3) with a receiving recess 16 engageable with end pivots 18 projecting co-axially from opposite ends of the rail table. Rotation of the tippler frame on its trunnions 12 anticlockwise from the position shown in Figure 3 thereby lifts the rail table through the engagement of the arms 14 with the end pivots 18 and correspondingly lifts and tilts the rail car R that is supported on the table.

For the lifting movement, respective drive pinnions 22 at opposite ends of the tippler frame are rigidly connected together by shafting 24 to be driven by a motor 26 through a reduction gear 28 and they mesh with respective racks 32 on the end frames 10.

The rail table has longitudinally spaced support cups 34 and transverse rollers 36 (Figure 5) and in the position shown in Figure 3 it rests upon a cross-carriage 40 with the cups 34 located by respective sockets 42 and the rollers 36 supported on profiled blocks 44 (Figure 5) each block 44 taking the form of an inclined plane that does not restrain the position of its roller laterally of the track 2, the lateral position of the table 6 being determined by the sockets 42. The cross-carriage is mounted on transverse rails 46 and is connected by drive chains 48 to drive shafting 49 of a motor 50 to be moved to and fro on the rails 46.

The operation of the tippler frame to raise and tip the rail car R on the rail table 6 takes place in a generally known manner. With the frame swinging anticlockwise from the position shown in Figure 3, the rail car is first tilted in the initial part of the movement to bear against side support pads 54 of the tippler frame and as rotation continues it is engaged by top stops 56 individually pivoted on a common axis 58 to a stop beam 60 that is itself freely pivotably mounted on the tippler frame coaxially with the trunnions 12 through arms 62, with a counterweight 64 connected to the arms at the opposite side of their pivot axis.

The normal rest position of the top stops 56 is shown in Figure 3 but as the top edges of the sides of a tipped rail car come into contact with the spaced bearing pads 66 of the top stops, the stops are pivoted on the beam 60 until both pads of each stop bear on the top of the rail car, at which stage further tipping movement of the frame 8 causes the top stop beam itself to pivot against the bias of the counterweight 64. The top stops then act as clamps holding the rail car and table against the cantilever arms 14 of the end frames, with the tilted position of the rail car also controlled by the presence of the side support pads 54.

The tipping movement is continued while the rail car contents are emptied into a hopper 72, guided by a chute 74 that is hinged to the tippler frame and is pivoted relative to the frame by engagement with fixed bearing rollers 76. The fully tipped position is shown in Figure 4.

In the return movement of the emptied rail car, the top stop beam 60 comes to rest as its arms 62 reach the position shown in Figure 3 and the rail car is thus released from the top stops in the final part of the movement before the rail table 6 is lowered onto the cross-carriage. The rotation of the tippler frame is continued after the rail table comes to rest on the carriage, until an end position of the tippler frame is reached (Figure 5) in which the recess 16 of each cantilever arm 14 is clear of the end pivots 18 on the rail table.

The carriage is now moved along its traversing track 46, carrying with it the rail table and the empty rail car. One or more further rail track sections 2a running parallel to the track section 2 and at the same side of the tippler frame can then be used to receive the discharged wagon. In this way the installation does not required any rail track extending beyond the tippler on the opposite side to the entry track section, so that a relatively compact installation is obtained.

Because the rail car is traversed between the different track sections while it stays on the rail table, the required movements of the individual rail car itself are limited simply to one movement onto the rail table and one movement off the rail table, in contrast to the complex series of movements that would be needed if an arrangement is provided using a separate traverser with its own rail table.

For moving the rail cars onto and off the rail table, known devices can be used such as those described in published UK patent specification 737 723, and 862 057, and they may comprise chain or winch drives generally as described in published UK patent specification 832 620 whereby the drive mechanism can be contained on the static parts of the installations, i.e. in the entry and exit track sections.

The illustrated arrangement has been described as having a single entry track section leading directly to the rail table position for tipping a full rail car, and two alternative exit rail sections. It will be appreciated, however that any two or more rail sections can be connected by the transverser and that these may be made up of any combination of entry and exit sections, according to the requirements of the installation; perhaps with the or an exit section leading directly from the tipping position of the rail table, and possibly with different track sections at opposite ends of the rail table. It may also be required in particular circumstances to so locate the tippler frame that the rail table must always be traversed from the tipping position to be brought into register with any of the entry and exit rail sections.

It will be understood that it is possible by the use of known methods to make the operation of the installation partly or wholly automatic. Such means may include photosensitive sensors for detecting train and rail car positions and operatively associated with rail wheel retarders and positioners. as well as advance and final limit switch trips for the movements of the tippler frame, the rail table and the cross-carriage.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A rail car discharge apparatus comprising a rotary tipping frame provided with a support for receiving a rail car and arranged to tip the rail car on the support to discharge its contents, the support being disengageably coupled to the rotary tipping frame and a traversing mechanism being provided to displace the uncoupled support transversely away from the tipping frame whereby the support can be so positioned with any of a plurality of track sections disposed in laterally spaced relation as to permit the exit movement of a rail car off the support onto a track section different from the track section from which it entered onto the support.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of track sections comprise at least one entry and one exit track section registrable with the same end of the rail car support.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein registration of the support with one of said track sections locates the support in a position in which it is coupled or is capable of being coupled to the rotary tipping frame.

4. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein mutually engageable elements for the displaceable coupling of the support and the rotary tipping frame comprise pivot members and open ended recesses for receiving the respective pivot members, the open ends of said recesses facing or being arranged to face laterally away from the tipping axis for disengagement of the pivot members from the recesses with said transverse displacement of the support.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the recesses are provided on the tipping frame and are arranged to be engaged with the pivot members by rotation of the frame to bring the open ends of the recesses to an upwardly inclined position.

6. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said traversing mechanism comprises a cross-carriage on which the support is arranged to rest when said coupling between the support and the tipping frame is disengaged.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the tipping frame is rotatable in the disengagement direction for a further distance after the support comes to rest on said cross-carriage, thereby to disengage its coupling with the support.

8. A rail car discharge apparatus constructed and arranged for use and operation substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (8)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. the discharged wagon. In this way the installation does not required any rail track extending beyond the tippler on the opposite side to the entry track section, so that a relatively compact installation is obtained. Because the rail car is traversed between the different track sections while it stays on the rail table, the required movements of the individual rail car itself are limited simply to one movement onto the rail table and one movement off the rail table, in contrast to the complex series of movements that would be needed if an arrangement is provided using a separate traverser with its own rail table. For moving the rail cars onto and off the rail table, known devices can be used such as those described in published UK patent specification 737 723, and 862 057, and they may comprise chain or winch drives generally as described in published UK patent specification 832 620 whereby the drive mechanism can be contained on the static parts of the installations, i.e. in the entry and exit track sections. The illustrated arrangement has been described as having a single entry track section leading directly to the rail table position for tipping a full rail car, and two alternative exit rail sections. It will be appreciated, however that any two or more rail sections can be connected by the transverser and that these may be made up of any combination of entry and exit sections, according to the requirements of the installation; perhaps with the or an exit section leading directly from the tipping position of the rail table, and possibly with different track sections at opposite ends of the rail table. It may also be required in particular circumstances to so locate the tippler frame that the rail table must always be traversed from the tipping position to be brought into register with any of the entry and exit rail sections. It will be understood that it is possible by the use of known methods to make the operation of the installation partly or wholly automatic. Such means may include photosensitive sensors for detecting train and rail car positions and operatively associated with rail wheel retarders and positioners. as well as advance and final limit switch trips for the movements of the tippler frame, the rail table and the cross-carriage. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A rail car discharge apparatus comprising a rotary tipping frame provided with a support for receiving a rail car and arranged to tip the rail car on the support to discharge its contents, the support being disengageably coupled to the rotary tipping frame and a traversing mechanism being provided to displace the uncoupled support transversely away from the tipping frame whereby the support can be so positioned with any of a plurality of track sections disposed in laterally spaced relation as to permit the exit movement of a rail car off the support onto a track section different from the track section from which it entered onto the support.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of track sections comprise at least one entry and one exit track section registrable with the same end of the rail car support.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein registration of the support with one of said track sections locates the support in a position in which it is coupled or is capable of being coupled to the rotary tipping frame.

4. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein mutually engageable elements for the displaceable coupling of the support and the rotary tipping frame comprise pivot members and open ended recesses for receiving the respective pivot members, the open ends of said recesses facing or being arranged to face laterally away from the tipping axis for disengagement of the pivot members from the recesses with said transverse displacement of the support.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the recesses are provided on the tipping frame and are arranged to be engaged with the pivot members by rotation of the frame to bring the open ends of the recesses to an upwardly inclined position.

6. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said traversing mechanism comprises a cross-carriage on which the support is arranged to rest when said coupling between the support and the tipping frame is disengaged.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the tipping frame is rotatable in the disengagement direction for a further distance after the support comes to rest on said cross-carriage, thereby to disengage its coupling with the support.

8. A rail car discharge apparatus constructed and arranged for use and operation substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.