Acf Industries, Incorporated

Glennon L Basler

Richard J Wempe

An inexpensive captive operating handle assembly for a bottom operated railway tank car lading valve includes an operating shaft for a bottom operated tank car closure valve. The handle assembly includes a handle connection portion having a non-round slot adapted to engage a valve closure shaft non-round connection portion. An adapter plate is held captive by the outlet chamber and the shaft non-round connection portion. A shaft portion of the handle extends upwardly and away from the connection portion, and is held in place by a bracket located on the outlet chamber or on the tank car. In stored position, the handle connection portion is spaced below the shaft connection portion. The handle is pivotal about a hinge to an engaged position in which the handle connection portion abuts the lower surface of the adapter plate and in which the handle connection portion engages the non-round operating shaft portion to move the valve closure between open and closed positions. The handle is then returned to the stored position after use.

Handle assembly for bottom outlet valve

In accordance with the present invention, a top operated tank car valve assembly includes a rod extending downwardly from the top of the tank and is attached to a valve stem of a lading valve closure located in the bottom of the tank. A valve seat for a valve closure is located in an opening in the bottom outlet mounting flange. A valve guide depends from the valve closure. The valve guide includes a center hub and a plurality of vanes extending radially outwardly therefrom and adapted to engage the valve cage as the valve is moved between open and closed positions. The center hub is hollow and is adapted to receive a fastener to attach the valve guide to the valve closure. The fastener includes a threaded inner end to engage the lower portion of the valve closure. A non-round horizontal plate is welded to the fastener which holds a seal retainer in engagement with a seal and the valve closure. A breakage groove is provided in the fastener below the non-round horizontal plate which aligns with the upper surface of the valve guide. An outlet chamber is attached to the tank mounting flange with shearable fasteners. The breakage groove aligns with the mounting flange and outlet chamber interface. If the outlet chamber is impacted, the outlet chamber fasteners and valve guide fastener will shear along a common plane and the outlet chamber and valve guide will be separated from the outlet. However, the non-round horizontal plate located above the shear plane will maintain the seal retainer and the closure seal in place on the valve seat. Thus lading will be prevented from escaping from the tank during such impacts.

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St. Charles, MO, United States of America

Glennon L Basler