Acf Industries, Incorporated

Richard J Wempe

Gunter R Behle

Glennon L Basler

Richard B Polley

Paul J Dumser

A tank vehicle lading valve assembly is provided including a lading valve mounted in an opening in the bottom of the tank which is movable vertically between open and closed positions. A valve housing or outlet chamber including an unloading spout is attached below a tank bottom mounting flange with fasteners, which preferably define a shear plane. A first operator attached to an upper portion of the lading valve extends vertically up through the tank to the upper portion of the tank where it is adapted to receive a suitable handle or tool to move the lading valve between open and closed positions. A second operator is preferably attached to a lower portion of the lading valve. The second operator portion preferably extends at least partially through the valve housing. Thus the lading valve is operable from either the top of the tank or from the bottom of the tank. The first operator may be eliminated and the lading valve operated from the bottom. Preferably in the event of impact to the valve housing, the housing will shear off or drop off along the plane defined by the fasteners extending into the mounting flanges, and the lower second operator portion will shear off or drop off from the second operator, leaving the lading valve in place to substantially prevent escape of lading from the tank.

Combination top operable and bottom operable tank lading valve assembly

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.

Positive clapper outlet valve

In accordance with the present invention, a railway tank car is provided with a tank car skid arrangement including a continuous tank cradle pad extending the full distance between the stub sills located at opposite ends of the car. The cradle pad is curved to follow the tank bottom contour. A reinforcing plate is rigidly attached to the cradle pad extending transversely and longitudinally outwardly on either side of at least one tank car bottom fitting (lading valve and/or sump) depending from the tank bottom. The reinforcing plate is preferably also curved to follow the contour of the cradle pad and the tank bottom. A tank car skid extending longitudinally and transversely of the bottom fitting is rigidly attached to the reinforcing plate. The skid includes opposite end portions which are welded to the tank and which extend downwardly and inwardly toward a center section which contains the bottom fitting. The skid preferably extends longitudinally of the tank at least three inches on each side of the projection for each one inch that the bottom fitting extends below the outer surface of the tank bottom.

Continuous cradle pad and skid for railway cars

In accordance with the present invention a low profile sump is provided in the bottom of a railway tank car which does not extend below the tank sufficiently far as to require a skid. The eduction pipe includes a lower fixed eduction pipe portion which extends into the lower portion of the sump, and an upper movable eduction pipe portion which telescopically engages the lower eduction pipe portion for a distance at least equal to the distance that the tank top moves downwardly relative to the tank bottom when the car is impacted. Preferably the movable upper eduction pipe telescopes within the fixed, lower eduction pipe. Preferably a seal is provided between the fixed and movable eduction pipe portions to prevent air leakage into the eduction pipe during the final stages of unloading.

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St. Charles, MO, United States of America

Richard J Wempe