Hopper car discharge apparatus

Abstract

This invention provides novel apparatus for accelerating the emptying of railroad hopper cars and the like. The invention comprises: a rigid frame fixedly mountable through a base to a pair of generally horizontally-spaced-apart rails upon which the wheels of a railroad hopper car can be movably supported, with the frame including an upright section from which there generally horizontally extends towards the rails a hollow spool connected to a vented source of pressurized fluid; and an excitor connected to the spool through an inflatable yieldably resilient sleeve that performs dual functions of moving the excitor generally horizontally with respect to the frame into and out of contact with a side of the hopper car and also vibration isolating the excitor from the frame. The novel apparatus further includes a stabilizer mechanism connected between the excitor and frame for multi-directional movement relative thereto, with the frame including a second section which is vertically spaced apart from the spool and extends generally horizontally from the upright section of the frame toward the rails and with the stabilizer mechanism comprising a rigid link connected at each of its opposite ends between the second section of the frame and the excitor through a vibration isolating member having a rigid central portion and hollow end portions at opposite ends thereof, each of which is lined with a yieldably resilient material and has a central bore that is offset by substantially a right angle from that of the other.