Door edge protector

Abstract

A door edge protection assembly for installation on a railcar. The railcar has a side wall, a roof rail running substantially horizontally along the top of the side wall, a roof extending upwardly and inwardly from the roof rail, and a plurality of decks for supporting vehicles thereon. The door edge protection assembly includes a door edge protection member for cushioning impacts between a vehicle door edge and at least one of the side wall, the roof rail, and the roof. In the preferred embodiment, the door edge protection assembly also includes a clip for supporting the deformable door edge protection member in the interior of the railcar. The clip lockingly engages the roof to provide positional stability of the deformable door edge protection member relative to the roof rail and roof.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . In an autorack railway car comprising a side wall, a roof rail running substantially horizontally along the top of said side wall, a corrugated roof extending upwardly and inwardly from said roof rail, and a plurality of substantially parallel decks capable of supporting vehicles thereon in commercial rail service, a door edge protection system comprising a deformable door edge protector and a plurality of clips, each said clip comprising a first portion extending into a corrugation of the roof between the roof and the roof rail, and a second portion attached to said deformable door edge protector, said first portion of each clip having a hook extending around the bottom edge of the roof to constrain the clip against upward displacement.  
     
     
         2 . A door edge protection system in accordance with  claim 1  wherein at least one of said deformable door edge protector and said clip engages the roof rail so that said roof rail constrains said deformable door edge protector and clip against downward displacement.  
     
     
         3 . A door edge protection system in accordance with  claim 1  wherein said clip is made of spring steel.  
     
     
         4 . A door edge protection system in accordance with  claim 1  wherein said clip is capable of insertion into said corrugation and into engagement with the bottom edge of the roof after attachment of the clip to the resilient door edge protector.  
     
     
         5 . A door edge protection system in accordance with  claim 1  wherein said second portion of said clip includes a front wall, a pair of side walls extending along edges thereof, a top wall, and a bottom wall, said side walls having portions extending downward past said bottom wall, said first portion of said clip with said hook extending from said bottom wall, said front wall including an aperture therein for receiving a fastener that attaches said deformable door edge protector to said clip.  
     
     
         6 . A door edge protection system in accordance with  claim 5  wherein said clip is stabilized by an interference fit with said roof and roof rail.  
     
     
         7 . A door edge protection system in accordance with  claim 6  wherein said portions of said side walls extend between said roof rail and said roof for providing stability.  
     
     
         8 . A door edge protection system in accordance with  claim 1  wherein said deformable door edge protector includes a series of fingers interposable between said roof and said roof rail.  
     
     
         9 . A door edge protection system in accordance with  claim 1  further including a flange on said deformable door edge protector for affixation to said clip.  
     
     
         10 . A door edge protection system in accordance with  claim 1  wherein said flange includes an aperture for receiving therein a fastener for attaching said clip to said deformable door edge protection member.  
     
     
         11 . A door edge protection system in accordance with  claim 1  wherein said deformable door edge protection member is made of a foam material having a tough outer skin.  
     
     
         12 . A door edge protection assembly for installation on a railcar having a side wall, a roof rail running substantially horizontally along the top of said side wall, a roof extending upwardly and inwardly from said roof rail, and a plurality of substantially parallel decks for supporting vehicles thereon, said door edge protection assembly comprising: 
 a door edge protection member for cushioning impacts between a vehicle door edge and at least one of said side wall, said roof rail, and said roof; and    a clip for supporting said deformable door edge protection member in the interior of said railcar and lockingly engaging at least one of said roof rail and said roof to provide positional stability of said deformable door edge protection member relative to said roof rail and roof.    
     
     
         13 . A deformable door edge protection member for installation into the interior of a railcar having a side wall and a plurality of substantially parallel decks for supporting vehicles thereon, said door edge protection member comprising: 
 a bumper having a sufficient horizontal dimension to prevent contact between a vehicle door edge and side panel flanges; and    a flange attachable directly to a railcar side wall panel for retaining said deformable door edge protection member on said side wall;    wherein said bumper and said flange form a one-piece, unitary, integral, compressible foam member having a generally L-shaped or P-shaped cross section.    
     
     
         14 . A deformable door edge protection member in accordance with  claim 13  wherein said bumper has a tough outer skin, and wherein said door edge protection member further comprises a reinforcement adhesively secured thereto.  
     
     
         15 . In a railcar capable of transporting vehicles in commercial rail service, a deformable foam door edge protection member comprising a base having an upper mounting flange and a bumper comprising a flexible wall extending from the bottom of the base toward the interior of the railcar and back to rejoin the base at an intermediate region, thereby defining a hollow interior.  
     
     
         16 . A deformable door edge protection member in accordance with  claim 15  wherein said deformable door edge protection member is supported on a side wall of said railcar by said upper flange, and wherein said bumper has a curved, outwardly convex bottom surface, and a curved, outwardly concave top surface.  
     
     
         17 . A deformable door edge protection member in accordance with  claim 15  wherein said wall is curved.  
     
     
         18 . A method of attaching door edge protection to a railcar interior comprising: 
 providing an elongated extruded foam protector;    attaching a series of clips to said protector; and    attaching said clips to the railcar interior.    
     
     
         19 . A method of attaching door edge protection to a railcar interior in accordance with  claim 18 , wherein said step of attaching said clips to the railcar interior further comprises the step of inserting a portion of said clip between a roof rail and a roof of said railcar.  
     
     
         20 . A method of attaching door edge protection to a railcar interior in accordance with  claim 18 , wherein said step of attaching said clips to the railcar interior further comprises the step of securing said clip in said interior with a hook portion of said clip extending around a bottom edge of a roof of said railcar.