Counterbalanced deck for railroad freight car

Abstract

A railroad car includes a body having a pair of side walls and at least a pair of parallel horizontal support beams extending along the side walls at substantially the same height. A movable end portion of a deck built as a lightweight composite structure may pivot with respect to the pair of support beams. A respective counterbalance apparatus is arranged between each of the pair of side walls and the movable deck portion at a location spaced apart from the pivot axis so as to provide a lifting force acting on the movable end portion to urge it to pivot upward about the pivot axis.

1 . In combination with a railroad freight car body having a length, a deck having a selectively raisable end portion comprising: 
 (a) a core of low density material, said core having a length oriented along said length of said car body; and    (b) a skin of fiber reinforced plastics adhered to said core, wherein said end portion has a concave bottom surface.    
     
     
         2 . The combination of  claim 1  wherein said end portion has a convex top surface.  
     
     
         3 . The combination of  claim 2  wherein said lightweight end portion comprises a longitudinally extending central portion and a pair of opposite side portions located alongside said central portion and extending laterally therefrom.  
     
     
         4 . The combination of  claim 2  wherein said central portion and said side portions have respective thicknesses, said thickness of said central portion being greater than said thickness of said side portions thereof.  
     
     
         5 . The combination of  claim 1  wherein said railroad freight car comprises a body, including a pair of side walls and at least a pair of parallel horizontal support beams, each extending along a respective one of said side walls at substantially equal heights, said end portion including a pair of oppositely located longitudinally-extending lateral margins, said end portion having ample strength to carry an automobile supported on its own tires and straddling said central portion when said lateral margins are resting on said horizontal support beams.  
     
     
         6 . The combination of  claim 5  wherein said depth of said side portions is tapered from a minimum depth adjacent said lateral margins to a greater depth adjacent said central portion of said end portion.  
     
     
         7 . The combination of  claim 5  wherein said side portions have respective thicknesses no greater than about 1.875 inches at locations adjacent said lateral margins thereof.  
     
     
         8 . The combination of  claim 1  wherein said top and bottom skins are reinforced by fibers of which about 70 percent are oriented transversely with respect to said length of said end portion.  
     
     
         9 . The combination of  claim 1  wherein said skin is reinforced by woven roving of glass fibers, at least a portion of said woven roving having a warp oriented transversely relative to said end portion.  
     
     
         10 . The combination of  claim 9 , wherein said end portion has a pair of lateral margins and wherein said skin includes two plies of said woven roving, each of said plies having a warp oriented transversely with respect to said end portion.  
     
     
         11 . The combination of  claim 1  wherein said central portion has a depth of approximately 4 inches.  
     
     
         12 . The combination of  claim 1  wherein at least said central portion of said core includes a plurality of parallel, upright-transverse arrays of fiber-reinforced plastic.  
     
     
         13 . The combination of  claim 12  wherein said at least said central portion of said core includes an array of slender diagonal support members of fiber-reinforced plastic resin.  
     
     
         14 . A selectively raisable end portion of a deck for a railroad freight car body, said end portion comprising: 
 (a) a core of low density material having a length and width oriented to correspond with said length and width of said railroad freight car;    (b) a skin of fiber reinforced plastics material adhered to said core, said skin having a nominal thickness; and    (c) said end portion being movably engaged with an interior portion of said deck about a pivot axis defined by a hinge member mounted to said end portion by at least one fastener, and said skin having a thickness around said fastener that is greater than said nominal thickness.