Railroad car having interconnected roof panels

Abstract

A railroad car with interconnected roof panels that require relatively less tooling, labor, time, and materials to be secured to the upper structures of the railroad car, and that require relatively less tooling, labor, time, and materials to be replace if damaged.

The claims are follows: 
     
         1 . A railroad car comprising:
 a frame;   spaced apart trucks that support the frame;   a plurality of wheels that support the trucks;   first and second side walls connected to and supported by the frame;   first and second end walls connected to and supported by the frame; and   a roof connected to and supported by the first and second side walls, the first and second end walls, and the frame, the roof including a first roof panel and a second roof panel, each of the first roof panel and the second roof panel comprising:
 a backer sheet including a central section, a first connector leg connected to and extending from a first end of the central section, and a second connector leg connected to and extending from a second end of the central section, 
 a corrugated panel including a central section, a first connector arm connected to and extending from a first end of the central section, and a second connector arm connected to and extending from a second end of the central section, and 
 a plurality of connectors that connect a first surface of the backer sheet to the corrugated panel, 
   wherein the first connector leg of the first roof panel and the second connector leg of the second roof panel engage and form a first seal between the first and second roof panels, and the first connector arm of the first roof panel and the second connector arm of the second roof panel engage and form a second seal between the first and second roof panels.   
     
     
         2 . The railroad car of  claim 1 , wherein the first connector leg comprises a first extension section and a first sealer connected to and extending from an end of the first extension section, wherein the second connector leg comprises a second extension section and a second sealer connected to and extending from a second end of the second extension section, and wherein the first sealer protrudes towards the corrugated panel and the second sealer protrudes away from the corrugated panel. 
     
     
         3 . The railroad car of  claim 2 , wherein the first and second sealers comprise respective deformations of the first connector leg and the second connector leg. 
     
     
         4 . The railroad car of  claim 3 , wherein the first and second sealers each comprise a rolled edge or crimped edge of the backer sheet. 
     
     
         5 . The railroad car of  claim 2 , wherein a lower surface of the second sealer of the second roof panel abuts an upper surface of the first connector leg of the first roof panel to form the first seal between the first and second roof panels. 
     
     
         6 . The railroad car of  claim 5 , wherein a lower surface of the second connector arm of the second roof panel abuts an upper surface of the first connector arm of the first roof panel to form the second seal between the first and second roof panels. 
     
     
         7 . The railroad car of  claim 6 , wherein an upper surface of the first sealer of the first roof panel abuts a lower surface of the second connector leg of the second roof panel to form a third seal between the first and second roof panels. 
     
     
         8 . The railroad car of  claim 7 , wherein a lower surface of the first connector arm of the first roof panel abuts an upper surface of the second connector leg of the second roof panel to form a fourth seal between the first and second roof panels. 
     
     
         9 . The railroad car of  claim 1 , wherein the corrugated panel includes a plurality of corrugations having respective troughs and peaks, the first and second connector arms are formed from respective end troughs of the corrugated panel that are not connected to the backer sheet by the plurality of connectors, and the central section of the corrugated panel comprises troughs that are connected to the backer sheet by the plurality of connectors. 
     
     
         10 . The railroad car of  claim 9 , wherein the first connector arm comprises a first end trough of the corrugated panel and a retaining finger, and wherein the second connector arm comprises a second end trough of the corrugated panel. 
     
     
         11 . The railroad car of  claim 10 , wherein the retaining finger comprises a portion of a downward transition of the corrugated panel. 
     
     
         12 . The railroad car of  claim 10 , wherein the second connector arm comprises at least a portion of a second end trough of the corrugated panel and an adjacent downward transition of the corrugated panel. 
     
     
         13 . The railroad car of  claim 1 , wherein, the backer sheet is a bottom backer sheet and the first surface is an upper surface of the bottom backer sheet, the central section of the corrugated panel includes a plurality of corrugations having respective troughs and peaks, and the plurality of connectors connect the upper surface of the bottom backer sheet to the troughs of the central section. 
     
     
         14 . The railroad car of  claim 13 , wherein, each of the first roof panel and the second roof panel further comprises an upper backer sheet, and the plurality of connectors connect a lower surface of the upper backer sheet to the peaks of the corrugated panel. 
     
     
         15 . The railroad car of  claim 1 , wherein the backer sheet is an upper backer sheet and the first surface of the upper backer sheet is a lower surface, the central section of the corrugated panel includes a plurality of corrugations having respective troughs and peaks; and the plurality of connectors connect the lower surface of the upper backer sheet to peaks of the corrugated panel. 
     
     
         16 . A railroad car comprising:
 a frame;   spaced apart trucks that support the frame;   a plurality of wheels that support the trucks;   first and second side walls connected to and supported by the frame;   first and second end walls connected to and supported by the frame; and   a roof connected to and supported by the first and second side walls, the first and second end walls, and the frame, the roof including a first roof panel and a second roof panel, each of the first roof panel and the second roof panel comprising:
 a backer sheet including a central section, a first connector leg connected to and extending from a first end of the central section, and a second connector leg connected to and extending from a second end of the central section, 
 a corrugated panel including a central section, a first connector arm connected to and extending from a first end of the central section, and a second connector arm connected to and extending from a second end of the central section, and 
 a plurality of connectors that connect a first surface of the backer sheet to the corrugated panel, 
   wherein the first connector arm and the first connector leg of the first roof panel applies a first engagement force to the second connector leg of the second roof panel when the second connector leg of the second roof panel is inserted between the first connector arm and the first connector leg of the first roof panel, and   wherein the second connector arm and the second connector leg of the second roof panel applies a second engagement force to the first connector arm of the first roof panel when the first connector arm of the first roof panel is inserted between the second connector arm and the second connector leg of the second roof panel.   
     
     
         17 . The railroad car of  claim 16 , wherein the first engagement force is a clamping force that forms a first seal between a lower surface of the second connector leg of the second roof panel and an upper surface of the first connector leg of the first roof panel. 
     
     
         18 . The railroad car of  claim 17 , wherein the second engagement force is a clamping force that forms a second seal between a lower surface of the second connector arm of the second roof panel and an upper surface of the first connector arm of the first roof panel. 
     
     
         19 . The railroad car of  claim 18 , wherein the first engagement force also forms (1) a third seal between an upper surface of the first connector leg of the first roof panel and a lower surface of the second connector leg of the second roof panel, and (2) a fourth seal between a lower surface of the first connector arm of the first roof panel and an upper surface of the second connector leg of the second roof panel. 
     
     
         20 . The railroad car roof panel of  claim 16 , wherein one or more of the first connector arm, the second connector arm, the first connector leg, and the second connector leg are deformed to cause a respective bias that increases one or both of the first engagement force and the second engagement force.