Railway car hatch cover

Abstract

A railway car hatch cover includes an exterior shell cover, a gasket, and a mounting ring. The exterior shell cover has an outer-side and an under-side. The gasket is a vented gasket or a non-vented gasket, and the gasket is mounted to the mounting ring. The mounting ring is secured to the under-side of the exterior shell cover. The mounting ring is removable, and the gasket is replaceable with a second gasket. The second gasket can be vented or non-vented. The mounting ring is reinstallable on the under-side of the exterior shell cover. The replaceable gasket allows a single hatch cover to function as a vented hatch cover or a non-vented hatch cover depending on the type of gasket installed.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]The invention relates generally to railway car hatch covers, and more particularly to a convertible railway car hatch cover.[0002]This invention is applicable to railway car hatch covers. On covered hopper railway cars, each car has a series of hatches on top of the car that allow the railway cars to be filled from the top with various commodities, such as plastic pellets, flour, grain food products, and the like. The hatches also allow access into the car for maintenance and an opening for venting purposes. After the railway car is loaded, a hatch cover is secured over each hatch to prevent outside substances from contaminating the goods in the car, and also to prevent spillage and secure the goods or substance inside the car for transportation. A gasket is used in each hatch cover to create an air-tight seal. When it is time to unload a loaded railway car, a suction device can be connected to a fitting on the bottom of the railway car, and the car ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides a railway car hatch cover that can be used as a vented or non-vented hatch cover by simply changing or replacing the gasket. Additionally, the hatch cover is designed without a locking arm, allowing for a low profile design. The hatch cover also uses a self-adjusting foot latch and spring to maintain pressure on the hatch cover and create the seal between the gasket on the hatch cover and the hatch ring.

Problems solved by technology

These methods while effective, make it difficult or very time consuming to remove the gasket from the hatch cover if the gasket is damaged or needs to be cleaned.

Furthermore, because of the difference in design between vented and non-vented hatch covers, purchasers cannot use a single hatch cover in a vented capacity in one instance and a non-vented capacity in another instance.

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