DISCHARGE GATE ASSEMBLY FOR A RAILWAY HOPPER CAR

Abstract

A gate assembly for a railroad car consists of a frame with a bottom opening, front and rear walls, and a pair of opposing walls connected to the front and rear walls at spaced corners, surrounding the bottom opening. To make the gate assembly economical to manufacture, the walls are made of a rigid metal material less than 0.250 inches (0.635 cm) thick. A gate moves linearly between a closed position, blocking the bottom opening, and an open position, allowing material to pass through the bottom opening. To surprisingly and advantageously allow the use of thinner gauge materials in manufacturing the gate assembly, a support structure, attached to an outer surface of the gate assembly walls, adds strength and rigidity to the frame.The support structure includes at least one generally vertical support strategically placed along the length of each wall of the gate assembly.