AU2007200863B2

AU2007200863B2 - Load Cover with Pneumatically-Operable Lid

Info

Publication number: AU2007200863B2
Application number: AU2007200863A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Stephen Michael Carter; Kelvin Bruce Heazlewood
Original assignee: Queensland Rail Ltd
Current assignee: Aurizon Operations Ltd
Priority date: 2006-02-28
Filing date: 2007-02-28
Publication date: 2011-06-09
Anticipated expiration: 2027-02-28
Also published as: AU2007200863A1

Description

AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT Name of Applicant: Queensland Rail Address for Service: CULLEN & CO. Level 26 239 George Street Brisbane Qld 4000 Invention Title: Load Cover with Pneumatically-Operable Lid The following statement is a full description of the invention, including the best method of performing it, known to us: -2 TECHNICAL FIELD The invention described herein relates to the transportation of bulk products by road or rail and in particular to the covered wagons or trailers for such transportation. More particularly, the invention relates to a rail wagon cover with a pneumatically-operable lid. 5 However, it will be appreciated by one of skill in the art that the subject rail wagon cover and pneumatically-operable lid is not limited in its application to rail transportation, and can be used in conjunction with other types of transport means. BACKGROUND ART 0 It is frequently necessary to transport bulk products from the rail loading site to the site of distribution, storage or use. A difficulty with transporting bulk products is protecting these products from contamination and moisture damage during the transportation segment within the product's supply chain. Purpose-built wagons afford the level of protection required for the protection of bulk .5 products but are a relatively expensive alternative as such wagons can only be used for the subject bulk products. A more cost effective and practical alternative is to fit covers to regular open-top wagons which can be removed once the bulk-product transportation cycle has ended and the wagons are needed for the transportation of other goods. Such a cover must have means for securing the cover to a wagon and a lid which can be easily and quickly opened for !0 loading the bulk product. It is also essential that the wagon cover and lid arrangement can be easily removed from the wagon for service and maintenance as necessary. In the case of the transportation of agricultural products such as grain, product may be spilt on top of the cover and lid during the loading of a wagon comprising a cover and lid arrangement. The design of the wagon cover and lid should be such that it prevents any 25 product retention on top of the cover and lid thus reducing the possibility of creating an environment that would facilitate infestation of product by microorganisms and insect pests thus contaminating the product. Cover and lid arrangements for rail wagons are known but have several undesirable features. These include being heavy and prone to cracking due to the brittleness of the material 30 used to make the cover. The lid opening mechanism, being a chain and sprocket arrangement, is prone to higher maintenance levels. It would therefore be desirable to have available a cover and lid arrangement which satisfies at least one of the following criteria: -3 e the design can be utilized for both rail and road transport; e it utilizes a simple means of restraint; e it ensures environmental protection; e it is lightweight and durable; 5 e it is capable of use with different products; and * it ensures protection of its contents without the possibility of product retention on the exterior of the cover and lid. It is an aim of the invention to provide a wagon cover and lid arrangement which meets the foregoing need and overcomes the shortcomings of currently available high maintenance 0 covers. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In a broad format, the invention provides a wagon or trailer cover and lid arrangement, wherein said cover comprises: 5 a rectangular frame having adaptations for securing the frame to the wagon or trailer, said frame having attached thereto metal sheets which define a longitudinal opening in said cover, and wherein said metal sheets are sloped downwardly from said opening to the periphery of the cover; and wherein said lid arrangement comprises: !0 two rectangular panels each having a first edge and a second opposite edge, the first edges of which panels can sealingly abut in a closed position with the abutted edges along a centreline of the cover, and which panels can be pivoted away from said centreline to an open position to allow product to be dispersed through said opening into the wagon or trailer, wherein said pivoting is via a plurality of arms which extend from near the first edge of each 25 panel to a pivot point within the cover opening; said cover further comprising a pneumatic ram connected to each said panel for moving a panel between the open and closed positions, and roller tracks for carrying rollers fitted to the second edge of each panel. As indicated above, the cover and lid arrangement of the invention is suitable for use 30 with wagons and trailers. Reference to a wagon in particular means a railway wagon but the term should not be interpreted as being limited to railway rolling stock alone. Similarly, a trailer particularly means an apparatus towed by a road vehicle but the term should not be interpreted as being limited to road transportation trailers.

-4 The following description will be given in connection with a railway wagon. However, it will be appreciated by one of skill in the art that the cover and lid arrangement can be adapted to any type of wagon or trailer for conveying a bulk product. The terms "bulk product" or "product" as used herein denote any material of a flowable 5 nature. In particular, the terms relate to agricultural products such as grain and sugar. The terms also embrace fertilizers. With regard to the cover of the cover and lid arrangement, the adaptations for securing the cover to the wagon advantageously comprise apertures through which locating posts on the wagon can pass to have locking pins fixed thereto. Typically, there is a pair of adaptations on 0 each side of the rectangular frame included in the cover. A cover preferably includes four lifting lugs with a pair of lugs on each side of the cover. The sloping of the metal sheets of the cover eliminates areas where product could be retained and ensures that product that is spilt on the cover slides off the cover. The frame of covers according to the invention can include cross-members to 15 strengthen the frame. It will be appreciated by one of skill in the art that the number of cross members will depend on the length of the cover. An example of a cover with cross-members is given below. The cross-members are advantageously of a cross-sectional shape that does not inhibit flow of product about the member. The rectangular panels of the lid arrangement typically comprise a frame with metal 20 sheeting fitted thereto. As with the cover frame, the panel frames can be cross-braced for strength. The sealing of one panel to the other when the lid is closed can be aided by the provision of an elastomeric material along the first edge of at least one of the panels. Alternatively, one of the panels can include an extension of its first edge which overlaps the 25 first edge of the abutted panel when the lid is closed. The pivot point within the cover opening to which each of the arms on a panel extends can be provided by a longitudinally extending shaft. There will of course be provided two shafts, one along each side of the opening. The number of pivot arms on each panel, like the cover frame cross-members referred 30 to above, will depend on the length of the cover. The following example of the invention will include an illustration of a desirable number of arms associated with a panel. The cover and lid arrangement of the invention are typically manufactured from aluminum for durability and ease of servicing. In the event of damage or a need for mainten- -5 ance, the unit can be quickly removed and be replaced by another using a mobile crane or over head gantry crane. The utilization of the low maintenance units according to the invention thus maximises the payload transported. The invention includes within its scope a wagon or trailer comprising the cover and lid 5 arrangement defined above. In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into practice, one or more preferred embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. [0 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wagon cover and lid arrangement according to the invention with the lid panels in the closed position. Figure 2 is the same perspective view as shown in Figure 1 with the lid panels in the open position. [5 Figure 3 is a perspective view of wagon cover frame and panel frames without metal sheeting attached. Figure 4 is a close-up view of the pneumatic operating equipment of a panel. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS ?0 The cover and lid arrangement depicted in Figures 1 to 4 is configured for mounting to a hopper type railway wagon which has dimensions of 15,080 mm long by 2,894 mm wide by 2,832 mm high. The cover thus has dimensions of 10,920 mm long by 2,930 mm wide. In Figures 1 and 2 there is shown cover I and lid 2 which consists of panels 3 and 4. The panels each have dimensions of 10,170 long by 630 mm wide. Sheets of aluminium such 25 as indicated at items 5 to 8 are fitted to the frames (see below) comprising cover 1 and panels 3 and 4 so that when the panels are abutted (as shown in Figure 1) the wagon to which the cover is mounted is completely covered. The aluminium sheets have a thickness of 1.2 mm. Items 9 and 10 of cover 1 are pneumatic equipment enclosures which house, inter alia, pneumatic rams which are for opening and closing lid 2. The rams will be described in greater 30 detail below. Apertures, one of which is item 11, are provided in cover I for receiving posts upstanding from the wagon through which locking pins are passed to secure the cover to the wagon.

-6 Visible in Figure 1 are sets of roller tracks, one of which tracks is item 12. These tracks carry rollers located at the outer edge of each panel. The roller carried by track 12 is generally indicated as item 13. Figure 2 shows cover I with lid 2 open so that the opening 14 in the cover can be seen. 5 (The opening has dimension of 10,022 mm long by 1,073 mm wide.) Also visible in Figure 2 are five arms, one of which is item 15, which pivotally link panel 4 to shaft 16. Panel 3 has corresponding arms and a shaft which are not visible in the figure. Additionally visible in Figure 2 are four of five cross-members, one of which is item 17. Each cross-member is a square aluminium section with the diagonals of the square orientated horizontally and 0 vertically. This allows product to flow over a member when being dispensed into a wagon through opening 14, or around a member with horizontal movement during transportation. Another feature of the invention visible in Figure 2 is an elastomeric seal 18 which extends along the inner edge of panel 3. This seal contacts the corresponding edge of panel 4 when lid 2 is closed. 5 The frame 19 of panel 3 is partially visible in Figure 1. As well as comprising members at the edges of the panel, frame 19 can also be seen to include cross-braces, one of which is item 20. The frame 21 of cover 1 is depicted in Figure 3. Frame 21 can be seen to have lateral and longitudinal members-such as 22 and 23 respectively-which define opening 14 (see !0 Figure 2). Item 24 is one of a plurality of bearings for supporting shaft 16 (Figure 2) while ribs such as that indicated as item 25 effect the sloping of metal sheeting fixed thereto. A roller track 26 can be seen on rib 25 in Figure 3 and cross-member 17 of Figure 2 is also visible along with the four other cross-members (item 27 for example). A pneumatic ram 28 which activates panel 3 of lid 2 is shown in Figure 4. The metal 25 sheeting over pneumatic equipment enclosures 9 of Figure 1 has been omitted to reveal the ram. Ram 28 comprises a double acting rodless cylinder and has associated therewith a locking cylinder 29. The ram acts on an adjacent panel arm (not visible in the drawing) by way of activating lever 30. More clearly visible in Figure 4 than in Figure l is a roller 31 which is carried by roller track 32. 30 It will be appreciated from the foregoing description and the Figures that for loading product into a wagon, panels 3 and 4 of lid 2 are moved into the positions depicted in Figure 2. Following loading, the lid is closed as shown in Figure 1 thereby preventing ingress of rain or the like by virtue of the seal effected between panels 3 and 4.

-7 Operation of the wagon cover and lid can be carried out from both sides of the wagon while standing at rail height by first depressing a hidden safety button and then activating a pneumatically controlled open/close lever. The pneumatic rams operable on the lid panels are supplied with compressed air at a pressure of approx. 600 kPa via the train's main reservoir 5 pipe or via a line side compressor at the product loading site. The foregoing exemplification is merely illustrative of the principles of the invention, and various modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art. The invention is capable of being practiced and carried out in various ways and in other embodiments. It is also to be understood that the terminology employed herein is for the 0 purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The term "comprise" and variants of the term such as "comprises" or "comprising" are used herein to denote the inclusion of a stated integer or stated integers but not to exclude any other integer or any other integers, unless in the context or usage an exclusive interpretation of the term is required.

Claims

1. A wagon or trailer cover and lid arrangement, wherein said cover comprises: a rectangular frame having adaptations for securing the frame to the wagon or trailer, said frame having attached thereto metal sheets which define a longitudinal opening in said 5 cover, and wherein said metal sheets are sloped downwardly from said opening to the periphery of the cover; and wherein said lid arrangement comprises: two rectangular panels each having a first edge and a second opposite edge, the first edges of which panels can sealingly abut in a closed position with the abutted edges along a 0 centreline of the cover, and which panels can be pivoted away from said centreline to an open position to allow product to be dispersed through said opening into the wagon or trailer, wherein said pivoting is via a plurality of arms which extend from near the first edge of each panel to a pivot point within the cover opening; said cover further comprising a pneumatic ram connected to each said panel for moving 5 a panel between the open and closed positions, and roller tracks for carrying rollers fitted to the second edge of each panel.

2. The cover and lid arrangement of claim 1, wherein the adaptations for securing the frame to the wagon or trailer comprise a pair of adaptations on each side of the rectangular frame. 10

3. The cover and lid arrangement of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the adaptations for securing the frame to the wagon or trailer comprise apertures through which locating posts on the wagon can pass to have locking pins fixed thereto.

4. The cover and lid arrangement of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cover includes four lifting lugs with a pair of lugs on each side of the cover. 25

5. The cover and lid arrangement of any one of claims I to 4, wherein the cover includes cross-members to strengthen the frame.

6. The cover and lid arrangement of claim 5, wherein the cross-members are of a cross sectional shape that does not inhibit flow of product about the member.

7. The cover and lid arrangement of any one of claims I to 6, wherein the rectangular 30 panels of the lid arrangement comprise a frame with metal sheeting fitted thereto.

8. The cover and lid arrangement of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the panel frames are cross-braced. -9

9. The cover and lid arrangement of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the sealing of one panel to the other when the lid is closed is aided by the provision of an elastomeric material along the first edge of at least one of the panels.

10. The cover and lid arrangement of any one of claims I to 9, wherein one of the panels 5 can include an extension of its first edge which overlaps the first edge of the abutted panel when the lid is closed.

11. The cover and lid arrangement of any one of claims I to 10, wherein the pivot point within the cover opening to which each of the arms on a panel extends is provided by a longitudinally extending shaft. 0

12. The cover and lid arrangement of any one of claims I to 11, comprising two longitudinally extending shafts, one along each side of the opening.

13. The cover and lid arrangement of any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the cover and lid arrangement is manufactured from aluminum.

14. A wagon or trailer cover and lid arrangement substantially as hereinbefore described 5 with reference to the accompanying drawings.

15. A wagon or trailer comprising the cover and lid arrangement of any one of claims I to 14. Date: 28 February 2007