Abstract: A modular hydraulic hammer reduction system for railroad tank cars includes tubular hydraulic hammer reduction devices which include means to connect the tubular devices to flanges other than by welding or being cast together. For example, the tubular devices can be press fit into the flanges, or the tubular devices can be connected to the flanges with snap rings (preferably spiral-lock snap rings), or even more preferably the tubular devices can be press fit into the flanges and the tubular devices can be connected to the flanges with snap rings (preferably spiral-lock snap rings). The advantage of this modular construction is that one can manufacture multiple tubular devices and multiple flanges of each type, and connect the flanges to the tubular devices on an as-needed basis.

Abstract: A bolt includes a movable pin in the center thereof. This pin can freely move up and down in the bolt. If the pin protrudes out of bolt a predetermined distance after the bolt is screwed into a blind bolt hole, then an inspector knows that the bolt is fully engaged. If, on the other hand, the bolt is not fully engaged, the pin will not protrude the predetermined distance out of the bolt. A second embodiment of the similar invention is a stud having an indicator pin. In third and fourth embodiments, the bolts and studs have indicator pins including grease zerks. These grease zerks allow the holes to be filled with grease to prevent damage to the hole due to corrosion.

Abstract: A mechanical hydraulic dampening device (100) having kinetic energy dissipating baffles (2) in its interior with no moving parts, which device (100) is included in a moving tank car carrying a liquid load, such as for example a railroad tank car (6), having a rupture disk assembly (9) at the top of the tank (6) to prevent fracturing of the tank (6) due to hydraulic hammer action, the device (100) being located in line between the rupture disk and the liquid load. When the tank (6) is suddenly moved, the shifting liquid load passes through the pipe-like device (100), impacting against a series of longitudinally spaced, opposed, diverging, upwardly angled, flat plates (2) each extending across more than 50% of the interior of the pipe body (1) of the device (100), causing its energy and the hydraulic hammer action to be dissipated.