Abstract: A vibrator bracket for coupling a vibrator to a female receptacle attached to a railroad car. The vibrator is mounted to the vibrator mounting member. The vibrator mounting member includes a tongue and at least one keeper member. The tongue is wedge shaped and has an insertion end, a first side, and a second side. A flange member supports the vibrator bracket and allows it to project just beyond a bottom end of the female bracket. An urging member is mounted to an upper portion and its selective movement towards the railroad car provides for abutment of the first side of the tongue with a rear wall of the female receptacle while at least one keeper member simultaneously abuts the bottom end of the female bracket for retaining the vibrator mounting member therein while the railroad car is emptying.

Abstract: A railcar vibrator includes a base member and a vertical support coupled to the base member. A vibrator component is disposed on the vertical support. A wheel having a cushioned outer portion is rotationally coupled to the vertical support capable of rotation around an axis. The wheel can freely rotate, for riding along a moving railcar or line of railcars. A lateral positioning structure is operable with respect to the vertical support for adjusting the lateral position of the vertical support to place the cushioned outer surface of the wheel in contact with the railcar.

Abstract: An expandable vibrator bracket for attaching a car-shaker vibrator to a female receptacle attached to a railroad car to be vibrated. The expandable bracket includes: a vibrator mounting member, a leg member, and a wedge base member. The vibrator mounting member supports the vibrator. The wedge base member further includes a first end, a second end, a first side, and a second side. The wedge plate includes an attaching end, a distal end, an interior side and an exterior side. The attaching end is coupled to the first end of the wedge base member for allowing the distal end to selectively move with respect to the second end of the wedge base member when acted upon by a spreading or expanding force. The second side of the wedge base member and the exterior side of the wedge plate simultaneously abut opposite interior surfaces of the female receptacle during selective urging by the spreading force for holding the expandable vibrator bracket in the female receptacle.

Abstract: A bracket assembly for a car shaker vibrator that includes a vibrator mounting member that is pivotally connected by a pivot pin, in a hinged or clevis arrangement, to a wedge member. The wedge member includes the male portion of a Gardner type bracket that is adapted for engaging a mating female portion that is mounted on a railroad car. The vibrator mounting member may be selectively rotated between a first position and a second position. The vibrator mounting member is retained at the first position by a locating pin during the emptying of a railroad car during the selective operation of the car shaker vibrator. The vibrator mounting member is retained at the second position by the locating pin when the dislodgement of the male portion from the female portion is desired together with the selective and subsequent operation the car shaker vibrator. An intermediate position may be provided between the first position and the second position and used when needed.

Abstract: A device is provided to easily position a conventional vibrator on a railway hopper car to assist in unloading various granular materials. The device includes a stanchion mounted beside a railway track which supports a swingable arm. The arm includes a distal pivotable vibrator carrier section. A hydraulic jack allows the arm to be raised as needed. Pneumatic cylinders permit the operator to precisely control and move the vibrator releasably held by the vibrator carrier to a pocket positioned on the car hopper. The vibrator after being released receives compressed air which shakes the hopper of the railway car to insure proper granular flow during emptying. Once the railway car is unloaded, the device is then used to withdraw the vibrator from the hopper car pocket and move it out of the way so another car can he positioned for unloading.

Abstract: Shipping costs incurred in the shipping of particulate material in bulk may be reduced through the use of a vibratory compaction unit that settles the bulk material within the container during the loading process enabling a greater quantity of the particulate material to be loaded into a container of a given volume. The vibratory compaction unit includes a clamping deck 40 having a generally vertical face 44 together with spaced contact blocks 96 located on the clamping deck 40 and extending from the face 44. Clamping hooks 94 are located on the clamping deck 40 for engaging lifting pockets 16, 18, of a universal shipping container 14 or the like to firmly clamp the container 14 against the contact blocks 16. An exciter mass 52 is spaced from but adjacent to the clamping deck 40 and a vibration imparting motors 64, 66, 68 are located on the exciter mass 52. Amplification springs 60 interconnect the clamping deck 40 and the exciter mass 52.

Abstract: A car shaker for use particularly on a rail type hopper car. At least one closure and preferably a plurality thereof is provided to preclude or minimize the amount of dust which results from a dust carrying cargo being discharged. The at least one closure rests on the top of the hopper car to preclude coal dust entering the atmosphere. The car shaker is further provided with an aspiration system to draw away cargo dust which has been wetted by water sprays from a manifold carried on the closures.

Abstract: There is provided a clamp-type apparatus for connecting a first object, such as a vibratory mechanism, to a second object that is a box-type vessel having at least one slot in a side near a corner, such as a steamship truck container, which apparatus comprises: (a) a first plate having a first aperture and at least one second aperture, the at least one second aperture being used to attach the first object to the first side of the first plate; (b) a bolt-type fastener for attaching the second object to the second side of the first plate, the fastener passing through the first aperture and being capable of rotating about its axis; (c) a rod for rotating the fastener about its axis; and (d) a small second plate for preventing movement of the apparatus relative to the second object, the second plate being perpendicular to and attached to the first plate. There are also provided a method for connecting a vibratory mechanism to a steamship truck container and a method for vibrating a steamship truck container.

Abstract: For the continuous dosed unloading of bulk piece goods from containers, especially containers whose weight in the loaded state is many times the weight when empty, the device has the following features:(a) a stationary machine frame;(b) a vibrating frame which is movable with respect to the machine frame;(c) devices for connecting said machine frame and said vibrating frame;(d) a receiving platform which is provided on the vibrating frame and has devices for securing the containers on the receiving platform;(e) a low-frequency vibration drive arranged at an incline with respect to the vibrating frame for vibrating the vibrating frame; and(f) the vibration device regulating the vibration amplitude in a predetermined amplitude range limiting the vertical acceleration component of the vibration to about 2 g.

Abstract: A container shakeout apparatus is provided and has a rigid frame upon which a pair of motors supporting eccentric weights are mounted. Spring reactor members are suspended from the frame and said springs in turn suspend a pair of hammers which are adopted to engage the top edge of the spaced sides of a loaded container such as a hopper car. The motors and eccentric weights form a single mass system having a natural frequency close to the operating speed of said motors when said hammers are in contact with the container; and said frame, springs and hammers form a two mass system having a natural frequency above the operating speed of the motors when said hammers break contact with the container whereby the combined alternating single mass system and two mass system produce rapid high energy vertical impacts on the container for loosening material in the container.

Abstract: A large volume silo has in the center of the base a conical dome which, together with the cylindrical outer silo wall, defines an annular base. Open air conveyor chutes pass from the base area through discharge openings to flow regulators in the inner area beneath the conical dome. Closed air conveyor chutes follow on from the flow regulators and lead to a common storage tank in the inner area beneath the conical dome. The open air conveyor chutes can be separated from the bulk material in the silo area by cover slides moveable from the inner area of the conical dome over the open air conveyor chute. This repairs to the conveyor chutes without interrupting silo operation. The cover slides are operated from the interior of the conical dome.

Abstract: This invention relates to a car side wall vibrating mechanism adapted to densify a bulk lading going into the car, or to facilitate unloading of lading from the car and wherein the natural frequency of structural beams facing the car is higher than the speed of the motors driving the mechanism, which are mounted in fixed relation to the beams and located between spaced elements adapted to engage the beams with the car side wall, with such spaced elements having separate supporting structures with the entire structure supported on a base having means anchoring the car rails with anchor means embedded in the base. The arrangement utilizes multiple stabilizers for the elements referred to, with at least one such stabilizer under the motor mount.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for unloading hopper cars. The method includes the steps of placing a tube in the vicinity of an open hopper of the hopper car, and discharging a blast aerator through the tube. The apparatus includes a housing rotatably mounting the tube. The tube includes a tip to assist in entering the material to be unloaded. A motor to rotate the tube is mounted in the housing; and, a blast aerator is receivable on the housing. A fitting seals between the stationary blast aerator and the rotatable tube, and the fitting can receive an adapter to vary the size of the blast aerator.

Abstract: This invention provides novel apparatus for accelerating the emptying of railroad hopper cars and the like. The invention comprises: a rigid frame fixedly mountable through a base to a pair of generally horizontally-spaced-apart rails upon which the wheels of a railroad hopper car can be movably supported, with the frame including an upright section from which there generally horizontally extends towards the rails a hollow spool connected to a vented source of pressurized fluid; and an excitor connected to the spool through an inflatable yieldably resilient sleeve that performs dual functions of moving the excitor generally horizontally with respect to the frame into and out of contact with a side of the hopper car and also vibration isolating the excitor from the frame.

Abstract: Frozen lumps of coal in conventional hopper cars are loosened by lowering an assembly of vertically oriented probe elements into the car while simultaneously vibrating the assembly. The vibratory structure is mounted on a gantry arrangement which also supports a supplemental probe arrangement utilizing impact forces to loosen coal in hopper cars having interiors different from those of the cars operated on by the vibratory arrangement.