Temperature-controlled railroad freight car

Abstract

A temperature controlled railroad freight car ( 20 ) including an air flow conduit ( 98 ) and a related plenum ( 52 ) for distributing conditioned air from a refrigeration and heating unit ( 64 ) on an end wall ( 44 ) of the freight car ( 20 ), and a floor structure ( 40 ) that contributes to temperature control in a cargo space within the car ( 20 ). A diverter directs a flow of air upward into an inlet end of the plenum ( 52 ) and allows the flow to expand gradually within the plenum ( 52 ), smoothing the flow of air as it enters the plenum ( 52 ) so that it continues effectively at sufficient rates over the length of the car ( 20 ). The car ( 20 ) may include a subfloor ( 38 ) of composite construction, supporting a floor ( 40 ) that includes several tubular metal segments through which air can flow longitudinally of the car ( 20 ).

1 . A floor for use in a railroad freight car body having a length and width, the floor comprising:
 (a) a weight bearing conduit structure of thermally conductive material defining a plurality of parallel tubes located side by side and extending longitudinally with respect to said freight car body, said weight bearing conduit structure having a generally planar bottom and a generally planar top separated from each other by a plurality of tube side walls.   
   
   
       2 . The floor of  claim 1 , further including a top plate resting on and covering said weight bearing conduit structure. 
   
   
       3 . The floor of  claim 1  including a plurality of parallel segments, each including at least two tube side walls, each of said segments being located alongside and being interconnected with at least one other one of said segments. 
   
   
       4 . The floor of  claim 3  wherein each of said parallel segments includes a first horizontal arm extending laterally from one of said tube side walls and defining a part of said bottom face. 
   
   
       5 . The floor of  claim 4  wherein each of said parallel segments also includes a second horizontal arm extending laterally from one of said tube side walls and defining a part of said top face. 
   
   
       6 . The floor of  claim 5  wherein each of said parallel segments includes at least two of said tubes alongside and mutually interconnected with one another, and wherein each of said parallel segments has said second horizontal arm extending above said first horizontal arm from one of said tube side walls. 
   
   
       7 . The floor of  claim 6  wherein a respective part of each of said horizontal arms of one of said parallel segments fits matingly alongside a respective surface of an adjacent one of said parallel segments. 
   
   
       8 . The floor of  claim 7  wherein each of said parallel segments defines a groove extending along an upper margin thereof and a flange extending along a lower margin thereof, and wherein an upper one of said arms includes a rib that fits matingly in said groove, and a lower one of said arms includes a lip that fits matingly atop said flange of an adjacent one of said parallel segments. 
   
   
       9 . The floor of  claim 8  including a hold-down member matingly engaged with one of said tubes and including a flange extending away from said tube in alignment with said bottom member. 
   
   
       10 . The floor of  claim 5  including a hold-down member engaged with one of said parallel laterally-extending arms and including a flange extending away from said one of said arms in alignment with said bottom member, said hold-down member including an upright closure member extending between said horizontal laterally extending arms. 
   
   
       11 . The floor of  claim 2  wherein said top plate has a non-skid upper surface configuration. 
   
   
       12 . The floor of  claim 2  wherein each of said parallel segments is an extrusion of a thermally conductive material. 
   
   
       13 . The floor of  claim 1  wherein each of said parallel tubes is defined by mutually parallel top and bottom members and a pair of said tube side walls extending mutually parallel and upright between said top and bottom members and interconnecting them with each other. 
   
   
       14 . The floor of  claim 13  wherein one of said tube side walls is a mutually shared wall of two of said parallel tubes. 
   
   
       15 . The floor of  claim 14  wherein each of said tube side walls is a weight bearing member capable of transmitting vertical forces between said top and bottom members. 
   
   
       16 . The floor of  claim 13  wherein each of said tube side walls of at least some of said parallel tubes defines a plurality of holes extending therethrough at respective locations spaced apart longitudinally along said floor. 
   
   
       17 . The floor of  claim 16  wherein at least some of said holes are aligned with each other in adjacent ones of said tube side walls in a direction along said width of said car. 
   
   
       18 . The floor of  claim 1  capable of carrying a static load of at least about 60,000 lbs. per lift truck axle. 
   
   
       19 . A railroad freight car, comprising:
 (a) an undercarriage having a length and a width and including a plurality of laterally apart-spaced longitudinally extending stringers having coplanar top faces;   (b) a subfloor of composite materials, said subfloor including a top panel and a bottom panel of composite materials, said bottom panel resting atop said longitudinal stringers and said top panel being located above and spaced apart from said bottom panel by a vertical spacing distance;   (c) a quantity of thermally insulating material located between said top and bottom sheets; and   (d) a floor including a weight bearing conduit structure defining a plurality of parallel tubes located side by side and extending longitudinally with respect to said freight car, said weight bearing conduit structure having a generally planar bottom member and a generally planar top member separated from each other by a plurality of tube side walls.   
   
   
       20 . The railroad freight car of  claim 19  including a top plate resting on and covering said weight bearing conduit structure. 
   
   
       21 - 28 . (canceled) 
   
   
       29 . The railroad freight car of  claim 19  wherein said floor includes a plurality of parallel segments each including at least two tube side walls, each of said parallel segments being located alongside and being interconnected with at least one other one of said parallel segments. 
   
   
       30 . The railroad freight car of  claim 19  wherein each of said parallel segments includes a first horizontal arm extending laterally from one of said tube side walls and defining a part of said bottom member. 
   
   
       31 . The railroad freight car of  claim 30  wherein each of said segments also includes a second horizontal arm extending laterally from one of said tube side walls and defining a part of said top member. 
   
   
       32 . The railroad freight car of  claim 31  wherein each of said segments includes at least two of said tubes alongside and mutually interconnected with one another, and wherein each of said segments has said second horizontal arm extending above said first horizontal arm from one of said tube side walls. 
   
   
       33 . The railroad freight car of  claim 32  wherein a respective part of each of said horizontal arms of one of said parallel segments fits matingly alongside a respective surface of an adjacent one of said parallel segments. 
   
   
       34 . The railroad freight car of  claim 33  wherein each of said parallel segments defines a groove extending along an upper margin thereof and a flange extending along an adjacent lower margin thereof, and wherein an upper one of said arms includes a rib that fits matingly in said groove, and a lower one of said arms includes a lip that fits matingly atop said flange of an adjacent one of said parallel segments. 
   
   
       35 . The railroad freight car of  claim 34  wherein each of said parallel tubes is defined by mutually parallel top and bottom members and a pair of said tube side walls extending mutually parallel and upright between said top and bottom members and interconnecting them with each other. 
   
   
       36 . The railroad freight car of  claim 34  wherein one of said tube side walls is a mutually shared wall of two of said parallel tubes. 
   
   
       37 . The railroad freight car of  claim 36  wherein each of said tube side walls is a weight bearing member capable of transmitting vertical forces between said top and bottom members. 
   
   
       38 . The railroad freight car of  claim 32  wherein each of said tube side walls of at least some of said parallel tubes defines a plurality of holes extending therethrough at locations spaced apart longitudinally along said floor. 
   
   
       39 . The railroad freight car of  claim 38  wherein at least some of said holes are aligned with each other in adjacent ones of said tube side walls in a direction along said width of said car.