Rail tank car

Abstract

A tank car comprises at least two sequentially arranged tanks, connected by a joint assembly and supported at the joint assembly by a common carnage. The distance between the closest points of the two sequentially arranged tanks of the tank car on a straight rail track section is less than 1000 mm. The invention provides increased effective volume of a tank car achieved by decreasing the distance between neighboring tanks.

1 . A tank car comprising:
 at least two sequentially arranged tanks, wherein each tank is mounted on a frame, and   wherein adjacent frames of the at least two sequentially arranged tanks are connected by a joint assembly and supported at the joint assembly by a common carriage, and   wherein the distance between the closest points of the two sequentially arranged tanks of the tank car on a straight rail track section is less than 1000 mm.   
     
     
         2 . The tank car according to  claim 1 , wherein the frame of each tank car consists of two adjacent frame sections or two half-frames. 
     
     
         3 . The tank car according to  claim 2 , wherein the adjacent frame sections or half-frames of the two sequentially arranged tanks are supported directly at the joint assembly by a common carriage directly. 
     
     
         4 . The tank car according to  claim 2 , wherein the adjacent frame sections or half-frames of the two sequentially arranged tanks are supported at the joint assembly by a common carriage indirectly, via the joint assembly and side supports. 
     
     
         5 . The tank car according to  claim 1 , wherein the joint assembly is a hinge joint assembly. 
     
     
         6 . The tank car according to  claim 1 , wherein the tank is formed by a vessel consisting of a shell and two bottom end portions. 
     
     
         7 . The tank car according to  claim 6 , wherein the closest points of the two sequentially arranged tanks are measured between the mutually facing bottom end portions of adjacent tanks.