Background

In response to new safety requirements from the Association of American Railroads (AAR), Union Tank Car Company (UTLX) needed to develop a new handle for tank car bottom outlet valves. The handle needed to mechanically disengage from the valve to prevent accidental spillage during train operation and in the event of a derailment. As R&D Project Engineer at UTLX, I was placed in charge of this project.

Handle Design

The handle assembly I designed uses a simple linkage to engage and disengage with the valve stem. A universal adapter with a spring loaded locking mechanism is attached to the valve stem to allow for installation with multiple types of bottom outlet valve. A pin in the shaft prevents the shaft from rotating until it is engaged, and prevents the shaft from disengaging until the valve is in the closed position.

Implementation

I oversaw the design development, prototyping, and implementation of the new disengaging handle. This design was patented by Union Tank Car Company (patent number US 9,746,873 B2). An updated version of the handle is currently installed on all new UTLX tank cars with bottom outlet valves.

See the build process for a UTLX tank car here: UTLX: Build a Tank Car