Railway gondola car incorporating flexible panels of composite sheet material

摘要

A gondola railway car with a structural frame of metal has panels of lightweight composite tension-bearing sheet material attached to the frame by clamps which grip the margins of the panels. The panels thus are structural components of the car body, while also acting to contain bulk cargo such as coal. The panels may be of aramid fiber cloth coated with a wear-resistant polymeric material, and particles of hard material may be embedded in the polymeric material to enhance resistance to mechanical erosion.