Grate bar for a pallet car

1. A grate bar for use in forming a grate bar assembly of a sintering pallet car, the assembly including a plurality of grate bars arranged in a side-by-side configuration, the grate bar comprising:

an elongate body having a top surface for receiving a load, a pair of opposed arms, and a pair of opposed feet, wherein each arm and foot pair retain the frame of the car therebetween;

a pair of peripheral spacers at an end of each arm, wherein each one of the pair of the peripheral spacers extends laterally away from the body to distance the body from a body of an adjacent grate bar, each one of the pair of peripheral spacers comprise:

a peripheral spacer top wall, a peripheral spacer bottom wall, and a peripheral spacer side wall joining the peripheral spacer top wall to the peripheral spacer bottom wall; and

a pair of central spacers located between the peripheral spacers, each one of the pair of central spacers extends laterally away from the body to distance the body from the body of the adjacent grate bar, each one of the pair of central spacers comprises:

a central spacer top wall, a central spacer bottom wall, and a pair of central spacer sidewalls joining the central spacer top wall to the central spacer bottom wall, and

wherein a distance between the pair of central spacer sidewalls increases to a maximum distance at the central spacer bottom wall moving downwards from the central spacer top wall to the central spacer bottom wall.

2. The grate bar of claim 1 wherein the peripheral spacer top wall defines a peripheral spacer top wall plane, the central spacer top wall defines a central spacer top wall defines a central spacer top wall plane, and the top surface of the elongate body defines an elongate body top surface plane; and

wherein at least one of the peripheral spacer top wall plane and the central spacer top wall plane is below the elongate body top surface plane.

3. The grate bar of claim 1 wherein an angle formed between the central spacer sidewalls and the central spacer bottom wall at a region of maximum distance between the central spacer sidewalls is around 10 ±5 degrees from the normal axis.

4. The grate bar of claim 1 wherein the central spacers are trapezoidal.

5. The grate bar of claim 2 wherein at least one of the peripheral spacer top wall plane and the central spacer top wall plane is about 0.6 inches below the elongate body top surface plane.

6. The grate bar of claim 1 wherein the peripheral spacer top wall and the peripheral spacer side wall intersect at a rounded edge.

7. The grate bar of claim 1 wherein the peripheral spacer top wall and the peripheral spacer side wall are joined at about 5 to 15 degrees from the normal axis.

8. The grate bar of claim 7 wherein the peripheral spacer top wall and the peripheral spacer side wall are joined at 10 degrees from the normal axis.

9. The grate bar of claim 1 wherein a distance between ends of the pair of opposed arms is about 13.625 inches, each one of the pair of the peripheral spacers and central spacers extend laterally about 0.125 inches away from the body, the width of the body is 1.125 inches, and a combined distance between the peripheral spacer side walls and the central spacer side walls about 10.188 inches.

10. A grate bar assembly for use in forming a floor of a pallet car, the car having a frame, the grate bar assembly comprising:

a plurality of grate bars secured to the frame to form a floor of a pallet car, the grate bars arranged in a side-by-side configuration, each one of the grate bars comprises:

an elongate body having a top surface for receiving a load, a pair of opposed arms, and a pair of opposed feet, wherein each arm and foot pair retain the frame of the car therebetween;

a pair of peripheral spacers at an end of each arm, wherein each one of the pair of the peripheral spacers extends laterally away from the body to distance the body from a body of an adjacent grate bar, each one of the pair of peripheral spacers comprise:

a peripheral spacer top wall, a peripheral spacer bottom wall, and a peripheral spacer side wall joining the peripheral spacer top wall to the peripheral spacer bottom wall;

a pair of central spacers located between the peripheral spacers, each one of the pair of central spacers extends laterally away from the body to distance the body from the body of the adjacent grate bar, each one of the pair of central spacers comprises:

a central spacer top wall, a central spacer bottom wall, arid a pair of central spacer sidewalls joining the central spacer top wall to the central spacer bottom wall,

wherein a distance between the pair of central spacer sidewalls increases from the central spacer top wall to a maximum distance at the central spacer bottom wall;

an air slot formed between the elongate body of adjacent grate bars, wherein at least a pair of grate bars are aligned in a side-by-side configuration wherein the peripheral spacers and the central spacer of one of the pair of grate bars abuts against the respective peripheral spacers and the central spacer of another of the pair of grate bars, the air slot allowing movement of air through the floor, wherein a combined surface area of all the air slots comprise about 12.3% to about 18.9% of a total surface area of the floor.

11. The grate bar assembly of claim 10 wherein the combined surface area of all the air slots comprises about 17% of the total surface area of the floor.

12. The grate bar assembly of claim 10 wherein the combined surface area of all the air slots comprises about 14% of the total surface area of the floor.

13. The grate bar assembly of claim 10 wherein an angle formed between the central spacer sidewalls and the central spacer bottom wall at a region of maximum distance between the central spacer sidewalls is around 10±5 degrees from the normal axis.

14. The grate bar assembly of claim 10 wherein the central spacers are trapezoidal in shape.

15. The grate bar assembly of claim 10 wherein the peripheral spacer top wall defines a peripheral spacer top wall plane, the central spacer top wall defines a central spacer top wall plane, and the top surface of the elongate body defines an elongate body top surface plane; and

wherein at least one of the peripheral spacer top wall plane and the central spacer top wall plane is below the elongate body top surface plane.

16. The grate bar assembly of claim 10 wherein the peripheral spacer top wall and the peripheral spacer side wall intersect at a rounded edge.

17. The grate bar assembly of claim 10 wherein the peripheral spacer top wall and the peripheral spacer side wall are joined at about 5 to 15 degrees from the normal axis.

18. The grate bar assembly of claim 17 wherein the peripheral spacer top wall and the peripheral spacer side wall are joined at 10 degrees from the normal axis.

19. The grate bar assembly of claim 10 wherein a distance between ends of the pair of opposed arms is about 13.625 inches, each one of the pair of the peripheral spacers and central spacers extend laterally about 0.125 inches away from the body, the width of the body is 1.125 inches, and a combined distance between the peripheral spacer side walls and the central spacer side walls about 10.188 inches.

20. A grate bar assembly for use in forming a floor of a pallet car, the car having a frame, the grate bar assembly comprising:

a plurality of grate bars securable to the frame, each grate bar comprising:

an elongate body having a top surface for receiving a load, a pair of opposed arms, and a pair of opposed feet, wherein each arm and foot pair retain the frame of the car therebetween;

a pair of peripheral spacers at an end of each arm, wherein each one of the pair of the peripheral spacers extends laterally away from the body to distance the body from a body of an adjacent grate bar, each one of the pair of peripheral spacers comprise:

a peripheral spacer top wall, a peripheral spacer bottom wall, and a peripheral spacer side wall joining the peripheral spacer top wall to the peripheral spacer bottom wall; and

a pair of central spacers located between the peripheral spacers, each one of the pair of central spacers extends laterally away from the body to distance the body from the body of the adjacent grate bar, each one of the pair of central spacers comprises:

a central spacer top wall, a central spacer bottom wall, and a pair of central spacer sidewalls joining the central spacer top wall to the central spacer bottom wall, and

wherein a distance between the pair of central spacer sidewalls increases to a maximum distance at the central spacer bottom wall moving downwards from the central spacer top wall to the central spacer bottom wall;

a plurality of air slots formed between at least a pair of grate bars in a side-by-side configuration, wherein the peripheral spacers and the central spacer of one of the pair of grate bars abut against the respective peripheral spacers and the central spacer of another of the pair of grate bars; and

wherein the plurality of air slots configured to allow air to flow between the pair of grate bars and between the top and bottom of the grate bar assembly.

21. The grate bar assembly of claim 19 , wherein the peripheral spacer top wall defines a peripheral spacer top wall plane, the central spacer top wall defines a central spacer top wall plane, and the top surface of the elongate body defines an elongate body top surface plane; and

wherein at least one of the peripheral spacer top wall plane and the central spacer top wall plane is below the elongate body top surface plane.

22. The grate bar assembly of claim 20 wherein the at least one of the peripheral spacer top wall plane and the central spacer top wall plane is about 0.6 inches below the elongate body top surface plane.

23. The grate bar assembly of claim 19 wherein a combined surface area of the plurality of air slots comprises about 12.3% to about 18.9% of a total surface area of the floor.

24. The grate assembly of claim 19 wherein an angle formed between the central spacer sidewalls and the central spacer bottom wall at a region of maximum distance between the central spacer sidewalls is around 10±5 degrees from the normal axis.

25. The grate assembly of claim 19 wherein the central spacers are trapezoidal in shape.

26. The grate assembly of claim 19 wherein each of the peripheral spacers and the central spacer extends laterally a distance d away from the body and the air slot has a width D, which is about two times the distance d.