Friction modifier applicator system for traveling cranes

Abstract

A friction management system for a traveling crane applies a liquid or solid friction modifier (FM) in precisely controlled quantities to the crane wheels or rail to improve performance and safety during movement of the crane. The friction modifier is applied by a nozzle mounted on a crane truck, which nozzle is opened and closed by a valve. The duration of the valve opening per second, which controls the friction modifier application rate, is approximately proportional to the average current draw, which is detected by current sensors connected to the truck motors.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a side elevation view of a typical portal crane, showing the essential components.

FIG. 1B is an end elevation view of a typical portal crane.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a two-flanged crane wheel on a sharp curved rail, showing the angle of attack.

FIG. 3 is an end view of a single, double-flanged crane wheel on a curved rail, showing the lateral creep force 21 which produces a large force 22 on the wheel flange.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a friction modifier V-jet spray being applied to the crane wheel on a curved rail.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the crane lower structure and trucks, with fluid tanks and nozzles of an automatic wheel-rail friction modifier applicator system mounted on corner trucks.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, detail view of one corner of the crane, showing a corner truck with a tank and two nozzle placements.

FIG. 7 is a side elevation view of the lower crane structure, illustrating an alternate embodiment using a central pressurized fluid tank delivering fluid to nozzles on each corner truck.

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic side view of a tank with two parts, one carrying the fluid and the other the pumping system.

FIG. 9 is a side elevation view of a controller box showing the computer, relays and safety locks and related equipment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This invention is a friction management system for improving productivity, safety and operation of traveling cranes, in particular portal cranes, by applying a liquid or solid friction modifier (FM) in precisely controlled quantities to the wheel tread and flanges of one or more wheels of the lead trucks. This reduces the lateral forces, high current draw trips, and high noise levels and improves productivity through increased capacity for number of lifts with the crane.

FIG. 4 shows a crane wheel 17 on a curved rail 18. A friction modifier applicator system, generally designated at 24, includes a solenoid-controlled valve (not shown) and a V-jet nozzle 25. The nozzle 25 is placed at an appropriate distance such that that the spray 26 covers the wheel tread 27 and the two flanges 23. The flat V-shaped spray 26 is applied intermittently by computer control for a specified duration. The FM applied to the wheel 17 transfers to the rail 18 in the region of wheel-rail contact and is then transferred to the tread and flanges of the following wheels. Thus, the contact friction of all wheels with the rail 37, 38 at the curved portion 18 is reduced, resulting in the dramatic reduction of both forces 21, 22 and of the total energy consumed by the wheels and the crane during movement. While FM application to the wheels is the preferred way to accomplish this task, partial benefits can be obtained by using the present invention to direct the FM application jet on the rail head instead of, or in addition to, the wheels.

Smooth flowing friction modifier fluid is preferred over solid or slurry because the application rate can be controlled accurately and also because this smooth fluid covers and penetrates the rough surfaces more completely. At least one set of nozzles/applicator is installed on the lead wheel of the lead trucks for FM application to the wheel tread and the two flanges. The pressurized fluid FM is preferably provided to the nozzles 25 equipped with solenoid-controlled valves. Pressure may be developed by a pump, pressurized tank or other means. The FM application is preferably in the form of a V-jet aimed in such a way that the whole tread 27 and both flanges 23 of the wheel 17 are coated by the spray 26. Other jet types and multiple jets may also be used, although they are not preferred.

The rate of application of FM may be controlled by changing the duration of the valve opening in each second. For the efficient use of FM, the nozzles 25 may be installed on the lead and trailing trucks. However, nozzles may be installed on each truck without departing from the scope of the present invention. To reduce FM wastage, the trailing truck nozzles may be shut off during forward movement of the crane by using current sensors on truck motor current wires to determine the direction of movement of the crane. The duration of valve opening, which controls the FM application rate, may be increased or decreased as the current draw changes. Fluid tanks, either equipped with pumps or pressurized, may be located above the lead and trailing trucks, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, or at the upper level inside the crane body, as illustrated in FIG. 7.

The application rate control can be achieved in several discrete steps, according to an example described herein, or as a continuous function. By this method, just enough FM is applied for the above benefits to the crane without any loss of traction.

FIG. 5 shows a side view of the lower crane structure including the trucks supporting the crane. It also shows a preferred placement of the various components of the friction modifier applicator system. The illustrated lead and trailing trucks, generally designated at 32a and 32b respectively, are equipped with solenoid valve nozzles 33, 34, 35, 36, which are supplied with the pressurized friction modifier from tanks or containers 31. FIG. 5 illustrates two corners of the crane and two corner trucks 32a, 32b, but it will be appreciated that the crane has four corners and is supported by a corner truck at each corner. Preferably, each corner truck is configured according to the following description.

As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, each corner truck preferably includes a pair of nozzles for spraying both wheels of the truck. Hydraulic lines/hoses 30 connect the tanks 31 with the friction modifier to the solenoid valve nozzles 33, 34, 35, 36. The opening and closing of the solenoid valves is preferably controlled by a controller 39 through electrical lines 29 located in the chamber 28. A junction box 29a may be used in the lines for convenient connection. As noted by the legend in FIG. 5, electric lines 29 are indicated in the figure by a triangle and hydraulic lines are denominated by a small circle.

The direction of motion of the crane is shown by an arrow 43. For this motion, the nozzles 33, 34 of the lead truck 32a are activated to apply the friction modifier to the wheels. Preferably, each electrical line supplying power to a truck motor includes a sensor for measuring the current draw and direction of travel of the truck, which are used to determine the amount of FM applied by the nozzles, as described below. The nozzles 35, 36 of the trailing truck 32b do not operate during forward movement of the crane, i.e., movement in the direction of arrow 43. The FM applied to the wheels by nozzles 33, 34 is then transferred to the rail 37, 38. It then modifies the friction for all the wheels of the trailing trucks. Of course, if the crane is moved in the opposite direction, then truck 32b becomes the leading corner truck, in which case its nozzles 35, 36 are actuated by the controller 39 and the nozzles 33, 34 of the now-trailing corner truck 32a are preferably closed to conserve FM.

FIG. 6 shows an enlarged, detail view of one corner truck 32b with preferred tank 31 and nozzle 35, 36 placements. Preferably, each of the four corner trucks is configured according to the embodiment of FIG. 6. The electrical line 29 connects the solenoid valve nozzles 35, 36, through the connector box 29a, with the controller 39 of FIG. 5. The nozzles 35, 36 preferably apply the FM to the wheels 17 of the truck 32b, which is transferred to the rail 37, 38. A part of the structure 2 of the crane through which the load is transmitted to the trucks is shown at the top of FIG. 6.

FIG. 7 shows an alternative system arrangement using a central pressurized fluid tank instead of four separate smaller tanks 31 located above each corner truck as discussed earlier. One or two larger fluid tanks 41 are placed in the crane, preferably within the upper structure chamber 28. The fluid tank 41 may be pressurized with compressed air 40 available from the diesel engine-powered compressor of the crane, generally located at the same level 28. A pressure regulator 42 installed on the tank 41 regulates its pressure. In this arrangement both electrical 29 and hydraulic 30 lines are relatively long, compared to the embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6, starting in the upper chamber 28 and terminating at the nozzles. The rest of the components and their placements are the same as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic view of one tank 31 design suitable for placement at each corner of the crane. This shape was found to be suitable for fitting and placing the tank 31 in the space cavity available above the corner trucks of existing cranes. This shape can be changed to fit other crane designs without departing from the scope of the present invention. Two basic chambers need to be present in all such tanks. One chamber 44 carries the FM and the other chamber 45 carries the pumping system. A sight gage 46 is useful for checking the FM level to know when the tank 31 needs filling. Structural support and securing the tank 31 in this design is achieved with slides 49, 50 and a tie down 51, to reduce the vibration. A tank clean out cover 47 and a fill port 48 may be located on top.

FIG. 9 shows one arrangement of the computer control components. The controller 39 can be provided with different arrangements to suit the requirements of the user. It preferably has several basic components, in addition to electrical power 58 to operate the controller 39 and the components. The first component is a computer 52 with the ability to accurately compute in real time the duration for which the nozzles should apply FM in each second. Preferably, a power supply 55 is included to provide the correct voltage to operate the computer 52 and other components. The controller 39 may also include motor protection modules 54 to protect the motors of the pumping systems. Other preferred components include a sensor interface 56 for the current sensors installed on the crane to measure the current draw by the truck motors, an electrical breaker 53, and terminal blocks 57 for proper connections.

The control logic of the invention is as follows. Portal cranes are moved through the dock area at a slow, steady speed typically between 2 and 3 miles per hour. The amount of current draw of the truck motors is directly dependent on the rolling friction of the crane wheels. However, the current draw generally shows fluctuations and oscillations, so it may be preferable to average the current draw. The average current draw of the truck motors is nearly steady and also directly dependent on the rolling friction of the crane wheels. For this reason, the average current draw is a good measure of the energy being consumed in wheel friction. As the amount of FM that needs to be applied to maintain low lateral friction of the wheels on curves is also directly related to the energy consumed in wheel friction, the rate of FM application may be expressed as a function of the average current draw, which can be a linear function or a power function. This will also depend on the characteristics of the FM.

The control can also be done in steps. This is somewhat preferable when functionality of relationship is not fully established. One example of such a stepwise control function is shown below in Chart 1.

CHART 1
	Total Current Load	Nozzle Open Duration
Zone	(A1 + A2) AMPS	ms
0	<20	0 (OFF)
1 (A)	20–40	40
2 (B)	40–80	80
3 (C)	80–120	120
4 (D)	>120	160

Chart 1 shows five discrete zones of control in the first column. For each zone there is a corresponding range of total current load (second column), which in this case is the sum of electrical readings from two current sensors reading the current draw of the motors on the front half A1 and another one for the trailing half A2 of the motors. The third column shows the nozzle open duration in milliseconds which determines the rate of application of the FM every second. Thus, the amount of FM applied per second increases with the current load on the motors. In a preferred embodiment, the current sensors also determine the direction of movement of the crane and FM is only applied to the wheels of the foremost or leading trucks. In most cases, the operation of the crane will be in the first two zones (0 and 1(A)) and only occasionally will the operation turn to Zone 2 (B). It will be appreciated that actuation of the nozzles may be carried out by a continuous function or a different stepwise function without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The nozzles of each truck are preferably actuated independently of each other, such that the wheels or rail associated with each truck is treated according to its unique needs. Accordingly, the operation illustrated in Chart 1 is preferably carried out separately for each truck outfitted with a spray nozzle. When properly lubricated, the crane will operate with significantly reduced noise, typically a decrease in the range of 20 decibels, and high current trips will be substantially eliminated, without compromising the traction of the wheels.

It will be understood that the embodiments of the present invention which have been described are illustrative of some of the applications of the principles of the present invention. Numerous modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention, including those combinations of features that are individually disclosed or claimed herein. For these reasons, the scope of the invention is not limited to the above description but is as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A friction modifier applicator system for use with a traveling crane supported by a plurality of trucks having wheels movable along rails, the friction modifier applicator system comprising: a nozzle mounted on a truck and oriented to spray a friction modifier on one of a wheel of the truck and a rail engageable with the wheel;a valve in fluid communication with the nozzle;a sensor for measuring a performance value of the truck; anda controller for actuating the valve according to the measured performance value of the truck.

2. The friction modifier applicator system of claim 1 further comprising motors in driving relation with at least two of the trucks, and the performance value is the current draw of the truck motors

3. The friction modifier applicator system of claim 2 wherein the controller actuates the valve according to average current draw of the truck motors.

4. The friction modifier applicator system of claim 1 wherein the controller actuates the valve according to a stepwise function.

5. The friction modifier applicator system of claim 1 wherein the controller actuates the valve according to a continuous function.

6. The friction modifier applicator system of claim 1 wherein the crane includes four corner trucks and the nozzle is mounted on one of the corner trucks.

7. The friction modifier applicator system of claim 6 further comprising a friction modifier container mounted generally above one of the corner trucks, the friction modifier container being connected in fluid communication with the nozzle.

8. The friction modifier applicator system of claim 7 wherein the friction modifier container comprises a pump.

9. The friction modifier applicator system of claim 1 wherein the nozzle is oriented to spray a tread and opposing flanges of a wheel.

10. A friction modifier applicator system for use with a traveling crane supported by a plurality of trucks having wheels movable along rails, the trucks including drive motors for driving the wheels, the friction modifier applicator system comprising: a nozzle mounted on a truck and oriented to spray a friction modifier on one of a wheel of the truck and a rail engageable with the wheel;a hose providing the friction modifier to the nozzle;a valve in fluid communication with the hose and nozzle;a sensor for measuring current draw of the truck drive motors; anda controller for actuating the valve according to the current draw of the drive motors.

11. The friction modifier applicator system of claim 10 wherein the controller actuates the valve according to average current draw of the drive motors.

12. The friction modifier applicator system of claim 10 wherein the nozzle is oriented to spray the friction modifier on a tread and opposing flanges of the wheel.

13. The friction modifier applicator system of claim 10 wherein the controller actuates the valve according to a stepwise function.

14. The friction modifier applicator system of claim 10 wherein the controller actuates the valve according to a continuous function.

15. The friction modifier applicator system of claim 10 wherein the crane includes four corner trucks and the nozzle is mounted on a corner truck.

16. The friction modifier applicator system of claim 15 further comprising a friction modifier container mounted generally above one of the corner trucks, the friction modifier container being connected to the hose.

17. A friction modifier applicator system for use with a traveling crane having four corners, each corner supported by a corner truck having wheels movable along rails, the trucks including drive motors for driving the wheels, the friction modifier applicator system comprising: a nozzle mounted on each corner truck and oriented to spray a friction modifier on a tread and opposing flanges of a wheel of the associated corner truck;a hose associated with each nozzle for providing the friction modifier to the associated nozzle;a valve in fluid communication with each hose and nozzle;a sensor associated with each corner truck for measuring current draw of the drive motor of the associated corner truck; anda controller for actuating each valve according to the average current draw of the associated corner truck's drive motor.

18. The friction modifier applicator system of claim 17 wherein each corner truck includes a pair of nozzles.

19. The friction modifier applicator system of claim 17 further comprising means for sensing the direction of travel of the corner trucks, wherein the friction modifier is not released by the nozzles associated with the trailing corner trucks.

20. The friction modifier applicator system of claim 17 further comprising a friction modifier container mounted at each corner of the crane, wherein each friction modifier container is connected to at least one of the hoses.

21. The friction modifier applicator system of claim 17 wherein the controller actuates each valve according to a stepwise function.

22. The friction modifier applicator system of claim 17 wherein the controller actuates each valve according to a continuous function.

23. A friction modifier applicator system for use with a traveling crane supported by a plurality of trucks having wheels movable along rails, the trucks including drive motors for driving the wheels, the friction modifier applicator system comprising: a nozzle mounted on a truck and oriented to spray a friction modifier on a driven wheel of the truck;a tank mounted on one of the crane and a truck for containing friction modifier;a hose providing fluid communication from the tank to the nozzle;a valve in fluid communication with the hose and nozzle; anda controller for actuating the valve.

24. The friction modifier applicator system of claim 23 wherein the controller actuates the valve according to current draw of the drive motors.