BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings are incorporated into and form part of the description of the invention. The drawings illustrate certain embodiments of the present invention and, together with the detailed description of the invention provided below, serve to explain and describe one preferred embodiment of the invention. The drawings are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but are intended to assist in fully describing the invention.
Referring to the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a railroad worker moving the derail shoe of the derail, made in accordance with the invention, from the inoperative position to the operative position on top of a railroad rail;
FIG. 2 is perspective view of the derail of FIG. 1 with the derail shoe of the invention being positioned with the deflecting block positioned for engaging the wheel of an undesirably moving railroad car;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view, similar to FIG. 2, showing the derail shoe of the present invention being in the inoperative position with the deflecting block spaced away from the top of the rail;
FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the derail of the present invention with the derail shoe being in the operative position on top of the railroad rail;
FIG. 5 is an end elevational view of the derail shown in FIG. 4, as viewed from the pivot end of the derail;
FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the derail of FIGS. 4 and 5 with the derail shoe being in an operative position on top;
FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the derail as viewed along line 7-7 of FIG. 5, showing the derail mounted on a rail; and
FIG. 8 is an illustrative drawing showing the derail shoe, in solid lines, when the torsion spring is in a substantially relaxed condition without biasing the derail shoe in either direction and also showing, in dotted lines, the positions of the derail shoe in both the inoperative position and in the operative position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 2, the derail assembly, generally 20, of the present invention is shown in the operative or derailing position, as will be described in more detail hereinafter. The derail assembly 20 includes a derail base, generally 22, which pivotally carries a derail shoe, generally 24. FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a pair of spaced railroad ties 26 of conventional construction, usually of wood or other material which can be penetrated by conventional railroad spikes. As shown in FIGS. 1-3, a section of a railroad rail, generally 28, in a conventional manner rests upon the outer portions of the railroad ties 26, transversely thereto. The rail 28 is of conventional steel construction and includes a lower rail flange 30 which rests upon the upper portion of the railroad ties 26, an upper rail flange 32 and a generally upright web 34 which unitarily interconnects the lower rail flange 30 with the upper rail flange 32.
Referring to FIG. 2, the derail assembly 20 is shown in the operative position. The derail assembly 20 is shown in the inoperative position in FIG. 3. In the operative position, the derail shoe 24 is operatively positioned on the upper surface of the upper flange 32 of the rail 28. Referring to FIG. 3, the derail shoe 24 of the derail 20 is pivotally mounted about a pivot shaft 36 which is spaced laterally inwardly from the rail 28 and is rigidly mounted on the derail base 22, as will be described hereinafter in greater detail.
A torsion spring member, generally 38, as seen in pictorial view in both FIGS. 2 and 3 provides upward biasing or lifting assistance to the operator when the operator manually lifts the derail shoe 24, when the derail shoe 24 is both in the inoperative position of FIG. 3, and in the operative position of FIG. 2. Specifically, the torsion spring 38 is designed to be in a stressed condition, that is, in the wound or unwound conditions when the derail 20 is in either the operative position (FIG. 2) or the inoperative position (FIG. 3).
Referring to FIGS. 2-6, the derail base 22 of the present invention is generally of welded steel construction. The derail base 22 includes a pair of spaced horizontal plates 40, each of which rests upon the upper surface of each of the spaced railroad ties 26. The horizontal plates 40 include multiple apertures 43, as seen in hidden view in FIG. 5, for allowing the passage of multiple railroad spikes 42 which are driven into the spaced railroad ties 26, in a conventional manner to secure the assembly 20 in place on the ties 26. The inner facing edges of the horizontal plates 40 each have upright, rigid support flanges 44 mounted thereon, as by welding. The outer faces of the flanges 44 project towards and bear against the inner facing edges of the railroad ties 26 and provide added positioning support for preventing rotational and transverse movement of the derail base 22 and the derail assembly 20 when positioned on the ties 26 and adjacent the rail 28. The upright flanges 44 each include a unitary projection 46, having upwardly angled lower portions, which project towards the rail 28. An angled cross support 48 is rigidly welded to the under portions of the projections 46 of the upright flanges 44. The angled cross support 48 extends for the entire width of the derail base 22 and is positioned against the upper face of the lower flange 30 of the rail 28. The angled support 48 is also welded to the inner facing edges of the horizontal plates 40 of the derail base 22.
A rigid support rod 50 is welded to the outermost portions of the upright flanges 44. The support rod 50 provides added rigid strengthening for the derail base 22. Preferably, the support rod 50 is in general alignment with the horizontal plates 40. In order to provide further support for the base 22, a pair of support blocks 52 are welded to the upper surface of each horizontal plate 40 and to the outer face of each of the upright flanges 44. Each block 52 is rigidly positioned just below the pivot shaft 36. In summary, the derail base 22 is of heavy duty, rigid, construction and design accomplished by the spaced horizontal plates 40, the upright flanges 44, the angled flange 48, and the support rod 50. The derail assembly 20 is securely positioned against the rail 28 once the spikes 42 are driven through the apertures 41 provided in the horizontal plates 40.
Referring to the perspective views FIGS. 2 and 3, the pivotal derail shoe 24, like the base 22, is of welded steel construction. The derail shoe 24 includes a horizontal deflecting plate 54 which is designed to rest upon the upper surface of the upper flange 32 of the rail 28 when in the operative, derailing position, as seen in FIG. 2. Specifically, the lower surface of the deflecting plate 54, when in the operative position, bears against the upper rail flange 32. A deflecting bar 56 is mounted by welding onto the upper surface 58 of the deflecting plate 54, as seen when the derail shoe is in the operative position of FIG. 2.
As seen in FIG. 4, the deflecting bar 56 is angled, as in a range of 11 degrees to 28 degrees from left to right, along and relative to the center line of the upper surface of the upper rail flange 32. When a rail car is undesirably moving along the rail 28, a wheel (not shown) of a railroad car (not shown) will be deflected off the rail 28. This derailing action thereby derails and stops the undesired movement of the car. It is to be understood that such deflecting bars may also be angled in the opposition direction, that is, in case of movement of a railcar in the opposite direction, as from right to left in FIG. 2. Furthermore, double ended derails, such as seen in U.S. Pat. No. 6,202,564, are designed to deflect a runaway rail car moving in either direction along a set of rails. An added support block 60 is welded to the deflecting plate 54 and abutting against the deflecting bar 56 to provide added rigidifying support for maintaining the angled position of the deflecting bar 56 on the upper surface of the rail 28, as the wheel of an undesirably moving heavy rail car strikes the deflecting plate 54 and the angled deflecting bar 56.
A pair of spaced upright side plates 62 are rigidly mounted, as by welding on the under surface of the deflecting plate 54, as viewed when the deflecting plate 54 is in the position of FIG. 2. The laterally spaced side plates 62 are rigidly interconnected by a front cross brace 64 and a spaced rear cross brace 66, as viewed in FIG. 2. The front brace 64 and the rear brace 66 are each interconnected, by welding, to the inner faces of the spaced side plates 62. Another cross support brace 69 is welded to the top edges of the side plates, as viewed in FIG. 3. The side plates 62 and thereby the entire derail shoe 24, are pivotally carried on the pivot shaft 36 which is rigidly mounted on the base 22. The pivot shaft 36 is secured, as by welding, at its opposite ends to the flanges 44. The torsion spring 38 is mounted on the shaft 36 at the time of construction.
The provision of the torsion spring 38 on the pivot shaft 36, as described herein, provides the desired assistance to manual lifting of the derail shoe 24. One problem with prior manually operated hinged derails is that the manual lifting of the heavy derail shoe 24 can cause injury, particularly back injuries to the worker. Generally, prior derail shoes 24 of the type used in the railroad industry may weigh 80-120 pounds. The present derail 20 provides a convenient lift handle 68 for the operator to more easily grip the shoe 24. The handle 68 is fixed to the central outer portion of the deflecting plate 54 of the derail shoe 24. The operator must manually lift and pivot the derail shoe 24 upwardly between both the operative and inoperative positions of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 respectively. The derail shoe 24 is the heaviest when it is completely on the rail, that is in the operative position, or off rail, that is, in the inoperative position. The weight of the shoe 24 is concentrated at its center of gravity which is horizontally farthest away from the pivot axis 36 when the shoe 24 is in the operative and inoperative positions.
During construction of the derail assembly 20, the torsion shaft 36 is passed through the spring 38. The shaft 36 thereby passes through the torsion spring 38 and also passes through the apertures provided in the upright support plates 62 and flanges 44. The outer ends of the shaft 36 are then securely mounted by welding in the openings provided in the upright flanges of the base 22. As seen best in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, one substantially straight projecting end 67 of the torsion spring 38 is positioned in an aperture 70 on the near cross brace 66 of the derail shoe 24. As seen in FIGS. 4, 5, 7 and 8, a cylindrical support member 72 is rigidly secured, as by welding, to the support rod 50 of the derail base 22. The support member 72 faces angularly upwardly and inwardly and includes a central aperture 74 which receives the opposite substantially straight projecting end 76 of the torsion spring 38. The spring 38 is thereby operatively secured at both ends 67 and 76 to the derail base 22 and to the pivoted derail base 24.
The torsion spring 38 is installed on the pivot shaft 36, when the pivoted derail shoe 24 is in the generally upright position, as shown in FIG. 8, when the center of gravity of the shoe is substantially directly above the pivot shaft 36. At this rotated position, the derail shoe 24 can be readily held in this generally upright position which is the approximate balance point of the shoe 24 pivotally carried on the base 22. The torsion spring 38 is passed around the pivot shaft 36. As previously described, the pivot shaft 36 is then passed through the openings in the upright flanges 44 of the derail shoe 24. The pivot shaft 36 is rigidly secured, as by welding, within the openings provided in the derail base 22. The shoe 24 is then pivotal relative to the base 22.
In further explanation, the torsion spring 38 is installed when in the solid line position of the upright derail shoe 24 shown in FIG. 8. The spring 38 is in an unstressed condition, because the center of gravity of the shoe is above the pivot axis of the shaft 36. When the shoe is pivoted to the inoperative position (FIG. 3) or to the operative position (FIG. 2), the spring 38 is in the wound or unwound position, that is, the spring is stressed. The torsion spring 38 tends to return to its unstressed condition when in either position. However, the weight of the derail shoe 24 is designed so as to not allow the spring 38 to move the shoe up to an unstressed condition. The stressed spring 38 thereby exerts a lift force against the derail shoe 24 in both positions but the torsion spring 38 and the weight of the shoe 24 are coopertively designed to keep the shoe down in both the operative and inoperative positions.
In the drawings, a lighter weight derail, as about 95 pounds, is shown and the torsion spring 38 is in a wound, stressed condition when the block or shoe 24 is on the rail 28 as seen in FIG. 2 and is in an unwound, stressed condition when the spring 38 is in the off the rail position of FIG. 3. As most preferred, when the derail shoe 24 is on the rail 28 the weight of the shoe 24, such as about 95 pounds, overpowers the lift force of the stressed, unwound spring and the effort to lift the shoe 24 with the handle 68 is only approximately 15-20 pounds. Without the spring 38, the lift force would be at least 30-50 pounds. As the block 24 is further rotated to the off rail position, the spring 38 winds to the stressed, wound condition, increasing its potential energy. The weight of the block 24 overcomes the stressed spring. The lifting effort of the derail shoe 24 from off rail to on rail is also in the 15-20 pound range. In one embodiment, for example, when the weight of the shoe is lighter in weight and is approximately 95 pounds, the specifications of the spring 38 are as follows:
|
Torsion Cylind
Close Wound Chrome Vanadium
Round
|
|
Wire Dia (in)
0.3310
Mean Dia (in)
1.5790 ± .032
Active Coils
11.2383
|
Rate (#-in/deg)
5.2195
Inside Dia (in)
1.2480
Total Coils
11.2383
|
Spring Index C
4.7704
Outside Dia (in)
1.9100
Active Legs (in)
0.0000
|
Nat Preg (Hz)
94.9118
Min I.D. (in)
1.2081
Addl Feed (in)
0.0000
|
Body Length (in)
4.0509
Devel Lngth (in)
55.7482
|
Max Bdy Len (in)
4.1474
Weight (lbs)
1.3624
|
|
Free
Point 1
Point 2
|
Moment Arms (in)
|
Force at Arm (lbs)
|
Moment (#-in)
|
Angle (deg)
265.7702
|
Deflection (deg)
|
UNK Stress (psi)
|
UNK Stress % of MTS
|
|
The specifications for the spring 38, as would be apparent to one skilled in the art, vary depending on the weight of the derail shoe 24. In another embodiment, for example, when the weight of a shoe is heavier in weight and is about 110 pounds, the specifications of the spring are as follow:
|
Torsion Cylind
Close Wound Chrom Vanadium
Round
|
|
Wire Dia (in)
0.4060
Mean Dia (in)
1.7300 + .032
Active Coils
13.2300
|
Rate (#-in/deg)
9.1600
Inside Dia (in)
1.3240
Total Coils
13.2300
|
Spring Index C
4.2611
Outside Dia (in)
2.1360
Active Legs (in)
0.0000
|
Nat Preg (Hz)
82.3814
Min I.D. (in)
1.2867
Addl Feed (in)
0.0000
|
Body Length (in)
5.7774
Devel Lngth (in)
71.9045
|
Max Bdy Len (in)
5.8958
Weight (lbs)
2.6437
|
|
Free
Point 1
Point 2
|
Moment Arms (in)
|
Force at Arm (lbs)
|
Moment (#-in)
|
Angle (deg)
262.8000
|
Deflection (deg)
|
UNK Stress (psi)
|
UNK Stress % of MTS
|
|
More specifically, the method of manufacturing the derail assembly 20 is as follows relative to the assembly of the torsion spring 38 on the assembly 20 as described. The derail shoe 24 is inserted into the base assembly 22. The pivot shaft 36 is passed through one side of the support flange 44 of the base 22 and then into the plate 62 of the derail shoe 24. At this time, the end 67 of the torsion spring 38 is inserted into the aperture 70 of the rear cross brace 66 of the shoe 24. The pivot shaft 36 is then passed in the same direction through the center of the torsion spring 38. The end 67 of the spring 38 is positioned in the brace 66 and then the pivot shaft 38 is passed through the opposite side plate of the shoe 24. The pivot shaft 36 is lined up with the aperture in the support flange 44 and the end of the pivot shaft 36 is inserted into the support flange 44. The pivot shaft 36 is then welded at both ends to the support flange 44 of the base 22. The aperture 74 of the cylindrical support member 72 is then slid over the straight projecting end 76 at the torsion spring 38. The derail shoe 22 is then pivoted upwardly approximately 65 degrees to a point where the derail shoe balances at its center of gravity relative to the pivot shaft 36. The spring 38 is unstressed when the derail shoe 24 is balanced. The final method of assembly is to then secure, as by welding, the cylindrical support member 72 to the support rod 50 at the base 22. The spring 38, being unstressed in the upright, balanced condition of the derail shoe 24, comes into a stressed condition, that is, in a wound or unwound condition, when the shoe 24 is in either the operational position or the unwound position.
Referring again to FIG. 8, the dotted line views show the position of the derail block 24 in the operative position as well as in the inoperative position. As described and as shown in the drawings, there is approximately a 65 degree angle from the horizontal when a relatively light in weight derail shoe 24 is in the solid line position, that is, when the torsion spring is unstressed. Rotating the lighter derail shoe approximately 65 degrees to the on rail position unwinds the spring 38 and the spring 38 stores the strain energy for assisting in rotating the derail off the rail 28 when desired. In the opposite direction, which is from the 65 degree position of FIG. 8 to the hidden line, off rail position shown in FIG. 8, the lighter shoe 24 is approximately 105 degrees from the horizontal. Moving the shoe 24 to the inoperative position of FIG. 8 causes the spring 38 to store the strain energy and winds the spring. The strain energy thereby assists in rotating the lighter derail shoe to the on rail position of FIG. 2 from the off rail position of FIG. 3.
While in the foregoing there has been provided a detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it should be recognized to those skilled in the art that the described embodiment may be altered or amended without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the accompanying claims.
Patent Application
20080022882
