Patent Grant
7478596
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method of removing damaged rail sections from welded rails of a track having an actual rail tension and an actual rail temperature. Following two separating cuts—wherein a rail gap and two rail ends are formed—a replacement rail is welded to the two rail ends. The invention further pertains to a machine for producing a rail weld.
2. Description of the Related Art
Numerous methods or devices for welding rail ends to one another have become known in the art. By way of example, reference is had to U.S. Pat. No. 4,929,816, to European patent specification EP 0 326 794, and to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,983,801 and 6,515,249.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,469,791 describes a process in which rails are transported to the installation site by way of a special machine. A rail pulling device and a welding unit are furnished by a second and a third machine.
The prior art methods and devices are subject to shortcomings and efficiency drawbacks.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a method and an apparatus for replacing damaged rail segments of a track which overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices and methods of this general type and which render it possible to execute in an efficient manner a great number of welds and to achieve a desired rail tension.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a method of replacing a damaged rail section of a welded rail of a track, the method which comprises:
cutting through a rail to form a first separating cut and two rail ends spaced by a rail gap, gripping the two rail ends with a rail pulling device, and pulling the rail ends towards one another with a pulling force f for closing the rail gap;
measuring the pulling force f required for pulling the rail ends together and measuring a current rail temperature, and calculating therefrom a length of a replacement rail required for producing a desired rail tension after welding the replacement rail into the track;
cutting through the rail to form a second separating cut at a measured distance from the first separating cut derived in the calculating step on the basis of the selected length of the replacement rail and welding the replacement rail into the track at the locations of the first and second separating cuts.
In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the rail gap formed by a distance between the two severed rail ends is measured following the first separating cut.
In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, replacement rails of various lengths are kept on hand and the replacement rails are stored with reference to respective lengths thereof in a storage medium of a control- and computing unit.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the following additional method step is advantageously implemented: automatically adapting the calculation of the required length of the replacement rail with the control- and computing unit to fit one of the stored replacement rails, to enable the respective replacement rail to be welded with an unchanged length to both rail ends, thus achieving the desired rail tension.
With these features of the method, it is possible to determine a difference between an actual rail tension and a desired rail tension in connection with a removal of a damaged rail section. Taking into account the found difference, it is possible to accurately establish the required length of the rail section to be removed in accordance with the length of the replacement section. The prepared replacement rail of accurate length enables a quick execution of the two required welding operations, achieving a desired rail tension. In an advantageous manner, both the removal of the damaged rail sections and the providing of replacement rails of accurately defined length can take place entirely independent of the welding process. With this, it is possible to carry out with optimal efficiency both the welding preparation and the welding itself.
A further object of the present invention lies also in creating a machine for preparation of a rail weld, with which, while achieving a particularly high working performance, an optimal preparation for producing a high-grade weld with a desired rail tension is possible.
With the above and other objects in view there is also provided, in accordance with the invention, a machine for preparation of a rail weld, comprising:
a machine frame and on-track undercarriages supporting the machine frame on a track;
a rail storage facility for storing a plurality of replacement rails;
a crane jib assembly with drives for vertically and rotatably adjusting a crane jib for gripping and unloading a replacement rail;
a vertically adjustable rail cutting saw adjustably mounted on a saw guide extending in a longitudinal direction of the machine frame;
a rail pulling device mounted on the machine frame and having two mutually spaced-apart pairs of rail clamps configured for gripping and pulling together two rail ends; and
a pair of lifting rams mounted to the machine frame in immediate proximity to a respective on-track undercarriage, the lifting rams being configured to be lowered for placement upon a track, and for lifting the proximate the on-track undercarriage from the track.
In accordance with yet an added feature of the invention, the rail pulling device includes a force measuring device for registering a force f required for pulling two rail ends together. Advantagously, the machine includes a temperature measuring device for registering an actual rail temperature.
A control and computing unit is provided with a storage medium for storing therein various lengths of the replacement rails on hand in the rail storage facility.
In accordance with again an added feature of the invention, the rail cutting saw is coupled to an odometer for automatically detecting a displacement path along the saw guide.
In accordance with a preferred implementation, the control- and computing unit is configured for input of a value of a neutral temperature and connected, for registering respective measuring values, to an odometer measuring a displacement of the rail cutting saw along the saw guide, to the temperature measuring device, and to a force measuring device for registering a force f required for pulling the severed rail ends together.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, a machine assembly for preparation of a rail weld includes a machine according to the above-outlined summary, and a second machine independently mobile of the first machine by means of a motive drive, the second machine having a device for detaching rail anchors.
In accordance with a concomitant feature of the invention, there is provided a third, independently mobile machine having a device for detaching rail anchors. The third machine is transportable by the second machine with a transporting device for transfer travel to a track construction site.
With the aid of the rail pulling device, it is possible to make use of the resulting rail gap for precise determination of a difference between an actual rail tension and the desired value thereof. A machine equipped with the features according to the invention thus makes it possible to provide a replacement rail of precisely established length, with which a desired rail tension can be achieved automatically by ultimately welding it to the two rail ends. In order to obtain the exact length of the damaged rail section to be removed, the rail cutting saw, mounted for displacement along a guide, is of particular advantage. This also enables the creation of cutting surfaces extending exactly parallel to one another on both rail ends, in order to finally obtain a weld of optimal quality with the welding of the replacement section.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a method and a machine for removing damaged rail sections of a track, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of the specific embodiment when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
Referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first, particularly, to
The first machine 2 comprises a rail storage facility 13 located between a driver's cabin 10 and a crane jib 12, the latter being vertically adjustable and rotatable by drives 11. The rail storage facility 13 is configured for transporting and storing a number of replacement rails 14 of different lengths. Provided underneath the machine frame 8, between the two ontrack undercarriages 6 placed at the ends, is a saw guide 16 extending in a longitudinal direction 15 of the machine, on which a rail cutting saw 17 is mounted for displacement by a drive 18. A path traveled due to the displacement of the rail cutting saw 17 is registered by an odometer 41. Connected to the machine frame 8 in immediate proximity to each ontrack undercarriage 6 is a respective pair 21 of lifting rams 22 which can be lowered upon the track 7 by means of a drive 23.
A rail pulling device 20, fastened to the machine frame 8 for vertical adjustment by drives 19, is configured for gripping two rail ends 24 of a rail 25 of the track 7 (see
The second machine 4 is equipped with a vertically adjustable device 28 for detaching rail anchors, and a rotatable roller 29 for detaching base plates adhering to the rail 25. Provided in front of the front on-track undercarriage 6 is a vertically adjustable transport device 30 by which the third machine 5 can be transported on the way to the track construction site. Said third machine 5 is also equipped with a device 28 for detaching rail anchors.
The rail pulling device 20, shown in more detail in
The method of removing damaged rail sections 42 and of welding preparation will now be described in more detail in connection with the further
The machine assembly 1 is moved in the direction represented by an arrow 44 and stopped in front of the installation site 43 (see
Parallel to this, the second machine 4 is moved in the direction towards the installation site 43, during which the sleeper anchors—positioned to the right of the installation site 43 in the picture plane—are detached by means of the corresponding device 28 (
The first machine 2 is moved to the installation site 43, and that point on the rail 25 is marked on which a first separating cut is to take place (
In further sequence, as shown in
The rail pulling device 20 is placed upon the two rail ends 24 (
On the basis of the measuring values passed on to the control- and computing unit 38, and the lengths—stored in the storage medium 37—of the replacement rails 14 which are in stock and have already been prepared for optimal welding, the best-suited replacement rail 14 is calculated automatically. The rail cutting saw 17 is displaced forward on the saw guide 16 in the working direction 44, or in the longitudinal direction of the machine, with the displacement path of the saw being measured, until the length computed by the control- and computing unit 38 for the rail section 42 to be removed has been reached. Said length was calculated while taking into account the length of the selected replacement rail 14 as well as the difference between the actual rail temperature and a stored neutral temperature. Also to be taken into account with regard to the required length of the replacement rail 14 is the burning-off occurring due to the double flash-butt welding, as well as the reduction of rail length after the upset impact, in order to finally obtain a desired rail tension despite these length reductions after welding of the replacement rail 14. After a second separating cut (
With the aid of the crane jib 12, the replacement rail 14 selected by the control- and computing unit 38 is set down upon the track 7, with one end being positioned adjoining a rail end 24 (
As can be seen in
The two welds for welding the replacement rail 14 are executed by means of a following welding machine, not shown, using the flash-butt welding method, wherein the relevant measuring data are passed on by radio or disc from the controlling and computing unit 38 to a control unit of the welding machine.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| A 533/2005 | Mar 2005 | AT | national |
This application claims the priority, under 35 U.S.C. § 119, of Austrian patent application A 533/2005, filed Mar. 30, 2005; the application further claims the benefit, under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e), of provisional patent application No. 60/671,014, filed Apr. 13, 2005; the prior applications are herewith incorporated by reference in their entirety.
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