Patent Application
20120199037
The present invention relates to railway maintenance. More specifically, the present invention provides an improved rail anchor spreader and an improved combination rail anchor spreader and rail spike puller.
The rails of a railroad track are usually secured to cross ties by spikes driven into tie plates, with the tie plates located between the rail and the tie, and the head of the spike overlapping the bottom of the rail. The tie plates block lateral movement of the rails, and anchors attached to the rail on either side of the tie are used to secure the rail against longitudinal movement.
Railroad ties occasionally must be replaced due to wear. When a tie must be replaced, the spikes are first removed. Next, the anchors are spread away from the ties to provide space for removal of the old tie and insertion of the new tie.
Various methods of removing and/or spreading rail anchors are known in the industry. One example is U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,558, issued to D. C. Quella et al. on Jan. 2, 1990. This patent describes an anchor spreader having a head assembly with a pair of telescoping spreader plates, controlled by hydraulic cylinders, for pushing the anchors away from the ties. The head assembly includes stop members to control the height of the head during an anchor-spreading operation. A rail clamp prevents longitudinal movement of the head during an anchor-spreading operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,611, issued to J. D. Holley on Feb. 27, 1990, describes an anchor-spreading mechanism having an anchor-spreading head, and a rail clamp. The vertical position of the head is controlled by a hydraulic cylinder. After lowering the head and clamping the rail, horizontal hydraulic cylinders located adjacent to the pusher, and in close proximity to the ballast, cause a pusher to be moved back and forth, pushing the tie plate off the tie in one direction, and then the other direction, thereby moving the anchors away from the tie.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,219, issued to J. Theurer et al. on Dec. 24, 1991, describes a rail anchor removing vehicle having the carrier arms for the anchor remover heads directly below the cab. The cab of the vehicle has a transparent floor. The carrier frame rests on a flanged wheel that rolls along the rail during the anchor removal operation. Each anchor remover head includes a hammer for driving the field side of the anchor downward, and a stripping element for pulling the anchor out from under the track, towards the gauge side. The hammer may include a horizontal portion for driving the anchor downward, and a vertical portion for driving the anchor toward the gauge side of the rail. A magnetic anchor-collecting drive retrieves the anchors and transfers them to a conveyor, which transports them to a storage container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,760, issued to R. Almarez et al. on Jun. 2, 1992, describes a rail anchor spreader having a pair of spreader bars with interchangeable spreader plates at their tips for engaging different rail anchors. A limit switch controls the vertical positioning of the spreader assembly. Each spreader bar is pulled outward by a hydraulic cylinder to move its anchor, with its limit of travel set by placing a threaded bolt at the maximum outward travel position.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,122, issued to R. Almaraz et al. on Jun. 11, 1994, describes a rail anchor adjuster for moving railway anchors towards the tie. The anchor adjuster includes a pair of pivoting arms having top ends connected by a hydraulic cylinder, and bottom ends dimensioned and configured to engage the rail anchors. The height of the anchor adjuster assembly is controlled by interchangeable stop pads.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,931, issued to N. W. Becker et al. on Aug. 8, 1995, describes a rail anchor remover having a telescoping ram assembly for driving the tail of the anchor below the base of the rail, a kicker assembly for driving the anchor transversely under the rail towards the gauge side of the rail, and a window assembly for driving the anchor away from the rail.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,546,864, issued to W. Straub et al. on Aug. 20, 1996, describes a rail anchor remover having a reciprocating pusher for pushing the anchor downward away from the rail, and a reciprocating scraper for pulling the anchor out from under the rail. Proximity switches are used to monitor the position of the pusher and scraper. A similar device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,060 also issued to W. Straub et al., on Mar. 24, 1998.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,744, issued to S. G. Cotsford on Jun. 29, 1999, and assigned to Harsco Corporation, the assignee of the present invention, describes a rail anchor removal machine and method using anchor-removing rollers, and a conveyor system for moving the removed anchors to the side of the railroad track. The anchors are removed by angled rollers as the rail is raised, which push the anchors downward and towards the gauge side of the track as they roll over the anchor. A funnel-like anchor catch deflects the removed anchors towards a conveyor, which deposits them alongside the track.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,662,729, issued to H. Madison on Dec. 16, 2003, and assigned to Harsco Corporation, the assignee of the present invention, describes a railway anchor spreader with a rotating plate on each side of each rail, with the bottom of each rotating plate having a pair of jaws. The tie plates are lowered until the jaws strike the ballast, and the tie plates are then pivoted first in one direction, and then in the opposite direction, by a hydraulic cylinder located near the top of the anchor spreader plates. The jaws will thereby strike the tie plates, first pushing them in one direction and then in the opposite direction, to move the rail anchors away from the tie.
Many of the above-described patents propose devices requiring that the height of the anchor spreader be adjusted and set each time it is used with a different height rail. Furthermore, the means for properly positioning the anchor spreader must, in addition to properly positioning the spreader, ensure that movement of the spreader to spread the anchors does not pose a risk of striking the ties. Accordingly, there is a need for an anchor spreader capable of being used with multiple heights of rail without adjustments. Additionally, there is a need for an anchor spreader which can be moved into position without striking the anchor or other components of the railway. Further, some of the above-described references position hydraulic cylinders relatively close to the ballast surrounding the ties, resulting in the potential for interference between this ballast and the hydraulic cylinders. Accordingly, there is a need for a railway anchor spreader having hydraulic cylinders and other components kept away from the ballast.
While the prior art describes many types of spike pullers and anchor spreaders, these devices are positioned on separate and distinct pieces of maintenance equipment, with each of the equipment requiring at least on operator for operation. There is a need, therefore, for a railway maintenance vehicle which combines the function of a spike puller and an anchor spreader, thereby eliminating the expense of different maintenance vehicles and reducing the number of operators required to perform the maintenance.
An exemplary embodiment includes an anchor spreader apparatus for moving rail anchors, which are secured to a rail, away from a tie. The anchor spreader apparatus is mounted on a rail vehicle. The anchor spreader apparatus has a mounting member, a rail clamp assembly and an anchor-engaging assembly. The rail clamp assembly is movably mounted on the mounting member to allow a clamping surface of the rail clamp to move into engagement with the rail. The anchor-engaging assembly is movably mounted on the mounting member to allow an anchor-engaging jaw to move into engagement with a respective rail anchor and to allow the anchor-engaging assembly to move relative to the rail clamp assembly. With the rail clamp assembly properly clamped to the rail, the anchor spreader apparatus is maintained in a proper and controlled position relative to the anchor as the anchor-engaging assembly is moved relative to the rail clamp assembly.
An exemplary embodiment of a rail vehicle for performing maintenance on at least one rail, the rail vehicle includes an anchor spreader apparatus and a spike-pulling apparatus. The anchor spreader apparatus has a rail clamp assembly and an anchor-engaging assembly. The rail clamp assembly cooperates with the at least one rail to properly position and maintain the anchor spreader apparatus in position relative to the at least one rail. The anchor-engaging assembly has an anchor-engaging jaw which engages and moves an anchor of the at least one rail. The spike-pulling apparatus has multiple spike-pulling heads which cooperate with respective spikes to pull the spikes from tie plates associated with the at least one rail. The anchor spreader apparatus and the spike-pulling apparatus simultaneously move the anchor and pull the spikes.
An exemplary method of for moving a rail anchor from a rail tie, the method comprising the steps of: moving a rail anchor spreader apparatus into position over the rail anchor; positioning clamping surfaces of the rail anchor spreader apparatus into engagement with the rail to maintain the rail anchor spreader apparatus in position relative to a rail on which the rail anchor is positioned; rotating anchor-engaging jaws into engagement with the rail anchor; and moving the anchor-engaging jaws toward the clamping surfaces. With the clamping surfaces in engagement with the rail, the anchor-engaging jaws engage the rail anchor as the anchor-engaging jaws are moved toward the clamping surface, causing the rail anchor to be moved relative to the tie.
An exemplary method for moving a rail anchor from a rail tie and pulling at least one spike from a tie plate, the method comprising the steps of: moving a vehicle having a rail anchor-spreader apparatus and a spike-pulling apparatus into position over the rail anchor; moving spike-pulling heads into engagement with the at least one spike; pulling the at least one spike from the tie plate; positioning clamping surfaces of the rail anchor-spreader apparatus into engagement with the rail to maintain the rail anchor-spreader apparatus in position relative to a rail on which the rail anchor is positioned; rotating anchor-engaging jaws into engagement with the rail anchor; and moving the anchor-engaging jaws toward the clamping surfaces. With the clamping surfaces in engagement with the rail, the anchor-engaging jaws engage the rail anchor as the anchor-engaging jaws are moved toward the clamping surface, causing the rail anchor to be moved relative to the tie.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following more detailed description of the preferred embodiment, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.
The present invention is an apparatus and method for performing railway maintenance, including removing spikes and spreading the anchors securing a rail 12 in place with respect to its tie 14, prior to replacement of the tie 14.
A typical railway 10 includes a pair of rails 12 supported by ties 14. The ties 14 are typically embedded in ballast to prevent their movement. A tie plate 16 fits between the rail 12 and the tie 14, with a plurality of spikes 17 passing through the tie 14 and tie plate 16, and having their heads overlap the bottom flange of the rail 12. The spikes 17 and tie plate 16 thereby secure the rail 12 against transverse movement with respect to the tie 14. A rail anchor 18 fits on either side of the tie 14, and is secured to the rail 12. The rail anchor 18 prevents longitudinal movement of the rail 12 with the respect to the tie 14.
During a tie 14 replacement operation, it is necessary to spread the anchors 18 apart from the tie 14, thereby making room for a new tie 14 to pass between the anchors 18. It is also necessary to remove the spikes 17 from the tie plates 16. The embodiment described herein is directed toward these functions.
Referring to
The vehicle 20 may include an operator's cab (not shown), which may include various operational controls which are in communication with the vehicle's electronic control system. Other configurations of the vehicle 20 may be used. In particular, the use of an operator's cab may not be required if the vehicle includes a vision system to accurately locate the spikes and the anchors. In addition, the vehicle 20 may be a drone vehicle which is controlled from a lead vehicle (not shown), which also eliminates the need for the operator's cab.
The vehicle 20 may be a stand-alone vehicle or may be satellite vehicle which is structured to move longitudinally relative to other members of a rail consist. In addition, the vehicle 20 may be a movable member of a larger rail vehicle. The satellite vehicle or movable member is structured to index or move relative to the consist while the consist and vehicle 20 are moving over the rails 12. One such movable member is described in co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 12/827,596, filed on Jun. 30, 2010, which is hereby incorporated by reference. In this embodiment, the movable vehicle 20 is moved through the use of hydraulic cylinders or pistons. A control device is configured to control the movement of the movable vehicle 20 to properly position the spike-pulling apparatus 100 and/or the anchor-spreading apparatus 300 as required. Other known movable frame members or satellite vehicles may be used with the spike-pulling apparatus 100 and/or the anchor-spreading apparatus 300.
Referring to
Means are also provided for supporting the claws 142 for movement from a retracted position to a position where the lower portions 146 of the claws 142 can engage spikes 17 on opposite sides of a rail 12 and then to a position wherein the claws 142 pull the spikes 17 upwardly out of the tie 14 and tie plate 16. A generally vertically extending frame structure 158 fixedly supported by the chassis 22 extends upwardly from a central portion thereof. In the illustrated embodiment, the vertically extending frame structure 158 is defined by a plurality of upwardly extending beams 159, two of the beams 159 being joined at their upper ends by a cross member 161. The upwardly extending beams 159 also fixedly support a pair of horizontally extending tracks or channels 160. The tracks 160 are vertically spaced apart with respect to one another. Other embodiments of the frame structure 158 can be used without departing from the scope of the invention.
Means are also provided for supporting the claws 142 such that the claws 142 are freely reciprocally movable with respect to the vehicle 20, horizontally forwardly and rearwardly, in the direction of the rails 12. The means for providing such horizontal reciprocal movement permits adjustment of the position of the claws 142 with respect to the spikes 17 without requiring movement of the entire vehicle 20 into accurate alignment with the spikes 17. The means for supporting the claws 142 for adjustable movement includes a pair of spaced vertically extending tubes or sleeves 176 (
The sleeves 176 surround the vertically extending shafts 178 and are supported thereon for vertical reciprocal movement between a raised position as shown in
The means for supporting the claws 142 also includes a pair of pivotable support arms 182. The lower ends of the support arms 182 support the claws 142. The lower end of each support arm 182 defines a clevis 184 adapted to house the planar upper portion 186 of the claws 142. The lower ends of the support arms 182 include bores 188, and the upper portion of each of the claws 142 includes a slot 190. A pin 192 is adapted to extend through the bore 188 and slot 190 to secure the claw 142 to the support arm 182.
In embodiment shown, the clevis 184 will support the claw 142 such that it is freely pivotable or movable about the axis of the pin 192, and the slot 190 will permit limited vertical shiftable movement of the claw 142 with respect to the clevis 184. Accordingly, the claw 142 is relatively loosely supported such that the claw can align itself with the spikes 17 as it is moved into engagement with a spike.
The upper ends of the support arms 182 are pivotally joined to a support block 194 best shown in
The arms 182 are pivotally joined to the support block 194 by pivot rods or shafts 196 extending through the upper end of the support block 194 and with opposite ends of the pivot shafts 196 journalled in bores in the side walls 195 of the support block 194. The pivot shafts 196 are held in place with respect to the support block 194 by pins 198 (
Means are also provided for causing selective vertical reciprocal movement of the support block 194, the support arms 182, and the claws 142 with respect to the rails 12 and the second frame 162. In the illustrated construction, this means includes a hydraulic cylinder 204 having one end pivotally joined by a pin to connecting bars of a frame. A cylinder rod extends downwardly from the lower end of the cylinder 204 and has a lower end pivotally connected by a pin to a flange extending upwardly from a connecting beam of the support block 194. The cylinder 204 is operable to cause vertical reciprocal movement of the support block 194 with respect to the frame.
Means are also provided for causing pivotal movement of the pivotable support arms 182 such that the claws 142 are movable toward and away from each other and toward and away from the rail 12. The means for causing such movement of the pivotable arms 182 includes a second hydraulic cylinder 214 mounted between the pivotable arms 182 and in generally horizontal relation. One end of the second hydraulic cylinder 214 is pivotally connected to one of the pivotable arms 182, and the other of the opposite ends of the second hydraulic cylinder 214 is pivotally connected to the stationary frame 195.
Referring to
Referring to
The anchor-engaging assembly 312 has a pair of arms 340 which are pivotally mounted to the mounting member 314. The spreader arms 340 extend from the mounting member 314 in essentially opposite directions from the longitudinal axis of the mounting member 314. A second hydraulic cylinder or piston 342 is positioned above the mounting member 314 and is pivotally connected to first mounting sections 344 provided at the ends of arms 340 which are spaced from the mounting member 314. The cylinder 342 is mounted to the mounting sections 344 in any known manner which permits the cylinder 342 to pivot relative to the arm 340 and which supports the forces associated with the movement of the arms 340 without failure. A second mounting section 346 is provided on each arm 340. The second mounting section 346 extends from each arm 340 at a location between the first mounting section 344 and the mounting member 314. An anchor-engaging arm 348 extends from a surface of the arm 340 which is positioned proximate the rail 12. Each anchor-engaging arm 348 includes an anchor-engaging jaw 350. As shown in
Third and fourth cylinders or pistons 360, 362 are positioned on either side of the mounting member 314 and extend in essentially the same direction as the mounting member 314. The third cylinder or piston 360 extends between and is connected to respective second mounting sections 326, 346 of the arms 320, 340. Similarly, the fourth cylinder or piston 362 extends between and is connected to respective second mounting sections 326, 346 of the arms 320, 340.
In operation, as shown in
Upon arrival at the respective tie 14, the claws 142 of the spike-pulling apparatus 100 are moved into engagement with the spikes 17 by first actuating the first hydraulic cylinder 204 to cause downward movement of the support block 194 and the claws 142 to the position shown in
Referring again to
The rail clamp assembly 310 may engage rails 12 of various sizes without modification or adjustments to the clamping surface 330 itself. As the arms 320 are rotated, the clamping surface 330 is dimensioned to engage the ball of the rail 12 at any portion thereof. Additionally, as the clamping surfaces 330 are rotated, the clamping surfaces 330 may grasp the ball of the rail 12 at a point wherein two adjacent rail sections are joined.
With the rail clamp assembly 310 properly clamped to the rail 12, the cylinder 342 of the anchor-engaging assembly 312 is expanded causing arms 340 to rotate about mounting member 314. As this occurs, the anchor-engaging arms 348 and the anchor-engaging jaws 350 are rotated in to position to engage the anchors 18 of the rail 12, as shown in
With the rail clamp assembly 310 properly clamped to the rail 12 and the anchor-engaging assembly 312 properly positioned proximate the anchor 18, the third and fourth cylinders 360, 362 are retracted causing the anchor-engaging jaws 350 of the anchor-engaging assembly 312 to move along the mounting member 314 toward the rail clamp assembly 310. In so doing, the anchor-engaging jaws 350 engage and move the anchors 18 away from the tie 14, thereby facilitating the removal, repair and/or replacement of the tie 14. As the rail clamp assembly 310 is engaged with the rail 12, the anchor-spreading apparatus 300 is maintained in a proper and controlled position relative to the anchor 18. As the movement of the cylinders 360, 362 is controlled and repeatable, the movement of the anchor 18 is also controlled and repeatable, thereby facilitating the reuse of the anchors 18 when a new tie is installed. The feed position sensors sense the relative position of the anchor 18 relative to the rail 12, such that if a tie 14 is not square relative to the rail 12, the anchor 18 may be moved a differential amount on each side of the rail, thereby placing the anchor 18 square with the rail 12. The sensors also allow the anchor 18 to be properly positioned in the center between two adjacent ties 14. This allows a new tie to be placed at the midpoint of the anchors 18. In addition, as the anchors 18 are square relative to the rail 12, once the anchors into the first or engaged position, the anchors will help maintain the new tie square to the rail.
Once the anchor 18 has been moved or spread, the cylinder 342 is retracted, causing the arms 340 and anchor-engaging jaws 350 to pivot away from the anchor 18. The cylinders 360, 362 are then expanded, moving the anchor-engaging jaws 350 away from the rail clamp assembly 310. Either slightly prior to, slightly after or simultaneously with the expansion of the cylinders 360, 362, the cylinder 322 is retracted, causing the arms 320 and the clamping surfaces 330 to move away from the rail 12. With the cylinders 322, 342 retracted and the cylinders 360, 362 expanded, the anchor-engaging assembly 312 is again positioned in its initial position, as shown in
As the operation of the spike-pulling apparatus 100 is generally complete prior to or simultaneously with the completion of the operation of the anchor-spreading apparatus 300, the movement of the vehicle 20 to the next tie 14 may begin as soon as the clamping surface 330 has been removed from engagement with the rail 12. Alternatively, if the vehicle 20 is a satellite vehicle, the vehicle 20 may advance relative to the consist as soon as the clamping surface 330 has been removed from engagement with the rail 12. However, if the spike-pulling apparatus 100 operation is not completed as the clamping surface 330 is disengaged from the rail 12, the vehicle will advance when the operation of the spike-pulling apparatus is complete.
As each of the spike-pulling apparatus 100 and the anchor-spreading apparatus 300 for each rail 12 acts independently of the spike pulling-apparatus 100 and the anchor-spreading apparatus 300 of the other rail 12, the vehicle 20 is able to accommodate skewed ties and effectively remove the spikes 17 and move the anchors 18 thereof.
A ferrous material pickup in the form of a rotating magnetic wheel straddling each rail may be used to pick up all of the loose spikes and other ferrous material. The wheel is generally mounted on the non-movable portion of the vehicle. The material is loaded onto a conveyor and subsequently into a storage hopper for bulk reclamation or in some cases dumping in “haystacks” along the track for later pickup. Sometimes the material is sorted by type or quality into different storage bins on the machine. The ferrous material pickup is not limited to a rotating magnetic wheel, but can be other devices which are configured to pick up the loose spikes.
The various features of the embodiments disclosed are advantageous over the known art. Currently, spike pulling and anchor spreading in a typical gang requires up to six machines and operators, as work on each spike and anchor must be done individually under an operator's guidance. Each of the machines in the gang must index from tie to tie and stop at the work site ties. Utilizing the apparatus as described herein allows one machine or vehicle to be used to pull multiple spikes simultaneously on each rail at one time with the heads for each rail adjustable for spike positions and skewed ties. The machine or vehicle is further enhanced and manpower further eliminated by the incorporation of an anchor spreader apparatus which can spread the anchor at the same time as the spikes are pulled. This allows one operator to monitor all of the functions of this machine or vehicle.
The optional use of a position or vision system would allow the location of the spike-pulling heads and anchor-spreading jaws to be automated. A ferrous material pickup apparatus could also be incorporated into this machine to share a common power source and eliminate another separate machine from the gang, thus minimizing the possibility of collisions. One operator would still be needed to monitor the functioning of this machine and sort the items picked up from the track.
While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention, which is to be given the full breadth of the appended claims and any and all equivalents thereof, will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
