Patent Application
20070012515
This invention is directed particularly to rail car vehicles, including cars and locomotives, and more particularly to devices for lubricating the rail contact region of the flanges of wheels of such vehicles.
Problems of wheel and rail wear caused by friction generated particularly from contact of the flanges with the rails on curves and the tendency of the wheels of rail car vehicles to hunt on tangent track, whereby the flanges of the car wheels alternately bear against one rail and then the other as the car travels along the track have been recognized for many years. Over a century or more, a large number of solutions have been proposed, some of which have been put into use. These have ranged from stationary track lubricators for directly applying lubricant to the rails at selected locations to reservoirs of a liquid lubricant mounted on the rail vehicle for application of liquid lubricant directly on the vehicle wheels. More recent lubrication devices, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,915,195 and 5,085,292, apply oil or other lubricant by use of lubricant-containing porous polymeric members mounted for engagement with the flanges of the wheels of rail cars. Despite the teachings of a large body of prior art of which the above is exemplary, the need still exists for a simple, inexpensive, disposable device capable of use for at least the duration of standard car maintenance cycles including the rather long intervals for inspection and maintenance of cars in extended or long haul service.
The invention consists of a lubrication device for lubrication of the rail contact area of the flange of a wheel of a rail car or like vehicle. The invention is particularly adapted to cars having trucks carrying pairs of wheel sets and a brake system including a standard brake beam head and a brake shoe mounted on the beam head. The beam head is movable upon application of a brake control device to move the brake pads against the wheels. As is conventional practice, a brake key is extended through passages in the brake beam head and the brake shoe which are in alignment when the brake shoe is supported on the beam head to lock the brake shoe to the beam head. The lubrication device of the present invention comprises a mounting plug and an integrally connected arm with supports which fits within the entrance to the key passage in the brake beam head. The mounting plug is held in place by the brake key when the brake key is inserted into said passage portion and advanced to the position in which the brake shoe is locked in place. The lubrication device further comprises an arm extending in the lengthwise direction of the railway vehicle. The proximal end of the arm is integrally joined to the mounting plug. The arm extends towards a wheel of the rail car vehicle and supports a lubricant pad containing a solid lubricant for lubrication of the flange of the adjacent wheel.
In preferred form, the lubrication device comprises an integrally formed one piece arm and mounting plug formed from a moldable plastic resin by an injection molding or a similar process. The device is simple and inexpensive, is resilient yet durable in construction and may be disposed of when the supply of lubricant is exhausted. It is installed and removable without the need to separate the brake shoe from the beam head.
a is a schematic view in section of a conventional brake beam head and brake pad illustrating the means of attachment of the pad to the head;
a is an end view looking in the direction of arrow X in
b is a perspective view of the arm and mounting plug of
Referring also to
In its preferred form, as illustrated in
An arm 46 is preferably formed integrally with the connecting plug element 38 as by injection molding. The arm is shaped to project angularly away from the connecting plug element 38 and has an end section 48 angularly directed from the arm 46 in a direction generally in the plane of rotation of wheel 10. The arm may be provided with a stiffening rib 46a. End section 48 preferably has a plurality of barbs 50 and holes 51 provided for the purpose of retaining a pad 52 formed of a polymeric material containing lubricant and/or a friction modifier. Presently preferred is a lubricant pad material as is available from Phymet, Inc. of Springboro, Ohio 45066, which comprises a mixture fo polymers and oils to create a solid lubricant with an oil filled porous structure wherein the oil is slowly diffused by capillary action. An acceptable alternative is a solid polymer lubricant available from MPL Technology of Kenmore, Wash.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, lubrication device 36 is intended to be disposable. It is preferably molded as a one piece integrally formed member including mounting plug element 38, arm 46 and end section 48 by injection molding or the like and is formed of a polymeric material, such as urethane or nylon, urethane being the presently preferred material. As can be seen in
As indicated, the lubrication device 36 is intended to be a disposable item having a lubrication capacity sufficient to maintain the wheel 10 lubricated for the duration of standard brake shoe life. To replace a spent lubrication device, the key 22 is retracted sufficiently from the channel in the brake beam head 14 to allow the mounting plug element 38 to be removed and the plug element of a new lubrication device to be inserted in the entrance to channel 21. When withdrawn this far, the key shank 24 will still extend through the retainer bracket 34 and into the end part of passage 21 so that the brake pad 28 will be retained on the brake beam head 14, thereby avoiding the time-consuming need to reinstall the brake pad whenever the lubrication device 36 is replaced.
