US1607118A

US1607118A - Method of and apparatus for repairing the ends of rails by the aluminothermic process

Info

Publication number: US1607118A
Application number: US657524A
Authority: US
Inventors: Clarence L Delachaux
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1922-10-30
Filing date: 1923-08-15
Publication date: 1926-11-16
Anticipated expiration: 1943-11-16

Description

Nov. 16 1926. 1,607,118

. C. L. DELACHAUX METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR REPAIRING THE ENDS OF RAILS BY THE ALUMINO-THERM PROCESS Filed August 1923 INVENTOR HISATTORNEY Patented Nov. 16, 192s.v

UNITED STATES PATENT FFIVCE.

CLARENCE L. DELACHAUX, OF GENNEVILLIERS, FRANCE.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR REPAIRING THE ENDS OF RAILS BY THE- ALUMTNOTHERMIO PROCESS.

Application filed August 15, 1923, Serial No. 657,524, and in France October 30, 192.2.

The invention relates to a novel method of and apparatus for repairing the damaged and worn ends of railway rails and, more particularly, the worn tread surfaces of the rails adjacent the joints in the rails caused by the impact of the wheels passing over the breaks in the continuity of the rails at the joints; the worn sections of the rails being restored to their normal condition and contour by means of molten 'steel applied to such sections by the alumino-thermic welding process, the highly heated molten steel serving to. fuse the surfaces of the railwith which it is in contact and to merge and weld therewith to form a substantially homogeneous union, the applied steel being substantially worked to proper shape and contour after it has cooled to a suflicient degree topermit of such operation.

The application of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in a which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a typical rail joint illustrating the characteristic wear and impairment of the rail ends due to the passage of the wheels of trafiic over the joint. I

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the apparatus and the mode of applying the same in repairing and restoring the worn end of one of the rails.

Fig. 3 is a transverse the same.

It is a well known fact that the ends of railway rails, which are not connected by rigid, welded joints, but are secured together by the usual type of fish plates, splice bars, or the like, are separated by intervals of greater or less width which cause breaks in the continuity of the traction surfaces of treads of the rails which produce decided shocks and jars whenever a wheel passes vertical section of over the joint. This jarring effect soon be-v comes sufficiently strong to cause the wheels to rebound and engage the track some distance ahead in the direction of travel with a severe hammer-like blow or concussion,

which tends to crush down and wear away the treads of the rails and form depress1on"s,-

method, the same has been stock operating thereon and also the road bed. It therefore becomes necessar that these defects be eliminated, whic canv usually be efi'ected by cutting off the dam aged section of the rail, or by replacing the damaged rail by a new one. The first expedient is wholly unsatisfactory, as it means practically removing and readjusting large sections of the track, and the other procedure is prohibitive since it involves the discarding of rails which are unserviceable only in a small fraction of their length, while the remaining portion of the rail is entirely serviceable. It has, therefore, been suggested and attempted heretofore to re pair the worn or impaired portions of the rail in situ and without disturbing the track structure. Among the other methods of repalr suggested has been that of rebuilding the worn sections or portions of the rail tread by electrically welding steel thereto, but, owing to the uncertainty of electric welded joints of this character, the high degree of skill to produce a satisfactory weld, and the slowness of the electric welding practically discarded as too expensive, if it is tobe thoroughly and efiiciently applied. The present invention, however, provides a method for rebuilding, restoring and repairing worn or damaged rail sections by the apphcationof highly heated molten steel or the like to the impaired section, by means of the aluminathermic casting and welding process which has proven simple and cheap in application andmaybe carried out by any intelligent workman without special skill or training.

The method aforesaid consists in adjusting and applying to the damaged rail a mold similar to that employed in effecting the alumino-thermic welding of the rail joints, which will enclose the portion of the rail to be repaired and restored. The mold is preferably formed of two

sections

4 and 5 divided in a horizontal plane and adapted to be too section, or slightly enlarged as to.,.s ize to per- 105 mit of a slight excess of metal being applied to the rail section, which excess is su 1y worked down or machined off to bring the repaired rail into conformity with its original size and contour. In case the rall to 11.0

sequent- 'be repaired is of the groove type, as illustrated in Fig. 3, the upper section of the mold is provided with a rib 6 which accu-" rately fits the groove in the rail and prevents access of the molten metal to said groove. Connected with the main cavity of the mold is a pouring gate 9, leading to the top of the mold, and a riser 10, these pasusual way and which produces a molten body 12 of superheated steel, which is delivered from the pouring opening of the crucible into the gate 9, whence the fluid steel passes downward into the main cavity of the mold and into contact with the impaired section of the rail and flows upward into the riser 10,'the level of the molten steel in the riser indicating when a suflicient uantity of steel has been supplied to efiect't e desired pur-' pose. It will be understood, of course, that the amount of superheated molten steel to be supplied will depend largely upon the area and depth of the depression in the rail end to be filled and restored. After the necessary amount of-steel has been supplied to effect the proper heatin and welding action between the applied stee and the rail surface within the mold cavity, the pouring operation is stopped and the mold allowed to stand until the steel has solidified, after which the upper section of the mold is taken off, and, while the applied steel and the contacting surfaces of the rail are still hot, the steel, which has been applied to the surface of the rail, is forged or worked by-means. of a sledge, or other-suitable means or operation, untilit assumes the original form and contour of the rail. This working of the hqt steel also has the effect of refining and improving the same and effecting a more complete and homogeneous union between the alumino-thermic steel and the metal of the rail section. The repaired rail is then per-- mitted to cool slowly, and is prevented from chil ng unduly by the lower part of ,the mold, which is permitted to remain in place while the finishing operation, as herembefore described, is carried out. If found necessary, the repaired part maybe brought to any ultimate desired contour, corresponding with the original form of the rail, by filing or grinding away any surplus metal. Under certain circumstances, it may be found sufiicient to permit the applied metal to cool sufliciently, then removethe entire mold'and reduce the applied metal to ultimate form by grinding, w thout any hammering or applied not only reduces the amount of heat to be furnished by the alumino-thermic steel,

'and, therefore, the quantity of steel required for the reaction, but also facilitates the successful application of the hot metal by elimi nating, at the initiation of the casting operation, the relatively violent reaction between the alumino-thermic steel and the metal of the rail due to the high degree of heat im-' parted to the relatively cold rail by the superheated steel. By preheating the rail, as 'ndicated, he temperature of the latter is raised gradually and all of the objectionable ,effects of sudden and violent heating are obviated.

It will also be apparent that, by making additions of suitable metals to the aluminathermic iron in the crucible, a metal of exactly the same chemical'composition as that of the rail ends may be obtained, so that when the repairs'to the damaged or impaired sections of the rail have been made, the rail will berestored to its original condition, not only as to contour and shape, but also as to its metallic constituency. For example, suitable additions of carbon, silicon, manganese, chromium,'nickel, or titanium may be made to the alumino-thermic mixture, so as to bring the composition of the aluminothermie additions to the impaired rail into 'exact consonance with the composition of the original rail. This feature of the. method is of particular value and significance in view of the fact that it is extremely dflicult to efiect electric welding by means of these various steel alloys, because it is not feasible or economical to effect the repairs of damaged rails by the electric welding method on account of the difliculty of form' ing electrodes of certain of the steel alloys mentioned.

When themethod is carried out, as hereinbefore described, it'will be obv ous that the worn and impaired section of the rail will be restored to its original character, both as to contour and composition, at a minimum of labor and expense.

What I claim is:

1. The method of repairing worn surfaces of ra ls, which comprises enclosingthe rail at the place'to be repaired in a mold having a cavity ofsubstantially the size and contour of the original rail section, said cavity connecting with a pouring gate and a riser of relatively large size to materially increase the volumetric capacity of the mold, supplying the mold with alumino-thermic steel to fill the cavity and connecting passages with the highly heated molten steel and cause the latter to fuse with the engaging surface of the rail, removing the mold, and working the hot steel application to the desired contour to restore the impaired rail section.

2. The method of repairing worn surfaces of rails, which comprises enclosing the rail at the place to be repaired in a mold having a cavity of substantially the size and contour of the original rail section, said cavity connecting with a pouring gate and a riser of relatively large size to materially increase the volumetric capacity of the mold,

preliminarily heating the rail at the section to be repaired, supplying the mold with alumino-thermic steel to fill the cavity and connecting passages with the highly-heated molten steel and cause the latter to fuse with the engaging surface of the rail, removing the mold, and working the hot steel application to the desired contour to restore the impaired rail section.

3. Means for repairing worn surfaces of rails by alumino-thermic welds, comprising a mold in two separable sections adapted to be, clamped about the rail section and having a cavity of substantially the size and contour of the original rail section and a gate and riser of relatively large volumetric capacity to provide a surplus of superheated alumino-thermic metal to heat the surface of the impaired rail section to the fusion point.

In testimony whereof I aflix mysignature.

C. DELACHAUX.