AU693841B2 - Agricultural monorail - Google Patents

Description

P/00/01I Regulation 3.2

AUSTRAIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT :.-The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best ''method of performing it known to me:-

I

-2- AGRICULTURAL MONORAIL This invention relates to a monorail supported on transverse sleepers with the rail and sleepers submerged centrally and immediately below ground-level in the tramway track which may be the natural earth or a compacted ballast pavement.

The submerged in ground monorail is required to directly steer the agricultural Plant used for tramline controlled cropping and gantry farming.The pavement to the left and right hand side of the mono-rail will be the load bearing road section of the monorail tramway. The tramway can run in a level or an inclined straight line and be curved when required The tramway can allso be established with vertical curving over undulating hilly terrain. With track type bogies the monorail can operate on steep gradients.

The aim of this invention is to provide a economical monorail,stabilised by being submerged in the surrounding earth which acts as an economical ballast around sleepers and rails.As the rails and sleepers lay below ground •V level,this will allow agricultural equipment free access K over and about the monorail with options to engage the Plant to be steered by the monorail at any point along the length I of the monorail. The monorail is to be easily constructed and very easily relocated if required to a new area This invention is superior to existing methods of steering agricultural equipment on a predetermined path, namely wires laid on top or below the designated path, furrows delved along the path and laser beams running parallel to the path.

All these systems require electronic censors to indirectly effect the steering of the machinery. The robustness of direct streering is reliable and less expensive. For the I irrigation technology which incorporates a travelling water-harvester to effect a transfer of the irrigation water from a static mains pipe-line to a travelling irrigator This Srequires the correct alignment of the travelling waterharvester with the static supply main which can extend to kilometres in length. The travelling water harvester while travelling.directly. switches each cyclic flow valve to change state as the harvester passes the valves in sequence up or down the line. This arrangment insures that one flow valve is allways open to discharge over either a leading or a trailing collecting fluming attached to the wateriharvester bidirectionally.

-3- According to the present invention there is provided an agricultural monorail comprising a first random length of equal sided V angleiron as the first rail of a continuous monorail,a first transverse sleeper is provided to support one end of the first random length rail, comprising a first and a second equal length of unequal sided L angleiron with the widest side to be larger than the width of a side of the random length rail, a transverse centre line is established on the four sides of the first L angleiron length similarly a centre line is established on the second angle iron length, a template is provided to profile a cross section of one end of the random length rail, the template will be a profile of a right isosceles triangle, a vertical centre line is established from the apex of the triangle to bisect the base of the template, the template is required to mark out a right isosceles triangular rail recess which is to be cut away centrally from the top edge of the larger side of of first L angleiron 4 length, to cradle in correct alignment and plane a section .20 of the random length rail which will pass transversly across this proposed symmetrically recessed section, having the I centre lines coinciding and the base of the right isosceles Striangle lying on the top edge of the larger side of the first length of L. angleiron when the marked section is removed the apex of the recess is above the intersection of the adjacent sides of the first angle lc.ngth by an amount sufficient to establish a strengthing bridge beneath the cutaway recess,a similar cutaway recess is provided on the second length of angle iron,the first transverse monorail sleeper is assembled embodying the first and second L angleiron with the equal sides and the triangular rail recess cut centrally from the top of each widest side by arranging the angle sections on a common plane as a channel sleeper with the adjoining edges of the smaller sides together and the wide sides uppermost and parallel with the two provided rail recesses to be exactly opposite each other, dual fish plates and dual rail clips are combined into one section comprising a rectangular thin gauge steel section having a width equal to the distance between the inside sides of the channel sleeper with a large clearence, a transverse centre line is established across the sides of the steel section, about this centre line one side of the steel section is bent 45 degrees upwards, the opposite side of the steel section is like wise bent 45 degrees upwards, -g -4a template former comprising a first transverse sleeper, a short sample length of the random length monorail is placed across the opposing rail recesses of the sleeper,the partly formed fish-plate monorail clip device is placed in centre of the v monorail along the top of the intersection of the opposing sides of the rail, the centre line of the partly formed rectangular plate coincides with centre line of the v, one side of the plate is bent over the edge of one side of the rail at 45 degrees thence 90 degrees .iO vertically downwards to contact the top plane of the sleeper, thence bent along the base at 90 degrees to form a foot which can be fixedly attached to the base of the sleeper on site by self tapping screw means, similarly the side of the rectangular plate on the opposite side of the centre line is formed over the adjacent side at 45 degrees thence vertically downwards to the bottom of the sleeper thence 90 degrees to create a foot to fixedly secure the second half of the device to the sleeper by on site screw It, means, the combined fish-plate rail-clip is clipped over a placed rail and fastened as a intermediate sleeper,or over two rail ends to be joined,the rail ends being positioned and contained by the rail recesses, across the transverse sleeper, this contains the rail to the sleeper and allows the rail to longitudinally expand or contract, and alto alternatively fish the end of the first random length monorail to the end of the second random length monorail to join with an expansion gap provided intermediate the two j ends beneath the rail clip over the centre of the sleeper.

A specific embodiment of the invention will now be .30 described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:a Figure 1 shows a cross section of the monorail submerged in the surrounding ground immediately below ground level:- Figure 1 allso shows a schematic elevation of one of two vertical sides of the transverse channel like sleeper,one of two isosceles triangular recesses cut away centrally downwards from the top edge of the side:- Figure 1 7-8 is a schematic end elevation of a dual fish plate and dual rail clip as one fastening device;- L Figure 1 3-3 shows a schematic plan of a transverse channel like rail sleeper supporting a intermediate section of a random length monorail passing through two of the provided right isosceles triangular rail recesses. A combined fishplate railclip device is showed centrally over and symmetrically over the section. Onsite self tapping screws screwed through the device into the base of the sleeper,lock the the random rail to the sleeper allowing Slateral movement of the rail only.

Figure 1 shows a schematic plan of a channel like sleeper supporting the ends of two lengths of rail to be fished together on each side of an expansion gap EG by a rail-clip fishplate device.

Refering to the drawing the Agricultural Monorail can extend to an unlimited distance on a straight or curved path, constructed with random lengths of rail as represented in the drawing as equal sided v angleiron 50mmx50mm 1 Fig 1 shows a cross section of the first random length of rail buried immediately below ground level GL The channel like sleepers Fig 4 and 5 3-3 3-3 are likewise buried immediately below the rail 1 .the first transverse sleeper Fig4 as represented in the drawing as 50 unequal sided L angleiron attached to and supports the rail being transversly buried immediately below the sleepr at the beginning of the construction similarly the second sleeper as an intermediate sleeper is placed midway along the rail,a third sleeper as a joining sleeper is placed so that the end of the first random length passes through the first right isosceles recess and terminates .30 over the welded centre line of the base of the sleeper,less an expansion gap EG .The second random length of rail 2 begin's over the welded centre line allowing an expansion t" gap, the third random rail passes through the second ,C triangular rail recess. The fourth sleeper as a intermediate sleeper the fifth sleeper as a joining sleeper and so on to complete the monorail.

THe combined fishplate railclip device shown 7 Fig 3 is common to all positions of the sleeper and rail and is placed over the continuous rail or over two ends to be joined. symmetrically to allow the foot on both sides to screw down onto the base plate of the sleeper thereby maintaining true alignment and stable contnuous monorail and transverse sleepers.allowing lateral movement for expansion of the rail beneath the fishplate railclip

Claims (1)

1. An agricultural monorail comprising a first random length of equal sided v angleiron as the first rail of a continuous monorail,a first transverse sleeper is provided to support one end of the first random length rail, comprising a first and a second equal length of unequal sided L angleiron with the widest side to be larger than the width of a side of the random length rail, a transverse centre line is established on the four sides of the first L angleiron length similarly a centre line is established on the second L angleiron length, a template is provided to profile a cross section of one end of the random length rail, the template will be a profile of a right isosceles triangle, a vertical centre line is established from the apex of the triangle to bisect the base of the template, the template is required to mark out a right isosceles triangular rail recess which is to be cut away centrally from the top edge of the larger side of of first L angleiron I length, to cradle in correct alignment and plane a section of the random length rail which will pass transversly across this proposed symmetrically recessed section, having the centre lines coinciding and the base of the right isosceles 'triangle lying on the top edge of the larger side of the first length of L angleiron when the marked section is removed the apex of the recess is above the intersection of the adjacent sides of the first angle length by an amount sufficient to establish a strengthing bridge beneath the cutaway recess,a similar cutaway recess is provided on the second length of angle iron,the first transverse monorail sleeper is assembled embodying the first and second L angleiron with the equal sides and the triangular rail recess cut centrally from the top of each widest side by arranging the angle sections on a common plane as a channel sleeper with the adjoining edges of the smaller sides fixed together and the wide sides uppermost and parallel with the two provided rail recesses to be exactly opposite each Li other, dual fish plates and dual rail clips are combined into one section comprising a rectangular thin gauge steel section having a width equal to the distance between the inside sides of the channel sleeper with a large clearence, a transverse centre line is established across the sides of the steel section, about this centre line,one side of the steel section is bent 45 degrees upwards, the opposite side of the steel section is like wise bent 45 degrees upwards, *i -7- Claim 1, a second template former comprising a first traverse sleeper and a short sample length of the monorail is placed across the opposing rail recesses of the sleeper, the partly formed fish-plate monorail clip device is placed in the centre of the v monorail along the top intersection of the opposing sides of the rail, the centre line of the partly formed rectangular plate coincides with centre line of the v, one side of the plate is bent over the edge of H one side of the rail at 45 degrees thence 90 degrees .iO vertically downwards to contact the top base of the sleeper, thence bent along the base at 90 degrees to form a foot which can be fixedly attached to the base of the sleeper on site by self tapping screw means, similarly the Fj side of the rectangular plate on the opposite side of the centre line is formed over the adjacent side at 45 degrees thence vertically downwards to the bottom of the sleeper thence 90 degrees to create a foot to fixedly secure the I second half of the device to the sleeper by on site screw S: means, the combined fish-plate rail-clip is clipped over a .20 placed rail and fastened as a intermediate sleeper,or over two rail ends to be joined,the rail ends being positioned and contained by the rail recesses, across the transverse sleeper, this contains the rail to the sleeper and allows the rail to longitudinal expand or contract, and .25 alternatively fish the end of the first random length monorail to the end of the second random length monorail to join with an expansion gap provided intermediate the two ends beneath the rail clip over the centre of the sleeper. I JACK LAMSON HOWELL 16Th FEBRUARY 1995 Name of Applicant Date t t II I ABSTRACT Agricultural monorail is disclosed The apparatus is a single rail submerged centrally in the tramway path immediately below groundlevel (GL) running in a straight or curved direction to any required length. The rail is further stabilised by transverse sleepers attached to the rail at regular intervals further below ground level.Random lengths of equal side of V angleiron comprise the rail and j L angleiron of unequal sides cut into equal lengths are welded to make channel sleepers(3-3). On a transverse i centre line across the top edges of the channel sleeper a right isosceles triangular rail recess is cut from the top of the sides downwards towards the bottom of the channel A formed plate fastener combines the action of fishplates and rail clips(7-8). The fastener is pushed over the rail resting in the rail recesses of the sleeper and screwed down on to the base of the sleeper allowing r longitudinal movement of the rail across the sleeper only.The monorail will steer agriculture plant directly with load bearing wheels each side of the rail or the like. q S i I L I eer. jl