CA1037137A - Trolley electrical collector with soft metal shoe - Google Patents
Trolley electrical collector with soft metal shoeInfo
- Publication number
- CA1037137A CA1037137A CA235,084A CA235084A CA1037137A CA 1037137 A CA1037137 A CA 1037137A CA 235084 A CA235084 A CA 235084A CA 1037137 A CA1037137 A CA 1037137A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- shoe
- screws
- groove
- trolley
- wire
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 title claims abstract description 13
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 13
- RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N Copper Chemical compound [Cu] RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 9
- 229910052802 copper Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 9
- 239000010949 copper Substances 0.000 claims description 9
- OKTJSMMVPCPJKN-UHFFFAOYSA-N Carbon Chemical compound [C] OKTJSMMVPCPJKN-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 4
- 229910052782 aluminium Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 4
- XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N aluminium Chemical compound [Al] XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 4
- 229910002804 graphite Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 4
- 239000010439 graphite Substances 0.000 claims description 4
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 claims 1
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 abstract description 3
- 239000004020 conductor Substances 0.000 description 8
- 229910000831 Steel Inorganic materials 0.000 description 3
- 239000010959 steel Substances 0.000 description 3
- 230000005611 electricity Effects 0.000 description 2
- FYYHWMGAXLPEAU-UHFFFAOYSA-N Magnesium Chemical compound [Mg] FYYHWMGAXLPEAU-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- HCHKCACWOHOZIP-UHFFFAOYSA-N Zinc Chemical compound [Zn] HCHKCACWOHOZIP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 230000035508 accumulation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000009825 accumulation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000002045 lasting effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005461 lubrication Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910052749 magnesium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000011777 magnesium Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000012423 maintenance Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008439 repair process Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000003923 scrap metal Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052725 zinc Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000011701 zinc Substances 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60L—PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL; MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
- B60L5/00—Current collectors for power supply lines of electrically-propelled vehicles
- B60L5/04—Current collectors for power supply lines of electrically-propelled vehicles using rollers or sliding shoes in contact with trolley wire
- B60L5/08—Structure of the sliding shoes or their carrying means
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60L—PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL; MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
- B60L2200/00—Type of vehicles
- B60L2200/26—Rail vehicles
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Power Engineering (AREA)
- Transportation (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Current-Collector Devices For Electrically Propelled Vehicles (AREA)
Abstract
TROLLEY ELECTRICAL COLLECTOR
Abstract of The Disclosure An elongated metal trolley shoe has a groove in one side extending from end to end for receiving a trolley wire, with the opposite side of the shoe provided with threaded holes having their inner ends spaced from the groove. Screws in the holes for attaching the shoe to a support are made of a material that is at least as soft as the shoe, so that if the portion of the shoe originally separating its groove from the inner ends of the screws is worn away by a trolley wire, further wear of the shoe will occur in the same direction because the screws will wear at the same rate instead of forcing the wire to wear into the side of the groove.
Abstract of The Disclosure An elongated metal trolley shoe has a groove in one side extending from end to end for receiving a trolley wire, with the opposite side of the shoe provided with threaded holes having their inner ends spaced from the groove. Screws in the holes for attaching the shoe to a support are made of a material that is at least as soft as the shoe, so that if the portion of the shoe originally separating its groove from the inner ends of the screws is worn away by a trolley wire, further wear of the shoe will occur in the same direction because the screws will wear at the same rate instead of forcing the wire to wear into the side of the groove.
Description
1~37~37 The electrical collectors that travel along trolley wires or rails take the fonm of either rotating wheels or slid-ing shoes. Por industrial use, such as the collectors used with electric cranes, sliding shoes are practically always usod. Such a shoe i8 provided with a groove that receives the trolley wire 80 that the shoe will stay on the wire. The shoe is made of copper or a similar good electrical conductor and, a~ it slides back and forth along the wire, the metal of the shoe is gradually worn away at the base of the groove.
The shoe olt by one manufacturer is made from a bar of sintered powdered copper, with which graphite has been mixed to provide lubrication and reduce we-r. The shoe i8 provided in the side opposite its groove with a pair of longitudinally spaced threaded holes, in which there are screws that are used for attaching the shoe to a metal plate that i8 connected with n l-ctric cable leading to a crane motor, electromagnet or other device that requires electricity to operate Lt. In the past, these screws have been steel. m e inner ends of the screw holes in the shoe are spaced from the base of the groove.
When such a shoe is installed, the maintenance people are told that as 800n as the shoe wears to the point where the inner ends of the holes become vi~ible at the base of the groove, the shoe should be replaced by a new one. In practice, '1 however, wear of the shoe is often ignored, with the result l that the inner ends of the steel screws eventually come in con-;~ tact with the trolley wire. Since the screws are ~uch harder,
The shoe olt by one manufacturer is made from a bar of sintered powdered copper, with which graphite has been mixed to provide lubrication and reduce we-r. The shoe i8 provided in the side opposite its groove with a pair of longitudinally spaced threaded holes, in which there are screws that are used for attaching the shoe to a metal plate that i8 connected with n l-ctric cable leading to a crane motor, electromagnet or other device that requires electricity to operate Lt. In the past, these screws have been steel. m e inner ends of the screw holes in the shoe are spaced from the base of the groove.
When such a shoe is installed, the maintenance people are told that as 800n as the shoe wears to the point where the inner ends of the holes become vi~ible at the base of the groove, the shoe should be replaced by a new one. In practice, '1 however, wear of the shoe is often ignored, with the result l that the inner ends of the steel screws eventually come in con-;~ tact with the trolley wire. Since the screws are ~uch harder,
- 2 - ~ -i.e. wear resistant, than the shoe itself, they force the trol-ley wire to one ~ide of the groove ~o that the wire cuts into the side wall of the groove. This wear often is allowed to continue until the worn side of the shoe becomes so thin that it breaks away and releases the shoe from the wire. The moment this occurs, the spring-pressed shoe support will extend and may strike the trolley wire or some other ob~ect and become bent or damaget, or it may swing to one side and cause a short circuit with a parallel trolley wire. In any case, if the shoe breaks away from the trolley wire, it is a very serious matter.
Besides causing damage, it shuts down the crane. This may put several dozen men out of work until repairs can be made or, if the shoe i8 electrically connected to an electromagnet holding a load of scrap metal for exa ple, the scrap will be released and could seriously in~ure or kill anyone on ~hom it might fall.
It i8 an ob~ect of this invention to provide a trolley electrical conductor, in which any wear that occurs in the ~hoe after the trolley wire reaches the inner ends of the mounting screws will continue to be in a direction extending ~ially of those screws and not at an angle to them.
The preferred embodiment of the invention is illus-trated in the accampanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side view of a trolley ; conductor and guard, with part of the guard broken away to show the trolley shoe;
1 ~3r71 37 Figo 2 is a vertical section taken on the line II-II of Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a reduced plan view of the shoe alone; and Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig~ 2~ but showing the shoe after it has been worn to a considerable extent.
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, an over-head trolley conductor of any desired length ls fonmed of metal that is a good conductor of electricity, such as copper.
Although the conductor shown resembles a rail to some extent, it will be referred to herein as a trolley wire since the in-vention discloset herein can also be used with a round wire.
The illustrated wire has a head 1 and a foot 2 extending through-out its length and they are separated by a vertical web 3 that i8 integral with them. The wire is suspended from hangers (not shown) located at spaced intervals along its length, The foot of the wire projects from opposite sides of the web above it and has a transversely curved lower contact surface. The web of the wire spaces the foot far enough from the head to locate the foot a considerable distance beneath the upper por-tion of a tubular guard 4 that extends along the wire, whichit encloses to protect the wire from snow and ice and from accumulations of dirt. This guard is made of flexible rubber-like material and is supported by the wire. The bottom of the guard is split lengthwise throughout its length to provide it with lower edges that normally engage each other or overlap, whereby the wire ~s enclosed in a flexible tube.
~ 3~ ~3~7 Slidably mounted on the trolley wire inside the tubular guard is a trolley shoe 6. The shoe is made from a bar of electrical conducting material, preferably sintered powdered copper, with which graphite has been mixed. The upper side of the shoe is provided with a central longitudinal trough or groove 7 that extends throughout the length of the shoe. The lower portion of this groove i8 curved transversely to engage and more or less fit the curved lower contact surface of the trolley wire, with the sides of the groove initially extending part way up the opposite ~ides of the wire. The groove guides the shoe as it is moved along the rail so that it cannot slide sldeways away from the wire. The bottom side of the shoe is ; 8eated upon a flat plate 8 rigidly mounted on the upper end of a tubular plunger 9 that is urged upwardly at all tfmes by a spring (not ~hown). Inside the plunger there is a copper rod 10, the upper end of which is ~oined to the plate and the lower end of which is connected to an electric cable that leads to the equipment that the current collected by the shoe is to operate.
The shoe is rigidly mounted on supporting plate 8 by means of a pair of screws 12 that extend up through openings in the opposite ends of the plate and into threaded holes 13 extending upwardly into the shoe. The upper or inner ends of these holes are spaced from the bottom of groove 7 in order to provide a body of metal between the bottom of the groove and the upper ends of the holes that can be worn away by the trolley 10371~7 wire before the holes and the upper ends of the screws wlll be exposed. When the ~oles are exposed, the shoe ~hould be re- -placed by a new one because it ha3 served its norm~l life, but it is a ~eature of this invention that if replacement does not occur at that time the shoe will continue to wear straight down for a considerable additional period of time as shown in Fig.
4, until it i8 clearly apparent that there is not much left of the shoe and that it will have to be replaced. Accordingly, the mounting screws are made of a metal that is at least a~
soft a8 the shoe metal, by which is meant that the screws will be worn away by the trolley wire as fast as, or at the same rate as, the shoe itself. The preferred metal for the screws is aluminum because it not only is ~ofter than the ~hoe but it also is a good electrical conductor. Another screw material coult be magnesium or zinc. Copper is not satisfac-tory when the shoe i8 made of powtered copper and graphite, because copper screws would be too hard and, like steel, would urge the trolley wire to one side or the other of groove 7 since the screws would resist wear more than the side wall of the groove.
If, for example, the original thickness of the shoe between the base of its groove and the bottom of the shoe is 5/8 inch ant the screw holes are 3/8 inch long, the metal between the bottam of the groove and the upper ends of the holes will be 1/4 inch thick. After this metal has been worn away, wear can continue straight down through the shoe for ~ Q371;~7 about another 1/4 of an inch, the upper ends of the screws being worn away in the process at the same rate as the shoe.
Although this additional wear i8 not recommended, it reæults in the shoe lasting about twice as long as intended. Of course, the big advantage is that all of the wear is along the central vertical longitudinal plane of the shoe and does not extend off to one side, which would result in the side of the shoe breaking away and releasing the shoe from the trolley wire. m e shoe di~closed herein, therefore, can avoid the damage to equipn nt that has occurred heretofore and can also eliminate the town time that results when a shoe breaks away from a trolley wire.
To prevent the top of the shoe at opposite side~ of its groove from engaging the tubular guard above it when the groove starts to become deep, abrasive dressing devices, such A ~ shown in~patent No. 3,321,587, can be mounted on the trolley wire to grind down the top of the shoe as it travels back and forth across the dressing devices. The shoe in Fig. 4 has been ground down in this manner.
Besides causing damage, it shuts down the crane. This may put several dozen men out of work until repairs can be made or, if the shoe i8 electrically connected to an electromagnet holding a load of scrap metal for exa ple, the scrap will be released and could seriously in~ure or kill anyone on ~hom it might fall.
It i8 an ob~ect of this invention to provide a trolley electrical conductor, in which any wear that occurs in the ~hoe after the trolley wire reaches the inner ends of the mounting screws will continue to be in a direction extending ~ially of those screws and not at an angle to them.
The preferred embodiment of the invention is illus-trated in the accampanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side view of a trolley ; conductor and guard, with part of the guard broken away to show the trolley shoe;
1 ~3r71 37 Figo 2 is a vertical section taken on the line II-II of Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a reduced plan view of the shoe alone; and Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig~ 2~ but showing the shoe after it has been worn to a considerable extent.
Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, an over-head trolley conductor of any desired length ls fonmed of metal that is a good conductor of electricity, such as copper.
Although the conductor shown resembles a rail to some extent, it will be referred to herein as a trolley wire since the in-vention discloset herein can also be used with a round wire.
The illustrated wire has a head 1 and a foot 2 extending through-out its length and they are separated by a vertical web 3 that i8 integral with them. The wire is suspended from hangers (not shown) located at spaced intervals along its length, The foot of the wire projects from opposite sides of the web above it and has a transversely curved lower contact surface. The web of the wire spaces the foot far enough from the head to locate the foot a considerable distance beneath the upper por-tion of a tubular guard 4 that extends along the wire, whichit encloses to protect the wire from snow and ice and from accumulations of dirt. This guard is made of flexible rubber-like material and is supported by the wire. The bottom of the guard is split lengthwise throughout its length to provide it with lower edges that normally engage each other or overlap, whereby the wire ~s enclosed in a flexible tube.
~ 3~ ~3~7 Slidably mounted on the trolley wire inside the tubular guard is a trolley shoe 6. The shoe is made from a bar of electrical conducting material, preferably sintered powdered copper, with which graphite has been mixed. The upper side of the shoe is provided with a central longitudinal trough or groove 7 that extends throughout the length of the shoe. The lower portion of this groove i8 curved transversely to engage and more or less fit the curved lower contact surface of the trolley wire, with the sides of the groove initially extending part way up the opposite ~ides of the wire. The groove guides the shoe as it is moved along the rail so that it cannot slide sldeways away from the wire. The bottom side of the shoe is ; 8eated upon a flat plate 8 rigidly mounted on the upper end of a tubular plunger 9 that is urged upwardly at all tfmes by a spring (not ~hown). Inside the plunger there is a copper rod 10, the upper end of which is ~oined to the plate and the lower end of which is connected to an electric cable that leads to the equipment that the current collected by the shoe is to operate.
The shoe is rigidly mounted on supporting plate 8 by means of a pair of screws 12 that extend up through openings in the opposite ends of the plate and into threaded holes 13 extending upwardly into the shoe. The upper or inner ends of these holes are spaced from the bottom of groove 7 in order to provide a body of metal between the bottom of the groove and the upper ends of the holes that can be worn away by the trolley 10371~7 wire before the holes and the upper ends of the screws wlll be exposed. When the ~oles are exposed, the shoe ~hould be re- -placed by a new one because it ha3 served its norm~l life, but it is a ~eature of this invention that if replacement does not occur at that time the shoe will continue to wear straight down for a considerable additional period of time as shown in Fig.
4, until it i8 clearly apparent that there is not much left of the shoe and that it will have to be replaced. Accordingly, the mounting screws are made of a metal that is at least a~
soft a8 the shoe metal, by which is meant that the screws will be worn away by the trolley wire as fast as, or at the same rate as, the shoe itself. The preferred metal for the screws is aluminum because it not only is ~ofter than the ~hoe but it also is a good electrical conductor. Another screw material coult be magnesium or zinc. Copper is not satisfac-tory when the shoe i8 made of powtered copper and graphite, because copper screws would be too hard and, like steel, would urge the trolley wire to one side or the other of groove 7 since the screws would resist wear more than the side wall of the groove.
If, for example, the original thickness of the shoe between the base of its groove and the bottom of the shoe is 5/8 inch ant the screw holes are 3/8 inch long, the metal between the bottam of the groove and the upper ends of the holes will be 1/4 inch thick. After this metal has been worn away, wear can continue straight down through the shoe for ~ Q371;~7 about another 1/4 of an inch, the upper ends of the screws being worn away in the process at the same rate as the shoe.
Although this additional wear i8 not recommended, it reæults in the shoe lasting about twice as long as intended. Of course, the big advantage is that all of the wear is along the central vertical longitudinal plane of the shoe and does not extend off to one side, which would result in the side of the shoe breaking away and releasing the shoe from the trolley wire. m e shoe di~closed herein, therefore, can avoid the damage to equipn nt that has occurred heretofore and can also eliminate the town time that results when a shoe breaks away from a trolley wire.
To prevent the top of the shoe at opposite side~ of its groove from engaging the tubular guard above it when the groove starts to become deep, abrasive dressing devices, such A ~ shown in~patent No. 3,321,587, can be mounted on the trolley wire to grind down the top of the shoe as it travels back and forth across the dressing devices. The shoe in Fig. 4 has been ground down in this manner.
Claims (3)
1. In a trolley electrical collector comprising an elongated metal shoe having a groove in one side extending from end to end of the shoe for receiving a trolley wire, the opposite side of the shoe being provided with longitudinally spaced threaded holes having their inner ends spaced from said groove, and screws in said holes for attaching the shoe to a support; the screws being made of a metal that is at least as soft as the shoe, whereby if the portion of the shoe original-ly separating said groove from the inner ends of the screws is worn away by a trolley wire, further wear of the shoe will occur in the same direction accompanied by wear of the screws at the same rate.
2. In a trolley electrical collector according to claim 1, in which said shoe is harder than aluminum, and said screws are aluminum.
3. In a trolley electrical collector according to claim 1, in which said shoe is made from a mixture of sintered powdered copper and graphite, and said screws are aluminum.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US521684A US3918557A (en) | 1974-11-07 | 1974-11-07 | Trolley electrical collector |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1037137A true CA1037137A (en) | 1978-08-22 |
Family
ID=24077701
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA235,084A Expired CA1037137A (en) | 1974-11-07 | 1975-09-09 | Trolley electrical collector with soft metal shoe |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US3918557A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1037137A (en) |
Families Citing this family (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4550231A (en) * | 1983-09-22 | 1985-10-29 | U-S Safety Trolley Corp. | Trolley rail |
| US4953441A (en) * | 1986-07-15 | 1990-09-04 | Board Of Regents, The University Of Texas System | Method and construction for control of current distribution in railgun armatures |
| US5183957A (en) * | 1986-07-15 | 1993-02-02 | Board Of Regents, The University Of Texas System | Method and construction for control of current distribution in railgun armatures |
| JPH0787642B2 (en) * | 1988-08-30 | 1995-09-20 | 帝国カーボン工業株式会社 | Lightweight composite wear-resistant sliding current collector plate for high-speed electric vehicles |
| US5297468A (en) * | 1992-04-27 | 1994-03-29 | Dyuar Incorporated | Railgun with advanced rail and barrel design |
| US5449056A (en) * | 1993-11-23 | 1995-09-12 | U-S Safety Trolley Corp. | Electric power distribution system |
| US5503259A (en) * | 1995-08-22 | 1996-04-02 | Tekno, Inc. | Electrification module for conveyor |
Family Cites Families (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US2830138A (en) * | 1952-12-01 | 1958-04-08 | Morgan Crucible Co | Electric current collector inserts |
-
1974
- 1974-11-07 US US521684A patent/US3918557A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
1975
- 1975-09-09 CA CA235,084A patent/CA1037137A/en not_active Expired
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| US3918557A (en) | 1975-11-11 |
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