EP0086718B1 - Retarding and retaining device for rail vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

The device comprises a body (1) for placing on a rail (R) for the purpose of receiving a wheel of a machine to be slowed down and stopped and forming an abutment for the wheel, and an arrangement for connecting the device to the rail. The connecting arrangement comprises a plate (7) carrying elastically yieldable claws (10 and 11) which are maintained spread apart in their position of rest. The plate (7) is adapted to be applied against the rail (R) and is pivotally connected to an arrangement (21) for moving the claws (10 and 11) towards each other for the purpose of closing them around the head of the rail. The arrangement (21) is connected to the body (1) of the device.

Description

The present invention relates to braking and stopping devices intended to slow down and stop vehicles which run on rails.

Devices of this type are known in particular for braking and stopping railway wagons.

A known device comprises a wedge-shaped body, one of the opposite sides of which rests on the upper surface of the rail running and the other side of which is intended to come into contact with a wheel of the wagon to be stopped.

A device of this type corresponding to the preamble of claim 1, is described in .DE-C-39614. This device further comprises means for securing the body to the rail constituted by a lever articulated on the body and the operation of which causes the application against the rail of elastic blades also fixed to the body and kept apart in the rest position.

Such a device has the drawback of ensuring that the blades on the rail head are insufficiently clamped to validly hold the body on the rail.

Furthermore, if the lever is not sufficiently engaged on the body or if it is raised or even if it rises gradually under the effect of vibrations of the rail, the clamping of the blades on the rail may be compromised.

The shoe rests on the rail by its own weight so that it risks being ejected by the untimely contact of any object, moved by vibrations or even removed by inattention.

Furthermore, the fact that this device is simply placed on the rail prohibits its use on a running track located above the ground, for example on a track for an overhead crane, because the risks of the device falling constitute a permanent danger for personnel and materials below.

In order to overcome these drawbacks, braking and stopping devices have been proposed, the connection with the running rail of which is ensured by pinching the rail, which requires special parts and tools, as well as assembly time. too large to allow the device to be moved at will according to the need of the moment.

In DE-C-13003, a slowing and stopping device is described comprising: a shoe, two claws whose tightening and loosening in relation to the web of the rail is ensured by an opposite pitch screw mounted in the shoe , integral with a lever and driven in rotation by the operation of the shoe after having adjusted, if necessary, the position of the lever relative to the rear face of the shoe. However, such a device due to the rigidity of its clamping claws does not absorb the obstacles which arise when it slides along the rail.

Other known devices are fixed to the rail by means of bolts passing through the rail or its support. Such an arrangement, in addition to requiring a precise choice and an arrangement of the location intended to receive the shoe, can only provide a stop function for a device previously braked by another device.

French patent application 80 23 553 filed on November 4, 1980 and published on 4.6.82 (FR-A-2495085), describes a safety shoe for slowing and stopping rolling machines on rails which comprises a body formed by a tongue bearing on the rail intended to be engaged under the wheel of the vehicle to be stopped and a cleat forming a stopper for the vehicle wheel, a claw for fixing the shoe to the rail being articulated on said body and a lock being provided for immobilizing the claw in the closed position.

Although it gives good results, this shoe has the disadvantage of comprising relatively complex parts forming part of the claw.

In addition, the installation and removal of the shoe requires a certain number of manipulations which make these operations relatively long to perform.

Effin, this shoe can not be used on sections of track whose rails have connecting fishplates because the shoe claw abuts on the fishplates without being able to avoid them.

The invention aims to remedy these drawbacks by creating a slowing and stopping device of the type described at the beginning of the description, which combines great simplicity of manufacture with rapid installation and removal compared to existing devices, all avoiding the risk of the device falling.

It therefore relates to a device for slowing down and stopping for vehicles traveling on rails, comprising a body intended to be placed on the rail in order to receive a wheel of an engine to slow down and stop and forming a stop for this wheel. , and means for securing the device to the rail, constituted by an element carrying elastic claws held apart in the rest position, said element being intended to be applied to the rail and being articulated on means for bringing said claws together in order to tightening them on the flange of the rail, characterized in that said element carrying the claws is constituted by a plate, and that said means of approximation are integral with the body of the device and are constituted by a generally rectangular box, fixed to the body of the device by means of a rod forming a handle, said plate being mounted oscillating in said housing in order to bring said claws closer by the side walls s of said housing.

• la Fig. 1 est une vue extérieure, en élévation du dispositif de ralentissement et d'arrêt suivant l'invention;
• Fig. 2 est une vue en bout, à plus grande échelle du dispositif de la Fig. 1 mis en place sur un rail;
• la Fig. 3 est une vue en élévation et en coupe du dispositif de la Fig. 2; et
• Fig. 4 est une coupe suivant la ligne 4-4 de la Fig. 3.

Other characteristics of the invention will appear during the description which follows, given with reference to the appended drawings, given solely by way of example and in which:

• Fig. 1 is an external view, in elevation of the slowing and stopping device according to the invention;
• Fig. 2 is an end view, on a larger scale, of the device of FIG. 1 placed on a rail;
• Fig. 3 is a view in elevation and in section of the device of FIG. 2; and
• Fig. 4 is a section along line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

The slowing and stopping device shown in FIG. 1 mainly comprises a support and braking body 1 constituted by a tongue 2 on which a wheel of a machine to be slowed down or stopped must rest, an inclined stopper 3 forming a stop for the wheel of the machine, rendered integral with a sole 4 which has edges 5 for guiding and fitting the shoe on the flange of the rail R.

At the end of the body 1 opposite the tongue 2 is fixed a device for securing the shoe and the rail. This joining device shown in detail in FIGS. 2 to 4 comprises a plate 7 made of sheet steel constituted by a U8 part with uneven branches, reinforced by a vertical veil 9 welded inside the U part. The veil 9 is arranged along the axis of symmetry longitudinal of the plate 7 and consequently separates this plate into two equal parts. On the plate are articulated on either side of the web 9, two claws 10 and 11 intended to come into engagement with the flange of the rail R in the manner shown in FIG. 2.

The claws 10 and 11 are made of spring steel wire. Each of the claws comprises a first rectilinear section 12 which crosses the branches of the U8 part by orifices made for this purpose; the first straight section 12 is extended by a loop 13 which, as shown in FIG. 2, comprises an inclined portion 14 which deviates from the first section 12, this inclined portion being followed by a practically vertical portion 15, in turn extended by a portion 16 folded down so as to be able to trap the flange of the rail R. The loop 13, the sections 14, 15 and 16 of which are outside the plate 7 ends in a roughly vertical section 17 which extends towards the inside of the plate between the two branches of the U8 part and which extends by a second horizontal rectilinear section 18 whose end is engaged in a corresponding orifice formed in the rear branch of the U8 part and offset with respect to that receiving the end of the first section 12. Thus, each of the claws 10 and 11 is mounted to oscillate in the plate 7. This plate has in its rear part a tubular part 19 welded to the U8 part at the junction of its rear branch with its horizontal part. The part 19 is crossed by a spindle 20 by means of which the plate 7 is articulated on a housing 21 of generally parallelepipedal shape made integral with the rest of the shoe by means of a rod 22 welded by one of its ends to the housing 21 and by its other end to the body 1 of the hoof. The housing 21 has in its lateral faces notches 21a intended for. allow a separation of the claws 10 and 11 when the shoe arrives at the height of connecting fishplates between two sections of rail.

Inside its front end wall, opposite the hinge pin 20, the housing 21 includes a part 23 for limiting the rotation of the plate 7 relative to the cover, so as to prevent this plate from does not come completely out of the housing when removing the shoe.

In the side walls of the housing 21 are formed openings 24 in which are mounted leaf springs 25 whose free ends bear on the approximately vertical sections 15 of each of the claws 10 and 11 in order to maintain their loop 13 in taken on the rail flange as shown in Fig. 2.

The slowing and stopping device shown in Figs. 2 to 4, was designed to be able to be used on sections of tracks whose rails include connecting fishplates. When the device is locked on a rail, its claws must be able to move apart when the device comes to the height of connecting fishplates. To this end, each of the loops 13 of the claws 10 and 11 has in its lower section 16, a part 26 which can be seen clearly in FIGS. 3 and 4 and which deviates from the axis of symmetry of the device.

When the slowdown and stopping device according to the invention is not intended to be used on a track whose rails include fishplates, the claws 11 and 12 may have the shape shown in phantom in FIG. 3. Furthermore, in the case of use of the device without the need to separate the claws 11 and 12, the housing 21 may have solid side walls, without the notches 22 or the springs 25 for holding the claws.

The device which has just been described operates in the following manner.

The mounting of the claws 11 and 12 in the plate as well as their shape are such that when said claws are free, they tend to take, because of their elasticity, positions spaced apart from one another, so to allow passage between them of the flange of the rail R. The device can be grasped by the operator by the rod 22 of connection between the housing -21 and the body 1 which also serves as the handle. The cover then occupies the position shown in phantom in FIG. 3, the claws 10 and 11 are separated because of their natural elasticity. The plate 7 abuts by the front branch of the U8 part against the stop 23, so that it can only partially exit from the housing 21 and does not interfere with the manipulation of the device.

When the device according to the invention is to be placed on a rail, the device is placed so that the plate 7 is supported on the rail, the claws 11 and 12 being in the open position, then the assembly constituted by the body 1, the tongue 2 and the housing 21, so that this assembly comes into contact with the rail R. As a result, the tongue 2 is pressed against the rail, the edges 5 of the sole 4 trap the flange of said rail and the housing 21, by turning around the pin 20 causes the claws 11, 12 to come together, so that the portions 16 of said claws enclose the flange of the rail as shown in FIG. 2. The device is then in place and can ensure its deceleration and stop function.

When a wheel of a machine reaches the device, it first rises on the tongue 2 thereof and then comes to bear against the stopper 3, so that under the effect of the inertia of the machine, the device moves by sliding on the rail, slowing down being obtained by friction of the tongue and of the sole 4 under the effect of the weight supported by the wheel of the machine. Up to now, the operation of the device of the invention has been analogous to that of the prior devices. However, when the device reaches the height of connecting fishplates between two sections of rail designated by the reference E in FIG. 2, the claws 10 and 11 come into contact with the ribs E by their portion of loop 36 in the form of a ramp. As the device is moved in translation relative to the ribs, there is therefore separation of the claws 10 and 11 against the clamping action of the springs 25. When they are spaced apart, the claws 11 and 12 occupy the positions shown in phantom in FIG. 2. We see that this spacing is allowed thanks to the presence of the notches 21a in the housing 21. In the separated position, the lower sections 16 of the loops 13 of each of the claws 11 and 12 bear on the ribs E. When the device continues its translational travel, after passing over the ribs, the springs 25 again apply the claws 11 and 12 on the rail flange, so that the device is again secured relative thereto.

If it is desired to remove the slowing and stopping device, it suffices to lift the assembly constituted by the tongue 2, the body 1 and the housing 21 by the rod 22 forming a handle. During this operation, the housing 21 rotates relative to the plate 7 around the spindle 20 and its side walls release the claws 11 and 12. These, due to their elasticity, deviate from one of the other and therefore no longer trap the flange of the rail R.

It can be seen that the device which has just been described is extremely simple to handle, since its installation and its attachment to a rail are ensured by a single gesture, which simply consists in placing the sole 4 on the rail, the approximation between the claws 11, 12 being produced during the relative movement of the plate 7 inside the housing 21, under the effect of the weight of the assembly. The removal of the device is also ensured by simple pulling on the handle 22 which causes the lifting of the assembly, tongue 2, body 1 and housing 21, which causes the release of the claws 11 and 12, and consequently their spacing under the effect of their elasticity.

It can also be seen that the device according to the invention is produced using very simple parts, requiring no machining operation for their assembly, so that the device has a low cost price.

Claims (7)

1. A slowing down and stopping device for machines rolling on rails, comprising a body (1) for placing on a rail (R) for the purpose of receiving a wheel of a machine to be slowed and stopped and forming an abutment for said wheel, and means for connecting the device to the rail, the connecting means comprising a member (7), resiliently yieldable claws (10, 11) which are mounted on the member and are held in a spread- apart condition in a position of rest, said member (7) being adapted to be applied against the rail (R), and means (21) pivotally connected to the member for moving said claws (10, 11) toward each other for the purpose of closing them round the head of the rail, characterized in that said member bearing the claws (10, 11) is formed of a plate (7) and that said moving means (21) are integral with the body (1) of the device and comprise a case (21) having a generally parallelepipedic shape and fixed to the body (1) of the device by a rod (22) constituting a handle, said plate (7) being pivotally mounted in said case for the purpose of moving said claws (10, 11) toward each other by the action of lateral walls of said case (21).

2. A slowing down and stopping device according to claim 1, characterized in that said resiliently yieldable claws (10, 11) are made from spring steel wire and each comprise two rectilinear sections (12, 18) pivotally mounted on the plate (7) and extending in directions parallel to the axis of the device and interconnected by a loop (13) for gripping the rail (R) under the effect of said moving means (21).

3. A slowing down and stopping device according to claim 2, characterized in that said plate (7) is formed by a U-shaped member (8) having unequal branches and provided with a reinforcing web (9) which is welded to the branches of said U-shaped member, the claws (10, 11) being pivotally mounted in the branches of - said U-shaped member on each side of said web (9).

4. A slowing down and stopping device according to claims 2 and 3, characterized in that the first rectilinear section (12) of each of the claws (10, 11) is engaged in apertures formed in each of the branches of the U-shaped member (8) and the second rectilinear section (18) is engaged in an aperture formed in a single one of the branches of said U-shaped member (8) and offset relative to the aperture formed in the same branch and receiving the first rectilinear section of the claw.

5. A slowing down and stopping device according to one of claims 1 to 4 for placing on a rail provided with rail section-connecting fishplates (E), characterized in that the loops (13) of the claws (10, 11) each comprise a portion (26) in the shape of a ramp which extends away from the axis of the device, and the lateral walls of the case (21) define notches (21 a) which permit the claws. (10, 11) to spread apart when they come into contact with said fishplates (E), and elastically yieldable means (25) for retaining the claws (10, 11) in a position in which they are close from each other when the device is out of contact with said fishplates.

6. A slowing down and stopping device according to claim 5, characterized in that said elastically yieldable means comprise spring strips (25) mounted on the lateral walls of said case (21).

7. A slowing down and stopping device according to anyone of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it comprises a member (23) for limiting the rotation of the plate (7) relative to said case (21) so as to prevent the plate (7) from completely moving out of said case.

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