EP0431092B1 - Process for continuous welding of track sections, and set of wagons especially equipped for its implementation - Google Patents

Abstract

A process for the continuous welding of railway track sections (3) during installation, in which a set of wagons, especially equipped for the purpose (5-5'), and made up of one or more wagons (5, 5') with an extra-low load plane, is introduced into the line of operation, between the wagons (1) carrying the new track sections (3) and the new cross beams (2) and the operating machine installing said beams and sections. The operations aligning, levelling and butting successive track sections (3) take place on said set of wagons (5-5'), as does the welding of said sections, which involves the movement of welding machines (15-17) on a trolley (8) along the set of wagons (5-5'). The welding operations are carried out during a run of the trolley (8) along with the welding machines (15-17) in the opposite direction to that of the advancing line of operation. This welding run is then compensated by a return run of the trolley (8) and welding machines (15-17) in the same direction as the line of operation. In this way, all the welding takes place on the operation line itself, installation being carried out by the corresponding operating machine on tracks which are now continuous.

Description

TECHNICAL AREA

The subject of the present invention is a process for the continuous welding of sections of railway rail during laying, and a train specially equipped for the implementation of this process.

PRIOR ART

According to the conventional way of laying the railway rails, sections of rail, generally coming from the manufacturing plant in lengths of 36 meters, are welded one end of the other until forming sections of 144 meters, which are transported to the installation site. Here, after having been brought into position by means of an operator train, the sections are welded one at the end of the other until forming permanent lengths of 288 meters, 432 meters, or other fixed length. Welding is carried out by an electrical spark process, or by an aluminothermic process, on the rails already laid. The sections of rail to be laid were traditionally placed on the ground next to the railway line, but it is already known by improvements previously carried by the same applicant to load sections to the length of 144 meters on special wagons, on which the sleepers are also loaded, and which are equipped with guides for a gantry crane, which is used to transport the sleepers to be laid and, possibly, the old carried sleepers. The rails are loaded in a position below the sleeper load, and either the rails or the sleepers are fed to a special machine that is part of the operator train, which provides for the laying of new sleepers and rails, if applicable take the old sleepers and rails to be replaced, and possibly also to perform other operations. However, the welding operation of the rail sections already laid in operation must be carried out by means of a spark welding machine installed on a special railway vehicle which works after the operator train, and such a machine is expensive and requires staff. . In addition, non-simple operations, special equipment and the corresponding specialized manpower are necessary to align and level the ends of the rails to be welded and to maintain the ends of the rails being laid pushed against the ends of the rail sections. already laid. It is necessary, moreover, to temporarily disassemble the crosspieces (and then to mount again) a number of support plates, as well as the corresponding fixing pins, which are located in the region in which the head of the work is to work. the welding machine.

Document FR-A-1,571,796 discloses a process for the continuous welding of rail sections of rail during installation, comprising the operations of inserting into an operator train comprising wagons which carry new rail sections and new sleepers, and an operating machine which places them, between said wagons and said operating machine, a specially equipped train, and performing on this equipped train the operations of alignment, leveling and abutment of successive sections of rail, and their welding, so that the whole cycle of operations relating to welding is carried out on the operator train itself and the laying is carried out by the operating machine on rails which are now continuous. It is quite obvious however that, during the time necessary for the welding of the rails, these must be stationary with respect to the welding equipment installed on a train, and therefore this train, and therefore the entire operator train, must be stopped during welding times. This involves a loss of time and above all disturbs the regularity of the other operations carried out by the train operator.

STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to make the process by which the rail sections being laid are welded to the already installed rail sections more rational, inter alia by avoiding any need to stop the train operator.

To this end, the method according to the invention is characterized in that said welding operation is carried out by means of welding machines moving along said equipped train, the operations of welding being carried out during a relative stroke of the welding machines with respect to the train, in the direction opposite to the direction of advancement of the operator train, and said welding stroke being then compensated by a return stroke of the welding machines with respect to the equipped train, in the same direction of the advancement of the operator train.

In consideration of this way of proceeding, all the preparation work and any alignment, leveling, abutment and welding operation, successive to the installation of the rails, are avoided, and all the operations take place on board. of the train operator, and therefore with the help of all appropriate equipment to make these operations easier, fair and protected. In particular, it is no longer necessary to use a welding machine installed on a special railway vehicle which works following the operator train, thus avoiding the high cost price of such a machine and the manpower necessary for its operation, as well as said disassembly and reassembly operations of a number of support plates and fixing pins in the welding region.

The equipped train intended to allow the implementation of the process according to the invention comprises one or more wagons with a lowered load plane, which carry welding machines capable of carrying out mutual welding of the ends put into contact with the rail sections.

According to the invention, said equipped train comprises: first lateral guides for the passage of a gantry crane for the transport of sleepers; second guides, having a narrower spacing from that of said first guides; and a self-propelled carriage moving on said second guides and carrying the welding machines.

In particular, said welding machines may each comprise a welding head and a generator group for its supply. The carriage can be provided with telescopic arms with gripping jaws for carrying out the gripping and abutment operations, and optionally for first alignment and approximate leveling of the successive sections of rail to be welded. Hydraulic jaws can be provided to automatically carry out the final alignment and leveling of the sections of rail to be welded.

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

• Fig. 1 et 2, à considérer comme l'une constituant la prosécution de l'autre, montrent à une échelle extrèmement réduite et d'une façon extrèmement schématique une partie d'un train opérateur comprenant, avec des composants connus, la rame équipée suivant l'invention;
• Fig. 3 montre en vue latérale la partie antérieure d'une rame équipée suivant l'invention, accrochée à la suite d'un wagon pour le transport de rails et de traverses, faisant partie d'un train opérateur;
• Fig. 4, qui doit être considérée comme la suite de la figure 3, montre de façon similaire la partie postérieure du premier wagon de la rame équipée suivant l'invention, articulé avec un second wagon qui lui fait suite, aussi faisant partie de la rame équipée; et
• Figs. 5 et 6, à considérer comme l'une constituant la prosécution de l'autre, montrent en plan les mêmes parties du train opérateur représentées respectivement dans les figures 3 et 4.

The characteristics indicated and others, and the advantages of the objects of the present invention, will emerge more clearly from the following description of a preferred embodiment, however having the character of a nonlimiting example, of a part of an operator train fitted according to the invention, schematically represented in the accompanying drawings, in which:

• Fig. 1 and 2, to be considered as one constituting the prosecution of the other, show on an extremely reduced scale and in an extremely schematic manner a part of an operator train comprising, with known components, the train fitted according to the 'invention;
• Fig. 3 shows in side view the front part of a train fitted according to the invention, attached following a wagon for transporting rails and sleepers, forming part of an operator train;
• Fig. 4, which should be considered as the continuation of FIG. 3, similarly shows the rear part of the first wagon of the train fitted according to the invention, articulated with a second wagon which follows it, also forming part of the train fitted ; and
• Figs. 5 and 6, to be considered as one constituting the prosecution of the other, show in plan the same parts of the operator train represented respectively in FIGS. 3 and 4.

PREFERRED WAY OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The operator train shown diagrammatically in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a wagon 1 (known) carrying the materials to be placed and on which, in the configuration shown, is a gantry crane 20 (also known), an equipped train (according to invention), composed in this case by two wagons 5 and 5 ', and an operating machine 21 (known) which carries the old rails 0 on which the wagons 1, 5, 5' and the front part of the same operating machine 21, which installs the new welded rails 3, and which performs any other planned operation, such as for example the removal of the old sleepers on which the old rails 0 were laid, and the laying of new sleepers on which are installed the new rails 3.

Referring first to Figures 3 and 5, the number 1 designates said wagon, in itself known, rolling on the rails 0 to be renewed, carrying the materials to be laid, that is to say new sleepers 2 and sections of rail 3. The same wagon 1 in another region, or else other wagons (not shown) placed in front of it, can also receive the old materials taken away, if an operation to take away the old materials is also carried out by the train operator. The wagon 1 is provided laterally, in a known manner, with guides 4 intended to be traversed by the gantry crane 20 (known per se and shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1). The crane 20 periodically transports the new sleepers to be laid from the wagon 1 to the operating machine 21 (shown diagrammatically in FIG. 2) located further back in the operator train. Where appropriate, the same crane 20 also carries the old sleepers carried by the operating machine 21 to wagon 1.

In application of the invention, on wagon 1 is hung an equipped train comprising a first wagon 5 in the lowered plane, rolling by bogies 6 on rails 0. Another identical wagon 5 '(Figures 4 and 6) supported on bogies 6 ′, or also several other identical wagons (not shown), may follow wagon 5 when the length thereof is not sufficient to authorize the operating strokes necessary for the effects of the invention. The wagon 5 is provided with first lateral guides 4, identical and corresponding to the guides 4 of the wagon 1, to allow the rolling of the gantry crane 20 already mentioned. On the wagon 5 are also installed second guides 7, the spacing of which is narrower than that of the first guides 4, and which preferably are located below the first guides 4. In the case where several wagons 5, 5 'and so on are provided for constitute the equipped train, one must ensure between them the continuity of the second guides 7, and moreover one must ensure, either between them, or with respect to the preceding and following wagons in the operator train, the continuity of the first guides 4.

On the guides 7 of the equipped train is mounted, rolling by means of groups of wheels 9, a carriage (preferably self-propelled) 8. Near the front end of the carriage 8 is installed an operating station 10, in which an operator single can control all operations directly or indirectly related to the welding of rail sections. On the carriage 8 are mounted and articulated two arms 11, telescopically extendable and hydraulically actuated, which end in jaws 12 and which can be oriented in height by means of hydraulic cylinders 13 and laterally by means of hydraulic cylinders 14.

On the carriage 8 are also mounted two welding heads 15, each of which is preceded and followed by hydraulic jaws 16 arranged to align and level sections of rail. Preferably, guides 17 ′ are also provided, converging towards the anterior jaws 16, to facilitate the introduction of the rail sections 3 into said jaws. In consideration of the advisability of installing the electrical power supply generators for the welding heads 15 as close as possible to them, it is preferable that the carriage 8 still carries two generator sets 17 to provide this supply, although these generators could also, if necessary, find a different arrangement in the operator train. Finally, any other suitable service device can be installed on the carriage 8.

Preferably, the entire equipped train is covered by a canopy 18 and is laterally protected by a net 19 (these parts being partially carried away in the figures in order to show the interior components of the train), so that all operations are carried out sheltered from atmospheric agents and that operators are also protected from trains which may possibly roll on lines located next to the working line.

The operation of the apparatus described, which carries out the method according to the invention, is as follows.

It is assumed that the carriage 8 is in the position shown, that is to say moved towards the anterior end of the first wagon 5 of the equipped train, and that a couple of rail sections already welded in advance of the rail sections during installation slides relative to wagon 5. This sliding of the rails relative to the train is due, in fact, to the fact that the operator train, and with it the train equipped with wagon 5, rolls on the rails 0, while the rail sections 3 mentioned, being already welded to the sections in the process of being laid and to the sections already laid, remain stationary with respect to the ground and, consequently, move backwards with respect to the train.

The operator, in the operating station 10, actuates the telescopic arms 11 so as to grasp by the jaws 12 a couple of the rail sections 3 loaded on the wagon 1, and he moves them so that they abut, and then remain butted, against the butt ends of rail sections already welded, during installation. This maneuver can preferably be carried out in a single phase, if it is done so that the length of the operating field of the telescopic arms 11 and the arrangement of the rail sections 3 allow it; otherwise, in any case, the maneuver can be carried out by several phases of extension and withdrawal of the telescopic arms 11. The guides 17 ′ facilitate the direction of the new rail sections 3 towards the anterior jaws 16. By means of appropriate markers, this operation is continued until the regions of separation between the ends of the rail sections 3 thus joined are in correspondence with the welding heads 15.

At this point the hydraulic jaws 16 are clamped and they provide for leveling and aligning exactly the butted rail sections. At the same time, these jaws temporarily secure the carriage 8 to the sections of rail welded during installation. The welding heads 15 can then be brought into the working position and put into operation for produce a spark between the ends of the sections of rail 3, which face each other, thus producing their fusion and their welding. This involves a displacement of the regions of conjunction, and therefore during this operation it is necessary to loosen the anterior hydraulic jaws 16, so as to allow an appropriate advancement of the sections of rail which they clamped. For their part, the jaws 12 of the telescopic arms can also be loosened, and the arms 11 can be released, being temporarily no longer necessary for their operation.

Because by clamping the jaws 16 and by putting the welding heads 15 into operation, these parts and the carriage 8 which carries them have become integral with the sections of rail already welded and being laid, they follow the movement thereof by compared to the fitted train, and therefore the entire carriage 8 moves towards the rear end of the operator train. This behavior continues until the welding in progress in the welding heads 15 is completed and the molten material has solidified; the time required for these operations can be, for example and typically, approximately 180 minutes seconds. After the necessary time, the welding heads 15 can be deactivated and the rear jaws 16 can be loosened.

Following these latter operations, the carriage 8 stops its withdrawal movement relative to the equipped train, and it can be moved again forward to reach its advanced starting position, shown in the drawings. This return movement of the carriage 8 can be carried out by any preferred means, but it is advantageous that, for this purpose, the carriage 8 is self-propelled. When the carriage 8 has returned to its starting position, the cycle described may start again from the start to weld two new sections of rail 3.

The extent of movement of the carriage 8 relative to the equipped train depends on various factors, such as the speed of advancement of the operator train, the welding and cooling times and so on. If this extent of displacement can be kept within the limits of the length allowed for a wagon 5 only, the equipped train may be constituted by this only wagon 5. However in certain cases it is necessary, or at least it is appropriate, to make use of several wagons 5, 5 'and so on, which follow one another in the train operator to constitute the train equipped. Alternatively, it is possible to accept slowing down or temporarily stopping the operator train during the execution of the welds.

Of course, when the welds have been carried out, the weld regions are still machined in a well-known manner, by removing the repressed metal by tools and then by grinding and correcting the profile of the rail head. These operations can be carried out by apparatus (not shown) arranged in appropriate positions on the equipped train, before routing the rails to the laying members of the laying machine 21.

The action of the hydraulic jaws 16 makes it possible to automatically level and align the rail sections, thus achieving in a reduced time more perfect results than those usually obtained on the rails in operation after relatively operations. long and difficult. The execution of the welds in the welding heads 15 provided for this purpose can take place under conditions and by methods more perfect than those which can be applied to the rails laid in use. The method according to the present invention can advantageously be combined with a thermal regulation method, and in this case the installed rails can be fixed to the sleepers immediately after the passage of the operator train, because there is no longer required any intervention on these rails. Although the welding equipment installed on the carriage 8 may be more advanced than that usually used, their cost price is nevertheless much lower than that of a spark welding machine installed on a special railway vehicle for working on already existing rails. posed. Finally, the use of labor is drastically reduced.

Due to the use of the method according to the invention and its implementation by means of the equipped train, which also constitutes an object of the invention, it is therefore possible to simplify, organize better and make more economical the operations of laying welded rails, reducing the costs of equipment and labor and ensuring the obtaining of technically more perfect results.

The provision of the carriage 8 carrying the welding machines authorizes the execution of all the operations relating to welding without slowing down or stopping the train operator, or at least by limiting the slowing downs and the stopping periods.

Although the invention has been described with reference to a specific embodiment, the various modifications indicated and others, and any replacement of technically equivalent Aryans, can be brought within the scope of the claims.

POSSIBILITIES OF INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION

The invention can be applied in general in all industrial operations for the production or / and renewal of railway tracks which involve the laying of rail sections intended to be welded to the rail sections already laid previously.

Claims (11)

1. A process for the continuous welding of railroad rail sections during the laying down thereof, including the operations of inserting into an operating train comprising trucks (1) which carry new rail sections (3) and new ties (2), and an operating machine (2) which performs the laying down thereof, between said trucks (1) and said operating machine (21), a particularly equipped train set (5-5'), and to perform on this equipped train set (5-5') the operations for arranging to line, to level and to abutment the subsequent rail sections (3), as well as their welding, whereby the whole cycle of operations having reference to the welding is accomplished on board of the operating train itself, and the laying down is done by the operating machine (21) on already continuous rails,
      characterized in that said welding operation is done by means of welding machines (15-17) which are movable along the equipped train set (5-5'), the welding operation being performed during a stroke of the welding machines with respect to the train set in a direction opposite the forward direction of the operating train, and said welding stroke being subsequently compensated by a return stroke of the welding machines with respect to the equipped train set, in the same direction as the forward direction of the operating train, whereby there is no need for interrupting the advancement of the train during the welding operation.
2. A process as set forth in Claim 1, characterized in that it includes using means (11-14) for seizing and displacing the new rail sections (3) to be welded, for their transfer from the truck (1) which carries them to the equipped train set (5-5'), and for abutting them against the already welded rail sections.
3. A process as set forth in Claim 1, characterized in that it includes using hydraulic jaws (16) arranged for automatically putting to line and level the rail sections (3) before activating the welding machines (15-17).
4. A process as set forth in Claim 1, characterized in that it includes performing on board of the equipped train set (5-5'), before forwarding to the laying down, all mechanical operations needed by the regions of the rail sections (3) whereon the weldings have been performed.
5. An equipped train set intended to carry out a process as set forth in Claim 1, comprising one or more tracks (5,5') each having a lowered load platform, and welding machines (15-17) mounted onto said trucks (5,5'), suitable for mutually welding the abutting ends of the rail sections, characterized in that it comprises: first side guides (4) for the travel of a portal crane (20) intended for transporting ties (2); second side guides (7), having a gauge smaller than that of said first guides (4); and a trolley (8) which travels on said second guides (7) and carries said welding machines (15-17).
6. An equipped train set as set forth in Claim 6, characterized in that said trolley (8) is self propelling.
7. An equipped train set as set forth in Claim 6, characterized in that each said welding machine (15-17) comprises a welding head (15) and a current generator group (17) for feeding the same.
8. An equipped train set as set forth in Claim 6, characterized in that it includes telescopic arms (11), said telescopic arms having grasping jaws (12) in order to effect the operations for seizing, abutting and, in case, approximately putting to line and level the subsequent rail sections (3) to be welded.
9. An equipped train set as set forth in Claim 5, characterized in that it comprises hydraulic jaws (16) located in front and at rear said welding machines (15), arranged for automatically carrying out the final operation for putting to line and level the rail sections (3) to be welded.
10. An equipped train set as set forth in Claim 9, wherein said welding machines are mounted onto a movable trolley (8), characterized in that at least a part of said hydraulic jaws (16) also has the task of rendering said trolley (8) solid with the already welded rail sections (3) to be laid down.
11. An equipped train set as set forth in Claim 5, characterized in that it is provided with a roofing (18) for covering and protecting the equipment and the operators, and with a side net (19) for protection with respect to the railroad lines located sidewise.

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