GB1584952A

GB1584952A - Rail vehicle system

Info

Publication number: GB1584952A
Application number: GB4337879A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: GYRO MINING TANSPORT Ltd
Current assignee: GYRO MINING TANSPORT Ltd
Priority date: 1976-05-04
Filing date: 1977-04-28
Publication date: 1981-02-18

Description

(54) RAIL VEHICLE SYSTEM (71) We, GYRO MINING TRANSPORT LIMITED, a British Company of Hellaby Industrial Estate, Hellaby, Nr. Rotherham, Yorkshire, (formerly of 24 Eastgate, Barnsely, Yorkshire), do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described, in and by the following state ment : - This invention relates to a rail vehicle system.

According to the present invention there is provided a rail vehicle system comprising a pair of spaced apart railway rails, heads of the rails being engaged by a leading pair and a trailing pair of flanged wheels of a rail vehicle, which flanged wheels have an axis of rotation extending laterally with respect to the direction of travel of the vehicle along the railway rails, a beam located adjacent each rail, and at least a portion of the beam being located firstly in a plane which passes through the axes of rotation of the flanged wheels and secondly in such close proximity to the wheels that centres of the latter engage the beam portion at a curve in the railway rails for the purpose of vehicle guidance around the curve.

Thus, in the system according to the present invention, vehicle guidance does not rely solely on the reaction forces conventionally transmitted at a curve through the wheel flanges but in contrast, guidance is principally effected by wheel centre to beam contact at curves in the rails.

The rail vehicle may take the form of a bogie or bogie mounted rail car. Basically, the bogie may comprise a frame and the four flanged wheels. Furthermore, power means may be provided to adjust the position of the axes of rotation of the flanged wheels with respect to the frame.

The rail vehicle may be provided with a trapping wheel located at each side thereof intermediate the leading and trailing wheels.

At least a portion of each trapping wheel is located outboard of the bogie to engage a trapping bar provided at one, or preferably both, sides of the conventional rails e.g. at bends or depressions of a mine floor for instance, to ensure maintenance of contact of the rail wheels with the rails. It is also preferred for each flanged wheel to be carried on an arm pivotally attached at one point to the frame about a suspension axis, and pivotally attached at another point to the power means as described in greater detail in our co-pending Patent Application No. 18084/76 (Serial No. 1,584,951).Furthermore, the vehicle may be provided with at least one brake pad carried by the frame and adapted to engage/disengage a rail upon activation of the power means to cause lowering/raising the frame to bring the one or more pads into engagement/disengagement with the or each rail. Preferably a common power means extends between the arms of each pair of leading and trailing wheels and conveniently one power means is located at each side of the vehicle.Preferably, such power means extends generally horizontally and conveniently is a piston and cylinder unit, preferably hydraulically actuated, with the rod of the piston pivotally attached to one arm and cylinder of the unit pivotally attached to the other arm, the position of the piston within the cylinder determining the degree of rotation of the arms about their suspension axes and hence the suspended position of the frame with respect to the railway rails. Thus extension of the piston and cylinder unit can be arranged to rotate the arms about the suspension axes so as to raise the frame with respect to the rails with retraction of the piston and cylinder lowering the frame.

In addition to providing a parking and/or emergency brake, the vehicle may also incorporate service brakes.

Also, in the above described rail vehicle system, the vehicle has been displaceable by a locomotive. However, another preferred feature is to make the vehicle a drive vehicle by incorporating drive means within the vehicle to propel the latter along the rails.

The drive means may take the form of a conventional rotary electric motor or a hydraulic motor connected to some or all the rail wheels of the vehicle, or a linear motor.

One or both the bogies of a rail car may be drive bogies. Power for the motor may be by providing the rail vehicle, or one rail vehicle of a train, with a diesel electric generating set, the latter driving electric motors, hydraulic pumps etc., as required. The invention will now be further described by way of examples, with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a detailed sectional view through a rail vehicle system in accordance with the present invention.

In the drawing, a bogie I, comprises a frame 2 and, at each side of the bogie, leading and trailing wheels 3, each wheel having a flange 4 and a frusto-conical rail engaging periphery 5. A pair of flat bdttoni rails" 6 6 (one only shows) with a head 7 are mounted on sleepers 8 to provide a conventional rail track. 'E'ach wheel 3 has an axis of rota- tion 9 extending laterally with respect to the direction of travel of the bogie along the rails 6, and each is mounted on a support arm pivotaIly,attached about a suspension axis to the frame 2, as described in greater detail in our co-pending Patent Application No.

18084/76. (Serial No. 1,584,951). The support arms at each side of the bogie are pivotally connected about axes to a common power means constituted by a hydraulic piston and cylinder unit 13, operation of which displaces the support arms about their suspension axes and hence displaces the wheel rotation axes 9 with respect to the bogie 1. At each side of the frame 2 and between the leading and trailing wheels 3, is carried a brake pad 21 with a lining 22 of friction 'material, the lining 22 being engageable with - the rail head 7 to act as a track brake for parking or emergency purposes, upon exhaustion of fluid from the track brake and suspension hydraulic unit 13.

From the frame 2 of the bogie 1 is suspended on four arms 25, a motor unit 26 of a linear motor, a reaction plate 27 being located between the rails 6 on the sleepers 8. Power for the windings of the motor unit 26 is provided for instance, by a dieselelectric generating ser carried by a rail vehicle (not shown) mounted on bogies 1, or one of the vehicles of a train. Intermediate the leading and trailing wheels 3 at each side of the bogie is a trapping wheel 28 rotatable about a vertical axis. One bogie 1 would be located towards each end of a rail car in conventional manner, and the rail vehicle system according to the invention is completed by the provision of elements 29-32.

The periphery of each trapping wheel 28 is located outboard of the bogie 1 and en-.

gages a channel section trapping bar 29 supported from an arm 30 carried by sleepers 8A interposed between sleepers 8. Trapping bar 29 has an upper 'flange 31 located along the axis of rotation 9 of the wheels 3 and adapted to engage wheel caps 32 e.g. at curves in the rail 6, to assist in guiding the bogie 1 around the curve. This system en ables tighter curves to be safely negotiated, c.g. as are often encounterd in mine rail systems than would be possible if one were to rely solely on bogie guidance in the con ventional manner by the flanges 4.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A rail vehicle system comprising a pair of spaced apart railway rails, heads of the rails being engaged by a leading pair and a trailing pair of flanged wheels of a rail vehicle, which flanged wheels have an axis of rotation extending laterally, with respect to the direction of travel of the vehicle along the railway rails, a beam located adjacent each rail, and at least a portion of the beam being located firstly in a plane which passes through the axes of rotation of the flanged wheels and secondly in such close proximity to the wheels that centres of the latter engage the beam portion at a curve in the railway rails for the purpose of vehicle guidance around the curve.

2. A rail vehicle system as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the rail vehicle is a bogie.

3. A rail vehicle system as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the rail vehicle is a bogie mounted rail car.

4. A rail vehicle system as claimed in Claim 2 or. Claim 3, wherein the bogie com prises a frame and four flanged wheels.

5. A rail vehicle system as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the power means is pro vided to adjust the position of the axes of rotation of the flanged wheels with respect to withe frame.

6. A rail vehicle system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the rail vehicle is provided with a trapping wheel located at each side thereof intermediate the leading and trailing wheels to engage a trapping bar provided at one or both sides of the conven tional rails.

7. A rail vehicle system as claimed in Claim 4, wherein at least a portion of each trapping wheel is located outboard of the bogie.

8. A rail vehicle system as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein each flanged wheel is carried on an arm pivotally at tached at one point to the frame' about a suspension axis, and pivotally attached at another point to the power means.

9. A rail vehicle system as claimed in Claim S and any Claim appendant thereto, wherein the vehicle is provided with at least one brake pad carried by the frame and adapted to engage/disengage a rail upon activation of the power means to cause lowering/raising the frame to bring the one or more pads into engagement/disengage ment with the or each rail.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **.

One or both the bogies of a rail car may be drive bogies. Power for the motor may be by providing the rail vehicle, or one rail vehicle of a train, with a diesel electric generating set, the latter driving electric motors, hydraulic pumps etc., as required. The invention will now be further described by way of examples, with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a detailed sectional view through a rail vehicle system in accordance with the present invention.

In the drawing, a bogie I, comprises a frame 2 and, at each side of the bogie, leading and trailing wheels 3, each wheel having a flange 4 and a frusto-conical rail engaging periphery 5. A pair of flat bdttoni rails" 6 6 (one only shows) with a head 7 are mounted on sleepers 8 to provide a conventional rail track. 'E'ach wheel 3 has an axis of rota- tion 9 extending laterally with respect to the direction of travel of the bogie along the rails 6, and each is mounted on a support arm pivotaIly,attached about a suspension axis to the frame 2, as described in greater detail in our co-pending Patent Application No.

18084/76. (Serial No. 1,584,951). The support arms at each side of the bogie are pivotally connected about axes to a common power means constituted by a hydraulic piston and cylinder unit 13, operation of which displaces the support arms about their suspension axes and hence displaces the wheel rotation axes 9 with respect to the bogie 1. At each side of the frame 2 and between the leading and trailing wheels 3, is carried a brake pad 21 with a lining 22 of friction 'material, the lining 22 being engageable with - the rail head 7 to act as a track brake for parking or emergency purposes, upon exhaustion of fluid from the track brake and suspension hydraulic unit 13.

From the frame 2 of the bogie 1 is suspended on four arms 25, a motor unit 26 of a linear motor, a reaction plate 27 being located between the rails 6 on the sleepers 8. Power for the windings of the motor unit 26 is provided for instance, by a dieselelectric generating ser carried by a rail vehicle (not shown) mounted on bogies 1, or one of the vehicles of a train. Intermediate the leading and trailing wheels 3 at each side of the bogie is a trapping wheel 28 rotatable about a vertical axis. One bogie 1 would be located towards each end of a rail car in conventional manner, and the rail vehicle system according to the invention is completed by the provision of elements 29-32.

The periphery of each trapping wheel 28 is located outboard of the bogie 1 and en-.

gages a channel section trapping bar 29 supported from an arm 30 carried by sleepers 8A interposed between sleepers 8. Trapping bar 29 has an upper 'flange 31 located along the axis of rotation 9 of the wheels 3 and adapted to engage wheel caps 32 e.g. at curves in the rail 6, to assist in guiding the bogie 1 around the curve. This system en ables tighter curves to be safely negotiated, c.g. as are often encounterd in mine rail systems than would be possible if one were to rely solely on bogie guidance in the con ventional manner by the flanges 4.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A rail vehicle system comprising a pair of spaced apart railway rails, heads of the rails being engaged by a leading pair and a trailing pair of flanged wheels of a rail vehicle, which flanged wheels have an axis of rotation extending laterally, with respect to the direction of travel of the vehicle along the railway rails, a beam located adjacent each rail, and at least a portion of the beam being located firstly in a plane which passes through the axes of rotation of the flanged wheels and secondly in such close proximity to the wheels that centres of the latter engage the beam portion at a curve in the railway rails for the purpose of vehicle guidance around the curve.
2. A rail vehicle system as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the rail vehicle is a bogie.
3. A rail vehicle system as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the rail vehicle is a bogie mounted rail car.
4. A rail vehicle system as claimed in Claim 2 or. Claim 3, wherein the bogie com prises a frame and four flanged wheels.
5. A rail vehicle system as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the power means is pro vided to adjust the position of the axes of rotation of the flanged wheels with respect to withe frame.
6. A rail vehicle system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the rail vehicle is provided with a trapping wheel located at each side thereof intermediate the leading and trailing wheels to engage a trapping bar provided at one or both sides of the conven tional rails.
7. A rail vehicle system as claimed in Claim 4, wherein at least a portion of each trapping wheel is located outboard of the bogie.
8. A rail vehicle system as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein each flanged wheel is carried on an arm pivotally at tached at one point to the frame' about a suspension axis, and pivotally attached at another point to the power means.
9. A rail vehicle system as claimed in Claim S and any Claim appendant thereto, wherein the vehicle is provided with at least one brake pad carried by the frame and adapted to engage/disengage a rail upon activation of the power means to cause lowering/raising the frame to bring the one or more pads into engagement/disengage ment with the or each rail.
10. A rail vehicle system as claimed in

Claim 8, when appendant to Claim 5, where in a common power means extends between the arms of each pair of leading and trailing wheels.
11. A rail vehicle system as claimed in Claim 10, wherein one power means is located at each side of the vehicle.
12. A rail vehicle system as claimed in Claim 11, wherein such power means extends generally horizontally.
13. A rail vehicle system as claimed in Claim 11 or Claim 12, wherein such power means is hydraulically actuated.
14. A rail vehicle system as claimed in Claim 13, when appendant to Claim 8, wherein the rod of the piston is pivotally attached to one arm and cylinder of the unit is pivotally attached to the other arm.
15. A rail vehicle system as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the vehicle incorporates service brakes.
16. A rail vehicle system as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the vehicle incorporates drive means to propel the vehicle along the rails.
17. A rail vehicle system as claimed in Claim 16, wherein the drive means takes the form of a conventional electric motor.
18. A rail vehicle system as claimed in Claim 16, wherein the drive means takes the form of a hydraulic motor connected to some or all the rail wheels.
19. A rail vehicle system as claimed in Claim 16, wherein the drive means takes the form of a linear motor.
20. A rail vehicle system as claimed in any of Claims 16-19 when appendant to Claim 3, wherein one or both the bogies of a rail car are drive bogies.
21. A rail vehicle system as claimed in any one of Claims 16-20, wherein the vehicle, or one vehicle of a train, is provided with a diesel electric generating set.