GB2055724A

GB2055724A - Rail vehicle system

Info

Publication number: GB2055724A
Application number: GB8025467A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Gyro Mining Transport Ltd
Current assignee: Gyro Mining Transport Ltd
Priority date: 1979-08-15
Filing date: 1980-08-05
Publication date: 1981-03-11

Abstract

A rail vehicle system with a conventional adhesion drive through steel wheels or tyres 7 onto the heads of steel rails 1, comprises at least two coupled rail vehicles 5, 8, one of the vehicles 5 having at least two steel, drivable wheels 7 and the other vehicle 8 having non- drivable wheels 10. At least one weight transfer device 16 is connected between the two vehicles 5, 8 whereby when an incline is encountered such that the drivable wheels 7 might have difficulty in maintaining adhesion a proportion of the weight of the vehicle 8 with non-drivable wheels 10 can be transferred to the vehicle 5 with drivable wheels 7. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Rail vehicle system This invention relates to a rail vehicle system, particularly through not exclusively for use in mines.

With the gradients usually encountered in mine roadways, conventional adhesion drives through steel wheels or tyres on to the heads of steel rails need to be supplemented, and one known system is to employ a rack and pinion arrangement at a gradient. This necessarily involves the provision of additional equipment, viz. a rack and a drivable pinion, the rack usually being located between the conventional rails with means to ensure toothed engagement of the pinion with the rack and to switch the power, e.g., from a diesel engine, from the steel wheels to the pinion when a gradient is encountered.One known measure to avoid rack and pinion systems totally is to replace the steel wheels with rubber wheels, but these have a considerably reduced service life compared with steel wheels, while a further measure is to operate on a squeezed adhesion principle with a pair of drive wheels squeezed on to opposite sides of a rail throughout the rail system.

According to the present invention, a rail vehicle system with a conventional adhesion drive through steel wheels or tyres on to the heads of steel rails comprises at least two coupled rail vehicles, one of the vehicles having at least two steel, drivable wheels and the other vehicle having non-drivable wheels, with at least one weight transfer device connected between the two vehicles, whereby a proportion of the weight of the vehicle with nondrivable wheels is transferred to the vehicles with drivable wheels.

Thus, when the weight transfer device is in operation, which may be all the time, or which may be only when a gradient is encountered, a greater tractive effect is available at the drivable wheels, whereby certain gradients may be successfully negotiated that would otherwise require the installation of a rack and pinion system. It follows of course that even when employing the weight transfer device in accordance with the present invention, there is a limit to the gradient that can be climbed.

The vehicles may be cars for manriding or load transporting purposes. Alternatively the vehicle with drivable wheels may be a locomotive.

Preferably, the weight transfer device is in the form of one or more piston and cylinder units. Such unit(s) may be powered from a pump(s) adapted to supply pressure fluid to hydraulic motors of the drivable wheels. The pump(s) may be driven by a diesel engine or by electric batteries. In detail, a rail vehicle system may incorporate three rail vehicles, with the central vehicle incorporating a power pack (e.g., a diesel engine, a hydraulic pump and hydraulic motors) and being mounted at each end of bogies, the latter each having at least two driven wheels, with the two other rail vehicles extending one from each side of the central vehicle and supported at one end by the central vehicle, and at the other end by a bogie.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a schematic side elevation of a rail vehicle system in accordance with the present invention.

In the drawing, the rail vehicle system comprises a pair of spaced apart steel rails 1 (only one visible) secured to sleepers (not shown) mounted on a floor 2 of a mine roadway 3.

The system comprises a self-propelled train 4 comprising three vehicles, these being a central locomotive 5 with a bogie 6 at each end thereof, each bogie comprising two pairs of drivable flanged, steel wheels 7, by which the locomotive 5 is mounted on the rails 1, at least one pair of the wheels 7 being driven e.g. hydrostatically. The locomotive 5 incorporates a power pack, not shown but including a diesel engine, a hydraulic pump and at least one hydraulic motor. To one end of the locomotive 5 is coupled a manriding car 8 having one bogie 9 with two pairs of non-driven flanged wheels 10 mounted on the rails 1. To the other end of the locomotive 5 is coupled a materials car 11 having one bogie 1 2 with two pairs of non-driven flanged wheels 1 3 mounted on the rails 1.To the locomotive 5 is secured a mounting bracket 14 carrying a pivot 1 5 for one end of a hydraulic piston and cylinder unit 16, the other end thereof being attached to a pivot carried by a similar mounting bracket 1 7 secured to the manriding car 8. A similar bracket and piston and cylinder unit are provided between the locomotive 5 and the materials car 11.

In use, when an incline is encountered such that the drivable wheels 7 might have difficulty in maintaining adhesion, the piston and cylinder units 1 6 are operated, whereby a proportion of the weight of the manriding car 8 and of the materials car 11 is transferred to the locomotive 5.

1. A rail vehicle system with a conventional adhesion drive through steel wheels or tyres on to the heads of steel rails comprising at least two coupled rail vehicles, one of the vehicles having at least two steel, drivable wheels and the other vehicle having nondrivable wheels, with at least one weight transfer device connected between the two vehicles, whereby a proportion of the weight of the vehicle with non-drivable wheels is transferred to the vehicles with drivable wheels.

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

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Rail vehicle system This invention relates to a rail vehicle system, particularly through not exclusively for use in mines. With the gradients usually encountered in mine roadways, conventional adhesion drives through steel wheels or tyres on to the heads of steel rails need to be supplemented, and one known system is to employ a rack and pinion arrangement at a gradient. This necessarily involves the provision of additional equipment, viz. a rack and a drivable pinion, the rack usually being located between the conventional rails with means to ensure toothed engagement of the pinion with the rack and to switch the power, e.g., from a diesel engine, from the steel wheels to the pinion when a gradient is encountered.One known measure to avoid rack and pinion systems totally is to replace the steel wheels with rubber wheels, but these have a considerably reduced service life compared with steel wheels, while a further measure is to operate on a squeezed adhesion principle with a pair of drive wheels squeezed on to opposite sides of a rail throughout the rail system. According to the present invention, a rail vehicle system with a conventional adhesion drive through steel wheels or tyres on to the heads of steel rails comprises at least two coupled rail vehicles, one of the vehicles having at least two steel, drivable wheels and the other vehicle having non-drivable wheels, with at least one weight transfer device connected between the two vehicles, whereby a proportion of the weight of the vehicle with nondrivable wheels is transferred to the vehicles with drivable wheels. Thus, when the weight transfer device is in operation, which may be all the time, or which may be only when a gradient is encountered, a greater tractive effect is available at the drivable wheels, whereby certain gradients may be successfully negotiated that would otherwise require the installation of a rack and pinion system. It follows of course that even when employing the weight transfer device in accordance with the present invention, there is a limit to the gradient that can be climbed. The vehicles may be cars for manriding or load transporting purposes. Alternatively the vehicle with drivable wheels may be a locomotive. Preferably, the weight transfer device is in the form of one or more piston and cylinder units. Such unit(s) may be powered from a pump(s) adapted to supply pressure fluid to hydraulic motors of the drivable wheels. The pump(s) may be driven by a diesel engine or by electric batteries. In detail, a rail vehicle system may incorporate three rail vehicles, with the central vehicle incorporating a power pack (e.g., a diesel engine, a hydraulic pump and hydraulic motors) and being mounted at each end of bogies, the latter each having at least two driven wheels, with the two other rail vehicles extending one from each side of the central vehicle and supported at one end by the central vehicle, and at the other end by a bogie. The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a schematic side elevation of a rail vehicle system in accordance with the present invention. In the drawing, the rail vehicle system comprises a pair of spaced apart steel rails 1 (only one visible) secured to sleepers (not shown) mounted on a floor 2 of a mine roadway 3. The system comprises a self-propelled train 4 comprising three vehicles, these being a central locomotive 5 with a bogie 6 at each end thereof, each bogie comprising two pairs of drivable flanged, steel wheels 7, by which the locomotive 5 is mounted on the rails 1, at least one pair of the wheels 7 being driven e.g. hydrostatically. The locomotive 5 incorporates a power pack, not shown but including a diesel engine, a hydraulic pump and at least one hydraulic motor. To one end of the locomotive 5 is coupled a manriding car 8 having one bogie 9 with two pairs of non-driven flanged wheels 10 mounted on the rails 1. To the other end of the locomotive 5 is coupled a materials car 11 having one bogie 1 2 with two pairs of non-driven flanged wheels 1 3 mounted on the rails 1.To the locomotive 5 is secured a mounting bracket 14 carrying a pivot 1 5 for one end of a hydraulic piston and cylinder unit 16, the other end thereof being attached to a pivot carried by a similar mounting bracket 1 7 secured to the manriding car 8. A similar bracket and piston and cylinder unit are provided between the locomotive 5 and the materials car 11. In use, when an incline is encountered such that the drivable wheels 7 might have difficulty in maintaining adhesion, the piston and cylinder units 1 6 are operated, whereby a proportion of the weight of the manriding car 8 and of the materials car 11 is transferred to the locomotive 5. CLAIMS

2. A rail vehicle system as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the vehicles are cars for manriding or load transporting purposes.

3. A rail vehicle system as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the vehicle with drivable wheels is a locomotive.

4. A rail vehicle system as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the weight transfer device is in the form of one or more piston and cylinder units.

5. A rail vehicle system as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the piston and cylinder unit(s) is powered from a pump(s) adapted to supply pressure fluid to hydraulic motors of the drivable wheels.

6. A rail vehicle system as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the pump(s) is driven by a diesel engine.

7. A rail vehicle system as claimed in any preceding Claim, incorporating three rail vehicles, with the central vehicle incorporating a power pack (e.g., a diesel engine, a hydraulic pump and hydraulic motors) and being mounted at each end of bogies, the latter each having at least two driven wheels, with the two other rail vehicles extending one from each side of the central vehicle and supported at one end by the central vehicle, and at the other end by a bogie.

8. A rail vehicle system with a conventional adhesion drive through steel wheels or tyres on to the heads of steel rails substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.