GB2065048A - Railway system with trapping wheels - Google Patents

Abstract

A railway (e.g. mine) vehicle 4 is provided, intermediate leading and trailing pairs of flanged wheels 5, with a pair of trapping wheels 11, rotatable about upwardly extending axes 12, one trapping wheel 11 being located at each side of the vehicle 4. The circumferential periphery of each trapping wheel 11 has a circumferential groove 13 e.g. of circular, V-shaped or C-shaped profile, which mates with a trapping beam 14 having an at least partly complementary profile. The beams 14 are positioned adjacent each rail 1 at locations of presumed rail vehicle instability, the beams 14 being carried on support arms 16 extending upwardly from a base member 3 which passes beneath at least one rail 1. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Railway equipment This invention relates to railway equipment, particularly for underground use. Such equipment may be for carrying conventional, locomotive-hauled rolling stock, or alternatively may be of the type where rail vehicles are clamped to a driven, and hence tensioned, haulage rope located between the rails and extending in the direction thereof, with a return run of the rope usually located outside the rails. At various locations underground, there is a tendency for the rolling stock or rail vehicles to become unstable and consequently de-railed. Such locations are for instance where the vehicles have to negotiate curves. With rope hauled vehicles, this also occurs where there is a fall or depression in the mine floor because the tensioning in the rope tries to lift the rope and hence the vehicle.

One proposal for railway equipment that overcomes the problem of vehicle de-railment at locations of probable instability is described in our copending U.K. Patent 1,580,547.

According to the present invention railway equipment comprises a pair of spaced apart, flatbottomed railway rails, the heads of which rails are engaged by leading and trailing pairs of flanged wheels of a rail vehicle, the rail engaging wheels being rotatable about axes extending transversely of the direction of movement of the rail vehicle along the rails, and the vehicle being provided intermediate the leading and trailing pairs of wheels with a pair of trapping wheels, rotatable about upwardly extending axes, one trapping wheel being located at each side of the vehicle and the circumferential periphery of each trapping wheel having a circumferential recess or projection and mating with a trapping beam having an at least partly complementary profile and positioned adjacent each rail at locations of presumed rail vehicle instability, the beams being carried on support arms extending upwardly from a base member which passes beneath at least one rail.

Preferably, the trapping wheels present female profiles to inter-engage with male profile trapping beams.

In detail, the circumferential recess may have curved wall portions to define a semi-circular or generallysemi-circulargroove; two planarwallsto define a "V"-shaped groove, three planarwallsto define a square "C"-shaped groove or combinations of arcuate and planarwalls.

For a trapping wheel having an arcuate groove, this trapping beam may have a circular periphery adjacent the trapping wheels or may be of circular section. For a trapping beam may be constituted by a length of angle iron, suitably angularly mounted.

Alternatively, square section tubing may be angularly mounted. For a trapping wheel having a square "C"-shaped groove e.g. provided by a wheel having a pair of spaced apart, parallel flanges, the trapping beam may be constituted by rectangular section tubing or by the rail head of a length of conventional railway rail, the rail web being mounted in a generally horizontal plane.

In a preferred embodiment, however, the recess of each trapping wheel is oversized with respect to the trapping profile presented by the trapping beam, whereby the trapping wheels may, within limits, be displaceable in a vertical plane with respect to the trapping beam. Such a construction is particularly advantageous where the rail vehicle is sprung.

In detail, the trapping beams may be of circular section and an oversized groove may comprise upper and lower walls that are inclined with respect to the axis of rotation of each trapping wheel, the upper and lower walls leading to a common bottom wall parallel to the axis of rotation of the trapping wheel, and the upper and lower walls being spaced apart by a distance exceeding the diameter of the trapping beam e.g. by up to twice its diameter.

Each base member may carry one or a pair of trapping beams, and may also carry the rails, while the trapping beams may be located inside or outside the rails.

The rail vehicle may in fact be either a rail car or a bogie. In the latter case, the bogie may be of the form described in our U.K. Patent 1,580,547.

The invention will now be further described by way of examples, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure lisa sectional view, at a curve, through one half of a first embodiment of railway equipment in accordance with the invention, the other half corresponding; Figure 2 is a similar sectional view to Figure 1 but illustrates a second embodiment; and Figure 3 is also a similar sectional view to Figure 1 but illustrates a third embodiment.

The railway equipment can be seen to comprise a pair of spaced apart, conventional flat-bottomed railway rails 1 (one only shown), each rail 1 having a head 2 and being mounted on a sleeper 3. Seated on the rails lisa vehicle 4 comprising four flanged wheels 5, (one only shown) these being leading and trailing pairs of wheels. Each wheel 5 comprising a flange 6 and a frusto-conical, railhead engaging periphery 7, the wheels 5 being suspended on arms 8 from a frame 9 of the vehicle 4 for rotation about an axis 10 extending laterally with respect to the direction of travel of the vehicle 4 along the rails 1.Between the leading and trailing wheels 5 at each side of the vehicle is a trapping wheel 11 rotatable about an upwardly extending axis 12, each trapping wheel having a circumferential recess 13 to mate with a trapping beam 14 having a complementary profile 15 adjacent the recess 13, the beam 14 being carried on support arms 16 extending upwardly from a base member in the form of a sleeper 3 which passes beneath at least one rail 1. The vehicle 4 illustrated is of a rope hauled kind, the rope (not shown) being guided by conventional pullies 17 located between the rails 1.

In the embodiment of Figure 1, the recess 13 comprises a pair of upper and lower curved portions 18 separated by a common planar portion 19 to define generally a "C"-shaped recess, while the profile 15 is provided by the trapping beam 14 comprising a curved length of circular section tubing 20, the "C"shaped recess being oversized with respect to the diameter of the trapping beam 14to provide play.

In the embodiment of Figure 2 the recess 13 com prises three planar portions, there being upper and lower portions 21 inclined with respect to the axis 12, and separated by a common portion 22 parallel to the axis 12 of the trapping wheel, to define a half hexagonal groove. In this embodimentthe profile 15 of the trapping beam 14 is "V"-shaped and is provided by angularly mounting a curved length of square section tubing 23, and the recess 13 is oversized with respect to the tubing 23.

In the embodiment of Figure 3 the recess 13 again comprises three planar portions these being upper and lower portions 24 extending laterally with respect to the axis 12 and again separated buy a common portion 25 parallel to the axis 12, to define a square, "C"-shaped recess. In this embodiment the profile 15 is prismatic and is provided by the square mounting of a curved length of square section tubing 26, and the recess 13 is oversized with respect to the tubing 26.

Claims (28)

1. Railway equipment comprising a pair of spaced apart, flat-bottomed railway rails, the heads of which rails are engaged by leading and trailing pairs of flanged wheels of a rail vehicle, the railengaging wheels being rotatable about axes extending transversely of the direction of movement of the rail vehicle along the rails, and the vehicle being provided intermediate the leading and trailing pairs of wheels with a pair of trapping wheels, rotatable about upwardly extending axes, one trapping wheel being located at each side of the vehicle and the circumferential periphery of each trapping wheel having a circumferential recess or projection and mating with a trapping beam having an at least partly complementary profile and positioned adjacent each rail at locations of presumed rail vehicle instability, the beams being carried on support arms extending upwardly from a base memberwhich passes beneath at least one rail.

2. Railway equipment as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the trapping wheels present female profiles to be engaged by male profile trapping beams.

3. Railway equipment as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the circumferential recess of each trapping wheel has curved wall portions.

4. Railway equipment as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the circumferential recess of each trapping wheel has planar wall portions.

5. Railway equipment as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the circumferential recess of each trapping wheel has both curved and planar wall portions.

6. Railway equipment as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the wall portions define a semi-circular groove and the trapping beams have a circular periphery adjacent the trapping wheels.

7. Railway equipment as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the trapping beams are of circular section.

8. Railway equipment as claimed in Claim 4, wherein two wall portions define a "V"-shaped groove, and the trapping beams have a "V"-shaped periphery adjacent the trapping wheels.

9. Railway equipment as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the "V"-shaped periphery is provided by angularly mounting an angle iron section trapping beam.

10. Railway equipment as claimed in Claim 8, wherein the "V"-shaped periphery is provided by angularly mounting a trapping beam of square section tubing.

11. Railway equipment as claimed in Claim 4, wherein three wall portions define a square "C"shaped groove and the trapping beams have a prismatic periphery.

12. Railway equipment as claimed in Claim 11, wherein the prismatic periphery is provided by squarely mounting a trapping beam of square section tubing.

13. Railway equipment as claimed in Claim 11, wherein the prismatic periphery is provided by a rail head of a length of conventional railway rail, the rail web being mounted in a generally horizontal plane.

14. Railway equipment as claimed in Claim 4, wherein three wall portions define a half hexagonal groove and the trapping beams have a V-shaped periphery adjacent the trapping wheels.

15. Railway equipment as claimed in Claim 14, wherein the "V"-shaped periphery is provided by angularly mounting an angle iron section trapping beam.

16. Railway equipment as claimed in Claim 15, wherein the "V"-shaped periphery is provided by angularly mounting a trapping beam of square section tubing.

17. Railway equipment as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the groove of each trapping wheel is oversized with respect to the trapping profile presented by the trapping beam, whereby the trapping wheels may, within limits, be displaceable in a vertical plane with respect to the trapping beam.

18. Railway equipment as claimed in Claim 17, comprising trapping beams of circular section and an oversized groove comprising upper and lower walls that are inclined with respect to the axis of rotation of each trapping wheel, the upper and lower walls leading to a common bottom wall parallel to the axis of rotation of the trapping wheel, and the upper and lower walls being spaced apart by a distance exceeding the diameter of the trapping beam.

19. Railway equipment as claimed in Claim 18, wherein the spacing is up to twice the diameter of the trapping beam.

20. Railway equipment as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein each base member carries a pair of trapping beams.

21. Railway equipment as claimed in Claim 20, wherein each base member also carries the pair of rails.

22. Railway equipment as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the trapping beams are located inside the rails.

23. Railway equipment as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 21, wherein the trapping beams are located outside the rails.

24. Railway equipment as claimed in any preceding Claim, wherein the rail vehicle is a rail car.

25. Railway equipment as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 23, wherein the rail vehicle is a bogie.

26. Railway equipment substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.

27. Railway equipment substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.

28. Railway equipment substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.