MX2014013174A - Method and system for retreading track wheel. - Google Patents

Abstract

A wheel resurfacing method and system for resurfacing a worn track wheel to its original profile are provided. The system comprises a support for maintaining the worn railway wheel, a welding device, a controller, and a surface processing device. The worn railway wheel's circumferential surface defining a flange and a tread surface is reconstituted using a welding material. The welding device and the worn railway wheel rotate one relative to the other at a predetermined rate to adaptively aggregate annular welding beads along the circumferential surface to form a curvilinear profile slanted away from the flange. A surface processing device is then actuated to smooth the welded layer to form a substantially uniform surface to reconstitute the worn railway wheel to its original profile.

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM TO RECTIFY A ROAD WHEEL RAILWAY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The method and system subject to rectifying a track wheel, generally refers to the reconditioning and / or reworking (remodeling) of worn wheels for several vehicles that are operated on railroad tracks. The subject method and system provides for its restoration, such that said wheels can be reused instead of being discarded. Very specifically, the subject method and system refers to the "rectification" of said worn track wheel sufficient to reconstitute it to its original profile.

Rail type track wheels such as those used in various types of vehicles, both energized and non-energized. Locomotives, railway wagons, cable cars, mining cars, wagons, railway wagons, and the like are some examples. In most vehicles with track wheels, energy is applied by driving some or all of the track wheels, with a traction that is based on the friction between the track wheel - typically formed of steel - and the railroad tracks, which they are also typically formed of steel, or other metallic material.

During the course of repeated use, the wheels of these vehicles and track wheels, worn due to friction, and slip, and represent a constant load against the railway track. Some track wheels tend to wear out more quickly because they are typically formed of steel, which has a generally low Rockwell hardness, as measured by the Rockwell Hardness Scale.

Track wheels are typically formed of a metallic material, such as steel. They are usually formed with a threaded portion that tapers slightly inward from an outer edge portion. This keeps the opposite side wheels engaged on the railroad tracks where they are mounted. However, there tends to be a slip between the edge of a particular wheel and the rail or track in which it engages, leading to pronounced wear of the edge area of the wheel. The rolling of the wheel, also tends to wear down by the sideways swing of the rail vehicle that tends to result, especially when the vehicle is traveling at very high speeds.

Other surfaces of the wheel may experience pronounced wear, depending on the particular use to which they are subjected. For example, track wheels often encounter excessive wear, on and around their exposed side side surfaces. The lateral side portions typically on both sides, both rimmed and non-rimmed opposite of the wheels tend to suffer tend to suffer premature wear due to repeated contact with track changes, delays and other hardware of the tracks. In particular, these surfaces extend downwards, from one end of the edge to their side of the road, repeatedly meet with sleepers, switches, retarders on typical railways whose abrasive contact wears the surfaces of the wheel as time passes.

Typically, once the track wheel has been worn on its various surfaces, as determined by the applicable safety operating standards, such as the minimum edge safety thickness, then the wheel is discarded. It is very common for rail maintenance vehicles to wear through multiple sets of wheels during a typical year of operation. Invariably, this is at a considerable replacement cost.

As shown in Figure 1, a track wheel 100 includes an edge 110 on one side and a track 120 has a conical or tapered surface extending from the edge to an opposite side 130. The edge 110 in the peripheral region of the track wheel 100 and the tapered track 120 prevents the track wheel from falling or slg on the railroad tracks. When a railroad vehicle moves through a curve, then the track wheel 100 does not pivot, and moves laterally out of the center. The tapered profile of the track acts as a self-centering correction mechanism to force the vehicle to move well, but over time, the edge 110 and surfaces of the track 120 are degassed. Once they wear out, track wheel 100 becomes unusable.

There are several systems known in the art related to track wheels. For example, the patent E.U.A. 1,519,029 relates to a process for renewing wheels with worn edges. This reference first mentions the method for turning down a steel strip whose material is removed from the wheel to sculpt a new surface resulting in the loss of valuable material. This method required the need to match the wheel on the opposite side of the axle with the same amount of material removed.

The reference describes a material fill from the wear contour line B to the E line, then the surface is configured according to the prescribed contour line D. The approach is to keep the wear track very close so that it can be obtained a desired shape with a minimum cut of original material. The surface in sections to be obtained is limited on one side by D and E and on the other side by D and comprises only a small fraction of what would have to be removed by the previous method. Accordingly, the waste of expensive material from the wheel that has been turned into scrap is reduced to a minimum. However, the filler material is limited to the area of edge E. Part of the material of the wheel, necessarily is turned downwards later to obtain the prescribed contour line D.

The patent E.U.A. 6,746,064 refers to a composite material wheel for vehicles traveling on tracks. The reference describes a wheel and an edge of heat treated steel suitable for a particular end use. A portion of the inner surface of the rim of the wheel is machined, including the frictional contact area between the rim of the wheel and the rail. A welded overlay of low friction material is applied to replace the material removed from an inside surface of the edge.

However, said known references can not provide a suitable system or suitable method for grinding the surface of a worn track wheel to reconstitute its various portions, such as the leading and trailing surfaces, to its original profile as described in FIG. present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a surface reconfiguration system of a track wheel to its original profile.

These and other objects are achieved by means of a surface grinding system of a wheel formed in accordance with the present invention for grinding the surface of a track wheel worn substantially to an original profile. The system comprises a support unit supporting the worn track wheel, the worn track wheel having a circumferential surface defining an edge and a rolling surface. The welding unit corresponds to said support unit for applying a welding material to the wheel of the worn track on a relative displacement between the welding unit and the worn track wheel. A controller is coupled to the welding unit, the controller selectively activates the welding unit to adaptively add a plurality of beads or annular beads of the welding material along the circumferential surface, to form a welded layer wherein each annular bead it extends to substantially encircle a portion of the circumferential surface. The welded layer thus forms a curvilinear profile along the circumferential surface. A surface processing device is selectively activated to smooth the welded layer and form a substantially uniform surface to reconstitute the worn track wheel to the original profile (metal grinding process).

In certain exemplary embodiments, a system for coating and reconstituting the wheel for grinding the wheel of a rail wheel worn substantially to an original profile is provided. The system comprises a support unit supporting the worn rail wheel, the worn rail wheel has a circumferential surface defining edge and tread regions extending between laterally opposed regions. A welding unit corresponds to the support unit for applying a welding material to the worn railway wheel on a relative displacement between the welding unit and the worn railway wheel, the welding material has a Rockwell hardness greater than the weathered rail wheel. A controller is coupled to the welding unit, which controller selectively activates the welding unit to adaptively add a plurality of annular beads of the welding material along the circumferential surface to form a welded layer. Each annular bead extends substantially to encircle a portion of the circumferential surface. The annular beads can be added disproportionately in preselected portions of the circumferential surface, wherein the welded layer forms a curvilinear tapered profile along the circumferential surface. A surface processing device is selectively activated to smooth the welded layer, and substantially form a substantially uniform surface to reconstitute the worn track wheel to its original profile.

In other exemplary embodiments, a method is provided for grinding the surface of a rail wheel worn substantially to an original profile. The method comprises the step of supporting the worn rail wheel and a welding device, wherein the worn rail wheel and the welding device rotate relative to each other at a predetermined speed. Annular beads are formed from a weld material and are customarily added along a circumferential surface of the worn-out railway wheel to form a layer welded The circumferential surface defines at least one edge and a rolling surface, and each annular bead extends to substantially circulate a portion of the circumferential surface. There, the welded layer forms a curvilinear tapered profile along the circumferential surface. The welded layer is processed on the surface to define a substantially smooth surface contour and therefore substantially reconstitute the worn rail wheel to its original profile.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate the scope of the present invention and will appreciate aspects thereof upon reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, in association with the illustrative figures appended.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES The accompanying illustrative figures incorporated in and forming part of this specification, describe the various aspects of the invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an unused track wheel according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating a profile of an unused track wheel in the embodiment described in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating a track wheel worn in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4A is a diagram illustrating a welding device that reconstitutes worn surfaces of a track wheel according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4B is a diagram illustrating annular cords added using the welding device on worn surfaces of the track wheel in the manner described in Figure 4A.

Figure 4C is a diagram illustrating a welding device reconstituting the worn surfaces of the track wheel according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating transverse grooves in the circumferential surface of the track wheel worn in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6A is a diagram showing a wheel for grinding, grinding the aggregate annular cords formed in the track wheel in the manner described in Figure 4B.

Figure 6B is a diagram illustrating a profile of the track wheel polished in the embodiment described in Figure 4B.

Figure 7A is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the system for grinding the surface of a track wheel worn in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 7B is an alternative embodiment of the system that was described in Figure 7A.

Figure 7C is a diagram illustrating the annular cords that have been formed on a support structure by varying the angle of the worn track wheel; Y Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating the step for reconstituting a worn track wheel according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The modalities set out below represent the information necessary to enable those experts in the field to practice the invention, and illustrate the best way to practice it. In light of the illustrated figures and the following description, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the invention and will recognize the applications of these concepts that have not been particularly learned herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the description and appended claims.

As much as possible in the following description, similar reference numbers will refer to corresponding elements in part from different figures unless otherwise indicated.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is a description of a new non-worn track wheel 100. FIG. 2 discloses a section of a profile of a non-worn track wheel 100; the edge 110 is shown with an integral tapered region 210 tapering off the edge 110. The integral tapered region 210 extends from the edge 110 past the running surface 120 (which extends to a side side 130) to cause an effect self-centering when a pair of wheels of opposite tracks 100 descend to opposite rail tracks, and also for lateral support on the tracks. The self-centering effect is derived from the oscillation that results between the rails when the opposite integral tapered regions 210 advance towards the track rails. The track wheel 100 will be worn out by friction due to normal use, including self-centering and turning that applies lateral pressure over the integral tapered region 210 extending between the edge 110 and the running surface 120. The frequency of use, the type of application, and the hardness properties of the track wheel determine the wear velocity of the integral tapered region 210 and the running surface 120.

Depending on the particular use to which it is subjected, the track wheel 100 also tends to experience pronounced wear and around its opposite side surfaces that is, the circumferential peripheries of the portions of the side wall outside both the edge 110 and the end of the wall. the road surface 120 typically suffers premature wear due to repeated contact with track changes, delays, or other mechanisms and hardware of the tracks. Said track hardware is used to redirect or brake the rail cars by applying, and maintaining as necessary, contact with one or both side sides of the railroad track wheels. The tip and wall surfaces of the railway wheels on both the inner and outer side of the track wheels, consequently find sleepers, switches, and retarders on the typical railroad tracks, whose abrasive contact wears the surfaces of the it rolls with the passage of time.

Figure 3 describes a weathered integral tapered region 210 resulting in an acute tapered region 320, a worn track surface 330, and a worn edge 310. Worn areas of the wheel typically also include side regions 350, 352, eaten away by Abrasive contact with the hardware on the track. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the acute tapered region 320 and the rolling surface 330, as well as the worn side regions 350 and 352, are reconstituted. The worn edge 310, the sharp tapered region 320, and the worn track surface 330, create a potential danger to any rail vehicle. The worn edge 310 becomes dangerously vulnerable to cracks, thus causing the railroad vehicle to derail in a roadway. railway. The applicable safety standards often determine the thickness that the wear edge 310 should be for safe use. When the diameter of the edge 310 is measured and determined to be worn, the wheel can no longer be used safely, and is often discarded. In addition to the compromised structural integrity caused by the worn edge 310, the sharp tapered region 320 and the worn track surface 330 lead to a steeper side-to-side sway of the determined rail vehicle. The side-to-side swinging movement causes wear of the worn edge 310 and sharp tapered region 320, due to frictional heating. Due to its loss of tapering profile, a rolling surface 330 that has been worn flat will no longer provide a self-centering effect, causing the worn track wheel 300 to move out of the center on a track rail. . The worn edge 310 will then incur a prolonged sliding contact with the edge of the track. Laterally worn regions likewise pose potential hazards to rail vehicles for many of the reasons mentioned, in addition to degradation in the ability to respond to track changes, delays, and other road control mechanisms.

To reconstitute and re-build a worn edge 310, the sharp tapered region 320, the worn track surface 330, and the worn side regions 350 and 352, the worn track wheel 300 are preferably sampled to determine the metallurgical properties of the wheel. According to a preferred embodiment, the metallurgical properties of the wheel are used to determine a welding rod having compatible properties.

Returning briefly to the process flow diagram illustrated in Figure 8, the surface of a worn track wheel can be ground 300 to reconstitute the wheel back to its original profile, preferably in accordance with the following steps. In step 1, wheel 300 of the worn or railway track is pre-conditioned to process not only what is analyzed to determine its metallurgical properties, but also cleaned and if necessary subjected to grinding or other treatment adequate preparatory This adapts the surface of the wheel for additional treatment, removing impurities such as rust and debris formed or accumulated on the surface of the wheel.

Preferably, the analysis of the wheel that has been carried out in step 1 includes x-rays or other suitable image acquisition methods of the internal structure of the wheel. This verifies internal breaks or other defects in the worn structure of the wheel (which are not easily visible on the surface), which could compromise its structural integrity enough to avoid a safe new use, even if it is in the coated and reconstituted form . Therefore, the defective wheels are checked and discarded as necessary.

Depending on the material composition of the wheel, step 1 could further include a preheating process, wherein the worn track wheel is preheated to a predetermined temperature (such as 260 ° to 371.11 ° C, for example). Said preheating serves to prepare the metallic material of the wheel for the welding material, making it more receptive to a new material (which has been selected appropriately for the compatibility of the material with the wheel). Especially, when using higher preheating temperatures, the preheating treatment of the worn wheel is preferably carried out in situ (in situ), where the wheel is mounted in its position in the support table determined for welding processing .

In step 2, which may or may not be combined with step 1, depending on the requirements of a particular application, the wheel is mounted on a support or table (such as support 760 in Figures 7A-7B). The table / support holds the worn track wheel for further processing by means of a welding device. Either on one or both of the track wheels of the welding device, it is rotated in such a way that the relative rotation is effected at a predetermined speed between them, preferably in a controlled manner.

In step 3, the wheel is processed by welding. As described in the following paragraphs, a plurality of annular beads of welding material are adjustably aggregated in a controlled manner on a circular surface of the worn track wheel as if undergoing a rotational displacement relative to the welding device. This forms a welded layer having a suitable curvilinear profile that tapers outwardly from the edge of the wheel. Sufficient welding material is applied to form the welded layer which is subsequently processed to the surface in an adequate manner and removes only the newly added layer, instead of diminishing any portion of the original-native material of the track wheel. Preferably, a similar welding process is carried out, so that the welded layer extends sufficiently to cover the worn side regions of the track wheel.

Preferably in step 4, the wheel processed by welding is decompressed "thermally" to preserve its reconstituted structure. That is, the very hot wheel, which has just been processed by welding, is gradually reduced in temperature again to environmental ranges. A controlled cooling of the newly reconstituted wheel reduces the potential for deformation, figuration, or other such metal fatigue effects and the like, due to a extremely fast cooling. Various processes can be used to control the cooling, such as the reductions by progressive steps in the immediate thermal environment of the wheel over a predetermined period. Appropriate heating measures can be employed, for example to lower the wheel temperature in steps, from, say, 399 ° C to 260 ° C to 232.22 ° C to 177 ° C to 121 ° C; and thus lower to room temperature, where the temperature is maintained at each step during a certain exposure time, such as for 20 or 30 minutes, as appropriate for the particular requirements of the intended application.

A controlled thermal environment can be provided in any suitable manner. For example, the entire wheel support / table assembly can be disposed of within an oven-type assembly. Alternatively, they can be disposed around one or more heating elements, on the mounted wheel to apply the required levels of controlled heating to progressively reduce the temperature of the wheel.

In step 5, the sufficiently cooled wheel and processed by welding, suffers a processing on the surface to recover its original profile, not worn. Preferably, this includes the use of such articles as a grinding or milling element to crush the welded layer down to the contour of the required surface. In the example described, a grinding stone is used to form a substantially uniform, polished surface, which is restored as an almost new original profile for the wheel.

Returning to Figures 4A and 4B, a welding device 410 is used to form weld beads 430 on the wear track wheel 400. The weld beads 430 are formed by the welding material that is properly deposited from the device. from its tip 440 as the wheel is rotated relatively according to the device. In accordance with Another aspect of the present invention, the weld beads 430 used to reconstitute the worn wheel 400, are preferably more rigid (higher Rockwell hardness) than the worn track wheel 400. Although other suitable welding processes may be employed, employs a submerged arc welding process in the manner described, for greater welding integrity. In this process, a rod in the form of wire of welding material 420, which is fed through the device 410, is used together with a stream of granular flow material 420 '(such as sand or similar material). The granular flow material 420 'is fed at a controlled rate to establish and maintain a tight air flow coating 425 over the welding point. Welding of weld bead 430 therefore appears submerged within this flow coating 425, such that the formation of potentially dangerous air pockets and the like are inhibited in the resulting weld layer. As the wheel is rotated, the granular flow material falling from the wheel after forming the coating 425 'is recovered and recollected back to the granular flow feed source, while the granular flow material 425' is reinforced continuously through the device 410 to continuously maintain the coating 425 over the instantaneous point of welding.

An example of other alternative welding processes that can be employed is illustrated in Figure 4C. In this process, a shielded tungsten arc welding process is employed to preserve the integrity of the weld. Examples of such processes include a metallic inert gas (MIG) but not inert metal gas - as illustrated in Figure 4C - and inert gas Tungsten (TIG) processes among others. As in the case of the submerged arc or tungsten welding process, a rod in the form of wire of welding material 420 is used in the illustrated embodiment, which is fed to the through a device 412, together with a stream of protective gas flow material 430, which passes through one or more channels formed in the device 412. The protective gas flow material 430 is introduced at a controlled rate to establish and maintain a hermetic flow protection coating 435 over the point of welding. Welding of the weld bead 430 thus occurs protected within this flow coating 435, so that the formation of potentially damaging pockets of air and the like in the resultant layer is inhibited. As the wheel is rotated, and welding material 420 is applied over the welding point, the shielding gas flow material is continuously fed from the shielding gas source and introduced through the device 412 to continuously maintain the coating of protection 435 over the point of instantaneous welding.

Referring again to FIG. 4B, when weld seams 430 are being welded, preferably a friction weld or a weld position manipulator is used to secure the wheel to a fork and rotate it in a controlled manner, so that the weld seams can welding 430, 450, 452, can be applied appropriately and can be added over the worn regions of the wheel. In contrast, the welding device 410 is controlled to allow rotation and / or rotation relative to the wheel. Alternatively, a combination of movements for both the worn wheel 400 and the welding device 410 can be suitably used.

As mentioned, the welding device 410 is coupled with a welding rod which is electrically energized at the tip 440 to melt into the metal of the worn track wheel 400. Although a weld is being carried out, the flow coating applied 425, 435, covers the weld beads 430 to protect them from oxidation and contamination.

In a preferred embodiment, the welding device 410 and the worn track wheel 400 rotate one relative to the other at a predetermined speed. The speed is controlled by an electronic controller that automatically adjusts the voltage, which directly refers to the length of the arc, and the current, which in turn affect the thermal input. During the welding process, as shown in Figure 4B, the welding cords 430 have been added in an adaptive manner by applying multiple steps of the welding device 410 over the gapped track wheel regions 400 to compensate for uneven wear in the different weldments. wear regions of the wheel. This allows an appropriate reconstitution of the wear edge 310 and the acute tapered regions 320, as well as the worn side regions 350 and 352, so that the original profile of the integral tapered region 210 can be recovered in a new, non-worn wheel ( see aggregate welding beads 430, 450, 452 in the respective regions).

As illustrated in FIG. 4B, a particular area 320 and 352 of the worn track wheel may require a greater accumulation of weld beads 430 than on its track 330 or outer side 350 of the edge. Simply applying the cords evenly over all the surfaces of the wheel would not sufficiently restore the original tapered region 210 or the complete profile of the wheel. Adequate adaptive control of the welding process is maintained - for example, by accelerating the formation of the weld bead on these areas 320, 350, or allowing more steps to be formed (of the wheel that has passed the tip of the device 440) - to form more 430 welding cords as needed at that site.

It will normally be difficult to reconstitute the integral tapered region 210 (and other such excessively worn regions) in one step, and it would not be necessary to perform multiple steps. An alternative approach would be to use a rod of welding that is large enough to completely cover the integral tapered region 210 in a single step; however, it is not economically feasible. Moreover, the resulting heat is likely to be excessive, potentially causing unwanted effects on the wheel. In the embodiment described herein, as each weld bead 430, 450, 452 in the different regions is applied with a welding step, the weld bead 430 hardens substantially before the next step occurs. The next step would therefore be to move the tip of the welding device 440 sufficiently to extend the coverage area with the next applied cord.

In a preferred embodiment, the worn track wheel 400 is preheated to approximately 260 ° C, prior to the welding process. During the welding process, the air pockets in the weld are mitigated. As mentioned, the air pockets in the weld tend to compromise the strength and integrity of the reconstituted wheel, leading to premature chipping and cracking of the weld.

Depending on the specific requirements and resources of each particular application, the time incurred for each step would vary accordingly. In certain embodiments, with certain types of wheels, 5-15 steps or layers of weld beads varied according to the depth of the integral tapered region 210 may be necessary to form a suitable original profile.

Although the term "cord" is used for convenience, the weld resulting from each of the steps might not be precisely in the form of bead or bead. The weld would preferably be applied with a contiguous stable cord formation, wherein the next cord "melts" into the previously applied cord. A self-refilled or self-leveling of the accumulated welding when cracks are avoided as the material melts inside the wheel.

In a preferred embodiment, as illustrated in Figure 5, a plurality of slits 530, or dotted notches are formed in one or more surfaces of the wheel. For example, the contact surface of the worn track wheel 500 includes the running surface 520 and the worn edge 510, which are "punctured" in this manner.

The slits 530 can be formed mechanically or otherwise by means of a scoring unit employing any suitable means known in the art. The slots 530 are formed to protect them against a delamination of the weld and create a better adhesion on the restored wheel. The slits 530 which can be of any shape, contour or configuration, can be transversely directed or otherwise oriented so that they have an angular displacement of the center axis of the worn track wheel 500. As mentioned, a process can also be employed X-ray or other suitable process to verify ruptures or pockets of air in the welding, that could threaten the integrity of the reconstituted wheel.

Proper care must be taken when pre-treating or tapping the wheel surface, so as not to compromise the structural integrity of the restored wheel. Said score could be detrimental to the structure or integrity of the worn wheel; however, when appropriate, appropriate measures should be taken such as ensuring adequate limited depth and the degree of the slits 530 and how these slits are made, the integral tapered region 210 and the rolling surface 520 can be reconstituted with better adhesion of the welded material that could result in another way. This could contribute to a level of hardness of the wheel possibly even greater than that of the original track wheel 100.

In a preferred embodiment, after sufficient layers of weld beads 630 have been formed on the welded track wheel 600, the welded track wheel 600 is then subjected to grinding or grinding or other surface processing to smooth this profile. Said process is described in Figures 6A-6B. The surface processing preferably employs a grinding stone 650 to a grinding device which engages the welded track wheel 600. Preferably, the grinding stone 650 is rotated, but also the welded track wheel 600 or alternatively rotatable. After a sufficient number of passages between the welded track wheel 600 and the grinding stone 650, an integral tapered region 630c is formed which is virtually polished, smooth, and new from the factory.

Depending on the requirements of a particular application, the welded track wheel 600 can be subjected to a heat treatment for further hardening. In any event, the processed wheel is preferably thermally 'decompressed' from its elevated temperatures. This avoids the damaging results of fatigue of metal and the like, by effecting a gradual cooling of the wheel as described in the preceding paragraphs.

Figure 6B discloses a welded track wheel 600 that includes notches or slits 640 that are covered by a first layer of welded beads 630a and a second layer of welded beads 630b. Due to the slits 640 in the contact surface of the welded track wheel 600, the welded layer consisting of several layers of welded beads 630a, 630b, show a contour profile. This contoured profile is then ground by means of the grinding wheel 650 for the polished edge profile 630c. A grinding device can also be used to polish the second layer of welded beads 630b to form a substantially uniform surface or a polished edge layer 630c for reconstituting the original integral tapered region 210 of the track wheel.

During the welding process, welded cords harden almost immediately after forming. Given the desired even surface and the continuity of welded cords, the precision and consistency of a welding machine is preferable. There are robotic welds, welding manipulators, CNC machines, or any other suitable equipment known in the art that can be employed.

In a preferred embodiment as described in Figure 7A, a manipulator or other such device can be employed with a table 760 or other support to support the worn track wheel 700 as a workpiece, and by rotating it relative to the equipment. of welding. One or more controllers based on a microprocessor, which can be operatively coupled to the table 760 to precisely control the direction, range, angle, speed, and said other aspects of the movement of the track wheel worn to perform the necessary steps as applied the welder. The controller adaptively controls the welding unit to take responsibility for the uneven wear in the worn track wheel 700, by adaptably adding the annular cords 780 in the edge intersecting area and the sufficient rolling surface to reconstitute the original wheel profile. Preferably, the controller accelerates or decreases the relative movement between the worn track wheel 700 and the welding unit, or selectively looks for the area of the worn track wheel 700 that needs more layers of annular beads 780.

In Figure 7A, a welding unit is controlled by a controller that applies welding material to the contact surface of the worn track wheel 700. The welding unit includes a welding device 710 and a flow applicator 720 which applies welds in the form of annular beads 780 to the worn track wheel 700. In this preferred embodiment, the welding unit is stationary while the table 760 supporting track wheel 700 rotates in place.

Figure 7B describes an alternative embodiment having a stationary supported wheel while the welding unit rotates in a circular path on the supported running wheel 700. In Figure 7B, the supported track wheel 700 may be moving concurrently or not concurrently. effect the necessary relative displacement between the welding device 710 and the track wheel 700 for the successive welding steps.

Contrary to the structure of welding device 710, 720 shown, the welding device employed may alternatively include a welding tip having electrodes engaged. When touched with a welding rod material, the voltage and current controlled by the controller create the electrical energy that melts the rod. The welding rod is typically fed from a batch of wire-loop wound.

At the time of welding, then a separate flow applicator is used to release the flow material over the annular beads 780. The flow produces a gas that forms a gaseous pocket around the welding point that seals the ambient air that would otherwise could introduce impurities in all the welded material. Very similar to the granular flow coating shown in the described embodiment, the flow gas retains a substantially pure environment immediately around the welding point.

As illustrated in Figures 7A-7A, a system is formed that would somehow include: a charged welding unit with sufficient supply of welding material including welding rods; and a flow; a table 760 or other support for the workpiece or worn track wheel 700; a cooling unit to cool the workpiece after apply the welding material; and a controller for precisely determining the control of the resulting current and voltage applied by the welding device 710. The cooling unit is operated to maintain a safe temperature for the worn wheel 700 as a welding that is applied and then ensures that the wheel in itself it is not deformed by the heat. The cooling unit may include employing any suitable means and means known in the art., including circulating water or gas, thermal conduction / thermal sinking structures and the like. In Figure 7C, a structure that holds the worn track wheel 700 at an angle can be employed such that the welded material can be easily applied.

In one embodiment, the described system is used as a wheel grinding system for reconstituting a worn rail wheel 300 substantially to its original profile (integral tapered region 210 and rolling surface 120). A support 760 can be used to maintain the worn track wheel 700. The track wheel 700 includes a circumferential surface defining a first projecting surface or a worn edge 110 from a second surface or rolling surface 120. The Welding can include an arc welding.

In another embodiment, the described system is used to fortify and rectify the surface of the worn track wheel 700 to its original profile. A weld material having a Rockwell hardness greater than the worn rail wheel 700 is selected by forming a welded layer by customarily adding annular cords along the circumferential surface constituted of a worn edge 310, an acute tapered region 320, and a worn road surface 330. For example, a typical rail wheel that is used in rail maintenance applications varies in Rockwell hardness of 28-32, but the welding material used may have a Rockwell hardness greater than 42. The annular cords are disproportionately added to an intermediate contour between the worn edge 310 and the acute tapered region 320, wherein the welded layer forms a curvilinear profile that slopes away from the worn edge 310.

In a preferred embodiment, a controller, which may be a controlled microprocessor, is programmed to selectively add the annular cords at specific positions along the circumferential surface of the weathered rail wheel 700. In an alternative embodiment, the controller is used to control the relative displacement of the weathered rail wheel 700 to the welding device 710 to allow multiple passages of the welding device 710 on a previously welded annular bead resulting in the "stacking" of the annular cords. The controller can selectively control a plurality of parameters to adaptively add the plurality of annular beads including a predetermined rate of relative rotation between the welding unit and the support unit, in the position of the welding unit, the current and voltage of the device of welding, the support of the welding device, the relative angle of the welding device to the worn wheel, the time of the welding device, etc.

In another preferred embodiment, the metallurgical composition of the rail wheel 700 can be determined prior to the step of customarily adding the annular beads 780. A solvent can also be used to clean the wheel before adaptively adding the annular beads 780.

Although this invention has been described in relation to the specific forms and modalities thereof, those various modifications different from those discussed above will be appreciated, and may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined. in the appended claims. For example, equivalent elements can be effectively replaced by those specifically that have been shown and described, and certain functions or features can be used independently of other characteristics, and in certain cases, the particular locations of elements, steps or processes, which can be reversed or interposed, without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (20)

1. A surface grinding system for reconstituting a track wheel worn substantially to an original profile, comprising: a support unit supporting the worn track wheel, the worn track wheel has a circumferential surface defining an edge and a rolling surface; a welding unit corresponding to the support unit for applying a welding material to the worn track wheel on a relative displacement between the welding unit and the worn track wheel; a controller coupled to the welding unit, the controller selectively activating the welding unit to adaptively add a plurality of annular beads of the welding material along the circumferential surface to form a welded layer, each annular bead extending to substantially encircle a portion of the circumferential surface, wherein the welded layer forms a curvilinear profile along the circumferential surface; Y a surface processing device selectively activated to smooth the welded layer and form a substantially uniform surface to reconstitute the worn track wheel to the original profile.

2. The surface grinding system of the wheel according to claim 1, further comprising a scoring unit that forms a plurality of puncturing slots within the »Circumferential surface of the worn track wheel.

3. The surface grinding system of the wheel according to claim 1, further comprising an image detector for detecting internal faults within the worn wheel.

4. The surface grinding system of the wheel according to claim 1, further comprising a preheating unit, which preheats the track wheel worn to a predetermined temperature before the formation of a welded layer, and a thermal controller for decompressing Thermally the track wheel after welding processing for progressively controlled cooling.

5. The wheel surface rectification system according to claim 1, characterized in that the controller selectively controls a plurality of parameters to adaptively add the plurality of annular cords including a predetermined rate of relative rotation between the welding unit and the unit. support.

6. The wheel surface rectification system according to claim 1, characterized in that the circumferential surface includes opposite lateral regions, respectively placed on the outer edges of the edge and the rolling regions.

7. The wheel surface rectification system according to claim 1, characterized in that the welding unit includes a source of shielding gas for a tungsten protective arc welding of the welding material on the circumferential surface of the wheel. lost way

8. A system for rectifying the surface and fortification of a wheel to reconstitute the surface of a railway wheel worn substantially to its original profile, comprising: a support unit holding the worn rail wheel, the worn rail wheel has a circumferential surface defining edge and roll regions extending between the laterally opposite side regions; a welding unit corresponding to said support unit for applying a welding material to the worn railway wheel on a relative displacement between said welding unit and the worn-out railway wheel, the welding material having a Rockwell hardness greater than the weathered rail wheel; a controller coupled to the welding unit, the controller selectively activating the welding unit to adaptively add a plurality of annular beads of the welding material along the circumferential surface to form a welded layer, each annular bead extending to substantially circulate a portion of the circumferential surface, the beads The annular beads are disproportionately aggregated in preselected portions of the circumferential surface, wherein the welded layer forms a curvilinear tapered profile along a circumferential surface; Y a surface processing device selectively activated to lyse the welded layer to form a substantially uniform surface and thus reconstitute the worn track wheel to the original profile.

9. The surface grinding and wheel fortification system according to claim 8, further comprising a stippling unit forming a plurality of transverse grooves on the circumferential surface of the worn track wheel.

10. The wheel surface and fortification rectification system according to claim 8, further comprising a preheating unit, which preheats the worn track wheel to a predetermined temperature prior to the formation of the welded layer, and a thermal controller to thermally decompress the rail wheel after welding processing for progressively controlled cooling.

11. The wheel surface and fortification rectification system according to claim 8, further comprising an image detector for detecting internal faults within the worn rail wheel.

12. The wheel surface and fortification rectification system according to claim 8, characterized in that the controller selectively controls a plurality of parameters to adaptively add the plurality of annular cords including a predetermined rate of relative rotation between the welding unit and the support unit.

13. The wheel surface and fortification rectification system according to claim 8, characterized in that the unit includes a protection gas source for the tungsten-protected arc welding of the welding material on the circumferential surface of the track wheel weathered

14. A method for grinding a surface of a rail wheel worn substantially to an original profile, comprising the steps of: supporting the worn rail wheel and a welding device, wherein the worn rail wheel and the welding device rotate relative to each other at a predetermined speed; adaptively adding annular beads formed of a solder material along a circumferential surface of the worn rail wheel to form a welded layer, the circumferential surface defining at least one edge and a rolling surface, each annular bead extending to substantially encircle a portion of the circumferential surface, wherein the welded layer forms a curvilinear tapered profile along the circumferential surface; Y carrying out the surface processing of the welded layer to define a substantially smooth surface contour and substantially reconstituting the weathered rail wheel to its original profile.

15. The method for grinding the surface of a weathered rail wheel according to claim 14, further comprising the step of mechanically interrupting the worn rail wheel to form a plurality of stippling slots on the circumferential surface, before the step of adding adaptable the annular cords.

16. The method for grinding the surface of a weathered rail wheel according to claim 14, further comprising the step of preheating the weathered rail wheel to a predetermined temperature before the step of customarily adding the annular cords.

17. The method for grinding the surface of a weathered rail wheel according to claim 14, further comprising the steps of determining a metallurgical composition of the weathered rail wheel and forming the images of a weathered rail wheel to detect faults or internal defects in it, before the step of adaptably adding the annular cords.

18. The method for grinding the surface of a worn-out railway wheel according to claim 14, characterized in that the decompressed thermally worn rail wheel after progressively controlled cooling welding process.

19. The method for grinding the surface of a weathered rail wheel according to claim 14, characterized in that the circumferential surface includes laterally opposite side regions respectively positioned on the outer sides of the edge and roll regions.

20. The method for grinding the surface of a worn-out railway wheel according to claim 14, characterized in that the welding material is applied by tungsten protection arc welding on the circumferential surface of the worn track wheel.