US20090050409A1 - Device for applying liquid on rail - Google Patents
Device for applying liquid on rail Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20090050409A1 US20090050409A1 US11/814,962 US81496205A US2009050409A1 US 20090050409 A1 US20090050409 A1 US 20090050409A1 US 81496205 A US81496205 A US 81496205A US 2009050409 A1 US2009050409 A1 US 2009050409A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- liquid
- rail
- nozzle block
- application
- nozzle
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 177
- 238000007599 discharging Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 5
- 238000011109 contamination Methods 0.000 abstract description 4
- 230000007613 environmental effect Effects 0.000 abstract description 3
- 239000003921 oil Substances 0.000 description 26
- 238000002347 injection Methods 0.000 description 5
- 239000007924 injection Substances 0.000 description 5
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 description 5
- 230000009471 action Effects 0.000 description 4
- 239000004519 grease Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000013459 approach Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000004044 response Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000010802 sludge Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000002699 waste material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000009434 installation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000010687 lubricating oil Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000012423 maintenance Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005096 rolling process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000002689 soil Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000001960 triggered effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 235000013311 vegetables Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B61—RAILWAYS
- B61K—AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR RAILWAYS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B61K3/00—Wetting or lubricating rails or wheel flanges
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a device for applying liquid on a rail, and more particularly to a device for applying liquid on a rail at locations, such as a curve, where the contact pressure between a wheel and a rail becomes high and hence squeak noise is generated (in particular, on the inner-track rail side where wheel tread skid occurs) in order to reduce the noise and prevent wear of the rail and the wheel.
- the rolling distance of the outer track-side wheel is longer than that of the inner track-side wheel.
- the inner track-side wheel thus turns without load (skidding) on the inner track rail and hence generates substantial squeak noise.
- a motorized device for applying oil on a rail characterized in that the rail is provided with an oil injection device having oil injection holes toward the wheel flange of a vehicle traveling on the rail; the oil injection device communicates with an oil reservoir via a motorized pump; the motorized pump is electrically connected to an approaching vehicle detector via a discharge amount controller including a timer mechanism; and oil is applied on the rail from the oil injection holes of the oil injection device in response to a signal from the approaching vehicle detector (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 53-10641).
- the device for applying oil on a rail is motorized and has a large number of components, so that the mechanism is complex, resulting in disadvantages of increased cost for the device itself and running cost, oil sludge attached on the tread and the sides of the rail due to frequent and excessive oil application, labor for removing the oil sludge, and contamination of the surroundings due to use of a large amount of grease and hence possible environmental problems.
- Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-127858 discloses an oil application unit including a nozzle block 140 .
- the top surface of the nozzle block 140 is slightly inclined downward from the outer side toward the rail side in the width direction, and the rail-side end section is disposed such that it is substantially flush with the rail (see FIG. 9 ).
- An oil storage pipe 141 with openings 142 formed at fixed intervals is buried in the nozzle block 140 , and nozzle holes 143 that communicate with the openings 142 and are open through the top surface of the nozzle block 140 are formed in the nozzle block 140 in such a way that the nozzle holes 143 are inclined toward a rail 132 by about 45 degrees.
- the nozzle block 140 is supported on a bracket 149 from below and fixed to the rail via a securing leg 148 having an L-shaped cross section.
- the nozzle holes 143 in the conventional nozzle block 140 are formed throughout the length of the nozzle block 140 , so that the application liquid discharged from the nozzle holes 143 located at the downstream-side end section in the direction in which the train is traveling tends to immediately flow down from the top surface of the rail.
- the above tendency is pronounced.
- the application liquid used for this purpose is an expensive water-soluble vegetable liquid instead of grease conventionally used at the request of preventing contamination of the soil and surrounding environment. The cost of wasted application liquid that flows down is therefore not negligible, and there is a problem of wheel slippage due to the excessive liquid application.
- Patent Document 1 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 53-10641
- Patent Document 2 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-275806
- Patent Document 3 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-127858
- the present invention has been made to solve the above problems in the conventional device for applying oil on a rail, and a first object of the present invention is to provide a device for applying liquid on a rail capable of minimizing wasteful flowing down of expensive application liquid to suppress the total amount of discharge of the liquid, reducing costs and further suppressing occurrence of environmental contamination, and preventing slippage of a wheel due to excessive liquid application.
- a second object of the present invention is to provide a device for applying liquid on a rail capable of preventing a gap from being created between a nozzle block and a rail due to the treading pressure from a wheel and application liquid from flowing into the gap in a wasteful manner.
- the invention proposes a device for applying liquid on a rail including a tank, a liquid discharge pump for receiving supply of application liquid from the tank and performing a liquid discharge operation as a wheel passes, and a liquid application unit for discharging the application liquid onto a rail upon being supplied with the liquid from the liquid discharge pump.
- the liquid application unit has a nozzle block having a large number of nozzle holes arranged in the upper surface of the nozzle block, and the nozzle block has on its end section a hole-less end section where no nozzle hole is provided.
- the invention proposes a device for applying liquid on a rail in which the nozzle block is pressed and supported from diagonally below by a nozzle block support device that holds a base of the rail from below in such a way that the rail-side edge of the top surface of the nozzle block is always in close contact with the tread of the rail.
- one end thereof is hooked to the base of the rail and the other end has a securing bolt for securing the nozzle block support device to the rail and a pressing bolt for pressing the nozzle block from diagonally below.
- the nozzle block support device may be disposed in such a way that it extends across a runway rail and a guardrail.
- the hole-less end section is disposed at least at a front end section in the direction in which a vehicle is traveling.
- the liquid discharge pump may be mechanically driven by the treading pressure from the wheel, or may be electrically driven by a solar battery or an AC power supply.
- the nozzle block in the device for applying liquid on a rail has the hole-less end section at the front end section of the nozzle block in the direction in which a vehicle is traveling and application liquid discharged on a rail in the hole-less end section is held and used without any waste, thus providing financial advantages of a reduced total amount of discharge of application liquid and hence reduced cost for the application liquid.
- the nozzle block in the device for applying liquid on a rail is pressed and supported from diagonally below by the nozzle block support device, in which one end thereof is hooked to the base of the rail and the other end has a securing bolt for securing the nozzle block support device to the rail and a pressing bolt for pressing the nozzle block from diagonally below, in such a way that the rail-side edge of the top surface of the nozzle block is always in close contact with the tread of the rail.
- This configuration prevents a gap from being created between the rail-side edge of the top surface of the nozzle block and the tread of the rail and hence the application liquid from flowing down through the gap in a wasteful manner, thus providing an advantage of preventing increase in cost for the application liquid.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the whole configuration of the device for applying liquid on a rail according to the present invention
- FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an exemplary configuration of a liquid discharge pump in the device for applying liquid on a rail according to the present invention
- FIG. 3 shows the operation of the liquid discharge pump in the device for applying liquid on a rail according to the present invention
- FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing another exemplary configuration of the liquid discharge pump in the device for applying liquid on a rail according to the present invention
- FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a liquid application unit in the device for applying liquid on a rail according to the present invention
- FIG. 6 is a side view showing the configuration of the liquid application unit in the device for applying liquid on a rail according to the present invention.
- FIG. 7 is plan view of the main portion showing the configuration of the liquid application unit in the device for applying liquid on a rail according to the present invention
- FIG. 8 is a side view showing another configuration of the liquid application unit in the device for applying liquid on a rail according to the present invention.
- FIG. 9 is a side view showing a liquid application unit in a conventional device for applying liquid on a rail.
- the device for applying liquid according to the present invention includes a tank 1 that is disposed near a rail 32 and stores application liquid, a liquid discharge pump 2 fixed to a side or a base 32 a of the rail 32 , the number of the liquid discharge pumps 2 being typically plural, and liquid application units 3 disposed along the rail, the number of the liquid application units 3 is the same as that of the liquid discharge pumps 2 .
- the liquid application unit 3 is disposed downstream of the liquid discharge pump 2 viewed in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1 in which a vehicle is traveling.
- the tank 1 stores application liquid to be applied on a rail.
- An example of the tanks 1 is configured such that a pressing lid having an appropriate weight abuts the surface of the liquid to always pressurize the stored application liquid so that the application liquid is transported to the liquid discharge pump 2 under the influence of the pressure.
- the capacity of the tank is typically 10 to 20 liters.
- a tank of this kind is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-293602.
- liquid discharge pump 2 examples include a pump mechanically driven by the treading pressure from a wheel and a pump electrically driven by a solar battery or an AC power supply as a power supply.
- the liquid discharge pump 2 includes a cylinder 6 through which application liquid to be supplied on a rail flows, an upper lid 7 that closes the upper side of the cylinder 6 , a lower lid 7 a that closes the lower side of the cylinder 6 , and a piston mechanism 8 that moves upward and downward in the cylinder 6 .
- the cylinder 6 is partitioned at some middle point to form upper and lower application liquid compartments.
- the upper application liquid compartment is a buffer liquid compartment 9 and the lower application liquid compartment is a liquid transportation compartment 10 .
- a piston rod 11 of the piston mechanism 8 that moves upward and downward in the cylinder 6 has an upper piston 12 that slides in the upper buffer liquid compartment 9 and a lower piston 13 that slides in the lower liquid transportation compartment 10 .
- the buffer liquid compartment 9 has an upper liquid port 14 and a lower liquid port 15 .
- One of the liquid ports, the liquid port 14 is a port through which the application liquid flows to and from an upper compartment 16 for the upper piston 12
- the other liquid port, the liquid port 15 is a port through which the application liquid flows to and from a lower compartment for the upper piston 12 .
- the liquid ports 14 and 15 are connected to each other via an annular passage 19 provided with a check valve 18 and form a loop circuit including the upper and lower compartments 16 and 17 (see FIG. 3 ).
- the application liquid filled in the lower compartment 17 is pressurized by the upper piston 12 and pushed out at once in response to a quick downward action of the piston rod 11 when the treading pressure is applied by a wheel.
- the check valve 18 is then opened, so that the application liquid flows through the annular passage 19 into the upper compartment 16 .
- the liquid transportation compartment 10 there are an upper liquid entrance port 25 and an upper liquid exit port 26 located on the upper side, as well as a lower liquid entrance port 27 and a lower liquid exit port 28 located on the lower side.
- the application liquid supplied from the upper liquid entrance port 25 to the liquid transportation compartment 10 flows into the space over the lower piston 13 , and the application liquid supplied from the lower liquid entrance port 27 to the liquid transportation compartment 10 flows into the space under of the lower piston 13 (see FIG. 3 ).
- a conduit 21 connected to the upper liquid exit port 26 and a conduit 22 connected to the lower liquid exit port 28 are integrated, and the integrated conduit extends to the liquid application unit 3 .
- Each of the upper liquid entrance port 25 and the lower liquid entrance port 27 is connected to a tank-side liquid transportation tube 4 extending from the tank 1 via a check valve 5 a .
- the capacity of the space over the lower piston 13 and the capacity of the space under the lower piston 13 in the liquid transportation compartment change according to the upward and downward action of the piston rod 11 . That is, the capacity of the space under the lower piston 13 is maximized when the piston rod 11 is at the upper end, while minimized when the piston rod 11 is at the lower end.
- the piston rod 11 is usually pushed upward by a return spring 29 disposed between the lower lid 7 a and the lower surface of the lower piston 13 and thus situated at the upper end.
- a return spring 29 disposed between the lower lid 7 a and the lower surface of the lower piston 13 and thus situated at the upper end.
- the piston rod 11 receives the treading pressure from a wheel 31 and reaches the lower end for a moment.
- the tip of the piston rod 23 that comes in direct contact with the wheel 31 is preferably shaped into a hemisphere for reducing impact.
- the cylinder 6 of the liquid discharge pump 2 may be directly secured to a side or a base 32 a of the rail 32 by fastening a bolt or the like.
- the liquid discharge pump 2 is preferably secured to the rail 32 , for example, via an L-shaped pump support member 33 (see FIGS. 2 , 6 and 7 ).
- the liquid discharge pump 2 When a motorized pump is employed as the liquid discharge pump 2 , a trochoid pump 72 directly connected to a motor 71 is used.
- the liquid discharge pump 2 includes the motor 71 , the trochoid pump 72 , a solar battery 73 or an AC power supply, a controller 74 , and a photoelectric sensor 75 ( FIG. 4 ).
- the photoelectric sensor 75 senses the approach of a vehicle. Based on this sensing operation, the controller 74 controls the motor 71 .
- the trochoid pump 72 is operated according to a timer setting, for example, for a period of 1 to 10 seconds, and pumps a predetermined amount of application liquid to the liquid application unit 3 . After the specified time has been passed, the trochoid pump 72 immediately halts and stops transporting the liquid.
- the configuration of the liquid application unit 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8 .
- the liquid application unit 3 is paired with the liquid discharge pump 2 , and the number of the liquid application units 3 to be installed is the same as that of the liquid discharge pumps 2 , which is typically plural.
- the liquid application unit 3 has a nozzle block 40 that has an appropriate length and a shape that can be in close contact along the outer track-side head section of the rail.
- the nozzle block 40 is installed in such a way that the top surface thereof is slightly inclined downward from the outer side (the left side in FIG. 6 ) toward the rail 32 in the width direction and the rail-side edge 40 b is substantially flush with the top surface of the rail 32 . Application liquid present on the top surface of the nozzle block 40 is therefore guided onto the tread of the rail 32 .
- An oil storage pipe 41 with openings formed at fixed intervals is buried in the nozzle block 40 , and nozzle holes 43 that communicate with the openings and are open through the top surface of the nozzle block 40 are formed in the nozzle block 40 such that the nozzle holes 43 are inclined toward the rail 32 by about 45 degrees (see FIG. 6 ).
- the nozzle holes 43 in the nozzle block 40 in the device according to the present invention are not formed at an end section (one end section or both end sections) of the nozzle block 40 .
- a hole-less end section 40 a where no nozzle hole 43 is formed is typically provided only at the front end section in the direction in which a train is traveling. However, when the installation site is a slope, for example, and the rear end section is lower than the intermediate portion, the hole-less end sections 40 a may be provided at the rear end section as well as at the front end section.
- the above configuration prevents the discharged application liquid from immediately flowing down in a wasteful manner. That is, the application liquid discharged on the rail 32 from the nozzle holes 43 situated near the hole-less end section 40 a is guided toward the rail 32 along the top surface of the hole-less end section 40 a due to the slope in the longitudinal direction and the slope in the width direction of the nozzle block 40 , so that the application liquid can be used without any waste all the way to the tip of the nozzle block 40 .
- the nozzle block 40 is supported at a plurality of locations by pressing the nozzle block 40 diagonally upward toward the top of the rail 32 instead of pressing the nozzle block 40 vertically upward as conventionally done.
- the nozzle block support device 50 includes a body 51 that surrounds the base 32 a of the rail 32 from below.
- the front end of the body 51 is curved with a small radius (front-end curved portion 53 ) in such a way that the front end holds one side edge of the base 32 a
- the rear end of the body 51 is curved with a large radius (rear-end curved portion 52 ) in such a way that the rear end is oriented diagonally upward toward the top of the rail 32 , specifically, toward the lower portion of the side surface 32 b of the head of the rail 32 .
- the body 51 is preferably configured such that it becomes thicker toward the rear-end curved portion 52 .
- a securing bolt 54 and a pressing bolt 55 are provided at the end section of the rear-end curved portion 52 in such a way that they cross at right angles but are not in contact with each other.
- the securing bolt 54 is screwed into the end section of the rear-end curved portion 52 through a nut 56 fixed thereto, and a securing block 57 shaped such that it fits with the end section of the base 32 a of the rail 32 is provided at the tip of the securing bolt 54 .
- the securing bolt 54 presses the securing block 57 toward the base 32 a of the rail 32 while rotating free with respect to the securing block 57 .
- a guardrail 61 runs parallel to the rail 32 .
- the body 51 extends for a long distance and the front-end curved portion 53 holds the base of the guardrail 61 .
- a female threaded block 58 is provided on the rear-end curved portion 52 , and the pressing bolt 55 is screwed through the female threaded block 58 toward the lower portion of the side surface 32 b of the head of the rail 32 .
- a receiver 60 that has a seat conforming to the tip of the pressing bolt 55 and abuts the outer side and the bottom of the nozzle block 40 , and the pressing bolt 55 presses the receiver 60 toward the nozzle block 40 while rotating free with respect to the receiver 60 .
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Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to a device for applying liquid on a rail, and more particularly to a device for applying liquid on a rail at locations, such as a curve, where the contact pressure between a wheel and a rail becomes high and hence squeak noise is generated (in particular, on the inner-track rail side where wheel tread skid occurs) in order to reduce the noise and prevent wear of the rail and the wheel.
- Triggered by recent subway derailment accidents, more efforts have been made to prevent multiple-factor derailment of railway vehicles and more measures have been taken to safely operate railway vehicles. Examples of the efforts and measures include grinding for restoring rail shapes and modification of the wheel flange angle from 60 degrees to 70 degrees. These measures aim to increase the frictional resistance between the rail and the wheel so as to enhance the margin against flange climb derailment. When these measures are taken, it is conceivable that, particularly at a curve of a rail, more wear of the wheel flange and the rail is generated than that currently generated (on the outer track side, in particular) and the squeak noise increases (on the inner track side, in particular). It is thus conceivable that maintenance and management costs for rails, wheels, tracks and the like increase and there is a need to take measures against noise than ever.
- At a curve, when a wheel on one axle is considered, the rolling distance of the outer track-side wheel is longer than that of the inner track-side wheel. The inner track-side wheel thus turns without load (skidding) on the inner track rail and hence generates substantial squeak noise.
- As measures against the squeak noise, grease or water is manually applied on the tread-side surface of a rail. Since this operation takes labor and cost, there has been proposed a motorized device for applying oil on a rail characterized in that the rail is provided with an oil injection device having oil injection holes toward the wheel flange of a vehicle traveling on the rail; the oil injection device communicates with an oil reservoir via a motorized pump; the motorized pump is electrically connected to an approaching vehicle detector via a discharge amount controller including a timer mechanism; and oil is applied on the rail from the oil injection holes of the oil injection device in response to a signal from the approaching vehicle detector (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 53-10641).
- The device for applying oil on a rail, however, is motorized and has a large number of components, so that the mechanism is complex, resulting in disadvantages of increased cost for the device itself and running cost, oil sludge attached on the tread and the sides of the rail due to frequent and excessive oil application, labor for removing the oil sludge, and contamination of the surroundings due to use of a large amount of grease and hence possible environmental problems.
- To eliminate such disadvantages, there has been proposed a device for applying liquid on a rail including, an oil tank, an oil pump for receiving supply of application liquid (lubricating oil) from the oil tank and performing oil transportation under the treading pressure of a wheel, and a liquid application unit for discharging the application liquid onto a rail upon being supplied with the application liquid from the oil pump (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-275806 and No. 2003-127858).
- Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-127858 discloses an oil application unit including a
nozzle block 140. The top surface of thenozzle block 140 is slightly inclined downward from the outer side toward the rail side in the width direction, and the rail-side end section is disposed such that it is substantially flush with the rail (seeFIG. 9 ). Anoil storage pipe 141 withopenings 142 formed at fixed intervals is buried in thenozzle block 140, andnozzle holes 143 that communicate with theopenings 142 and are open through the top surface of thenozzle block 140 are formed in thenozzle block 140 in such a way that thenozzle holes 143 are inclined toward a rail 132 by about 45 degrees. Thenozzle block 140 is supported on abracket 149 from below and fixed to the rail via asecuring leg 148 having an L-shaped cross section. - When a train approaches and the treading pressure of the wheel is applied to the oil application unit, a check valve is opened and the application liquid is pumped and discharged from a discharge port 146 at the tip of an
oil tube 145 into theoil storage pipe 141. Accordingly, part of the application liquid filled in theoil storage pipe 141 is pushed out from theopenings 142 of theoil storage pipe 141 into thenozzle holes 143 and supplied on the rail. - The
nozzle holes 143 in theconventional nozzle block 140 are formed throughout the length of thenozzle block 140, so that the application liquid discharged from thenozzle holes 143 located at the downstream-side end section in the direction in which the train is traveling tends to immediately flow down from the top surface of the rail. In particular, when the rail is installed on a slope so that the rail is inclined, the above tendency is pronounced. To keep an appropriate amount of the application liquid on the rail, an excessively large amount of application liquid will be supplied. However, the application liquid used for this purpose is an expensive water-soluble vegetable liquid instead of grease conventionally used at the request of preventing contamination of the soil and surrounding environment. The cost of wasted application liquid that flows down is therefore not negligible, and there is a problem of wheel slippage due to the excessive liquid application. - Furthermore, since the
conventional nozzle block 140 is supported on thebracket 149 from below, when the treading pressure from the wheel is applied, a load is applied clockwise inFIG. 9 , resulting in a gap between thenozzle block 140 and the rail. The application liquid then flows into the gap, resulting in further wasted application liquid. - Patent Document 1: Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 53-10641
- Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-275806
- Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-127858
- The present invention has been made to solve the above problems in the conventional device for applying oil on a rail, and a first object of the present invention is to provide a device for applying liquid on a rail capable of minimizing wasteful flowing down of expensive application liquid to suppress the total amount of discharge of the liquid, reducing costs and further suppressing occurrence of environmental contamination, and preventing slippage of a wheel due to excessive liquid application.
- A second object of the present invention is to provide a device for applying liquid on a rail capable of preventing a gap from being created between a nozzle block and a rail due to the treading pressure from a wheel and application liquid from flowing into the gap in a wasteful manner.
- To achieve the first object, the invention according to
claim 1 proposes a device for applying liquid on a rail including a tank, a liquid discharge pump for receiving supply of application liquid from the tank and performing a liquid discharge operation as a wheel passes, and a liquid application unit for discharging the application liquid onto a rail upon being supplied with the liquid from the liquid discharge pump. The liquid application unit has a nozzle block having a large number of nozzle holes arranged in the upper surface of the nozzle block, and the nozzle block has on its end section a hole-less end section where no nozzle hole is provided. - To achieve the second object, the invention according to
claims - In a preferred embodiment, in the nozzle block support device, one end thereof is hooked to the base of the rail and the other end has a securing bolt for securing the nozzle block support device to the rail and a pressing bolt for pressing the nozzle block from diagonally below.
- The nozzle block support device may be disposed in such a way that it extends across a runway rail and a guardrail. The hole-less end section is disposed at least at a front end section in the direction in which a vehicle is traveling. The liquid discharge pump may be mechanically driven by the treading pressure from the wheel, or may be electrically driven by a solar battery or an AC power supply.
- The nozzle block in the device for applying liquid on a rail according to the present invention has the hole-less end section at the front end section of the nozzle block in the direction in which a vehicle is traveling and application liquid discharged on a rail in the hole-less end section is held and used without any waste, thus providing financial advantages of a reduced total amount of discharge of application liquid and hence reduced cost for the application liquid.
- Furthermore, the nozzle block in the device for applying liquid on a rail according to the present invention is pressed and supported from diagonally below by the nozzle block support device, in which one end thereof is hooked to the base of the rail and the other end has a securing bolt for securing the nozzle block support device to the rail and a pressing bolt for pressing the nozzle block from diagonally below, in such a way that the rail-side edge of the top surface of the nozzle block is always in close contact with the tread of the rail. This configuration prevents a gap from being created between the rail-side edge of the top surface of the nozzle block and the tread of the rail and hence the application liquid from flowing down through the gap in a wasteful manner, thus providing an advantage of preventing increase in cost for the application liquid.
-
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the whole configuration of the device for applying liquid on a rail according to the present invention; -
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing an exemplary configuration of a liquid discharge pump in the device for applying liquid on a rail according to the present invention; -
FIG. 3 shows the operation of the liquid discharge pump in the device for applying liquid on a rail according to the present invention; -
FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing another exemplary configuration of the liquid discharge pump in the device for applying liquid on a rail according to the present invention; -
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a liquid application unit in the device for applying liquid on a rail according to the present invention; -
FIG. 6 is a side view showing the configuration of the liquid application unit in the device for applying liquid on a rail according to the present invention; -
FIG. 7 is plan view of the main portion showing the configuration of the liquid application unit in the device for applying liquid on a rail according to the present invention; -
FIG. 8 is a side view showing another configuration of the liquid application unit in the device for applying liquid on a rail according to the present invention; and -
FIG. 9 is a side view showing a liquid application unit in a conventional device for applying liquid on a rail. - The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in
FIG. 1 , the device for applying liquid according to the present invention includes atank 1 that is disposed near arail 32 and stores application liquid, aliquid discharge pump 2 fixed to a side or abase 32 a of therail 32, the number of theliquid discharge pumps 2 being typically plural, andliquid application units 3 disposed along the rail, the number of theliquid application units 3 is the same as that of theliquid discharge pumps 2. Theliquid application unit 3 is disposed downstream of theliquid discharge pump 2 viewed in the direction indicated by the arrow inFIG. 1 in which a vehicle is traveling. - The
tank 1 stores application liquid to be applied on a rail. An example of thetanks 1 is configured such that a pressing lid having an appropriate weight abuts the surface of the liquid to always pressurize the stored application liquid so that the application liquid is transported to theliquid discharge pump 2 under the influence of the pressure. The capacity of the tank is typically 10 to 20 liters. A tank of this kind is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-293602. - Examples of the
liquid discharge pump 2 include a pump mechanically driven by the treading pressure from a wheel and a pump electrically driven by a solar battery or an AC power supply as a power supply. - In the case of a mechanically driven pump shown in
FIG. 2 , theliquid discharge pump 2 includes acylinder 6 through which application liquid to be supplied on a rail flows, anupper lid 7 that closes the upper side of thecylinder 6, alower lid 7 a that closes the lower side of thecylinder 6, and apiston mechanism 8 that moves upward and downward in thecylinder 6. - The
cylinder 6 is partitioned at some middle point to form upper and lower application liquid compartments. The upper application liquid compartment is a buffer liquid compartment 9 and the lower application liquid compartment is aliquid transportation compartment 10. Apiston rod 11 of thepiston mechanism 8 that moves upward and downward in thecylinder 6 has anupper piston 12 that slides in the upper buffer liquid compartment 9 and alower piston 13 that slides in the lowerliquid transportation compartment 10. - The buffer liquid compartment 9 has an upper
liquid port 14 and alower liquid port 15. One of the liquid ports, theliquid port 14, is a port through which the application liquid flows to and from anupper compartment 16 for theupper piston 12, and the other liquid port, theliquid port 15, is a port through which the application liquid flows to and from a lower compartment for theupper piston 12. Theliquid ports annular passage 19 provided with acheck valve 18 and form a loop circuit including the upper andlower compartments 16 and 17 (seeFIG. 3 ). - In the loop circuit including the buffer liquid compartment 9, the application liquid filled in the
lower compartment 17 is pressurized by theupper piston 12 and pushed out at once in response to a quick downward action of thepiston rod 11 when the treading pressure is applied by a wheel. Thecheck valve 18 is then opened, so that the application liquid flows through theannular passage 19 into theupper compartment 16. - On the other hand, when the treading pressure on the
piston rod 11 is released and theupper piston 12 goes up, the application liquid in theupper compartment 16 cannot flow backward through theannular passage 19 because thecheck valve 18 blocks the flow, so that the application liquid moves through a gap 20 (or choke) into thelower compartment 17. In this case, since the flow resistance is large, the moving speed of the application liquid from theupper compartment 16 to thelower compartment 17 is slow, resulting in a gentle upward action of thepiston mechanism 8. - In the
liquid transportation compartment 10, there are an upperliquid entrance port 25 and an upperliquid exit port 26 located on the upper side, as well as a lowerliquid entrance port 27 and a lowerliquid exit port 28 located on the lower side. The application liquid supplied from the upperliquid entrance port 25 to theliquid transportation compartment 10 flows into the space over thelower piston 13, and the application liquid supplied from the lowerliquid entrance port 27 to theliquid transportation compartment 10 flows into the space under of the lower piston 13 (seeFIG. 3 ). Aconduit 21 connected to the upperliquid exit port 26 and aconduit 22 connected to the lowerliquid exit port 28 are integrated, and the integrated conduit extends to theliquid application unit 3. - Each of the upper
liquid entrance port 25 and the lowerliquid entrance port 27 is connected to a tank-sideliquid transportation tube 4 extending from thetank 1 via acheck valve 5 a. The capacity of the space over thelower piston 13 and the capacity of the space under thelower piston 13 in the liquid transportation compartment change according to the upward and downward action of thepiston rod 11. That is, the capacity of the space under thelower piston 13 is maximized when thepiston rod 11 is at the upper end, while minimized when thepiston rod 11 is at the lower end. - The
piston rod 11 is usually pushed upward by areturn spring 29 disposed between thelower lid 7 a and the lower surface of thelower piston 13 and thus situated at the upper end. On the other hand, when a train passes, thepiston rod 11 receives the treading pressure from awheel 31 and reaches the lower end for a moment. The tip of thepiston rod 23 that comes in direct contact with thewheel 31 is preferably shaped into a hemisphere for reducing impact. - To attach the
liquid discharge pump 2 to therail 32, thecylinder 6 of theliquid discharge pump 2 may be directly secured to a side or a base 32 a of therail 32 by fastening a bolt or the like. Theliquid discharge pump 2 is preferably secured to therail 32, for example, via an L-shaped pump support member 33 (seeFIGS. 2 , 6 and 7). - When a motorized pump is employed as the
liquid discharge pump 2, atrochoid pump 72 directly connected to amotor 71 is used. In this case, theliquid discharge pump 2 includes themotor 71, thetrochoid pump 72, asolar battery 73 or an AC power supply, acontroller 74, and a photoelectric sensor 75 (FIG. 4 ). - In this case, the
photoelectric sensor 75 senses the approach of a vehicle. Based on this sensing operation, thecontroller 74 controls themotor 71. Thetrochoid pump 72 is operated according to a timer setting, for example, for a period of 1 to 10 seconds, and pumps a predetermined amount of application liquid to theliquid application unit 3. After the specified time has been passed, thetrochoid pump 72 immediately halts and stops transporting the liquid. - The configuration of the
liquid application unit 3 will be described with reference toFIGS. 5 to 8 . Theliquid application unit 3 is paired with theliquid discharge pump 2, and the number of theliquid application units 3 to be installed is the same as that of the liquid discharge pumps 2, which is typically plural. Theliquid application unit 3 has anozzle block 40 that has an appropriate length and a shape that can be in close contact along the outer track-side head section of the rail. - The
nozzle block 40 is installed in such a way that the top surface thereof is slightly inclined downward from the outer side (the left side inFIG. 6 ) toward therail 32 in the width direction and the rail-side edge 40 b is substantially flush with the top surface of therail 32. Application liquid present on the top surface of thenozzle block 40 is therefore guided onto the tread of therail 32. - An oil storage pipe 41 with openings formed at fixed intervals is buried in the
nozzle block 40, and nozzle holes 43 that communicate with the openings and are open through the top surface of thenozzle block 40 are formed in thenozzle block 40 such that the nozzle holes 43 are inclined toward therail 32 by about 45 degrees (seeFIG. 6 ). - The nozzle holes 43 in the
nozzle block 40 in the device according to the present invention are not formed at an end section (one end section or both end sections) of thenozzle block 40. Ahole-less end section 40 a where nonozzle hole 43 is formed is typically provided only at the front end section in the direction in which a train is traveling. However, when the installation site is a slope, for example, and the rear end section is lower than the intermediate portion, thehole-less end sections 40 a may be provided at the rear end section as well as at the front end section. - By thus providing the
hole-less end section 40 a where nonozzle hole 43 is formed, even when the application liquid discharged from the end section-side nozzle holes 43 on therail 32 flows forward or outward due to the slope of therail 32 and the passage of a wheel, the above configuration prevents the discharged application liquid from immediately flowing down in a wasteful manner. That is, the application liquid discharged on therail 32 from the nozzle holes 43 situated near thehole-less end section 40 a is guided toward therail 32 along the top surface of thehole-less end section 40 a due to the slope in the longitudinal direction and the slope in the width direction of thenozzle block 40, so that the application liquid can be used without any waste all the way to the tip of thenozzle block 40. - To reliably provide the above effect, it is necessary to prevent creation of a gap, through which the application liquid flows down, between the rail-
side edge 40 b of the top surface of thenozzle block 40 and the tread side surface of therail 32 that comes in close contact with that edge. To this end, in the present invention, thenozzle block 40 is supported at a plurality of locations by pressing thenozzle block 40 diagonally upward toward the top of therail 32 instead of pressing thenozzle block 40 vertically upward as conventionally done. - That is, the nozzle
block support device 50 according to the present invention includes abody 51 that surrounds the base 32 a of therail 32 from below. The front end of thebody 51 is curved with a small radius (front-end curved portion 53) in such a way that the front end holds one side edge of the base 32 a, and the rear end of thebody 51 is curved with a large radius (rear-end curved portion 52) in such a way that the rear end is oriented diagonally upward toward the top of therail 32, specifically, toward the lower portion of theside surface 32 b of the head of therail 32. Thebody 51 is preferably configured such that it becomes thicker toward the rear-endcurved portion 52. - A securing
bolt 54 and apressing bolt 55 are provided at the end section of the rear-endcurved portion 52 in such a way that they cross at right angles but are not in contact with each other. The securingbolt 54 is screwed into the end section of the rear-endcurved portion 52 through anut 56 fixed thereto, and a securingblock 57 shaped such that it fits with the end section of the base 32 a of therail 32 is provided at the tip of the securingbolt 54. The securingbolt 54 presses the securingblock 57 toward the base 32 a of therail 32 while rotating free with respect to the securingblock 57. - In an example shown in
FIG. 8 , aguardrail 61 runs parallel to therail 32. In this case, thebody 51 extends for a long distance and the front-endcurved portion 53 holds the base of theguardrail 61. - In the above configurations, when the securing
bolt 54 is rotated, thenut 56 is fixed and hence is not rotated, so that the securingbolt 54 is screwed through thenut 56. This action presses the rear-endcurved portion 52 in the direction away from therail 32. As a result, the front-endcurved portion 53 securely holds the edge of the base 32 a of therail 32, so that thebody 51 is securely fixed to therail 32. - A female threaded
block 58 is provided on the rear-endcurved portion 52, and thepressing bolt 55 is screwed through the female threadedblock 58 toward the lower portion of theside surface 32 b of the head of therail 32. At the tip of thepressing bolt 55, there is provided areceiver 60 that has a seat conforming to the tip of thepressing bolt 55 and abuts the outer side and the bottom of thenozzle block 40, and thepressing bolt 55 presses thereceiver 60 toward thenozzle block 40 while rotating free with respect to thereceiver 60. - In such a configuration, when the
pressing bolt 55 is screwed, thenozzle block 40 is pressed and supported diagonally upward by thereceiver 60. Therefore, the treading pressure from a wheel will not tilt thenozzle block 40 counterclockwise inFIG. 9 , and there will be no gap between the rail-side edge 40 b and the rail tread. - Although the present invention has been described in some detail with reference to the most preferable embodiment, it is apparent that a variety of different embodiments can be configured without departing from the spirit and extent of the present invention. The present invention is therefore not limited to specific embodiments thereof except those set forth in the accompanying claims.
Claims (8)
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/JP2005/001128 WO2006080071A1 (en) | 2005-01-27 | 2005-01-27 | Device for applying liquid on rail |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20090050409A1 true US20090050409A1 (en) | 2009-02-26 |
Family
ID=36740106
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US11/814,962 Abandoned US20090050409A1 (en) | 2005-01-27 | 2005-01-27 | Device for applying liquid on rail |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20090050409A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2006080071A1 (en) |
Cited By (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
WO2012168125A1 (en) * | 2011-06-10 | 2012-12-13 | Lincoln Gmbh | Lubrication device |
US20140060972A1 (en) * | 2009-05-29 | 2014-03-06 | Glen Appleby | Top of rail resilient bar |
US9440665B2 (en) | 2009-05-29 | 2016-09-13 | L.B. Foster Rail Technologies, Inc. | Top of rail foam bar |
US10358152B2 (en) * | 2015-08-28 | 2019-07-23 | Loram Maintenance Of Way, Inc. | Method and apparatus for gauge-face lubrication |
US11325621B2 (en) * | 2018-05-14 | 2022-05-10 | Whitmore Manufacturing, Llc | Apparatus and method for dispensing a lubricant to the rail and determining the amount of lubricant dispensed and remaining |
US20230382441A1 (en) * | 2022-05-25 | 2023-11-30 | Rbl, Inc. | Automatic switch plate lubrication assembly |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP4851417B2 (en) * | 2007-10-18 | 2012-01-11 | 京成電鉄株式会社 | Automatic coating equipment for rails |
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US3147822A (en) * | 1961-09-20 | 1964-09-08 | P & M Co England Ltd | Rail and flange lubricating apparatus |
US5503536A (en) * | 1994-06-10 | 1996-04-02 | Applied Power Inc. | Rolling wheel actuated pump and pump system |
US6464039B1 (en) * | 2000-09-08 | 2002-10-15 | Portec Rail Products, Inc. | Actuator element of a hydraulic fluid-operated railway track lubricating system |
US20050269161A1 (en) * | 1999-04-08 | 2005-12-08 | Portec Rail Products, Inc. | Top of rail applicator |
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JPS4324722Y1 (en) * | 1965-06-11 | 1968-10-18 | ||
JPH0314448Y2 (en) * | 1986-05-28 | 1991-03-29 | ||
JPH0717801U (en) * | 1993-08-31 | 1995-03-31 | 前田建設工業株式会社 | Rail track structure |
EP1171337B1 (en) * | 1999-04-08 | 2004-06-30 | Portec Rail Products, Inc. | Top of rail applicator |
JP3806065B2 (en) * | 2001-08-13 | 2006-08-09 | 株式会社伊藤鉄工所 | Lubricating equipment for rails |
JP2003276604A (en) * | 2002-03-26 | 2003-10-02 | Railway Technical Res Inst | Flange friction reducer and method |
-
2005
- 2005-01-27 US US11/814,962 patent/US20090050409A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2005-01-27 WO PCT/JP2005/001128 patent/WO2006080071A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
Patent Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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US3147822A (en) * | 1961-09-20 | 1964-09-08 | P & M Co England Ltd | Rail and flange lubricating apparatus |
US5503536A (en) * | 1994-06-10 | 1996-04-02 | Applied Power Inc. | Rolling wheel actuated pump and pump system |
US20050269161A1 (en) * | 1999-04-08 | 2005-12-08 | Portec Rail Products, Inc. | Top of rail applicator |
US6464039B1 (en) * | 2000-09-08 | 2002-10-15 | Portec Rail Products, Inc. | Actuator element of a hydraulic fluid-operated railway track lubricating system |
Cited By (12)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20140060972A1 (en) * | 2009-05-29 | 2014-03-06 | Glen Appleby | Top of rail resilient bar |
US9440665B2 (en) | 2009-05-29 | 2016-09-13 | L.B. Foster Rail Technologies, Inc. | Top of rail foam bar |
US20170174235A1 (en) * | 2009-05-29 | 2017-06-22 | L.B. Foster Rail Technologies, Inc. | Top of rail foam bar |
US9914465B2 (en) * | 2009-05-29 | 2018-03-13 | L.B. Foster Rail Technologies, Inc. | Top of rail resilient bar |
US10358153B2 (en) * | 2009-05-29 | 2019-07-23 | L.B. Foster Rail Technologies, Inc. | Top of rail foam bar |
US11273853B2 (en) | 2009-05-29 | 2022-03-15 | L B Foster Rail Technologies, Inc | Top of rail resilient bar |
WO2012168125A1 (en) * | 2011-06-10 | 2012-12-13 | Lincoln Gmbh | Lubrication device |
US20140339021A1 (en) * | 2011-06-10 | 2014-11-20 | Markus Mandera | Lubrication device |
US10358152B2 (en) * | 2015-08-28 | 2019-07-23 | Loram Maintenance Of Way, Inc. | Method and apparatus for gauge-face lubrication |
US10994757B2 (en) * | 2015-08-28 | 2021-05-04 | Loram Maintenance Of Way, Inc. | Method and apparatus for gauge-face lubrication |
US11325621B2 (en) * | 2018-05-14 | 2022-05-10 | Whitmore Manufacturing, Llc | Apparatus and method for dispensing a lubricant to the rail and determining the amount of lubricant dispensed and remaining |
US20230382441A1 (en) * | 2022-05-25 | 2023-11-30 | Rbl, Inc. | Automatic switch plate lubrication assembly |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
WO2006080071A1 (en) | 2006-08-03 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
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AS | Assignment |
Owner name: ITAKE CORPORATION, JAPAN Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:WAKAMATSU, MAKOTO;HOSOKAWA, TAKAHIRO;ITO, SAICHI;REEL/FRAME:019656/0376 Effective date: 20070630 Owner name: ITO IRONWORKERS CORPORATION, JAPAN Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:WAKAMATSU, MAKOTO;HOSOKAWA, TAKAHIRO;ITO, SAICHI;REEL/FRAME:019656/0376 Effective date: 20070630 |
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STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |