WO2008009060A1 - Système d'aiguillage ferroviaire par pointes d'aiguilles - Google Patents

Système d'aiguillage ferroviaire par pointes d'aiguilles Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2008009060A1
WO2008009060A1 PCT/AU2007/001006 AU2007001006W WO2008009060A1 WO 2008009060 A1 WO2008009060 A1 WO 2008009060A1 AU 2007001006 W AU2007001006 W AU 2007001006W WO 2008009060 A1 WO2008009060 A1 WO 2008009060A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
bearing
magnets
engagement plate
rails
lower engagement
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/AU2007/001006
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Mark Richard Drayton
Original Assignee
Mark Richard Drayton
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from AU2006903849A external-priority patent/AU2006903849A0/en
Application filed by Mark Richard Drayton filed Critical Mark Richard Drayton
Publication of WO2008009060A1 publication Critical patent/WO2008009060A1/fr

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Classifications

    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E01—CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS, RAILWAYS, OR BRIDGES
    • E01B—PERMANENT WAY; PERMANENT-WAY TOOLS; MACHINES FOR MAKING RAILWAYS OF ALL KINDS
    • E01B7/00—Switches; Crossings
    • E01B7/02—Tongues; Associated constructions

Definitions

  • the invention relates to the filed of railway track engineering.
  • the invention relates to an improved design for railway switching points or turn outs.
  • the route of locomotives on modern multi-track railway transport systems is controlled mainly by track switching devices which are capable of re-routing the locomotive onto a different line. These devices typically involve the reversible sliding of a set of switching, or 'swing', rails from a first position in alignment with a first track to a second position in alignment with a second track.
  • the primary sliding bearing members tend to be flat, smooth steel wear plates. However, given the very substantial weight which is borne by these bearings, there is a very large frictional force which must be overcome in order for the swing tracks to slide into the desired position.
  • the contact surface between the tracks and the wear plates, or between a pair of wear plates, is typically lubricated using a graphite powder material or a grease.
  • the disadvantage this poses is that it has a tendency to be washed or blown away over time due to weather conditions. This also presents a health risk as dangerous fumes are formed when graphite powder comes in contact with some solvents.
  • a bearing for a railway point switching system including at least: two connected rails supported by sleepers which are moved in unison from a first position to a second position; and a slidable support bearing for said rails which bears said rails as they are moved horizontally from said first position to said second position; said bearing including upper and lower engagement plates or the like which are capable of sliding horizontally relative to one another and which tend to be forced toward one another by the weight of said rails on said sleepers, and wherein the upper engagement plate is operatively connected to said rails; wherein said engagement plates incorporate, are attached to or are formed from high strength magnets, such as permanent rare earth magnets, said magnets being arranged such that, in operation, like poles are located directly opposite one another thereby to cause the engagement plates to tend to repel one another.
  • high strength magnets such as permanent rare earth magnets
  • the invention thereby provides that the action of the repelling magnetic fields of the like poles (North-North or South-South) of the magnets assist in providing an upward 'lifting' force to the upper engagement plate. This partially counteracts the downward force of gravity acting to pull the upper engagement plate down toward the lower engagement plate.
  • any magnet of suitable magnetic flux strength, and mechanical strength may be used in this application, including electromagnets.
  • the rare earth magnets are inserted into the engagement plates so as to form a plurality of matched pairs of opposing magnets. If so, it is particularly advantageous that the plurality of opposing magnets are arranged so that, while the upper plate is travelling between first and second positions associated with the first and second positions of the rails, there is provided a substantially continual juxtaposition of individual opposing magnets. This arrangement provides the most efficient use of the rare earth magnets when employed in the manner described above.
  • the bearing may be positioned on a mounting bracket suspended between two adjacent sleepers, upon which the lower engagement plate is mounted. This arrangement allows retrofitting of the bearing to an existing rail switch point without necessarily disturbing the sleepers.
  • the lower engagement plate is mounted directly on top of, or recessed into the top surface of, a sleeper.
  • the bearing structure has greater overall strength and the need to provide a separate mounting bracket sized to fit between two adjacent sleepers is obviated.
  • the magnets in the lower engagement plate is mounted in a groove cut in the lower engagement plate, and wherein the magnet in the upper engagement plate is arranged to slide in said groove when travelling between said first and second positions. This provides greater stability to the overall arrangement.
  • Alternatives to this arrangement occur where the lower engagement plate is mounted within a sleeper, or where the lower engagement plate is formed integrally with a sleeper.
  • Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of a part of a rail point switching assembly, incorporating a bearing according to one embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 2 is a schematic, side view of the assembly of figure 1.
  • Figure 3 is a schematic plan view of a support plate for a base magnet bracket as shown in the assembly of figure 1.
  • Figure 4 is a schematic elevation and end elevation of a mounting bracket suitable for attaching a magnetized upper engagement plate to a swing rail, as per the assembly of figure 1.
  • Figure 5 is a schematic elevation and end elevation of a mounting bracket suitable for attaching a magnetized lower engagement plate to a base magnet bracket, as per the assembly of figure 1.
  • Figure 6 is a schematic plan view of a part of a rail point switching assembly, incorporating a bearing according to an alternative embodiment of the invention.
  • Figure 7 is a schematic side view of ithe assembly of figure 6.
  • Figure 8 is a schematic elevation of the engagement plate assembly of included in the overall assembly of figure 6.
  • Figure 9 is a schematic plan view of the engagement plate assembly of figure 8.
  • the bearing for a railway point switching system utilises magnets arranged in operation to produce a repulsive force between the swing rails and their supports, which reduces the overall contact force between the swing track and said support, particularly at the point of sliding contact, thereby to reduce the frictional force required to cause the sliding movement for the swing tracks from a first position to a second position.
  • the invention may also allow smaller and cheaper linear transducers to be specified for the operation of actuating movement of the switching track.
  • Rare earth magnets are preferred for this purpose, but other types of magnets may be employed.
  • Rare earth magnets are so called because they are manufactured using materials located in the rare earth section of the Periodic Table of Elements. They include Neodymium-lron-Boron (Nd 2 Fe- I4 B) magnets and Samarium-Cobalt (SmCo 5 ), among others.
  • a single pair, or a number of sets, of opposing magnets may be provided at each switching point.
  • the magnet that is attached to the switching or 'swing' track may vary in size but should be of sufficient length such that the (upper) magnet attached to the swing track can traverse its intended swing distance and still remain in direct juxtaposition with the (lower) base magnet, thereby retaining the repulsive force for the entire travel distance.
  • the base magnet should preferably be relatively elongate: optionally consisting of more than one individual magnet, while the swing track magnet may be smaller in surface area.
  • the lower magnets will be located between two adjacent track sleepers, supported by a bracket that is attached to the fixed track ad effectively suspended between said sleepers.
  • the upper swing track magnets are mounted in a bracket that is attached to said track. Both brackets may be bolt mounted to the supporting structures for ease of maintenance and possible component replacement. This type of assembly may most readily be retrofitted to an existing switch point, since disturbance of the mounting of the rail on the sleeper is minimised.
  • a second alternative design would be to have the lower magnet embedded within the wear plate metal on the sleeper mount.
  • the wear plate sheet metal that sits on the sleeper would preferably be machined such that the upper and lower magnets could be located in a machined groove within the wear plate.
  • a third alternative assembly design would be, where the sleepers are made of concrete, wood or other suitable material, to have the lower magnet recessed into the sleeper itself. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that many other mounting assemblies for the magnet are possible and that the above are merely particularly useful examples of same.
  • both the swing track magnet and the lower or base magnet can, be modified accommodate different installations.
  • a sacrificial wear element can optionally be placed between the two magnets. Ideally, this element would work to maintain an air gap of approximately one eighth of an inch between the magnets. It may also be possible to recess the magnets slightly into the wear plates.
  • the material used for directly mounting the magnets in the assembly can be selected from wood, aluminium, mild steel or stainless steel, or other suitable material.
  • the magnets may be additionally secured to the bracket structure by the use of an adhesive compound. This will assist to eliminate the likelihood of the magnets dislodging themselves from their seating.
  • the linear actuator in an assembly incorporating the invention is in limiting the travel distance of the swing track. For example, it is typical for the travel of the swing track to be approximately perpendicular at 90° to the length of the track and for a distance of approximately 150mm. This traversing distance is important as, if the magnet on the switching track goes past the edge of the base magnet, there will be a tendency for the magnets to attract rather than produce a repulsion force.
  • FIG. 1 there is shown part of a rail track switching assembly which incorporates a bearing according to the invention.
  • the assembly is shown mounted on two adjacent sleepers (5, 10).
  • a fixed rail 15 is mounted directly on to each of the sleepers (5, 10) by mountings (20, 25) and runs transversely across them.
  • the switching or 'swing' rail 30, which has a distinctive tapered profile, is mounted alongside the fixed rail 15 and shown supported by the bearing according to the invention 35.
  • the engagement plate 45 incorporates a wear surface 50 which features a flush mounted rare earth magnet 55 which is oriented to match the path of travel of the swing rail 30. It is also oriented such that its 'North' pole is uppermost/outermost. The magnet 55 is recessed in to the wear surface 50.
  • the engagement plate 65 features a flush mounted rare earth magnet 70, which is noticeably smaller than the magnet 55 of the lower engagement plate, and a wear surface 75.
  • the magnet 70 is oriented such that its 'North' pole is lowermost/outermost
  • the upper and lower engagement plates (45, 65) are arranged so that their wear surfaces are in direct contact, an in particular so that the rare earth magnets (55, 70) are in direct abutment.
  • the mounting bracket 60 for the upper engagement plate 65 is in turn bolted to, and thereby suspended from, the swing rail 30.
  • the magnets (55, 70) are secured in their respective engagement plates (45, 65) by a suitable adhesive compound.
  • FIG. 6 there is. shown part of a rail track switching assembly which incorporates a bearing according to the invention, but where an alternative mounting assembly has been employed.
  • the assembly is shown mounted on two adjacent sleepers (105, 110).
  • a fixed rail 115 is mounted directly on to each of the sleepers (105, 110) by mountings (120, 125) and runs transversely across them.
  • the switching or 'swing' rail 130 which has a distinctive tapered profile, is mounted alongside the fixed rail 115 and shown supported by two bearings (135, 140) according to the invention. Both of said bearings are mounted directly on to the respective sleepers (105, 110) and are recessed into same. For each of the bearings (135, 140), the lower engagement plate 145 is recessed directly into the sleepers. The lower engagement plate is shown in greater detail in figures 8 and 9.
  • a slot 150 is provided in the engagement plate, said slot 150 being oriented to match the 1 travel path of the fixed rail 130 during switching.
  • a the bottom of the slot is a flush mounted a rare earth magnet 155 which is oriented to match the path of travel of the swing rail 130. It is also oriented such that its 'North' pole is uppermost.
  • a moveable slide 160 is also positioned in the slot 150.
  • This slide 160 effectively provides the upper engagement plate, and features a flush-mounted rare earth magnet 170, which is the same width as, but noticeably shorter than, the magnet 155 of the lower engagement plate.
  • the magnet 170 is oriented such that its 'North' pole is lowermost.
  • the swing rail 130 is mounted directly on to the slide 160, which supports it as it traverses a path moving it either toward or away from the fixed rail 115 during a switching operation.
  • the magnets (155, 170) remain in direct abutment throughout, thereby allowing the like North magnetic fields to continuously repel one another. This tends to force the engagement plates (145, 160) apart and thereby counteract the gravitational force pulling the swing rail 130 toward the lower engagement plate 145.
  • a physical barrier 175 is provided that restricts the magnets (155, 170) from rotating, sliding or flipping out of position.
  • the sleepers are constructed from suitable material, such as concrete or wood, and where the lower magnet is mounted within a moulded recess in the sleeper itself, rather than in a separately inserted wear plate.
  • the moulded recess in the sleeper would be of a similar profile to the recess machined in the lower engagement plate as shown in figures 7, 8 and 9.
  • the engagement plates would be designed such that one side of the wear plate will be capable of being bolted to the fixed track, while the other side would be open along the centreline to allow the upper swing track magnet to hover over the base magnet.
  • Each corner of the wear plate would preferably be bolted to the sleeper.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Architecture (AREA)
  • Civil Engineering (AREA)
  • Structural Engineering (AREA)
  • Railway Tracks (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un palier utilisé dans des systèmes d'aiguillage ferroviaire par pointes d'aiguilles utilisant des aimants aux terres rares dans le but de réduire la force de frottement nécessaire au repositionnement des rails.
PCT/AU2007/001006 2006-07-19 2007-07-19 Système d'aiguillage ferroviaire par pointes d'aiguilles WO2008009060A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU2006903849A AU2006903849A0 (en) 2006-07-19 Magna Lift - for Switch Points
AU2006903849 2006-07-19
AU2007900034 2007-01-08
AU2007900034A AU2007900034A0 (en) 2007-01-08 Magna Lift for Switch Points-with additional designs

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2008009060A1 true WO2008009060A1 (fr) 2008-01-24

Family

ID=38956436

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/AU2007/001006 WO2008009060A1 (fr) 2006-07-19 2007-07-19 Système d'aiguillage ferroviaire par pointes d'aiguilles

Country Status (1)

Country Link
WO (1) WO2008009060A1 (fr)

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3913492A (en) * 1973-12-14 1975-10-21 Siemens Ag Switch for a magnetic suspension railroad
DE2659010A1 (de) * 1976-12-27 1978-06-29 Japan Airlines Co Schaltweiche fuer zwei-schienen-gleisstrecken
US5287811A (en) * 1992-04-02 1994-02-22 Railway Technical Research Institute Flexible branching apparatus in superconducting magnetically levitated railway having variable cross-section main flexible beam
US5806810A (en) * 1997-09-26 1998-09-15 Abc Rail Products Corporation Spring rail frog having switchable magnet for holding wing rail open
EP1110837A1 (fr) * 1999-12-24 2001-06-27 Poma Otis Systemes de Transport, (Société par actions simplifiée) Dispositif d'aiguillage pour véhicules à effet de sol
WO2005095714A1 (fr) * 2004-03-26 2005-10-13 Thyssenkrupp Transrapid Gmbh Dispositif d'aiguillage pour pistes a levitation magnetique et support flexible correspondant

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3913492A (en) * 1973-12-14 1975-10-21 Siemens Ag Switch for a magnetic suspension railroad
DE2659010A1 (de) * 1976-12-27 1978-06-29 Japan Airlines Co Schaltweiche fuer zwei-schienen-gleisstrecken
US5287811A (en) * 1992-04-02 1994-02-22 Railway Technical Research Institute Flexible branching apparatus in superconducting magnetically levitated railway having variable cross-section main flexible beam
US5806810A (en) * 1997-09-26 1998-09-15 Abc Rail Products Corporation Spring rail frog having switchable magnet for holding wing rail open
EP1110837A1 (fr) * 1999-12-24 2001-06-27 Poma Otis Systemes de Transport, (Société par actions simplifiée) Dispositif d'aiguillage pour véhicules à effet de sol
WO2005095714A1 (fr) * 2004-03-26 2005-10-13 Thyssenkrupp Transrapid Gmbh Dispositif d'aiguillage pour pistes a levitation magnetique et support flexible correspondant

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