Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E01—CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS, RAILWAYS, OR BRIDGES
  • E01B—PERMANENT WAY; PERMANENT-WAY TOOLS; MACHINES FOR MAKING RAILWAYS OF ALL KINDS
  • E01B31/00—Working rails, sleepers, baseplates, or the like, in or on the line; Machines, tools, or auxiliary devices specially designed therefor
  • E01B31/02—Working rail or other metal track components on the spot
  • E01B31/12—Removing metal from rails, rail joints, or baseplates, e.g. for deburring welds, reconditioning worn rails
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E01—CONSTRUCTION OF ROADS, RAILWAYS, OR BRIDGES
  • E01B—PERMANENT WAY; PERMANENT-WAY TOOLS; MACHINES FOR MAKING RAILWAYS OF ALL KINDS
  • E01B11/00—Rail joints
  • E01B11/54—Electrically-insulating rail joints

Definitions

• the present invention relates to the technical field of devices and methods for treating rails.
• Typical tools used for this application are a hacksaw and a portable rotary grinder. Both methods leave metallic debris in the joint. Neither method provides controlled depth of cut resulting in damage to the end post reducing joint life.
• An insulated joint slotter is used to clean an insulated rail joint.
• the slotter is clamped to rails at either side of the joint, and gearing is used to move a toothed cutter across the joint to remove material from the joint.
• the slotter is lightweight and portable; the slotter requires no external power source except a battery driven hand tool; if a battery power source is unavailable, the slotter can be operated with a hand crank; the slotter does not generate sparks in operation; the cutting of the insulated joint generates a limited number of large chips, which expedites the clean up process and makes chips easily identifiable if they should fall into the newly cut joint; the slotter does not allow for the chamfering of the rail ends, which can extend the life of the insulated joint; the cutting process is fast and quick; no special skills are required to operate the slotter device; joint cleaning can be performed in all types of weather conditions; and/or the toothed cutting blade can be easily replaced.
• an insultated rail joint slotter includes a toothed cutter; a clamping mechanism for clamping the slotter to a rail; and a mechanism for moving the cutter to remove material from a slot.
• the slotter may include one or more of the following features: the cutter is a broach; the broach has teeth of varying heights; the teeth remove thick chips from the slot; the chips have a thickness of at least 0.08 mm (0.003 inches); the broach is part of a broach- gear-rack assembly; the broach-gear-rack assembly includes a rack; the rack engages a pinion gear in a gear box; the broach is mechanically coupled to a housing of the broach-gear-rack assembly; the mechanically coupling of the broach to the housing is by a series of set screws; the broach is replaceable; the housing has slots which receive plates of a gear box housing of the gear box; the gear box has an adjustable height relative to a clamping base assembly that includes the clamping mechanism; the clamp
• a method of cleaning an insulated rail joint including: moving a toothed cutter along a joint to remove material from the joint.
• an insultated rail joint slotter includes: a toothed cutter; a clamping mechanism for clamping the slotter to a rail; and a mechanism for moving the cutter to remove material from a slot.
• a method of making a slot in a joint of a rail includes: clamping a slotter to the rail; and moving a toothed cutter of the slotter along the joint to remove material from the rail to form the slot.
• FIG. 1 is an oblique view of an insulated joint slotter in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 2 is another oblique view of the insulated joint slotter of Fig. 1.
• Fig. 3 is an oblique view showing the insulated joint slotter of Fig. 1 engaged with a rail.
• Fig. 4 is an end of view of the insulated joint slotter and rail of Fig. 4.
• Fig. 5 is an oblique view of the gear box of the insulated joint slotter of Fig. 1.
• Fig. 6 is an oblique view of an insulated joint slotter in accordance with an alternate embodiment of the invention.
• Fig. 7 is another oblique view of the insulated joint slotter of Fig. 6.
• An insulated joint slotter is used to clean up an electrically insulated joint between rails, removing conductive material, such as deformed rail metal, from the edges of the rails that may have extended into the area between the rails.
• the slotter clamps onto the sides of a rail, using serrated clamp pads that securely engage side surfaces of the rails.
• a system of gears is used in dragging a broach across the joint between the rails, removing conductive matter from the rails and other impurities.
• Gearing is used to move the broach along the surface of the joint.
• the gearing may include a worm gear combination that is used to move the broach in the cutting direction. The worm gear may then be disengaged to allow the broach to be quickly moved back in the opposite direction to set up another cut.
• the gearing may be operated by machine, such as by a battery-powered tool such as a drill, or by hand, using a tool such as a suitable wrench.
• the same tool may be used to turn shafts for moving the broach in both directions, as well as to clamp the slotter to a rail.
• the slotter advantageously produces large chips of metal, which are easily contained and removed from the joint.
• the chips may have a thickness of at least 0.08 mm (0.003 inches), or may have a thickness from 0.08 mm (0.003 inches) to 0.13 mm (0.005 inches).
• a magnet (not shown) may be used to retrieve and/or collect the chips of metal.
• the slotter also works without sparking, an advantage in environments where sparks may not be permitted.
• the slotter also makes even, repeatable cuts, and can be quickly installed on and removed from rail joints.
• Figs. 1-5 show an insulated joint slotter 10 that uses a broach 12 to remove the batter from an insulated joint 14 between two rails 16 and 18.
• the broach 12 may be made from tool steel, utilizing multiple teeth 22 (Fig. 4) to make progressively deeper vertical cuts at the joint 14 between the rails 16 and 18 (Fig. 3).
• Each tooth 22 creates a large metal chip that is easily removed from the cutting surface. The cutting process is fast, but is slow enough as not to generate sparks.
• the broach 12 is part of a broach-gear-rack assembly 30.
• Other parts of the assembly 30 include a gear rack housing 32, a rack 34, and set screws 36 that hold the broach 12 in place in the gear rack housing 32.
• the gear rack housing 32 has two slots 42 and 44 that run the length of the part.
• the slots 42 and 44 which vertically constrain the gear rack assembly 30, slide along two opposing plates 52 and 54 (Fig. 5) on a gearbox 60.
• Removable end plates 56 and 58 of the housing 32 block the ends of the slots 42 and 44, limiting travel of the assembly 30 relative to the gear box plates 52 and 54.
• the broach 12 is held in place to the housing 32 with the set screws 36 found along the length of the broach 12.
• the set screws 36 can be loosened to allow for the removal of the broach for sharpening or replacement.
• the gearbox 60 includes gears used to move the assembly 30 back and forth to accomplish the cutting.
• the gearbox 60 is designed to convert a rotary input motion by the operator into a linear output that pushes the broach 12.
• the gearbox 60 contains a worm 62, a worm gear 64, a spur gear pinion 66, a worm drive shaft 68, and a gear rack shaft (common shaft) 70.
• the worm 62 is mounted onto the worm drive shaft 68.
• a pair of bronze bushings flank 74 and 76 the sides of the worm 62, providing axial positioning and load bearing surfaces.
• a worm drive hex nut 78 is mounted on the worm drive shaft 68, which provides a mounting point for a power tool or a hand crank.
• the worm drive shaft 68 is rotated, the worm 62 turns the worm gear 64.
• the worm gear 64 rotates the spur gear pinion 66, which is keyed to the same gear rack shaft 70.
• the gear rack shaft 70 has a gear hex nut 98 mounted on its end.
• the spur gear pinion moves the broach gear rack assembly 30 either towards or away from the operator, in either of opposite directions across the joint 4.
• the worm drive shaft 68 has the ability to shift along arched slots 84 in the gearbox housing 90. After removing worm shaft disengagement pins 92 and 94, the worm 62 can disengage from the worm gear 64. This feature allows the gearbox 60 to have two different gear ratios while using the same gears. When the worm 62 and the worm gear 64 are engaged, the gearbox has a high gear ratio. This high ratio creates the large linear force needed to push the broach through the rail steel. The downside to a high ratio is that it takes many input shaft rotations to move the broach gear rack along its entire stroke. In order to reset the rack to its starting position, the same number of input shaft rotations would be needed in the opposite direction.
• the process of cutting may involve multiple passes with the broach 12. Between passes the broach height is adjusted by turning a handle 104 that is attached to a threaded rod 106. This action causes the entire gearbox 60 to move vertically relative to a clamping base assembly 1 10.
• the threaded rod 106 passes through a bushing 112 in a flange 114 that is part of the gearbox housing 90, and engages a threaded rod base 116 that is part of a base housing 120 of the clamping base assembly 1 0.
• the slotter device 10 fastens to the head of the rails 16 and 18, and can be operated with a hand power tool or a hand crank. Any adjustments made by the operator can be performed with the same size socket or wrench.
• the clamping base assembly 110 attaches to the heads of the rails 16 and 18 in four locations, two on each of the rails 16 and 18.
• Two stationary clamps 132 and 134 are on the gauge side of the rails 16 and 18, with another two adjustable clamps 136 and 138 on the opposite field/operators side.
• the stationary clamps 132 and 134 are fixed relative to the base housing 120.
• the adjustable clamps 36 and 138 have threaded shafts that engage threaded holes in the base housing 120, allowing the position of the clamps 36 and 138 to be adjusted by turning the clamps 136 and 138, for example using the same wrench that fits the hex nuts 78 and 98.
• Each of the clamps 132-138 possess a spherical joint 144 that allows faces 146 of the clamps to adjust to differing railhead profiles. For example the railheads may have different angles of their side surfaces relative to the vertical.
• the spherical joints 44 allow solid engagement of the faces 46 on a variety of different rail configurations.
• the faces 146 of the clamps 132-138 that interact with the rails 16 and 18 (press against the rails 16 and 8) are serrated.
• the serrations insure that the clamp base assembly 110 remains firmly attached to the railheads during installation and operation, without causing any indentations or other damage to the rails 16 and 18. Since the clamps 132-138 only engage the heads of the rails 16 and 18, installation and removal may be quickly accomplished. The presence of joint bar plates 56 and 158 on the rails 16 and 18 is not a factor, since the slotter 10 does not extend below the railheads.
• the broach may be moved by any of a variety of gearing mechanisms or other arrangements of parts.
• the broach may have any suitable thickness for a slot, for example having a thickness of 6.4 mm (0.25 inches) or 4.8 mm (0.188 inches).
• the broach may have configurations other than that of a straight cutter, for example being a rotary cutter.
• the slotter 10 provides many advantages.
• the large chips aid in avoiding leaving debris in the joint.
• the slotter clamps to a variety of different railhead configurations, without damaging or marking the rail.
• the slotter makes a straight cut, without leaving chamfer at either end of the joint. Such chamfers are
• the slotter is moveable by hand, with a weight of not more than 35 pounds, for example.
• the slotter cleans up the joint without producing any sparks.
• the slotter can be easily and quickly removed from the rails.
• the slotter can be used by an operator without any sort of specialized training.
• the slotter allows joint cleaning to be performed in all types of weather conditions.
• the slotter may be driven by hand or by use of battery-powered tools.
• Figs. 6 and 7 show an alternate embodiment insulated slotter 210.
• the slotter 210 includes many of the same features of the slotter 10 (Fig. 1 ) that is discussed above.
• the description of the slotter 210 below omits mention of many of the similarities, and focuses on differences between the slotter 210 and the slotter 10.
• the slotter 210 has a gear box 260 that includes the same general arrangement of internal gears as the gear box 60 (Fig. 1) of the slotter 10 (Fig. 1).
• the gear box 260 has no provision for moving its worm, akin to the worm 62 (Fig. 1) of the gear box 60, out of engagement with the corresponding worm gear. This simplifies construction, and is advantageous in situations where there is no need to disengage the worm gear and worm, such as when manual operation is unnecessary.
• the gear box 260 also has a handle 272 that facilitates carrying of the slotter 210, and lifting of the gear box 260 to separate the gear box 260 from other parts of the slotter 210.
• a similar handle can be provided to the gear box 60 (Fig. 1) of the slotter 10 (Fig. 1), if desired.
• the slotter 210 has a base assembly 310 that includes a base housing 320 having a pair of yoke plates 322 and 324 on opposite sides of the base housing 320.
• the yoke plates 322 and 324 have upward-facing central open slots 326 and 328 that allow a broach-gear-rack assembly 230 to be removed by lifting the assembly 230 through the openings 326 and 328. This allows a user to remove the gear box 260 and the assembly 230 to check the depth and quality of a cut, if desired, without disconnecting the base housing 320 from a rail being worked on.
• the slotter 210 has a height adjustment handle 304 that includes a hex head 308 that allows use of a wrench or socket to aid in turning the handle 304.
• the handle 304 is turned to adjust the height of a broach that is part of the broach-gear- rack assembly 230, and that is used to remove material from a joint.
• the handle is turned to control the depth of cut.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Architecture (AREA)
• Civil Engineering (AREA)
• Structural Engineering (AREA)
• Machines For Laying And Maintaining Railways (AREA)

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Citations (4)

• 2012
  • 2012-09-13 WO PCT/US2012/055126 patent/WO2013040185A1/en active Application Filing

Patent Citations (4)

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