AU2006322422A1

AU2006322422A1 - Rail carrying train for transporting longitudinally welded rails

Info

Publication number: AU2006322422A1
Application number: AU2006322422A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Josef Hertelendi
Original assignee: Robel Bahnbaumaschinen GmbH
Current assignee: Robel Bahnbaumaschinen GmbH
Priority date: 2005-12-06
Filing date: 2006-10-24
Publication date: 2007-06-14
Anticipated expiration: 2026-10-24
Also published as: ES2342732T3; PL1960604T3; AU2006322422B2; US20080232917A1; DE502006006604D1; EP1960604B1; ATE462837T1; DK1960604T3; EP1960604A1; DE202005019061U1; NO20083038L; WO2007065500A1

Abstract

A rail loading train for transporting long welded rails includes a device at the end of the rail loading train for anchoring the rails. The device includes a plurality of insertion devices each being provided for anchoring a single rail and having an inserting opening and a rail stop. Each insertion device has two clamping jaws which are spaced from one another in a direction extending perpendicularly to a rail web of the rail to be clamped, for forming the inserting opening. At least one clamping jaw is equipped with a clamping device for contacting the rail web and for automatic force-locking connection to said rail web, effective against a direction of insertion. Both clamping jaws are constructed for being spaced from one another for releasing the force-locking connection to the rail web.

Description

(UQD -IVITVVIj 1/9 A RAIL LOADING TRAIN FOR TRANSPORTING LONG WELDED RAILS. [0001] The invention relates to a rail loading train for transporting long welded rails according to the introductory part of claim 1. [0002] From EP 752 499, EP 886 007 or DE 44 18 376.3, rail loading trains are already known with which several layers of long rails can be transported on specially adapted wagons, mobile on a track, to a track construction site to be unloaded there by means of a gantry crane mobile on the wagons. In order to prevent an undesirable longitudinal movement of the rails relative to the loading wagon during transport, the rails have to be clamped tight by appropriate means and with an exact fastening moment. Applying said clamping means and releasing the same prior to unloading the long rails has heretofore been carried out manually, which involved a certain safety risk for the operating personnel. [0003] Further, a rail clamping device for temporary connection of two rails is disclosed in EP 1 057 933, with which it is possible to produce a force locking connection by simply pushing the device - formed of two fish plates screwed to one another - onto the two rail ends. For releasing said connection, however, it is necessary to unscrew and remove the fish-plate bolt manually.

2/9 [0004] It is the object of the present invention to create a rail loading train of the kind mentioned at the beginning with which it is possible to greatly automate the clamping, required during transport, of the long rails to be transported. [0005] According to the invention, this object is achieved with a rail loading train of the type mentioned at the beginning by means of the features cited in the characterizing part of claim 1. [0006] In a rail loading train equipped with such a device for anchoring the rails, it is now possible in an advantageous way to carry out the rail clamping operation and also the releasing of the clamping connection by remote control, without the necessity for immediate manual intervention by an operator. Clamping the long rails can now be carried out by the driver of the gantry crane himself by simply pushing the rail ends into the insertion device directly in the course of loading the rails, thus causing the rails to be fixed instantaneously fully automatically and immovably with a precisely calculable tightening moment. On the other hand, the clamping jaws spaced from one another make it also possible to carry out the releasing of the connection likewise fully automatically, or remotely controlled by the crane operator himself. Thus, the security risk for the operating personnel can be very much minimized with elimination of unnecessary sources of danger.

3/9 [0007] Additional advantages of the invention become apparent from the sub claims and the description of the drawing. [0008] The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to an embodiment represented in the drawing in which [0009] Fig. 1 shows a schematic side view of a rail loading train designed according to the invention, [0010] Fig. 2 shows a top view of an insertion device having clamping means, [0011] Fig. 3 shows a detailed top view of the clamping means according to Fig. 2, [0012] Fig. 4 shows a schematic top view of the device for anchoring the rails, and [0013] Fig. 5 shows a side view of the device according to Fig. 4. [0014] A rail loading train 1, shown in Fig. 1, is composed of a plurality of loading wagons 4 mobile by means of on-track undercarriages 2 on a track 3 and serves for transporting long welded rails 5. The latter are stored in the known manner on support brackets 7 in three layers 6 arranged one above the other. For loading and unloading the rails 5, a crane 10 - having a jib 8 and a cabin 9 - is provided which is freely mobile on crane rails 11 along the loading wagons 4 and displaces the long welded rails 5 in the longitudinal direction of the wagon or train. Located at the end 40 of the rail loading train 1 (preferably at both ends) is a device 12 for anchoring the rails 5 during transport, which device 4/9 consists of several insertion devices 13 provided for anchoring a single rail 5 in each case, and which will be described in more detail in the further Figs. 2 to 5. [0015] As visible in Fig. 2 (and partly also in Fig. 3), each insertion device 13 comprises two clamping jaws 14 which, at their one end 15, are spaced from one another in a direction extending perpendicularly to a rail web 21 of the rail 5 to be clamped, thus forming an inserting opening 20, and are provided with a rail stop 22. Furthermore, each clamping jaw 14 is equipped with a clamping means 23 for contacting the rail web 21. At the end 19 spaced farther from the clamping means 23, the two clamping jaws 14 are connected to one another in each case by a joint 16 and pivotable about a pivot axis 18 extending parallel to a plane of symmetry 17 of the rail 5. [0016] As further becomes clear from Fig. 2, a displacement drive 37 is provided which serves for displacement of the insertion device 13 formed by the two clamping jaws 14 - in a displacement direction 38 extending in the plane of symmetry 17 of the rail 5. The two clamping jaws 14 are housed in a centering cage 35 which has a V-shaped opening 36 for receiving the clamping jaws 14. Said opening 36 is formed tapered in the direction towards the displacement drive 37. Actuation of the displacement drive 37 in the direction to the right side in Fig. 2 causes the clamping jaws 14 to be pulled into the opening 36 and 5/9 thus to be pressed against one another automatically. [0017] In Fig. 3, the clamping means 23 of the insertion device 13 are shown in greater detail, specifically in two different working positions: in the lower half of the drawing in a clamping position, and in the upper half of the drawing in an opening position. The clamping means 23 are configured in each case as clamping rollers 31 which are rotatable about an axis of rotation 32 positioned parallel to the pivot axis 18 (Fig. 2) and designed for an automatic force-locking connection to the rail web 21, effective against a direction of insertion 24 of the rail 5. To that end, each clamping means 23 or each clamping roller 31 is designed for displacement by the action of a pressure medium 25 (which, in the presently illustrated example, is a spring 26) from a first end 27, situated closer to the rail stop 22, of a recess 29 in the direction towards a second end 28 which is spaced farther from the rail stop 22. In this, a pressing surface 30 of the recess 29, connecting the two ends 27,28 to one another, for guiding and applying the clamping means 23 is arranged inclined with respect to a plane of symmetry 17 of the rail 5, thus forming an angle a. [0018] In the opening position, or prior to a rail 5 being pushed into the insertion device 13, the two clamping rollers 31 are pressed by the pressure medium 25 against the second end 28 of the recess 29 and held in this position (see Fig. 3, top). By actuation of the displacement drive 37, the 6/9 clamping jaws 14 with the clamping rollers 31 are pivoted towards one another. Now, if a rail 5 is inserted into the inserting opening 20 of the insertion device 13 in the direction of insertion 24, the two clamping rollers 31 are forced apart by the rail web 21, and there is a displacement of the clamping rollers 31 along the pressing surface 30 in the direction towards the first end 27 of the recess 29 (see Fig. 3, bottom). Due to the pressing surface 30 being arranged at the angle a with regard to the plane of symmetry 17 of the rail 5, and also due to the influence of the pressure medium 25, there is an automatic clamping effect of the clamping rollers 31 against the direction of insertion 24 of the rail 5, wherein the clamping means 23 are automatically force lockingly applied to the rail web 21. In this, possible differences in the thickness of the rail web 21 of various rails 5 are of no consequence. [0019] In order to release the force-locking connection to the rail web 21, the two clamping jaws 14 can be distanced from one another by pivoting about the pivot axis 18. A pressure medium 33 provided between the two clamping jaws 14 and having the shape of a coil spring 34, for instance (see Fig. 2), serves for pressing the clamping jaws 14 apart automatically. Now, if the clamping jaws 14 are displaced with actuation of the displacement drive 37 from the above-described position for form locking connection of the clamping rollers 31 to the rail web 21 relative to the centering cage 35 into the opening position (towards the left in 7/9 Fig. 2), then the two clamping jaws 14 are automatically moved apart by the action of the pressure medium 33. With this, the clamping rollers 31 are distanced from the rail web 21. As a result, the rail 5 is released for being displaced longitudinally against the direction of insertion 24. [0020] As visible in Fig. 5, the device 12 for anchoring the rails 5 is designed for vertical adjustment in each case with respect to the rail loading train 1 or the loading wagon 4 by means of a pivot drive 39, that is from a working position for clamping the rails 5 into an inoperative position. This second position may be situated either above or also below the rails 5 (see position shown in dash-and-dot lines). Fig. 4 discloses that the insertion devices 13, positioned next to one another in rows, are arranged in staggered layers in order to permit an unhindered view for the operator situated in the cabin 9 of the crane 10. [0021] When loading the rails 5, the latter are pulled into the support brackets in the known manner by means of the crane 10 mobile on the crane rails 11. The crane is stopped shortly before reaching the device 12, and the respective rail 5 is pulled into the insertion device 13 with the aid of the jib 8 and anchored automatically therein. The two upper layers are each lowered hydraulically by means of the pivot drive 39.

Claims

1. A rail loading train for transporting long welded rails (5), including loading wagons (4) mobile on a track (3) and a device (12), arranged at the end of the rail loading train (1), for anchoring the rails (5), characterized by the following features: a) the device (12) for anchoring the rails (5) is composed of a plurality of insertion devices (13), each provided for anchoring a single rail (5) and having an inserting opening (20) and a rail stop (22), b) each insertion device (13) comprises two clamping jaws (14) which, for forming the inserting opening (20), are spaced from one another in a direction extending perpendicularly to a rail web (21) of the rail (5) to be clamped, c) at least one clamping jaw (14) is equipped with a clamping means (23) for contacting the rail web (21) and for automatic force-locking connection to said rail web, effective against a direction of insertion (24), d) both clamping jaws (14) are designed for being spaced from one another for releasing the force-locking connection to the rail web (21).

2. A rail loading train according to claim 1, characterized in that each clamping means (23) is designed to be displaceable by the action of a pressure medium (25) from a first end (27), situated closer to the rail stop (22), of a recess (29) in the direction towards a second end (28) spaced farther from the rail stop (22), wherein a pressing surface (39) of the recess (29), connecting the two ends (27,28) to one another, for guiding and applying the clamping means (23) is arranged inclined with respect to a plane of symmetry (17) of the rail (5), thus forming an angle (a).

3. A rail loading train according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the two clamping jaws (14), at an end (19) spaced farther from the clamping means (23), are connected to one another in each case by a joint (16) and pivotable about a pivot axis (18) extending parallel to the plane of symmetry (17) of the rail (5). 9/9

4. A rail loading train according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that each of the two clamping means (23) is designed as a clamping roller (31) rotatable about an axis of rotation (32), and the pivot axis (18) is positioned parallel to the axes of rotation (32).

5. A rail loading train according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a pressure medium (33) is provided for moving the two clamping jaws (14) apart.

6. A rail loading train according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that each insertion device (13) is connected to a displacement drive (37) for displacement in a direction of displacement (38) extending in the plane of symmetry (17) of the rail (5).

7. A rail loading train according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that both clamping jaws (14) are housed in a centering cage (35) having a V-shaped opening (36), said opening (36) being formed tapered in the direction towards the displacement drive (37).

8. A rail loading train according to claim 7, characterized in that the clamping jaws (14) are designed to be displaceable - relative to the centering cage (35) with actuation of the displacement drive (37) from a clamping position into an opening position in which the two clamping jaws (14) are automatically moved apart by the action of the pressure medium (33).

9. A rail loading train according to claim 1, characterized in that the device (12) for anchoring the rails (5) is adjustable by means of a pivot drive (39) from a working position for clamping the rails into an inoperative position situated above or below the rails.

10. A rail loading train according to claim 9, characterized in that, at each end (40) of the rail loading train (1), a respective device (12) for anchoring the rails (5) is provided which is vertically adjustable with respect to the rail loading train and equipped with a respective pivot drive (39).