US2983085A - Rail grinding apparatus - Google Patents

Description

May 9, 1961 w. M. LUTTS, SR 2,983,085

RAIL GRINDING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 1, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 T '7 l i r N [s g INVENTOR a", 1 WILLIAM M.LUTTS, 5?. I i [F3 BY I W ATTORNEY y 9, 1961 w. M. LUTTS, SR 2,983,085

RAIL GRINDING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 1, 1959 5 Shets-Sheet 2 ea s2 INVENTOR WILLIAM M LuTTs', SR.

ATTORNEY May 9, 1961 w. M. LUTTS, sR 2,983,085

RAIL GRINDING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 1, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 ll -7 J WILLJAM M. LUTTS SR.

BY E

ATTORNEY INVENTOR y 1961 w. M. LUTTS, SR 2,983,085

RAIL GRINDING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 1, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 4' INVENTOR WlLL\AM M. LUTTS, SR.

ATTORNEY May 9, 1961 w. M. LUTTS, SR

' RAIL GRINDING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 1, 1959 ONE BY ME, SM/W K ATTORNEY United States Patfi RAIL GRINDING APPARATUS William M. Lutts, Sr., 4102 Berkshire Ave Louisville, Ky.

Filed Sept. 1, 1959, Ser. No. 837,483

Claims. to]. 51-178) This invention relates to an improved grinding apparatus and, more particularly, to an apparatus for grinding rails for various purposes, being especially well adapted for rail bonding preparation.

Many types of rail grinders have been proposed heretofore, but, so far as I am aware, they have .beengenerally characterized by being heavy and relatively expensive and diflicult to handle by a single operator. As is known, such grinders, when transported .on a wheeled can-iage, must be capable of rapid removal from the tracks by the operator and during use should be safe to handle and should result in a of fatigue to the operator. It is a purpose of this invention,therefore, to provide an apparatus which accomplishes these desirable objectives.

An object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive, light-weight, carriage-mounted rail grinding apparatus.

Another object is to provide a rail grinding apparatus causing a reduced amount of fatigue in the operator employing the same.

Another object is to provide a rail grinding apparatus adapted for use by an operator standing in visually adjacent relation to the point of application of the grinder, but sufiiciently far therefrom to be safely spaced therefrom.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds and when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:.

Fig. 1 is a plan View of a single rail grinding apparatus embodying the invention and arranged for cutting off a rail bond;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation V 7 Fig.3 is a detail view of a portion of the carriage used for tilting the grinder with respect to the rail;

Fig. 4 is an elevation view of a trunnion for mounting the grinder applying lever; Y

Fig. 5 is an elevation view of an assembly for driving the grinder wheel from the flexible shaft and with the wheel'removed;

j Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan view of the apparatus of Fig. 1 when arranged for rail bonding grinding;

' Fig. 7 is a fragmentary side elevation view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 6; 1

Fig. 8 is front elevation view of a mounting fora motor on the carriage with parts shown insectionj' i Fig. 9 is a plan view of a double rail grinding apparatusembodying the invention and arranged for use by two operators in railbonding grinding; and

Fig. 10 is ,a front elevation view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 9.

In accordance with the invention there is provided a self-contained wheeled carriage carrying a motor. and.

afgrinder and suitable for placingupon and removal; 70

from the traekby a single operator. A grinder applying view of the apparatusjoif ber. 14 having a suitable wheel 15 mounted. thereon for' Pa tented May 9, 1961 successive grinding locations and without stopping the motor during that carriage movement.

Referring first to Fig. 1 showing a single rail grinding apparatus, the carriage may conveniently comprise a first portion having a generally horizontal tubular member 10 extending parallel to rail 11. Adjacent its ends the member supports axles extending transversely of the rail and upon which axles a pair of wheels 12- and13 are mounted. A complementary and second portion of the carriage may comprise a simple tubular outrigger mem-' rolling contact with rail 16.- As shown, this latter wheel may be constructed of .WQOd, plastic ,or other non-conductive material in order to. avoid shorting the track circuit; or other means for avoiding suchw shorting may be employed.

As best shown in Fig. 3, the tubular member 14 at one end issuitably flattened and has rigidly afiixed thereto a flat adjusting lug 1 7. Extending through this lug ad-' jacent the center line thereof and near the junction of the lug and outrigger member is an aperture 18 through which a suitable bolt.19 may bepositioned to join the Extending Y the bolt 19 and a second bolt 22 extending through the" slot 20. Each of bolts 19 and 22' are engaged in place by means of nuts and washers, Accordingly, by means of the described arrangement, the first carriage portion may be selectively tilted with respect to rail ,11 depending upon the particular portion of slot 20 in which bolt.

22 is engaged, all for apurpose later to become apparent.

Member 14 may also conveniently serve 'as a support for a'conventional motor shown generally at 30 and the weight'o'f which is disposed between 'the rails'of the track. This motor may comprise an internal combus tion engine having a crank shaft housing 31 to the lower end ofiwhich a motor adapter plate 3-2 is fastened, as

seen in Fig. 8; Extending from this plate is a projection I 33 threaded at its'lower end and adapted to receiver fastening nut 34; Serving as a supporting base for the motor is a generally dish-shaped plate 35 having a heuew spacer 36 mounted thereon'and through which" the pro lever mounted on the carriage is adapted to support the.

' with the cradle memberlto hold 'i the' plate and securely upon the carriage. By means of thedescrib jection 3-3 extends in rotatable relation thereto. Thusf;

when it is desired to shift the'motor on its vertical, axis, as when adjustment of the flexible shaft, later to be de scribed, is required, the projection 33 may gbe' r'otatedf with respect to the spacer and theplate. SuitableInie'ans for lubricating the bearing 'surface'between the tion and spacer may also be employed. I I i v Welded or otherwise aflix'ed to outrigger member 38, is a pivotable locking bar 39 adapted to releasabl engage the periphery of plate 35 and in conjuncti plate and mounting and the use. of tubularframe me bers, a strong, andwell balanced,'b11t light-weight carri g isprovided. r V

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 6, an arrangement is shown wherein the outside surface of rail 11 is to be ground, but as will be apparent, the invention is in no way limited to this arrangement and on the contrary may by suitable modification be employed for grinding the inner surface of such rails. When grinding the outer surface of the rail the member normally lies adjacent and slightly above the inner surface of the rail and when grinding the inner surface it would lie adjacent and slightly above the outer surface of the rail. In either event the member 10 serves as a support for a rigid platform here shown as an L-shaped plate having a fiat upper surface extending over the rail adjacent the forward wheel 13 of the carriage. The plate is provided with a suitable hole in its upper surface into which the lower skirt 41 of a trunnion shown in Fig. 4 is adapted to fit with a shoulder 42 of the trunnion bearing against the surface of the plate. The interior of the trunnion is threaded to receive a bolt extending through the plate and having a head 43 engageable with the lower surface of the plate. The trunnion also has an enlarged cap 44 and a cylindrical side surface 45.

As a significant feature of the invention, an improved grinder-applying lever, preferably formed of a suitably bent tubing and with its parts welded into an integral construction, is employed. This lever, at its forward end, terminates in a collar portion 46 having a suitable bearing bushing therein and which bushing surrounds the side of the trunnion with the trunnion cap holding the lower end of the collar portion in contact with the upper surface of platform 40, thus confining the lever substantially to pivoted transverse motion with respect to rail 11.

Also mounted upon platform 40 is a yoke assembly 47 spanning the range of movement of the lever and including a compression spring 48 interposed between the lever and one leg of the yoke. This spring biases the lever to move in a second direction at the extreme limit of which the grinder is held completely out of contact with fish plates or similar rail elements, thus permitting the self-contained apparatus to be moved along the rails without interference and while the grinder is rotating.

Offset from the forward end of the lever is a central horizontally arranged portion 50 which merges into an upright portion 51 to which is attached a suitable manually graspable member for actuating the lever and here shown as a pair of handle bars 52, 53. These bars preferably are disposed at an elevation alfording a comfortable working position for an operator standing on the road bed and which places the operator in a position which is visually adjacent the point of application of the grinder but which simultaneously is spaced sufiiciently far from that point of application to add to the safety of the operator.

Referring now to Figs. 6 and 7, a bracket structure is rigidly mounted upon lever portion 50 at a sufiicient distance fi'om the fulcrum point of that lever to provide a steady, even pressure upon the grinder when the handle bars are manipulated. This structure may comprise a pair ofdepending plates 54 and 55 welded at their upper ends to the lever and having outwardly projecting bolts adjacent a lower portion. Bridging the lower ends of these plates is a generally horizontal clamp member 56 having holes receiving the bolts and with an arcuate central face 57 merging into flat end faces. Cooperating with the described clamp is a second clamp member 58 having a complementary arcuate central face portion 59 in juxtaposed relation to the first clamp and merging into flat end faces. This second clamp also contains holes through which the threaded bolts from the depending plates extend and by means of suitable nuts the second clamp may be held in fixed relation to the first clamp and serve to clamp therebetween the arcuate portion of the member to be clamped. As seen in Figs. 6 and. 7, this member being so clamped isthe spindle housing 601 ofthe grinder shaft while in Figs. 1 and 2 the member being .4 so clamped is the rod 61 of an adaptor element of the bracket structure. As will later appear, when the grinder element is serving to rotate on a generally horizontal axis as when cutting off old rail bonds, the adaptor element is used and when rotating in a generally vertical axis, as when grinding the rail for making a bond, the adapter element is not used.

The adaptor element may include a generally vertical hollow rod 61 to the lower end of which is attached a plate having an upper portion 62, an intermediate portion 63 inclined both downwardly and away from the rail, and a bottom portion 64. Rigidly afiixed to the bottom portion is a generally vertical clamp member 65 similar to the previously described clamp member 56 and braced by means of a strut 66. A complementary clamp member 67, similar to clamp member 58, serves to hold the spindle housing of the grinder rigidly in cutting position when assembled as seen in Figs. 1 and 2. As a convenience, the adaptor element may be stowed on the carriage when not in use, a holding bracket 68 being provided on tubular member 10 for this purpose, as seen in Fig. 6.

Connected to the drive shaft of motor 30 is a conventional elongated flexible shaft 70 having a length sufiicicut to permit ready mounting and dismounting upon the bracket structure, the shaft being encased in a suitable flexible housing 71 containing lubricant. The shaft may also be supported at an intermediate point by means of a spring loaded hasp 72 mounted upon the upright portion 51 of the lever and with sufficient slack so that movement of that lever in no way interferes with the rotation of the shaft. At the distal end the shaft 70 is mounted for rotation within a conventional spindle housing, being supported therein by ball bearings or the like. This spindle housing has a cylindrical rigid portion 60 attached to the flexible housing 71 for the shaft and projecting from that portion is the rotary shaft end 73 on which the grinder wheel is detachably mounted. Suitable clamps 74 and 75 attached to the shaft end and between which the grinder wheel is held as by means of an adjustable nut 76 also are provided.

Various forms of grinding wheels may be mounted upon the described assembly, for example, relatively thin wheels, such as shown at 77, when used for cutting off rail bonds or lips of worn rails, or relatively thick wheels, such as shown at 78, when abrading the rail. In addition, the spindle housing portion 60 has suflicient length not only to provide a rigid mounting ofthe assembly within the clamps of the bracket structure, but also to provide a mounting for a conventional semi-circular shield 80 which is clamped to that spindle housing by clamp members of the type above described. This shield may also contain a handle portion 81 permitting convenient lifting of the wheel and spindle housing when adjustment from one position to another is needed. Moreover, when the apparatus is to be taken out of operation and the grinder is to be stowed, an upright support 82 rigidly mounted upon the base plate 35 for the motor may be employed for holding the grinder, spindle housing and slack portion of the flexible shaft; the shaft at this time being detached from its engagement with hasp 72.

Having thus described certain structural features of the apparatus, the intended operation of the same will now be apparent to those skilled in the art. The apparatus is light weight and may be handled by a single operator who can easily place it on the rail or remove it therefrom. By attaching the spindle housing to the bracket structure, the grinding wheel is rigidly mounted adjacent the point at which it is to serve, and chatter and undue vibration is reduced. By grasping the handle bars the operator may apply slow steady pressure of the grinder against the rail merely by pivoting the lever.

toward. that rail and this is done in a comfortable standing position. Since the precise surface to be abraded Ned mm frequently is not in a true vertical'plane, the first portion of the carriage carrying the grinder may conveniently be tilted to bring the grinder into the desired plane merely by adjusting the setting of the lugs 17 and 21 by loosening bolt 22 and retightening the same after that bolt has been located at the appropriate position in slot 20. After the grinding is completed at one location, the operator permits spring 48 to move the lever away from the rail and with the motor still driving the grinder, may then push the carriage along the track to the next grinding station.

As seen in Figs. 9 and 10, the invention may also be embodied in an apparatus suitable for use on two rails and operable by two operators. In this modification, a pair of tubular members 110 and 210 mountwheels 112, 113, and 212, 213, respectively, for movement on rails 11 and 16. A central carriage element 114 is provided with lugs 117 and 217 adjustably mounted for tilting of the structure as above described through engagement with the lugs 121 and 221 fixed to the tubular members 110 and 210, respectively.

A single motor 130 is mounted upon carriage element 114 by means of base plate 135 andis equipped with a laterally projecting housing 100 within which is contained suitable dual flexible take-off shafts 101 and 102. These shafts may be driven from the motor by suitable gears, pulley and belts, or the like, the precise nature of which forms no part of the present invention. At their distal ends these shafts are mounted in spindle heousings 160 and 260 supporting grinders 177 and 277, respectively, and mounted in bracket structures of the type above described. These bracket structurm, moreover, are mounted upon grinder-applying levers 150 and 250 having handle bar structure 152, 153 and 252, 253 attached thereto in the manner above set forth.

- In all major particulars the apparatus seen in Figs. 9 and is intended to carry out the objectives set forth with respect to the one-operator type of apparatus. For example, it may be employed for either cutting off old rail bonds, cutting lips from worn rails, or abrading rails at the proper location for installation of rail bonds. As in the case of the one-operator apparatus, merely by transposing the location of the tubular members 110 and 210 from the inside of the rails to the outside of the same and by pivoting the lever to move toward those rails from the inside of the same, the apparatus may then be employed to grind inside surfaces of rails.

While in accordance with the patent statues there I has been described what at present are considered to be preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be understood that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the invention, and it is intended, in the appended claims, to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a railway track grinding apparatus, a wheeled carriage supported upon the rails of a track for movement therealong by an operator standing upon the track bed, a platform rigidly attached to said carriage adjacent the forward end of said carriage, a lever pivoted at the end upon said platform for movement in a plane generally parallel to and above the plane of the tops of said track rails, manually graspable means adjacent the second end of .said lever for moving said lever between a first position in which the major axis thereof is generally parallel to the rail under treatment and a second position in V which the major axis of said lever is disposed at an acute angle with respect to the rail under treatment as viewed in the direction of the operator, a motor mounted upon said carriage, a grinder, a flexible shaft driven by said motor and attached to said grinder, a spindle houslever'and'including a bracket structure'rigidly mounted 4 upon. said lever and extending downwardlyitherefrom into proximity to the rail undertreatment, and means form detachably connecting said spindle housing .to. said" bracket structure thereby to support said grinder upon sitions.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein saidacute angle has a value commensurate with movement of said j carriage along said track from one grinding location toanother with said grinder rotating and without contact of said rotating grinder with the track structure.

3. In a railway track grinding apparatus, a wheeled carriage supported upon the rails of a track for movement therealong by an operator standing upon the track bed, said carriage comprising a first portion supported on a first rail and a second portion supported on a second rail, means connecting said carriage portions and including an adjustable fastening for positioning said first carriage portion in a selected position of transverse tilt with respect to said first rail, a platform rigidly attached to said first carriage portion adjacent the forward end thereof, a lever pivoted at one end upon said platform for movement in a plane tilted from a plane generally parallel to the plane of the tops of said rails by an angle corresponding to the angle of transverse tilt of said first carriage portion with respect to said first rail, manually graspable means adjacent the second end of said lever for moving said lever between a first position in which the major axis thereof is generally parallel to the rail under treatment and a second position in which the major axis of said lever is disposed at an acute angle with respect to the rail under treatment as viewed in the direction of the operator, a motor mounted upon said carriagfl, a grinder, a flexible shaft driven by said motor and attached to said grinder, a spindle housing surrounding said shaft adjacent the attachment of said shaft to said grinder, means for supporting said grinder upon said lever intermediate theends of said lever and including a bracket structure extending downwardly therefrom into proximity to the rail under treatment, and means for detachably connecting said spindle housing to said bracket structure thereby to support said grinder upon said lever and to enable the operator to bring said grinder into and out of contact with said rail under treatment and at the desired angle of transverse tilt by pivoting said lever between said first and second positions.

4. In a railway track grinding apparatus, a wheeled carriage supported upon the rails of a track for move ment therealong by an operator standing upon the track bed, a platform rigidly attached to said carriage adjacent the forward end of said carriage, a lever pivoted at one x end upon said platform for movement in a plane generally parallel to and above the plane of the tops of said track rails, manually graspable means adjacent the second I I end of said lever for moving said lever between a first 1,

position in which the major axis thereof is generally parallel to the rail under treatment and a second position 7 l in which the major axis of said lever is disposed at an acute angle with respect to said rail under treatment as viewed in the direction of the operator, a spring mounted shaft driven by said motor and attached to said grinder,

a spindle housing surrounding said shaft adjacent the at; tachment of said shaft to said grinder, means for support-5 ing said grinder upon said lever intermediate the ends' of said lever and including a bracket structure rigidly mounted upon said lever and extending downwardly therefrom ing surrounding said shaft adjacent the attachment of said shaft to said grinder, means for supporting said grinder upon said lever intermediate the ends of said into proximity to the rail under treatment, and means for detachably connecting said spindle housing to said bracket structure thereby to support said grinder upon said lever and to enable the operator to bring said grinder into contact with the rail under treatment by pivoting said lever toward said first position against the action of said spring.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein said lever includes handle bars at the second end thereof and means on said lever adjacent said handle bars supporting said flexible shaft at a point between said motor and said grinder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Annable Dec. 3. 1907 Jenkins Jan. 19. 1909 Peck Jan. 15, 1935 Mall May 25, 1937 Perazzoli May 24, 1938 Robinson Feb. 24. 1953

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