US3472173A - Method and apparatus for the lateral alignment of railroad track - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 14, 1969 PLASSER ET AL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE LATERAL ALIGNMENT OF RAILROAD TRACK Filed Jan. 17, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORJ mA/vz TUZSEK was; mswvsz BY M M/1w nnvnA sys 06L 14, 1969 F. PLASSER ETAL 3,472,173

METHOD AND APPARA TUS FOR THE LATERAL ALIGNMENT OF RAILROAD TRACK Filed Jan. 17, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS FRm z PLASSER 10m Tfluktk United States Patent METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE LATERAL ALIGNMENT OF RAILROAD TRACK Franz Plasser and Josef Theurer, both of J oliannesgasse 3, Wien, Austria Filed Jan. 17, 1968, Ser. No. 698,513 Claims priority, application Austria, Jan. 23, 1967, A 633/67 Int. Cl. EOlb 33/21, 27/10, 27/17 US. Cl. 104-7 0 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An improved method and apparatus for the lateral aligning of railroad track, in which the track is moved by the application of transversely directed forces together with its sleepers embedded in ballast from a faulty position into a corrected nominal position. Due to the resistance of the ballast during the shifting acting on the sleepers and the fact that a part of the ballast stones are not moved, but merely tilted or pivoted during the translatory movement, fault in the leveling and partial springing back of the track occurs, causing the same to move back into its faulty position. The invention eliminates these causes of faults by extering a downwardly directed force on the track within the zone to be shifted, wherein the magnitude of this force is adjustable in proportion to the magnitude of the transversely directed force.

DESCRIPTION The invention relates, as indicated to an improved method for laterally aligning railroad track, and to an apparatus for carrying out the said method.

For the lateral alignment of track, the rails mounted on transverse sleepers are shifted with these sleepers in the ballast from their actual position into a nominal position, determined by measuring results, plans or calculations. The lateral aligning forces are usually applied by the aligning tools of track aligning machines to the rails which transmit these forces to the sleepers by the mounting means by which they are mounted on the sleepers. Since the horizontal lateral aligning force and the resistance exerted by the ballast on the sleeper heads and sleeper bodies form a moment pair, giving rise to a tilting moment which tends to tilt or pivot the sleepers and to lift the ballast. Due to this tilting moment, there is always the risk that the track level will be altered in an undesirable manner.

Another phenomenon which can be frequently observed during the alignment of track is the so-called springing back of the track. In this case, when the laterally applied aligning force is withdrawn, the shifted track moves back towards its original position by a certain amount. Thus, in order to achieve the correct position, a certain amount of excess movement is necessary, whereby the track is moved by the application of larger forces beyond its correct position by an amount greater than would correspond to its movement into this correct position. If this excess is suitably chosen, it will compensate the springing back of the track. However, this so-called over-aligning is time wasting and reduces the operating speed during the alignment of track, and requires, moreover, also highly trained operators.

There are difl erent causes for this reverse movement of the track. Experience has shown that, under the load of the trains passing over the track, the points of the ballast stones become embedded in the sleepers; during the lateral displacement of the sleepers these stones are pivoted in such a way that, after the force has been withdrawn, they can partially move back into their initial positions, because they have not themselves been displaced. Moreover, since, in order to maintain their longitudinal mobility, e.g., for thermal expansion, the rails are held on the sleepers only by friction by means of rail clips, which permit a certain clearance in the direction perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the track, during the application of the transversely directed aligning force, first this clearance is used up before the aligning force is actually transmitted to the sleepers. These two factors, and especially the former, form a substantial part of the springing back action of the track during lateral alignment operations.

The present invention relates to an improved method for laterally aligning railroad track, wherein the level, i.e., the vertical position of the track remains unchanged and the springing back of the track is avoided so that over-aligning is no longer necessary.

It is another object of the invention to provide an apparatus for carrying out this improved method, adapted particularly for the continuous alignment of track. In this continuous alignment, the springing back of the track into the original position is a particular disadvantage, because over-alignment is not possible and the reverse movement impairs the precision of the alignment or makes continuous alignment altogether impossible, if the springing back action is excessive.

According to the improved method of the invention, for laterally moving the track from its actual position into a nominal correct position, a horizontal, transversely acting force is applied to the track, and simultaneously, at least during the lateral displacement thereof within the range of movement, a downwardly directed force is applied, the magnitude of which can be controlled as a function of the laterally applied force.

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings and from the appended claims. The drawings illustrate merely by way of example an apparatus according to the invention, but in no restrictive manner. The method according to the invention may also be performed with any equivalent means capable of exerting a downwardly directed force on the track within the zone which is to be laterally displaced.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of a track aligning machine with a device for aligning track according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevation of the aligning tools of a track aligning machine, viewed in the direction of arrows II-II in FIG. 3, wherein each rail is associated with two identical groups of aligning tools;

FIGURE 3 is a detailed view of the aligning tools of the aligning machine of FIG, 1, on an enlarged scale.

FIGURE 1 shows a side elevation of a track aligning machine. The said track aligning machine consists substantially of a rigid chassis 2 with sets of front and rear wheels 2' and 2" and a superstructure 3, housing the drive units for the forward movement of the track aligning machine and for the track tamping and aligning tools, described and explained further below. In addition, the superstructure also houses the drivers cab and the necessary controls.

The track aligning machine of FIGURE 1 is associated with small trolleys 17, 18, 19 and 20. Chords represented by ropes, wires or the like are anchored in these trolleys and serve as reference lines for measuring the magnitude of the straightening movement of the track, for example, as disclosed in our US. Patent No. 3,314,- 373. These small trolleys 17, 18, 19 and 20 are connected with the chassis 2 by linkages 21, such that they can be extended and withdrawn. There are also provided grip rollers 22 for lifting the track, and arranged vertically movably by means of a hydraulic unit 26 on the front end of the track aligning machine. The machine is also equipped with tamping tools 23 for tamping or repairing the ballasting of the sleepers. Also these tamping tools 23 is mounted vertically movably on an overhanging frame part 25 of the track aligning machine. For leveling the track, there is provided a monitoring device, not shown in detail and of which only a part 24 is shown, which is supported via a support 28 on the track. The above-mentioned equipment, namely the small trolleys 17-20, the grip rollers 22, the tamping tools 23 and the monitoring device 24 do not form part of the invention are not described in the following in detail. Reference is made, by way of example, to our prior Patent Nos. 3,192,870 and 3,211,109.

The chassis 3 has mounted thereon, substantially in the center of its length, lateral aligning units 4, one such unit being associated with each of the two rails of the track 1, as shown in detail in FIGURE 2. Each lateral aligning unit 4 consists substantially of a supporting arm 7, mounted pivotably over a ball-and-socket joint 6 on a bracket-like support which is rigidly connected to the chassis, for example by welding or bolting, two holders 9 extending in the direction of travel slopingly forwardly and downwardly and rearwardly downwardly, respectively, connected through joints 8 with the supporting arm 7, and wheels 10, mounted with shafts in the said holders 9 and rotatable in the shafts 10. The leading and trailing sides, respectively, of the holders 9 have lugs 11, forming hinge points for hydraulic units, consisting of pistons 12 and cylinders 13 which are adapted to exert a. force in the downward direction on the aligning tools, as explained further below The upper ends of the said cylinders 13 are hinged to lugs 11' projecting on both sides from the supporting arm 7.

The wheels roll along the top surface of the rail head of the rails of the track 1. They have flanges 1011 which overlie the flanks of the rail heads on both sides and have such a profile as to rest flushly on the rail head flanks and to transmit forces acting on the rails 10 (acting in the plane of the drawing in FIG. 2) to the track 1. The wheel flanges 10a have such a radial width that they make contact with the flanks of the rail heads over their whole height or almost over their whole height. This ensures not only a uniform transmission of the force, but, owing to the usually upwardly converging rail head flanges, the exertion of a horizontal force will give rise to a vertically acting component.

The rails 10 are mounted with their shafts 10a exchangeably in the holders 9 so that diflerent wheels can be mounted for different shapes of rails. The width of the rails 10 is such that they engage the rail head flanges 10a with clearance.

Hydraulic piston-cylinder units 15, 14, associated with each lateral aligning unit 4, are mounted on downwardly projecting lugs on the underside of the chassis 2. As may be seen from FIG. 2, these hydraulic units 14, are substantially horizontal, wherein the inner, mutually facing ends of the cylinders 14 are hinged to the main chassis 2 and the outwardly directed ends of the pistons 15 are articulately connected with the supporting arm 7. The

hydraulic units 14, 15 are connected by conduits 14' with a source of a pressure medium, not shown, and mounted inside the superstructure 3, and receive pressure medium therefrom. Similarly, the hydraulic units 12, 13 communicate via conduits 13 with the same or another source of hydraulic medium. When the hydraulic units 12, 13 and the hydraulic units 14, 15 are supplied with medium from one and the same source, the magnitude of the downwardly directed force results from the ratio between the surfaces in the cylinders 14 and 12. The magnitude of the downwardly directed force amounts preferably to about to of the laterally directed force.

The operation of the device is as follows:

In the inoperative position, the wheels 10 on the holders 9 are in the upwardly pivoted rest position and out of engagement with the rails 10, by suitably engaging the pistons 12 in the cylinders 13 with pressure medium. This position is shown in FIG. 3 by dotted lines. If the device is to be operated, the pistons 12 in the cylinders 13 are supplied through the conduits 13 with pressure medium, causing the wheels 10 to be lowered on to the track 1. During the forward movement of the whole track aligning machine, the wheels 10 roll along the rails 1. When the machine reaches a part of the track in which the rails have moved away from their nominal position, the track is pressed by the force exerted by the hydraulic units 14, 15, by means of the two lateral aligning units into the nominal position, e.g., to the left in FIGURE 2. The direction of the deviation between real and nominal positions is determined by a measuring device, e.g., according to our prior Patent No. 3,314,373, and the direction of the lateral aligning force is controlled accordingly.

The radial width of the flanges 10a of the wheels 10 is so chosen that these wheels can travel over points, crossovers, guard rails etc., without fouling the flanges. In addition, the extent to which the piston 15 can be moved out of the cylinder 14 is so large that the flanges 10a of the wheels 10 can be pressed from the inside or from the outside on to the flanks of the rail heads of rails 1. This is of advantage for aligning sets of points, crossovers, track with guard rails, and the like. In addition, the device can be adapted to different track gauges and changes in the track gauge.

The articulated mounting of the lateral aligning units 4 and the bracket supports 5 via ball-and-socket joints 6 makes possible a pivotal movement of the lateral aligning units 4 about a vertical and horizontal axis. The pivoting bout the vertical axis distributes the lateral aligning force evenly over both wheels 10 and prevents overloading or kinking of the rails 1. The drawings show an embodiment with always two wheels 10 on the lateral aligning units 4. Obviously, there may be used more than two wheels in the form of a group, without thereby departing from the principle of the invention.

The downwardly directed force exerted by the hydraulic units stabilizes the aligning process, causing the rail to remain in the nominal position, and compensates also the tilting moment generated by the lateral aligning force with the resistance force.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

We claim:

1. A method for the lateral alignment of railroad track into a predetermined nominal position by means of a reference system, comprising the following steps, namely, the gripping of at least one of the rails of a track mounted on sleepers in ballast by means of aligning tools, the application of a force directed transversely of the longitudinal axis of the track to the said track section, and displacing the track in the direction from the real position into its nominal or correct position under the simultaneous action of the transversely directed force and of a downwardly directed force distinct from said transversely directed force acting on the track section causing said track section to exert a substantial downwardly directed force on its associated sleeper and ballast, wherein the magnitude of the said downwardly directed force is always in a certain relationship to the magnitude of the transversely directed force.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the magnitude of the downwardly directed force is to of the transversely directed force.

3. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the downwardly directed force is transmitted to the same aligning tools which are also affected by the transversely acting force.

4. A method as set forth in claim 3, wherein the transversely directed force is transmitted uniformly to both rails.

5. In a track aligning machine, a device for aligning track, comprising aligning tools detachably cooperating with the rails and movable transversely of the longitudinal axis of the track, first means for applying a force transversely of the said track to the said aligning tools,wherein the direction and the magnitude of the said force is controlled as a function of the track position and second means distinct from said first means for transmitting a downwardly directed force to the track causing said track section to exert a substantial downwardly directed force on its associated sleepers and ballast, wherein the magnitude of this force is always specifically related to the magnitude of the transversely applied force.

6. A device as set forth in claim 5, wherein the means for applying the downwardly directed force are hydraulic piston-cylinder units.

7. A device as set forth in claim 5, wherein the means for applying the transversely directed force are pistoncylinder units.

8. A device as set forth in claim 7, wherein the means for applying a downwardly directed force and the equipment for applying a transversely directed force have a common pressure medium source.

9. A device as set forth in claim 6, wherein the piston cylinder units for applying the downwardly directed force have an output of to of the force applied transversely of the track.

10. A device as set forth in claim 5, wherein the said aligning tools are wheels with bilateral flanges which overlie the heads of the rails of the track and which are affected by the means for applying a transversely directed force and by the means for applying a downwardly directed force.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2, 693,769 11/1954 Herlehy 104-8 2,966,123 12/1960 Talboys 104-8 3,137,244 6/1964 Holley et al. 104-8 ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner R. A. BERTSCH, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. l048, 12

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