Method and apparatus for milling of railroad track

Abstract

A milling system for milling a track surface with at least one rotatable milling plate. A modular blade system for each milling plate allows individual blades to be removed and replaced when an individual blade becomes dull or broken. The blade system also allows the milling plates to be oriented in both Type 2 and Type 3 configurations depending upon track surroundings and the presence of encumbrance. The milling plates can be mounted to a positioning assembly for adjusting the relative distance between the milling plate and the track surface as well as the angle at which the milling plate engages the track surface. The milling system can include a depth guide so as to physically prevent the milling plate from cutting too deeply into the track surface.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION[0001]The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 588,472 filed Jan. 19, 2012, which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE[0002]The present invention relates generally to railway maintenance. More specifically, the present invention is directed to an apparatus and related methods for milling a track surface to remove irregularities in the track surface.BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE[0003]Railroad tracks generally comprise a pair of metal rails arranged in a parallel configuration so as to guide and support metal wheels of train cars. Use of these tracks to support heavy loads travelling at high speeds results in the formation of irregularities such as pits, burrs, cracks and deformations along the track surface. These irregularities can create excessive noise and vibrations as the wheels of the train car contact the irregularities. Similarly, the irregularities can also increase the fatigue ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention is about a railway milling system that can be pulled along sections of track. The system has multiple milling plates with individual milling blades that can be replaced instead of the entire plate, which increases the useful life of the plate. Each milling plate has a plurality of locking slots that allow for easy replacement of accustomed blades. The system also has a positioning assembly that can control the position and angle of the milling plate for both perpendicular and parallel milling. Additionally, the system includes depth guides that control the maximum milling depth to prevent cutting the track surface too deep. These technical features improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the millimeter system.

Problems solved by technology

Use of these tracks to support heavy loads travelling at high speeds results in the formation of irregularities such as pits, burrs, cracks and deformations along the track surface.

These irregularities can create excessive noise and vibrations as the wheels of the train car contact the irregularities.

Similarly, the irregularities can also increase the fatigue on the rails and the train cars themselves creating substantial safety and maintenance problems.

Although the irregularities can often be easily smoothed out of the track by grinding or milling the surface of each track section in a machine shop, removing each section for regular maintenance is impractical and expensive.

Because of factors including different load weights and configurations of the trains traveling over the rails or even installation factors such as, for example, differing soil conditions beneath the rails, the track surface can wear unevenly along the railway.

The drawback of the Type 1 configuration is that the large surface area of the abrasive surface for each rotating element creates a substantial amount of friction requiring a relatively powerful motor to rotate the rotating element.

While maximizing the effectiveness of the abrasive pad, the friction created by the grinding acts as a brake slowing the grinding process, which can lead to increased amounts of downtime for the rail line being grinded.

In this grinding configuration, the abrasive surface of an individual rotating element only contacts a single facet of the rail profile, which significantly reduces the amount of power required to rotate the rotating element.

The drawback of the Type 2 configuration is that the position of the rotating elements prevents the Type 2 configuration from being successfully used on rail sections having encumbrances such as, for example, an inset in a road or a platform where an upper rail surface is even with a surrounding surface such as a road or platform.

However, the rotating elements of the Type 3 configuration are beveled proximate to the edge of the rotating elements such that the rotating elements can rotate in planes that do not prevent the rotating element from being used in track sections having encumbrances such a roads or platforms.

Regardless of the configuration type, the contact between the abrasive grinding pad used in all grinding processes and the metal track surface creates a substantial amount of heat and sparking.

A drawback of milling processes is that the rotating blade or bit assembly must be carefully monitored as the blade or bit can easily cut too deeply into the track surface reducing the operating life of the track or creating an irregularity rather than removing the irregularities.

Similarly, the milling blade or bit can become broken or dulled from repeated use.

Replacing a broken blade or bit can cause significant delays if the blade or bit breaks in a remote location and a new blade assembly must transported to the work site.

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