Device for protecting a railway beacon

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (1,1') for shock protection of a railway beacon (B) coupled, through fastening means (FU,FL), to a support surface (P) or to a sleeper (T), wherein said device (1,1') comprises a body (11,11') so shaped as to deflect debris in the event of a shock, and constraining means (12,12') configured for transferring to said support surface (P) or to said sleeper (T) at least part of energy which is transferred to said body (11,11') when it is hit by said debris.

Description

[0001] DEVICE FOR PROTECTING A RAILWAY BEACON

[0002] DESCRIPTION

[0003] The present invention relates to a device for shock protection of a railway beacon, in particular for protecting a railway beacon (preferably of the type known as "balise" or "euro balise" ) positioned between the rails of a railway line from shocks against ice blocks detaching from trains travelling on said railway line .

[0004] As is known, trains standing idle in places where temperatures fall to tens of degrees below zero will tend to accumulate , on their outer surfaces , a thick layer of ice that , i f not removed by means of an appropriate de-icing treatment , can create conditions leading to formation of ice stalactites at the bottom of train coaches or engines , wherein such stalactites may weigh several kilograms ( even more than 5 kilograms ) .

[0005] The detachment of one of such stalactites from a running train may have destructive ef fects when impacting on things and people standing in proximity to the rai lway line , especially i f the train is a high-speed one , i . e . a train travelling at speeds near or in excess of 300 km / h . Therefore , in rigid climates it is necessary to protect things and people from the ef fects caused by ice coming of f trains .

[0006] In particular, it is necessary to protect the railway signalling infrastructure , particularly beacons , such as balises B, installed on sleepers T ( see Fig . 1 ) , from impacts with ice stalactites coming of f running trains , so as to avoid, even in the presence of very low temperatures , the risk of reducing the availability of the railway line . Indeed, a balise damaged by an impact with an ice block will require the train to , as a safety measure , at least reduce its travelling speed along that line section where the damaged balise is located .

[0007] The present invention aims at solving these and others problems by providing a device for shock protection of a railway beacon as set forth in the appended claim 1 .

[0008] The basic idea of the present invention is to use a device for shock protection of a railway beacon, wherein said beacon is coupled, through fastening means , to a support surface or to a sleeper, and wherein the device according to the invention comprises a body so shaped as to deflect debris in the event of a shock, and constraining means configured for ( directly) trans ferring to said support surface or to said sleeper at least part of energy trans ferred to said body when it is hit by said debris , so as to advantageously reduce or eliminate the energy trans ferred to the fastening means following an impact against an ice stalactite falling from a train and / or against other bodies or debris .

[0009] The railway beacon can thus be protected, reducing the probability that the beacon might be damaged ( or even eradicated) by an ice block coming of f a running train, since the energy generated by the impact with the ice block will not be ( almost totally) trans ferred to the structure of the railway beacon and / or to the fastening points , but to the sleeper and / or to the support surface that can structurally absorb the shock energy without suf fering any damage .

[0010] Further advantageous features of the present invention are set out in the appended claims .

[0011] These features as well as further advantages of the present invention will become more apparent in the light of the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof as shown in the annexed drawings , which are provided herein merely by way of non-limiting example , wherein :

[0012] - Fig . 1 shows a railway beacon coupled to a railway sleeper according to the prior art ;

[0013] - Fig . 2 shows a pair of devices according to the invention prior to being coupled to a railway sleeper ; - Fig . 3 shows the pair of devices of Fig . 2 coupled to the railway sleeper;

[0014] - Fig . 4 shows the pair of devices of Fig . 3 before a railway beacon is coupled to the railway sleeper ;

[0015] - Fig . 5 shows the pair of devices and the railway beacon of Fig . 4 in the operating condition;

[0016] - Figs . 6 and 7 show a first variant of a pair of devices according to the invention prior to being coupled to a support surface ;

[0017] - Fig . 8 shows the pair of devices of Figs . 6 and 7 before a railway beacon is coupled to the support surface ;

[0018] - Fig . 9 shows the pair of devices of Figs . 6 and 7 coupled to the support surface before a railway beacon is coupled to said support surface ;

[0019] - Fig . 10 shows the pair of devices and the railway beacon of Fig . 9 in the operating condition .

[0020] In this description, any reference to "an embodiment" will indicate that a particular configuration, structure or feature is comprised in at least one embodiment of the invention . Therefore , expressions such as " in an embodiment" and the like , which may be found in di f ferent parts of this description, will not necessarily refer to the same embodiment . Moreover, any particular configuration, structure or feature solving the same technical problem according to the teachings of the present invention may be combined in one or more embodiments as deemed appropriate by a person skilled in the art . The references below are therefore used only for simplicity' s sake , and shall not limit the protection scope or extension of the various embodiments .

[0021] With reference to Figures 2-5 , the following will describe the device 1 according to the invention, wherein said device is adapted for protecting a railway beacon B, such as , for example , a radio beacon also known as "balise" or "euro balise", coupled to a sleeper T through fastening means FU,FL.

[0022] The device 1 comprises the following elements:

[0023] - a body 11 so shaped as to deflect debris (e.g. an ice stalactite coming off a running train) in the event of a shock;

[0024] - constraining means 12 configured for transferring to said sleeper T at least part of energy transferred to said body 11 when it is hit by said debris.

[0025] When the device 1 is in an operating condition (see Fig. 5) , the body 11 protects the railway beacon B from shocks caused by debris coming off a running train. This prevents the impact energy from being transferred to the fastening means FU, FL, thus protecting the railway beacon and solving the problem of reducing the probability that the railway beacon might be damaged (or even eradicated) by an ice block coming off a running train, because the energy generated by the impact with the ice block will not be transferred to the structure of the railway beacon B, but to the sleeper T, which is structurally able to absorb the shock energy without suffering any damage. The fastening means preferably comprise upper fastening means FU, positioned over the railway beacon B, and lower fastening means FL, positioned under said railway beacon B.

[0026] The lower fastening means FL preferably comprise the following elements :

[0027] - a mounting plate FL1, preferably made of thermosetting plastic material, even more preferably reinforced with glass fibre, adapted to be positioned on either the sleeper P or a support surface, to which the railway beacon B is fastened, thus simplifying the installation (e.g. levelling and / or height adjustment) and / or replacement of the latter;

[0028] - at least one lower fastening screw FL2, preferably a pair of the same, of the chemical / cement type, suitable for constraining said mounting plate FL1 to either the sleeper T or the support surface , both of which are suitably perforated, by exerting an anchoring force ;

[0029] - at least one locking means FL3 ( e . g . a washer ) holding each lower fastening screw FL2 at the centre of its seat during installation, and distributing said anchoring force generated by said lower fastening screw FL2 when the latter is in the operating condition;

[0030] - at least one lower spacer element FL4 preventing said at least one locking means FL3 from exerting its anchoring force directly on the underlying element ;

[0031] - at least one pair of lower damping elements FL5 , FL6 made of a material , preferably polychloroprene-based synthetic rubber ( e . g . neoprene ) , which can attenuate and / or stop the trans fer of a vibration wave from the sleeper P or from the support surface to the railway beacon B .

[0032] It must be pointed out that the lower damping element FL6 is perforated to allow fastening the railway beacon B to the mounting plate FL1 .

[0033] The upper fastening means FU preferably comprise the following elements :

[0034] - at least one upper fastening screw FU1 , preferably four of them, each one disposed in proximity to one of the four vertices of the railway beacon B ; when tightened, said upper fastening screw FU1 constrains the railway beacon B to the mounting plate FL1 , preferably by engaging a threaded hole formed in said mounting plate FL1 and by exerting a fastening force via said lower damping element FL6 ;

[0035] - at least one centering element FU2 made of plastic or metallic material and preferably rectangular in shape , adapted to keep said at least one upper fastening screw FU1 centered during the installation and operation of said railway beacon B ; - at least one upper spacer element FU3 preventing said at least one centering element FU2 from exerting its anchoring force directly on the underlying element ;

[0036] - at least one upper damping element FU4 , positioned between said upper spacer element FU3 and said railway beacon B, preferably in a seat Bl formed in the top surface of said railway beacon B, wherein said at least one upper damping element FU4 is preferably made of polychloroprene-based synthetic rubber ( e . g . neoprene ) and can attenuate and / or stop the transfer of the vibration wave coming from the sleeper P or from the support surface and going through the fastening plate FL1 , so as to advantageously prevent the railway beacon B from undergoing any vibration even when a train runs over it .

[0037] In more detail , the body 11 comprises an inclined surface ( similar to a chute ) , wherein said inclined surface is so oriented that an upper portion of said inclined surface can be positioned near the railway beacon B, thus advantageously covering the outline of said railway beacon .

[0038] Advantageously, the shape of the body 11 will deflect any debris impacting against the body of said railway beacon B, so that only a portion of the kinetic energy of the debris will actually be trans ferred to the device 1 .

[0039] As a result , the service li fe of the device 1 , and hence that of the railway beacon B, will be extended, in that the impact energy will not be trans ferred to the fastening means FU, FL for a longer time , thus solving the problem of reducing the probability that the railway beacon might be damaged ( or even eradicated) by an ice block coming of f a running train .

[0040] In combination with the above , the constraining means preferably comprise a tooth 12 so shaped as to mate with ( e . g . to abut on) a surface , preferably a lateral one , of the sleeper T . Advantageously, this will allow the sleeper T to receive almost all the energy generated by the impact of the debris against the device 1 , thereby protecting the railway beacon ( in particular, its fastening means FU, FL ) . As a result , the probability that the railway beacon might be damaged ( or even eradicated) by an ice block coming of f a running train will be reduced .

[0041] In combination with the above , the device 1 preferably comprises also at least one protrusion 13 extending from said body 11 , wherein said protrusion 13 is so shaped as to match the fastening means FU, FL of the railway beacon B, thus keeping said device 1 integrally connected to said railway beacon B without however trans ferring any force to said railway beacon B should any debris collide with the body 11 of said device 1 . This improves the protection of a railway beacon, solving the problem of reducing the probability that the railway beacon might be damaged ( or even eradicated) by an ice block coming of f a running train .

[0042] In more detail , the protrusion 13 preferably extends from that side of the device 1 which is closest to the sleeper T when said device 1 i s in an operating condition . Advantageously, this allows the body 11 to protect the outline of the railway beacon B from possible direct impacts with debris coming of f a running train and, most importantly, reduces the possibility of mistakes while mounting the device 1 . This solves the problem of reducing the probability that the railway beacon might be damaged ( or even eradicated) by an ice block coming of f a running train .

[0043] In order to protect the railway beacon B even better and further reduce the risk of damage , a system for protecting said railway beacon B preferably comprises a pair of devices 1 , wherein each one of them comprises at least the protrusion 13 , and wherein said pair of devices 1 are coupled to each other via said protrusions 13,13' , preferably in such a way that the bodies 11 are oriented in opposite directions.

[0044] Furthermore, said protrusions 13 form, when coupled together, a cavity into which the railway beacon B can be arranged, thus protecting its outline from any debris coming off a running train in both directions. This solves the problem of reducing the probability that the railway beacon might be damaged (or even eradicated) by an ice block coming off trains travelling in either direction along a railway line.

[0045] In order to further improve the connection between the device 1 and the railway beacon B, thus protecting it more effectively from falling debris, the device 1 preferably comprises also a second protrusion 14, similar to the (first) protrusion 13, extending from said body 11 of the device 1. This second protrusion 14 is preferably positioned next to the protrusion 13.

[0046] In more detail, the second protrusion 14 is so shaped that at least a portion of its extension, peripheral relative to the body 11, lies at a different height (i.e. higher or lower) than said (first) protrusion 13. This advantageously makes it possible to couple (by joint, as shown in Fig. 2) the first protrusion 13 and the second protrusion 14 of the (first) device 1 with, respectively, the second protrusion 14 and the first protrusion 13 of the second device 1, when the latter faces said first device 1, so as to form a surface, which is preferably flat, whereon the railway beacon B can be positioned (see Figures 3 and 4) . It must be pointed out that, through the use of the second protrusion 14 having its terminal part lower than the first protrusion 13, it is advantageously possible to couple together two equal devices 1.

[0047] Each one of said protrusions 13,14 comprises, respectively, a slot 131,141 allowing the passage of said at least one lower fastening screw FL2; in particular, when said at least one lower fastening screw FL2 is not yet fully exerting its anchoring force , the position of the device 1 can be advantageously adj usted relative to the sleeper T .

[0048] More generally, one or more of said devices 1 can be installed in order to protect a railway beacon B by executing the following steps :

[0049] - positioning one or more devices 1 on the sleeper T ;

[0050] - positioning the mounting plate FL1 over said devices 1 ;

[0051] - fastening said mounting plate FL1 , by means of said at least one lower fastening screw FL2 engaging the sleeper T through one of the slots 131 , 141 of one or more devices 1 , preferably after adj usting the position of at least one of the devices 1 so that said tooth 12 comes in abutment with said sleeper T ;

[0052] - positioning the railway beacon B on said mounting plate FL1 ;

[0053] - fastening said railway beacon B to the mounting plate FL1 by means of said at least one upper fastening screw FU1 .

[0054] In combination with the above , the body 11 i s made of plastic material , preferably a thermosetting one , even more preferably reinforced with glass fibre , so that the device 1 can be obtained by means of a die-casting or moulding process , or the like . It must be pointed out that the protrusion 13 or both protrusions 13 , 14 are made of the same material as said body, so that they can be obtained through a single die-casting or moulding process , or the like .

[0055] The use of plastic material results in easy positioning of the device 1 in proximity to the railway beacon B, since it combines excellent mechanical strength properties ( i . e . sti f fness and resilience ) and good resistance to atmospheric agents with substantial transparency to electromagnetic waves . Thus , advantageously, said device 1 can be positioned near the railway beacon B without said device 1 signi ficantly af fecting the operation of said railway beacon B . In combination with the above, the body 11 of the device 1 preferably comprises a slit 15 that allows positioning a beacon cable, e.g. an "LZB™ cable", i.e. a cable comprising a conductor connected to a plurality of antennas distributed over its entire length; said cable is typically used in order to repeat the signals that are present along the railway line and provide information useful for controlling the train.

[0056] This solution makes it possible to protect also the beacon cable, in addition to the railway beacon B, without affecting their operation, since said device 1 is made of plastic. This solves the problem of reducing the probability that the railway beacon B (and also the beacon cable) might be damaged (or even eradicated) by an ice block coming off a running train.

[0057] It must be pointed out that the presence of the slit 15 in the centre of the body 11, along with the presence of the pair of protrusions 13,14 extending from the body 11, which advantageously form a channel 16, preferably 20mm wide, permits the passage of said beacon cable and, advantageously, prevents the signal transmitted by it to be attenuated to a significant extent .

[0058] It should also be noted that, in the absence of the slit 15, the beacon cable could anyway be routed into the channel 16 and under the body 11, thus advantageously allowing for separate installation (i.e. installation at different times) of the device 1 and the beacon cable.

[0059] Of course, the example described so far may be subject to many variations .

[0060] A first variant is shown in Figures 6-10; for simplicity, the following description will only highlight those parts which make this and the next variants different from the abovedescribed main embodiment; for the same reason, wherever possible the same reference numerals, with the addition of one or more apostrophes, will be used for indicating structurally or functionally equivalent elements .

[0061] The first variant comprises a device 1 ' which is similar to the above-described device 1 , and which, unlike the main embodiment , can be used to protect the railway beacon B when the latter is anchored, by fastening means FU, FL ' similar to those described for the main embodiment , to a support surface P, preferably made of precompressed reinforced concrete , also known as " slab track" . For this purpose , the device 1 ' comprises constraining means 12 ' preferably including the following elements :

[0062] - at least one anchoring screw 121 , preferably of the chemical and / or cement type , configured to be coupled with said support surface P and with a body 11 ' similar to the body 11 of the main embodiment , wherein said body 11 ' comprises at least one mounting seat 111 ( see Figures 6 and 7 ) for said anchoring screw 121 ;

[0063] - at least one locking means 122 holding each anchoring screw 121 at the centre of its seat 111 during installation, and distributing the force generated by said anchoring screw 121 when the latter is in the operating condition;

[0064] - at least one spacer element 123 preventing said at least one locking means 122 from exerting its anchoring force directly on the body 11 ' .

[0065] In particular, the lower fastening means FL' di f fer from the fastening means FL of the main embodiment in that the screws FL2 ' , which are similar to the screws FL2 of the main embodiment , engage upwards instead of downwards ( like screws FL2 ) , and in that they preferably comprise a perforated plate FL7 , into which said screws FL2 ' are fitted, and threaded nuts FL8 suitable for constraining each screw FL2 ' to the perforated plate FL7 .

[0066] In this manner, the railway beacon B can be protected, thus solving the problem of reducing the probability that the beacon might be damaged (or even eradicated) by an ice block coming off a running train, since the energy generated by the impact with the ice block will not be (totally) transferred to the structure of the railway beacon B and / or to its fastening means FL, FU, but to the support surface P (to which the device 1 is connected through the anchoring screws 12' ) , which can structurally absorb the shock energy without suffering any damage .

[0067] Furthermore, the device 1' preferably comprises at least one or more protrusions 13' , 14' , preferably a pair of them, which are similar to the protrusions 13,14 of the main embodiment, wherein said protrusions comprise each a slot 131' , 141' , similar to the slots 131,141 previously described herein with reference to the main embodiment, and wherein said protrusions 13' , 14' form a channel 16' which is similar to the channel 16 of the previous embodiment .

[0068] Each protrusion 13' , 14' preferably comprises a pair of holes 132,142, the function of which will be described below.

[0069] In combination with the above, the device 1 preferably comprises also a slit 15' , which is similar to the slit 15 of the device 1.

[0070] Lastly, it must be pointed out that a pair of devices 1' can be used in order to constitute a system for protecting a railway beacon B as already described for the main embodiment.

[0071] More generally, one or more of said devices 1' can be installed in order to protect a railway beacon B by executing the following steps:

[0072] - coupling the devices 1' to each other through coupling means FC engaging into the holes 132,142;

[0073] - positioning one or more devices 1' on the support surface P;

[0074] - positioning the mounting plate FL1 over said devices 1' ;

[0075] - fastening said mounting plate FL1 to said one or more devices 1' through said at least one lower fastening screw FL2, which engages said perforated plate FL7 through the slot 131' , 141' ;

[0076] - fastening the assembly consisting of said one or more devices 1' and mounting plate FL1 to the support surface P by means of said at least one anchoring screw 121 (see Fig. 8) ;

[0077] - positioning the railway beacon B on said mounting plate FL1;

[0078] - fastening said railway beacon B to the mounting plate FL1 by means of said at least one upper fastening screw FU1.

[0079] In more detail, the coupling means FC preferably comprise the following elements:

[0080] - at least one coupling screw FC1, preferably four of them, arranged in pairs on each protrusion 13' , 14' ;

[0081] - at least one locking means FC2 (e.g. a washer) holding each coupling screw FC1 at the centre of its seat during installation, and distributing a coupling force generated by said coupling screw FC1 when the latter is in the operating condition;

[0082] - at least one fastening element FC3 (e.g. a threaded nut) , which is coupled to said at least one coupling screw FC1 to generate said coupling force.

[0083] Some of the possible variants of the invention have been described above, but it will be clear to those skilled in the art that other embodiments may also be implemented in practice, wherein several elements may be easily replaced with other technically equivalent elements. The present invention is not, therefore, limited to the above-described illustrative examples, but may be subject to various modifications, improvements, or replacements of equivalent parts and elements without however departing from the basic inventive idea, as specified in the following claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. Device (1,1' ) for shock protection of a railway beacon (B) coupled, through fastening means (FU,FL) , to a support surface (P) or to a sleeper (T) , comprising- a body (11,11' ) so shaped as to deflect debris in the event of a shock, characterized in that it further comprises— constraining means (12,12' ) configured for transferring to said support surface (P) or to said sleeper (T) at least part of energy which is transferred to said body (11,11' ) when it is hit by said debris .

2. Device (1) according to claim 1, wherein the constraining means comprise a tooth (12) so shaped as to mate with a surface of a sleeper (T) .

3. Device (1' ) according to claim 1, wherein the constraining means (12' ) comprise anchoring screws (121) configured to be coupled to said support surface (P) .

4. Device (1,1' ) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the body (11,11' ) comprises an inclined surface, wherein said inclined surface is so oriented that an upper portion of said inclined surface can be positioned near the railway beacon (B) .

5. Device (1,1' ) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the body (11,11' ) is made of thermosetting material.

6. Device (1,1' ) according to claim 5, wherein the body (11,11' ) comprises a slit (15) that makes it possible to position a beacon cable.

7. Device (1,1' ) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, furthercomprising at least one protrusion ( 13 , 13 ' , 14 , 14 ' ) extending from said body (11, 11' ) , wherein said protrusion (13, 13' , 14, 14' ) is so shaped as to match the fastening means (FU,FL) of the railway beacon (B) .

8. Device (1,1' ) according to claim 7, comprising a pair of protrusions ( 13 , 13' , 14 , 14 ' ) extending from said body (11,11' ) to form a channel (16,16' ) .

9. System for protecting a railway beacon (B) , comprising a pair of devices (1,1' ) according to claim 7 or 8, wherein said devices (1,1' ) are coupled to each other via the protrusions (13, 13' , 14, 14' ) .

10. System according to claim 9, wherein said protrusions( 13 , 13 ' , 14 , 14 ' ) , when coupled to each other, form a cavity in which the railway beacon (B) can be positioned.

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