107 results about "Railroad wheel" patented technology

A low power self-organizing network is made up of a plurality of wireless communication nodes communicating wirelessly with each other. The nodes each have a sensor providing a respective sensor data value indicative of a physical parameter in the environment of that node. The wireless network discontinues communication with any nodes in which the sensor data value is outside a range of network sensor data values. The network is preferably a group of vehicles moving together, especially a train in which each node is associated with a respective wheel of a railroad car. The nodes are low-power devices that communicate using wireless communications according to a Zigbee protocol. The nodes each have an additional sensor sensing a physical parameter the respective wheel thereof and determines from said electrical signal a degree of degradation of a bearing of the wheel, and transmits data of the degree of degradation to the main node. The main node communicates with another computer system using a higher power communication system and transmits thereto data indicative of degradation of said bearings.

A system for automatic detection of defects in railroad wheels, a system that is stationary and is installed in extended intervals in the rails uses stationary acoustical/vibration sensors installed at intervals in the rails. Rail segments associated with the detectors are acoustically isolated. The sensors acquire the sounds and vibrations generated by the wheels rolling over the rails. Signal analyzers identify rail defects from intensity vs., frequency distributions of acoustical spectra. Such spectra reflect the condition of the wheels and change their intensity vs. frequency distributions when the wheels pass the sensors installed in the rails. The acquired information on the condition of the wheels is transmitted to a central location. Any defective wheel is identified and marked for repair or replacement.

Considerable damage to rails, wheels, and trucks can result from geometric anomalies in the wheelsets, rails, and truck hardware. A solution for identifying and quantifying geometric anomalies known to influence the service life of the rolling stock or the ride comfort for the case of passenger service is described. The solution comprises an optical system, which can be configured to accurately perform measurements at mainline speeds (e.g., greater than 100 mph). The optical system includes laser line projectors and imaging cameras and can utilize structured light triangulation.

The present invention relates to a system and method for the automated inspection of geometric parameters of railway wheels rolling on a track by artificial vision techniques. The present invention uses a structured light source (10) that illuminates a line of light (12) upon a fraction of the surface of revolution (3) of a wheel (1), a CCD camera (20), which captures an image (21) of the illuminated area, and a data processing system that records, digitalizes, geometrically corrects and reconstructs information of the surface of revolution (3) that is not recorded in the image (21), in order to obtain a numeric description of the complete transverse section of the wheel (1) represented by a reconstructed profilogram (500) for calculating the geometric parameters of the wheel (1).

The current invention is intended to be installed in revenue service railroad tracks to detect railroad cars exhibiting wheel set lateral instability. The invention utilizes an array of inductive proximity sensors mounted at regular intervals in a section of railroad track. Each proximity sensor is oriented to sense the lateral position of railroad car wheel sets. The invention employs a computer algorithm to extrapolate the trajectory from the set of proximity sensor signals for each wheel set. A second algorithm evaluates the shape of the trajectory to detect oscillating lateral motion of the wheel set. A third algorithm assesses the severity of any wheel set lateral oscillations that are detected. An additional function of the invention is to detect railroad car trucks that exhibit “tracking errors”.

A method includes shrink fitting a ring member about a railroad wheel body and metallurically bonding the ring member to the railroad wheel body. A wheel assembly includes an inner portion obtained from a worn railroad wheel, a ring member disposed about the inner portion, and suitable electroplating material disposed on at least one of the faying surfaces. The wheel assembly may be heated under suitable conditions to provide diffusion bonding across interfacing faying surfaces to produce an integral wheel structure. Appropriate quenching, tempering, and finishing processes may be utilized to obtain desired properties. An article formed thereby includes an inner body portion obtained from a worn railroad wheel and a metallurically bonded outer circumferential portion. The outer portion may comprise a composition selected for desired wear characteristics.

A wheel truck for a railroad car, including: a front wheel pair assembly and a rear wheel pair assembly; two side frame assemblies, each side frame assembly including a square box and journal-box guides; two spring suspension devices; and a bolster assembly including two ends disposed on the two spring suspension devices, respectively. The bolster assembly includes a pilot hole in the center and two mounting holes on the two ends, the pilot hole is rotationally matched with a cylindrical upper center plate of a car body for transmitting vertical and horizontal forces from the car body, and the two mounting holes are disposed above the two spring suspension devices, respectively. Each mounting hole receives a lower side bearing, and the lower side bearing is matched with a corresponding upper side bearing disposed on each side of the car body for transmitting the vertical load from the car body.

A solution for evaluating the condition of a rail component based on resonant response profiles across a set of bands of vibrations. The vibrations can be induced into the target component during normal operation of the target component. The resonant response profile of the rail component can vary depending on wear or damage, and thus can be used to determine whether the rail component can safely remain in use. An embodiment comprises an isolated segment of rail of a length selected to allow a single railroad wheel on it at a time, with a set of devices which can induce specific vibrations into the wheel as it passes, and another set of devices which can acquire the resonance signals from the wheel.

The invention discloses a railway wheel tread scratch image dynamic detection device, belonging to the technical field of machinery detection equipment structure carrying out detection on railway (vehicle) wheel tread. The detection device comprises a plurality of scratch detection camera cases provided with built-in camera, a wheel positioning system, an image acquisition system and a control circuit are utilized, an industrial personal computer is utilized to detect wheel pair image shot by a camera which is fixedly arranged and wheel pair safety state. The device can be used for wheel pair detection on vehicles passing through main line of railway, wheel pair detection when motor train unit is put in storage and wheel pair detection when locomotive is put in storage and can dynamically measure fault state of wheel pair tread of train in normal operation, including wheel faults of scratch, stripping, ground pile and the like, so that overhauling person can timely handle the wheel fault of train and the train is ensured to operate safely.

A vehicle equipped with monitoring equipment is adapted to ride a railroad track rail. An apparatus mount is coupled to the vehicle undercarriage. A downwardly displaced arm is coupled to the apparatus mount. A sensor mounting bracket couples a pair of railroad wheels and a pair of wheel bracket axles couples the wheels to the mounting bracket. A wheel axle couples one wheel to the arm. A sensor is positioned at a fixed adjustable distance above the top of the rail. The sensor is coupled to monitoring equipment with an electronic coupling means.

A railway car wheel comprises a rim having a flange and a tread portion. The tread portion contains 0.35-0.55% C and has a Vickers hardness of at least 360 and comprises a bainite structure, a tempered martensite structure, or a mixture of both.

A method and apparatus for collecting ultrasonic test data from a railway wheel with an ultrasonic testing apparatus is described. The railway wheel is supported by two drive rollers, each having an indentation which engages with and rotates the wheel. An indexing transducer moves across the rotating wheel, collecting ultrasonic test data while a fixed transducer correlates a reference position on the wheel to the collected test data. To maintain the accuracy of the reference position to the collected test data, it is desirable to maintain the rotational stability of the wheel, minimizing any dynamic instability caused by dimensional tolerances in the wheel. To mitigate instabilities resulting from dimensional tolerances, the indentation of the drive rollers, which engage and drive the flange of the wheel, is adjustable by the flexing design of the drive rollers to maintain frictional contact between the wheel and the drive roller. This allows the indentation to accommodate the varying dimensional tolerances of the wheel flange, mitigating the possibility of dynamic instability resulting from departure of the wheel flange from the indentation.

Steels having a pearlitic structure and containing 0.65 to 0.80 weight percent carbon, 0.90 to 1.10 weight percent silicon, 0.85 to 1.15 weight percent manganese, 0.001 to 0.030 weight percent phosphorus, 0.009 to 0.013 weight percent niobium, 0.05 to 0.15 nickel, 0.20 to 0.30 weight percent molybdenum, 0.10 to 0.30 weight percent vanadium and 0.005 to 0.040 weight percent sulfur with the remainder of said steel being iron and incidental impurities, can be used to make railway wheels that are particularly resistant to rolling contact fatigue and, hence, shelling.

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an all metal, single or dual, flanged composite railroad wheel for rollingly engaging a metal rail. A unitary metal railroad wheel having at least one radially extending wheel flange, for intermittently engaging the side surface of the rail, is provided with a metallic inlaid material having a coefficient of friction lower than the coefficient of friction of the wheel's main body. The inlaid low friction material forms an annular band circumscribing the inside surface of the wheel's radially extending flange.

The invention discloses a production method of railway wheels. The production method comprises the steps of billet cutting, steel billet heating, shaping, rolling, slow cooling or isothermal treatment, heat treatment and finish machining. According to the production method, rough machining is cancelled, the allowance of the finish machining is appropriately increased, and accordingly the allowance of the tread machining can be increased after the heat treatment, more tread metal close to a surface layer can be removed under the condition that the requirements of the machining accuracy are met, and accordingly the depth of the abnormal structure area under the tread can be reduced or eliminated conveniently. Compared with the conventional process, the depth of the abnormal structure area under the tread is greatly reduced and the consumption of a finish machining tool is reduced under the condition that performance indicators of the produced wheels are basically identical.

A self-propelled four-wheel vehicle (1) for travel on land and/or on rails includes four hubs (9) for mounting of wheels including tires (6) for travel on land, four rail wheels (7) for travel on a railway, and four coupling assemblies, for detachably connecting the rail wheels to, outwardly of, and spaced from, the hubs. A kit for converting the vehicle for travel on rails includes, for each hub (9) of the vehicle, a rail wheel adapter (25, 44) including a flange (26, 45) for fastening to a rail wheel (7) and an axle portion (24, 46) extending transverse to the flange, a vehicle wheel adapter (10, 40) including a flange (15, 41) for fastening to a hub of the land vehicle and an axle portion (21, 42) extending transverse to the flange, and a coupler (12, 13) for coupling the rail wheel adapter to the vehicle wheel adapter.

The invention provides a repaired and reinforced vehicle wheel, more particularly a railway vehicle wheel. The invention is characterized in that the web holes of the railway vehicle wheel are embedded with reinforcer The repairing process of the repairing and reinforcing vehicle wheel is characterized in that the repairing process comprises crack detection, crack cleaning, laser cladding, dimensions recovering at the groove positions; groove chamfering of 5 multiplied by 45 DEG at the circumference of the holes; laser cladding at the circumference of the holes with the cladding material of the nickel-based alloy with higher strength compared with the material of the basic body; grinding of the circumference of the holes and implementing the inverted fillets of R2. The repaired and reinforced vehicle wheel has the advantages that the strength and service life of the repaired railway vehicle wheel are higher than the original design value; therefore, the comprehensive performance of the repaired railway vehicle wheel is improved; the invention has great value, safety, reliability and simple operation; the invention can clad the vehicle wheel with the laser on the condition of not decomposing the wheelset and eliminate the damages to the internal holes of the vehicle wheel, the vehicle shafts and the bearings possibly generated because of decomposition of the wheelset; furthermore, the invention can become automatic production line after being combined with other equipments.