Composite Powered Wheelset With Booster Wheels for Steep-Slope Traction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing trains experience traction loss and safety issues due to skidding in the longitudinal direction on steep slopes, limiting the slope, traction load, and speed, and requiring complex gear alignment mechanisms that can cause collisions.
Innovation Solution
A composite powered wheel set with booster wheels and support wheels, connected to a power mechanism via transmission devices, and booster rails with rubber surfaces or patterns to enhance adhesion and friction, allowing seamless transition on steep slopes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If ordinary powered wheels are used on steep slopes, then the structure is simple, but skidding occurs resulting in traction loss and safety issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines ordinary steel wheels and rubber booster wheels into a single composite wheel set. The steel wheels provide structural support and run on ordinary rails, while the rubber booster wheels provide enhanced friction and adhesion on steep slopes. This merging of different wheel types resolves the contradiction by achieving both reliability (anti-skid performance) and maintaining reasonable structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite materials by combining steel (for structural wheels) and rubber (for booster wheels with higher friction coefficients). The rubber booster wheels specifically address the skidding problem on steep slopes by providing superior grip, while the steel structure maintains overall system integrity. This application of composite materials directly improves anti-skid performance without excessive complexity.
2Reliability
If toothed rail structure is used to solve steep slope transportation, then anti-skid performance is improved, but meshing accuracy is low and gear alignment is complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the gear meshing mechanism from the toothed rail system and replaces it with a friction-based rubber wheel system. Instead of relying on precise gear engagement between toothed rails and gears, the solution uses rubber booster wheels that rely on friction and adhesion. This extraction eliminates the meshing accuracy problem while maintaining effective traction on steep slopes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the mechanical gear meshing system with a friction-based contact system. The rubber booster wheels create sufficient friction with the rail surface to prevent skidding, replacing the need for precise gear-to-tooth engagement. This substitution resolves the manufacturing precision issue while achieving reliable steep slope traction.
3Reliability
If gear alignment mechanism is added for transition to toothed rails, then traction is improved, but the mechanism is complex and may cause gear collision
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the gear alignment mechanism entirely by not using toothed rails. Instead, the rubber booster wheels engage directly with the ordinary rail surface through friction, eliminating the need for any gear alignment system. This extraction resolves the contradiction by maintaining reliable traction through friction while avoiding the complexity and collision risks of gear alignment mechanisms.
4Power
If multiple train carriages are equipped with gears to increase power, then traction is improved, but coupler clearance causes out-of-synchronism and gear collision
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes the gear-based power transmission system with a friction-based rubber wheel system. The rubber booster wheels on each carriage independently generate traction through friction with the rail, eliminating the need for synchronized gear engagement across multiple carriages. This substitution resolves the synchronization problem caused by coupler clearance while maintaining high traction power.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances adhesion and anti-skid performance, enabling stable train operation on steep slopes with improved traction and braking force, eliminating speed and slope limitations, and allowing for higher train speeds and safer operation.
Implementation Method 1
The booster wheel is a rubber wheel and comprises a metal rim and a rubber tire, wherein the metal rim is fixed to the driving axle, the rubber tire has adjustable air pressure
Implementation Method 2
the tread of the rubber tire is provided with patterns
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a composite powered wheel set, a train, a wheel-rail system and a train control method. The composite powered wheel set comprises two booster wheels and two support wheels mounted on a driving axle. The booster wheels are fixedly mounted on two ends of the driving axle, the support wheels are mounted on the driving axle via bearings, the moving axle is connected to a first transmission device, which is connected to a first power mechanism, and the driving axle is further connected to a train bogie via a connecting device. Booster wheels and booster rails are provided to improve anti-skid performance, so the train will not skid when running on a steep slope or under a heavy traction load. Restrictions on the railway slope, train traction load, and train speed are eliminated to a great extent, and the application scope of the wheel rails is expanded.