Gantry Crane Wheel Alignment via Vertical Rotation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gantry cranes experience significant wear on wheel flanges and rails due to misalignment and deviations, leading to increased maintenance and operational costs, with existing solutions like tracking rollers and lubricating pins being costly and ineffective.
Innovation Solution
A force-controlled actuator system is implemented to rotate the running gear groups about a vertical axis, using a measuring device to detect the track position of the wheels and adjust torque accordingly, keeping the wheel flanges at a distance from the rail flanks, thereby reducing wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the carriage groups are connected to the head carrier with only one degree of freedom (pivotability about a horizontal axis), then the structure is simple, but this leads to chassis distortions and increased wear of wheel flanges and rails due to misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by adding a second degree of freedom (rotation about a vertical axis) to the carriage group connection on the head carrier. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the running gear group to adapt its orientation to compensate for rail deviations and maintain proper wheel-rail alignment, thereby reducing wear on wheel flanges and rails while preserving structural simplicity through controlled mobility.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If tracking rollers are used to guide the wheels in relation to the rails, then the service life increases, but the initial equipment costs are high and follow-up costs are considerable due to roller wear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the self-service principle by enabling the running gear group to automatically adjust its own orientation through the added rotational degree of freedom about the vertical axis. The measuring device detects track position deviations, and the control system actuates the carriage group to correct alignment without requiring external tracking rollers or frequent manual intervention, thereby extending service life while minimizing maintenance costs.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If lubricating pins are used to reduce friction between wheel flanges and rail flanks, then some friction reduction is achieved, but the rapid wear of lubricating pins leads to high maintenance costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the self-service principle by enabling the running gear group to automatically adjust its own orientation through the added rotational degree of freedom about the vertical axis. The measuring device detects track position deviations, and the control system actuates the carriage group to correct alignment without requiring external tracking rollers or frequent manual intervention, thereby extending service life while minimizing maintenance costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies the extraction principle by removing the dependency on consumable lubricating pins that require frequent replacement. Instead, the system uses a permanent structural modification (added rotational degree of freedom) combined with active control to achieve alignment correction, eliminating the need for continuous lubrication maintenance and pin replacement.
4Adaptability or versatility
If a ball joint or spherical thrust bearing with tie rods is used for pivotable connection, then rotation about vertical axis is enabled, but the construction becomes quite expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by adding a second degree of freedom (rotation about a vertical axis) to the carriage group connection on the head carrier. This dynamic adjustment capability allows the running gear group to adapt its orientation to compensate for rail deviations and maintain proper wheel-rail alignment, thereby reducing wear on wheel flanges and rails while preserving structural simplicity through controlled mobility.
Data Source
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AI summary
On a gantry crane comprising a carriage which is used to displace the gantry crane along a straight track formed by parallel rails (1) and which comprises a plurality of carriage groups (11), which each have at least two wheels (12) mounted rotatably on a subframe (16) and disposed at a distance from each other in the longitudinal direction of the respective rail (1) and of which at least two, preferably all, are connected rotatably about a vertical axis (23) to an end carriage (10) of the gantry crane, at least one measuring device (26) is present for at least one carriage group (11) connected rotatably about the vertical axis (23) to the associated end carriage (10), wherein said measuring device can detect the track position of at least one of the wheels (12) of the carriage group (11) with respect to the rail (1) on which it rolls and can output a track position (a) that corresponds to the respective track position. An actuator (28) acting between the carriage group (11) and the associated end carriage (10) is controlled by a regulating device (48, 49), to which the track position value (a) output by the measuring device (26) is fed. The carriage group (11) can be subjected by the actuator (28) with a torque (m) determined by said control about the vertical axis (23).