Rail Breaking Blade Set with Curved Support Rails
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing railroad rail breaking equipment struggles to securely grasp and efficiently process hardened railroad rails, leading to slippage and reorientation issues during severing, as the rails are not effectively held between the jaws.
Innovation Solution
A blade set with a bottom blade and a top blade, featuring raised support rails and a knife rail with recesses, allows for secure gripping and bending of the rail by introducing tension and bending moments between the head and foot of the rail, enabling efficient breaking and retention of severed sections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If planar support rails are used in the blade set, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the rail slips from between the jaws prior to being severed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curvature by replacing planar support rails with convex curved support rails that engage the rail head and foot. This curved geometry provides positive engagement and prevents slippage while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through standard forming processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by providing different surface characteristics at different locations: convex curved support rails for gripping the rail head and foot, and a cavity for applying bending force. This localized functional differentiation prevents slippage while maintaining overall structural simplicity.
2Device complexity
If conventional blade sets are used, then the structure is simple, but both severed ends fall from the rail breaker requiring reorientation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cavity as an intermediary feature between the support rails and the rail being processed. This cavity serves as a retention zone that captures severed rail ends and prevents them from falling away, eliminating the need for reorientation and improving processing efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a nested configuration where the cavity is positioned between the convex curved support rails, creating a contained space that holds the rail during processing. This nested structure maintains simplicity while improving productivity by preventing loss of severed ends.
3Manufacturing precision
If hardened rails are processed using a shear, then the rail can be severed cleanly, but hardened rails are not amenable to shear processing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by using a rail breaker mechanism that bends and breaks the rail dynamically rather than attempting to shear it. The convex curved support rails guide the bending process, and the cavity provides a controlled breaking zone, making hardened rails adaptable to the breaking process while achieving clean severing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the processing parameters by transitioning from shear force to bending moment. The convex curved support rails and cavity configuration enable the application of controlled bending forces that are effective on hardened materials, while still achieving clean severing through the bending-induced stress concentration.
Data Source
AI summary
A blade set associated with jaws for demolition equipment used to break railroad rails includes a bottom blade associated with a bottom jaw and a top blade associated with a top jaw, wherein the bottom jaw and the top jaw are rotatable relative to one another. The bottom blade includes two spaced-apart support rails separated by a cavity, while the top blade includes a single raised knife rail positioned and central to the cavity and rotatable toward the cavity. The top blade additionally may be marked with indicia, such as red paint, such that the machine operator may properly orient the top blade during a cutting operation to maximize safety. Additionally, the recesses may also be aligned and sized to engage the head and the foot of a rail such that tension and/or a bending moment is introduced between the head and foot of the rail.