Rail Grinding Device with Rotating Stone for Grooved Rail Profile

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing railhead surface grinding technologies are limited in their ability to consistently grind welded, abraded, or damaged rail parts, particularly on grooved rails, as they fail to maintain the original curved transverse cross-sectional profile and rely heavily on operator skill, making precise grinding difficult and inconvenient.

Innovation Solution

A railhead surface grinding device with a frame that includes a horizontal movement frame, a lifting part, and a rotation driving part, allowing the grinding stone to incline and follow the curved shape of the railhead surface, coupled with a magnetic base for stable attachment and a displacement sensor for precise control, enabling efficient grinding on both standard and grooved rails.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If a grinding stone only moves up and down perpendicularly in vertical direction, then the grinding device structure is simple, but the grinded surface cannot have the same transverse cross-sectional profile as the original rail surface

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransverse cross-sectional profile consistencyVSAvoidgrinding device structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The grinding stone is made rotatable about a transverse axis in addition to vertical movement, allowing dynamic adjustment of the grinding surface angle to match the curved transverse profile of the rail. This dynamic capability enables the grinding stone to adapt to different rail geometries while maintaining manufacturing precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The grinding stone motion is extended from one dimension (vertical only) to two dimensions (vertical movement plus rotation about transverse axis). This additional degree of freedom allows the grinding stone to conform to the curved transverse cross-sectional profile while the control system manages the increased complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Manufacturing precision

If a grinding device is installed on a car or train traveling along the rail, then the device has high mobility, but precise grinding is difficult because it relies on operator skill or naked eye observation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegrinding precisionVSAvoidoperator dependency
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

A sensor is positioned to detect the geometry of the rail head surface in real-time during grinding operations. This feedback mechanism allows the control system to monitor the grinding process and adjust parameters automatically, eliminating reliance on operator skill and naked eye observation for achieving precise grinding results.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The manual operation and visual inspection by operators are replaced with an automated sensor-based detection and control system. The sensor objectively measures rail surface geometry and feeds this data to the control system, substituting human judgment with precise instrumental measurement and automated control.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Adaptability or versatility

If conventional grinding devices are used on grooved rails, then the device structure is simple, but the device is unsuitable for use in grooved rails

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveapplicability to grooved railsVSAvoiddevice structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The grinding device is designed with a rotatable grinding stone mechanism that can adapt to different rail types including both conventional and grooved rails. The same basic structure with adjustable orientation capabilities serves multiple rail configurations, making the device universal without requiring completely different designs for grooved versus conventional rails.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The grinding stone's orientation parameters (rotation angle about transverse axis) are adjusted to accommodate the specific geometry of grooved rails. By changing the angular parameter of the grinding stone orientation, the same device structure can effectively grind different rail types without structural modification.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP3366837B1Rail surface grinding device and rail surface grinding method
Publication Date: 2020.11.18 KOREA RAILROAD RESEARCH INSTITUTE
  • EP3366837B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3366837B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3366837B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present invention relates to: a railhead surface grinding device, which can be transferred and used by an operator, can grind a railhead surface while inclining a grinding stone thereof according to a curved shape of the rail, can perform grinding while measuring a grinded degree of a railhead surface, and can be also applied to a grooved rail; and a railhead surface grinding method using the same.