Rail Profiling Device for Railway Crossover Repair
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current railway maintenance methods, particularly for railway crossovers, are inefficient in addressing damage caused by wheel instability and impacts, leading to accelerated rail wear and noise issues, with existing repairs requiring lengthy welding processes that only provide approximate solutions.
Innovation Solution
A rail profiling device and method that uses frusto-conical wheels and a grinder to re-profile damaged rails without welding, creating a controlled incline and median zone to match the conical shape of vehicle wheels, extending track component life and reducing noise and vibration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If weld-and-grind repair is used to fix rail depressions, then the running surface is restored to near as-new condition, but the repair takes up to 5 hours during which no train can travel and only produces an approximate level surface that still allows wheel dipping
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the welding step from the repair process entirely, using only grinding to remove material and reshape the rail surface. This eliminates the time-consuming welding operation while maintaining repair effectiveness by directly addressing the root cause through precise material removal and re-profiling.
Solution Approach 2:
The device performs preliminary grinding and re-profiling actions before the rail defect becomes severe enough to require welding. By continuously removing material and maintaining the correct conical profile, the system prevents defect progression and eliminates the need for lengthy welding repairs.
2Shape
If weld-and-grind repair is applied to restore the rail surface, then the depression is filled and levelled, but the repair only approximates the conical profile and wheel dipping continues to occur
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies localized grinding with specifically shaped frusto-conical wheels that match the exact conical profile required at each position on the rail. This ensures the correct local geometry is restored throughout the Point-to-Wing transition area, providing accurate wheel contact surfaces that prevent wheel dipping.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses frusto-conical wheels with precise curved surfaces to grind and reshape the rail head. The conical shape of the grinding wheels directly imparts the correct conical profile to the rail surface, ensuring proper wheel-rail contact geometry and eliminating wheel instability.
3Strength
If the Point-to-Wing profile shape is not adequately designed to support vehicle wheels, then wheel impact forces accelerate rail wear, but replacing the entire casting is expensive and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of replacing the entire frog casting, the invention applies localized grinding only to the specific Point-to-Wing transition area where profile deficiencies cause wheel impacts. This restores adequate wheel support capability in the affected zone without requiring complete casting replacement, significantly reducing repair complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and removes only the worn or improperly profiled material from the rail head surface through grinding, rather than replacing the entire casting. This selective material removal restores the correct profile and wheel support capability while avoiding the complexity of complete casting replacement.
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
The solution effectively extends track component life, reduces noise and vibration complaints by creating a precise conical profile that matches vehicle wheels, significantly reducing impact and noise levels without the need for pre-welding operations.
Implementation Method 1
The grinder is slideably mounted to the slider and is operative to remove material from the damaged rail while moving along the slider
Implementation Method 2
Each one of the two wheel-axle assemblies has a pair of first frusto-conical wheels mounted on one axle. The first frusto-conical wheels are operative to rest, just like a wheel of a rail vehicle, on the rails of the railroad track
Data Source
AI summary
A method of repairing a defect in a damaged rail of a railroad track comprises positioning a rail profiling device on the rails of the railroad track proximate a defect; securing the rail profiling device to the railroad; adjusting its grinder according to a selected value of wheel cone angle to create a profiled running surface over a portion of the damaged rail; creating a median zone using the grinder to remove material from the damaged rail adjacent the defect at a depth corresponding to at least a maximum depth of the defect; creating an incline from the top of the rail and leading to the median zone and one incline leaving the median zone to the top of the rail by using the grinder to grinding material off the damaged rail.