Top of Rail Applicator Sloped Bar Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing top of rail (TOR) applicators for delivering friction control compositions to railheads are inefficient as they often fail to reach the center of the railhead, result in composition wastage, and are prone to damage from train wheels, leading to suboptimal performance and increased wear in rail systems.
Innovation Solution
A TOR applicator design featuring a housing with a bar that slopes away from the exit orifice, an entry port for pumping the composition into a passageway, and a clamp for secure attachment to the railhead, ensuring efficient delivery and minimizing impact damage, with optional features like elastomeric materials and shock absorbers for enhanced durability and positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If TOR applicators are placed in direct contact with train wheels to deliver friction control composition, then the composition can be effectively applied to the railhead, but the applicators are more likely to be damaged or destroyed by train wheels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a resilient bar made of elastomeric material that can deform under impact from train wheels. This cushioning effect absorbs the shock energy before it can damage the applicator housing or internal components, allowing the applicator to withstand repeated wheel impacts while continuing to function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses an elastomeric bar as a flexible element that can elastically deform when struck by train wheels. This flexible component absorbs impact energy through deformation and rebound, protecting the rigid housing and internal mechanisms from damage while maintaining the applicator's position on the rail.
2Reliability
If the friction control composition is applied to the railhead using conventional applicators, then friction control is achieved, but the composition does not reach the center of the railhead and leaks down the sides
Solution Approach 1:
The patent features a bar with a specific geometric configuration including a top surface that slopes away from the railhead and side surfaces that extend beyond the housing. This creates different functional zones: the sloped top surface directs composition toward the railhead center, while the extended side surfaces act as barriers to prevent lateral leakage, optimizing both application effectiveness and material efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a sloped top surface on the bar that curves away from the railhead. This curved geometry helps guide the friction control composition away from the edges and toward the center of the railhead, improving distribution effectiveness and reducing edge leakage.
3Productivity
If TOR applicators are periodically spaced along the rail track, then coverage is provided, but the spacing depends on composition carry-down ability which is reduced when composition does not reach the railhead center
Solution Approach 1:
The bar's sloped top surface and extended side surfaces create localized flow control zones that direct the friction control composition toward the center of the railhead. This precise local geometry ensures the composition is placed where it can be most effectively carried down the track by train wheels, maximizing productivity and reducing the need for frequent applicator spacing.
Data Source
AI summary
A top of rail (TOR) applicator has a bar positioned in a housing and an exit orifice on the upper portion of the bar for delivering a friction control composition to the crown of a railhead. The upper portion of the bar slopes away from the friction control composition exit orifices. The bar may be composed of an elastomer such as polyurethane. Passageway extend from an inlet or entry orifice to the exit orifices. The friction reduction composition is pumped into the entry orifice, through the passageways to the exit orifices and then onto the crown of the railhead. The friction reduction composition may be thixotropic.