Railway Wheel Hub Boring with Compact Slewing-Ring Clamping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing railway wheel boring machines, such as vertical lathes and traditional boring machines, struggle to achieve high precision in machining the bore of the wheel hub due to structural limitations and the need for oversized clamping mechanisms, which are not cost-effective or space-efficient.
Innovation Solution
A railway wheel boring machine with a non-rotatory clamping plate featuring a clamping unit with three jaws driven by actuators through transmission rods and a slewing ring, allowing for compact design and precise alignment of the wheel center with the boring bar, accommodating wheels of varying diameters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional boring machines with spindles and hydraulic motors are used to drive the clamping jaws, then the wheel can be securely centred and fixed, but the clamping plate becomes oversized to accommodate the drive mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical drive system (spindles and hydraulic motors) with an electric motor coupled to a differential mechanism. This substitution allows for a more compact clamping plate design while maintaining the security of wheel centring and fixing, directly resolving the contradiction between reliability and clamping plate size.
Solution Approach 2:
The differential mechanism is integrated within the clamping plate structure, with the electric motor and transmission components nested inside the plate. This nesting allows the drive mechanisms to occupy minimal space within the clamping plate area, enabling secure wheel fixing without requiring an oversized plate.
2Adaptability or versatility
If vertical lathes are used for machining the bore of the wheel hub, then the machine can be used for various machining tasks and reprofiling processes, but the machine is expensive and cannot meet current high precision requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The boring machine is designed with a universal clamping plate that can accommodate wheels of different diameters through the differential mechanism, which automatically adapts to various wheel sizes. This multi-functionality allows the machine to handle different machining tasks while maintaining high precision, resolving the contradiction between versatility and manufacturing precision.
3Area of stationary object
If a compact clamping plate design is implemented, then space efficiency is improved, but the arrangement of actuators and transmission mechanisms becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The differential mechanism serves as an intermediary between the electric motor and the clamping jaws, efficiently transmitting and distributing the driving force to multiple jaws simultaneously. This intermediary mechanism simplifies the overall arrangement by consolidating multiple drive functions into a single integrated unit, making the compact design more manageable despite the complexity of coordinating multiple jaws.
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 enables high precision machining with a compact and space-efficient design, capable of securely fixing and centering wheels of different diameters, ensuring safe and accurate machining of the wheel bore.
Implementation Method 1
a slewing ring, and the slewing ring is driven by actuators, such that the actuators rotate the slewing ring to drive the transmission rods and move the jaws securing the railway wheel
Data Source
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AI summary
Railway wheel boring machine for machining the bore (16) of the hub (15) of a railway wheel (10) comprising a base (101), a column (102), a workhead (103) sliding on the column (102), a rotatory boring bar (104) arranged on the workhead (103) and a non-rotatory clamping plate (105) having a clamping unit (106) for clamping and centring the railway wheel (10) comprising at least three jaws (118) which move along straight paths (T) converging at the centre (C') of the non-rotatory clamping plate (105), wherein each jaw (118) is attached to a transmission rod (119) having a first end (120) attached to the jaw (118) and a second end (121) attached to a slewing ring (122) and the slewing ring (122) is driven by actuators (123) such that the actuators (123) rotate the slewing ring (122) to drive the transmission rods (119) and move the jaws (118) securing the railway wheel (10).