RU2835993C1 - Railway snowplough - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: cleaning of permanent ways.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to railway track cleaning devices and concerns the design of snowploughs. Snowplough of railway tracks comprises plough-blade and automatic coupler equipment mounted in central part of said plough-blade. Blade plough is made in the form of a protruding forward two-sided wedge, having a forward-bent visor, containing a forward-bent edge in the upper part, which is made decreasing in direction of said two-sided wedge central rib, edge in the lower part protruding horizontally forward from the main contour of the side faces of the said dihedral wedge. Side faces of said dihedral wedge on inner surface are provided with ribbing. Blade plough comprises a viewing platform mounted on the rear side in the upper part, a shaft with a steering wheel under the viewing platform, made with possibility of rotation and transmission of rotational movement, and symmetrically located cams, made with a multifaceted working profile for the possibility of locking the said plough-blade in the transport position, mounted on the side faces of the said dihedral wedge, adjustable flaps mounted in the lower part said lateral plate-scraper with cutouts for rail head. Scraper plate is made of rubber reinforced with a metal cable.

EFFECT: possibility of creating a snowplough for railway tracks with plough-and-dump equipment, characterized by high operational properties, namely increased efficiency of cleaning and specific output, and high reliability.

2 cl, 14 dwg

Description

The invention relates to devices for cleaning railway tracks and concerns the design of snowplows [E01H8/00].

The prior art includes a SELF-PROPELLED SNOW BLOWER [RU166303U1, published: 20.11.2016] containing snow ploughing devices as snow removal devices.

The disadvantage of the analogue is that the shape of the working surface of the snow plow is characterized by a limited ability to destroy and move dense, compacted snow and ice on railway tracks, as a result of which the efficiency and specific productivity of cleaning the snow plow of railway tracks are low.

In addition, the presence of a hard edge at the bottom of the snow plow increases the risk of snagging and running over rail heads, especially at joints and on uneven surfaces, which reduces the reliability of the snow plow.

Also known is a SNOW BLOWER [RU204463, published: 26.05.2021], containing snow removal devices fixed at the ends, while the central shields of the snow removal devices are hingedly connected to change the direction of snow transfer.

The disadvantage of the analogue is that the hinge joints located in the central part of the snow removal device are subject to intensive wear during operation, especially when working in difficult conditions (high snow density, ice formations, abrasive particles, etc.). Wear of the hinge elements (bushings, axles, bearings) leads to the appearance of backlashes, deterioration in the accuracy of the mutual positioning of the shields and, as a consequence, a decrease in the cleaning efficiency and reliability of the snowplow.

In addition, failure of one or more articulated joints can lead to loss of control of the shields, disruption of their mutual arrangement and, as a consequence, to a decrease in the efficiency or even complete inoperability of the snowplow, as well as a violation of the dimensions of the rolling stock.

The closest in technical essence is the TWO-TRACK SNOW PLOUGH SDP-M2 [https://transmash.com/snegoochistitel-sdp-m2.html?ysclid=lx4ziwm26b970330495, accessed on 17.06.2024], which is a special all-metal four-axle car equipped with moldboard planes at the ends at an angle of 50 degrees to the track axis.

The main technical problem of the prototype is the low service life due to low reliability caused by the rigid connection of the snowplow frame with the automatic coupling equipment, as a result of which the load and impacts from the automatic coupling equipment are transmitted directly to the frame, which leads to accelerated wear of the frame (chassis) of the devices and an increased likelihood of snowplow failure, additional costs for repair and maintenance, and, as a consequence, low reliability of the snowplow.

In addition, the prototype plow-blade, which has one working surface directed at an angle to the railway tracks, has a limited efficiency of cleaning the railway tracks from snow. Such a design does not provide uniform and effective raking and throwing snow away from the railway track. The snow mass will be predominantly thrown in one direction, and not uniformly away from the tracks. This can lead to the formation of snow banks along one edge of the track, while the other part of the track will not be sufficiently cleared, as a result of which the efficiency and specific performance of the snowplow cleaning are low.

In addition, the inclined position of one side of the plow reduces its stability and maneuverability when moving along curved sections of the path, which also reduces the reliability of the snow blower.

In addition, the prototype increases the risk of damage to the rail head by the plow equipment, which may lead to the breakdown of the plow equipment, which reduces the reliability of the snowplow.

In addition, the prototype increases the risk of abnormal changes in the position of the plow during transportation, which reduces the reliability of the snowplow.

The objective of the invention is to eliminate the shortcomings of analogues and prototypes.

The technical result of the invention consists in the possibility of creating a snowplow for railway tracks with a plough-moldboard equipment, characterized by high operational properties, namely with increased cleaning efficiency and specific productivity, and high reliability.

Said technical result is achieved due to the fact that a railroad snowplow comprising a moldboard plough and automatic coupling equipment mounted in the central part of said moldboard plough, wherein the moldboard plough is made in the form of a forward-protruding dihedral wedge having a forward-curved visor comprising in the upper part a forward-curved edge which is made decreasing in the direction of the central rib of said dihedral wedge, an edge in the lower part protruding horizontally forward from the main contour of the side faces of said dihedral wedge, wherein the side faces of said dihedral wedge are provided with ribbing on the inner surface, wherein the moldboard plough comprises an inspection platform with a fence mounted on the rear side in the upper part, a shaft with a steering wheel under the inspection platform, made with the possibility of rotation and transmission of rotational motion and symmetrically located eccentrics made with a multi-faceted working profile for the possibility of locking said a moldboard plough in the transport position, adjustable flaps mounted on the side faces of the said dihedral wedge, a scraper plate mounted in the lower part of the said side faces with cutouts for the rail head.

In particular, the mentioned scraper plate is made of rubber reinforced with a metal cable.

Brief description of the drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a snowplow with a plow blade in the transport position.

Fig. 2 shows a general view of the moldboard plow.

Fig. 3 shows a side view of the moldboard plow.

Fig. 4 shows a top view of the moldboard plough in transport position.

Fig. 5 shows section A-A.

Fig. 6 shows a top view of the moldboard plough in the working position (the viewing platform is not shown).

Fig. 7 shows a scraper plate.

Fig. 8 shows section B-B.

Figure 9 shows a section B-B.

Fig. 10 shows the position of the eccentric in the working position of the moldboard plow.

Fig. 11 shows the position of the moldboard plough in the transport/working position.

Fig. 12 shows a photograph of a moldboard plow.

Fig. 13 shows a photograph of a moldboard plow.

Fig. 14 shows a railroad snowplow with a moldboard plow.

The following are indicated on the figures: 1 - side faces, 2 - visor, 3 - visor edge, 4 - central rib, 5 - lower edge, 6 - ribbing, 7 - automatic coupling equipment, 8 - inspection platform, 9 - fence, 10 - flaps, 11 - handrails, 12 - mechanism for transferring the flaps to the transport/working position; 13 - scraper plate, 14 - cutouts on the scraper plate, 15 - rail heads, 16 - hydraulic cylinders, 17 - eccentric pin, 18 - eccentric pin supports; 19 - finger support bushings, 20 - eccentrics, 21 - composite trunnion hubs, 22 - nipples with spherical ends, 23 - trunnions with a conical surface, 24 - cups, 25 - flanges, 26 - cylindrical projections, 27 - spacer springs, 28 - connecting rod, 29 - pressure bushings, 30 - clamps, 31 - eccentric support platforms, 32 - snowplow frame, 33 - snowplow, 34 - steering wheel, 35 - levers of the plow-moldboard hitch system.

Implementation of the invention.

The railroad snowplow contains a mounted plow-blade, which is made in the form of a forward-protruding two-sided wedge (Fig. 1, Fig. 2 and Fig. 3).

The side faces of 1 two-sided wedge form the working snow removal surface.

At the top of the plow-moldboard there is a visor 2, bent forward in the direction of movement of the snowplow at a certain angle.

In the upper part of the visor 2, a forward-curved (in the direction of movement of the snowplow) edge 3 is made. The height of the edge 3 is made to decrease in the direction of the central edge 4 of the dihedral wedge (Fig. 3).

At the bottom of the moldboard plough there is an edge 5, which projects horizontally forward from the main contour of the side faces 1 of the dihedral wedge (see Fig. 2).

On the inner surface of the side faces 1 of the dihedral wedge there is ribbing 6 (see Fig. 2, Fig. 4, Fig. 5). Ribbing 6 is alternating longitudinal projections and grooves.

An automatic coupling device 7 is mounted in the central part of the moldboard plough (see Fig. 2 and Fig. 3).

An observation platform 8 is mounted on the rear side of the moldboard plough. The observation platform is made in the form of a rectangular horizontal platform. A fence 9 is installed along the perimeter of the observation platform, consisting of vertical metal posts and horizontal crossbars (see Fig. 2 and Fig. 3).

Adjustable flaps 10 are mounted on the side faces 1 of the two-sided wedge of the moldboard plough (see Fig. 2, Fig. 3, Fig. 4, Fig. 6). The flaps are equipped with handrails 11 and a mechanism for transferring 12 to the transport/working position.

A scraper plate 13 is mounted at the bottom of each side face of the dihedral wedge. The scraper plate 13 is made with cutouts 14 for the heads of the rail 15 (see Fig. 2, Fig. 3 and Fig. 7).

In the space under the viewing platform 8, on each of the opposite sides of the moldboard plough, hydraulic cylinders 16 are mounted for lifting/lowering into the transport/working position (see Fig. 2).

Also, in the space under the viewing platform 8, a mechanism for locking the plow-blade in the transport position is mounted.

The locking mechanism includes a steering wheel 34 mounted on a composite shaft. The composite shaft contains pins 17 located at opposite ends of the composite shaft. Pins 17 are mounted in supports 18 using support bushings 19 (Fig. 8). A steering wheel 34 is mounted on one of the pins 17 of the composite shaft (see Fig. 2, Fig. 3, Fig. 8).

On one side of the stepped shafts, eccentrics 20 are mounted. Eccentrics 20 are made with a multi-faceted working profile.

On the eccentrics 20, composite journals are mounted, containing hubs 21, which in the central part contain fittings 22 with a spherical end and journals 23 with a conical surface.

In the internal cavity of the journals 23, cups 24 are mounted. On the external surface of the cups 24, a flange 25 is made, and in the end part, a cylindrical projection 26. In the internal cavity of the cups, spacer springs 27 are installed, which rest on one side against the spherical end of the fittings 22.

A connecting rod 28 is mounted on the cylindrical projections 26 of the cups 24.

On the conical surface of the journals 23 and the outer surface of the flanges 25, pressure bushings 29 are mounted, which are secured with clamps 30.

In the transport position of the plow-moldboard, one of the faces of the eccentrics 20 rests against the support platforms 31 mounted on the frame 32 of the snowplow 33 (Fig. 9, Fig. 11).

When the moldboard plow is moved into the working position using the steering wheel 34, the eccentrics 20 rotate around their axis, and the other edge of the eccentrics 20 rests against the support platforms 31 (Fig. 10, Fig. 11).

On opposite sides of the mounted plow-moldboard, levers 35 of the hitch system are mounted (see Fig. 2 and Fig. 3). The levers are attached to the frame 32 of the snowplow 33.

The device works as follows.

Before the snowplow starts moving, the plow blade is moved into the working position using the hydraulic hitch system (see Fig. 11 shown in dashed lines).

After which the flaps 10 are moved to the working position (see Fig. 2).

Further, as the snowplow moves, the snow mass, entering the working surface of the side faces 1 and the visor 2 of the plow-blade, is thrown to the sides from the railway track.

Flaps 10 increase the width of the cleared snow and form a more directed and uniform flow of shifted snow.

The scraper plate 13 clears the railway track down to the sleeper rails.

The cutouts 14 for the head of the rail 15 allow the snowplow to move freely along curved sections without touching the head of the rail 15.

If necessary, when the snowplow stops, the operator climbs to the inspection platform 8, after which he carries out an inspection, or technical maintenance, or repair of the plow-blade.

If it is necessary to transport the snowplow, the plow blade is moved into the transport position using the hydraulic hitch system.

To lock the plough-moldboard in the transport position, the operator rotates the steering wheel 34 mounted on the composite shaft. When the steering wheel 34 rotates, the torque is transmitted to the pins 17 and the eccentrics 20. The eccentrics 20 rotate around their axis and are brought to the required edge for fixation on the support platforms 31 of the snowplow frame 32, as a result of which the plough-moldboard is locked in the transport position, while the automatic coupling equipment 7 comes out into the working position.

If it is necessary to transport the snowplow, the automatic coupling equipment 7, located in the central part of the plow-blade, is connected to a similar coupling of the towing locomotive and the snowplow is transported to its destination.

The technical result of the invention consists in the possibility of creating a railroad snowplow with a plow-moldboard equipment characterized by high operational properties, namely with increased cleaning efficiency and specific productivity, and high reliability, which is achieved due to the fact that the railroad snowplow contains a plow-moldboard and automatic coupling equipment mounted in the central part of the said plow-moldboard, thereby the additional mass of the automatic coupling equipment concentrated in the central part of the plow-moldboard increases its total mass and force impact on snow and ice dumps. This contributes to more efficient destruction and removal of dense, compacted snow and ice deposits, increasing the efficiency and specific productivity of the railroad snowplow. In addition, the central location of the automatic coupling equipment contributes to better stability of the plow-moldboard, especially when moving on uneven sections of the track, as a result, the reliability of the railroad snowplow increases. In addition, the location of the automatic coupling equipment directly on the plow-blade allows to increase the reliability of the snowplow frame, due to the elimination of impact and traction loads directly on the snowplow frame during dynamic loads when clearing snow and ice plows, as a result, the reliability of the snowplow for railway tracks increases.

At the same time, the mounted plow-moldboard, made in the form of a forward-protruding two-sided wedge, allows for effective cutting of snow-ice masses, as well as uniform distribution of loads on the working surface of the side faces 1, thereby reducing the risk of stress concentration and damage, as a result of which the cleaning efficiency, specific productivity and reliability of the snowplow for railway tracks are increased.

In addition, the two-sided shape of the wedge better resists impact loads that occur when in contact with solid inclusions in the snow mass, which increases the reliability of the railway snowplow.

In addition, the two-sided shape of the wedge facilitates smooth direction and removal of snow to the sides, preventing its accumulation and accumulation in front of the plow, as a result, the cleaning efficiency, specific productivity and reliability of the railway snowplow are increased.

In addition, the forward wedge configuration provides deeper penetration into snow drifts, allowing denser snow formations to be broken up and removed, thereby increasing the cleaning efficiency, specific productivity and reliability of the railroad snow plow.

The presence of a visor 2 on the plow-moldboard, bent forward in the direction of movement of the snowplow, allows for a more uniform direction of the snow flow, improving the throwing of snow to the sides from the central part of the plow-moldboard, at the same time this allows for a reduction in the dynamic loads on the working surface of the plow-moldboard, as a result of which the cleaning efficiency, specific productivity and reliability of the snowplow for railway tracks are increased.

The presence of a forward-curved edge 3 in the upper part, which is made decreasing in the direction of the central edge 4 of the two-sided wedge, allows for a gradual and uniform increase in the angle of removal of snow masses from the working surface of the moldboard plough, preventing its accumulation in front of the moldboard plough, while at the same time reducing the dynamic loads on the working surface of the moldboard plough, as a result of which the cleaning efficiency, specific productivity and reliability of the snowplow for railway tracks are increased.

In addition, the presence of edge 3 allows for more efficient "cutting" of the snow mass in the upper part of the working surface of the plow-blade, which reduces resistance when moving snow, as a result of which the cleaning efficiency and specific productivity of the snowplow for railway tracks increases.

The presence of edge 5 in the lower part, protruding horizontally forward from the main contour of the side edges 1, creates an additional working edge that penetrates deeper into the snow cover, increasing the cleaning efficiency, and as a result, increasing the specific productivity, at the same time reducing the resistance when moving snow in the lower working surface of the plow-moldboard, as a result, increasing the reliability of the snowplow for railway tracks.

In addition, the presence of edge 5 increases the strength and wear resistance of the plow, increasing its service life, and as a result, the reliability of the snow blower increases.

The presence of ribbing 6 on the side faces 1 on the inner surface allows preventing the adhesion of snow and ice deposits, which reduces the probability of the formation of a thick layer of snow and ice deposits on the inner surface of the side faces 1, which increases the cleaning efficiency and, as a consequence, the specific productivity of the snowplow for railway tracks. At the same time, the exclusion of the adhesion of snow and ice deposits allows minimizing the probability of breakage of the plow-blade, as a consequence, the reliability of the snowplow for railway tracks increases.

In addition, ribbing 6 creates a rigid "frame" that imparts additional structural rigidity to the entire plow-moldboard. This allows the plow-moldboard to withstand significant force loads that occur when interacting with compacted snow and ice during cleaning of railway tracks, as a result, the reliability of the snowplow of railway tracks increases.

In this case, the plow-moldboard contains an inspection platform 8 mounted on the rear side in the upper part with a fence 9, which allows for convenient and prompt inspection, maintenance and repair of the plow-moldboard directly during operation. This ensures timely detection and elimination of possible malfunctions, which increases the reliability of the railway snowplow and reduces the likelihood of sudden failures.

The possibility of timely inspection and maintenance of the plow-moldboard allows maintaining its optimal technical condition. This ensures constant efficiency of the plow, high-quality cleaning of the railway track from snow and ice. At the same time, improving the operational characteristics of the plow-moldboard due to prompt maintenance reduces downtime and increases the time of continuous operation of the snowplow, as a result, the specific productivity of the snowplow of railway tracks increases.

The presence of a shaft with a steering wheel 34 under the viewing platform 8, made with the possibility of rotation and transmission of rotational motion and symmetrically located eccentrics 20, made with a multi-faceted working profile for the possibility of locking the said plow-moldboard in the transport position, allows, when transmitting rotational motion from the steering wheel 34 to the eccentrics 20, the said eccentrics 20 to turn around their axis and rest with the necessary edge against the support platforms 31 mounted on the frame 32 of the snowplow 33 and thereby ensure reliable fixation of the plow-moldboard in the transport or working position regardless of the operability of the hydraulic suspension system. This prevents its uncontrolled movement downwards or upwards, which increases the reliability of the snowplow. In addition, this eliminates the possibility of spontaneous or uncontrolled lowering/raising of the plow-moldboard during the movement of the snowplow on railroad tracks. In addition, this ensures the possibility of quick emergency transfer of the plow-blade to a safe transport position in case of emergency situations. As a result, the reliability of the snowplow for railway tracks increases.

In addition, the symmetrical arrangement of the eccentrics 20 ensures uniform distribution of the weight of the plow-blade on the support platforms 31 and the frame 32 of the snowplow 33 in the transport or working position, as a result, the occurrence of additional deformations or stresses in the structure is minimized, and as a result, an increase in the reliability of the snowplow for railway tracks is achieved.

The presence of adjustable flaps 10 mounted on the side faces of the dihedral wedge allows to increase the support area and improve the distribution of loads on the plow-moldboard, making the device more stable and reliable when cleaning the railway track from snow and ice masses, as a result, the reliability of the snowplow increases. In addition, the presence of flaps 10 allows to ensure the formation of a more directed and uniform flow of shifted snow, which facilitates its removal and prevents the formation of a jam of snow masses, as well as increases the cleaning efficiency and specific productivity of the snowplow of railway tracks.

In addition, the ability to adjust (change the position) of the flap 10 from the working to the transport position allows to reduce the overall width of the plow-blade during transportation, thereby reducing its protruding dimensions, as a result, the probability of collision with obstacles during the movement of the snowplow along the railway tracks is reduced, and as a result, the reliability of the snowplow is increased.

The presence of a scraper plate 13 mounted in the lower part of the side faces 1 with cutouts 14 for the head of the rail 15 allows clearing the path to the rails of the sleeper grid, thereby ensuring the cleaning of snow at the lowest points of the railway tracks, which increases the cleaning efficiency and specific productivity of the snowplow for railway tracks.

In addition, the cutouts 14 allow the scraper plate 13 to fit tightly to the surface of the rails, ensuring effective cleaning even near the base of the track, and also ensuring safe movement of the snowplow along curved sections. The cutouts 14 for the heads of the rails 15 on each side of the scraper plate 13 allow the plow-blade to freely pass along curved rail tracks without touching the heads of the rails 15, as a result, the reliability of the snowplow increases.

In addition, the material of the scraper plate - rubber, reinforced with a metal cable, reduces the likelihood of breakage of the plow-moldboard at the extreme lower points due to the damping properties, which allows to reduce the load on the structure of the plow-moldboard when interacting with uneven snow paths, as a result, the reliability of the snowplow increases.

Example of implementation.

In 2022, the applicant developed the claimed technical solution (Fig. 14) by order of the Technological Railway Transport Enterprise (TRTE) of the Polar Division of Norilsk Nickel. The claimed technical solution underwent comprehensive testing in the Polar region, during which the reliability of the developed snowplow in severe winter conditions was confirmed.

In addition, the increase in the efficiency of cleaning the railway tracks resulted in a significant reduction in the time required to clean one kilometre of track - up to 30%. In addition, it was possible to significantly increase the volume of snow moved in one pass - by 20%. In addition, adjustable flaps and a scraper plate with cutouts for the rail head ensured more complete removal of snow from the track surface, including from hard-to-reach places.

The design of the plow-moldboard also made it possible to increase the distance of snow throwing away from the railway tracks, thereby increasing the efficiency of cleaning the railway tracks.

As a result of the tests, it was possible to increase the specific productivity of the snow blower by 25-30% compared to its closest analogues.

Claims (2)

1. A railroad snowplow comprising a moldboard plough and automatic coupling equipment mounted in the central part of said moldboard plough, wherein the moldboard plough is made in the form of a forward-protruding dihedral wedge having a forward-curved visor comprising a forward-curved edge in the upper part which is made to decrease in the direction of the central rib of said dihedral wedge, an edge in the lower part protruding horizontally forward from the main contour of the side faces of said dihedral wedge, wherein the side faces of said dihedral wedge are provided with ribbing on the inner surface, wherein the moldboard plough comprises an inspection platform with a fence mounted on the rear side in the upper part, a shaft with a steering wheel under the inspection platform, made with the possibility of rotation and transmission of rotational motion, and symmetrically located eccentrics made with a multi-faceted working profile for the possibility of locking said moldboard plough in the transport position, adjustable flaps mounted on the side faces of the said dihedral wedge, a scraper plate mounted in the lower part of the said side faces with cutouts for the rail head. 2. A snowplow for railway tracks according to paragraph 1, characterized in that the said scraper plate is made of rubber reinforced with a metal cable.