WO1998024975A1

WO1998024975A1 - Method and facility for railway construction

Info

Publication number: WO1998024975A1
Application number: PCT/SE1997/001599
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ulf Jansson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1996-09-29
Filing date: 1997-09-24
Publication date: 1998-06-11
Anticipated expiration: 1999-03-29
Also published as: SE9603554L; SE9603554D0

Abstract

A method and device for use in the installation of railway tracks. When laying out long rails for the installation of railway tracks it is desirable that the position of the rails on e.g. transport trucks be controlled and if necessary corrected to match the desired position of the rails on the formation. This will occur if a number of rollers (1) are adjusted in relation to each other and to the roller which is closest to the desired position on the formation. This is achieved by mounting the roller (1) in a yoke (2) fitted with an axle (3) mounted adjustably in a special beam (5). The attitude of the roller in relation to the beam can be locked by means of a suitably designed mechanism (6 and 7). To permit the movement of rails between two rollers, the rollers are made with somewhat rounded edges. For the better mobility of the invention the roller (1), yoke (2) and axle (3) are constructed as a detachable unit. The associated mechanism (6) for locking the roller (1) in the desired attitude is detachable from the axle (3).

Description

Method and fac il ity for railway cons truct ion The present invention is concerned with a method and a device for use in the installation of railway track, consisting of a number of rollers which are each mounted in a yoke which is adjustably and detachably mounted in a special beam.

Background to invention

Rails are obtainable today in considerable lengths (currently 360 metres). During track installation, a large quantity of rails may need to be transported together to the desired location on the formation to be laid on the sleepers. Rails lying side by side on e.g. rail-bound trucks can be difficult to unload to the desired point on the formation. The position of the rails on the truck has to be corrected as unloading proceeds. The converse applies when rails are to be taken up for removal and perhaps reuse elsewhere. There is a lack of equipment which meets this need in a simple manner. The present invention achieves this.

Purpose and principal characteristic of the invention The purpose of the invention is to simplify and streamline the installation of railway tracks. A number of rail-bound trucks are disposed at equal distances along e.g. an existing railway track. The trucks are linked together with e.g. a tensioned chain of suitable length for the equal spacing of the trucks and the correct total length in relation to the rails to be transported. The trucks are restrained from moving freely on the track. Each truck is equipped with at least one unit of the present invention. Before the rails are loaded onto the trucks, all the rollers are adjusted in relation to that roller which is correctly positioned in relation to the point on the formation to which the rails are to be unloaded. The latter roller is the discharge roller for all the rails (until another position of the rails on the formation is desired), and said roller is set to attitude (B) according to Fig. 1. The remaining rollers are set to any of the attitudes (C), (D), (E) and/or (F) in Fig. 1. On completion of loading, there is a maximum of one rail on each roller. The rollers are restrained from moving freely by e.g. locking. In this.way the rails are prevented from rolling off the invention e.g. in the case where the track used for transportation of the loaded rails is on a gradient. The rails are unloaded by pulling them off in a direction parallel to the track. Unloading begins with the rail that is supported on the discharge roller. The rail most nearly adjoining the discharge roller is pulled off next, and because the attitude of its roller is set differently, the rail automatically shifts off this roller onto the discharge roller. One rail after another is unloaded in this way. This greatly promotes the rapid and efficient installation of a railway track. The principal characteristic of the invention is that the adjustment of the rollers in relation to each other causes the rail to shift automatically from one roller onto another and thus a^"s close as possible to the desired point on the formation.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 shows the invention in elevation and in plan.

Description of an embodiment of the invention

The invention consists of a special beam (5) fitted with a number of units, each consisting of a roller (1), yoke (2) and axle (3). Each unit is mounted in the beam by means of a hole and bush (4) so as to be adjustable and detachable. The attitude of the roller in relation to the beam can be locked by means of a suitably designed mechanism (6 and 7). The roller (1) has somewhat rounded edges to facilitate the movement of rails between two rollers. The mechanism (6 and 7) includes some form of pin, stop etc. for locking the roller (1) in the desired attitude. The roller (1) has some form of locking to restrain it from moving freely during rail transportation.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A device for use in the installation of railway tracks, which device permits both the transportation of rails and their discharge in the desired position on the formation, characterised in that the invention consists of a special beam (5) fitted with a number of units, each unit consisting of a roller (1), yoke (2) and axle (3) and being adjustably and detachably mounted in said beam (5) by means of a hole and bush (4), the mutual attitudes of the several rollers to each other through their respective yokes (2) and axles (3) being adjustable and lockable by means of an appropriately designed locking mechanism (6 and 7), some form of lock being moreover provided to restrain said roller (1) from moving freely during transport.

2. A device for use in the installation of railway tracks as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that the number of rollers (1) on each beam (5) may be indefinitely great and that they may be disposed on the beam in any manner.

3. A device for use in the installation of railway tracks as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that-the roller (1) may be of diameter and length ranging from one thousandth of a centimetre to five hundred centimetres and that the roller is provided with rounded or bevelled edges.

4. A device for use in the installation of railway tracks as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that the roller (1) can be locked so that a rail supported thereon cannot move freely.

5. A device for use in the installation of railway tracks as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that the beam (5), roller (1), and yoke (2) are made of alloy steel, plain steel, aluminium, wood, reinforced concrete, plain or reinforced plastics.

6. A device for use in the installation of railway tracks as claimed in Claim 1 , characterised in that the roller (1) together with its yoke (2) and locking mechanism (6 and 7) can be raised and lowered so that the rail may be supported alternately on the roller (1) or on some structure provided on the beam (5) for unloading.

7. A device for use in the installation of railway tracks as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that the locking mechanism (6 and 7) provides for fixed or variable attitudes of the roller (1) in relation to the beam (5) and that the roller (1) can be set at any angle α to the longitudinal direction of the rail.

8. A device for use in the installation of railway tracks as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that one or more beams (5) fitted with rollers (1) and yokes (2) etc. are disposed one above the other and can moreover be rotated without restriction with respect to the underlying beam with unchanged mutual spacing.

9. A method for use in the installation of railway tracks, characterised in that-the unloading of the rails loaded upon the invention is achieved in every case by the pulling off, in a direction parallel to the track, of the rail supported upon the discharge roller, followed by the rail most nearly adjoining the discharge roller, and so on, until no more rails are wanted.