Apparatus and method for lifting and moving an axle of a rail vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9925991-B2
Application number	US-201414588051-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 31, 2014
Priority date	Dec 31, 2014
Publication date	Mar 27, 2018
Grant date	Mar 27, 2018

Abstract

An apparatus for lifting and moving an axle of a rail vehicle includes a frame, a pair of rollers rotatably mounted to the frame to movably support the frame on a railroad track rail, and a pair of wedges mounted to the frame having mutually opposed ramped faces. The pair of wedges adjustable along the frame between a first position in which the ramped faces bracket, but do not contact, a rail vehicle wheel that rests on the track rail, and a second position in which the ramped faces engage the circumference of the wheel to support the wheel at a height above the railroad track rail. The apparatus further includes at least one jacking device for urging the wedges toward one another from the first position to the second position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for lifting and moving an axle of a rail vehicle, comprising:
a frame;
a pair of rollers rotatably mounted to the frame to movably support the frame on a railroad track rail;
a pair of wedges mounted to the frame having mutually opposed ramped faces, the pair of wedges adjustable along the frame between a first position in which the ramped faces bracket, but do not contact, a rail vehicle wheel that rests on the track rail, and a second position in which the ramped faces engage the circumference of the wheel to support the wheel at a height above the railroad track rail; and
at least one jacking device for urging the wedges toward one another from the first position to the second position.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising at least one means for securing the wedges in the second position.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the at least one means for securing the wedges includes a pin inserted through the frame and through one of the wedges for securing the one of the wedges to the frame.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the at least one means for securing the wedges includes a plate attached to the frame and capturing an axle of one of the pair of rollers.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the at least one means for securing the wedges includes a slot formed in the frame.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the pair of wedges has a ramped face with a convex portion.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the pair of wedges has a substantially flat ramped face.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the frame comprises mutually facing inward and outward side plates, and the at least one jacking device connects the inward and outward side plates as a structural component that spaces apart the side plates to receive the rail vehicle wheel.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the frame comprises a first half, the first half mounting a first roller of the pair of rollers, a first wedge of the pair of wedges, and a first jacking device; and a second half, the second half mounting a second roller of the pair of rollers, a second wedge of the pair of wedges, and a second jacking device; the first and second halves of the frame being joinable front to back across a rail vehicle wheel.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the pair of rollers is interposed between the at least one jacking device and one of the wedges that is movable by the at least one jacking device, and the one of the pair of rollers is movable along the frame along with the one of the wedges.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one jacking device is disposed between one of the pair of rollers and the wedge that the at least one jacking device moves.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one jacking device comprises a respective jacking device for each of the pair of wedges.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12 , wherein each one of the pair of rollers is interposed between a respective one of the jacking devices and its associated wedge.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the jacking device is operable to produce a pushing force of at least about ten metric tons.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the jacking device is operable to produce a pushing force of at least about twenty metric tons.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
a second frame;
a second pair of rollers rotatably mounted to the second frame to support the second frame on a second railroad track rail;
a second pair of wedges mounted to the second frame with their ramped faces mutually opposed, the second pair of wedges adjustable along the second frame between a first position in which their ramped faces could bracket a second rail vehicle wheel that rests on the second railroad track rail, and a second position in which their ramped faces engage the circumference of the second rail vehicle wheel to support the circumference of the second rail vehicle wheel at a height above the second railroad track rail; and
at least one second jacking device for urging one of the second pair of wedges toward the other of the second pair of wedges.

17. An apparatus for lifting and moving an axle of a rail vehicle, comprising:
a first frame mounted on a first rail of a track and a second frame mounted on a second rail of a track, each of the frames including:
a respective pair of rollers rotatably mounted to each frame to movably support the frame on the rail;
a respective pair of wedges mounted to each frame having mutually opposed ramped faces, the pair of wedges adjustable along the frame between a first position in which the ramped faces bracket, but do not contact, a rail vehicle wheel that rests on the track rail, and a second position in which the ramped faces engage the circumference of the wheel to support the wheel at a height above the railroad track rail; and
a respective at least one jacking device for urging the wedges toward one another from the first position to the second position;

wherein one of the pair of rollers from the first frame shares an axle with one of the pair of rollers of the second frame.

18. An apparatus comprising:
a frame;
a pair of rollers rotatably mounted to the frame to movably support the frame on a railroad track rail;
first and second wedges mounted to the frame and having mutually opposed ramped faces, the wedges adjustable along the frame between a first position in which the ramped faces bracket, but do not contact, a rail vehicle wheel that rests on the track rail, and a second position in which the ramped faces engage the circumference of the wheel to support the wheel at a height above the railroad track rail, wherein the first wedge is positioned in front of the wheel and the second wedge is positioned in back of the wheel; and
a first jacking device configured to move the first wedge toward the second wedge from the first position to the second position and a second jacking device configured to move the second wedge toward the first wedge from the first position to the second position.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Hou Suyu
• Kumar Ajith Kuttannair
• Worden Bret Dwayne
• Zirin Robert Michael
• Zhang Jingjun
• Richter Dennis

Classifications

• B61K5/04 Primary

  Devices secured to the track · CPC title