Patent ID: 6373394
Filing Date: 2002-04-16
Classification: B61K,Y10S

Abstract:
An apparatus for heat dissipation and/or thermal indication of a vehicle wheel set assembly, the apparatus comprising:(a) a vehicle wheel set assembly including bearings and wheels mounted on an axle with interference fit, bearing adapters mounted onto said bearing assemblies; (b) heat dissipation areas on the surfaces of the said vehicle wheel set assembly or on the surfaces of additional heat dissipation components mounted to the said vehicle wheel set assembly; (c) thermal indication areas monitored by either wayside detectors or on board sensors, the said thermal indication areas being included within the said heat dissipation areas; (d) heat pipe means embedded in the said vehicle wheel set assembly, the said heat pipe means providing (1) heat sinks for the said vehicle wheel set assembly causing a fluid inside the said heat pipe means to vaporize on the sections of the said heat pipe means adjacent to the said bearing assemblies and to condense on other sections of the said heat pipe means adjacent to the said heat dissipation areas to transfer heat from the said bearing assemblies to the said heat dissipation areas for dispersion from the said heat dissipation areas into the atmosphere; (2) thermal indications of the said vehicle wheel set assembly by changes of temperatures in the said thermal indication areas as a result of the aforesaid heat transfer from the said bearing assemblies to the said thermal indication areas by the said heat pipe means.