Method and machine for installing a catenary cable

During the installation of a catenary cable of a catenary of a track, the catenary cable is pulled from a storage drum, on which it is wound, and guided over winch wheels of a friction winch while being held under tension. From there, the catenary cable is passed onto a mounting roller with a pull-off resistance producing an installation tension. The pull-off resistance is created by the friction winch and counteracts a pull-off force of the catenary cable. Between the winch wheels of the friction winch, the cable tension is gradually increased up to the pull-off resistance.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates, in general, to a method of installing a catenary cable of a catenary of a track. The catenary cable is a contact wire or a carrying cable wound upon a storage drum.

2. Description of the Related Art

Our earlier U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,119 and European Patent No. 0 861 752 describe a method of this type, with which a contact wire and a carrying cable of an electrical catenary of a track can be installed together and with the final installation tension. To that end, contact wire and carrying cable are pulled continuously from a respective, separate storage drum and pass through a friction winch which serves as a tensile stress device, before they are positioned by means of a mounting roller in the correct vertical and lateral position for the final installation. The friction winch consists of two winch wheels, arranged one following the other in the longitudinal direction of the machine, which are driven by means of a common hydraulic motor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and a device for installing a catenary cable that overcomes the disadvantages of the heretofore-known methods of this general type, and with which it is possible without problems to also pull from the storage drum catenary wires with a higher and constant installation tension.

With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the present invention, a method of installing a catenary cable, such as a contact wire or a carrying cable wound upon the storage drum, of a catenary of a track. The method comprises the steps of pulling the catenary cable from the storage drum with a drum pull-off force; guiding the catenary cable over winch wheels of a friction winch, the catenary cable being subject to a cable tension; and passing the catenary cable from the friction winch onto a mounting roller with a pull-off resistance for producing an installation tension, the pull-off resistance being created by the friction winch and counteracting a pull-off force of the catenary cable, wherein, between the winch wheels of the friction winch, the cable tension is gradually increased up to the pull-off resistance.

With the above and other objects in view there is also provided, in accordance with the invention, a machine for installing a catenary cable of a catenary of a track, the catenary cable being a contact wire or a carrying cable. The machine comprises a machine frame extending in a longitudinal direction and supported by undercarriages for mobility on the track; a storage drum mounted on the machine frame and containing the catenary cable; a mounting roller, supported for vertical adjustment on the machine frame, for guiding the catenary cable into the final installation position; and a friction winch, arranged between the storage drum and the mounting roller, for producing a pull-off resistance counteracting a pull-off force acting upon the catenary cable, thus creating an installation tension when the catenary cable is pulled from the storage drum. The friction winch is composed of four winch wheels rotatable independently of one another about respective axes of rotation, wherein two winch wheels at a time are arranged in a common plane, thus forming a wheel pair.

With a solution of this kind, it is possible in an advantageous way to increase the tension forces, acting upon cable grooves of the winch wheels, in steps from one winch wheel to the next in order to thus improve the force grip of the cable, until finally the desired installation tension comes to bear at the last winch wheel. Furthermore, with the possibility of arranging several hydraulic drives for separately driving each of the winch wheels independently of one another, the advantage is created that the pull-off forces may be varied without problems, as desired, over a broad bandwidth of about 5 to 50 kN (kilonewtons) and, above all, may also be kept constant.

In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the friction winch comprises two mutually parallel wheel pairs. Each of the wheel pairs comprises two winch wheels disposed one following the other in the longitudinal direction.

In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, each of the wheel pairs includes a front winch wheel and a rear winch wheel. The front winch wheels of the two wheel pairs are mounted on a common axis of rotation and the rear winch wheels of the two wheel pairs are mounted on a common axis of rotation, and the axes of rotation extend transversely to the longitudinal direction.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, there are provided separate hydraulic motors respectively associated with a second winch wheel, a third winch wheel, and a fourth winch wheel with regard to a winding direction of the catenary cable. In accordance with a preferred feature of the invention, the hydraulic motors have mutually different fluid displacement capacities.

In accordance with again an added feature of the invention, there is provided a control system connected to the hydraulic motors and configured to actuate the hydraulic motors separately and with different operating pressures.

In accordance with again an additional feature of the invention, each of the hydraulic motors is rated with a different maximum torque, and the maximum torque of the different motors increases in the winding direction of the catenary cable.

In accordance with again another feature of the invention, each winch wheel is formed with a cable groove for receiving the catenary cable, and the cable groove of the second and the third winch wheels, relative to the winding direction of the catenary cable, is wider than the cable groove of the first and fourth winch wheels.

In accordance with a concomitant feature of the invention, there is provided a support frame for supporting the storage drum together with the winch wheels, the support frame being mounted on the machine frame for pivoting relative thereto with the aid of a drive about an axis extending in the longitudinal direction.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first, particularly, toFIGS. 1 and 2thereof, there is shown a side view and top view, respectively, of a machine1for installing a contact wire (or also a carrying cable) of a catenary3of a track4. For the sake of simplicity, the expression “catenary cable2” will be used in the following as an expression encompassing both contact wire and carrying cable. The machine1comprises a machine frame5, extending in a longitudinal direction, which is supported for mobility on the track4by two undercarriages6. A motor7and a hydraulic unit8are provided on the machine frame5for the purpose of supplying energy to a motive drive9of the machine1and to all further drives yet to be described.

The catenary cable2(or contact wire) that is to be installed is wound on a storage drum10which is supported for rotation about an axis11on a transversely adjustable carriage12. The latter, along with a friction winch13and a vertically adjustable telescopic column14having a mounting roller36arranged at its top, is fastened to a support frame15. The support frame15is mounted on the machine frame5and pivotable relative thereto, with the aid of a drive35, about an axis16extending in the longitudinal direction.

The friction winch13is composed of a first winch wheel17, a second winch wheel18, a third winch wheel19, and fourth winch wheel20—with regard to a winding direction24(indicated in FIG.3)—each winch wheel being mounted for rotation independently of one another about an axis of rotation21. The first and second winch wheels17and18, arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction, as well as the third and fourth winch wheels19and20are in each case arranged in a common plane22and form a respective wheel pair23. The two planes22,22extend parallel to one another.

With specific reference toFIG. 4, the first and second winch wheels17and18are disposed, with regard to their respective axes of rotation21, co-axially to the third and fourth winch wheel19and20, respectively. Associated in each case with the second, third and fourth winch wheel18,19and20is a respective, separate hydraulic motor25. The latter each have a different fluid displacement (for example, 1100, 1800 and 2800 ccm/rev) for achieving a torque which progressively increases in the winding direction24from the second winch wheel18via the third winch wheel19to the fourth winch wheel20. The hydraulic motors25may, however, also be actuated selectively with different operating pressures by means of a control system26provided on the machine1.

For receiving and guiding the catenary cable2, each winch wheel17to20is provided with a cable groove27which, as shown in detail inFIG. 4, is configured to be wider on the second and third winch wheels18and19than on the first and fourth winch wheels17and20.

During working operations, the machine1is driven continuously on the track4in a working direction indicated by an arrow28inFIG. 1. The catenary cable2is fastened to a bracket29of a catenary mast and, as a result of the continuous advance of the machine1, is pulled from the friction winch13with a constant pull-off force30in order to achieve an installation tension as desired for the final installation of the catenary3. By means of the friction winch13, a pull-off resistance31counteracting the pull-off force30is produced at the fourth winch wheel20. To that end, the catenary cable2is guided with a drum pull-off force37(seeFIG. 3) from the storage drum10in a lower plane to the first winch wheel17and, in further sequence, to the second winch wheel18, then from the latter in an upper plane to the third winch wheel19and finally, again in the lower plane, to the fourth winch wheel20, while running in the respective cable groove27.

Since the different torques of the hydraulic motors25increase gradually from one winch wheel to the next, an optimal force grip of the catenary cable2on the respective winch wheel17to20is assured. If desired, the first winch wheel17could also be provided with a hydraulic motor of its own. However, this would not be very expedient in as much as the enclosing angle of the catenary cable2on said first winch wheel17is very small.

According toFIG. 3, the fourth winch wheel20(the winch wheel18in front thereof is not shown) is fastened to a rocker32which is connected to the support frame15for pivoting about an axis33extending parallel to the axis of rotation21. An opposite end of the rocker32is connected to the support frame15by means of a pressure measuring bolt34. With this arrangement, in an advantageous way, the installation tension can be measured precisely and kept constant with the aid of a controlling system.

It is, of course, also possible to configure the machine1—as disclosed in the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,119—for simultaneously installing a complete catenary3(i.e. contact wire and carrying cable). To do so, a further storage drum10, a second friction winch13and an additional mounting roller36would be needed. These may be arranged on the same or on a second support frame15, as desired.

According to a variant of the invention which is represented inFIG. 5, the friction winch13may also be composed of a first, second and third winch wheel17,18and19, with regard to the winding direction24, which are all arranged in a common plane and with each of which a separate hydraulic motor25is associated. By means of the first winch wheel17, the catenary cable2is pulled from a storage drum, not further shown, with a drum pull-off force37(which might be, for example, 5 kilonewton). Due to the increased torque of the second winch wheel18, the cable tension is then raised to 15 kilonewton. By means of the third winch wheel19, the cable tension, and with it the pull-off resistance31, is finally increased to 25 kilonewton.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a method and machine for installing a catenary cable of a catenary of a track, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.