Roller device for railway switches

Abstract: The present device is suitable for use in the railway sector, and especially that of armament deviators. This allows the needles to run without there being the need to lubricate the bearings. This device is composed mainly of a U-shaped, metal support (1) and a series of accessories, such as a metal supporting plate (7) and metal shims (9). The support (1) has a horizontal, square base with sides (4), which are normal at its base (3). These sides (4) feature a series of holes in which the end parts of one or more pivots (5) are placed. On said pivot/s (5) rotate stainless steel rollers (2) inside which there are ferrules (6) made from self-lubricating plastic material. The support (1) is placed on the aforementioned accessories. The base (3) of the support (1), the shims (9) and the supporting plate (7) feature holes for the screws (10) used to secure the support (1) to the accessories and to the beam (11).

Description: Technical field This device is used effectively in the railway sector. It is used in the field of armament switches activated by control boxes fitted either to wooden or reinforced concrete beams. Background art It is common knowledge that a railway switch is composed of two parts: a crossover and a changeover. The latter is composed of needles which are made from specially treated tracks which are thinned at one end so that the needle end can be hidden under the adjacent railheads, which are known as counterneedles. These needles are mobile; in order to facilitate their movement, they are made to run across a series of steel bearings which are fitted to the switch's beams. These bearings, however, require lubrication in order to reduce friction between the needle and the surface of the bearings. This operation is carried out by railway personnel by applying thick oil or grease to the bearings on a weekly or fortnightly basis. The financial burden to be shouldered by the train company and ensuing from having to carry out this simple, but essential, operation is therefore comprehensible. Some Patents on this subject are known. They furnished any solution to the above-mentioned problems. The Patent No. AT 375 697 B describes a roller device for railway switches. This device mainly comprising a U-shaped metal support on which at least one stainless steel roller is placed. Some sliding plates are used as bearings. The upper surface of these plates is placed underneath the upper culmination of the roller and the foot of the needle is put on the roller itself. The U-shaped support is located on two adjacent beams over a supporting elastic stainless steel plate. The Patent No. DE 10 56 641 B describes a similar roller device where under the support for the rollers are placed some elastic supports that can be adjusted in height. The Patent No. DD 66 638 describes a third kind of roller device. The roller device described on Patent No. AT 375 697 B is placed between two adjacent beams, while the roller device described on Patent No. DD 66 638 is fastened to a beam by elastic rods. But in some changeovers there are the control-manoeuvring pulleys or support bars of the control boxes in the space within the beams. Therefore it is not possible to use these kind of devices that lean themselves out of the beams. Disclosure of the invention The purpose of the invention in question is creating a device - similar to the above-mentioned devices - capable of allowing the needles to run across the bearings without there having to be the need for regular bearing lubrication. These and other objectives are reached by the present device which is defined in claim 1. The device is composed of a U-shaped metal support in which one or more stainless steel rollers are placed. The stainless steel rollers lie on axles. The end parts of the axles are place d inside symmetrically drilled holes on either side of the U-shaped metal support. The rollers rotate around a horizontal axis and are internally fitted with self-lubricating, plastic ferrules or with roller or ball bearings. These ferrules or bearings are mounted concentrically with the rollers. The support has, in use, composed of a horizontal, quadrangular base and the aforementioned vertical sides. The axles are fixed to these sides by means of a series of soldered points or by using any other rigid, but easily-removable, system. The support is placed on a series of accessories, including a quadrangular supporting plate and shims consisting of small quadrangular metal plates. Holes have been drilled in the base, shims and supporting plate in order to allow screws to be fitted. These screws secure the support to the accessories, as well as securing the support to the beam. The use of stainless steel for the rollers and self-lubricating plastic material (such as ertalyte, for example) for the ferrules makes the device independent of any need for lubrication. As the bearings are not lubricated, there ensues an immediate recovery of human resources and the elimination of lubricant costs. As a result of this, there is no pollution of the wood, gravel and soil. This device is located and fastened in the clear space within the lateral edge of the switch's bearing and the lateral edge of the rail supporting beam. Therefore this device is utilisable also if in the space within the beams there are the control-manoeuvring pulleys or support bars of the control boxes. There is no need for particular precautions to be adopted when this device is being installed, nor does it interfere with the installation of any emergency exchange stopping. Besides it can optimally be used for the internal needles of the double English type deviators. Railway traffic does not have to be stopped in order to install this device, nor do any modifications of its components need to be made when the unit is being installed. Axle-blocking carried out by means of the aforementioned soldered points or any other easily-removable, rigid system allows worn axles and rollers to be removed easily and replaced with new ones; the support is therefore recyclable. Brief description of drawings The above objects, technology, feature and effect of the present invention will become apparent upon the study of the following preferred embodiment and drawings in which: figure 1 shows the present device, as viewed from the side; figure 2 shows the same device, as viewed from the front; figure 3 shows this device, as viewed from above; figure 4 shows the unit, as fitted to a railway switch; figure 5 shows a railway switch as viewed from above; figure 6 shows a transversal section from the front of a railway switch; figure 7 shows a device with three rollers, as viewed from the side; figure 8 shows the same device, as viewed from the front; figure 9 shows this device, as viewed from above. Mode for Carrying Out the Invention Referring now to the enclosed figures, the device here described is composed basically of a U-shaped metal support 1 in which one, two or three stainless steel rollers 2 with a horizontal rotating axis are fitted. The support 1 has, in use, a rectangular horizontal base 3 and two normal sides 4 to the base 3. On said sides 4 there are symmetrically drilled holes in which the end parts of one, two or three axles 5 are placed. On said axles 5 rotate the rollers 2 internally fitted with ertalyte ferrules 6. These ferrules 6 are mounted concentrically with the aforementioned rollers 2. The support 1 is placed on a quadrangular supporting plate 7; the height of the rollers 2 from the running surface of the bearings 8 is adjusted by placing between the supporting plate 7 and the base 3 of the support 1 a series of shims 9 consisting of quadrangular, metal plates, one-two mm in thickness. Steel plate bearings 8 are provided on the upper surface of each beam 11 of the switch for slidingly supporting the mobile rail of the switch. Finally, the support 1 is secured to the shims 9 and to the plate 7 by means of screws 10.1. All these components are then secured on the upper surface of a single rail supporting beam 11 by means of screws 10.2 so that the generator of the roller 2 is approximately two millimetres higher than the running plane of the bearing 8. The purpose of adjusting the height of the rollers 2 by using shims 9 is allowing the support 1 and rollers 2 to be used, both according to the various pre-existing types of fittings and to the varying degrees of wear of the beam 11, before the device in question is installed. Furthermore, in the long run, this adjustment allows the inevitable wear of the system comprising the roller 2 - axle 5 - ferrule 6 to be compensated for. The axles 5 are fixed to the sides 4 by means of a series of soldered points. The aforementioned screws 10.1, 10.2 are placed in holes drilled in the base 3, in the shims 9 and supporting plate 7. The holes used to secure the single-roller device to the rail supporting beam 11 and those used to secure the double-roller to the rail supporting beam 11 share the same interaxis; as a result, in both cases the supporting plate 7 and the shims 9 have the same width. The support 1 and its accessories are placed next to the bearing 8 so that the sides of these components are in direct contact with one another. Once this has been carried out, the screw 10.2 - which allows the support 1 to be fixed to the beam 11 - will be placed in the vicinity of the shorter side of the base 3 and will prevent the support 1 from rotating. Given stroke of the needle 12 and the width of the flange of the needle 12 itself, the double or triple-roller device will be placed near the front bearings 8 of the railway switch. On the other hand near the rear end of the switch, the single or double-roller device will be used. In practical terms, if the stroke of the needle 12 in the exact place in which the device is fitted is shorter or the same as the flange of the needle 12 in the same position, a single-roller device will be used. If the stroke of the needle 12 in the exact place in which the device is fitted is longer than the flange of the needle 12 in the same position, a double or triple-roller device will be used. After the first device - double or triple-roller - has been fitted next to the first or second bearing 8 located near the top of the switch, the following single or double-roller devices will be placed next to every four or five bearings 8, in other words every three/four metres. When the needle 12.1 is in contact with the counter-needle 13.1, it lies on the bearings 8. When the needle 12.1 moves away from the counter-needle 13.1 during deviation operations, it moves onto the rollers 2 of the device in question and stays there for the whole stroke, even when the needle 12.1 has reached its maximum opening angle. Vice-versa, the needle 12.2 - moved away from the counter-needle 13.2 - begins its stroke on the rollers 2 and is set on the bearings 8 when it is a few millimetres away from the counter-needle 13.2. The weight of train carriages is therefore borne by the bearings 8 and not by the rollers 2. The use of stainless steel for the rollers 2 and ertalyte for the ferrules 6 makes the device independent of any need for lubrication. As the axle 5 is blocked by means of two soldering points, the support 1 can be re-cycled. When the axles 5 and rollers 2 are worn out, by removing the soldering points, the axles 5 and rollers 2 can be removed and replaced with new ones. Thanks to the way the device in question has been designed, various modifications can be made. Furthermore, all components may be replaced with similar ones having the same technical characteristics. The above variations include the position of the means used to secure the device in question to the beam 11. Figures 7, 8 and 9 show a triple-roller device which is secured to the beam 11 by means of headless screws 10.3 with a hexagon embedding and ferrules 14. The ferrules 14 are fitted to the beam 11 in advance. The holes, into which the screws 10.3 are fitted, are drilled in the base 3, plate 7 and shims 9. As described earlier, the support 1 is also placed on the plate 7; height adjustments are made on the rollers 2 regarding the running plane of the bearings 8 by placing various metal quadrangular plate shims 9 between the supporting plate 7 and the base 3 of the support 1. Finally, the support 1, shims 9 and plate 7 are secured to the beam 11 by means of the headless screws 10.3 with a hexagon embedding which enter the ferrules 14. In this case, there is no need for the support 1 and its accessories to be placed in contact with the bearing 8, because any rotation will be avoided thanks to the two screws 10.3.

Claims: Roller device for a railway switch, composed of a U-shaped metal support (1) in which one or more stainless steel rollers (2) are placed - with a horizontal rotating axis - and accessories including a quadrangular supporting plate (7) and a series of quadrangular metal plate shims (9), in which the support (1) has, in use, a horizontal, quadrangular base (3) with sides (4) which are vertical and therefore normal to the base (3); a series of symmetrically drilled holes on either side of the support (1 ); in these holes the end parts of one or more axles (5) are placed by means of a series of soldering points or any other rigid, but easily removable system; rollers (2) rotate on these axles (5); said support (1) is secured to the rail supporting beams (11) by means of screws (10.2, 10.3) which are fitted inside holes drilled in the base (3) and enter directly into the beams (11) or in ferrules (14) fitted to the beams (11) themselves; the quadrangular support plate (7) and the shims (9) also feature holes for the screws (10.1) used to secure the support to the plate and to the shims (9) and/or screws (10.2, 10.3) which in turn secure the support (1) itself to the beam (11); steel plate bearings (8) are provided on the upper surface of each beam (11) of the switch for slidingly supporting the mobile rail of the switch; each support (1) is secured to a single beam (11) on the upper surface thereof and inside the rollers (2) there are ferrules (6) made of self-lubricating plastic material or roller or ball bearings; said ferrules (6) or bearings are mounted concentrically with the aforementioned rollers (2); the support (1) and its accessories are placed next to the bearing (8) so that the side plates of the support (1) and those of the bearing (8) are in direct contact or very near to each other, depending on the position of the screws (10.1, 10.2, 10.3) used; the above-mentioned supporting plate (7) and the shims (9) have the same width. A roller device for a railway switch, as stated in the previous claim, characterised by the fact that the support (1) fitted with two or more rollers (2) is placed near the front bearings (8) of the switch, while the support (1) fitted with one or two rollers (2) is used for the bearings at the rear end of the switch.

Inventors: MARZETTI FRANCO, MARZETTI, FRANCO
Applicants: MARZETTI FRANCO, MARZETTI, FRANCO
Application year: 1996
Main classification: E01B7
IPC codes: E01B7