Patent EA-001344-B1 (EA)
Title: Method and device for cleaning railtrack grooves
Inventor: HILLBRAND GEORG
IPC: E01H8/12
Filed: 1998-10-20
Abstract: 1. A method for cleaning railtrack grooves during travel, espesially for railway and trolley car tracks, using a carrier vehicle with a railtrack unit mounted thereon maintained in a constant position during travel relative to the groove being cleaned, characterized in that a high-pressure jet (2) of a liquid, gaseous, vaporous, cold or heated cleaning means or a jet of a mixture for example, water or aqueous cleaning solution is directed from said cleaning unit towards the dirt layer (12) of the railtrack groove (3), the liquid jets (11) which are reflected from the point of impact (4) remove the dirt and the dirt-liquid is transmitted by a collector device and a guide device to a conveyor device where it is sent towards a dirt collector device to be collected after which the waste liquid is at least partially separated from the dirt or directly extracted. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the high-pressure jet (2) of the cleaning means is directed from said cleaning unit towards the dirt layer (12) of the railtrack groove (3) at an angle between 30 to 80 degree  to the rail surface, preferably at an angle from at least 50 to 70 degree , the angle depends on the jet (2) parameters, dirt layer properties and a travel speed. 3. The method according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the high-pressure jet (2) of the cleaning means, depending on the jet (2) parameters and dirt layer properties of the dirt layer (12) in the railtrack groove (3) is directed towards a side wall of the groove (3) transversely to the direction (19) of a transport vehicle travel, thus essentially transversely to the longitudinal extension of the groove (3) at an angle from 90 to 30 degree , in particular from 90 to 75 degree  to the rail (17) surface. 4. The method according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the high-pressure jet (2) of the cleaning means is directed towards the dirt layer (12) of the railtrack groove (3) deflecting it towards the travel direction forward and downwards, in particular as a flat jet oriented transversely to the groove(3), wherein the jets of the cleaning means reflected upwards at a more acute angle strike the guide surface (7) and removed along it forward and upwards. 5. The method according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the jets (11) which are reflected from the point of impact (4) and struck by a jet of a liquid cleaning means, in particular water or an aqueous cleaning solution, supplied at high pressure from the cleaning unit and directed to a dirt layer (12) in a being cleaned groove (3), remove the dirt and transmit it upwards along the guide surface and the mixture is further transmitted into a dirt collector device, from which at least the most part of the solid and liquid dirt is directly extracted or by a conveyor device (4) is fed into the dirt collector device. 6. The method according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the cleaning means supplied at a high-pressure jet comprises an additive agent decreasing the surface tension. 7. The method according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the jet (2) of the cleaning means is fed under the operative pressure from 10 to 2500 bars, preferably from 50 to 800 bars depending on the cleaning means and the dirt layer (12) properties and on the required jet expansion angle. 8. A device for railtrack cleaning comprising a high-pressure nozzle for feeding a cleaning means via a high-pressure jet, said nozzle directed downwards to the surface to be cleaned and at an angle to it, and closed by a protective casing, in which an outlet opening is provided for a mixture of the dirt and the cleaning means, characterized in that the protective casing (5) overlaps the rail part (7) with the groove (3), the high-pressure nozzle (1) is arranged in the zone of face wall (8) located from the side of the jet, and serves for feeding the high-pressure jet of the cleaning means directed to the corresponding point (4) on the groove surface (3), wherein the jets formed after the impact with the groove surface are reflected at an angle which is more acute than the angle of inclination of the lower protection wall (7) of the casing rising forward in the direction of the travel (19), and under which said reflected jets (11) pass practically directly via the outlet opening (18) or said jets are (11) are reflected at an angle, which is equal or more sloping, than the angle of inclination of the rising forward the lower protection wall (7) which collects the reflected jets (11) and by the surface of which they are directed to the outlet opening (18). 9. The device according to claim 8, characterized in that the lower protection wall (7), the upper protection wall (6) and two opposite side walls (13) form an outlet duct (20) with an outlet opening (18), the width of said duct at the rail surface corresponds at least to the groove width (3) is constant or firstly increases by height. 10. The device according to claim 9, characterized in that the opposite side walls (13) of the groove (3) reach the top surface (22) of the rail (17) and the surface (24) of the plane (23) and in the bottom are provided with sealing shoes (25, 26), of which the shoe (25) practically tightly fits the rail surface (22) and the shoe (26) fits the surface of the guide plane (23), when the height of location of both surfaces (22, 24) has a maximum permissible value, wherein both sealing shoes (25, 26) limit a side passage in the casing (5) to the groove (3)and one of them, preferably both, protrudes the casing in the travel direction (19). 11. The device according to claims 9 and 10, characterized in that at least one sealing shoe (25) on the rail (17) is a steel sheet shoe or a similar material several mm thick, for example, 10-50mm, preferably about 30 mm, and has a profile with a flat or primarily barrel-shaped lower contact surface (33) and in particular a rectangular or a square section. 12. The device according to any preceding claim, characterized in that at least the sealing shoe (26), and preferably both sealing shoes (25, 26), are mounted on the corresponding side walls (13) of the casing (5) enabling to regulate their position by the height. 13. The device according to any preceding claim, characterized in that a longitudinal aperture (30) is made in the sealing shoe (25) located on the rail (17) surface (22), said aperture is connected with the feed line for feeding pressurized working medium, for example, pressurized air, the pressure amounts to several bars, preferably 1 to 10 bars and from which outgo downwards one or several longitudinal slot (31) or holes arranged in line in the travel direction and protrude to the lower contact surface (33). 14. The device according to any preceding claim, characterized in that a sealing brush (27) is provided in the travel direction (19) outside the sealing shoe (26) from the side of the guide plane (23) beside the side wall (13), said brush is inserted into a brush holder (28), fixed preferably horizontal and the bristles (29) of which are oriented downwards and slides along the outer edge of the guide plane, wherein the bristle length exceeds by several times, preferably 5 times, the maximum permissible clearance between the sealing shoe (26) and the surface (24) of the guide plane (23), and the sealing brush (27) overlaps the sealing shoe (26) in the travel direction along the total length and preferably projects over it. 15. The device according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the bristle of the sealing brush (27) is made of plastic with high wear resistance and/or reinforced by metal bristle, the plastic and the metal bristles are preferably arranged in alternative rows. 16. The device according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the lower protection wall (7), which is preferably flat, reaches the surface of rail being cleaned, preferably almost touches it, wherein the edge (21) of this wall (7) is located from the impact point of the high-pressure jet at a distance, which at least corresponds to the length of railtrack groove portion to be cleaned by a high-pressure jet. 17. The device according to any preceding claim, characterized in that a sealing screen (9) extends downwards from the edge (21) of the protection wall, said screen enters into the groove (3) and is manufactured from a rigid material preferably hingedly connected, or from an elastic or flexible wear-resistant material rigidly fixed, or a jet compressed air is used as such sealing. 18. The device according to claim 16 and 17, characterized in that a protection plate (10) extends from the edge (21) of the protection wall, said plate faces towards the travel direction and practically tightly fits the rail being cleaned, the length of said plate exceeds by several times the groove depth (3) and which is designated primarily to retain the cleaning means in the groove, passing through the dirt layer (12). 19. The device according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the high-pressure nozzle (1) is mounted adjustable to regulate the angle of its inclination at least in the travel direction (19) and the distance to the impact point of the jet, depending on the properties and amount of dirt (12) in the groove (3), the speed and the pressure of the jet(2), wherein the jet is ejected from the nozzle (1) in particular as a flat jet oriented by its wide part transversely to the travel direction (19) and impacting the groove practically by all its width, the angle of the jet fall can be regulated relative to the rail surface between 30 to 80 degree , preferably from 50 to 70 degree . 20. The device according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the high-pressure nozzle (1) is mounted adjustable in the plane transversely to the travel direction enabling to be mounted on the side, vertically or with a different inclination, depending on the groove shape, the properties an