GRIT DISCHARGING FACILITY FOR VEHICLES, IN PARTICULAR RAILWAY VEHICLES, AND METHOD FOR DISCHARGING GRIT

INSTALLATION DE DEVERSEMENT DE MATERIAU D'EPANDAGE POUR VEHICULES, EN PARTICULIER POUR VEHICULES FERROVIAIRES, ET PROCEDE DE DEVERSEMENT DE MATERIAU D'EPANDAGE

English Abstract

Summary
Grit discharging facility for vehicles, in particular railway vehicles, and
method for discharging
grit
The invention relates to a grit discharging facility for vehicles, in
particular railway vehicles,
and to a method for discharging grit from such facilities, with a reservoir
(1), which can be
filled with grit, and with a disaggregation element (2) assigned to the
discharge outlet of the
reservoir (1), and with at least one discharge conduit (5) for the grit ending
directly near a
tyre/rail gap, in which a dosing unit (3), and a conveying element (4)
connected to the dosing
unit (3), are arranged downstream of the disaggregation element (2), and in
which the
conveying element (4) is connected to a shut-off and supply air valve (7) and
a discharge
conduit (5).

French Abstract

L'invention concerne une installation de déversement de matériau d'épandage pour des véhicules, en particulier des véhicules ferroviaires, ainsi qu'un procédé de déversement de matériau d'épandage à partir d'une installation de ce type. Ladite installation est pourvue d'un réservoir (1) pouvant être rempli de matériau d'épandage et d'un élément d'ameublissement (2) associé à l'ouverture de déversement du réservoir (1), ainsi que d'au moins une conduite de déversement (5) pour le matériau d'épandage, se terminant à proximité immédiate d'un intervalle entre le bandage de roue et le rail. Une unité de dosage (3) et un élément transporteur (4) relié à l'unité de dosage (3) sont montés à la suite de l'élément d'ameublissement (2), l'élément transporteur (4) étant relié à une soupape d'arrêt et d'amenée d'air (7) et à une conduite de déversement (5).

Claims

7
Claims
1. A scattering-material dispensing system for
vehicles comprising a reservoir to be filled with
scattering material and a loosening element
associated with the dispensing opening of the
reservoir, and at least one dispensing line for
the scattering material ending in the immediate
vicinity of a gap between a wheel rim and a rail,
wherein
the loosening element is arranged upstream of a
metering unit and a conveying element connected
to the metering unit, wherein the conveying
element is connected to a shut-off and supply-air
valve and a dispensing line, wherein the metering
unit consists of a screw conveyor arranged in a
tubular housing , characterised in that the
tubular housing has a cross-section that tapers
conically towards the outlet , and in that baffle
plates for producing a
labyrinth are arranged
between the blades of the screw thread .
2. The scattering-material dispensing system
according to claim 1, characterised in that the
vehicles are rail vehicles.
3. The scattering-material dispensing system
according to claim 1, characterised in that the
loosening element, the metering unit, and the
conveying element are connected to one another via
a common drive shaft.

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4. The scattering-material dispensing system
according to either one of claims 1 to 3,
characterised in that the conveying element
consists of a flexible hose with an internally
mounted flexible conveyor spiral and is arranged
between the conical outlet of the metering unit
and the shut-off and supply-air valve.
5. The scattering-material dispensing system
according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
characterised in that the loosening element has
paddle-shaped plates which engage in the
dispensing opening of the reservoir so as to
loosen the scattering material.
6. The scattering-material dispensing system
according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
characterised in that the loosening element and
the metering unit are arranged in common housing
horizontally to the vertical centre axis of the
reservoir.
7. The scattering-material dispensing system
according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
characterised in that the conveying element
consists of a flexible plastics hose and the
internally mounted flexible conveyor spiral is
formed of spring steel with a square cross
section.
8. The scattering-material dispensing system
according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
characterised in that an opening is provided on

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the housing of the shut-off and supply-air valve,
which opening enables air to be sucked in by the
rapidly falling scattering material.
9. A method for
outputting scattering material from a
scattering-material dispensing system for vehicles
characterised in that the scattering-material
dispensing system is formed in accordance with
claims 1 to 8,
- wherein the scattering material is loosened
and homogenised by the loosening element,
- the amount of scattering material to be
conveyed is defined in the metering unit,
wherein
.cndot. the baffle plates arranged within the
metering unit form a barrier so as to prevent
material from piling up over the metering
unit,
.cndot. the scattering material is transferred from
the metering unit into the conveying element
and is conveyed from there to the dispensing
line purely mechanically, said dispensing
line then outputting the scattering material
in the immediate vicinity of the gap between
a wheel rim and a rail.
10. The method according to claim 9, characterised in
that the vehicles are rail vehicles.
11. The method according to claim 9 or 10,
characterised in that the shut-off valve is
actuated simultaneously with the deactivation of
the conveying process, and any subsequent

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trickling of scattering material is thus
prevented.
12. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11,
characterised in that an opening is attached
outwardly on the housing of the shut-off and
supply-air valve, through which opening air is
sucked in by the rapidly falling scattering
material.

Description

,
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Bombardier Transportation GmbH
Grit discharging facility for vehicles, in particular railway vehicles, and
method for discharging
grit
The invention relates to a grit discharging facility for vehicles, in
particular railway vehicles,
and to a method for discharging grit by means of a grit discharging facility
in accordance with
the preambles of the claims 1 and 9.
Such facilities and methods are gaining ever more importance as a component of
braking
gears of railway vehicles to improve static friction between tyre and rail.
Prior art knows numerous grit discharging devices for railway vehicles. Such
grit discharging
devices usually have a discharge unit and a reservoir, which is filled with
sand and from
which the sand is transported onto the rail to the wheels of the railway
vehicle by means of
various methods via the discharge unit, to improve the traction of the railway
vehicle during
starting and braking. In the most simple embodiment, such an arrangements
consist of a
sand box, from which sand trickles onto the rail through a downpipe forced by
gravity when a
slide gate is opened. In connection with this, the term "sand" comprises
quartz sand as well
as all other known alternative grits used for such purposes, such as granular
materials made
of metal oxides, etc.
Advanced embodiments of known grit discharging devices are, as regards the
process,
operated as pneumatic two-phase flow conveyors, in which ambient air is used
as process
air, and usually comprise a funnel-shaped reservoir, wherein, by using a
suction or pressure
nozzle insert arranged at the bottom of the funnel-shaped area of the
reservoir, the sand is
sucked from the bottom of the reservoir and is transport in front of the
wheels of the railway
vehicle through a conveying line. In most cases, the conveying air is taken in
from outside or
inside the vehicle. Climatic influences cause humidity intake, temperatures
below the dew-
point and icing in the grit discharging system and the compressed-air
facility. This may cause
clogging of the sand conveying lines during operation of the grit discharging
device, which
may result in the grit agglutination or freezing in the conveying line and may
cause
operational disturbance or even failure of the gear.

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DE 102005030095 B4 describes a sanding device and a method for operating a
sanding
device for railway vehicles. There, a negative pressure generator is provided
which may
operate on the principle of negative-pressure sanding, but overall a balanced-
pressure
system is provided in which a pressure-tight design of the system is not
necessary for
function and in which just as much air is sucked in through a sanding pipe as
is blown into
the sand reservoir.
The sand exists at a very high speed and, possibly, with a higher pressure. In
this system,
the sand is pneumatically discharged from the sand tank and pneumatically
transported.
AT 505782 B1 likewise discloses such a sand discharging device operated with
compressed
air. The sand is supplied to a pneumatic conveying system via a rotary lock
valve. The
optimisation of the sand supply geometry from the sand tank into a rotary
valve serving as a
dosing device is to improve functional and operational reliability.
DE 202009014775 U1 likewise describes a compressed-air operated sand
discharging
device for railway vehicles. Functional reliability is to be improved by means
provided for
regulating the air intake quantity at the inlet of the compressor. In this
system as well, the
sand is pneumatically discharged from the sand tank and pneumatically
transported.
DE 4011166 Al discloses a sanding device on railway vehicles with a reservoir,
which can
be filled with grit, and with at least one discharge outlet for the grit
ending directly near a
wheel of the vehicle. In this system, the sand is supplied into an inclined
downpipe by means
of a conveying screw conveying vertically from bottom to top. The conveying
screw is
arranged in a pipe within the reservoir.
The object of the invention is to improve the known grit discharging
facilities and methods for
discharging a grit by means of such grit discharging facilities. The
disadvantages arising
when using compressed air (ambient air) as process air within pneumatic
conveying systems
and methods are to be overcome, and operating and functional reliability as
well as energy
efficiency are to be improved.

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Bombardier Transportation GmbH
According to the invention, this object is achieved by means of a grit
discharging facility, or a
method of the kind specified first above, by the characteristic features of
the claims 1 and 9.
Advantageous further designs of the invention are included in the relevant
associated claims.
According to this, the invention consists of a grit discharging facility for
vehicles, in particular
railway vehicles, with a reservoir, which can be filled with grit, and a
disaggregation element
assigned to the discharge outlet of the reservoir, and with at least one
discharge conduit for
the grit ending directly near a tyre/rail gap, in which a dosing unit, and a
conveying element
connected to the dosing unit, are arranged downstream of the disaggregation
element, and
in which the conveying element is connected to a shut-off and supply air valve
and the
aforesaid discharge conduit. An advantageous characteristic feature is that an
opening to the
outside is provided at the housing of the shut-off and supply air valve, which
opening enables
the intake of air due to the rapidly falling grit. Without that opening, the
falling grit would be
slowed down in the discharge conduit by returning air. The shut-off valve is
closed after each
discharge process. The shut-off valve has a dual function. This simultaneously
prevents
further flow of grit and the inflow of possibly moist or soiled air from the
rail/bottom area.
In an advantageous fashion, the disaggregation element, the dosing unit and
the conveying
element are connected to each other via a joint drive shaft and a joint drive.
The
disaggregation element and the dosing unit are preferably arranged in a joint
housing, at
right angles to the vertical central axis of the reservoir. Preferably, it is
further intended that
the disaggregation element has oar-shaped plates which engage into the
discharge outlet of
the reservoir in a fashion loosening the grit. This positively supports the
mass flow in the
reservoir.
According to a characteristic feature of the invention, the dosing unit
consists of a screw
conveyor arranged in a tubular housing, the screw conveyor having a cross-
section tapering
off towards the outlet, with impact plates for creating a labyrinth being
arranged between the
blades of the screw thread. In an advantageous fashion, this prevents
excessive loading of
the dosing area and guarantees even discharge of the grit from the dosing tank
into the
conveying element. As a particularly advantageous characteristic feature, it
is intended that
the conveying element consists of a flexible hose with an internally supported
flexible
conveying helix and is arranged between the tapered outlet of the dosing unit
and the tank.
Preferably, the conveying element consists of a flexible plastic hose, with
the internally
supported flexible conveying helix being made of spring steel of a square
cross-section. Due
to the design of the conveying element according to the invention, discharge
of the grit in the
wheel/rail area is guaranteed independent of typical vehicle movements such as
rotary

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Bombardier Transportation GmbH
movements of the vehicle frame, bogie inclination, deflection at different
load conditions of
the vehicle, driving through curves, deceleration and acceleration.
Furthermore, the object described above is achieved in accordance with the
invention by a
method of the kind specified first above by the fact that the grit discharging
facility is
designed in accordance with the characteristic features specified above, with
the grit being
loosened and homogenised by the disaggregation element and the amount of grit
to be
conveyed being defined in the dosing unit, the impact plates arranged within
the dosing unit
forming a barrier to prevent excessive loading of the dosing unit and the grit
being handed
over from the dosing unit to the conveying element and from there being
transported solely
mechanically to the discharge conduit which discharges the grit directly near
the tyre/rail gap.
Simultaneously with the switching-off of the conveying process, the switch-off
valve is
actuated, which advantageously prevents after-trickling of the grit.
The teaching according to the invention enables a solely mechanical transport
of the grit
entirely without compressed air. By not using compressed air, the operational
reliability of the
grit discharging facility is improved. Moreover, this makes the gear less
sensitive to climatic
influences and more energy-efficient because compressed air is the most
expensive type of
energy generated. Due to the sparing use of grit, the method according to the
invention also
makes a contribution to minimising the formation of dust/particulate matter in
public transport.
In the following, the invention is explained in more detail by means of a non-
limiting
embodiment shown in the drawing. In the drawing,
Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the grit discharging facility according to
the invention
and of the rail and the vehicle wheel;
Fig. 2 another schematic diagram;
Fig. 3 an aerial view of the representation in Fig. 1;
Fig. 4 a cross-sectional view (A-A section) of the representation according to
Fig. 3.

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Fig. 1 and 2 show an embodiment of the grit discharging facility 10 according
to the
invention, with a railway vehicle only indicated by a vehicle wheel, and with
a vehicle rail in a
schematic representation.
The gear 10 comprises a reservoir 1, which can be filled with grit, and a
disaggregation
element 2 assigned to a discharge outlet of the reservoir 1, and at least one
discharge
conduit 5 for the grit ending directly near a tyre 20/rail 30 gap. The section
shown in the
Figure shows that a dosing unit 3 and a conveying element 4, which is
connected to the
dosing unit 3, are arranged downstream of the disaggregation element 2, the
conveying
element 4 being connected to a shut-off and supply air valve 7 and the
discharge conduit 5.
The disaggregation element 2, the dosing unit 3 and the conveying element 4
are connected
to each other via a joint drive shaft 8 and a drive 9. The dosing unit 3
consists of a screw
conveyor arranged in a tubular housing 3.1, the screw conveyor having a cross-
section
tapering off towards the outlet 3.2. Impact plates 3.5 for creating a
labyrinth are arranged
between the blades 3.3 of the screw thread 3.4. The conveying element 4
preferably consists
of a flexible hose with an internally supported flexible conveying helix 4.1
and is arranged
between the tapered outlet 3.2 of the dosing unit 3 and the shut-off and
supply air valve 7.
The disaggregation element 2 has oar-shaped plates 2.1 which engage into the
discharge
outlet 1.1 of the reservoir in a fashion loosening the grit. The conveying
element 4 preferably
consists of a flexible plastic hose, and the internally supported flexible
conveying helix 4.1 is
preferably made of spring steel of a square cross-section.
The grit (not shown) is loosened and homogenised by the disaggregation element
2. In the
dosing unit 3, the amount of grit to be conveyed is defined, with the impact
plates 3.5
arranged within the dosing unit 3 forming a barrier to prevent excessive
loading of the dosing
unit 3.
The grit is then handed over from the dosing unit 3 to the conveying element 4
and from
there transported solely mechanically to the discharge conduit 5 which
discharges the grit
directly near the tyre 20/rail 30 gap.
An advantageous characteristic feature is that an opening (not shown) to the
outside is
provided at the housing 6 of the shut-off and supply air valve 7, which
opening enables the
intake of air due to the rapidly falling grit. Without that opening, the
falling grit would be
slowed down in the discharge conduit 5 by returning air. The shut-off valve 7
is closed after
each discharge process. The shut-off valve 7 has a dual function.

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This simultaneously prevents further flow of grit and the inflow of possibly
moist or soiled air
from the raiVbottom area.

Representative Drawing