Railway maintenance systems, tools, and methods of use thereof
AssigneeHolland Company
InventorKelly Steck
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cold saw module may be a rail saw module that includes a cold saw configured to cut a railway rail along a cutting path, a rail alignment clamp configured to grip the railway rail near the cutting path, a feed actuator to drive the cold saw along the cutting path, and a module coupling element configured to selectively couple to a mating module coupling element of an articulated arm and/or a tool adapter. Cold saw modules may be used to cut metal workpieces such as a railway rail. Cutting a railway rail may include positioning the cold saw module at a cutting site along the railway rail installed in a railway, clamping the cold saw module to the railway rail, and cutting the railway rail at the cutting site with the cold saw module while the cold saw module is clamped to the cutting site.
Claims20
A method for cutting a railway rail, the method comprising:
- positioning a cold saw module at a cutting site along a railway rail installed in a railway;
- clamping the cold saw module to the railway rail;
- providing a pair of spreading clamps;
- gripping the railway rail on one side of the cutting path with a first spreading clamp of the pair;
- gripping the railway rail on an opposite side of the cutting path with a second spreading clamp of the pair;
- applying longitudinal tension to the railway rail with the first pair of spreading clamp of the pair in a first direction away from the cutting site;
- applying longitudinal tension to the railway rail with the second spreading clamp of the pair in a second direction opposite the first direction away from the cutting site;
- cutting the railway rail at the cutting site with the cold saw module while the cold saw module is clamped to the railway rail.
A rail saw module comprising:
- a frame configured to longitudinally span a length of a railway rail;
- a cold saw with a cutting path configured to cut the railway rail transversely at a cutting site of the railway rail, wherein the cold saw is coupled to the frame;
- at least one rail alignment clamp configured to grip the railway rail, wherein the at least one rail alignment clamp is coupled to the frame;
- a pair of spreading clamps with a first spreading clamp of the pair configured to grip the railway rail on one side of the cutting site, and a second spreading clamp of the pair configured to grip the railway rail on an opposite side of the cutting site, the first spreading clamp configured to apply longitudinal tension to the railway rail in a first direction away from the cutting site and the second spreading clamp configured to apply longitudinal tension to the railway rail in a second direction opposite the first direction away from the cutting site;
- a feed actuator configured to drive the cold saw along the cutting path, wherein the feed actuator is coupled to the frame;
- and
- a module coupling element configured to selectively couple to a mating module coupling element of at least one of an articulated arm and a tool adapter, where the module coupling element is coupled to the frame.
A mobile saw module comprising:
- a cold saw with a cutting path configured to cut a metal workpiece transversely at a cutting side of the metal workpiece;
- at least one alignment clamp configured to grip the metal workpiece;
- a pair of spreading clamps with a first spreading clamp of the pair configured to grip the workpiece on one side of the cutting site, and a second spreading clamp of the pair configured to grip the workpiece on an opposite side of the cutting site, the first spreading clamp configured to apply longitudinal tension to the workpiece in a first direction away from the cutting site and the second spreading clamp configured to apply longitudinal tension to the railway rail in a second direction opposite the first direction away from the cutting site;
- a feed actuator configured to drive the cold saw along the cutting path;
- a module coupling element configured to selectively couple to a mating module coupling element of at least one of an articulated arm and a tool adapter;
- and
- a frame coupled to the cold saw, the at least one alignment clamp, the feed actuator, and the module coupling element;
- wherein the mobile saw module has a mass of less than 200 kg.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.