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 rail saw system comprising:
- a railway rail having a length, a head on a top thereof, a base on a bottom thereof, and a web connecting the head to the base, the web having a first side and a second side, and a transition curve between the second side of the web and the base;
- and
- a rail saw module comprising:
- a frame configured to longitudinally span a length of the railway rail;
- a first rail alignment clamp configured to grip the railway rail, wherein the first rail alignment clamp is coupled to the frame;
- a cold saw module comprising a saw blade and a blade motor configured to rotate the saw blade through a rotating saw blade axle, the cold saw module comprising a pivoting arm attached to a rotating cold saw axle coupled to the frame, the cold saw module further comprising a pivoting feed actuator connection point;
- and
- a feed actuator mounted to the frame and rotatably connected to the pivoting feed actuator connection point and configured to push and move the cold saw module, including the saw blade and the blade motor together as a unit,
- wherein the saw blade is configured to follow an arcuate cutting path when the feed actuator pushes the cold saw module toward the railway rail thereby simultaneously rotating the arm about the rotating cold saw axle and rotating the cold saw module about the pivoting feed actuator connection point.
A method for cutting a railway rail comprising the steps of:
- providing a railway rail having a length, a head on a top thereof, a base on a bottom thereof, and a web connecting the head to the base, the web having a first side and a second side, and a transition curve between the second side of the web and the base;
- providing a rail saw apparatus comprising:
- a frame configured to longitudinally span a length of the railway rail;
- a first rail alignment clamp configured to grip the railway rail, wherein the first rail alignment clamp is coupled to the frame;
- a cold saw module comprising a saw blade and a blade motor configured to rotate the saw blade through a rotating saw blade axle, the cold saw module comprising a pivoting arm attached to a rotating cold saw axle coupled to the frame, the cold saw module further comprising a pivoting feed actuator connection point;
- a feed actuator mounted to the frame and rotatably connected to the pivoting feed actuator connection point and configured to push and move the cold saw module, including the saw blade and the blade motor together as a unit;
- gripping the railway rail with the first rail alignment clamp;
- extending the feed actuator to simultaneously rotate the arm about the rotating cold saw axle and rotate the cold saw about the pivoting feed actuator connection point, causing the saw blade to follow an arcuate cutting path;
- and
- cutting the railway rail as the saw blade follows the arcuate cutting path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.