Rail for center-flange wheels
OwnerGerard Giroudinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a rail intended to constitute a tread for heavy duty rolling stock, such as gantry cranes, mounted on wheels or rollers and concerns more specifically a guide rail on which both center-flange wheels or rollers, and lateral-flange wheels, as used on railway lines roll, comprising, in section, two integrally formed spaced heads running parallel to each other, the two heads having vertical inner side walls and being separated by a horizontal intermediate channel whose bottom constitutes a horizontal connecting strip.
Claims3
A roadbed for heavy hoisting machinery such as a crane, or a gantry crane, mounted on at least one pair of flanged wheels for movement of the crane between hoisting positions and for supporting the crane in a fixed position on the roadbed when engaged in said hoisting, said roadbed being provided with a railway line formed of two parallel rails spaced apart at a distance of at least 5 meters, the upper surfaces of said rails lying flush with the surface of the roadbed to permit the passage of other vehicles, each of said rails comprising;
- two heads, the upper surfaces thereof forming two parallel, laterally-spaced treads to receive the rolling surface of a wheel;
- and, a horizontal strip integrally joined to said heads below the level of the flange of a wheel rolling on said treads;
- the space between the heads and the horizontal strip defining an intermediate channel to freely receive the tapered flange of the wheel normally without frictional engagement to allow for some lateral shifting of the wheel and possible misalignment between the two rails;
- each of said heads defining inwardly-facing inner side walls and external outwardly-facing side walls said inner and external side walls of the two heads being substantially vertical;
- and a horizontal integrally formed base to support the two heads, the height of said external side walls being substantially equal to the width of each of the heads, each of the two heads thus forming a solid mass of generally square cross-section each resting on said horizontal base, said base extending outwardly beyond said outwardly-facing side walls, the upper exterior surfaces of the base defining with said external side walls an angle of no less than 90.degree.;
- the vertical side walls of the heads permitting vertical forces on the treads to be transmitted directly downwardly to the base without any twisting or buckling effect on the heads.
A roadbed for heavy hoisting machinery such as a crane, or a gantry crane, mounted on at least one pair of flanged wheels for movement of the crane between hoisting positions and for supporting the crane in a fixed position on the roadbed when engaged in said hoisting, said roadbed being provided with a railway line formed of two parallel rails spaced apart at a distance of at least 5 meters, the upper surfaces of said rails lying flush with the surface of the roadbed to permit the passage of other vehicles, each of said rails comprising;
- two heads, the upper surfaces thereof forming two parallel, laterally-spaced treads to receive the rolling surface of a wheel;
- and, a horizontal strip integrally joined to said heads below the level of the flange of a wheel rolling on said treads;
- the space between the heads and the horizontal strip defining an intermediate channel to freely receive the tapered flange of the wheel normally without frictional engagement to allow for some lateral shifting of the wheel and possible misalignment between the two rails;
- each of said heads defining inwardly-facing inner side walls, said inner side walls of the two heads being substantially vertical and the upper surface of said strip being horizontal;
- each of said heads further defining external outwardly-facing side walls, said external side walls of the two heads being slightly outwardly and downwardly inclined;
- and a horizontal integrally formed base to support the two heads, the outwardly-facing side walls of the base being a continuation of the inclined outwardly-facing side walls of the heads and each of said heads and associated base portion having a height no more than twice the width of each head and defining a generally rectangular mass in cross-section, tbe lowermost portions of the base projecting outwardly beyond said outwardly-facing side walls;
- said base being provided with an upwardly extending central recess of generally rectangular cross-section, the upper end of the recess being horizontal and defining the bottom of said horizontal strip joining the two heads, the width of the recess being approximately the width of the space between the inwardly-facing side walls of the heads and in vertical alignment therewith;
- whereby vertical forces on the two heads are transmitted directly downwardly to the base without a twisting or buckling effect and transverse forces due to possible misalignment of a rail is resisted.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.