Method and apparatus for truing a metal wheel, especially of a railroad locomotive or other rolling stock
OwnerArthur T. Wirtzinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Method and apparatus for truing metal wheels of railroad locomotives and other rolling stock without removal of the wheels uses automatically controlled mechanism carrying a cutting tool and disposed in an open pit below the wheels which are lifted from removable rail sections for the truing operation. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the wheel to be trued is independently driven and the cutting tool is mounted on a powered cross slide which is controlled by a conventional tracer control unit which causes the cutting tool to remove metal from the wheel to form a wheel contour corresponding to a preestablished pattern.
Claims14
In a method of truing metal wheels of railroad locomotives and other rolling stock having a traction motor for driving a locomotive wheel to be trued wherein the locomotive or other rolling stock is moved into position on rail sections extending over an open pit, the locomotive or other rolling stock is lifted from the rail sections and the rail sections are removed to provide access to the wheel to be trued from the pit, the improvement comprising the steps of:
- A. connecting an independent power source to the traction motor and thereby driving a wheel to be trued at a controlled speed with the traction motor;
- B. removing metal from said wheel as it is driven with a cutting tool mechanism provided in the pit;
- and
- C. controlling said mechanism in accordance with a pre-established pattern to cause the cutting tool to move across the driven wheel to remove metal to form a wheel contour corresponding to said pattern.
In an apparatus for truing metal wheels of railroad locomotives and other rolling stock having a traction motor for driving locomotive wheels to be trued wherein said apparatus is disposed in and about an open pit having removable rail sections extending thereover for supporting said locomotive or other rolling stock and including means for lifting said locomotive or other stock from the rails, the improvement comprising:
- A. means for removing said rail sections to provide access to said wheels from said pit;
- B. means for driving said wheels to be trued at a controlled speed through said traction motor independently of said locomotive or other rolling stock;
- C. means for cutting the metal from said wheels;
- and
- D. means for controlling said cutting means to cut said metal in a contour corresponding to a predetermined pattern.
Mechanism for truing the metal wheels of railroad locomotives and other rolling stock having a traction motor for driving a locomotive wheel to be trued wherein said mechanism is adapted to be positioned in an open pit beneath the wheels to be trued and including cutting means engageable with said metal wheels, said mechanism comprising:
- A. independent drive means for driving the wheel to be trued with the traction motor at a controlled speed;
- B. a cutting tool;
- C. means for supporting said cutting tool such that it is movable in the X and Y axes, said supporting means comprising:
- (1) a base;
- (2) a saddle movably mounted on the base;
- (3) a cross slide carrying the cutting tool and movably mounted on the saddle at right angles to said saddle;
- and
- D. means for controlling the movement of said cross slide in accordance with a predetermined pattern to cause the cutting tool carried thereon to remove metal from the wheel to establish a contour corresponding to said pattern.
In an apparatus for truing metal wheels of railroad locomotives and other rolling stock having a traction motor for driving locomotive wheels to be trued wherein said apparatus is disposed in and about an open pit having removable rail sections extending thereover for supporting said locomotive or other rolling stock and including means for lifting said locomotive or other stock from the rails, the improvement comprising:
- A. means for laterally moving said rail sections to provide access to said wheels from the pit;
- B. means for driving said wheels to be trued through said traction motor at a controlled speed and independently of said locomotive or other rolling stock;
- C. cutting means engageable with said metal wheels comprising a cutting tool, means for supporting said cutting tool such that it is movable in the X and Y axes, said supporting means including a base, a saddle mounted on the base, a cross slide carrying the cutting tool and movably mounted on the saddle at right angles thereto;
- and
- D. means for controlling the movement of said cross slide in accordance with a predetermined pattern to cause the cutting tool to remove metal from the wheel to establish a contour corresponding to said pattern.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.