초록 ▼

A lubrication system for automatically applying a viscous fluid lubricant to the wheel flanges of locomotives and/or rail cars. The lubricant reduces friction and wear at the interface between the wheel flanges and the sides of rails. The viscosity of the lubricant is sufficient to ensure that the l

A lubrication system for automatically applying a viscous fluid lubricant to the wheel flanges of locomotives and/or rail cars. The lubricant reduces friction and wear at the interface between the wheel flanges and the sides of rails. The viscosity of the lubricant is sufficient to ensure that the lubricant does not migrate to undesirable locations, such as onto the crown of the rails. The system delivers lubricant to both sides of the train from a containers holding sufficient lubricant to last throughout the standard maintenance cycle of a long haul locomotive. The lubrication is delivered at a flow rate controlled as a function of a rotational speed of the wheels of the locomotive. The system can also be adapted to control the rate of flow of lubricant delivered to the wheel flanges in response to other criteria. Since the lubricant is derived from soybeans, it is non-toxic and biodegradable. The lubricant containers, motor control, and pump are configured in a space saving array that can be disposed within a nose or central location within a locomotive. The lubricant applicators are mounted with fixed brackets on the trucks of locomotives having wheels rotating on tapered roller bearings, or with pivotal brackets that allow for some lateral movement on locomotives having wheels rotating on cylindrical roller bearings.

대표청구항 ▼

[ The invention in which an exclusive right is claimed is defined by the following:] [1.] A system for applying a lubricant to a rail wheel flange of a rail wheel that rolls along a track, comprising:(a) a plurality of containers adapted to store a quantity of a lubricant, said plurality of containe

[ The invention in which an exclusive right is claimed is defined by the following:] [1.] A system for applying a lubricant to a rail wheel flange of a rail wheel that rolls along a track, comprising:(a) a plurality of containers adapted to store a quantity of a lubricant, said plurality of containers being stored in a vertical stack at a plurality of different elevations, and having valves that are connected together in fluid communication by lubricant supply lines;(b) a pump having an inlet port and outlet port, said inlet port being coupled in fluid communication with said plurality of containers through the lubricant supply lines;(c) an applicator adapted to be mounted adjacent to a rail wheel flange and connected in fluid communication with the outlet port of the pump; and(d) a prime mover drivingly connected to the pump, said prime mover adapted to apply a driving force to the pump that causes the pump to draw a lubricant from a container that is disposed at a lower elevation in the stack before a lubricant in a container that is disposed at a higher elevation in the stack, and to force a lubricant so drawn through the applicator onto a rail wheel flange, thereby lubricating a rail wheel flange to reduce friction and wear between a rail wheel flange and a side of the track.