ARRANGEMENT AND METHOD FOR ALIGNING A WHEEL BLOCK ON AN END CARRIAGE, IN PARTICULAR A CRANE END CARRIAGE

Abstract

An arrangement with an end carriage, a plate, and a wheel block which is detachably fastened to the end carriage and comprises a housing and a wheel that is mounted in the housing and projects out of the housing, wherein the plate is located between the end carriage and the wheel block and is fixedly connected to the end carriage and has a base surface directed towards the housing, and wherein the housing has a groove which receives the plate (and which has a bottom surface e directed towards the base surface and side walls delimiting the groove wherein the wheel block is aligned relative to the end carriage by means of an interlocking connection between the wheel block and the plate

Claims

1. An arrangement with an end carriage, a plate, and a wheel block which is detachably fastened to the end carriage and comprises a housing and a wheel that is mounted in the housing and projects out of the housing, wherein the plate is located between the end carriage and the wheel block and is fixedly connected to the end carriage and has a base surface directed towards the housing and wherein the housing has a groove, which receives the plate and which has a bottom surface, directed towards the base surface, and side walls delimiting the groove, wherein the wheel block, is aligned relative to the end carriage by means of an interlocking connection between the wheel block and the plate, wherein the interlocking connection acting in the direction of the side walls is formed within the base surface of the plate.

2. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the interlocking connection is produced by means of two pins arranged on the bottom surface of the groove and by means of two slots introduced into the base surface of the plate.

3. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the plate is welded to the end carriage.

4. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein each slot has opposite and linear guide surfaces on which the particular pin rests.

5. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the linear guide surfaces of the slot are aligned parallel to an axis of rotation of the wheel.

6. The arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the wheel block is screwed to the end carriage.

7. A crane, in particular, a running crane, and in particular an overhead crane or gantry crane—having an arrangement according to claim 1.

8. A method for the initial mounting of a wheel block on an end carriage, wherein the wheel block comprises a housing and a wheel which is mounted in the housing and projects out of the housing, wherein a plate with a base surface directed towards the housing is arranged between the end carriage and the wheel block and wherein the housing is arranged with respect to the plate in such a way that a groove of the housing with a bottom surface, directed towards the base surface, and the sidewalls delimiting the groove receives the plate, wherein the wheel block is then aligned relative to the end carriage and releasably secured thereto, while an interlocking connection is established between the wheel block and the plate, wherein, after relative alignment of the wheel block to the end carriage, the plate is firmly connected to the end carriage, wherein the interlocking connection acting in the direction of the side walls is established within the base surface of the plate.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the interlocking connection between the wheel block and the plate is produced by means of two pins arranged on the bottom surface of the groove and by means of two slots introduced into the base surface of the plate.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the plate is welded to the end carriage.

11. The method according to 8, wherein the wheel block is screwed to the end carriage.

Description

[0043] Further details of the invention emerge from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the drawing, in which:

[0044] FIG. 1 shows a schematic, perspectival view of a traveling crane,

[0045] FIG. 2 shows a schematic, perspectival view of an arrangement with an end carriage, a plate, and a wheel block,

[0046] FIG. 2a shows a further schematic, perspectival, and partial view of the arrangement from FIG. 2,

[0047] FIG. 3 shows a schematic, perspectival, and partial view of a housing-half of a wheel block,

[0048] FIG. 4 shows a schematic, perspectival view of a plate,

[0049] FIG. 5 shows a schematic, perspectival view of a wheel block with a plate placed in the groove, and

[0050] FIG. 5a shows a further schematic, perspectival, and partial view of the arrangement from FIG. 5.

[0051] FIG. 1 shows a schematic, perspectival view of a running crane 1, which is designed here as a so-called two-girder overhead crane, for example. The running crane 1 can be moved essentially horizontally in a crane travel direction K on a rail path with two rails (not shown) that are parallel to each other, spaced apart from one another, and also termed a wheel track.

[0052] The running crane 1 comprises two box girders 2 which extend parallel to and at a distance from one another, and which, by way of example, form a horizontal crane girder and serve as a travel path for a trolley 3 with a hoist 4. In this context, the trolley 3 moves on the box girders 2 in a horizontal trolley direction k which is oriented at right angles to the crane travel direction K. Accordingly, the box girders 2 also extend in the trolley direction k. Alternatively, only a single box girder or double-T profile can also be provided in the manner of a single-girder overhead crane. The trolley 3 then moves, for example, on a lower flange of the box girder. In order to form the particular crane girder, truss girders can be used instead of box girders.

[0053] The box girders 2 lie on their particular opposite ends on end carriages running transversely thereto, and therefore in the crane driving direction K. A wheel block 6, which is optionally driven by an electric motor, is arranged at the opposite ends of the end carriages 5. The wheel blocks 6 are each movable with their wheel 11 (see FIG. 2) on the rails (not shown) in the crane driving direction K. Of course, the wheel blocks 6 can also be used on other crane types.

[0054] In the crane travel direction K of the running crane 1, the wheel paths of four wheels 11, and in particular their wheel path center lines 11a, extend through an imaginary contact line between a wheel center and a rail center. The wheel path center lines 11a are only schematically indicated by dash-dotted lines. The position of the wheel block 6 relative to the end carriage 5 can be set in the adjustment directions 23. When the wheel block 6 is displaced in the adjustment directions 23, an alignment of the track is maintained.

[0055] The track width S is determined by a direct distance between the wheel paths running parallel in the crane travel direction K of the running crane 1—in particular, their wheel path center lines 11a—of two wheel blocks 6. A first wheel block 6i can be displaced relative to a second wheel block 6ii arranged parallel to the first wheel block 6i, in order to adjust the track width S. In this case, the first wheel block 6i is associated with a first wheel track, and the second wheel block 6ii is associated with a second wheel track parallel to the first wheel track, wherein the wheel 11 of the first wheel block 6i and the wheel 11 of the second wheel block 6ii point in the same running direction.

[0056] FIG. 2 shows a schematic, perspectival view of an arrangement with an end carriage 5, a plate 14, and a wheel block 6. The end carriage 5 has a fastening plate 16, which is presented openly for better illustration of the arrangement according to the invention.

[0057] The wheel block 6 is arranged on the end carriage 5. The wheel block 6 has a box-shaped housing 7 which is open on its underside 13 and which is composed, for example, of two, identical housing halves. A wheel 11 is mounted in the housing 7 and rotates with a hub 12 about a horizontal axis of rotation D extending transversely to the crane travel direction K, and projects downwards, partially out of the housing 7, towards the underside 13. In the usual installation position, the axis of rotation D is oriented horizontally. The hub 12 is held laterally in each case in a sliding and/or roller bearing which is inserted into the housing 7.

[0058] By way of example, the fastening plate 16 has four through-holes 17 for releasably fastening the wheel block 6. The wheel block 6 comprises, by way of example, four fastening holes 18 (see FIG. 3), such that the wheel block 6 can be detachably fastened to the end carriage 5 when the through-holes 17 and the fastening holes 18 overlap. For this purpose, screws 19 are inserted through the through-holes 17 and screwed into the fastening holes 18, which are designed as threaded holes, for example.

[0059] The fastening plate 16 has at least one hole 15—in the present case, two holes 15—for performing a hole weld which serves to fasten the plate 14 via the hole weld to the fastening plate 16.

[0060] When the wheel block 6 is first mounted on the end carriage 5, the plate 14 is loosely inserted into a groove 10 of the housing 7 (see FIGS. 3 and 5), wherein the pins 20 of the wheel block 6 engage in the slots 21 of the plate 14. Then, the wheel block 6, and therefore also the track of the wheel 11, are aligned in the crane travel direction K so that the wheel 11 can roll along the rails of the running crane 1 with little wear. For this purpose, the wheel block 6 is pivoted about an imaginary vertical axis relative to the end carriage. After aligning the wheel block 6 and screwing tight the wheel block 6, the plate 14 is subsequently welded to the fastening plate 16 of the end carriage 5 in the holes 15 and is therefore fixed non-detachably and immovably.

[0061] If it is then necessary to replace a wheel block 6 in the event of wear or a defect, the screws 19 are loosened, and the plate 14 remains in the welded position. Then, according to the invention, a new wheel block 6 of the same type is inserted by two matching pins 20 and screwed. Since the plate 14 is already aligned with respect to the crane travel direction K, and therefore to an ideal alignment of the wheel 11, the wheel block 6 does not have to be aligned relative to the end carriage 5 during a change, and remounting is simplified. The position of the wheel block 6 and therefore also the track width S can be easily adjusted as long as the wheel block 6 is not yet screwed tight to the end carriage 5. Each of the wheel blocks 6 is, namely, displaceable transversely to the crane travel direction K, wherein the alignment of the particular wheel 11 is maintained by means of the pins 20 and slots 21.

[0062] The axis of rotation D of the wheel 11 runs in particular parallel to linear guide surfaces 21a of the slot 21 (see FIG. 4). The position of the wheel block 6 relative to the end carriage 5 can therefore be changed or adjusted in parallel to the axis of rotation D of the wheel 11 by moving the pins 20 along the linear guide surfaces 21a of the slots 21. A displacement of the wheel block 6 in a direction running transversely or perpendicular to the axis of rotation D is, however, not possible due to the contact of the pin 20 on the linear guide surfaces 21a.

[0063] FIG. 2a shows a further schematic, perspectival, and partial view of the arrangement from FIG. 2.

[0064] FIG. 3 shows a schematic, perspectival, and partial view of a housing-half of a correspondingly symmetrical wheel block 6. The following statements regarding the housing 7 and the wheel block 6 accordingly refer to the second housing-half (not shown). The groove 10 is introduced at an upper side, opposite the underside 13, of the housing 7 (see FIGS. 2 and 5). The groove 10 extends over the entire width of the shown housing-half, and therefore also of the housing 7. This extension direction runs in the trolley travel direction k, and therefore transversely to the crane travel direction K and transversely to the running direction of the wheel 11. In the crane travel direction K, the groove 10 is delimited at the front and rear in each case by a side wall 10b, which does not have to be machined precisely to size in the sense of the invention. The plate 14 (see also FIG. 4) can be inserted into the groove 10, wherein two pins 20 arranged on a base surface 10a of the groove 10 can be inserted into the two slots 21 (see also FIG. 5) in the base surface 14a. One of the pins 20 is arranged for each housing-half. According to the invention, the pins 20 are machined precisely to size.

[0065] In addition, four independent connection surfaces 8 are provided on the upper side of the housing 7 and are located in a region of the housing 7 outside the groove 10. Two connection surfaces 8 are provided for each housing-half. When the wheel block 6 is mounted on the end carriage 5, the connection surfaces 8 come to rest against the fastening plate 16.

[0066] A fastening hole 18 is arranged in each of the four connection surfaces 8, only one of which is shown in FIG. 3. Using the total of four fastening holes 18, the wheel block 6 is detachably fastened to the end carriage 5 by screwing the screws 19 into the fastening holes 18 after they have been pushed through the through-holes 17 of the fastening plate 16 (see FIG. 2).

[0067] FIG. 4 shows a schematic, perspectival view of a plate 14, with two slots 21 formed in the base surface 14a. The plate 14 has circumferential side surfaces 14b which delimit the base surface 14a of the plate 14 and which do not have to be machined precisely to fit within the meaning of the invention. The slots 21 each have two guide surfaces 21a which, in contrast, are machined precisely to fit in order to form a linear guide for the wheel block 6 in each case with a pin 20.

[0068] FIG. 5 shows a schematic, perspectival view of a wheel block 6, with a plate 14 placed in the groove 10.

[0069] FIG. 5a shows a further schematic, perspectival, and partial view of FIG. 5. It can be clearly seen that the width of the groove 10 and the width of the plate 14 are configured such that the side walls 10b of the groove 10 and the side surfaces 14b of the plate 14 are spaced apart from one another. In contrast, the pins 20 rest against the guide surfaces 21a of the slots 21. For this purpose, the pins 20 and the slots 21 are machined to precisely fit in such a way that the two guide surfaces of a slot and the associated pin are interlocking and fit precisely with respect to one another—in particular, in the direction of the side walls 10b.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0070] 1 Running crane

[0071] 2 Box girder

[0072] 5 3 Trolley

[0073] 4 Hoist

[0074] 5 End carriage

[0075] 6 Wheel block

[0076] 6i First wheel block

[0077] 6ii Second wheel block

[0078] 7 Housing

[0079] 8 Connection surface (wheel block)

[0080] 10 Groove

[0081] 10a Bottom surface (groove)

[0082] 10b Side wall (groove)

[0083] 11 Wheel

[0084] 11 a Wheel path centerline

[0085] 12 Hub

[0086] 13 Underside

[0087] 14 Plate

[0088] 14a Base surface (plate)

[0089] 14b Side surface (plate)

[0090] 15 Hole (hole spot welding)

[0091] 16 Fastening plate (end carriage)

[0092] 17 Through-hole (end carriage)

[0093] 18 Fastening hole (wheel block)

[0094] 19 Screw

[0095] 20 Pin

[0096] 21 Slot

[0097] 21a Guide surface (slot)

[0098] 23 Adjustment directions

[0099] D Axis of rotation

[0100] k Trolley travel direction

[0101] K Crane travel direction

[0102] S Track width