Stock rail

Abstract

In a stock rail for use in a railroad switch, there are a rail head, a rail web and a rail foot, wherein the stock rail has a first longitudinal section forming an abutment region for a tongue rail and a second longitudinal section lying outside the abutment region, wherein the stock rail in the second longitudinal section has a cross-sectional base profile with a central axis extending through the center of the rail head cross section, wherein the rail head in the first longitudinal section is machined starting from the cross-sectional base profile so that the running edge, compared to the base profile, lies closer to the central axis of the stock rail, the rail head having substantially no width reduction at least at a first point within the first longitudinal section and having a maximum width reduction at least at a second point within the first longitudinal section, it is provided that the running edge at the first point and the running edge at the second point lie substantially in a common running edge plane.

Claims

1. A stock rail for use in a railroad switch, comprising a rail head, a rail web and a rail foot, wherein the stock rail comprises a first longitudinal section forming an abutment region for a tongue rail and a second longitudinal section lying outside the abutment region, wherein the stock rail in the second longitudinal section has a cross-sectional base profile with a central axis extending through a center of a cross section of the rail head, wherein the rail head in the first longitudinal section is machined starting from the cross-sectional base profile, comprising a chamfer inclinedly extending from a running edge to the rail web, wherein the running edge is formed at a point of the cross section of the rail head that has the largest normal distance to the central axis, and wherein the rail head in the first longitudinal section comprises a gradual width reduction in a longitudinal direction of the rail head extending from at least a first point within the first longitudinal section having substantially no width reduction to at least a second point within the first longitudinal section having a maximum width reduction, wherein the running edge at the first point is formed at a point of the cross section of the rail head that has the largest normal distance to the central axis and the running edge at the second point is formed at a point of the cross section of the rail head that has the largest normal distance to the central axis, wherein the gradual width reduction results in that the running edge at the second point lies closer to the central axis of the stock rail than the running edge at the first point, wherein the running edge at the first point and the running edge at the second point lie substantially in a common running edge plane disposed at a right angle relative to the central axis.

2. A stock rail according to claim 1, characterized in that the rail head, when viewed in cross section, has a curved surface section extending upwardly from the running edge, and a first angle is formed between the chamfer and a tangent of the curved surface section passing through the running edge, which the first angle, at least at the first and second points, is larger by 0°-20° than a second angle between the chamfer and the central axis.

3. A stock rail according to claim 1, characterized in that the rail head in the first longitudinal section, in a transverse section located vertically above the common running edge plane, comprises a region whose shape substantially corresponds to the respective shape of the cross-sectional base profile.

4. A stock rail according to claim 1, characterized in that the normal distance between the central axis and an edge of the rail head above the common running edge plane decreases continuously.

5. A stock rail according to claim 1, characterized in that the chamfer comprises an inclination of 1:2.5-1:3.5.

6. A stock rail according to claim 1, characterized in that the running edge at the second point within the first longitudinal section lies closer to the central axis by 5-15 mm as compared to the first point.

7. A stock rail according to claim 1, characterized in that the common running edge plane in the first longitudinal section is located at a vertical distance of 10 mm-20 mm from an upper running edge of the rail head.

8. A stock rail according to claim 1, characterized in that the normal distance of the running edge from the central axis decreases gradually from the first point to the second point, and in the region following the second point, the normal distance of the running edge from the central axis increases again.

9. A stock rail according to claim 1, characterized in that the normal distance of the running edge from the central axis decreases arcuately from the first point to the second point, and in the region following the second point the normal distance of the running edge from the central axis increases again.

10. A railroad switch comprising a stock rail according to claim 1 and a tongue rail, said tongue rail being arranged to be abuttable against the stock rail.

11. A railroad switch according to claim 10, characterized in that the tongue rail is designed to be reinforced in cross section towards the stock rail as a function of the reduction of the width of the rail head of the stock rail.

12. A railroad switch according to claim 11, characterized in that the width of the rail head of the stock rail, starting from a tip of the tongue rail in a closed state of the tongue rail, decreases to a point within the first longitudinal section forming the abutment region, at which point a running wheel passing a track contacts the tongue rail laterally, and increases in the first longitudinal section following thereupon, and that the tongue rail is designed to be reinforced in cross section towards the stock rail as a function of the reduction of the width of the rail head of the stock rail.

13. A railroad switch according to claim 12, characterized in that a vertical height of the tongue rail in the abutment region on the stock rail increases towards an end of abutment, starting from the tip of the tongue rail.

14. A railroad switch according to claim 13, characterized in that the tongue rail, on the tip of the tongue, is arranged below the running edge of the stock rail, and that the tongue rail reaches into the common running edge plane at the point of the maximum width reduction of the stock rail.

Description

(1) In the following, the invention will be explained in more detail by way of an exemplary embodiment illustrated in the drawing. Therein, FIG. 1 is a top view of a first configuration of a railroad switch according to the invention, FIG. 2 is a top view of a second configuration of a railroad switch according to the invention, FIG. 3 is a top view of a third configuration of a railroad switch according to the invention, FIG. 4 depicts a cross section of the railroad switch according to the invention along line A-A of FIGS. 1-3, FIG. 5 depicts a cross section of the railroad switch according to the invention along line B-B of FIGS. 1-3, FIG. 6 depicts a cross section of the railroad switch according to the invention along line C-C of FIGS. 1-3, FIG. 7 is a detailed view of the cross section of a stock rail according to the invention, and FIG. 8 is a detailed view of the stock rail according to the invention with an abutting tongue rail.

(2) FIG. 1 depicts a railroad switch according to the invention in a first configuration, comprising a stock rail 1 and a tongue rail 2. In this illustration, the tongue rail 2 abuts against the stock rail 1 in a first longitudinal section 3 forming a region of abutment. A second longitudinal section 4 is each provided upstream and downstream of the first longitudinal section 3, viewed in the longitudinal direction, in which second longitudinal section the stock rail 1 each has a cross-sectional base profile. In the first longitudinal section 3, the cross-sectional base profile is machined such that the head of the stock rail 1 comprises a chamfer and, opposite the longitudinal sections 4, a width reduction. The tongue rail 2 is designed to be reinforced as a function of the reduction of the width of the stock rail head, thus being able to cooperate with the stock rail 1 in the first longitudinal section. The largest reinforcement of the tongue rail is provided in the region of section B-B, in which the running wheel contacts the tongue rail laterally, because the wear is the largest in this region due to the sudden introduction of transverse forces.

(3) The width of the head of the stock rail 1, starting from the beginning of the first longitudinal section 3 (section A-A), i.e. starting from the tip of the tongue rail 2, decreases continuously to a point at section B-B of minimum width. After this, the head of the stock rail 3 becomes wider again until the cross-sectional base profile is again reached in the longitudinal section 4.

(4) FIG. 2 depicts a second railroad switch according to the invention, wherein, as opposed to the configuration according to FIG. 1, the course of the stock rail width, starting from the tip of the tongue rail, initially decreases arcuately and subsequently again increases arcuately.

(5) FIG. 3 depicts a third railroad switch according to the invention, wherein, as opposed to the configuration according to FIG. 1, the course of the stock rail width, starting from the tip of the tongue rail, decreases within a short longitudinal section near the tip of the tongue and subsequently increases again.

(6) FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 depict three sections along lines A-A, B-B and C-C, respectively, of FIGS. 1 to 3.

(7) Section A-A is located at the beginning of the first longitudinal section 3 at the tip of the tongue rail 2. The rail head 5 of the stock rail 1 comprises a chamfer 6 which, in the abutting state of the tongue rail 2, cooperates with a corresponding chamfer of the tongue rail 2. The running edge of the stock rail 1 is denoted by 7 and located in a running edge plane 8 disposed at a right angle relative to a central axis 9 extending through the center of the rail head 5. The running edge 7 is formed at an intersection of the chamfer 6 with an adjacent, curved surface section, wherein the largest normal distance between the stock rail head edge and the central axis 9 lies in the running edge plane 8, in which the running edge 7 is arranged. At this first point, the running edge 7 is not shifted towards the central axis 9, compared to the cross-sectional base profile. The tongue rail 2 has a reduced height at the tip of the tongue such that the latter lies clearly below the running edge plane 8, thus preventing contact by a running wheel.

(8) Section B-B lies at the second point, i.e. the point of the largest width reduction of the stock rail head 5. Compared to the stock rail 1 in section A-A, which is illustrated in broken lines, more material has been removed by the chamfer 10, the chamfer 10 thus lying closer to the central axis 9. In this section, also the running edge 7 lies closer to the central axis 9 by a distance x and in the same running edge plane 8 as the running edge 7 in section A-A. The tongue rail 2 is designed to be widened by the same measure x. The tongue rail 2 is formed with a height increasing away from the tip of the tongue such that the tongue rail 2 already reaches into the running edge plane 8 at the point shown in FIG. 5.

(9) Section C-C lies at the end of the first longitudinal section 3, and the stock rail 1 has substantially the same profile as in section A-A, the tongue rail 2 having reached the same height as the stock rail.

(10) FIG. 7 depicts a detailed view of the stock rail head 5. The cross-sectional profile in section B-B according to FIGS. 1-3 is illustrated by a full line, the cross-sectional profiles in section A-A and C-C, respectively, according to FIGS. 1-3 is illustrated by broken line 11, and the cross-sectional base profile in the second longitudinal section 4 is illustrated by broken line 12. It is apparent that, starting from the cross-sectional base profile 12, a chamfer 6 is provided to obtain the profile according to line 11, wherein the running edge 7 is not machined. In order to produce an even larger material removal on the stock rail head 5, the chamfer 10 is provided vertically below the running edge plane 8, on the one hand, and a curvature departing from the running edge 7 is provided vertically above the running edge plane 8. The curvature is characterized by a tangent passing through the running edge 7, the angle of said tangent to the central axis 9 in section A-A being equal to that in section B-B. The running edge 7 in this case is not displaced in the vertical direction, still being in the running edge plane 8. By contrast, the running edge 7 is displaced in the horizontal direction by the distance x in the direction of the central axis 9.

(11) FIG. 8 illustrates the stock rail 1 according to the invention along section B-B together with an abutting tongue rail 2 and a running wheel 13, and it is apparent that at the point of the largest width reduction of the stock rail, or at the point of the largest tongue rail widening, lateral contact between the running wheel and the tongue rail occurs.