DEVICE AND METHOD FOR DISPENSING A FRICTION-COEFFICIENT-OPTIMIZING MIXTURE

Abstract

A device and method for dispensing a friction-coefficient-optimizing mixture of at least one lubricant and at least one grit into the gap between a rail wheel of a rail vehicle and a rail. The device includes a reservoir for the lubricant, a reservoir for the grit, a metering unit for metering the lubricant, a metering unit for metering the grit, a delivery apparatus for delivering the lubricant, a delivery apparatus for delivering the grit, and a common dispensing nozzle. The apparatus for delivering the lubricant and the apparatus for delivering the grit are separate from each other and end in the common dispensing nozzle, the friction-coefficient-optimizing mixture therefore not being formed until the dispensing, and an additional compressed air line is provided, which ends in the common dispensing nozzle.

Claims

1-18. (canceled)

19. A device for dispensing a friction-coefficient-optimizing mixture of at least one lubricant and at least one grit into a gap between a rail wheel of a rail vehicle and a rail, the device comprising at least one lubricant reservoir for the at least one lubricant, at least one grit reservoir for the at least one grit, at least one lubricant metering unit for metering the at least one lubricant, at least one grit metering unit for metering the at least one grit, at least one lubricant delivery apparatus for delivering the at least one lubricant, at least one grit delivery apparatus for delivering the at least one grit, and a common dispensing nozzle for dispensing the at least one lubricant and the at least one grit into the gap between the rail wheel and the rail, wherein the at least one lubricant delivery apparatus and the at least one grit delivery apparatus are separate from each other and end in the common dispensing nozzle so that the friction-coefficient-optimizing mixture is not formed from the at least one lubricant and the at least one grit until the mixture is dispensed into the gap between the rail wheel and the rail, and wherein a nozzle-terminating compressed air line is provided, which ends in the common dispensing nozzle.

20. The device according to claim 19, wherein the at least one lubricant metering unit and/or the at least one grit metering unit is formed by at least one cell wheel.

21. The device according to claim 19, wherein the at least one lubricant metering unit and/or the at least one grit metering unit is formed by at least one piston.

22. The device according to claim 19, wherein the at least one lubricant delivery apparatus and/or the at least one grit delivery apparatus is formed by a compressed air source and a compressed air line.

23. The device according to claim 19, wherein a control unit is provided, which is connected to the at least one lubricant metering unit, the at least one grit metering unit, the at least one lubricant delivery apparatus, and the at least one grit delivery apparatus.

24. The device according to claim 23, wherein the control unit is connected to a speed sensor for sensing the speed of the rail vehicle, environmental sensors for sensing environmental parameters and/or friction sensors for sensing a friction coefficient between the rail wheel and the rail.

25. The device according to claim 19, wherein the at least one lubricant is formed by a biodegradable liquid.

26. The device according to claim 19, wherein the at least one lubricant is formed by a biodegradable solid.

27. The device according to claim 19, wherein the at least one grit is formed by sand.

28. A method for dispensing a friction-coefficient-optimizing mixture of at least one lubricant and at least one grit into a gap between a rail wheel of a rail vehicle and a rail, the method comprising: delivering the at least one lubricant out of at least one lubricant reservoir metered via at least one lubricant metering unit, and via at least one delivery apparatus; and delivering the at least one grit out of at least one grit reservoir via at least one grit metering unit and at least one grit delivery apparatus to a common dispensing nozzle for dispensing the at least one lubricant and the at least one grit into the gap between the rail wheel and the rail, wherein the at least one lubricant and the at least one grit are metered and delivered to the common dispensing nozzle separately from each other so that the friction-coefficient-optimizing mixture is not formed from the at least one lubricant and the at least one grit until the mixture is dispensed into the gap between the rail wheel and the rail, and wherein compressed air in a compressed air line is delivered into the common dispensing nozzle.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the at least one lubricant and/or the at least one grit is metered using at least one cell wheel.

30. The method according to claim 28, wherein the at least one lubricant and/or the at least one grit is metered using at least one piston.

31. The method according to claim 28, wherein the at least one lubricant and/or the at least one grit is delivered pneumatically by compressed air to the common dispensing nozzle.

32. The method according to claim 28, wherein the at least one lubricant and/or the at least one grit are metered separately from each other via a control unit.

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein the metering and delivery of the at least one lubricant and the at least one grit are controlled depending on a speed of the rail vehicle, on sensed environmental parameters and/or on the sensed friction coefficient between the rail wheel and the rail.

34. The method according to claim 28, wherein a biodegradable liquid is used as the at least one lubricant.

35. The method according to claim 28, wherein a biodegradable solid is used as the at least one lubricant.

36. The method according to claim 28, wherein sand is used as the at least one grit.

Description

[0027] The present invention is explained in more detail using the attached drawing. In the figures:

[0028] FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of a device for dispensing a friction-coefficient-optimizing mixture of at least one lubricant and at least one grit into the gap of a rail vehicle and the rail; and

[0029] FIG. 2 shows a detailed view of a preferred embodiment of a common dispensing nozzle in a cut-away diagram.

[0030] FIG. 1 shows a device 1 for dispensing a friction-coefficient-optimizing mixture 2 of at least one lubricant 3 and at least one grit 4 into the gap 5 between the rail wheel 6 of a rail vehicle 7 and the rail 8. A reservoir 9 is provided for each lubricant 3 and a reservoir 10 is provided for each grit 4. If multiple lubricants 3 and multiple grits 4 are used, a corresponding number of reservoirs 9 and 10 are provided. The lubricant 3 can be metered in the desired amount into a downstream delivery apparatus 13 via a metering unit 11. The metering unit 12 can be formed for example by a pump (not shown), a cell wheel 16 or a piston 17.

[0031] A metering unit 12 for metering the grit 4 is also arranged under each reservoir 10 for the grit 4, can also be formed by a cell wheel 16 or a piston 17 and meters a desired amount of the grit 4 into the delivery apparatus 14. The delivery apparatus 13, 14 for conveying the at least one lubricant 3 and the at least one grit 4 end in a common dispensing nozzle 15, which is arranged at a suitable point in front of the rail wheel 6 of the rail vehicle 7. The metered amount of lubricant 3 and grit 4 which form the friction-coefficient-optimizing mixture 2 can thereby be introduced optimally into the gap 5 between the rail wheel 6 of the rail vehicle 7 and the rail 8. A compressed air source 18 and a compressed air line 19 can be used in each case to deliver the at least one lubricant 3 and the at least one grit 4.

[0032] An improvement in the dispensing of the friction-coefficient-optimizing mixture 2 is achieved by means of an additional and autonomous compressed air line 25 which is branched off from the compressed air source 18 and ends in the common dispensing nozzle 15.

[0033] Preferably, a control unit 20 is provided, which is connected to each metering unit 11, 12 and each delivery apparatus 13, 14. Optimal metering and mixing of the components of the friction-coefficient-optimizing mixture 2 can thereby be achieved, if necessary taking into account influencing factors and environmental parameters. To this end, the control unit 20 can be connected to a sensor 21 for sensing the speed v of the rail vehicle 7 and to sensors 22 for sensing environmental parameters such as temperature, humidity or wind speed. Finally, the control unit 20 can also be connected to sensors 23 for sensing the condition between the rail wheel 6 and the rail 8. Such sensors 23 can be formed for example by optical apparatus. The values sensed with these sensors 23 can be used to determine the friction coefficient p between the rail wheel 6 and the rail 8 with the aid of suitable algorithms. Furthermore, a GPS receiver 24 can be connected to the control apparatus 20 in order to be able to sense the current geographical position of the rail vehicle 7 and also to be able to carry out closed-loop control of the dispensing of the friction-coefficient-optimizing mixture 2 on the basis of the position of the rail vehicle 7.

[0034] The at least one lubricant 3 is preferably formed by a biodegradable liquid and/or a preferably biodegradable solid. The at least one grit 4 is preferably formed by sand, e.g. quartz sand.

[0035] The device 1 according to the invention for dispensing a friction-coefficient-optimizing mixture 2 of at least one lubricant 3 and at least one grit 4 into the gap 5 between the rail wheel 6 of a rail vehicle 7 and the rail 8 is characterized by the optimal use of the components of lubricant and grit for an optimal effect, i.e. an optimal friction ratio between the wheel 6 and the rail 8. The separate delivery of the at least one lubricant 3 and the at least one grit 4 to the dispensing nozzle 15 and the preferred use of compressed air for the delivery means that mixing does not occur until directly before the friction-coefficient-optimizing mixture 2 is dispensed into the gap 5 between the rail wheel 6 and the rail 8, as a result of which demixing of the components can be prevented.

[0036] FIG. 2 shows a detailed view of a preferred embodiment of a common dispensing nozzle 15 in a cut-away diagram. The lines of the delivery apparatus 13 for delivering the lubricant 3, lines of the delivery apparatus 14 for delivering the grit 4, and the additional compressed air line 25 end in the dispensing nozzle 15. The compressed air ends in an annular gap 26 which is preferably arranged in a ring around the openings for the lubricant 3 and the grit 4. The friction-coefficient-optimizing mixture 2 is thereby protected by the compressed air jet surrounding it, as a result of which the friction-coefficient-optimizing mixture 2 can be dispensed into the gap between the rail wheel 6 and the rail 8 in a more efficiently targeted manner. Instead of a circularly surrounding opening of the additional compressed air line 25, an opening for the compressed air can also be arranged above the opening for the lubricant 3 and below the opening for the grit 4.