Rail Heating Head

Abstract

A rail heating head includes an enclosure and an induction coil. The induction coil is positioned within the enclosure. When in use, the enclosure is positioned adjacent a lateral portion of a train track rail. To be positioned adjacent to the head, the web, and the foot of the train track rail, a rail-bracing wall of the enclosure has a convex exterior surface and a concave interior surface. The induction coil has a concave shape and is pressed against the concave interior surface. Thus, the induction coil can induce eddy current magnetic fields in the head, the web, and the foot maximizing surface area. The larger surface area results in molecules in a large area being activated and leads to more heat. An eddy current deflecting magnetic shield further directs magnetic fields towards the train track rail.

Claims

1. A rail heating head comprises: an enclosure; an induction coil; the induction coil being positioned within the enclosure; the induction coil being mounted across a rail-bracing wall of the enclosure; the rail-bracing wall comprises a head-bracing portion, a web-bracing portion, foot-bracing portion, wherein the head-bracing portion, the web-bracing portion, and the foot bracing portion are positioned adjacent a lateral portion of an at least one train track rail; the head-bracing portion being positioned adjacent to the web-bracing portion; and the foot-bracing portion being positioned adjacent to the web-bracing portion, opposite to the head-bracing portion.

2. The rail heating head as claimed in claim 1, wherein a convex shape of the rail-bracing wall is configured to fit into a concave shape of the at least one train track rail.

3. The rail heating head as claimed in claim 2, wherein the head-bracing portion is a fillet.

4. The rail heating head as claimed in claim 2, wherein the foot-bracing portion is a fillet.

5. The rail heating head as claimed in claim 1 comprises: a concave shape of the induction coil being configured to conform to a contour of the rail-bracing wall.

6. The rail heating head as claimed in claim 1 comprises: the induction coil spanning from the head-bracing portion, across the web-bracing portion, and to the foot bracing portion.

7. The rail heating head as claimed in claim 1 comprises: the rail-bracing wall comprises a concave interior surface and a convex exterior surface, wherein the convex exterior surface is positioned adjacent a lateral portion of an at least one train track rail; and the induction coil spanning across the concave interior surface.

8. The rail heating head as claimed in claim 1 comprises: an eddy current deflecting magnetic shield; the eddy current deflecting magnetic shield being mounted within the enclosure; the induction coil being positioned in between the rail-bracing wall and the eddy current deflecting magnetic shield device; and a shape of the eddy current deflecting magnetic shield being configured to copy a shape of the induction coil.

9. The rail heating head as claimed in claim 8, wherein the eddy current deflecting magnetic shield being mounted onto and across the induction coil, opposite of the concave interior surface of the rail-bracing wall.

10. The rail heating head as claimed in claim 1, wherein the enclosure is made of a non-ferrous material.

11. The rail heating head as claimed in claim 1 comprises: a thin layer of electrically-insulative potting; and the induction coil being mounted across the rail-bracing wall by the thin layer of electrically-insulative potting.

12. The rail heating head as claimed in claim 11, wherein the thin layer of electrically-insulative potting is a non-ferrous binding material.

13. The rail heating head as claimed in claim 1, wherein the induction coil is configured with an enamel coating.

14. The rail heating head as claimed in claim 1 comprises: the enclosure comprises a plurality of remaining walls and at least one louver; the plurality of remaining walls being positioned adjacent to the rail-bracing wall; and the at least one louver being integrated into the plurality of remaining walls.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of the present invention being used with the at least one train track rail.

[0025] FIG. 2 is a detailed view taken about circle 2 in FIG. 1, which illustrates the rail-bracing wall, the electrically insulative potting, the induction coil, and the eddy current deflecting magnetic shield.

[0026] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the induction coil, wherein the concave shape is illustrated for the induction coil.

[0027] FIG. 4 is a side view of the induction coil, wherein the concave shape is illustrated for the induction coil.

[0028] FIG. 5 is a front view of the induction coil, wherein the concave shape is illustrated for the induction coil.

DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION

[0029] All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0030] The present invention introduces a heating head that aids the process of melting snow or ice that accumulates on a train track rail during cold weather conditions. By utilizing the present invention, a large amount of heat can be generated within a short time so that safe operating conditions are consistently maintained.

[0031] To achieve the preferred functionalities, the present invention comprises an enclosure 1 and an induction coil 8. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the enclosure 1 is used to position the induction coil 8 along an at least one train track rail 9. The enclosure 1 is made of a non-ferrous material. Preferably, the enclosure is made of fiberglass. However, other comparable material can be used in other embodiments of the present invention. The induction coil 8 is used to induce eddy current magnetic fields on the at least one train track rail 9 so that the molecules of the at least one train track rail 9 are excited which leads to generation of heat. Preferably, the induction coil 8 is electrically connected to an external power supply which can be, but it not limited to, a 120-Volt alternating current (AC) power supply. However, a different power supply can be used in other embodiments of the present invention. When being used with the at least one train track rail 9, the induction coil 8 is positioned within the enclosure 1 and across a rail-bracing wall 2 of the enclosure 1. When in use, the rail-bracing wall 2 will be positioned adjacent the at least one train track rail 9. For maximum efficiency, the rail-bracing wall 2 need to correspond to a shape of the at least one train track rail 9. As seen in FIG. 1, to correspond to the shape of the at least one train track rail 9, the rail-bracing wall 2 comprises a head-bracing portion 3, a web-bracing portion 4, and a foot-bracing portion 5 that are positioned adjacent a lateral portion 10 of the at least one train track rail 9. More specifically, the shape of the rail-bracing wall 2 ensures that the rail-bracing wall 2 is positioned adjacent the lateral portion 10 of the at least one train track rail 9. To do so, the head-bracing portion 3 is positioned adjacent to the web-bracing portion 4. Moreover, the foot-bracing portion 5 is positioned adjacent to the web-bracing portion 4 opposite to the head-bracing portion 3. For maximum efficiency, the concave shape of the induction coil 8 spans from the head-bracing portion 3, across the web-bracing portion 4, and to the foot-bracing portion 5. Thus, the eddy current magnetic field induced by the induction coil 8 can saturate a large surface area of the at least one train track rail 9.

[0032] As illustrated in FIG. 1, a convex shape of the rail-bracing wall 2 is configured to fit into a concave shape of the at least one train track rail 9 in order for the eddy current magnetic field to saturate a larger surface area of the at least one train track rail 9. In further detail, the rail-bracing wall 2 is shaped and sized to fit against the conventional shape of the at least one train track rail 9. Due to the common shape of railroad track rails, the head-bracing portion 3 is a fillet and the foot-bracing portion 5 is a fillet. Thus, the head-bracing portion 3 includes a rounded corner in order to fit against the rounded head portion of the at least one train track rail 9. And thus, the foot-bracing portion 5 includes a rounded corner in order to fit against the rounded foot portion of the at least one train track rail 9.

[0033] As illustrated in FIG. 3-5, to emit a maximum amount of eddy current magnetic fields onto the at least one train track rail 9, a concave shape of the induction coil 8 is configured to conform a contour of the rail-bracing wall 2. In other words, the concave shape of the induction coil 8 ensures that a large surface area of the at least one train track rail 9 is induced with the eddy current magnetic fields generated by the induction coil 8. Preferably, the concave shape of the induction coil 8 may be, but is not limited to, an oblong, concave shape, or an elliptical, concave shape. The multi-dimensional eddy current magnetic field induced by the induction coil 8 is considerably stronger than a standard single dimensional magnetic field. Thus, a larger surface area of the at least one train track rail 9 is heated.

[0034] As illustrated in FIG. 2, to accommodate the concave shape of the induction coil 8 and be positioned adjacent the lateral portion 10, the rail-bracing wall 2 further comprises a concave interior surface 6 and a convex exterior surface 7. Thus, the concave shape of the induction coil 8 can span across the concave interior surface 6. When the present invention is being used with the at least one train track rail 9, the convex exterior surface 7 is positioned adjacent the lateral portion 10.

[0035] As discussed before, eddy current magnetic fields induced by the induction coil 8 are used to generate heat within the at least one train track rail 9 that melts any accumulated snow or ice. When the AC current supply is connected to the induction coil 8, a time-varying magnetic field within the induction coil 8 induces eddy current magnetic fields on the at least one train track rail 9. The time-varying eddy current magnetic field prompts the molecules within the at least one train track rail 9 to align polarities. The oscillations of the molecules within the magnetic field generates heat which then spreads along the at least one train track rail 9. The heat results in the removal of snow or ice accumulated on the at least one train track rail 9. To maximize eddy current magnetic field induction on the at least one train track rail 9, the present invention further comprises an eddy current deflecting magnetic shield 11 that orients the time-varying magnetic field towards the at least one train track rail 9. To do so, the eddy current deflecting magnetic shield 11 is mounted within the enclosure 1 so that the induction coil 8 is positioned in between the rail-bracing wall 2 and the eddy current deflecting magnetic shield 11. A shape of the eddy current deflecting magnetic shield 11 is configured to copy the concave shape of the induction coil 8. Therefore, the eddy current deflecting magnetic shield 11 can be mounted onto and across the induction coil 8 opposite the concave interior surface 6 as seen in FIG. 2.

[0036] As further illustrated in FIG. 2, the present invention further comprises a thin layer of electrically-insulative potting 12 which is used to mount the induction coil 8 across the rail-bracing wall 2. The thin layer of electrically-insulative potting 12 is a non-ferrous binding material. Preferably, the thin layer of electrically-insulative potting is a fiberglass resin. However, the thin layer of electrically-insulative potting 12 can differ in other embodiments of the present invention. To operate at higher temperatures, the induction coil 8 of the preferred embodiment is configured with an enamel coating.

[0037] As previously mentioned, the enclosure 1 aids in the process of positioning the induction coil 8 adjacent to the at least one train track rail 9. In addition to the rail-bracing wall 2, the enclosure 1 further comprises a plurality of remaining walls 13 and at least one louver 14 as seen in FIG. 1. The plurality of remaining walls 13 determines the overall shape of the enclosure 1. The at least one louver 14, which is integrated into the plurality of remaining walls 13, maintains air circulation between the interior of the enclosure 1 and the external atmosphere.

[0038] When the present invention is being used, the assembly of the induction coil 8 and the enclosure 1 is mounted adjacent the lateral portion 10 of the at least one train track rail 9. The head-bracing portion 3, the web-bracing portion 4, the foot-bracing portion 5, and the convex exterior surface 7 allows the enclosure 1 to be positioned adjacent the lateral portion 10 of the at least one train track rail 9. To induct eddy current magnetic fields onto the head, web, and the foot of the at least one train track rail 9, the induction coil 8 is pressed against the concave interior surface 6. The concave shape allows the coil to be pressed against the concave interior surface 6.

[0039] Furthermore, the concave, oblong shape effectively inducts eddy current magnetic fields onto the head, the web, and the foot of the at least one train track rail 9. Thus, more heat is generated within the at least one train track rail 9 by the activation of molecules of the material. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the induction coil 8 is connected to the 120-Volt AC power supply, a time-varying magnetic field is generated within the induction coil 8. As a result, eddy current magnetic fields are induced on the at least one train track rail 9. Since, the eddy current magnetic fields are induced in a larger surface area of the at least one train track rail 9, more heat is generated. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the temperature of the heat can be between 360-fahrenheit and 460-fahrenheit. In another embodiment of the present invention, a temperature sensor can be positioned within the enclosure 1 so that overheating is prevented. Moreover, the power supply can be connected to the rail heating head through a power supply card that comprises a power conditioning unit, a control board, and a frequency generator. The power conditioning unit can be used to prevent electrical failures and modulate the power supply to the rail heating head. The frequency generator can be used to generate varying frequencies so that different heat levels can be generated within the at least one train track rail 9. On the other hand, the control board can be used to control the overall current flow to the induction coil 8.

[0040] Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.