Rolling unit for deep-rolling the running surfaces of rail vehicles

Abstract

The invention concerns a rolling unit for machining the wheel running surfaces of wheelsets for rail vehicles, with the rolling unit featuring at least one work roller by means of which the wheel running surface to be machined is subjected to a deep rolling process following manufacture of the wheelset in new condition or, at a later date, after reprofiling to increase the service life of the wheel running surfaces. The task is solved to create a relevant rolling unit by means of which the wheel running surfaces can be deep-rolled in the forward feed process using work rollers. This task is solved by the rolling unit featuring a base body on which a support arm is located in a vertical position to the base area, on which a receptacle is supported that is unilaterally fixed in position via a thread in the support arm and on which an angular contact ball bearing is located; this supports at least one work roller featuring at least two different rolling radii.

Claims

1. A rolling unit for machining by a deep rolling process the wheel running surfaces of wheelsets for rail vehicles to increase the service life of the wheel running surfaces, the rolling unit comprising: a base body; a first support arm extending vertically upwardly from the base body from a first proximal end to a first distal end, the support arm comprising a female-threaded aperture near the first distal end; a receptacle comprising a shaft having an unthreaded portion and a male-threaded portion at a distal end thereof, the receptacle supported by the first support arm and fixed in position to the first support arm by engagement of the male-threaded portion with the female-threaded portion; a bearing mounted on the unthreaded portion of the shaft of the receptacle; and a work roller mounted on the bearing; wherein the work roller comprises a working surface comprising at least a first arcuate surface portion and a second arcuate surface portion, wherein the first arcuate surface portion comprises a first radius having a first value and the second arcuate surface portion comprises a second radius having a second value which is different than the first value.

2. The rolling unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the working surface comprises a continuous profile comprising a leading end and a trailing portion, wherein the leading end comprises the first arcuate surface portion and the trailing portion comprises the second arcuate surface portion.

3. The rolling unit in accordance with claim 2, wherein the working surface comprises a tear-drop shape in cross-section.

4. The rolling unit in accordance with claim 2, wherein the first value is between 1 mm and 12 mm and the second value is between 1 mm and 500 mm.

5. The rolling unit in accordance with claim 2, wherein the second value is at least an order of magnitude greater than the first value.

6. The rolling unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the bearing comprises one of grooved ball bearings, cylindrical roller bearings or slide bearings.

7. The rolling unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the bearing comprises an angular contact ball bearing comprising two laterally-arranged rows of ball bearings.

8. The rolling unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the receptacle further comprises a ring-shaped flange disposed between the unthreaded portion of the shaft and the male-threaded portion of the shaft, the flange abutting the first support arm; and wherein the rolling unit further comprises a pin engaging both the first support arm and the flange and being operable to prevent the receptacle from rotating relative to the first support arm.

9. The rolling unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the work roller has an overall diameter of between 20 mm and 200 mm.

10. The rolling unit in accordance with claim 1, wherein the work roller consists essentially of one of hardened steel or carbide.

11. The rolling unit in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a second support arm extending vertically upwardly from the base body from a second proximal end to a second distal end, the second support arm being spaced apart from and parallel to the first support arm; wherein each of the first support arm and the second support arm comprises a flange located at their respective distal ends, and wherein the flanges oppose one another; wherein the receptacle is supported by both the first support arm and the second support arm; wherein the bearing comprises an axial/radial bearing; and wherein the bearing is laterally constrained between the opposing flanges of the first support arm and the second support arm.

12. The rolling unit in accordance with claim 11, wherein the working surface comprises a leading end and a trailing end, wherein the leading end comprises the first arcuate surface portion and the trailing end comprises the second arcuate surface portion.

13. The rolling unit in accordance with claim 12, wherein the first value is between 3 mm and 30 mm and the second value is between 3 mm and 30 mm.

14. The rolling unit in accordance with claim 13, wherein the second value is an order of magnitude greater than the first value.

Description

DRAWINGS

(1) The following items are shown:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a first design of the rolling unit in a perspective view.

(3) FIG. 2 shows the rolling unit according to FIG. 1 in a sectional view.

(4) FIG. 3 shows a detail of a work roller complete with representation of various different radii.

(5) FIG. 4 shows a second design of the rolling unit in a perspective view.

(6) FIG. 5 shows the rolling unit according to FIG. 4 in a sectional view.

(7) FIG. 6 shows the rolling course along the wheel running surface and the wheel flange radius.

DESCRIPTION

(8) The rolling unit shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 consists of a base body 1 on which, vertically to the same, a support arm 2 is located. The base body 1 and the support arm 2 act functionally as a stopping device on which a work roller 3 is supported.

(9) The cylindrical work roller 3 features a working surface having at least two different rolling radii R1 and R2, that can be seen particularly from FIG. 3. Alternatively, additional rolling radii R3 . . . Rn can also be provided for. For this purpose the rolling radii R1 . . . Rn jointly form a tear-drop-shaped rolling surface in order to be able to generate optimum surface pressures on the wheel running surface during deep rolling. The rolling radii are adapted to the wheel running surface geometry to be rolled. Thus, in the case of the two-part design shown, the rolling radii are between 1 mm and 12 mm in the front or leading area R1 and between 1 mm and 500 mm in the rear or trailing area R2. The work roller 3 can consist of hardened steel or of carbide and has a roll diameter between 20 mm and 200 mm.

(10) In order to ensure a functional rotational movement of work roller 3, this must be supported by a bearing. This bearing support is preferably implemented by means of an antifriction bearing, as by their various different forms antifriction bearings are very adaptable with regard to their application. Antifriction bearings have a high load capacity, they bear high speeds and, in part, are also maintenance-free, inasmuch as for instance they are equipped with lubrication for life and a lip seal. In the proposed application, a two-row angular contact ball bearing 4 is preferably used as an antifriction bearing. Such an angular contact ball bearing 4 provides for a good compromise with regard to construction space and load capacity. In order to further increase the service life of the angular contact ball bearing 4 used and to minimize maintenance, a design with lubrication for life and with sealing lips fitted on both sides is proposed. Alternatively, other variants are possible, for example grooved ball bearings, cylindrical roller bearings or combined axial/radial bearings.

(11) A receptacle or locating bolt 5 supported on support arm 2 is to pass the loads during deep rolling from work roller 3 via the angular contact ball bearing 4 into the stopping device. Due to the type of the angular contact ball bearing 4 this receptacle is designed a cylindrical shaft. The receptacle 5 is unilaterally fixed in position in support arm 2 of the stopping device by means of a male thread at an end of the shaft which engages a female thread in the support arm 2. For a particularly exact fixing in position, receptacle 5 embodies a ring-shaped flange, which becomes effective as a thread stop and simultaneously uses a straight pin 6 to secure the receptacle 5 with support arm 2 in the stopping device against turning out of position. In addition to straight pin 6, the bearing arrangement also features additional components, such as for example retaining ring or slotted nut, which are not provided with any references, however.

(12) Viewed functionally, the stopping device consisting of support arm 2 and base body 1 forms a coupling unit between work roller 3 and processing machine. In place of the existing rotary cutter head for lathe machining, the stopping device can be used or adaptively coupled, next to the rotary cutting head, with the processing machine. Here, the feed traversing distances of the rotary cutter head of the processing machine allow the shutdown of the wheel running surface profile with the work roller 3 of the rolling unit. In this way, the wheel profile can be deep-rolled via the running surface up to the wheel flange cap, so that the construction is excellently suited for relevant machining tasks.

(13) However, if the entire wheel profile, that is the running surface up to the inside wheel flange surface area is to be deep-rolled, this rolling unit must be rotated by 180 in the machine after the first section has been machined. Therefore, a further embodiment is proposed where the roller geometry features a periphery adapted such that the entire wheel profilerunning surface, wheel flange radius and wheel flange surface areacan be machined in just one step.

(14) The basic setup of a correspondingly modified rolling unit is shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5.

(15) This rolling unit also consists of a base body 1, on which a first support arm 2 is located in a vertical position to the same. Furthermore, here a second support arm 7 is provided for, which is also supported on base body 1 and runs in parallel to the first support arm 2. The base body 1 and the two support arms 2 and 7 act functionally as a stopping device on which a work roller 3 is supported.

(16) The rolling radii R1 and R2 of the cylindrical work roller 3 can be equal; however, they can also differ from one another. These rolling radii R1 and R2 will be adjusted to the geometry of the wheel running surface to be deep-rolled and here are between 3 mm and 30 mm. The work roller 3 can consist of hardened steel or of carbide and has a roll diameter between 20 mm and 200 mm.

(17) For the functional rotational movement of the work roller 3, a combined axial/radial bearing 8-9 is preferably used in the case of this variant. Alternatively, other variants are possible, for example grooved ball bearings, cylindrical roller bearings or slide bearings.

(18) An alternative form of receptacle or locating bolt 5 supported on the support arms 2 and 7 is to pass the loads during deep rolling from work roller 3 via the axial/radial bearing 8-9 into the stopping device. Due to the type of the bearing this receptacle is designed cylindrically. Here, the locating bolt 5 is fixed on two sides via a thread in the stopping device. Two flanges are provided for, in order to take up the axial components of the axial/radial bearing 8-9 and to pass axial forces into the stopping device.

(19) Viewed functionally, the stopping device consisting of base body 1 and the support arms 2 and 7 is the coupling unit between work roller 3 and processing machine. In place of the existing rotary cutter head for lathe machining this stopping device is to be replaced or adaptively coupled, next to the rotary cutting head, with the processing machine for the wheel running surfaces.

(20) Viewed functionally, the stopping device consisting of base body 1 and the support arms 2 and 7 is the coupling unit between work roller 3 and processing machine. In place of the existing rotary cutter head for lathe machining this stopping device is to be replaced or adaptively coupled, next to the rotary cutting head, with the processing machine for the wheel running surfaces.

(21) FIG. 6 shows by way of example the rolling course along the entire profile in six positions a) to f). Here, the feed direction of the work roller 3 runs from right to left.

(22) In both embodiments the rolling unit described is suitable for underfloor wheelset lathes as well as for floor wheelset lathes in flat-bed and portal designs. The rolling unit can also be used to machine train wheels in all standard lathes. In addition, this rolling unit can also be used for the machining of forged monoblock wheels in the area of wheel manufacture by vertical wheel machining centres. Thus, the rolling unit in accordance with the invention can be used for the deep rolling of the wheel running surfaces of different types of rail vehicles, from high-speed trains to commuter trains within the railway area, as well as for lighter vehicles such as trams and metros.