Title of Invention

PORTAL WHEEL LATHE

Abstract The invention relates to a Portal wheel lathe (1) for railway wheel sets(6) with a machine stand (2)that bridges a repair track (45) like a portal and carries on either side of the repair track (45) a headstock (14, 15) with a main spindle (23) and a main drive (16, 19, 30, 31 and 32) for the main spindle (23) that has a motor that can be synchronised electrically (16, 17) and a transmission (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 30, 31, 32), where the main spindle (23) is provided with a face plate (24, 25) with devices for the centring (13) and devices for the rotational drive of the railway wheel set (6) with at least one tool block (39, 40) between the two face plates (24, 25) of the tailstocks (14, 15) that carries machining tools (41, 42) for the railway wheel set (6) and with a lifting jack (46) in the repair track (45) in order to lift the railway wheel set (6) back rolled into the portal wheel lathe (1) in the device for the centring (13) and lowering of the machined wheel set (6) onto the repair track (45). The transmission (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 30, 31, 32) that drives the main spindle (23) of a headstock (14, 15) is designed as a multistage transmission (19, 30, 31, 32) that introduces the rotational movement of the main spindle (23) into the main spindle (23) at the opposite end (29) of the face plate (24, 25) .
Full Text Portal wheel lathe
The invention relates to a portal wheel lathe for railway wheel sets with a machine stand that bridges a repair track like a portal and carries on either side of the repair track a main spindle and a main drive for the main spindle featuring a motor that can be synchronised electrically and a transmission; the main spindle has a face plate with devices for the centering and the rotational drive of a railway wheel set with at least one tool block between the two face plates of the headstocks that carries the machining tools for the railway wheel set and with a wheel set lifting jack in the repair track that lifts the railway wheel set which has been rolled into the portal wheel lathe and in the devices for centering and lowers the machined railway wheel set back onto the repair track.
From an early company brochure of the applicant, a "Portal wheel lathe Type 165" is known. This is a fully automated high-performance lathe in portal design. The known portal wheel lathe is designed for the machining of the wheel profiles of run, retired, remounted and new wheel sets; the inner and outer end faces of the wheel sets can be machined as well. The known portal wheel lathe is suitable for all kinds of locomotive, railcar, passenger car and freight car wheel sets. Roller bearing housings, gear wheels, transmissions, brake discs and hollow shafts mounted on the wheel set do not hamper here .

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The frame of the known portal wheel lathe "bridges" a repair track "like a portal". Both headstocks are shiftable in transverse directions to the repair track. On each headstock, a main drive with motor and transmission is arranged. The space between the two headstocks is completely clear. The wheel sets roll into and out of the known portal wheel lathe without interference.
The main spindles are each supported axially by a large diameter axial roller bearing that is in direct contact with the gear rim of the face plate. The big axial bearing transmits the axial forces directly to the headstock housing. The axial bearing has a diameter of 1100 mm. Both face plates are each driven by a motor; both motors are synchronised electrically.
The driving system for the wheel set is designed in a manner that despite a high number of clamping processes on different wheel sets during a machining shift, only minimal clamping notches occur and the wheel tyres remain practically without distortion. In order to be able to machine economically the miscellaneous wheel sets stated above, an automated clamping circle diameter adjustment is provided for the driving systems. There are three different driving systems available:
4-jaws axial driver or 3-jaws radial driver, or 3-jaws radial and axial driver.
A precise automated centering of the wheel sets, required for the clamping of them between the sleeves of the main spindles of wheel sets of different weights, is achieved by means of an electronic synchronisation of the wheel

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set centers with the center line of the machine. A pushbutton integrated in the machine block provides for a correct lifting stop for any wheel set diameter; the wheel flange toe is used as a centering reference here. A wheel set lifting jack in the repair track arranged between the headstocks provides for the lifting and the centering of the wheel set. The hydraulic lifting jack is automatically lowered during the machining. The wide area of chip discharge released in this way is a major prerequisite for a "fully automated" machine operation.
These are the advantages of the basically known and successful portal wheel lathe Type 165 CNC. However, the disadvantage of the prior art technology is that axial roller bearings with a large diameter are required to support the face plates. As is known, the manufacturing price for roller bearings increases superproportionally in relation to their diameter, and this applies in particular to axial roller bearings. Accordingly, the big axial roller bearings increase the price of the known portal wheel lathe. Therefore it is a problem of the present invention, to improve the drive of the main spindle and to cut the price of the same. Furthermore, it being another problem to decrease the maintenance costs of the machine accrueing during the course of its service period.
According to the invention, the problem is resolved by a new design of the transmission gears of the drive of the main spindle of a headstock as a multistage-transmission that introduces the rotational drive of the main spindle into that end of the main spindle that points away from the face plate. An advantageous example of such a multistage transmission is a three-stage design with a

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first stage of the transmission being designed as a belt drive, the second stage as a planetary gear unit and the third stage as a spur gear unit. All three types of gears are standard elements in mechanical engineering, are used frequently and feature a favourable market price. The first gear stage as a belt drive unit has the additional advantage that the face plate may be driven "gently". The "gentle" drive of the machine tool is softer for the cutting tools and gives them a longer service life.
A particular advantage achieved when the individual gear stages are provided with transmission ratios as claimed in the patent claims 3 to 5. As a result, the total transmission ratio of all gear stages is between 1:20 and 1:160, preferably 1:60.51.
The prior art portal wheel lathes of type 165 are equipped with a twin block. Such a twin block limits the individual tool blocks to the machining of the profile of the wheel discs. In the present case, the wheel lathe was also redesigned such a manner that two tool blocks are arranged independently of each other on the portal and are shiftable in the longitudinal and transverse directions. These independent tool blocks enable both the reprofiling of wheel discs and the reprofiling of brake discs located between the wheel discs on the wheel set shaft.
As a further improvement of the prior art wheel lathe, it is planned to employ electric motors the speed of which can be varied in the range between 750 RPM and 4500 RPM to drive the main spindles.

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Furthermore, the portal wheel lathe features a modular design concept. Apart from the two headstock housings that are respectively designed as a left-hand piece and a right-hand piece, the bearings of the main spindle, the face plates, the centering devices and the drives are identical. Due to the fact that the above-designated elements are identical, they are also fully interchangeable among each other. The fact that they are identical constitutes a value-for-money advantage in production.
In addition to their suitability for portal wheel lathes, the headstocks are also suitable for the use in flat-bed wheel lathes. In principle, flat-bed wheel lathes are of a similar design as portal wheel lathes; in contrast to the latter, however, due to their lower machine bed, the wheel set is hoisted into the flat-bed lathe by a crane or it is rolled into it over a track that can be moved longitudinally and is retracted during the machining.
The invention will now be described in greater detail by way of an example.
The following Figures show a perspective view, at a reduced scale and with simplified representation.
Fig. 1 - is an overall view of a portal wheel lathe, Fig. 2 - is the right-hand headstock, and Fig. 3 - is the transmission flow of the main spindle drive of the portal wheel lathe.
The portal wheel lathe 1 has a frame 2 that bridges a repair track 45 like a portal. The frame 2 comprises the crossbeam 3 that rests on both sides of the repair track 45 on columns 4 and 5. The columns 4 and 5 are in turn

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connected to each other by an underfloor joint (not shown). In the portal wheel lathe 1, there is a wheel set 6 that presents the two wheel discs 7 and 8 and the brake discs 9 and 10. On the stub axles, 11 and 12, the wheel set 6 is held and centered in the portal wheel lathe 1. The holding and centering of the wheel set 6 on its stub axles 11 and 12 is done by means of sleeves 13 one of which is shown on the left-hand headstock 14 of the portal wheel lathe 1. A sleeve corresponding to sleeve 13 is also present in the right-hand headstock 15 of the portal wheel lathe 1. The rolling-in of the wheel set 6 and the lifting for the positioning between the sleeves 13 is performed by a lifting jack 46 which is known in the art.
On the right-hand headstock 15 shown in Fig. 2, a drive motor 16 is shown that is attached to the right-hand headstock 15. The speeds of the motors 16 and 11 of the two headstocks 14 and 15 can be synchronised to each other and varied in the range between 750 RPM and 4500 RPM. A multiple V-belt drive 19 is wrapped around the driving pinion 18 of the motor 16 and acts upon a belt pulley 20. The right-hand tailstock 15 presents the machine elements 18 and 20 which correspond to the machine elements 21 and 22 on the left-hand headstock 14. To simplify the graphic representation, the V-belt drive between the two belt pulleys 21 and 22 of the left-hand headstock 14 was omitted. The drive motors 16, 17 with their pinions 18 and 21, the V-belt drive 19 and the belt pulleys 20 and 22 form the first gear stage of the drive of the two main spindles 23 of the headstocks 14 and 15. The two main spindles 23 of the headstocks 14 and 15 are identical; therefore, Fig. 3 shows only the main spindle 23 of the right-hand tailstock 15. The main spindle 23

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carries on its front end, facing the wheel set 6, a face plate 24. A corresponding face plate 25 belongs to the left-hand main spindle 14 too. The face plates 24 and 25 comprise further devices (not shown here) that are intended for the rotational drive of the wheel set 6 on its two wheel discs 7 and 8 and are sufficiently known from the prior art.
The face plate 24 is on the one hand rested in the housing 26 of the right-hand headstock 15 in an axial bearing 27 that has a diameter much smaller than the diameters of prior art axial bearings. Further supports of the main spindle 23 comprise a front radial bearing 28 and a rear radial bearing (not shown) at the rear end 29 of the spindle housing 26.
The belt pulley 20 the input of a planetary gear unit 30 the output of which is a spur wheel pinion 31. The spur wheel pinion 31 engages in a spur wheel 32 which is attached firmly to the main spindle 23. The transmission ratio i1 between the motor pinion 18 and the belt pulley 20 is 1:2.8; the transmission ratio i2 within the planetary gear unit 30 is 1:6.14 and the transmission ratio i3 between the two spur wheels 31 and 32 is 1:3.52 so that a total transmission ratio i4 between the drive motor 16 and the main spindle 23 of i4 = 1:60.51 is achieved. Further motors 32 and 33 on the columns 4 and 5 with the associated belt drive 34 and belt pulley 35 are intended to adjust the two headstocks 14 and 15 in the axial direction 36.
Two tool blocks 39 and 40 are guided by horizontal guides 37 and 38 of the crossbeam 3. The tool blocks 39 and 40 carry respectively the machining tools 41 and 42 that are

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used to profile the brake discs 9 and 10. For the truing of the wheel discs 7 and 8, there are provided further turning tools 47 and 48 which are shown on the tool blocks 39 and 40. Using the tools 47 and 48, the wheel discs 7 and 8 can furthermore be lathed frontaliy also on their outer sides 43 and on their inner sides 44. The entire machining of the contour profiles of the wheel discs 7 and 8, of the brake discs 9 and 10, of the outer sides 43 and the inner sides 44 of the wheel set 6 is done by metal cutting using the machining tools 41 and 42 or 47 and 48 respectively.

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List of reference marks
1 Portal wheel lathe
2 Machine stand
3 Crossbeam
4 Column
5 Column
6 Wheel set
7 Wheel disc
8 Wheel disc
9 Brake disc
10 Brake disc
11 Stub axles
12 Stub axles
13 Sleeve
14 Left-hand headstock
15 Right-hand headstock
16 Drive motor
17 Drive motor
18 Driving pinion
19 V-belt drive
20 Belt pulley
21 Driving pinion
22 Belt pulley
23 Main spindle
24 Right-hand face plate
25 Left-hand face plate
26 Spindle housing
27 Axial bearing
28 Radial bearing
29 Rear end
30 Planetary gear unit
31 Spur wheel pinion

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32 Motor
33 Motor
34 V-belt drive
35 Belt pulley
36 Axial direction
37 Horizontal guide
38 Horizontal guides
39 Tool block
40 Tool block
41 Machining tool
42 Machining tool
43 Wheel set outer side
44 Wheel set inner side
45 Repair track
46 Lifting jack
47 Turning tool
48 Turning tool

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PATENT CLAIMS
Portal wheel lathe for railway wheel sets with a machine stand that bridges a repair track like a portal and carries on either side of the repair track a headstock with a main spindle and a main drive for the main spindle that has a motor which can be synchronised electrically and a transmission where in the main spindle has a face plate with devices for the centering of a railway wheel set and the rotational drive of the railway wheel set, with at least one tool block between the two face plates of the headstocks that carries the machining tools for the railway wheel set and with a lifting jack in the repair track to lift the railway wheel set that was rolled into the portal wheel lathe into the devices for the centring and to lower the machined railway wheel set back onto the repair track, characterised in that the transmission (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 30, 31) for the drive of the main spindle (23) of a headstock (14, 15) is designed as a multistage transmission (19, 30, 31, 32) that introduces the rotational drive of the main spindle (14, 15) into the end (29) of the main spindle (23) at the side opposite to the face plate (24, 25).

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2. Portal wheel lathe in accordance with claim 1,
characterised in that the multistage
transmission (19, 30, 31, 32) is provided with a belt;
drive (18, 19, 20), a planetary gear unit (20, 30,
31) and a spur gear unit (31, 32) to drive the face
plates (14, 15) .
3. Portal wheel lathe in accordance with claim 2,
characterised in that the
transmission ratio i1 of the belt drive (18, 19, 20)
is between 1:2 and 1:4, preferably i1 = 1:2.8.
4. Portal wheel lathe in accordance with claim 2,
characterised in that the
transmission ratio i2 of the planetary gear unit (20,
30, 31) is between 1:5 and 1:8, preferably i2 -
1:6.14.
5. Portal wheel lathe in accordance with claim 2,
characterised in that the
transmission ratio i3 of the spur gear unit (31, 32)
is between 1:2 and 1:5, preferably i3 = 1:3.52.
6. Portal wheel lathe following the claims 3 to 5,
characterised in that the total
transmission ratio i4 of all gear stages (19, 30, 31,
32) is between 1:20 and 1:160, preferably i4 =
1:60.51.
7. Portal wheel lathe in accordance with claim 1,
characterised in that the speeds of
the motor (16, 17) driving the main spindle (23) can

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be varied in the range between nnom = 15 00 RPM and nmax = 4500 RPM.
8. Portal wheel lathe in accordance with claim 1,
characterised in that the tool
block (39, 40) is provided with machining tools (47,
48) that are suitable for the reprofiling of wheel
discs (7, 8) of the railway wheel set (6) .
9. Portal wheel lathe in accordance with claim 1,
characterised in that the tool block
(39, 40) is provided with machining tools (41, 42)
that are suitable for the reprofiling of brake discs
(9, 10) of the railway wheel set (6) .
The invention relates to a Portal wheel lathe (1) for railway wheel sets(6) with a machine stand (2)that bridges a repair track (45) like a portal and carries on either side of the repair track (45) a headstock (14, 15) with a main spindle (23) and a main drive (16, 19, 30, 31 and 32) for the main spindle (23) that has a motor that can be synchronised electrically (16, 17) and a transmission (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 30, 31, 32), where the main spindle (23) is provided with a face plate (24, 25) with devices for the centring (13) and devices for the rotational drive of the railway wheel set (6) with at least one tool block (39, 40) between the two face plates
(24, 25) of the tailstocks (14, 15) that carries machining tools (41, 42) for the railway wheel set (6) and with a lifting jack (46) in the repair track (45) in order to lift the railway wheel set (6) back rolled into the portal wheel lathe (1) in the device for the centring
(13) and lowering of the machined wheel set (6) onto the repair track (45). The transmission (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 30, 31, 32) that drives the main spindle (23) of a headstock (14, 15) is designed as a multistage transmission (19, 30, 31, 32) that introduces the rotational movement of the main spindle (23) into the main spindle (23) at the opposite end (29) of the face plate (24, 25) .



Documents:

00108-kol-2007-correspondence-1.1.pdf

00108-kol-2007-correspondence-1.2.pdf

00108-kol-2007-form-18.pdf

00108-kol-2007-form-26.pdf

00108-kol-2007-others document.pdf

00108-kol-2007-priority document others.pdf

00108-kol-2007-priority document.pdf

0108-kol-2007-abstract.pdf

0108-kol-2007-claims.pdf

0108-kol-2007-correspondence others.pdf

0108-kol-2007-description(complete).pdf

0108-kol-2007-drawings.pdf

0108-kol-2007-form-1.pdf

0108-kol-2007-form-2.pdf

0108-kol-2007-form-3.pdf

0108-kol-2007-form-5.pdf

108-KOL-2007-ABSTRACT-1.1.pdf

108-KOL-2007-AMANDED CLAIMS.pdf

108-kol-2007-correspondence-1.1.pdf

108-KOL-2007-CORRESPONDENCE.pdf

108-KOL-2007-DESCRIPTION (COMPLETE)-1.1.pdf

108-KOL-2007-DRAWINGS-1.1.pdf

108-KOL-2007-EXAMINATION REPORT REPLY RECIEVED.pdf

108-kol-2007-examination report.pdf

108-KOL-2007-FORM 1-1.1.pdf

108-KOL-2007-FORM 1.pdf

108-kol-2007-form 18.pdf

108-KOL-2007-FORM 2-1.1.pdf

108-kol-2007-form 26.pdf

108-KOL-2007-FORM 3-1.1.pdf

108-kol-2007-form 3.pdf

108-kol-2007-form 5.pdf

108-kol-2007-granted-abstract.pdf

108-kol-2007-granted-claims.pdf

108-kol-2007-granted-description (complete).pdf

108-kol-2007-granted-drawings.pdf

108-kol-2007-granted-form 1.pdf

108-kol-2007-granted-form 2.pdf

108-kol-2007-granted-letter patent.pdf

108-kol-2007-granted-specification.pdf

108-KOL-2007-OTHERS-1.1.pdf

108-kol-2007-others.pdf

108-KOL-2007-PETITION UNDER RULE 137.pdf

108-kol-2007-priority document.pdf

108-kol-2007-reply to examination report.pdf

108-kol-2007-translated copy of priority document.pdf

abstract-00108-kol-2007.jpg


Patent Number 246724
Indian Patent Application Number 108/KOL/2007
PG Journal Number 11/2011
Publication Date 18-Mar-2011
Grant Date 14-Mar-2011
Date of Filing 29-Jan-2007
Name of Patentee HEGENSCHEIDT-MFD GMBH & CO. KG.
Applicant Address HEGENSCHEIDT PLATZ, 41812 ERSKELENZ
Inventors:
# Inventor's Name Inventor's Address
1 HANS J. NAUMANN 6 FOLMSBEE DRIVE, US-NY 12204 ALBANY
PCT International Classification Number B23B5/00
PCT International Application Number N/A
PCT International Filing date
PCT Conventions:
# PCT Application Number Date of Convention Priority Country
1 102006055299.7 2006-11-23 Germany