APPARATUS FR ADVANCING RAIL VEHICLES THROUGH A LOADING OR UNLOADING INSTALLATION

摘要

1361605 Track propulsion systems W LAWRENCE & SON (LONDON) Ltd 21 Sept 1971 [9 July 1970] 33463/70 Heading B7L A wagon controller, particularly for use in a loading or unloading installation, comprises wheels 16, 17 mounted on supports 10 for disposal at opposite sides of rails for the wagons, resilient means such as hydraulic rams 30 urging the wheels inwardly for rolling engagement with the sides of a wagon, drive means such as hydraulic motors 22 for rotating the wheels to propel a wagon, and flow resistance means including a respective adjustable flow regulating valve 60 in the exhaust line of each motor 22. Each valve 60 limits flow and thus causes a pressure build-up downstream of the associated motor 22 when its wheels 16, 17 rotate above a predetermined speed. This downstream pressure becomes greater than that upstream of the motor and thus exerts a braking torque on the motor. A high resistance by-pass line 61, 67 through a relief valve 68 permits exhaust of liquid when the downstream pressure build-up exceeds a chosen value. There may also be provided additional brake means such as hydraulically actuated brake units 27 for applying a braking torque to the wheels to arrest a wagon. Each support or stanchion 10 has a separate hydraulic circuit including a hydro-pneumatic accumulator 76 for supplying liquid to the hydraulic motors 22, rams 30 and brake units 27 on the stanchion 10, the circuit being pressurized by a pump 41 driven by an electric motor 26 on the stanchion. A pair of swing arms 11, 12 movable about a vertical axis are mounted on each stanchion 10, and each arm carries a rotatably mounted axle shaft 15 which in turn carries two wheels 16, 17. Each axle shaft 15 is driven via a flexible coupling 20 by one of the hydraulic motors 22 and carries a brake disc 28 which may be acted on by the respective brake unit 27.