Railway

Abstract

 Railway (1) comprising a first railway part, and a second railway part adjacent to the first railway part, wherein the first- and second railway part are connected through rails (2) that are at least in part at regular places along their longitudinal direction supported by and mounted on sleepers (3) that rest on ballast, and wherein between each rail (2) and each sleeper (3) there is an intermediary rail supporting pad to avoid direct contact between the rail and the sleeper, which intermediary rail supporting pad is embodied in the form of at least two replaceable filler parts (11,12) that are placed on top of each other and that together exhibit a thickness in the vertical direction that matches and fills the room or space (9) between the rail (2) and the sleeper (3), wherein the filler parts (11,12) are embodied as wedges having on their surface regularly distributed depressions (17,18) transverse to the longitudinal direction of the rail.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a railway comprising a first railway part, and a second railway part adjacent to the first railway part, wherein the first- and second railway part are connected through rails that are at least in part at regular places along their longitudinal direction supported by and mounted on sleepers that rest on ballast, and wherein between each rail and anyone sleeper there is an intermediary rail supporting pad to avoid direct contact between the rail and the sleeper.

[0002] It is a known problem of existing railways that the support of neighbouring or adjacent railway parts may vary depending on the deterioration of the ballast, particularly although not exclusively shortly after establishing a new railway. The problem is however also existent with older railways, and is connected with the deterioration of the supporting structure of the sleepers which may be different for the first railway part and the adjacent second railway part. The problem is particularly prominent when the first railway part rests on ballast, and the second adjacent railway part rests on a more fixed structure such as concrete, as may be the case at a railway crossing. Over time the ballast may become more dense, and this deterioration is promoted by the regularly passing trains, which in turn will result in accelerated densification of the ballast. The ballast getting more dense may even eventually result in that the sleepers will no longer be supported by ballast, but will be hanging from the rail. This is very detrimental to passenger comfort, and may result even in rail failure.

[0003] It is known that the above pictured problem is resolved by more or less intensive maintenance of the ballast, in the form of repeated deliberate tamping of the ballast and bringing in additional ballast material. This is however at the expense of high costs, whilst practice learns that the results are poor.

[0004] It is an object of the invention to address the above mentioned problems and to cut maintenance and maintenance-costs, while improving passenger comfort and reducing the risk of rail failure.

[0005] FR-A-1.588.893 discloses a railway comprising a first railway part, and a second railway part adjacent to the first railway part, wherein the first- and second railway part are connected through rails that are at least in part at regular places along their longitudinal direction supported by and mounted on sleepers that rest on ballast, and wherein between each rail and any one sleeper there are at least two replaceable filler parts that are placed on top of each other and that together exhibit a thickness in the vertical direction that matches and fills the room or space between the rail and the sleeper so as to cause that the rail is maintained at a pre-established level, wherein a first and a second of the two replaceable filler parts are each embodied as wedges sloping in the longitudinal direction of the rail and having matching oblique contacting surfaces, whereby in use the oblique surfaces of the first wedge and the second wedge rest on each other so as to cause that opposed surfaces of the first wedge and the second wedge that contact the rail and the sleeper, respectively are substantially horizontal.

[0006] The railway of the invention has the features of one or more of the appended claims.

[0007] In a first aspect the railway of the invention has the feature that the wedges have in the longitudinal direction of their oblique contacting surface regularly distributed depressions transverse to the longitudinal direction of the rail so as to arrange that in said longitudinal direction the oblique contacting surface of each wedge is shaped as a series of connected sloping surface-parts.

[0008] This makes it easy to adjust for the dimensions of the room or space between the rail and the sleeper, also when these dimensions do not exactly match the available thickness groups of the filler parts, whilst the cooperating depressions on the contacting surfaces of the abutting wedges provide security against longitudinal movement of these wedges which might otherwise cause that the support of the rails by the ballast is lost. Further it is easily possible to adjust to the room or space - also afterwards- that possibly develops over time between the rail and the sleeper, whilst the sleeper can remain its support from the underlying structure, notably the ballast.

[0009] To keep maintenance effective and simple it is preferred that a first of the two replaceable filler parts is embodied as the conventionally applied sleeper pad that is known per se, and that the second of the two replaceable filler parts is one selected from a group of replaceable filler parts having thicknesses in preselected thickness-groups. Accordingly one can simply select the second of the two replaceable filler parts from the available preselected thickness groups in order to exactly fill up the room or space that has developed between the rail and the sleeper.

[0010] Desirably the filler part that immediately rests on the sleeper has side guides, each guide positioned on an opposite side of the supported rail. These guides are used to clamp the filler part in place and thus secure that with repeated trains passing by this filler part is kept in position and does not shift away transversely to the longitudinal direction of the rail.

[0011] A further desirable feature is that the filler parts are made from an elastic material, such as nylon or HDPE, optionally reinforced with glass fibers.

[0012] The invention will hereinafter be further elucidated with reference to the appended drawings of an example of a railway of the invention that does not limit the appended claims.

[0013] In the drawing:

• figure 1 shows a top view of a part of a railway;
• figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the part of the railway shown in figure 1, looking at part of a sleeper;
• figure 3 shows a detailed view of the sleeper and the rail mounted thereon;
• figures 4A-C show in top, frontal and side view respectively a first replaceable filler part; and
• figures 5A-B show in side and top view respectively a second replaceable filler part.

[0014] Whenever in the figures the same reference numerals are applied, these numerals refer to the same parts.

[0015] Referring first to figure 1 and figure 2 a part of a railway 1 is shown, notably a first railway part that in a known manner connects to a second railway part adjacent to the first railway part, wherein the first- and second railway part are connected through the rails 2 that they have in common.

[0016] In an also known manner the rails 2 is at regular places along its longitudinal direction supported by and mounted on sleepers 3 that rest on ballast. According to the prior art between each rail 2 and anyone sleeper 3 there is an intermediary rail supporting pad 4 to avoid direct contact between the rail 2 and the sleeper 3.

[0017] According to the invention the intermediary rail supporting pad is embodied in the form of at least two replaceable filler parts -as will be discussed hereinafter- that are placed on top of each other and that together exhibit a thickness in the vertical direction that matches and fills the room or space 9 (see figure 3) between the rail 2 and the sleeper 3 so as to cause that the rail 2 is maintained at a pre-established level. In order to make this possible the rail 2 is mounted on the sleeper 3 by using for instance so-called Winkelführungsplatten or angled guide plates 10 as are shown in figure 3, which while being mounted on each other allow a variable height between the rail 2 and sleeper 3. The angled guide plates 10 and the sleeper 3 have matching protrusions and depressions and are furthermore anchored to the sleeper 3 with cooperating bolts 5 and nuts 6, so that the rails 2 are secured against sideways movement between said angled guide plates 10. Mounting of the rails 2 on the sleeper 3 is completed by clamping plates 7 that are secured by further nuts 8 that are also provided on the bolts 5.

[0018] Like already mentioned above in the prior art there is between each rail 2 and anyone sleeper 3 an intermediary rail supporting pad to avoid direct contact between the rail 2 and the sleeper 3, and it is according to a first embodiment of the invention preferred that a first of the two replaceable filler parts is embodied as such a conventionally applied sleeper pad. According to the invention the second of the two replaceable filler parts is then one which is selected from a group of replaceable filler parts having thicknesses in preselected thickness-groups.

[0019] A more preferred embodiment of the invention is however embodied with the features that the first and the second of the two replaceable filler parts are each embodied as wedges 11, 12 as shown in figures 4A-C and 5A-B respectively.

[0020] Figures 4A-C show in top, frontal and side view respectively a first replaceable filler part embodied as a wedge 11 that is intended to come to rest with its bottom surface 13 on a sleeper 3.

[0021] Figures 5A-B show in side and top view respectively a second replaceable filler part embodied as a wedge 12, having a side 14 that in use abuts against the underside of the rail 2.

[0022] The first wedge 11 and the second wedge 12 respectively have matching oblique contacting surfaces 15, 16 that are intended in use to rest on each other so as to cause that the then opposed surfaces 13, 14 of the first wedge 11 and the second wedge 12, respectively that in use abut against the rail 2 and the sleeper 3, are substantially horizontal.

[0023] Both the figures 4A-C and the figures 5A-B show that the wedges 11, 12 have in the longitudinal direction of their oblique contacting surfaces 15, 16 regularly distributed depressions 17, 18 so as to arrange that in said longitudinal direction the oblique contacting surface 15, 16 of each wedge 11, 12 is shaped as a series of connected sloping surface-parts 19, 20. This makes it easy to accommodate for variable dimensions of the room or space 9 between the rail 2 and the sleeper 3, whilst the cooperating depressions on the contacting surfaces 15, 16 of the abutting wedges 11, 12 also secure against longitudinal movement of these wedges.

[0024] Figures 4A and 4C show that the wedge 11 or filler part that immediately comes to rest on the sleeper 3 has side guides 21, each guide 21 being in use positioned on an opposite side of the supported rail 2.
It can further be remarked that the wedges 11, 12 or filler parts are preferably made from an elastic material, such as nylon or HDPE, optionally reinforced with glass fiber.

Claims

1. Railway (1) comprising a first railway part, and a second railway part adjacent to the first railway part, wherein the first- and second railway part are connected through rails (2) that are at least in part at regular places along their longitudinal direction supported by and mounted on sleepers (3) that rest on ballast, and wherein between each rail (2) and anyone sleeper (3) there are at least two replaceable filler parts (11, 12) that are placed on top of each other and that together exhibit a thickness in the vertical direction that matches and fills the room or space (9) between the rail (2) and the sleeper (3) so as to cause that the rail (2) is maintained at a pre-established level, wherein a first and a second of the two replaceable filler parts are each embodied as wedges (11, 12) sloping in the longitudinal direction of the rail (2) and having matching oblique contacting surfaces (15, 16), whereby in use the oblique surfaces (15, 16) of the first wedge (11) and the second wedge (12) rest on each other so as to cause that opposed surfaces (13, 14) of the first wedge (11) and the second wedge (12) that contact the rail (2) and the sleeper (3) are substantially horizontal, characterized in that the wedges (11, 12) have in the longitudinal direction of their oblique contacting surface (15, 16) regularly distributed depressions (17, 18) transverse to the longitudinal direction of the rail (2) so as to arrange that in said longitudinal direction the oblique contacting surface (15, 16) of each wedge (11, 12) is shaped as a series of connected sloping surface-parts (19, 20).

2. Railway according to claim 1, characterized in that a first of the two replaceable filler parts is embodied as the conventionally applied sleeper pad that is known per se, and that the second of the two replaceable filler parts is one selected from a group of replaceable filler parts having thicknesses in preselected thickness-groups.

3. Railway according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the filler part that immediately rests on the sleeper has side guides (21), each guide positioned on an opposite side of the supported rail (2).

4. Railway according to any one of the previous claims, characterized in that the filler parts are made from an elastic material, such as nylon or HDPE, optionally reinforced with glass fibers.

Drawing