RAIL CUM ROAD VEHICLES (RCRV) AND ECONOMY RAIL TRACK-CUM-CORRUGATED CONCRETE TRACK TO ENGAGE WITH CORRUGATED TREAD RUBBER WHEELS ON ALL ROADWAYS.

• US 20150202935A1
• Filed: 08/12/2013
• Published: 07/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Vidya Kalyani Venkatachalam
• Original Assignee: Vidya Kalyani Venkatachalam
• Inventors: Muthusamy, Venkatachalam
• Application Number:
  US14/423,791
• Publication Number:
  US 20150202935A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60B 17/00 Wheels characterised by rail-engaging elements wheel-axle combinations B60B37/00; of model railways A63H19/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60F 1/04 with rail and road wheels on different axles
• CPC Class Codes: B60F 1/043 Vehicles comprising own propelling units
• CPC Class Codes: B60F 2301/00 Retractable wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60F 2301/10 Methods of getting on or off the rails
• CPC Class Codes: B61B 13/02 Rack railways
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 30/00 Transportation of goods or passengers via railways, e.g. energy recovery or reducing air resistance

Abstract

A rail cum road vehicle(RCRV) running on rail tracks or on plain roads, includes a gas powered hybrid engine coach linked to and pulling one or several passenger coaches or goods vehicles, all of which in common are fitted with pneumatic rubber wheels, steel wheels, air suspension system with hanger brackets, air brakes and couplers. The air suspension system will lift the axles of the rubber wheels for rail travel, and it will lift the steel wheels to nm on plain roads. Its regenerative braking system produces electricity to run the motor of an air compressor unit or the vehicle itself. The engine power is transmitted to the steel wheels and the rubber wheels via crown/differential boxes and sprockets and chains. All of the RCRV are fitted with ‘advanced light weight rail tracks brakes’ and ‘corrugated concrete track to engage with the corrugated tread rubber wheels’ for instant braking. The circular chassis bogie at rear end helps the RCRV on tracks and on road comfortably negotiate. The ballast-less economy rail track with lesser numbers of light weight sleepers is bolted to the ground for comfortable journey with less noise.

Claims

1. A rail cum road vehicle for use to run on rail track or on plain road includes a gas powered hybrid engine coach linked to and pull one or several passenger coaches or goods vehicles;

all in common fitted with pneumatic rubber wheels, steel wheels, air suspension system with hanger brackets, air and pneumatic brakes and couplers;

an air suspension mechanism lifts all flanged steel wheels while running on plain roads and while running on rails all pneumatic rubber wheels remain lifted up just few centimetres above the corrugated concrete track-laid by the side of outer rails for use of corrugated tread rubber wheels;

said hybrid engine coach is fitted with 3-geared LINK GEAR BOX in between the engine and main gear box for the purpose of either to connect the engine to wheels or to connect the adjacent generator/motor to wheels to produce electric power during regenerative braking;

said hybrid engine coach has at least two front pneumatic rubber wheels drivably connected to a steering mechanism for use while running a short distance on plain roads, and the 2^nd axle of flanged steel wheels serve the purpose as front rail-guide wheels ;

said hybrid engine coach transmits its engine'"'"'s rotating power to its wheels through link gear box, main gear box, propeller shafts, crowns of 4^th axle of flangeless steel wheels and ‘

6^th axle of flanged steel wheels-under circular bogie’

through drive shafts from crown-inside the axle to its wheels;

the width of said flangeless steel wheels of 4^th axle is extra wider and fitted in between the 2^nd and 6th axles of flanged steel wheels;

these flangeless steel wheels are fitted only in hybrid engine coach which has its rear flanged wheel under circular bogie;

said steel wheels then transmit their rotating power to the adjoining pneumatic rubber wheels of 3^rd axle and 7^th axles via sprockets and chains;

said chains are fitted with spring loaded mini sprockets at its outer top side and outer bottom side to keep the required chain tension during the process of up and down moving axles of steel wheels or rubber wheels while on move on rails or on roads;

‘

rail track brake’

sets for emergency braking is fitted with steel wheel axles;

multi purpose single axle of steel wheels circular bogie accommodates a 5^th split axles with two pneumatic rubber wheels, a 6^th crowned axle with flanged steel wheels is fitted in the middle and its rotating power is transmitted to its adjoining 7^th axle of pneumatic rubber wheels by sprockets and chains;

said circular bogie allows flexible movement of its super structure along with its front flanged steel wheels on rail track by about 35 degrees on right or left sides thereby preventing its rear steel wheels under the circular bogie from jumping over rails;

in an articulated type of hybrid engine coach, the flangeless steel wheels of 4^th axle are replaced with flanged steel wheel and the circular bogie with its 5^th split axles with rubber wheels are replaced with regular articulated chassis fitted with only 6^th and 7^th axles connected by sprockets and chains as the propeller shaft extends up to 6^th axle, and the articulated chassis front arm is connected at the centre point of cross bar of first chassis after the 4^th axle and rail track brake set;

a mini hybrid engine coach is a miniature form of hybrid engine coach, as it is without the 3^rd axle of rubber wheels and the 4^th axle of steel wheels to make it only a 4 wheel drive through sprockets and chains i.e. 2 steel wheels plus 2 rubber wheels under the circular bogie and the sizes of all components have been reduced to required level.

2. Steel wheels as claimed in claim 1, it is with 1 in 20 slope starting from flange side;

the overall diameter of flange is increased by 10 mm as compared with the existing railways, its overall weight is reduced/ascertained according to maximum load capacity of different types of rolling stock that varies from 5 tonnes to 35 tonnes. For light weight rolling stock the new concept light weighted rail wheel is;

its hub is made out of steel, its disc is made out of strong but light weighted aluminium-alloy material, but its tyre is made out of steel or a ‘

non-metal material’

which is ‘

multi times stronger but multi times lighter than steel, which runs noiseless.

3. Crowned axles as claimed in claim 1, are fitted with steel wheels supported by heavy taper roller bearings over the ends of hollow axles, so that axles remain rigid and both the wheels move independently.

6. In an air suspension system as claimed in claim 1, an advanced/improved technology is incorporated for rail cum road vehicles;

the air is preserved and used for the whole train by using special air pumps transferring the air from right side air bags to left side and vice versa when train runs fast at slant tight curves to maintain centre of gravity.

7. A link gear box as claimed in claim 1, has 3 gears, one is main gear with heavy shaft connecting both engine and the main gear box;

the sliding coupler over engine shaft which the driver can connect or disconnect with the main gear shaft;

the 3^rd gear is coupled to the generator/motor and in between is the 2^nd/middle sliding idle gear which the driver can engage with 1^st and 3^rd gears whenever regenerative braking is activated so that the rotating steel wheels of RCRV are connected to the generator to rotate to produce power to run air compressor unit or the vehicle through batteries.

8. Sprockets and chains as claimed in claim 1, to synchronize the distance covered by both the smaller dia steel wheels and the bigger dia rubber wheels, proper size sprockets are fitted to these wheels;

to accommodate sprockets and chains, normal/smaller width rubber wheels are fitted to the hybrid engine coaches.

9. RAIL TRACK BRAKE as claimed in claim 1, is one among four brakes and consists of brake shoes fitted with its double upper extension rods inserted into double bushes which is fitted behind both steel wheels with a common steel frame which gets it support from the axle arm at both ends of axle but inner side of steel wheels;

the brake shoe upper extension rods top is fitted with air bag or hydraulic mechanism for emergency braking.

10. A MULTI PURPOSE CIRCULAR BOGIE as claimed in claim 1, is a single axle flanged steel wheels bogie balanced by 4 rubber wheels on its both sides;

the motorized rack and pinion mechanism incorporated under the circular bogie and a spring loaded safety lock provided just above the motorized pinion are both driver controlled while running on plain roads;

but the lock is released by the driver while running on rails;

this mechanism functions like rear steering;

a centre plate is provided at the centre of the bogie with a hole at the centre base plate and another centre plate with a heavy bolt at its centre point is provided under main chassis frame and when placed together the upper plate exactly fits inside the centre plate of bogie and the heavy centre bolt is tightened underneath the bogie;

to enable smooth movement of main chassis frame over the circular chassis, steel rollers are provided;

to avoid vibration of bogie while running, a spring loaded ball stopper with corrugated steel steps is provided just above the rear bare pinion;

both motorized pinion and bare pinion on both sides are bolted to the main chassis frame so that the bogie remain intact at its place;

lubricated hard rubber cushion is placed in between the two centre plates.

12. In a passenger coach as claimed in claim 1, a solid axle with flanged steel wheels with all its supporting components is fixed under a first chassis;

behind the axle, a rail track brake set as detailed above is provided;

next under the same chassis, a solid axle with pneumatic rubber wheels is fitted with all its supporting components;

at the rear end of the coach a circular bogie with all the wheels and supporting components except sprockets and chains is fixed under a main chassis frame as in trailer cum semi trailer;

a circular bogie allows longer wheel base wherever required.

4. Air bags suspensions are fitted on the extreme ends of solid and crowned hollow axles of steel wheels;

T.R. bearing supported steel wheel is retained at its unshakable position by a suitable washer and threaded bush with end flange with multiple bolt holes and to arrest movement of this bush, another plain square bush with bolt holed inner flange is tight fitted over the square end of the solid axle and both flanges are tightened together by bolts &

nuts;

For crowned hollow axle, a heavy flange with long bush is bolted to the outer side of steel wheel hub and suitable two roller bearings are fitted over the end of the long bush and another square bush is overlaid the roller bearings and air bag is tightened on top of the square bush along with shock absorbers.

5. Corrugated tread pneumatic rubber wheels to grip with corrugated concrete track of about 600 mm width to function like ‘

rack and pinion’

as the edges of these rubber wheels and the concrete track are designed to resemble the shape of smoothened gear teeth.

11. A TRAILER CUM SEMI TRAILER for use to run on rail and on road is provided with a king pin at its usual place beneath the main chassis frame at front side;

next to it is the landing gear and next is the first chassis/steel frame, at its middle is a solid axle with flanged steel wheels supported by two hanger brackets which holds the two axle arms, axle lift air bags are fitted behind the hanger brackets and on both axle arm extensions are fitted with axle load bearing air bags and the solid frame of rail track brake set;

the brake shoes are placed just above rails but behind the steel wheels;

in front of steel wheels, a pair of mini flanged steel wheels supported by telescopic frame is provided for the purpose of conveniently moving out the entire set from the vehicle if it is detached;

a second chassis frame away from 1^st chassis but very near to the rear circular bogie is fitted with a single solid axle with two rubber wheels;

usual hanger brackets and air bags are in their places;

all the rubber wheels are super single wider width tyres bear the entire load of the trailer cum semi trailer;

at its rear side a circular bogie is fixed under the main chassis frame as in hybrid engine coach but since this has no self priming mechanism, it does not require sprockets and chains;

the trailer cum semi trailer is hauled by a roadways heavy tractor while moving short distance on plain roads to load goods or deliver materials.

13. For a road vehicle used as caravan, ambulance, by police, fire service, military and VIPs, with rear rubber wheel drive from its rear engine or a front wheel drive from its front engine, its front rubber wheels are connected to the steering mechanism and in the middle of the under structure, two axles of flanged steel wheels are fitted with minimum/closer wheel base so as to enable it to run on rails frictionless at tight curves.

14. A rail track sleeper comprising of two bearing plates separated by a tie-rod, the double and triple moulded-jaws at their outer side to receive and hold the rail'"'"'s outer flat bottom and double and triple inner loose jaws fitted over to the inner side of the bearing plates after positioning the rail to the sleeper and provision to fix both sides of the bearing plates to the ground;

the triple jaw sleeper is used only at the spot where two rails are joined;

the width of the double-jaw bearing plate is about 160 mm and length about 250 mm excluding the tie-rod and its bracket;

the width of the triple-jaw bearing plate is about 230 mm and its length about 250 mm.

15. A shim/distance piece with 1 in 20 slope, its length about 125 to 150 mm and width equal to the width of rail'"'"'s flat bottom to be laid on it, is used to place under the rail in between two sleepers to fill the gap between road surface and rail bottom. The thickness of this shim is same as of bearing plate'"'"'s thickness at rail seating area.

16. To place the vehicle on rail track from plain roads, prominent bright lines should be marked on plain road on both sides of the track which must be in alignment with the outer border of the vehicle;

the driver of the tractor while the trailer cum semi trailer moves backward to place it on rail track, should be able to see the bright line;

as rail head and plain road are on same level, and when the outer edge of rear side rubber wheels are in alignment with bright line, he slowly lowers the rear axle of steel wheels on the rail track and simultaneously lifts the rear rubber wheels;

also the motorized circular bogie makes minute movement to place the wheels on rail;

by moving the vehicle forward right or left and then by slowly lowering the front steel wheel and lifting the rubber wheels.