Method and system for retreading track wheel

• US 8,777,085 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2012
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Craig Mercier
• Original Assignee: Craig Mercier
• Inventors: Mercier, Craig
• Primary Examiner(s): STONER, KILEY SHAWN
• Application Number:
  US13/459,766
• Publication Number:
  US 20130186938A1
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 228/11
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2101/26 Railway- or like rails
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 31/02 relating to soldering or welding dip or wave soldering in the manufacture of printed circuits H05K3/34
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/044 Built-up welding on three-dimensional surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/186 making use of a consumable electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: B23P 6/00 Restoring or reconditioning objects straightening or restoring form of sheet metal, metal rods, metal tubes, metal profiles, or specific articles made therefrom B21D1/00, B21D3/00; repairing defective or damaged objects by casting techniques B22D19/10

Abstract

A wheel resurfacing method and system for resurfacing a worn track wheel to its original profile are disclosed. The system comprises a support for maintaining the worn railway wheel, a welding device, a controller, and a surface processing device. The worn railway wheel'"'"'s circumferential surface defining a flange and a tread surface is reconstituted using a welding material. The welding device and the worn railway wheel rotate one relative to the other at a predetermined rate to adaptively aggregate annular welding beads along the circumferential surface to form a curvilinear profile slanted away from the flange. A surface processing device is then applied to the welded layer to form a substantially uniform surface to reconstitute the worn railway wheel to its original profile.

Claims

1. A wheel resurfacing system for resurfacing a worn track wheel substantially to an original profile, comprising:

a support unit holding the worn track wheel, the worn track wheel having a circumferential surface defining a flange and a tread surface;

a welding unit maintained in spaced relation to the worn track wheel on said support unit, said welding unit applying a welding material to the worn track wheel during relative angular displacement between said welding unit and the worn track wheel;

a controller coupled to at least one of said support and welding units, said controller configured to selectively actuate said welding unit and concurrently adjust axial and radial displacement relative to a track wheel center between said welding unit and the track wheel, said controller thereby actuating said welding unit over a plurality of revolving passes of the track wheel to adaptively aggregate a plurality of annular beads of the welding material radially and axially displaced along a curved profile of the circumferential surface and form a welded layer of varied thickness thereon, the welded layer thereby forming a curvilinear profile tapered away from the flange; and

,

a surface processing device selectively applied to the welded layer to form a substantially uniform surface to reconstitute the worn track wheel to the original profile.

2. The wheel resurfacing system for resurfacing a worn track wheel substantially to an original profile of claim 1, further comprising an imager for detecting internal faults within the worn wheel.

3. The wheel resurfacing system for resurfacing a worn track wheel substantially to an original profile of claim 1, wherein the worn track wheel is preheated to a predetermined temperature before applying the welded layer.

4. The wheel resurfacing system for resurfacing a worn track wheel substantially to an original profile of claim 1, further comprising a thermal controller for thermally decompressing the track wheel after weld-processing for progressively controlled cooling.

5. The wheel resurfacing system for resurfacing a worn track wheel substantially to an original profile of claim 1, wherein the worn track wheel rotates relative to the welding device at a predetermined rate.

6. The wheel resurfacing system for resurfacing a worn track wheel substantially to an original profile of claim 1, wherein the controller selectively controls a plurality of parameters to adaptively aggregate the plurality of annular beads including a predetermined rate of relative rotation between the welding unit and support unit.

17. The wheel resurfacing system of claim 1, wherein said controller selectively controls a plurality of parameters to adaptively aggregate the plurality of annular beads, the parameters including a predetermined rate of relative rotation between said welding and support units.

7. A wheel resurfacing and fortifying system for resurfacing a worn railway wheel substantially to an original profile, comprising:

a support unit holding the worn railway wheel, the worn railway wheel having a circumferential surface defining a flange and a tread surface;

a welding unit maintained in spaced relation to said support unit, said welding unit applying a welding material to the worn railway wheel during relative angular displacement between said welding unit and the worn railway wheel, the welding material having a Rockwell hardness greater than the worn railway wheel;

a controller coupled to at least one of said support and welding units, said controller configured to selectively actuate said welding unit and concurrently adjust axial and radial displacement relative to a railway wheel center between said welding unit and the railway wheel, said controller thereby actuating said welding unit over a plurality of revolving passes of the railway wheel to adaptively aggregate a plurality of annular beads of the welding material radially and axially displaced along a curved profile of the circumferential surface and form a welded layer of varied thickness thereon, the annular beads being disproportionately aggregated at an intermediate contour between the flange and the tread surface, the welded layer thereby forming a curvilinear profile tapered away from the flange; and

,

a surface processing device selectively applied to the welded layer to form a substantially uniform surface to substantially reconstitute the worn railway wheel to the original profile.

8. The wheel resurfacing and fortifying system for resurfacing a worn railway wheel substantially to an original profile of claim 7, wherein the worn railway wheel is preheated to a predetermined temperature before applying the welded layer;

the system further comprising a thermal controller for thermally decompressing the railway wheel after weld-processing for progressively controlled cooling.

9. The wheel resurfacing and fortifying system for resurfacing a worn railway wheel substantially to an original profile of claim 7, further comprising an imager for detecting internal faults within the worn railway wheel.

10. The wheel resurfacing and fortifying system for resurfacing a worn railway wheel substantially to an original profile of claim 7, wherein the worn railway wheel is preheated to a predetermined temperature before applying the welded layer.

11. The wheel resurfacing and fortifying system for resurfacing a worn railway wheel substantially to an original profile of claim 7, wherein the worn railway wheel rotates relative to the welding device at a predetermined rate.

12. The wheel resurfacing and fortifying system for resurfacing a worn railway wheel substantially to an original profile of claim 7, wherein the controller selectively controls a plurality of parameters to adaptively aggregate the plurality of annular beads including a predetermined rate of relative rotation between the welding unit and support unit.

13. A wheel resurfacing system for resurfacing a worn track wheel substantially to an original profile, comprising:

a support unit holding the worn track wheel in angularly displaceable manner about an axis thereof, the worn track wheel having a circumferential surface defining a flange and a tread surface;

a welding unit displaceably maintained in spaced relation to the support unit, said welding unit applying a welding material to the worn track wheel during relative angular displacement between said welding unit and the worn track wheel;

a controller coupled to said support and welding units, said controller configured to selectively actuate said welding unit and concurrently adjust axial and radial displacement relative to a track wheel center between said welding unit and the track wheel, said controller thereby actuating said welding unit over a plurality of revolving passes of the track wheel to adaptively aggregate a plurality of annular beads of the welding material disposed at least one overtop another radially and axially displaced along a curved profile of the circumferential surface and form a welded layer of varied thickness thereon, the welded layer thereby forming a curvilinear profile tapered away from the flange; and

,

a surface processing device selectively applied to the welded layer to form a substantially uniform surface to reconstitute the worn track wheel to the original profile.

14. The wheel resurfacing system of claim 13, further comprising an imager for detecting internal faults within the worn wheel.

15. The wheel resurfacing system of claim 13, wherein the worn track wheel is preheated to a predetermined temperature before applying the welded layer.

16. The wheel resurfacing system of claim 13, further comprising a thermal controller for thermally decompressing the track wheel after weld-processing for progressively controlled cooling.