JPH0447170B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention This invention relates to temperature sensitive indicators, and more particularly to hot bearing warning bolts that provide a reliable indication that high temperatures have been reached.

(Problems to be Solved by the Prior Art/Invention) A wide variety of equipment can be severely damaged if heat starts to be generated due to operation and is not detected until damage occurs. Therefore, monitoring equipment temperature is desirable in a wide variety of processes and applications. A sensed temperature increase may be indicative of bearing failure and lubrication system failure, or simply mean that the equipment must cool down to continue operating within a given temperature range. Previously used systems have multiple sensors all wired to a central location where the temperature at each measurement point can be monitored. However, such systems require the use of either an operator or a computer to evaluate the information obtained from the sensors and are very expensive. This situation is further aggravated if the device being monitored is in operation in conjunction with the position of a display or control device, such as a journal bearing in a railway vehicle. Automated systems that use computers also
Some sensors automatically shut down when high temperature readings are sent from some sensors, even though the situation is unfavorable. In the case of railways, if the entire train is brought to a sudden stop due to overheating of the axle box, it can cause significant damage to the train and its cargo.

Some conventional devices have simply indicated a high temperature by a visual indicator before a preselected temperature is reached. The spring releases when the fusible alloy reaches its melting temperature.
In some cases, the internal member is then forced out of the bolt head. However, such methods are generally unreliable because the bolt heads are exposed to a wide variety of soils and contaminants. Dirt and contaminants can completely prevent exposure of the indicator member in some cases and prevent accurate calibration in other cases.

(Means and effects for solving the problem) The present invention is a high temperature alarm device that is screwed into a threaded hole in a bearing box of a roller bearing attached to an axle instead of a standard-shaped bolt in the bearing box of a roller bearing. a main body having a shaft screwed into a threaded hole in the bearing box and a wrench tightening head, the main body having a hole extending through the head and having an opening portion with an enlarged tip; , a heat detection device having a pin member that applies a force from the hole toward the opening on the outside of the main body at a set temperature; and a pin member that is fitted into the opening so that the heat detection device is normally enclosed within the main body. a closure plug member ejected from the main body by the pin member, and located at the bottom of the opening portion so as to be located between the pin member and the closure plug member;
The present invention is characterized by comprising a reflector member that is exposed when the closure plug member is released.

This allows the device to function as a bolt that provides a holding force, as well as to display an alarm when the temperature is high when screwed into the hole.

In the present invention, when the axle part reaches a preset high temperature in the bearing part in the bearing box, the large closure plug member fitted into the enlarged diameter opening first pops out from the main body, removing the surrounding dirty grease etc. Since the small pin member is subsequently ejected, the pin member is not contaminated. Furthermore, since the reflective plate member is exposed, a high temperature alarm can be reliably detected.

Furthermore, if the closure plug member and pin member that are released are connected to the main body with a connecting means such as a chain, the back side of the closure plug member will be clean and the pin member will not have molten alloy attached to it. A high temperature alarm can be reliably detected using these members as well.

Note that the thermal detection device that is a component of the present invention is
Preferably, the ejection mechanism includes a bimetallic member, a driver disposed within the hole, and the ejection mechanism comprising:
springs, and compositions that exhibit an exothermic reaction at a set temperature.

EXAMPLE 1 As referenced in detail in FIGS. 1 to 5, the high temperature alarm device 10 of the present invention is bolt-shaped and has a thread 12, a head 14, and an opening through which the head 14 passes. It has a hole 16 extending in the direction. The spring 18 within the hole 16 is typically held in a compressed state forced into solidified fusible metal or solder 20. A typical fusible metal is 250〓
of Cero Metal Products, which melts at (121℃)
Cerotru alloy.

1 and 2, the apparatus 10 is shown as one of three bearing journal bolts holding a bearing cover plate 22 on a wheel of a railroad vehicle.
Shown as individuals. A conventional bolt is shown as reference numeral 24.

The driver 26 is loosely fixed inside the hole 16,
It has a shoulder 28 supporting the spring 18 as shown. The other end of driver 26 is preferably in the form of a short pin 30. In normal, unheated conditions, the tip of pin 30 is well rearward of the plane defined by the tip of bolt head 14.

The lock ring 32 installed in the recess 34 prevents the driver 2 from operating even in the high temperature alarm condition.
6 is held inside the hole 16. Hole 16 is provided with an enlarged opening 40 in which a reflector member 42 having a hole 44 in its center is disposed.

In order to effectively seal the interior of the device 10 from any contaminants that may affect the performance of the device 10, the closure plug member 50 is expanded in diameter, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. The opening portion 40 is fitted within the opening portion 40 . plug 50
The top surface of the head should generally be a neutral color and flush with the head 14. When not exposed to fire, the device 10 screwed into the axle box produces no visible signal.

Normal dust, oil, etc. that accumulate around the axle box will cover and hide the bolt 24 or closure plug 50 from being seen. However, closure plug 50 maintains the internal mechanisms of device 10 in a clean and operational condition.

As the temperature around device 10 increases such that alloy 20 melts, spring 18 forces driver 26 toward closure plug 50. pin 30
All the forces are exerted on the plug 50 at a small cross-section, and the plug 50 is dislodged from the device 10 and ejected. As the driver 26 moves and delivers a hammer-like blow to the closure plug, the pin 30
The normal gap between the tip of the plug 50 and the plug 50 is
Produces kinetic energy. Even if the closure plug is covered with a large amount of dirt, the device 1
When struck by the clean mechanism inside 0,
It is strongly removed.

After the closure plug 50 is released, the pin 30 extends past the head 14 and the reflector member 42
is exposed. Since the surface of the disk 42 is wide,
In contrast to the usual bolt-like appearance of the device, it becomes very easy to see.

The closure plug 50 may alternatively be connected to the head 14 by a thin wire 52 as a connecting means, as shown in FIG. 5 for clarity purposes only. In such configurations, the back side 54 of the closure plug 50 may also be light colored or reflective to provide another highly visible indicator that high temperatures have been reached.

Alternatively, the alarm signal may be a non-visual signal that is only captured after the closure plug is released. By way of example only, and not by way of limitation, such an alarm signal may be generated by an inductive magnet within bore 16 and read by an external sensing device only after ejection of plug 50.

Embodiment 2 The embodiment shown in FIG. 6 is an alternative to the selection form of the invention shown in FIGS. 1-5. Like reference numbers are used for components that are or appear to be identical to those described above. In this example,
In place of spring 18 and alloy 20, a shape memory alloy component 60 is used. Component 60
is a simple bimetallic bent or spring-type component made of a shape memory alloy such as the type available from Memory Metals, Inc. of Stanford, CT. Component 60 maintains its compact shape until a preselected temperature is reached. Component 60 expands significantly when the selected temperature is exceeded, forcing pin 30 toward closure plug 50. The driver 26 is desirably configured so that it does not shrink back into the hole 16 even when cooled. As shown in the figure, the pin 30 is provided with a barb 56,
This penetrates the disk 42 and prevents backtracking.

Embodiment 3 Yet another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, apparatus 10 utilizes a chemical reaction to force driver 26 against closure plug 50. As shown in FIG. A suitable seal 62 between the driver 26 and the drug 64 retains the drug 64 within the bore 16.

The chemical 64 is configured to cause a reaction that increases the dotted volume of the chemical upon reaching a preselected temperature.
is selected. This expansion force forces seal 62 and driver 26 against closure plug 50. In addition to chemicals that normally react and expand at preselected temperatures, chemical compounds in which the chemicals are physically separated until a preselected temperature is reached, such as when a physical barrier melts, may be used. One component is encapsulated within a material that melts when the desired temperature is reached, which can mix with the other components, react and expand to release the clozier plug. A mechanism such as a barb 56 that prevents the pin 30 from moving back when cooled may also be used.

Embodiment 4 Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the device 10 includes a driver 70 within the hole 16. hole 16
includes a shoulder 72 on which a spring 74 rests as shown. The second shoulder 75 provides an enlarged opening above where the fusible metal 20 secures the driver in place. This enlarged opening provides space for the liquefied alloy to flow into. The driver 70 is the closure plug 5
It supports 0 from within. Alternatively, driver 70 may be secured to closure plug 50 by welding or other suitable means. When mounted in this manner, the spring 74 is free from the hardened fusible alloy 20 securing the driver to the device.
Push closure plug 50 and fixed driver 70 from device 10. When heated, the alloy melts and the spring releases the closure plug and driver from the device. A tether may connect the closure plug to the exterior of the device 10 to retain the expelled plug and driver in the heated device. As shown, driver 70 has a head 73 that supports a spring. In this approach, the driver and closure plug are released as separate components. A tether can also be provided here.

As shown in the previous figures, a good seal from the components allows the plug to be tightly secured within the enlarged opening 40. The device of FIG. 8 is provided with an even better seal. O-ring seal 76 is positioned within annular groove 78. This O-ring forms a seal to the closure plug 50. This seal prevents oil and dust from outside the bearing from contaminating the reflector member 42 and the moving parts.

As mentioned previously, conventional devices fail even with excellent signals, and this device also fails after overheating.
If you can't see the signal, you've failed. Even oxidation can cause reflective surfaces to no longer function as expected. The seal provided by the closure plug of the present invention is therefore extremely important to ensure reliability.

In place of or in addition to the O-ring seal 76, a sealite 80 may be installed between the device and the closure plug 50. Sealant 80 is a silicone sealing compound or anaerobic sealant with insufficient release force to prevent spring 74 from releasing the plug. In systems having an O-ring, it is desirable that the edge 82 of the closure plug 50 has a chamfer 84 as shown to prevent damage to the O-ring.

(Effects of the Invention) The high temperature alarm device of the present invention has a heat detection device disposed inside a hole provided in a bolt-shaped main body, and a closure plug member is fitted into the enlarged diameter opening of the hole to seal it. The large closure plug member is ejected from the main body by the force applied to the pin member by the detection device, which removes dirt from the surrounding area and exposes the reflector member inside the hole, so it is affected by the external environment. High temperature alarms can be reliably detected without any problems.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 is a perspective view of the bearing journal bearing bolt device of the present invention in a normal state, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the journal bearing bolt device of FIG. 1 in a temperature alarm state, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a spring and a fusible FIGS. 4 and 5 are exploded perspective views of the high temperature bearing alarm device of the present invention in which the temperature alloy is used, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the device in normal and temperature alarm conditions, respectively;
6 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention using a type memory alloy; FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment with standard chemical sealing within the device;
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment showing the securing of the driver to the sealed cap. 10...High temperature alarm device, 14...Head, 16
... Hole, 18 ... Spring, 20 ... Fusible metal, 24
...Bolt, 26...Driver, 30...Pin,
42... Reflector plate member, 50... Closure plug.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A high temperature alarm device that is screwed into a threaded hole in the bearing box instead of a standard-shaped bolt in a bearing box of a roller bearing mounted on an axle, wherein the threaded portion is screwed into the threaded hole in the bearing box. a main body having a shaft for tightening the wrench and a head for tightening the wrench, and a hole having an opening portion with an enlarged diameter at the tip and passing through the head; a heat detection device having a pin member that applies a force from the hole toward the opening; and a heat detection device that is normally fitted into the opening so that the heat detection device is enclosed within the main body, and is emitted from the main body by the pin member; a closure plug member disposed at the bottom of the opening portion so as to be located between the pin member and the closure plug member;
A high temperature alarm device comprising: a reflector member exposed when the closure plug member is released. 2. The thermal detection device includes an ejection mechanism and a driver disposed within the hole, the ejection mechanism transmitting a force to the driver like a hammer blow to eject the closure plug member. 2. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the hole is loosely inserted into the hole. 3. The device of claim 2, wherein the driver is spaced from the closure plug member to impart greater kinetic energy to the force applied by the ejection mechanism. 4. The device of claim 2, wherein the thermal detection device includes retaining means made of a fusible metal for retaining the ejection mechanism and the driver in the bore in the body until the set temperature is reached. 5 The release mechanism includes a bimetal member, a spring,
and a composition that exhibits an exothermic reaction at a set temperature. 6. Apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the closure plug member has coupling means so as to be connected to the body upon ejection. 7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the closure plug member has a reflective coating formed on its back surface. 8. The reflector member has a central hole through which a pin member for ejecting the closure plug member from the main body is passed, and is a visible indicator that is retained within the main body after ejection. The device according to scope 1. 9. The device of claim 1, wherein the hole in the body is sealed from the outside with an O-ring that fits around the outer periphery of the closure plug member. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the closure plug member is further sealed to the body by a sealant compound. 12. The device according to claim 10, characterized in that the sealant is a silicon compound. 13. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the closure plug member is attached to the pin member and abuts spring means for pushing out the pin member.