Design and Analysis of a New Kind of Railway Track Detection Trolley

Aiming at the current situations of low efficiency of manual track detection, single detection items and low penetration rate of high-speed track detection vehicles, a collapsible lightweight semi-T-shaped detection vehicle was designed to meet the requirements of optical vision detection, which could meet the requirements of laser detection and three-dimensional structural light detection. To solve the common problems that were difficult to guarantee the verticality between the track detection trolley frame and the rail longitudinal direction, a flexible side pressure mechanism was designed, which was mounted on the track detection trolley to prevent the frame deviation. Then, the D-H method was used to construct a kinematics model for solving the forward kinematics problems of the side pressure wheel at the end of the mechanism, and proved that side pressure wheel of flexible side pressure mechanism could contact tightly with inner side of rail to adapt the changes of the gauge. In order to ensure that the trolley would not roll over and derail in the static states, the mechanics analysis model of the trolley was established to verify the rationality of mechanism design. Finally, the physical prototype of the detection trolley was made and tested at the railway sites. Field tests show that the detection trolley has good verticality and self-adjusting ability to meet the inspection requirements. © 2019, China Mechanical Engineering Magazine Office. All right reserved.