The following specification particularly describes and ascertains the nature.of this invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the cutting of condemned Railway Wheels, and more
specifically, the old Railway Wheels received to be cut into smaller pieces that can be
. used to feed the Electric Arc Furnaces (EAF) at Rail Wheel Factory (RWF). Railway
■.. scrap consisting of condemned wheel sets, rails, loose wheels and axles are used as
raw materials for the Electric Arc Furnace after gas cutting them to required sizes.
The Plant (RWF) utilizes Railway scrap as raw material for manufacturing new Railway wheels. The scrap is melted in Electric Arc furnaces. The chemistry of the molten metal is monitored using Computerized Spectrometers. This enables precise control of steel composition during steel making, thus obtaining optimum metallurgical characteristics needed for long service. The casting is done in graphite moulds. These are machined using formed tools. The graphite moulds are processed for casting through bottom pressure pouring system to cast Railway wheels as per customer specifications & drawings.
The older system of scrap wheel cutting was through manual gas cutting. This involved about 80 gas cutters. The gas cutters have to select the wheels from scrap heap and • position them in flat positions for convenient cutting. The cut wheels are categorized as Heavy Metal Scrap (HMS). HMS constitutes more than 80 % of the total scrap requirement /day of around 300 MT. The gas cutter would cut the wheels to required sizes. The output of one gas cuter is observed to be around 15 to 18 wheels per day. The present manual arrangement is laborious as well as hazardous. The scrap heaps are unstable and fumes accumulate, in the working area.
The objective of the invention is to overcome the above problems and develop a
Mechanized Railway Wheel Cutting System. The system comprises of a' Wheel
Handling System, cutting system, a Slat Conveyor in which the cutting system is
mounted. The cutting system has torches to cut each scrap wheel into 3 pieces using
Oxy -LPG fuel. The entire process is controlled by a PLC operated through" push
"* ' buttons by an operator"" ~ ~ * -^'rzr-~ _..
PRIOR ART:
Prior art search indicates that the invention in so far as claimed is novel and is an invention within the meaning of the Patent act 1970. However, the US patent 5678066 teaches about milling for wheel set and WO 2007014972A2 describe under floor wheel iathe and further CN 103521883A teaches about rail cutting machine and WIPO No.104099838describes about internal combustion rail cutting machine. Since, the

present invention is distinct and unique from the prior art inventions which is meant for scrap Railway Wheel cutting for the purposes of re- melting in Electric Arc Furnaces, the inventions in the prior art are not meant for scrap wheel cutting, therefore the novelty of this invention is established.
EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION:
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, Fig (1), of Mechanized Railway Wheel Cutting System, the handling and cutting systems are as described below.
Mechanized Railway Wheel cutting system has a Wheel Handling System with a Jib Crane which is used to load the wheel on to Chain Driven Live Roller (CDLR) conveyor section. There are a total of 6 CDLR conveyor sections. Each section can hold one Railway wheel; therefore the conveyor has a capacity to hold 6 wheels. Wheels of diameter ranging from 725 mm to 1090 mm need to be cut on the Cutting System. ■
In order to ensure proper centering of wheel on the conveyor, the 6th conveyor section is provided with a Wheel Centering Device. The scrap wheel for cutting is fed to the Slat Conveyor after the wheel centering operation is completed. The wheel on. the Slat Conveyor is indexed to reach the home position of the Cutting System.
The Cutting System has two Oxy-LPG cutting torches. It can move along 3 axis (X, Y &
Z). The movement of Cutting System is accomplished through a DC motor and gearbox
drive. The X axis movement is for cutting the wheel, Y axis movement.aligns the cutting
torch with the wheel & the 2 axis movement adjusts the cutting torch up & down during .
the cutting operation. .■.. . . . _. .^
Once, the wheel is positioned on the Slat Conveyor, the Cutting System is positioned on the wheel, pre-heated and the cutting operations are started. During the process of cutting, the cutting torch will be moved up & down Jo match the profile of the wheel. Once, the wheel is cut into pieces, the Cutting System is moved to its home position and the cut wheels on the Slat Conveyor are dropped in to the Cut Pieces Collection Pit by indexing the Slat Conveyor. The cut wheel is later picked from the'said collection pit ... . by electro, magnets mounted .:on- EOT cranes- and~loadeck-QA-a--wagon for-transport-to™—«-Melt shop.
In one more possible embodiment of the invention in Fig (3) the cutting and handling arrangement are described below:
In this "Mechanized Railway Wheel Cutting System and the process of cutting wheels thereof a Jib Crane (A) will position the wheel on to the CDLR section (06 sections) and Transfer Car (D) will position the wheel on CDLR section 7 to'~9.~ On this multiple Cutting Systems (C) (at least 03 Nos.) are availabfe. Each has two Oxy LPG cutting torches

and the said cutting system is positioned such a way that 03 wheels are cut into 09 pieces along X axis. Prior to this, the cutting torches in cutting systems are aligned, with the wheel in Y axis through a motorised drive. Movement along the Z axis is adjusted through a motorised drive manually by the operator who adjust based on the sensing thickness of wheel to be cut. The cut pieces will be collected in Drop Pit (E).The mirror image has the same arrangement is operated from opposite direction. Thus, a total 18 pieces will be cut out of 6 wheels and collected in two drop pits (E).
The system also comprises of a Wheel Handling System having 02 Nos. of Jib Cranes, 02 sets of Chain Driven Live Roller (CDLR) conveyors comprising of 09 CDLR sections and 02 Nos of transfer cars. Wheels so cut will be collected in 02 Nos of drop pits which will be further transported to melting section as brought out in Fig 3.Thus, a total of at least 18 pieces will be cut in these 02 sets of Mechanized Railway Wheel Cutting Systems. This embodiment is -an arrangement and rearrangement of systems/subsystems for increased productivity by employing 02 sets of Mechanized Railway Wheel Cutting System.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides for a "Mechanized Railway Wheel Cutting System and the process of cutting the wheel thereof.
The Mechanized Railway Wheel Cutting System comprises of the Wheel Handling System with one jib crane which positions the wheel on to Chain Driven Live Roller (CDLR) conveyor with 06 CDLR sections. In CDLR section 6, the centering the wheel is done with stopper and cylinder mechanism before feeding to Slat Conveyor. The movement of wheel is controlled by Programmable Logic Control (PLC). The Cutting System is mounted over the Slat Conveyor has 2 Nos of Oxy-LPG Cutting torches. The wheel which is preheated before cutting and is capable of moving along X-, Y and Z axis. The cutting system has mechanism of motorized drive for cutting the wheel into 03 pieces along X axis automatically. Prior to this, cutting system moves along the Y axis to align the wheel with cutting torches. This is achieved through a DC motor and gearbox having roller driven by a sprocket assembly moving at a preset speed. Furthe^ ..-the. Cutting System movement* alon<3p the Z axis"7s~operated' manually through a motorized drive having,a rack and pinion mechanism. This.movement of cutting torches is done considering thickness of the wheel to be cut as per the profile of the wheel, When the cutting system is brought back to the home position after cutting the wheel into 03 pieces, the cut pieces of the wheel are discharged into "Cut Piece Collection Pit" through a drive available in Slat Conveyor. The cut pieces are then moved to designated place for loading to wagons for further movement; through an EOT crane equipped with electrc magnets.

The process of cutting of.Railway wheels comprises of the following steps:-
Loading of scrap Railway wheels to the CDLR conveyor section 1 is. done by the operator after wheel cuts have discharged from cutting system on Slat Conveyor while maintaining at least 6 wheels as a buffer at any point of time in CDLR section.
Simultaneously, the wheel.which is centered using stopper and cylinder assembly at CDLR section 6 is discharged to Slat Conveyor manually by the operator.
The operator stops the wheels to be cut on the Slat Conveyor in the home position of the cutting system. Thus, aligning the cutting torches with the wheel in Y axis and adjusting for the thickness to be cut as per the profile of the wheel in Z axis through the motorized drive is done. The wheel to be cut is preheated in the rim and then, the Cutting System will start to cut along the X axis automatically. The wheel is cut into 3 pieces.
The wheels cut in the above manner on the Slat Conveyor will be dropped in to the "Cut Pieces Collecting Pit" for further transportation to melting shop. Simultaneously the centered wheel in CDLR section 6 will be transferred manually for cutting operation on Slat Conveyor.
While the cut pieces are transferred to "Cut Pieces Collecting Pit" and the cutting system is brought back to home position on the Slat Conveyor. Simultaneously, Jib crane will load wheel to be cut into CDLR sectionl by the operator, duly indexing the CDLR through PLC.
Accordingly, the invention of new "Mechanized Railway Wheel Cutting System" is complying with requirements under section 2(1) (j) of the patent act 1970 w.r.t to definition of invention:
i) Novelty: The subject invention has novelty as the equipment is unique. The "Mechanized Railway Wheel Cutting System is not used anywhere else as it is only for cutting of scrap wheei for the purposes of melting in the EAF which has specific application in RWF and hence, the novelty is not destroyed by prior publication/patents as discussed in prior art.
the novelty of the construct is embotJied not only in the concept but in its design and the way it has been implemented. The combination of feeding the condemned wheel discs,-its centering, cutting, unloading and collection pit is all included in the work station design. The novelty is deeply routed in a problem solving mode which automates the hitherto manual process thereby enhancing productivity, safety, quality and ergonomics including ease of work. The features permit the entire process to be executed in a largely automated mode making the construct unique.
• Hence the noveity in the instant invention is established.

ii) Inventive step resides in above said object / embodiments of the invention from existing gas cutting operation manually by labourers which saves hazardous work environment and also laborious operation with the newly invented Mechanized Railway Wheel Cutting System. Thus, it provides a technical solution to problems encountered in existing system of manual gas cutting. This is a. paradigm shift in gas cutting operation absolving manual labour contributing immensely to safety and environment.
Innovative Step is proved by design and construction of the unique configuration which ■ is almost completely automated and has cut more than 16000 wheels till date. The design of mounting heads, the configuration in which the operator is able to perform all the tasks from his platform, its interface with the material handling system and features such as centering and combination of various drives embody the innovative step. Innovative step is also manifested in the iterative development of this machine which has been completed and operated since January 2020.
o Hence, the inventive step in the instant invention is established.
iii) Industrial applicability
Wheel production is a manufacturing industry that is acknowledged worldwide with, close to 5 million wheels demand and matching supplies by wheel manufacturing industries such as M/s Griffins, KLW and Bonatrans, etc as global players. The industrial applicability is palpable as this invention.is already in use at RWF.
Industrial Applicability is proved beyond doubt by the fact that till today more than 16000 number of wheels have already been cut and used by Rail Wheel Factory, Yelahanka, Bangalore for feeding the electric arc furnace and producing new wheels
• Hence, the Industrial applicability in the instant invention is established.
further, it is stated that the invention in so far as claimed in this specification is qualifying for patent within the meaning of the patent act 1970. '
BRIEF DESCRIPTION WITH REFERENCE TO DRAWINGS: - — ~-—
■*
Now the invention will be described in brief with reference to drawings.
1. Fig 1: Shows an Mechanized Railway Wheel Cutting Machine and the Process of cutting the wheel thereof as present preferred embodiment of the invention.
2. Fig2: Shows details of Cutting System and Control mechanism.
3. Fig 3: Shows one inore possible embodiment of the'invention'having plurality of at
least two sets "Mechanized Railway Wheel Cutting System" having 03 Cutting Systems.
The 2 sets of mechanized Railway Wheel Cutting System being positioned as a mirror

image of one with the other having drop pit at each end and handling arranged accordingly.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT WITH REFERENCE TO DRAWINGS:
Mechanized Railway Wheel Cutting System (ref. Fig1) explains the Wheel Handling System having one Jib Crane (A) which will position the wheel on to the CDLR section • (1).Eventually wheels will be accommodated in the CDLR conveyor section. After The wheel is centered in the CDLR section 6 having a centering device, the wheel is indexed to Slat Conveyor(D).The operator upon pressing the button, Cutting head (C) having 2 cutting torches will start cutting wheel into 3 pieces automatically. Prior to this, the cutting torches will be aligned with the wheel along the Y axis. Up and down movement of cutting torches in Z axis is effected by operator as per the profile of the wheel to be cut during the cutting process through motorized drive mechanisms.
Prior to the cutting of the wheel, 06 wheels must be held in place on CDLR conveyor 1 - 6. The 6th wheel is centered on CDLR section 6 by Programmable Logic Control (PLC). The respective CDLR sections 1-6 are capable of being indexed in to the Slat Conveyor. The wheel is preheated before the cutting operation is started on the Slat Conveyor. The Cutting System has 02 Nos. of Oxy LPG cutting torches which are aligned with the wheel along the Y axis in order that the cutting of the wheel into 3 pieces in X axis is accomplished in the Slat Conveyor. The motorized drive for the X&Y axis movement is affected through DC motor and gearbox having rollers driven by sprocket assembly moving as per the preset speed. Simultaneously, the Z axis movement is effected through a motorized drive having rack and pinion arrangement by the operator during the process of cutting with consideration to the thickness of wheel to be cut. The final 03 Nos. of wheel cut pieces are further discharged in to the "Cut Piece Collection Pit". Once the cutting and discharging of cut pieces is accomplished, the next wheel will enter S'at Conveyor from the CDLR section (6) equipped with a Centering Device (B). This centers the wheel using a stopper and cylinder arrangement. The said centering device wil: center the wheeV automatically and hold the wheel in position at _„_CnLR section 6 for transferring wheel for next cutting operation_on the Slat Conveyor. After, the cut pieces a*e discharged to the "Cut Piece Collection Pit" by indexing the Slat Conveyor. Simultaneously the operator will load next wheel on CDLR section(1) through a Jib Crane.

The operator will be pressing the button from control station to effect the manual operation as desired (F). The following is the list of the manual/automatic operations ' carried out (ref fig-1);
1. Wheel loading onto CDLR section 1 by Jib crane (A) is operated manually.
2. Centering of wheel using centering device (B) at CDLRsection6 controlled automatically by the PLC.
3. Cutting of wheel in to 3 pieces done by cutting system(C) having 2 cutting torches along X axis is automatic. Further the movement along Y axis will align the cutting torches with the wheel and the vertical movement along Z axis as per the profile of wheel during the cutting process is through a motorized drive mechanism. This is operated manually.
4. Discharge of. the cut wheel pieces in to the "Cut Wheel Collecting Pit"(E) is through indexing Slat Conveyor. This is also operated manually.
The Jib crane (A) positions the wheel onto the CDLR conveyor section 1. The said conveyor can hold 06 wheels:- This must be accomplished on CDLR sections 1 to 6, by Programmable Logic Control (PLC).These wheels are indexed in to the Slat Conveyor (D) after cutting of wheel pieces and discharging operation is complete in the said Slat Conveyor. The Cutting System (C) has two cutting torches (4 in Fig 2) and they cut the wheel in X axis automatically. The said Cutting System has motorized drive with DC motor and gearbox having roller driven by sprocket assembly (1) moving as per the preset speed. The Y axis- movement of the Cutting System is available having motorized drive (2) capable of aligning the cutting torches with the wheel. Simultaneously, the operator provides Z axis movement manually through a drive assembly (3) as per the profile thickness of the wheel to be cut during the process. Thus the wheel is cut into 03 pieces. While the cutting system is brought back to home- position, the wheels so cut will be collected in "Cut Piece Collection Pit" (E) through a drive in Slat Conveyor. These cut wheels are further transported to melting section through wagons.
Now the wheel cutting by Cutting System(C) is explained in detail (ref. Fig 2). The " Cutting System (1) comprises of two cutting torches having supply of fuel. In the instant case, the fuel used is Oxy-LPG. The Cutting System is supported on a structure (8). Cutting System comprises of two cutting torches positioned in a suitable way to cut the wheels at the Slat Conveyor (5). The drive for the Cutting System is automatic with ^mgt^t^^^nyejegyjpp^g^wjth DC motor^and^gfiarhoy-^ "~~Hiav7ng~ro!iers ;!';ver. by sprocket assembly (4) as per predetermined speed along the X axis for cutiir.g the wheel on the Slat Conveyor(5). Further the cutting torches

will be aligned with the wheel in Y axis with motorized drive (2) and the Z axis movement of Cutting System © will be done manually by the operator through the motorized drive (3). Thus, the wheel is cut into 3 pieces and these will be • transported to "Cut Wheel. Collection Pit" by drive assembly (7) through Slat Conveyor (4) manually.
Simultaneously, while the operator loads the wheel on to the CDLR sectionl through Jib crane (ref. fig 1) and the cycle of operation repeats indexing of the wheel to CDLR Unit 6 having automatic centering device (B) and is controlled by the PLC. The centered wheel at CDLR section 6 is fed into the Slat Conveyor (D) for next wheel cutting.operation to start. Once the cutting of wheel into 3 pieces is accomplished by Cutting System(C) on Slat Conveyor (D) and the cut pieces from the said Slat Conveyor are discharged to the "Cut Piece Collection Pit" (E), the Cutting System is brought back to home position. Simultaneously, the operator will load next wheel on CDLR section (1) through a Jib Crane. Thus, the cycle repeats for next cycle of cutting operation.
The scope of the invention is in no way restricted to the "Mechanized Railway Wheel Cutting System and the Process of the Cutting Wheel thereof individually or collectively also comes in the ambit of present invention.-