US 12,290,826 B2
Automated spray system to produce an elastomeric pad on a railroad tie
Yinglong Chen, Lake Jackson, TX (US); Larry D. Dotson, Midland, MI (US); Huang Wu, Lake Jackson, TX (US); Jason A Reese, Midland, MI (US); Kevin W. Light, Marietta, GA (US); Annette Baker, Marietta, GA (US); and J. Cody Clinton, Lake Jackson, TX (US)
Assigned to Dow Global Technologies LLC, Midland, MI (US)
Appl. No. 17/791,555
Filed by Dow Global Technologies LLC, Midland, MI (US)
PCT Filed Jan. 7, 2021, PCT No. PCT/US2021/012476
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jul. 8, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/142103, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 15, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/958,870, filed on Jan. 9, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0034329 A1, Feb. 2, 2023
Int. Cl. B05B 12/14 (2006.01); B05B 7/00 (2006.01); B05B 12/12 (2006.01); B05B 13/00 (2006.01); B05B 13/02 (2006.01); B05B 13/04 (2006.01); E01B 3/46 (2006.01)
CPC B05B 12/1418 (2013.01) [B05B 7/0018 (2013.01); B05B 7/0093 (2013.01); B05B 12/126 (2013.01); B05B 13/005 (2013.01); B05B 13/0278 (2013.01); B05B 13/041 (2013.01); E01B 3/46 (2013.01); E01B 2204/01 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An automated spray system to produce an elastomeric pad on a first major surface of a railroad tie, the automated spray system comprising:
a two-component spray system having a first storage tank to hold a first liquid component of a two-component reaction mixture, a second storage tank to hold a second liquid component of the two-component reaction mixture, a first hose, a second hose, a first pump having an inlet and an outlet, a second pump having an inlet and an outlet, and a spray applicator with a mixing chamber to mix the first liquid component and the second liquid component of the two-component reaction mixture, the mixing chamber having a first mixing chamber inlet, a second mixing chamber inlet, a mixing chamber outlet and a nozzle at the mixing chamber outlet, wherein:
the first hose fluidly connects the first liquid component in the first storage tank to the inlet of the first pump;
the second hose fluidly connects the second liquid component in the second storage tank to the inlet of the second pump; and
the outlet of the first pump fluidly connected to the first mixing chamber inlet and the outlet of the second pump fluidly connect to the second mixing chamber inlet of the mixing chamber of the spray applicator;
a gantry system having a first support frame, a second support frame and a girder that extends between and is supported by the first support frame and the second support frame, wherein the girder supports the spray applicator and wherein the gantry system straddles the railroad tie to position the nozzle of the spray applicator in a position over the first major surface of the railroad tie;
a trolley having a motor to provide relative motion between the nozzle of the spray applicator and the first major surface of the railroad tie; and
a control unit coupled to the first pump and the second pump including machine-readable instructions executable to regulate the volumetric flow rate of the first liquid component through the first mixing chamber inlet, the volumetric flow rate of the second liquid component through the second mixing chamber inlet and thereby the volumetric flow rate of the two-component reaction mixture spraying from the nozzle of the spray applicator, and wherein the control unit is coupled to the motor of the trolley to control the motor of the trolley to provide the relative motion between the nozzle of the spray applicator and the first major surface of the railroad tie as the spray applicator sprays the two-component reaction mixture onto the first major surface of the railroad tie to produce the elastomeric pad, wherein:
the spray applicator is attached to the trolley and the trolley is mounted on the girder, the trolley travelling along a longitudinal axis of the girder under the control of the control unit to provide the relative motion between the nozzle of the spray applicator and the first major surface of the railroad tie along a first-axis of travel.