Gyro Locomotive

Gyro Locomotive

 

a mine locomotive with a mechanical energy accumulator; used for hauling cars in shafts. Gyro locomotives began to be used in Europe in the 1940’s, after the Swiss firm Oerlikon had adapted them to mass production. They have been made in the USSR since the 1950’s.

In the gyro locomotive, energy stored in a rotating flywheel is used to move the train. The flywheel is rotated at 2,000-3,000 rpm by an electric or pneumatic motor that is either mounted on the locomotive or located at a stationary charging point. The construction of the locomotive provides for stepped or infinitely variable speed control (for example, with a transmission). The range of a locomotive on a single charging is usually no more than 3-5 km. Gyro locomotives are mainly used for transporting small loads along airways and in sinking shafts, and also as an auxiliary transport in water shafts and shafts for continuous conveyor operation.

A. A. PARKHOMENKO