Johnson Industries is making railyard operations safer and more efficient with its range of industrial brake systems.
As an island nation, Australia’s ports are critical to its economic health. Shipping raw materials like iron ore, coal and spodumene to international trade partners is the most efficient way for the resources industry to move its product, but it cannot be done effectively without proper infrastructure.
One key area of this infrastructure is railyard equipment like cranes, stacker-reclaimers and ship-loaders, all of which enable throughput on a massive scale.
But in an environment like Australia, which is rocked by the occasional extreme weather event, these assets have to be sturdy.
“Railyard equipment can have a substantial surface area,” Johnson Industries chief executive officer Lawrence Johnson told Safe to Work.
“When subjected to high wind speeds, these surfaces can act like sails, catching wind and leading to uncontrolled movements.”
This movement can pose a risk to people, equipment and production, which is why Johnson Industries is helping to secure machinery with its range of industrial brake systems.
Storm brakes
Rail clamps, otherwise known as storm brakes, firmly secure rail-mounted machinery such as a crane to its tracks, helping to ensure those assets remain stationery even in adverse weather conditions.
Johnson Industries’ storm brakes provide a robust grip by squeezing the rail from both sides, which offers greater stability.
These clamps come in a range of capacities from 450kg through to 68 tonnes – or 4.4–667 kilonewtons (kN) – of holding force. Their mountings, enclosures and coatings are also highly customisable.
“Our rail clamps are specially adapted to resist wind and other external forces on track-mounted equipment such as bulk material stacker-reclaimers and all types of bridge, gantry and container cranes,” Johnson said.
“Our standard assembly includes the floating yoke clamping mechanism, manual release bolt, stainless steel pins, spring actuator, enclosure support structure, limit switch, and flow-control valve.
“Each clamp is supplied as a complete assembled unit, ready for easy installation.”
These storm brakes also come with a failsafe feature: they are designed to remain engaged or immediately engage where there is a loss of power or system malfunction.
“This inherent safety feature is crucial in preventing potential disasters in industrial settings,” Johnson said.
Wheel grippers
Johnson Industries also offers a range of wheel grippers, which are ground-mounted brakes used to hold and stabilise rail car wheels during the dumping process. Wheel grippers have additional applications for track-mounted equipment such as stacker-reclaimers, and any type of bridge, gantry and container crane.
Johnson Industries manufactures three sizes of wheel grippers, rated at 5.6 tonnes (55kN), 11.3 tonnes (110kN) and 15.8 tonnes (150kN) of holding force.
For an extra layer of safety, each mechanism hosts one or more limit switches, which indicate gripper release, set and wear. These may be interlocked with other equipment, which prevents rail car movement until the gripper is fully released.
Johnson Industries’ brake systems are helping to ensure Australia’s ports stay up and running. The company has been improving its expertise for over a century, keeping operations running and workers safe from harm.
This feature also appears in the July-August issue of Safe to Work.