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"Front Line" Development |
| At JR East, we have implemented a program in which "front line" employees
make suggestions on how to make business operations more efficient
and offer solutions to technical problems they encounter directly in
their respective workplaces. This dynamic technical development aims
to raise our personnel's technical capabilities and breathe new life
into the workplace environment.Here we will introduce some examples of those development accomplishments. |
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Development of New-model Trolley Wire Fault Repair Devices |
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The trolley wires are the equipment that supplies electricity to the train by making contact with its pantograph. The faults in trolley wires cause localized abrasion so it is necessary to repair them.
This processing requires a high level of skills and is work for which brute strength is also necessary, so depending on the worker it sometimes took a long time or there were variations in the quality of the processing.
Furthermore, we process the trolley wire ends by twisting them in order to ensure that the pantograph can pass through smoothly when two trolley wires are connected to each other. This processing requires a high level of skills and is work for which brute strength is also necessary.
Therefore, we developed the "new-model trolley wire fault repair devices" which can perform both of these jobs with just one tool. The tool we developed has an embedded gear structure so it can be operated with approximately half of the conventional force and now anyone can easily correct the faults in the trolley wires. Furthermore, it is now possible to carry out the processing of the trolley ends with a consistent quality, regardless of the skills of the worker. |
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Development of Emergency Response Water Stop Material |
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In the case that the roof of a train station develops a rain leak, there is nothing that we can attach to a wet surface to stop the water so we handle the situation by prohibiting people from entering the area with the rain leak and after the rain stops carrying out repairs when the surface is dry.
Therefore, we developed the "compress-type water stop sheet" which can be glued to the roof even when the roof is wet. Due to this we are now able to repair the place with the rain leak quickly without waiting for it to dry. With the product we have developed multiple pasting is possible so it can also stop the water when the leaking area is a complicated shape or the gap is large. Furthermore, the repairs can be made simply by pasting the sheet directly onto the place with the rain leak so the work process has been simplified and now anyone can do the job. |
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Upgrading of Closures for ATS-P and P(N) |
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There are junction boxes (closures) at the cable switches of the signal equipment (ATS-P, P(N)).
The closures are vulnerable to water and break if water gets inside them.
If water inundates the inside of a closure, the water could not be seen from the outside so it was necessary to open the closure to check. Once a closure had been opened, some of its components could not be used again, so in the assembly work it was necessary to seal it again.
Therefore, we upgraded to a structure which makes it more difficult for water to get inside the closure, and at the same time developed a function which enables us to check how much water has gotten inside without opening or closing the device in the unlikely event that water does get inside. |
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Development of Air Spring Bellows Disassembly Device |
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The stopper rubber is removed with a special bar,
and the top plate removed by ceiling crane. |
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| <After development> |
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Developed device |
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Removal of stopper rubber side |
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Air springs are installed between bogies and car bodies, with each bogie having two air springs. These air springs carry most of the car weight, and are normally used on modern rolling stock to reduce vibration and improve passenger comfort. They also permit the car body to shift horizontally on curves. The rubber bellows part of the air spring deteriorates over time, so it is replaced at set intervals.
Traditionally, the rubber bellows is removed by a hammer and special bar when it needs to be replaced, and the top and bottom plates are removed with a ceiling crane. That is a labor-intensive two-person job, and can lead to problems of quality of work.
We therefore developed a machine to remove the top and bottom plates with easy operations without using a special bar or a ceiling crane. With the developed device, one person can remove the rubber bellows, and the bellows replacement on bogies can be done by an assembly-line method. |
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Development of Hanger Maker |
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Layout diagram |
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Comparison of hangers crafted
by hand and produced with
hanger maker |
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Conventional fabrication |
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Fabrication by new device |
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Trains are powered by electricity from overhead contact lines, collected by pantographs on the roofs of the cars. Maximum pantograph current collection performance is obtained when the contact line is level, and this level is maintained by hangers from the support wires. Traditionally, hangers are produced by cutting and bending by hand, but that requires expert skill.
We therefore developed a "hanger maker" that shapes a hanger by pressure, using hydraulic power. The time for this process is shorter and is independent of the level of skill of the worker. The finished shape looks better and the quality is uniform. |
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Development of Aseismic Ceiling Substructure |
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Conventional ceiling
cross section view |
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Aseismic ceiling
cross section view |
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Developed substructure |
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Brace attachment fastener
(Left: upper attachment fastener,
Right: vibration isolation fastener) |
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Damage has occurred in the past where building ceilings fell in severe earthquakes, so ceiling aseismic properties need to be further improved.
One way of improving ceiling aseismic properties often used is to connect the ceiling face and upper frame with braces. However, many reinforcement fasteners were needed when using conventional fasteners, presenting the problem of much time being required to attach them. For buildings that are affected by vibration from trains, a method of isolating from the top frame using vibration isolation hangers and other fixtures is normally employed. But installing braces presents the problem of vibration being transferred to the ceiling face.
We therefore developed fasteners for both ends of the brace. By modifying the top fastener attachment part, aseismic properties can be improved with a smaller number of fasteners. And by attaching bottom fasteners with vibration isolation properties, aseismic properties can be raised even in buildings that are subject to vibration. |
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