Relays

Relays are electro-mechanical devices used for switching. Relays are used to make the signaling logic circuits in the interlocking plants. They consist of one or two magnetic coils (electro magnets) and a set of contacts.

Figure The relay contacts can be classified into four types. A relay unit will contain a combination of these types.

Front contact - NO Back contact - NC Front/ Back contact Make before break contact

The magnetic system of the relay illustrated above (Figure -) consists of a cylindrical iron core with coil (pale blue near the bottom), two pole pieces and an armature. Larger relays (Figure -) have two iron cores united at the rear with a yoke and the front end being provided with pole pieces. The armature extends across both pole pieces. Iron core, pole pieces and armature are made out of iron with excellent magnetic properties. The armatures are so balanced that the vibration on the unit will not affect the relay operation

The contact springs are made out of nickel and the contacts tips are silver. The front contacts are of twin contacts and the back contacts are single contact type. The rear end of the contact springs are fixed between two blocks of transfer molded carbonate plastic reinforced with glass fibre. The stationary contact springs are supported at their free ends by a strip with notches, which limits the spring movement. The lower end of this strip is attached to the magnet support

Signaling system of the Sri Lanka Railway A description about the signaling system of the Sri Lanka Railway is given below according to the two week training of the signal and telecommunication department at Dematagoda. The Railway signaling system is basically designed to control by using the track circuits. Railway signal controlling (control signals), controlling motor points (motor Point is a place where the track branches off) and controlling gate barriers etc are done by using the track circuits. All of the Sri Lanka Railway signal controlling within the color light region (From Matara to Colombo and From Colombo to Polgahawela) are done at the signal control office at Maradana. Also all of the track circuit controlling is based on interlocking plants situated in each railway station as shown in figure . This plant ensures that before a signal goes in to 'clear' (green) state, it is absolutely safe for a train to enter into the track segment. The traffic controllers commands are not executed if it is not safe to do so. The interlocking plant is built out of electromechanical relays.

Figure . Track circuits Track circuit is one of the primary inputs for a signal interlocking plant. The tracks are segmented into 'blocks'. Each block is track circuited separately. The figure below illustrates a track circuit.

figure ..

The track circuit consists of a power supply on one end and a directional (polarized) relay on the other end. The power supply has a 6V battery kept charged by a 6V/6A rectifier. In case of power failure the battery will supply power to the circuit. The track relay (TR), which has a resistance of 30 ohm and a pickup voltage of 1.4 volt, is normally held in picked-up state the circuit being completed via the rails. When a train enters the segment the axels of the train short circuit the supply to the relay and the relay drops. The contacts of the track relays appear in most of the safety circuits of the interlocking plant. The interlocking logic is arranged such that only one train can be permitted to enter a section. The rails are insulated to separate the adjacent track circuits. The polarity of the adjacent track circuit is always reversed, so that the power supply of one circuit cannot operate the relay of the other circuit should the insulate between the circuits breakdown. Within one track circuit the rails are electrically connected by two wires (for safety). The minimum length of track circuit is depends on the degree of control necessary and the maximum length is limited by the weather conditions. On the Northern line from Loco Junction (Maradana) to Veyangoda, the segments have a maximum length of 2000 feet. On the Southern line from Loco Junction to Wadduwa, due to the saline atmosphere along the cost line, the track circuits are limited to 1500 feet max. Motor points

The point motor is powered by 110V d.c. supplied by the nearby relay house. When an order is given to switch the point, power is given to the motor in the respective direction. The motion is used to either push or pull the drive rod. Point machine has contacts for detection of the switching. These contacts are operated by the long and short detection rods. When the point is set properly an indication is obtained by the relay house through these contacts. The allowable gap between the stock rail and the switch blade is 3mm. When a foreign material such as a stone prevents the point from setting properly, the indication contacts stay neutral and no indication is sent. The clutch mechanism in the point machine will start slipping in order to protect the machine from mechanical damages. The safety relay attached to the motor circuit will cut off power in 15 seconds. When no indication is obtained at the control office, the controller will inform the Signal and Telecommunication Inspector (STI) in charge of the respective yard. On receipt of the information, STI will go to the motor point in question and remove the obstacle. The point machine has a facility to operate it by manual cranking. Once the point is cranked, the operation is finished and the indication will received by the control office. Gate barriers Gate barrier protects the level crossing. In the color light area gate barriers are automatically operated when a train approaches it from either direction. The gate machine has 110V d.c. motor to operate the gate. It also consists of contacts to get indication of the status of the gate. The figure below illustrates a gate barrier system.

The gate barrier has two signals on the track on either side of the road. The signal at the distance is called an early warning. It has two aspects of amber and green. The five lamps are arranged in a manner to represent letter "W" for Warning. The amber aspect means the gate is not protected. This signal is located at a distance to allow the driver of the train to apply brakes and stop the train if necessary. The green aspect means the gate is protected and the train can pass the gate at its normal speed. The signal near the gate has a similar arrangement; red on top unit and green on lower unit. If the gate is protected the green aspect will be lit and if not the red.