Impact device and impact system

Description

1 / 22 “IMPACT DEVICE AND IMPACT SYSTEM” Technical Field of the Invention

[001] The invention relates to the field of railway infrastructure maintenance. More specifically, the invention relates to an impact device for a railway track. Background of the Invention

[002] In the area of ​​railway line maintenance, it is known that the periodic release of internal stresses accumulated in a railway track reduces the risk of track breakage. The stresses can, for example, come from temperature variations or the movement of trains using the railway lines.

[003] Currently, and in general, to alleviate stress on a trail, the operations performed by railway maintenance professionals are as follows: Release the track from your sleepers equipped with fasteners such as spring clips, for example. - Slightly lift the rail by supporting it on the surrounding ballast or the sleeper heads, - insert a small-diameter roller into the gap created between the base of the rail and the corresponding sleeper, - cut the continuous welded rail near the center of the work zone, extending for a length of approximately 1 to 1.5 kilometers, - progressively hammering the rail core, alternating between the inner and outer faces of said core, while moving back and forth over areas that can extend for several hundred meters, at a speed of several kilometers per hour, - if necessary, bring the track under consideration to a state of Petition 870250085611, dated 09 / 22 / 2025, page 37 / 68 2 / 22 reduced thermal expansion, whether by heating, cooling or stretching, - Weld the two ends of the rail together near the opening previously created during the rail cutting process. - Reattach the rail to its supports by removing the small-diameter rollers mentioned earlier. - to attach the rail to its sleepers, which are equipped with fasteners such as spring clips, for example.

[004] In particular, the rail impact operation, which consists of progressively hammering the said rail alternately on its inner and outer faces, is carried out by means of a device coupled to a light rail vehicle called a “truck”, which is pushed along the track by an operator. This truck comprises two independent rocker arms, each oscillating around an axis substantially parallel to the rails, each rocker arm being equipped, near its two opposite free ends, with an impact mass intended to impact the rail.

[005] The rockers are lifted by a common motor and hit the rail as they fall. The kinetic energy applied to the rail during the impact is therefore constant, as is the frequency of the impacts.

[006] However, this solution, presented in particular in French patent application FR 2882767 A1, is not entirely satisfactory. In fact, the rail strain relief device described therein has the following disadvantages: it is heavy, bulky, difficult to move and expensive.

[007] Therefore, it is necessary to find a solution that can overcome, at least partially, these disadvantages. Brief Description of the Invention

[008] The objective of the present invention is to provide a device Petition 870250085611, dated 09 / 22 / 2025, pp. 38 / 68 3 / 22 impact lighter and more compact.

[009] For this purpose, the invention relates to an impact device for a railway track, comprising: - a structure; - two impact members designed to impact the track, respectively, on two opposite lateral faces of the track, each impact member comprising an impact head designed to come into contact with the track and being mounted in an articulated manner in relation to the structure so as to allow said head to vary between an impact position and a distanced position; - a cam mounted rotatably relative to the structure and configured to cooperate during its rotation in an alternate manner with each of the impact members, so as to position the head of said impact member in its distanced position before interrupting cooperation with said impact member; - the impact device being configured in such a way that, for each of the impact members, when the cooperation of the cam with said impact member is interrupted, the head of said impact member automatically moves from its distanced position to its impact position, rotating said impact member.

[0010] Advantageously, this allows the impact device to be lighter and more compact, particularly when compared with the impact device described in French patent application FR 2882767 A1.

[0011] The cam's cooperation with each of the impact members occurs alternately or intermittently; in other words, the cam initially cooperates with a first impact member, then interrupts its cooperation with said first impact member and subsequently cooperates with the second impact member, then Petition 870250085611, dated 09 / 22 / 2025, pp. 39 / 68 4 / 22 discontinues its cooperation with the aforementioned second impact member, and so on.

[0012] The impact device may also comprise one or more of the following features.

[0013] According to a feature of the impact device, the impact device comprises, for each impact member, a return member configured to exert a return force tending to impel said impact member to drive / return the impact head of said impact member towards its impact position, at least when the impact head of said impact member is in its distanced position.

[0014] Advantageously, the return member makes it possible to impact the track with sufficient force to release the stresses in the track and increases the kinetic energy applied to the track during impact.

[0015] According to a characteristic of the impact device, each return member is selected from: - a cushion made of elastic material, preferably rubber; - a leaf spring; - a torsion spring; - a compression spring; - a tension spring; - an extendable cord made of elastic material.

[0016] According to a characteristic of the impact device, the impact device comprises: - an engine; - a transmission shaft that is rotatably driven by the engine; - the cam being mounted on the transmission shaft in such a way Petition 870250085611, dated 09 / 22 / 2025, page 40 / 68 5 / 22 that the cam has a degree of rotational freedom relative to the transmission shaft within a defined range between a first position of the cam relative to the transmission shaft and a second position of the cam relative to the transmission shaft, and such that the transmission shaft ensures the rotation of the cam when the cam is in its first position, the impact device being configured so that, during the rotation of the transmission shaft and for each of the impact members: - When the cam cooperates with the aforementioned impact member, the cam is in its first position and ensures that a support on the impact member is positioned on its impact head in its impact position. - When cooperation with the aforementioned impact member is interrupted, the cam automatically leaves its first position and moves towards its second position by rotating the cam around the transmission shaft in the direction of rotation of the transmission shaft.

[0017] Advantageously, mounting the cam on the drive shaft results in easier assembly, disassembly, and maintenance, as each component can be replaced individually without the need to replace the entire assembly comprising the drive shaft and cam.

[0018] Advantageously, mounting the cam on the drive shaft results in lower costs than a welded assembly or a machined block and greater flexibility in sizing the impact device.

[0019] The cam can automatically move from its first position to its second position by rotating the cam around the transmission shaft in the direction of rotation of the transmission shaft, so that the cam retracts so as not to obstruct the passage of the said head. Petition 870250085611, dated 09 / 22 / 2025, p. 41 / 68 6 / 22 impact member from the distanced position to the impact position.

[0020] According to a feature of the impact device, the impact device comprises a first element rotatably fixed to the transmission shaft, the cam comprising a second element, one of the first and second elements being an indexing member and the other of the first and second elements being a guide element, the indexing member and the guide element cooperating with each other to define the amplitude.

[0021] Advantageously, the cooperation between the first element and the second element allows defining the cam's rotation amplitude to ensure rail impact.

[0022] According to a feature of the impact device, each impact member defines a free volume such that, when the cooperation of the cam with said impact member is interrupted, a portion of the cam previously in contact with said impact member during the cooperation of the cam with said impact member penetrates said volume during the pivoting movement of said impact member, allowing the impact head of said impact member to be brought to its impact position.

[0023] Advantageously, the cam's penetration into the volume tends to prevent the cam from opposing the passage of the impact member to impact the track.

[0024] According to a feature of the impact device, the impact device comprises, for each impact member, a return member configured to automatically position itself, as soon as the impact head of said impact member has reached its impact position after the cooperation of the cam with said impact member has been interrupted, the head of said impact member in Petition 870250085611, dated 09 / 22 / 2025, p. 42 / 68 7 / 22 an intermediate position comprised between its impact position and its distanced position to prevent the head of said impact member from rubbing against the rail during a displacement of the impact device along the rail.

[0025] The impact device may include a return element for each impact member.

[0026] Advantageously, the return element prevents the head of said impact member from rubbing against the track when the impact device is moved along the track and thus reduces the frequency of maintenance of the impact device.

[0027] According to a feature of the impact device, each of the impact members comprises a plate disposed on the surface of the impact member on the cam side, and in which the cam comprises a roller configured to roll on the plate of each of the impact members when the cam cooperates with said impact member.

[0028] Advantageously, the plate constitutes a wear part that can reduce the maintenance costs of the impact device.

[0029] According to a feature of the impact device, the plate is made of S235 steel.

[0030] Advantageously, S235 steel can be readily found commercially and is inexpensive to purchase.

[0031] According to a characteristic of the impact device, each impact member has a mass less than 10 kilograms and, preferably, a mass less than 5 kilograms.

[0032] This allows the impact device to be lighter, less bulky and therefore easier to move.

[0033] According to a feature of the impact device, the impact device comprises a rolling device Petition 870250085611, dated 09 / 22 / 2025, p. 43 / 68 8 / 22 for rolling on the trail and a handlebar to move the aforementioned impact device.

[0034] The invention also relates to an impact system comprising two impact devices, each as described above and arranged to independently impact two opposing tracks of a railway line.

[0035] Other advantages and features may emerge from the detailed description below. Brief Description of the Figures

[0036] The invention will be better understood after reading the detailed description below, given only as a non-limiting example and with reference to the accompanying drawings listed below.

[0037] Figure 1 is a perspective view of an impact device for a railway track.

[0038] Figure 2 is a side view of the impact device in Figure 1.

[0039] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view along section AA of the impact device of Figure 2, showing the assembly that allows impacting the track.

[0040] Figure 4 is a detailed view centered on zone B of Figure 3, showing the mechanism for separating the impact members to impact the track.

[0041] Figure 5A is a schematic view along section AA of the impact device, showing an early stage of operation of said impact device.

[0042] Figure 5B is a schematic view along section AA of the impact device, showing a second phase of operation of said impact device.

[0043] Figure 6 is a perspective view of a partial view. Petition 870250085611, dated 09 / 22 / 2025, p. 44 / 68 9 / 22 of the impact device.

[0044] Figure 7 is a front view of an impact system comprising two impact devices, each as shown in Figure 1.

[0045] In these figures, the same references are used to designate the same elements. The elements shown in the various figures are not necessarily drawn to scale to facilitate understanding of the figures. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0046] In this description, the term “impact device” means a device configured to apply one or more impacts to a rail track, i.e., to impact said track.

[0047] By “impacting the trail”, it is understood that the trail can be hit on its head (301) or on any other part of the trail (300).

[0048] The invention relates to an impact device (1) for a rail of a railway line (300), an example of this impact device (1) is shown in Figures 1 and 2.

[0049] The impact device (1) comprises a structure (2) and two impact members (3A, 3B) designed to impact the track (300) respectively on two opposite lateral faces of the track (300).

[0050] The two impact members (3A, 3B) may be hammers intended to impact the track (300).

[0051] Each impact member (3A, 3B) may comprise a body and an impact head intended to come into contact with the track (300), i.e., to impact the track (300).

[0052] The body may, in particular, comprise a set of two substantially parallel plates.

[0053] The term “substantially parallel” means parallel or Petition 870250085611, dated 09 / 22 / 2025, page 45 / 68 10 / 22 parallel within approximately 10 degrees.

[0054] The two plates can, in particular, be assembled by welding at their ends. Thus, a first end of the plates can be connected to a joint shaft mounted on the structure (2), and the second end of the plates can be connected to the impact head.

[0055] This body structure allows impacting the rail (300) using the strongest part of the body.

[0056] The body has advantageously a reduced mass and allows for a reduction in the total mass of the impact device (1).

[0057] Each impact member (3A, 3B) can be mounted in an articulated manner relative to the structure (2), so as to allow said head to vary between an impact position (F) and a distanced position (E). The impact (F) and distanced (E) positions are shown in Figure 3.

[0058] For each impact member (3A and 3B), a first end of the body can be connected to the same articulation axis mounted on the structure. In other words, the impact members (3A and 3B) can be connected to the same articulation axis mounted on the structure.

[0059] The head can, for example, comprise an impact mass.

[0060] The head is fixed, in particular by welding or embedding, to the second end of the body of each impact member (3A, 3B).

[0061] Advantageously, the head comprises polyamide, in particular polyamide 6, a material used due to its good mechanical strength and its ability to absorb shocks and vibrations. Thus, the head provides the necessary resistance to impact the rail (300).

[0062] The head may have a polygonal shape suitable for impacting the rail (300). Petition 870250085611, dated 09 / 22 / 2025, pp. 46 / 68 11 / 22

[0063] According to one possibility, each of the impact members (3A, 3B) comprises a plate (9) disposed on the surface of the impact member (3A, 3B) on the side of the cam (3), as shown in Figure 4.

[0064] The plate can be attached to the body of each impact member (3A, 3B) by welding or by using fasteners such as screws.

[0065] The plate (9) allows fewer parts to form the impact member (3A, 3B) and constitutes a wear part that can reduce the maintenance costs of the impact device (1).

[0066] Plate (9) may be made of S235 steel. S235 steel is a steel commonly used in the construction industry. It offers several advantages, especially its high strength, low cost and recyclability.

[0067] Each impact member (3A, 3B) may have a mass of less than 10 kilograms and preferably a mass of less than 5 kilograms.

[0068] This relatively low mass allows the impact device (1) to have relatively small mass and volume.

[0069] The impact device (1) also comprises a cam (3) mounted rotatably relative to the structure (2).

[0070] The cam (3) is configured to cooperate, during its rotation, alternately with each of the impact members (3A, 3B), so as to position the head of said impact member in its distanced position (E) before interrupting cooperation with said impact member.

[0071] The cam (3) may comprise a cam body that may be connected at one end to a roller (10), the roller (10) being configured to roll on the plate (9) of each of the impact members. Petition 870250085611, dated 09 / 22 / 2025, pp. 47 / 68 12 / 22 (3A and 3B), and in particular only on the plate (9) of each of the impact members (3A and 3B), when the cam (3) cooperates with said impact member. The roller (10) can roll over the entire surface of the plate (9).

[0072] The impact device (1) may further comprise a motor and a drive shaft (5) rotatably driven by the motor. The cam (3) may then be mounted on the drive shaft (5) so that the cam (3) has one degree of rotational freedom relative to the drive shaft (5).

[0073] Advantageously, mounting the cam (3) on the drive shaft (5) results in easier assembly and disassembly, as well as easier maintenance, since each component can be replaced individually without the need to replace the entire drive shaft and cam assembly (3).

[0074] Advantageously, mounting the cam (3) on the transmission shaft (5) results in a lower cost than a welded assembly or a machined block, as well as a greater degree of freedom in the design of the impact device (1).

[0075] The motor may be electric or thermal. The motor may have a rotational speed between 2,000 and 4,000 rpm and a rated operating power of approximately 220 watts. The motor may also communicate with a control unit intended to integrate a command from a user of the impact device (1) and to communicate a signal representing that command to the motor.

[0076] The motor and control unit can be included in the structure, which has a protective and support function, at least in relation to some of the various components included in the impact device (1).

[0077] The rotation of the cam (3) has a defined amplitude between Petition 870250085611, dated 09 / 22 / 2025, pp. 48 / 68 13 / 22 a first position of the cam (3) in relation to the transmission shaft (5) and a second position of the cam (3) in relation to the transmission shaft (5).

[0078] The transmission shaft (5) ensures the rotation of the cam (3) when the cam (3) is in its first position.

[0079] During the rotation of the transmission shaft (5) and for each of the impact members (3A and 3B), when the cam (3) cooperates with said impact member (3A and 3B), the cam (3) is in its first position and ensures support on the impact member (3A and 3B) to position it in its impact position (F). More precisely, in the first position of the cam (3), the roller (10) rests on the plate (9), rolling on said plate (9). This rolling movement of the roller (10) on the plate (9) allows the impact member (3A and 3B) to be moved away. Thus, preferably, during the cooperation between the cam (3) and each of the impact members (3A and 3B), the only contact between the cam and said impact member (3A and 3B) is that of the roller (10) against the plate (9).

[0080] When cooperation with said impact member (3A, 3B) is interrupted, the cam (3) automatically moves from its first position towards its second position by the rotation of the cam (3) around the transmission shaft (5) in the direction of rotation of the transmission shaft (5), so that the cam (3) retracts so as not to oppose the passage of said impact member from the distanced position (E) to the impact position (F). The roller (10) is no longer supported on the plate (9) and the cam (3) penetrates at least partially into the body of the impact member (3A, 3B).

[0081] The impact device (1) is therefore configured in such a way that, for each of the impact members (3A, 3B), when the cooperation of the cam (3) with said impact member is interrupted, the head of said impact member (3A, 3B) automatically moves from its distanced position (E) to its impact position (F), rotating said member. Petition 870250085611, dated 09 / 22 / 2025, pp. 49 / 68 14 / 22 impact member.

[0082] The cooperation of the cam (3) with each of the impact members (3A, 3B) occurs in an alternating or intermittent manner, in other words, the cam (3) initially cooperates with a first impact member (3A), then stops cooperating with said first impact member (3A) and subsequently cooperates with the second impact member (3B), then stops cooperating with said second impact member (3B), and so on.

[0083] The impact device (1) may comprise a first element (6) fixed in rotation to the transmission shaft (5), and the cam (3) may comprise a second element (7). The first and second elements (6, 7) may be configured to have a rotational movement relative to the transmission shaft (5) according to a curvature defined by the rotational movement of the cam (3).

[0084] One of the first and second elements (6, 7) can be an indexing member, for example, and the other of the first and second elements (6, 7) can be a guide element. The indexing member can be selected from a finger or an axis, and the guide element can be selected from an opening, a groove, or an oblong hole.

[0085] The term “finger” refers to a part, particularly a metallic part and particularly a cylindrical part, used to position another part.

[0086] The indexing member and the guide element cooperate with each other to define the amplitude of the rotational movement of the cam (3). The indexing member may, in particular, have a sliding or translational movement guided by the guide element and defined between a first position of the indexing member and a second position of the indexing member. Petition 870250085611, dated 09 / 22 / 2025, pp. 50 / 68 15 / 22

[0087] The first position of the indexing member corresponds to the occupation of the cam (3) of its first position in which the cam (3) cooperates with one of the impact members (3A, 3B) and the second position of the indexing member corresponds to the occupation of the cam (3) of its second position in which the cooperation of the cam (3) with the said impact member (3A, 3B) is interrupted.

[0088] The sliding of the first element (6) on the second element (7) between the first position of said first element (6) and the second position of said first element (6) can be performed under the effect of gravity, in other words, the first element (6) can move from its first position to its second position under the effect of gravity. This is particularly the case in Figure 5A, which shows a first phase in which the cam (3) cooperates with the impact member (3B), and in Figure 5B, which shows a second phase in which the cooperation between the cam (3) and the impact member (3B) is interrupted.

[0089] The sliding of the first element (6) on the second element (7) between the first position of said first element (6) and the second position of said first element (6) can also be carried out under the effect of a mechanical tension exerted by the plate (9) on the roller (10); in other words, the first element (6) can move from its first position to its second position under the effect of said mechanical tension. This is the case, for example, when the cam (3) cooperates and then stops cooperating with the impact member (3A).

[0090] The impact device (1) may also comprise, for each impact member (3A, 3B), a return element (4) configured to exert a return force tending to impel said impact member (3A, 3B) to drive / return the impact head of said impact member (3A, 3B) towards its impact position (F) Petition 870250085611, dated 09 / 22 / 2025, pp. 51 / 68 16 / 22 at least when the head of said impact member is in its distanced position (E). In other words, the return element (4) serves to compensate for the relatively low mass of the impact members (3A, 3B) to allow impacting the rail (300) with sufficient force to release the stresses in the rail (300) and increase the kinetic energy applied to the rail (300) during the impact.

[0091] The return element (4) can be selected from: - a cushion made of elastic material, preferably rubber; - a leaf spring; - a torsion spring; - a compression spring; - a tension spring; - an extendable cord made of elastic material.

[0092] According to one possibility, in particular shown in Figure 6, the impact device (1) may comprise, for each impact member (3A, 3B), two return members (4), in particular disposed on each side of each impact member (3A, 3B), and configured to exert the return force tending to impel said impact member (3A, 3B) to drive / return the impact head of said impact member (3A, 3B) towards its impact position (F), at least when the head of said impact member is in its distanced position (E).

[0093] Each impact member (3A and 3B) may comprise a first attachment point (100), which may be a finger or an axle, for example, and the impact device (1) may comprise two second attachment points (200), which may each be a finger or an axle, for example. If the return members (4) are tension springs or a rope Petition 870250085611, dated 09 / 22 / 2025, pages 52 / 68 17 / 22 extendable, so each return element (4) can connect one of the first fixing points (100) and one of the second fixing points (200). In particular, each return element (4) is considered tensioned, in other words, exerts its return force, when the impact member to which it is connected is such that its impact head is disposed in its distanced position.

[0094] Each second fixing point (200) can be mounted on the structure (2) so as to have a degree of freedom of movement relative to the structure (2).

[0095] As can be seen in Figures 4 and 6, for each second fixing point (200), the structure may comprise a guide member (400) selected from an opening, an oblong hole or a groove. Each second fixing point (200) may have a guided translational or sliding motion in one of the guide members (400) between a first position and a second position. In Figure 6, a portion of the structure (2) has been removed for clarity in order to show the various elements, in particular the second fixing points (200), the guide members (400) and the return members (4).

[0096] For each impact member (3A, 3B), the second attachment point (200) occupies its first position when the head of said impact member (3A, 3B) is in its impact position (F), and the second attachment point (200) occupies its second position when the head of said impact member (3A, 3B) is in its distanced position (E).

[0097] For each second fixing point (200), this sliding movement in the guide member (400) allows each return element (4) to be tensioned and relaxed.

[0098] For each impact member (3A, 3B), said impact member (3A, 3B) pivots with respect to structure (2) at the same time that Petition 870250085611, dated 09 / 22 / 2025, pp. 53 / 68 18 / 22 the return element (4) is tensioned and relaxed. While the impact member (3A, 3B) pivots in relation to the structure (2), the corresponding fixing point (200) can slide in the guide element (400).

[0099] The return element (4) can be tensioned as soon as the cam (3) comes into contact with the impact member (3A, 3B) and participates in driving the corresponding impact head towards its impact position when the cam (3) stops cooperating with said impact member.

[00100] The movement of the second fixing point (200) on the guide member (400) results in the release of the return element (4), causing the impact member (3A, 3B) and, in particular, the head of said impact member, to impact the rail (300). From then on, the return element (4) is released and is no longer tensioned. It returns to its rest length.

[00101] The sliding of the fixing point (200) on the guide member (400) allows said impact member (3A, 3B) to complete its course on the rail (300), in other words, to impact the rail (300), without the return element (4) providing any damping.

[00102] Due to the body structure in a two-plate assembly, each impact member (3A, 3B) can delimit a free volume such that, when the cooperation of the cam (3) with said impact member (3A, 3B) is interrupted, a portion of the cam (3), in particular the portion of the cam (3) comprising the roller (10), which was previously in contact with said impact member (3A, 3B) during the cooperation of the cam (3) with said impact member (3A, 3B), penetrates said volume during the pivoting movement of said impact member (3A, 3B), allowing the impact head of said impact member (3A, 3B) to be brought to its impact position (F). Petition 870250085611, dated 09 / 22 / 2025, pp. 54 / 68 19 / 22

[00103] Advantageously, for each impact member (3A, 3B), the penetration of the cam (3) into said volume allows said impact member (3A, 3B) to move to impact the track (300) without the cam (3) opposing said movement.

[00104] Thus, according to a specific embodiment of the impact device (1), the kinematics of the impact device (1) is as follows: initially, the impact member (3A) is in contact with the rail (300) and the cam (3) occupies its second position, in which it is not in contact with the impact member (3A). The second fixing point (200), which corresponds to the impact member (3A), is in its first position. Then, the motor drives the cam (3) into rotation to cause the cam (3) to cooperate with the impact member (3A), placing the roller (10) in contact with the plate (9). The roller (10) then begins to roll on the plate (9) disposed on the impact member (3A). The cam (3) then pushes the impact member (3A) so as to move the head of said impact member (3A) towards its distanced position (E).

[00105] The pivoting movement of the impact member (3A) occurs at the same time as the roller (10) rolls on the plate (9) and the second fixing point (200) slides from its first position to its second position on the guide element (400).

[00106] When the second fixing point (200) reaches its second position, the corresponding return element (4) begins to extend.

[00107] When the roller (10) reaches the end of the plate (9) located on the side of the free volume delimited by the body of the impact member (3A), the cam (3) partially penetrates the body of the impact member (3A) so as not to oppose the return of the impact member (3A) to impact the rail (300). The penetration of the cam (3) into the body occurs when the first Petition 870250085611, dated 09 / 22 / 2025, pages 55 / 68 20 / 22 element (6) slides from its first position to its second position in the second element (7) under the action of the mechanical tension exerted by the plate (9) pressing the roller (10).

[00108] Under the action of the return element (4) and once the cam (3) is no longer in contact with the plate (9) and no longer pushes the impact member (3A) back, the impact member (3A) pivots to impact the rail (300) and the second fixing point (200) then slides into the guide element (400) to its first position.

[00109] In a second stage, the impact member (3B) comes into contact with the rail (300) and the motor rotates the cam (3) so as to place the roller (10) in contact with the plate (9) disposed on the impact member (3B). The roller (10) begins to roll on the plate (9) disposed on the impact member (3B), causing the impact member (3B) to pivot so that the impact head of said impact member (3B) pivots towards its distanced position (E). The same kinematics follows for the impact member (3B) and for the impact member (3A), except that the first element (6) moves from its first position to its second position under the effect of gravity to allow the cam to penetrate the body so that the impact member (3B) impacts the rail (300).

[00110] The impact device (1) may further comprise, for each impact member (3A, 3B), a return element (8) and, in particular, a return element (8) fixed to the structure (2).

[00111] The return element (8) may comprise a pad comprising an elastic material, such as rubber.

[00112] The return element (8) can be configured to automatically position itself as soon as the impact head of said impact member (3A, 3B) reaches its impact position (F) after the cooperation of the cam (3) with said impact member (3A, 3B) has been Petition 870250085611, dated 09 / 22 / 2025, pp. 56 / 68 21 / 22 interrupted, the head of said impact member (3A, 3B) in an intermediate position (I) between its impact position (F) and its distanced position (E) to prevent the head of said impact member (3A, 3B) from rubbing against the rail (300) during a movement of the impact device (1) along the rail (300). The intermediate position (I) is shown in Figure 3.

[00113] The impact device (1) may comprise at least one return element (8) for each impact member (3A, 3B).

[00114] The impact device (1) may comprise a rolling device (12) for rolling on the track and a handlebar (11) for moving said impact device (1).

[00115] The rolling device (12) may comprise one or more wheels.

[00116] The handlebar (11) may comprise a brake lever for braking the movement of the impact device (1).

[00117] Advantageously, the impact device (1) has a small size and reduced mass and can be moved more easily.

[00118] The impact device (1) may be single-track, in other words, the impact device (1) is configured to be able to treat each track of a railway line separately.

[00119] The impact device (1) may have a mass of less than 250 kilograms and preferably a mass of less than 50 kilograms.

[00120] The impact device (1) can be powered by an energy storage device (13), such as a battery, for example.

[00121] The energy storage device (13) can be attached to the structure (2) by a fastening component, such as a cable. Petition 870250085611, dated 09 / 22 / 2025, pp. 57 / 68 22 / 22 fixing.

[00122] The impact device (1) can be configured to deliver an impact energy of at least 10 joules at a track impact frequency of approximately 48 impacts per minute.

[00123] The impact device (1) may be less than one meter in size.

[00124] The invention also relates to an impact system (1000) shown in Figure 7 and comprising two impact devices (1), each as described above, arranged to independently impact two opposite tracks of a railway line.

[00125] The impact system (1000) then allows two rails to be treated independently and possibly simultaneously in a single operation, resulting in maintenance time savings.

[00126] The impact system (1000) may comprise a common structure in which the two impact devices (1) are mounted to allow the simultaneous movement of the two impact devices (1) along the railway lines.

[00127] The impact device (1) described and the impact system find industrial application in the maintenance of railway tracks. Petition 870250085611, dated 09 / 22 / 2025, pp. 58 / 68

Claims

1 / 4 Claims 1. IMPACT DEVICE (1) for a rail (300) of a railway line, characterized by comprising: - a structure (2); - two impact members (3A, 3B) intended to impact the rail (300) respectively on two opposite lateral faces of the rail (300), each impact member (3A, 3B) comprising an impact head intended to come into contact with the rail (300) and being mounted in an articulated manner in relation to the structure (2) so as to allow said head to vary between an impact position (F) and a distanced position (E); - a cam (3) rotately mounted relative to the structure (2) and configured to cooperate during its rotation in an alternate manner with each of the impact members (3A, 3B) so as to position the head of said impact member (3A, 3B) in its distanced position (E) before interrupting cooperation with said impact member (3A, 3B);- the impact device (1) being configured so that, for each of the impact members (3A, 3B), when the cooperation of the cam (3) with said impact member (3A, 3B) is interrupted, the head of said impact member automatically moves from its distanced position (E) to its impact position (F) by means of the pivoting movement of said impact member.; 2. IMPACT DEVICE (1), according to claim 1, characterized by comprising, for each impact member (3A, 3B), a return element (4) configured to exert a return force tending to impel said impact member (3A, 3B) to drive / return the impact head of said impact member (3A, 3B) towards its impact position (F) at least when the impact head of said impact member (3A, 3B) is in its distanced position (E).

3. IMPACT DEVICE (1), according to claim 2, characterized in that each return element (4) is selected from: - a pad made of elastic material, preferably rubber, - a leaf spring; - a torsion spring; - a compression spring, - a tension spring, - an extendable cord made of elastic material.

4. IMPACT DEVICE (1), according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by comprising: - a motor; - a transmission shaft (5) rotated by the motor;the cam (3) being mounted on the transmission shaft (5) so that the cam (3) has a degree of freedom in rotation relative to the transmission shaft (5) according to a defined amplitude between a first position of the cam (3) relative to the transmission shaft (5) and a second position of the cam (3) relative to the transmission shaft (5) and so that the transmission shaft (5) ensures the rotation of the cam (3) when the cam (3) is in its first position, the impact device (1) being configured so that, during the rotation of the transmission shaft (5) and for each of the impact members (3A, 3B): - when the cam (3) cooperates with said impact member (3A, 3B), the cam (3) is in its first position and ensures that a support on the impact member (3A, 3B) positions its impact head in its impact position (F);Petition 870250085611, dated 09 / 22 / 2025, page 60 / 68 3 / 4 - when cooperation with the aforementioned impact member is interrupted, the cam (3) automatically moves from its first position towards its second position by rotating the cam (3) around the transmission shaft (5) in the direction of rotation of the transmission shaft (5).; 5. IMPACT DEVICE (1), according to claim 4, characterized by comprising a first element (6) rotatably fixed to the transmission shaft (5), the cam (3) comprising a second element (7), one of the first and second elements (6, 7) being an indexing member and the other of the first and second elements (6, 7) being a guide element, the indexing member and the guide element cooperating with each other to define the amplitude.

6. IMPACT DEVICE (1), according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that each impact member (3A, 3B) delimits a free volume such that, when the cooperation of the cam (3) with said impact member (3A, 3B) is interrupted, a portion of the cam (3) previously in contact with said impact member (3A, 3B) during the cooperation of the cam (3) with said impact member (3A, 3B) penetrates said volume during the pivoting movement of said impact member (3A, 3B), allowing the impact head of said impact member (3A, 3B) to be brought into its impact position.

7. IMPACT DEVICE (1), according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by comprising, for each impact member (3A, 3B), a return element (8) configured to automatically position, as soon as the impact head of said impact member impacts its impact position (F) after the cooperation of the cam (3) with said impact member has been interrupted, the head of said impact member (3A, 3B) in an intermediate position (I) between its impact position (F) and its distanced position (E) to prevent the Petition 870250085611, dated 22 / 09 / 2025, p. 61 / 68 4 / 4 head of said impact member (3A, 3B) from rubbing against the rail (300) during a movement of the impact device (1) along the rail (300).

8. IMPACT DEVICE (1), according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that each of the impact members (3A, 3B) comprises a plate (9) disposed on the surface of the impact member on the side of the cam (3), and wherein the cam (3) comprises a roller (10) configured to roll over the plate (9) of each of the impact members (3A, 3B) when the cam (3) cooperates with said impact member.

9. IMPACT DEVICE (1), according to claim 8, characterized by the plate (9) comprising an S235 steel.

10. IMPACT DEVICE (1), according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that each impact member (3A, 3B) has a mass of less than 10 kilograms and, preferably, a mass of less than 5 kilograms.

11. IMPACT DEVICE (1), according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized by comprising a rolling device for rolling on the rail and a handlebar (11) for moving said impact device (1).

12. IMPACT SYSTEM (1000), characterized by comprising two impact devices (1), each as defined in any one of claims 1 to 11, and arranged to independently impact two opposing tracks of a railway line. Petition 870250085611, dated 22 / 09 / 2025, pp. 62 / 68

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