A single-person hand-held ballast blowing and filling device and method

Abstract

The application provides a single-hand-held filling and supplementing ballast device and method, which comprises a filling device and a detection device; the filling device comprises a backpack and a holding pipe, a fan component and a power supply are arranged in the backpack, the power supply is used for supplying power to the fan component, one end of the holding pipe is connected with an air outlet of the fan component through a hose, a material hopper is arranged on the holding pipe, a lower end of the material hopper is connected with the holding pipe through a ballast blowing pipe, and the fan component is used for rapidly blowing out the ballast falling into the holding pipe from the material hopper; the detection device comprises a trolley, a hub for walking on a track is arranged at the bottom of the trolley, and a material storage box for storing ballast is arranged on the trolley. The filling device of the application can be carried on the body and is very portable, and in cooperation with the trolley with the material storage box, the filling device can be supplemented with ballast, and the vacancy of the market for the single and several track supports in a road section for the settlement ballast blowing maintenance is filled.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of track bed ballast filling technology, specifically to a single-person handheld blow-fill ballast filling device and method. Background Technology

[0002] Under the long-term cyclical load of trains and environmental influences, the ballast track bed continuously wears down and breaks down, causing uneven sleeper settlement and sleeper slumping, among other deterioration phenomena. Maintenance measures such as tamping and cleaning are necessary. Tamping, as the most common ballast track maintenance measure, uses the clamping and vibration of tamping picks to rearrange and compact the ballast. However, it also disturbs and breaks the ballast, accompanied by a "memory effect," reducing the effectiveness of maintenance and shortening the maintenance cycle.

[0003] In the early 20th century, workers would raise sleepers and shovel ballast underneath them to repair uneven tracks. Later, scholars recognized the value of this ballast-filling technique and proposed a maintenance method called PBI (pneumatic ballast injection), which uses high-speed airflow to inject small-diameter ballast under the sleepers. The principle of PBI is to use air power to send hard, small-diameter crushed stone under the raised rails to the bottom of the sleepers. Appropriately filling the sleepers with this crushed stone restores the railway's geometry and reduces interference with surrounding ballast, thus mitigating sleeper settlement. This method minimizes damage and interference to the ballast during operations and fundamentally eliminates the "memory effect" of the track bed, allowing the track's geometry to be maintained for a longer period, resulting in more effective maintenance.

[0004] Numerous experiments and numerical simulations have verified that ballasting is more effective than tamping in maintaining ballast. However, ballasting operations on the market are usually carried out using large-scale maintenance machinery, which is too costly and only suitable for large-scale ballasting maintenance. Furthermore, it is no longer applicable for settlement maintenance of single sleepers or multiple sleepers within a line section. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to address the shortcomings of existing technologies by providing a single-person handheld ballast filling device and method.

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, in a first aspect, the present invention provides a single-person handheld ballast filling device, including a filling device and a detection device;

[0007] The blowing device includes a backpack and a grip tube. The backpack contains a blower component and a power supply. The power supply is used to power the blower component. One end of the grip tube is connected to the air outlet of the blower component via a hose. A material funnel is installed on the grip tube. The lower end of the material funnel is connected to the grip tube via a ballast blowing pipe. The blower component is used to quickly blow out the gravel that falls from the material funnel into the grip tube.

[0008] The detection device includes a trolley with wheel hubs at the bottom for traveling on a track, and a material storage box for storing crushed stone on the trolley.

[0009] Furthermore, the trolley is equipped with a laser scanner, a sleeper identifier, an odometer, and a processing unit. The laser scanner, sleeper identifier, and odometer are all connected to the processing unit to transmit the collected information to the processing unit. The laser scanner is used to measure the geometric shape and position of the track, the sleeper identifier is used to identify the sleepers, the odometer is used to detect the trolley's travel mileage, and the processing unit is used to calculate the settlement of each sleeper and calculate the required crushed stone parameters based on the settlement of each sleeper.

[0010] Furthermore, a gravity sensor is installed inside the material storage box, and a material outlet is provided at the bottom of the material storage box. The processing unit controls the opening and closing of the material outlet according to the parameters of the required crushed stone.

[0011] Furthermore, the material storage box is equipped with multiple boxes, each containing crushed stone of different particle sizes, and the processing unit controls the opening and closing of the discharge port of each box according to the parameters of the required crushed stone.

[0012] Furthermore, a satellite receiver is installed on the trolley, which is used to measure the absolute position and absolute settlement of the sleepers.

[0013] Furthermore, a vibrator is installed on the outer wall of the ballast blowing pipe. The vibrator is used to prevent stone debris from clogging the pipe and to facilitate the insertion of the ballast blowing pipe head into the bottom of the sleeper.

[0014] Secondly, the present invention proposes a method for filling ballast by blowing, comprising:

[0015] S1. The control and detection device moves along the section to be maintained. The processing unit acquires the information collected by the laser scanner, sleeper identifier, and odometer, and generates the track alignment based on the collected information.

[0016] S2. The processing unit calculates the settlement at both ends of each sleeper based on the track alignment, and calculates the required amount of crushed stone and the required particle size distribution at each end of each sleeper.

[0017] S3. The processing unit controls the opening of the material storage box according to the current sleeper settlement, so that the crushed stone with the corresponding particle size distribution and weight falls into the material funnel.

[0018] S4. Use a track lifter to raise the track along with the current sleeper, and remove the ballast near the part of the current sleeper that needs maintenance to expose the area to be filled under the current sleeper.

[0019] S5. Use a dredging device to blow crushed stone into the area to be dredged.

[0020] S6. Repeat steps S3 to S5 to complete the ballast filling of the required maintenance section.

[0021] Furthermore, the processing unit obtains the location of each sleeper based on the sleeper identifier, and calculates the settlement at both ends of each sleeper in combination with the track alignment. The processing unit calculates the required amount of crushed stone according to the following formula: Required amount of crushed stone = Settlement × Area to be filled × Crushed stone porosity × Crushed stone density × (1 + Loss rate).

[0022] Furthermore, the processing unit opens the corresponding compartment in the material storage box according to the required particle size distribution, so that the crushed stone in the compartment falls into the material funnel. The processing unit obtains information from the gravity sensor in real time, and closes the compartment when the weight drop of the compartment is not less than the required amount of crushed stone.

[0023] Furthermore, step S7 is included: after the required maintenance section is filled, the control and detection device travels on the section again to generate the track alignment after maintenance and check the maintenance effect.

[0024] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0025] 1. The ballast filling device of the present invention can be carried on the body and is very portable. It can be used in conjunction with a trolley with a material storage box to replenish crushed stone for the ballast filling device, filling the gap in the market for ballast filling maintenance of single sleepers or several sleepers in a certain section.

[0026] 2. The detection device of the present invention, by setting up a laser scanner, a sleeper identifier, an odometer, and a processing unit, accurately calculates the required amount of crushed stone by obtaining the settlement of each sleeper, which helps to ensure the quality of hydraulic filling.

[0027] 3. By installing a gravity sensor inside the material storage tank, the processing unit can automatically control the amount of crushed stone supplied to the ramming device according to the required amount of crushed stone.

[0028] 4. The material storage box of the present invention is equipped with a box containing crushed stone of different particle sizes. The processing unit can automatically select crushed stone of different particle sizes according to the settlement of each sleeper, which is beneficial to improving the filling effect.

[0029] 5. This invention, by setting a satellite receiver on the trolley, which is used to measure the absolute position and absolute settlement of the sleepers, helps to reduce errors caused by terrain, environment, etc.

[0030] 6. By installing a vibrator on the outer wall of the ballast blowing pipe, the present invention can prevent stone debris from clogging the pipe, and at the same time, the vibration effect makes it easier for the head of the ballast blowing pipe to enter the bottom of the sleeper for filling.

[0031] 7. The present invention utilizes a detection device that can not only intelligently replenish crushed stone for the ballast filling device, but also provide maintenance effect detection after ballast filling. Attached Figure Description

[0032] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the filling device of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 2 This is a structural schematic diagram of the filling device of the present invention from another perspective;

[0034] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the operation of the shoveling device of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the detection device of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the detection device of the present invention from another perspective;

[0037] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the working state of the detection device of the present invention.

[0038] Reference numerals: 1. Fan component; 2. Power supply; 3. Backpack; 4. Hose; 5. Blowing pipe; 6. Blowing pipe head; 7. Material funnel; 8. Shoulder strap switch; 9. Air outlet; 10. First button; 11. Second button; 12. Vibrator; 13. Hub; 14. Base plate box; 15. Push rod; 16. Material storage box; 17. Laser scanner; 18. Information acquisition system; 19. Material outlet; 20. Material replenishment inlet; 21. Processing unit; 22. Satellite receiver; 23. Detailed Implementation

[0039] To make the technical problems, technical solutions, and beneficial effects to be solved by this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0040] This embodiment provides a single-person handheld ballast filling device, including a filling device and a detection device.

[0041] like Figure 1As shown, the blowing device includes a backpack 3 and a grip tube 5. A blower component 1 and a power supply 2 are bolted inside the backpack 3. The power supply 2 is electrically connected to the blower component 1 via a shoulder strap switch 9, which supplies power to the blower component 1. The shoulder strap switch 9 has multiple settings to control the blower component 1 to blow air at different speeds. The power supply 2 has a charging port and a USB interface on its side, which can be used to charge mobile phones and other devices during field operations. The air outlet 10 of the blower component 1 extends from the side of the backpack 3. One end of the grip tube 5 is connected to the air outlet 10 of the blower component 1 via a flexible hose 4. A material funnel 8 is welded to the grip tube 5. The lower end of the material funnel 8 is connected to the grip tube 5 via a ballast blowing pipe 6, allowing the gravel in the material funnel 8 to enter the grip tube 5. A ballast blowing pipe head 7 is detachably installed at the end of the grip tube 5 away from the flexible hose 4, and different shaped ballast blowing pipe heads 7 can be replaced as needed.

[0042] A rotatable baffle is provided at the end of the grip tube 5 away from the hose 4. The baffle is used to open and close the outlet of the grip tube 5. The opening and closing of the baffle is controlled by the first button 11. The baffle can flexibly control the material funnel 8 to convey crushed stone, and at the same time prevent crushed stone from falling out from the blower head 7 before the blower component 1 is turned on.

[0043] like Figure 1 , 2 As shown, a vibrator 13 is installed on the outer wall of the ballast blowing pipe 6, and the vibrator 13 is controlled by a second button 12. The vibrator is used to prevent gravel from clogging the material funnel 8 and the ballast blowing pipe 6, and at the same time, the vibration effect makes it easier for the ballast blowing pipe head 7 to enter the bottom of the sleeper for filling.

[0044] like Figure 4 As shown, the detection device includes a trolley, which includes a base plate box 15 and a material storage box 17. Four wheel hubs 14 are installed at the bottom of the base plate box 15, allowing the trolley to travel on the track. Laser scanners 18 are installed on both sides of the base plate box 15 parallel to the rails. An information acquisition system 19 is installed on the base plate box 15. An odometer and power supply equipment are installed inside the base plate box 15. A sleeper identifier is installed at the bottom of the base plate box 15. The sleeper identifier, laser scanner 18, and odometer are all connected to the information acquisition system 19. A processing unit 22 is installed on the material storage box 17, connected to the information acquisition device. The processing unit 22 is used to process the received information and has a display screen that can display information such as the amount of crushed stone stored in the material storage box 17 and the power supply equipment in the base plate box 15.

[0045] like Figure 4 , 5As shown, the material storage tank 17 is equipped with a material outlet 20 and a material replenishment inlet 21. The material outlet 20 is funnel-shaped and located at the bottom of the material storage tank 17, while the material replenishment inlet 21 is located on the side of the material storage tank 17. Three independent chambers are fixedly installed inside the material storage tank 17, and the three chambers can store three different particle size gradations of crushed stone respectively. Different gradations of crushed stone are selected for filling in different situations. A gravity sensor is installed at the bottom of each chamber, which can detect the weight of the crushed stone in each chamber and display it on the display screen of the processing unit 22.

[0046] A satellite receiver 23 and a push rod 16 are installed on the top of the material storage box 17. The satellite receiver 23 is used to measure the absolute position and absolute settlement of the sleeper, and the push rod 16 facilitates the operation of the trolley by the operator.

[0047] The method for ballast filling using the above-mentioned single-person handheld ballast filling device includes:

[0048] S1. The control and detection device travels on the section of road to be maintained. The odometer records the current travel in real time. The laser scanner 18 measures the geometry of the track. The sleeper identifier identifies the travel corresponding to the sleeper. The processing unit 22 obtains the collected information from the laser scanner 18, the sleeper identifier, and the odometer through the information acquisition system 19. Based on the travel information and the geometry of the track, the track profile is generated. The track profile includes the profiles of the two tracks respectively.

[0049] S2. Processing unit 22 calculates the settlement at both ends of each sleeper based on the position of each sleeper obtained by the sleeper identifier and in conjunction with the track alignment. The calculation methods for the settlement at both ends of each sleeper include: 1. When the detection device detects a deteriorated section, there will be normal, undeteriorated sections before and after the deteriorated section. By comparing the alignment of the deteriorated section and the normal, undeteriorated section, the settlement at both ends of each sleeper can be obtained; 2. The absolute position of the track can be obtained through satellite positioning, and the settlement can be obtained by comparing the absolute position before settlement.

[0050] Processing unit 22 calculates the required amount of crushed stone according to the following formula: Required amount of crushed stone = Settlement × Area to be filled × Crushed stone porosity × Crushed stone density × (1 + Loss rate). It should be noted that the required amount of crushed stone will be different at the two ends of the sleeper due to different settlement, and needs to be calculated separately.

[0051] The processing unit 22 selects the appropriate gradation according to the following rules: for settlement amounts between 30mm and 40mm, crushed stone with a particle size of 16-20mm is selected for ballast filling; for settlement amounts between 20mm and 30mm, crushed stone with a particle size of 14-18mm is selected for ballast filling; and for settlement amounts between 20mm and 20mm, crushed stone with a particle size of 14-16mm is selected for ballast filling. It should be noted that when the settlement amount is less than 40mm, ballast filling is the preferred method.

[0052] S3. The processing unit 22 opens the corresponding box in the material storage box 17 according to the required particle size distribution of the first end of the current sleeper, so that the crushed stone in the box falls into the material funnel 8. The processing unit 22 obtains the information of the gravity sensor in real time. When the weight drop of the box is not less than the required amount of crushed stone, the box is closed.

[0053] S4. Use a track lifter to raise the track along with the current sleeper, and remove the ballast near the part of the current sleeper that needs maintenance to expose the area to be filled under the current sleeper.

[0054] S5. Turn on the vibrator 13 and use the vibration effect to insert the ballast pipe head 7 into the area to be filled below the sleeper. Use the filling device to blow the crushed stone into the area to be filled corresponding to the first end of the current sleeper. If the ballast pipe is blocked by material, the vibrator 13 can be turned on again to clear the blockage. The processing unit 22 replenishes the material funnel 8 with crushed stone according to the required particle size distribution and the required amount of crushed stone at the second end of the current sleeper. Similarly, the filling device blows the crushed stone into the area to be filled corresponding to the second end of the current sleeper.

[0055] S6. Repeat steps S3 to S5 to complete the ballast filling of the required maintenance section.

[0056] S7. After the ballast filling of the required maintenance section is completed, the control and detection device will travel through the section again to generate the post-maintenance track alignment and check the maintenance effect. Areas where ballast filling was insufficient can be supplemented with additional ballast.

[0057] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and should all be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A single-person handheld ballast filling device, characterized in that: Includes slugging and filling equipment and testing equipment; The shoveling device includes a backpack (3) and a grip tube (5). The backpack (3) is equipped with a blower component (1) and a power supply (2). The power supply (2) is used to supply power to the blower component (1). One end of the grip tube (5) is connected to the air outlet (10) of the blower component (1) through a hose (4). A material funnel (8) is provided on the grip tube (5). The lower end of the material funnel (8) is connected to the grip tube (5) through a ballast blowing pipe (6). The blower component (1) is used to quickly blow out the gravel that falls from the material funnel (8) into the grip tube (5). The detection device includes a trolley with a hub (14) at the bottom for traveling on a track and a material storage box (17) for storing crushed stone on the trolley. The trolley is equipped with a laser scanner (18), a sleeper identifier, an odometer, and a processing unit (22). The laser scanner (18), sleeper identifier, and odometer are all connected to the processing unit (22) to transmit the collected information to the processing unit (22). The laser scanner (18) is used to measure the geometric shape and position of the track. The sleeper identifier is used to identify the sleepers. The odometer is used to detect the trolley's travel mileage. The processing unit (22) is used to calculate the settlement of each sleeper and calculate the required crushed stone parameters based on the settlement of each sleeper. A gravity sensor is installed inside the material storage box (17), and a material outlet (20) is installed at the bottom of the material storage box (17). The processing unit (22) controls the opening and closing of the material outlet (20) according to the parameters of the required crushed stone. The material storage box (17) is equipped with multiple boxes, each containing crushed stone of different particle sizes. The processing unit (22) controls the opening and closing of the discharge port of each box according to the required crushed stone parameters.

2. The single-person handheld ballast filling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The trolley is equipped with a satellite receiver (23), which is used to measure the absolute position and absolute settlement of the sleeper.

3. The single-person handheld ballast filling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer wall of the ballast blowing pipe (6) is equipped with a vibrator, which is used to prevent stone debris from clogging the pipe and to facilitate the insertion of the ballast blowing pipe head (7) into the bottom of the sleeper.

4. A method for filling ballast using a single-person handheld ballast-filling device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: include: S1. Control the detection device to travel on the section of track to be maintained. The processing unit (22) acquires the collected information from the laser scanner (18), sleeper identifier and odometer, and generates the track alignment based on the collected information. S2, Processing unit (22) calculates the settlement at both ends of each sleeper according to the track alignment, and calculates the required amount of crushed stone and the required particle size distribution at each end of each sleeper; S3. The processing unit (22) controls the material storage box (17) to open according to the current sleeper settlement, so that the crushed stone with the corresponding particle size distribution and weight falls into the material funnel (8); S4. Use a track lifter to raise the track along with the current sleeper, and remove the ballast near the part of the current sleeper that needs maintenance to expose the area to be filled under the current sleeper. S5. Use a dredging device to blow crushed stone into the area to be dredged. S6. Repeat steps S3 to S5 to complete the ballast filling of the required road section.

5. The method for filling ballast according to claim 4, characterized in that: Step S2 includes: the processing unit (22) obtains the location of each sleeper according to the sleeper identifier, and calculates the settlement at both ends of each sleeper according to the track alignment. The processing unit (22) calculates the required amount of crushed stone according to the following formula: required amount of crushed stone = settlement × area to be filled × crushed stone porosity × crushed stone density × (1 + loss rate).

6. The method for filling ballast according to claim 4, characterized in that: Step S3 includes: the processing unit (22) opens the corresponding box in the material storage box (17) according to the required particle size distribution, so that the crushed stone in the box falls into the material funnel (8). The processing unit (22) obtains the information of the gravity sensor in real time. When the weight drop of the box is not less than the required amount of crushed stone, the box is closed.

7. The method for filling ballast according to claim 4, characterized in that: Including step S7: After the required maintenance section is filled, the control and detection device travels on the section again to generate the track alignment after maintenance and check the maintenance effect.

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