Ballast unloading mechanism for ballast hopper car

Abstract

The utility model discloses a ballast unloading mechanism for a ballast hopper car, which comprises a hopper car body, a hopper, discharge ports, door plates, an electric cylinder, a shifting mechanism, a guide plate and a collecting tank, the discharge ports are arranged on the front side and the rear side of the hopper, the liftable door plates are arranged at the discharge ports and are driven by the electric cylinder, and an inclined plane and a longitudinal collecting tank are arranged at the bottom in the hopper. A material stirring mechanism is arranged in the collecting tank and comprises a driving part and spiral blade rods installed on the two sides of the driving part, the driving part adopts a double-head motor to drive the two spiral blade rods to convey ballast to the two discharging openings correspondingly, and centralized guiding, active conveying and orderly discharging of the ballast are achieved through cooperation of all the structures; and the ballast unloading efficiency and the laying uniformity are effectively improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model belongs to the technical field of ballast laying, and particularly relates to a ballast unloading mechanism for a ballast hopper car. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the laying and maintenance process of railway lines, ballast is an important filler under the sleepers, and its transportation and laying operation is frequent and intensive. In order to improve the laying efficiency and reduce the labor input, a hopper car is usually used to transport the ballast over a long distance, and an unloading mechanism is used to complete the orderly laying of the ballast. At present, the common unloading method usually adopts the principle of gravity unloading, and the ballast is laid by opening the bottom unloading door and allowing the ballast to fall naturally. However, this structure has several deficiencies in the use process.

[0003] On the one hand, the discharge process of the traditional ballast unloading mechanism lacks active control ability, and the ballast is prone to uneven accumulation, scattering, and difficult to accurately control the unloading speed and direction, which leads to unstable laying quality, especially in complex terrain or turning section operation. On the other hand, in the unloading process, the ballast is prone to accumulate in the corners or edges of the hopper, causing incomplete unloading or local blockage, affecting the overall discharge efficiency and increasing the cleaning and maintenance workload. SUMMARY

[0004] In view of the problems in the prior art, the purpose of the utility model is to provide a ballast unloading mechanism for a ballast hopper car, which can realize reasonable structure, strong controllability, uniform unloading and high efficiency.

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the utility model provides the following technical scheme:

[0006] A ballast unloading mechanism for a ballast hopper car, comprising a hopper car body and a hopper installed on the hopper car body, the front and rear sides of the hopper are provided with discharge ports, the discharge ports are provided with door plates that can be lifted to open, and the sides of the hopper are provided with electric cylinders that drive the door plates to lift on the left and right sides of the discharge ports;

[0007] A stirring mechanism is installed at the center of the inner bottom surface of the hopper, which transports the ballast in the hopper to the discharge ports on the front and rear sides, and guide plates are fixed on the positions corresponding to the discharge ports on the front and rear sides of the hopper.

[0008] Further, a longitudinal collection groove is formed at the center of the inner bottom surface of the hopper, the inner bottom surface of the hopper is provided with inclined surfaces on both sides of the collection groove, and a clamping groove is formed on the left and right sides of the discharge port.

[0009] Further, the stirring mechanism comprises a driving member fixed in the collection groove and spiral blade rods arranged on the front and rear sides of the driving member, the spiral directions of the two spiral blade rods are opposite, and the driving member drives the spiral blade rods on the front and rear sides to rotate.

[0010] Furthermore, the driving component includes a fixed base fixed in the collection tank, an installation cavity is provided on the inner side of the fixed base, and a cover is fixed on one side of the fixed base. A motor is installed on the inner side of the installation cavity.

[0011] Furthermore, the motor is a dual-head motor, with square sockets at both ends of the motor's output shaft. A locking screw is installed near the end of the motor's output shaft, and a plug inserted into the socket is fixed at one end of the spiral blade rod.

[0012] Furthermore, both the left and right sides of the door panel are provided with locking edges that fit into the slots, and a drive plate is fixed at the upper end of the door panel. The lower end of the electric cylinder is rotatably installed on one side of the hopper, and the upper end of the electric cylinder push rod is hinged to the drive plate.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are:

[0014] This invention features discharge ports on both the front and rear sides of the hopper, with liftable door panels installed at these ports. These doors, driven by electric cylinders on the left and right sides, enable automatic control of the opening and closing of the discharge ports. This structure allows for selective opening of the front and rear discharge ports according to construction needs, enabling precise control of the laying direction and discharge volume. It solves the problems of uneven stone shavings and unstable laying caused by traditional gravity-based ballast unloading, thus improving the flexibility and precision of the unloading operation.

[0015] This invention features a longitudinal collection trough at the bottom inner side of the hopper, with inclined surfaces on both sides. This allows the slag to slide naturally into the collection trough and accumulate during transport, preventing slag from piling up in corners and becoming unloadable. The combination of these inclined surfaces and the collection trough effectively improves the slag concentration rate and unloading efficiency, while reducing the risks of manual cleaning and equipment blockage. This design solves the problems of slag residue and poor conveying in traditional structures.

[0016] This invention features a material feeding mechanism in the middle of the collection trough. The mechanism includes a drive unit in the middle and spiral blade rods installed on the front and rear sides. The drive unit is a double-headed motor that can simultaneously drive the spiral blade rods in both directions to rotate synchronously, allowing the stone slag to be conveyed from the center to the two discharge ports. This structure replaces traditional gravity flow with active conveying, solving the problem of natural sliding obstruction caused by irregular stone slag shape and changes in moisture content. It improves the continuity and stability of the unloading process and effectively prevents unloading difficulties or equipment jamming caused by local accumulation.

[0017] This utility model provides a detachable connection structure between the helical blade rod and the motor, including a connection method of a plug and a socket and a fixing method of a locking screw, which facilitates the installation, disassembly and maintenance of the helical blade rod and the motor. This structure ensures stable power transmission while improving maintenance convenience, avoiding the problem of replacing the whole due to damage to the integrated structure, and reducing maintenance costs and the risk of work stoppage.

[0018] This utility model features a locking structure on the door panel that matches the slots on both sides of the hopper. This securely locks the door panel when unloading is not initiated, preventing premature leakage of stone debris during transportation and ensuring the safety and reliability of the stone debris transport process. Simultaneously, the upper part of the door panel is hinged to the electric cylinder push rod, which, in conjunction with the lifting action of the electric cylinder, enables efficient opening and closing of the discharge port. This solves the problems of untimely opening and closing, material leakage, or unstable opening and closing in traditional unloading mechanisms, thereby improving the overall control performance and operational safety of the device. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of this utility model;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the hopper of this utility model;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the feeding mechanism of this utility model;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the driving component of this utility model;

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the door panel of this utility model.

[0024] The attached diagram lists the components represented by each number as follows:

[0025] 1. Funnel cart body; 2. Hopper; 21. Guide plate; 22. Slot; 23. Discharge port; 24. Collection trough; 3. Door panel; 31. Edge clamp; 32. Drive plate; 4. Electric cylinder; 5. Feeding mechanism; 51. Drive component; 511. Fixing seat; 512. Mounting cavity; 513. Motor; 514. Cover; 515. Locking screw; 516. Insertion hole; 52. Spiral blade rod. Detailed Implementation

[0026] To make the objectives and advantages of this utility model clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with embodiments. It should be understood that the following text is merely used to describe one or more specific embodiments of this utility model and does not strictly limit the scope of protection specifically claimed by this utility model. Example

[0027] likeFigure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, a slag unloading mechanism for a slag funnel car includes a funnel car body 1 and a hopper 2 installed on the funnel car body 1. Discharge ports 23 are provided on both the front and rear sides of the hopper 2 for bidirectional slag unloading. A door panel 3 that can be raised and opened is installed at the discharge port 23 to control the discharge and closing states of the slag. Electric cylinders 4 that drive the door panel 3 to rise are installed on the left and right sides of the discharge port 23 on the sides of the hopper 2. The push rod of the electric cylinder 4 can push the door panel 3 upward, opening the discharge port 23, thereby achieving controllable operation during unloading, meeting the slag unloading requirements under different working conditions, and improving unloading efficiency and uniformity.

[0028] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, a material feeding mechanism 5 is installed at the center of the bottom inner side of the hopper 2. The material feeding mechanism 5 conveys the stone slag in the hopper 2 to the discharge ports 23 on the front and rear sides. The setting of the material feeding mechanism 5 realizes the active conveying of stone slag, effectively overcoming the uneven discharge and blockage caused by gravity in the traditional structure. Guide plates 21 are fixed on the front and rear sides of the hopper 2 at the positions corresponding to the discharge ports 23. The guide plates 21 can guide the stone slag to be discharged smoothly, prevent the stone slag from deviating and falling during the discharge process, and ensure that the stone slag is laid along the preset path.

[0029] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, a longitudinal collection trough 24 is provided at the center of the inner bottom surface of the hopper 2. The collection trough 24 is used to collect the stone slag and provide a material collection channel for the conveying mechanism 5. The inner bottom surface of the hopper 2 is set as an inclined surface on both sides of the collection trough 24. The inclined surface structure design allows the stone slag on both sides of the hopper 2 to automatically slide into the collection trough 24 under the action of gravity, thereby improving the stone slag collection efficiency and reducing manual intervention. The left and right sides of the discharge port 23 are provided with slots 22. The slots 22 are used to cooperate with the locking edge of the door panel 3 to achieve reliable sealing of the discharge port 23 in the non-unloading state and prevent stone slag from leaking out during transportation.

[0030] like Figure 3 As shown, the material feeding mechanism 5 includes a drive component 51 fixed in the collection trough 24 and spiral blade rods 52 arranged on the front and rear sides of the drive component 51. The spiral directions of the two spiral blade rods 52 are opposite, which facilitates the feeding of stone chips to the two discharge ports 23 on the front and rear sides of the hopper 2, so that the stone chips inside the entire hopper 2 can be efficiently diverted and transported. The drive component 51 drives the spiral blade rods 52 on the front and rear sides to rotate, thereby driving the stone chips to move in a directional manner, ensuring the continuity and controllability of the unloading process, and effectively avoiding the problems of accumulation or uneven laying caused by poor natural sliding.

[0031] like Figure 4As shown, the drive component 51 includes a fixed base 511 fixed in the collection trough 24. The fixed base 511 provides the mounting foundation for the drive structure and maintains its stability. An installation cavity 512 is opened on the inner side of the fixed base 511 to accommodate drive components such as the motor 513. A cover 541 is fixed on one side of the fixed base 511. The cover 541 is used to seal the installation cavity 512 to prevent dust and stone debris from entering the drive structure and to ensure the long-term stable operation of the drive component 51. The motor 513 is installed inside the installation cavity 512. The motor 513 serves as the power core of the feeding mechanism 5. Its output power directly drives the spiral blade rod 52 to rotate, realizing the efficient conveying of stone debris.

[0032] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, motor 513 is a dual-head motor capable of outputting power in two directions simultaneously to drive the two helical blade rods 52 to rotate synchronously or separately. Both ends of the output shaft of motor 513 are provided with square insertion holes 516 for connecting with the plugs of the helical blade rods 52. A locking screw 515 is installed near the end of the output shaft of motor 513 to secure the plug after it is connected to the insertion hole 516. One end of the helical blade rod 52 is fixed with a plug inserted into the insertion hole 516, ensuring stable power transmission. The helical blade rod 52 connects to the output shaft of motor 513 via the plug inserted into the insertion hole 516, and is then locked in place by the locking screw 515, forming a tight and detachable drive structure, which facilitates later inspection and maintenance.

[0033] like Figure 5 As shown, both the left and right sides of the door panel 3 are provided with locking edges 31 that are locked in the slots 22. The locking edges 31 cooperate with the slots 22 to reliably close the door panel 3 onto the discharge port 23 when the slag unloading mechanism is not activated. The upper end of the door panel 3 is fixed with a drive plate 32, which is used to connect with the push rod of the electric cylinder 4. The lower end of the electric cylinder 4 is rotatably installed on one side of the hopper 2 to ensure that the electric cylinder 4 has a certain degree of freedom of movement during operation and to avoid deformation caused by excessive structural stress. The upper end of the push rod of the electric cylinder 4 is hinged to the drive plate 32. The hinge structure can drive the door panel 3 to lift or press down when the push rod of the electric cylinder 4 extends or retracts, thereby opening and closing the discharge port 23, controlling the discharge time and rhythm of the slag, and improving the accuracy and consistency of slag laying.

[0034] Example 2: Application of Controllable Unloading Structure

[0035] In this embodiment, the hopper is made of Q235 carbon steel and welded together. A rectangular discharge port measuring 300mm × 250mm is opened on each of the front and rear sides. An 8mm thick stainless steel door plate is installed at each discharge port. An aluminum alloy drive plate is welded to the top of the door plate and connected to a hydraulic cylinder via bolts. The cylinder model is DNC-40-200-PA, with a rated thrust of 1200N. The cylinder is installed by rotating the bottom flange. When the laying operation begins, the cylinder extends after receiving a control signal, driving the door plate to lift and open the discharge port, achieving precise opening and unloading. After the operation is completed, the cylinder retracts, and the door plate falls and engages with the slot to close, preventing the stone fragments from spilling.

[0036] Comparative Case: Traditional hopper carts use a gravity-sliding opening structure, and material discharge is completed by manually opening a simple pin mechanism. This lacks control over the opening angle, time, and unloading speed, often resulting in problems such as concentrated accumulation of ballast, uneven scattering, and inability to close the discharge port in time, leading to unstable paving results. In contrast, this embodiment uses an electronically controlled actuator in conjunction with a door panel structure to achieve precise control of the unloading action, effectively improving the standardization and safety of the construction operation.

[0037] Example 3: Application of Automatic Centralized Sliding Structure for Stone Shatter

[0038] In this embodiment, the inner wall of the hopper bottom is designed with a bidirectional symmetrical structure, with inclined surfaces of 30° on both sides. The inclined surfaces are made of 5mm thick Q345 wear-resistant steel plate to enhance impact resistance. A collection trough with a width of 150mm and a depth of 120mm is opened longitudinally at the bottom, and a U-shaped steel frame is installed inside the trough for support. This structure allows the stone chips to slide naturally into the collection trough by gravity during train transportation without additional mechanical intervention. After collection, the stone chips are discharged to the discharge ports at both ends, reducing the accumulation of stones at the edges and corners.

[0039] Comparative Case: Ordinary hoppers without a collection trough structure have a flat bottom design, which makes it easy for ballast to accumulate in the edge area during transportation. During unloading, manual knocking or high-pressure gas blowing is required, resulting in low discharge efficiency and certain safety hazards. In contrast, the inclined collection structure in this embodiment improves the automatic sliding ability of ballast, realizing efficient and continuous operation of the unloading process.

[0040] Example 4: Application of a bidirectional material conveying structure

[0041] In this embodiment, the feeding mechanism uses a ZDF-60-12 double-headed gear reducer motor as the driving component, with a rated power of 0.75kW. It is installed in the middle of the collection tank and fixed to the tank wall with four M12 expansion bolts. The two ends of the motor output shaft are connected to a high-strength alloy steel spiral blade rod with a diameter of 35mm and a pitch of 50mm through hexagonal sockets. The spiral blade rod is 1200mm long, and the front and rear sections rotate in opposite directions. Under the drive of the motor, the stone slag is continuously conveyed to the front and rear discharge ports, ensuring synchronous unloading from left and right, and improving the unloading rate and uniformity.

[0042] Comparative Case: Traditional hopper trucks using natural sliding unloading are prone to local blockages when encountering wet, slippery slag or when the hopper is slightly tilted, resulting in intermittent or even complete cessation of discharge, requiring manual intervention to clear the blockage and reducing operational efficiency; while this embodiment actively promotes the flow of slag through a spiral feeding structure, which does not rely on the flowability of the material and improves the reliability of the slag unloading system.

[0043] Example 5: Application of detachable power transmission structure

[0044] In this embodiment, an external plug is provided at one end of the spiral blade rod. The plug is machined from high carbon steel and its surface is phosphated for corrosion protection. After the plug is inserted into the square socket at the end of the motor output shaft, it is axially fixed by an M10 locking screw. The motor output shaft is equipped with double-sided dustproof sealing rings, which enhances the sealing and durability of the connection. This connection method facilitates on-site disassembly and quick replacement, has a short maintenance cycle, and is suitable for frequent construction operations.

[0045] Comparative Case: In some older models of equipment, the spiral feeder rod is connected to the motor by welding or press fitting. Disassembly requires cutting off the weld or using a hydraulic puller, which is not only complicated and time-consuming, but also easily damages the motor shaft end. In contrast, this embodiment adopts a plug-in connection method, which takes into account both stable installation and convenient maintenance, reducing maintenance costs and downtime risks.

[0046] Example 6: Application of door panel limit locking and power linkage structure

[0047] In this embodiment, the door panel has stainless steel retaining edges with a width of 20mm and a thickness of 5mm on both sides. The gap between these edges and the retaining grooves on both sides of the discharge port is controlled within 0.5mm to ensure that the door panel is tightly locked during transportation. The upper part of the door panel is connected to the drive plate through a high-strength hinge assembly. The drive plate is hinged to the electric cylinder push rod. The electric cylinder model is SCJ-32×100, and the response time is less than 0.2 seconds. When the control system issues a command, the electric cylinder push rod moves quickly, driving the door panel to open or close rapidly, ensuring that there is no delay or stone slag jamming during the discharge process.

[0048] Comparative Case: Some hopper trucks use mechanical ropes to open the doors, relying on manual pulling to control the opening and closing of the doors. Due to limitations in operator skill and uneven force on the ropes, this can easily lead to the doors not opening properly or not closing tightly, or even causing stone fragments to leak out during transportation. This embodiment uses a hydraulic electric cylinder to precisely control the opening and closing structure, achieving efficient, safe, and consistent unloading operations.

[0049] The working principle of this utility model is as follows: When laying ballast, the hopper car body 1 is used to transport the ballast. When it is transported to the laying location, the electric cylinder 4 is extended to drive the door plate 3 to lift. At this time, the discharge port 23 opens, and then the motor 513 is started to drive the spiral blade rods 52 on the front and rear sides to rotate. The spiral blade rods 52 then transport the ballast to the discharge port 23 and discharge it through the guide plate 21 for laying.

[0050] The inclined surfaces on the inner side of the hopper 2, located on both sides of the collection trough 24, allow the ballast to slide into the collection trough 24, gather up, and be discharged outwards, thus completing the rapid unloading of ballast during ballast laying.

[0051] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this utility model. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various improvements and modifications without departing from the principle of this utility model, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of this utility model. Structures, devices, and operating methods not specifically described or explained in this utility model, unless otherwise specified or limited, shall be implemented using conventional methods in the field.

Claims

1. A slag unloading mechanism for a slag funnel car, comprising a funnel car body (1) and a hopper (2) mounted on the funnel car body (1), characterized in that: The hopper (2) has discharge ports (23) on both the front and rear sides. A door panel (3) that can be raised and opened is installed at the discharge port (23). Electric cylinders (4) that drive the door panel (3) to be raised are installed on the left and right sides of the hopper (2) at the discharge port (23). A feeding mechanism (5) is installed at the center of the bottom inner side of the hopper (2). The feeding mechanism (5) conveys the stone slag in the hopper (2) to the discharge ports (23) on the front and rear sides. Guide plates (21) are fixed at the positions corresponding to the discharge ports (23) on the front and rear sides of the hopper (2).

2. The slag unloading mechanism for a slag funnel truck according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hopper (2) has a longitudinal collection groove (24) at the center of the inner bottom surface, and the inner bottom surface of the hopper (2) is set as an inclined surface on both sides of the collection groove (24). The discharge port (23) has a slot (22) on both the left and right sides.

3. The slag unloading mechanism for a slag funnel truck according to claim 2, characterized in that: The feeding mechanism (5) includes a drive member (51) fixed in the collection trough (24) and a spiral blade rod (52) arranged on the front and rear sides of the drive member (51). The spiral directions of the two spiral blade rods (52) are opposite, and the drive member (51) drives the spiral blade rods (52) on the front and rear sides to rotate.

4. The slag unloading mechanism for a slag funnel truck according to claim 3, characterized in that: The drive unit (51) includes a fixed seat (511) fixed in the collection groove (24), an installation cavity (512) is provided on the inner side of the fixed seat (511), and a cover (541) is fixed on one side of the fixed seat (511). A motor (513) is installed on the inner side of the installation cavity (512).

5. The slag unloading mechanism for a slag funnel truck according to claim 4, characterized in that: The motor (513) is a dual-head motor. Both ends of the output shaft of the motor (513) are provided with square sockets (516). A locking screw (515) is installed near the end of the output shaft of the motor (513). One end of the spiral blade rod (52) is fixed with a plug inserted into the socket (516).

6. The slag unloading mechanism for a slag funnel truck according to claim 2, characterized in that: Both sides of the door panel (3) are provided with a locking edge (31) that is locked in the slot (22), and the upper end of the door panel (3) is fixed with a drive plate (32). The lower end of the electric cylinder (4) is rotatably installed on one side of the hopper (2), and the upper end of the top rod of the electric cylinder (4) is hinged to the drive plate (32).

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