Tamping unit for ballast compactors

Abstract

Tamping unit for a ballast compactor. A tamping unit frame for a ballast compactor (A) is proposed, which comprises a pair of tamping tools (7, 8) configured as a swing lever (13) and arranged on a support (4) guided in a height-adjustable manner within the tamping unit frame, the lower ping pick ends (10) of the tamping tools (7, 8) configured to penetrate the ballast bed being driven in opposite directions by a linear vibratory drive (2) and capable of hydraulically squeezing them toward each other. In order to create advantageous tamping characteristics, for each tamping unit (W1), two planes (1) arranged perpendicular to the tamping unit longitudinal axis (L) on both sides of the assigned carrier (4), which are located at a distance of a rail sleeper from each other, form a working space (R), in which a rocking lever (13) and a tamping tool pair (7, 8) having a tamping pick end (10) describe a motion path when oscillating back and forth with a squeezing motion (14), the envelope of which is located exclusively within the working space (R), and the linear vibratory drive (2) of the tamping unit (W1) is arranged vertically in a vibration plane extending transversely to the planes (1) and inclined at least approximately parallel to the tamping unit longitudinal axis (L).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a tamping unit for a ballast compactor, the tamping unit being arranged on a support guided in a height-adjustable manner in a tamping unit frame and comprising a pair of tamping tools configured as swing levers, the lower tamping pick ends of the tamping tool pairs being configured to penetrate the ballast bed being driven in opposite directions by a linear vibratory drive and being hydraulically capable of squeezing towards each other, the at least two tamping units being arranged one behind the other on a tamping unit longitudinal axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the ballast compactor, the at least two, preferably four, tamping units being arranged next to each other transversely to the tamping unit longitudinal axis and each tamping unit having an assigned number of tamping units spaced apart from each other by a rail sleeper distance. support The present invention relates to a tamping unit in which two planes arranged perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tamping unit on both sides form a working space, in which a rocking lever and a tamping tool pair having a tamping pick end describe a motion path when they oscillate back and forth in a squeeze motion, the envelope of the motion path being located exclusively within the working space, and the linear vibration drive device of the tamping unit is arranged above and below in a vibration plane extending transversely to the plane. [Background technology]

[0002] A tamping unit of this type is known from the later-disclosed Austrian patent application No. 522456, in which a linear vibratory drive is arranged in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the tamping unit. This known arrangement presupposes that the lever arms of the rocker levers are assigned to one another and have different lengths. A similar arrangement is disclosed in Chinese patent application No. 101775765.

[0003] The tamping unit (DE 2424829 A1) penetrates the ballast of the roadbed with a tamping tool in the area between two sleepers (mid-zone), in the area of ​​the sleeper supports in the ballast under the rail, and compacts the ballast by dynamic vibration of the tamping picks between opposing tamping picks that are capable of squeezing each other. The tamping unit may be constructed and arranged to compact one, two or more sleepers in one working cycle.

[0004] Special point tamping units exist for point compaction. These include single-sleeper and double-sleeper tamping units, such as so-called split-head tamping units. To compact the area under the sleeper on one side of the track, two tamping tools penetrate longitudinally into the front and rear of the sleeper, one on each side of the rail. In tamping units not configured as split-head tamping units, all eight tamping tools, each with its own rocker lever and drive, are located in a common tamping box. In split-head tamping units, such a unit is divided into two halves: one for compacting the left inner side of the rail and the other for compacting the right inner side of the rail. Each of these split-head tamping units has four tamping tools. In a good-quality point tamping unit, the four tamping tools are designed to be swivelable to the side. This has the advantage that the four tamping units can be swiveled into position or completely out for compaction, which proves to be advantageous when compacting points, as there are many obstacles (points, crossings, switches, switch rails). The tamping units can be built not only on cyclical compaction machines, but also on continuously advancing machines.

[0005] The more sleepers that can be compacted in one tamping cycle, the faster the machine can work. For track compaction, today's continuous tamping machines compact up to four sleepers per cycle. Point tamping machines today include single-sleeper and two-sleeper tamping machines. This allows point tamping to be versatile, as they have high operating speeds even when compacting regular sections or branch tracks. To make this configuration as flexible as possible for points, split-head tamping units are used, arranged one after the other along the track length. In two-sleeper point tamping machines, there are a total of eight split-head tamping units (four on each side) that can penetrate independently of each other. In most tamping machines, the front split-head unit on one side is configured as the "regular section" tamping unit. These are unavailable in many areas of the point and remain in a standby position. The rear split head unit is configured with a swiveling tamping pick. The front pick of the rear split head unit and the rear pick of the front split head unit must penetrate in the same mid-range, and after the penetration process, they must also be capable of a squeeze movement. This significantly limits the available space of the split head unit in the mid-range area. An eccentric shaft drive is often used to generate vibration. The eccentric shaft drive reciprocates the swing lever. In this configuration, the hydraulic cylinder for the squeeze movement must be pivoted to the eccentric shaft drive in the center via a connecting rod. As a result, the drive cylinder operating in the mid-range area must be very short and configured to operate with an unusual lever arm and force transmission ratio. This significantly increases the pressure required for the short squeeze cylinder, and the shorter stroke increases the load on the piston seal, piston, and cylinder displacement surface. This shortens the service life. In a tamping unit for single-sleeper split head points of sufficient quality, all four picks are configured to be swivelable.This gives such units the greatest flexibility in point work.

[0006] Due to the lack of space and limitations imposed by the eccentric shaft drive, in a two-sleeper tamping unit configuration, only the outer picks are swivelable in the intermediate area between the front and rear split head units. The inner picks are rigidly attached to the swing lever. This creates significant limitations at the tamping point, since, in the prior art, the front and rear split head units are mounted on a common frame. Even if the tamping frame were to be displaced laterally, one of the non-swivelable picks would hit an obstacle at the tamping point and would therefore be unable to descend, which would often result in problems of reduced flexibility and operating speed at the tamping point.

[0007] The movements of the tamping unit include the vertical penetration of the tamping pick into the ballast, the squeezing movement in which the ends of the tamping pick close together, and a superimposed dynamic vibration that actually compacts the ballast granules. It is known to use hydraulic cylinders for the squeezing movement. The hydraulic cylinders are connected to an eccentric oscillating shaft via a connecting rod, combining the squeezing and vibration movements (Australian Patent No. 369455). The oscillating shaft and connecting rod are supported by rolling bearings, which require periodic and expensive maintenance. The magnitude of the vibrations generated is determined mechanically by hydraulic excitation. The amplitude cannot be freely adjusted. Another known solution uses linear excitation via hydraulic cylinders. In this case, two hydraulic cylinders are mechanically connected in series. One hydraulic cylinder performs the squeezing movement, while the other performs the vibration movement. More recent applications use so-called hydraulic tamping drives. In hydraulic tamping drives, compaction vibrations and linear squeezing movements are simultaneously generated via a proportional valve forming a unit with a hydraulic cylinder (EP 2770108 A1).

[0008] The optimum tamping frequency for compaction is known to be between 25 Hz and 40 Hz, with the tamping pick penetrating the ballast more easily at higher frequencies, as a smaller penetration impact occurs and the load on the support of the tamping pick unit is reduced. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Austrian Patent Invention No. 522456 [Patent Document 2] Chinese Patent No. 101775765 [Patent Document 3] DE 2424829 A1 [Patent Document 4] Austrian Patent Invention No. 369455 [Patent Document 5] European Patent Application Publication No. 2770108 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] The object of the present invention is therefore to improve a tamping unit of the type mentioned at the beginning in a simple manner so that all tamping picks of the split head units arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of the track can be configured to be pivotable, the opening widths of all the rocker levers can be controlled independently of one another, the rocker levers can be configured with the same transmission ratio, the linear drive does not have to be shortened, and a long service life can be achieved. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The invention solves the problem posed by the linear vibratory drive of the tamping unit in that it is arranged at an angle at least approximately parallel to the longitudinal axis of the tamping unit.

[0012] As a result, during the squeeze movement, the working space formed by the two planes is not invaded by any part of the tamping unit towards the tamping unit that performs compaction on the adjacent sleeper.

[0013] In short, instead of the known eccentric drives, linear drives are used. The linear drives are arranged one above the other or next to each other so that their length is not limited, and the geometry of the rocker lever and pivot arm maintains the outer boundary formed by a plane toward the adjacent unit, and the linear drives that extend to close the picks also maintain a limited space, so that both the rail-inside and rail-outside tamping picks of the split-head tamping unit can be swiveled, and for this purpose, in particular, tamping tool pairs with pivot cylinders can be swiveled transversely to the longitudinal direction of the tamping machine. An additional advantage of the present invention is the modular construction method that makes it possible to align any number of tamping units next to each other in the longitudinal direction of the track.

[0014] The linear vibratory drives are preferably configured as identical structural components, specifically hydraulic cylinders of identical structural length with identical strokes and identical piston bores, to achieve symmetrical tamping results. The linear vibratory drives are inclined relative to the tamping unit longitudinal axis by an angle of preferably 5° to 45°, in particular up to 20° (possibly up to 15°). This is particularly the case in the open position where the tamping pick ends are positioned at the maximum distance from each other. In the closed position of the tamping pick ends, the angles of the two linear vibratory drives relative to the tamping unit longitudinal axis may differ slightly from each other due to the design, or vice versa. However, the linear vibratory drives are inclined relative to the tamping unit longitudinal axis in all positions, even if the angles of the vibratory drives of the assigned tamping units relative to the tamping unit longitudinal axis may deviate from each other by up to 15°, in particular 10°, over the entire working stroke.

[0015] The main advantages are the simple construction method and the use of a linear drive, which is preferably a fully hydraulic linear drive controlled by a proportional valve, which offers many advantages: flexibility at the point due to the swivelability of all tamping picks; increased drive life; uniform loading and design of the rocker lever; and the means for aligning several identical units side by side, i.e., modular construction. The individual frames of the split head unit are also designed to be laterally displaceable independently of one another, thus providing maximum flexibility of operation at the point and machine performance. Another advantage is the symmetrical construction method, which shortens component storage and provides cost benefits for the user. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] The drawings illustrate the subject matter of the invention. [Figure 1] 1 shows a tamping unit according to the invention in a side view. [Figure 2] 1 is a view of a tamping unit according to the present invention; FIG. [Figure 3] 1 shows a tamping unit for points with a linear drive for tamping one sleeper according to the prior art; [Figure 4] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a continuous compactor having two tamping units arranged one after the other in the longitudinal direction, mounted on a tamping frame that can be displaced independently of each other transversely to the longitudinal direction of the track. [Figure 5] 1A-1C are schematic diagrams of various arrangements and configurations of tamping units. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] The tamping unit W1 for the ballast compactor A is guided in a height-adjustable manner within the tamping unit frame. support4, the tamping tool pairs 7, 8 are configured as swing levers 13, and the lower tamping pick ends 10 of the tamping tool pairs 7, 8, which are adapted to penetrate the ballast bed, are driven in opposite directions by a linear vibratory drive 2 and can be squeezed hydraulically towards each other, in which case at least two tamping units W1 H , W1 V are arranged one after the other as seen on a tamping unit longitudinal axis L parallel to the longitudinal direction of the tamping machine, and at least two, preferably four, tamping units are arranged next to each other transversely to the tamping unit longitudinal axis L. For each tamping unit W1, assigned tamping units are arranged at a rail distance a from each other. support Two planes 1 arranged perpendicular to the tamping unit longitudinal axis L on either side of the tamping unit 4 form a working space R. Within the working space R, a rocking lever 13 and a tamping tool pair 7, 8 including a tamping pick end 10 oscillate back and forth with a squeezing motion 14, tracing a motion trajectory, the envelope H of which is located exclusively within the working space R.

[0018] The linear vibratory drives 2 of the tamping unit W1 are arranged vertically, in particular tilted vertically and at least approximately parallel to the tamping unit longitudinal axis L, in a vibration plane extending transversely to the plane 1. Furthermore, all tamping tool pairs 7, 8 can be swiveled transversely to the longitudinal direction of the tamping machine by means of swiveling cylinders 6, 9.

[0019] FIG. 1 shows a tamping unit W1 constructed according to the invention for point compaction, each having a swing lever 13 and a front pivotable tamping pick holder 7 and a rear pivotable tamping pick holder 8, each with a tamping pick 10. Arranged side by side on the tamping unit's longitudinal axis L, parallel to the longitudinal direction of the tamping machine, the two tamping units W1 form a split head unit and penetrate the ballast bed on the left and right sides of the rail 12, thereby compacting the ballast under the sleepers 11 with the tamping picks 10 through an oscillating closing movement. The linear drives 2 are arranged diagonally one above the other to optimize the structural length and ensure a long service life. For this purpose, hydraulic linear drives 2 with proportional valves 3 are used. The swing lever 13 is designed so that its pivot point 17 lies within the allowable operating space 1, provided that the extension of the linear drives 2 does not interfere with the movement of the next tamping unit arranged in the longitudinal direction of the track. The pivot point 18 of the linear drive is supported on the tamping box 4. The tamping unit box 4 is raised and lowered on a vertical guide rod 5 via guides. The tamping pick holders 7, 8 are swiveled via swivel cylinders 6, 9. The swivel cylinders 6, 9 are attached to the tamping pick holders 7, 8 on the one hand and supported on a swing lever 13 on the other hand. The linear tamping drives 2 are arranged diagonally one above the other as shown. The linear vibratory drives 2 are inclined at angles α1, α2, preferably between 5° and 45°, in particular up to 20°, to the longitudinal axis L of the tamping unit. Furthermore, the linear vibratory drives 2 are preferably constructed as identical structural components.

[0020] Figure 2 shows a side view of a tamping unit W1 according to the invention. A swing lever 13 supports a joint with pick holders 7, 8 and a tamping pick 10. The inner pick holder can be swiveled via a swivel cylinder 6. The swing lever is moved via linear drives 2, 3. The tamping box 4 is moved up and down along a vertical guide column 5.

[0021] Figure 3 shows a split head unit C with a standard configuration according to the prior art. The separated area 1 required by the adjacent tamping unit is shown. 15 indicates the area that is extended by the protruding pivot arm. 16 is the area that the rocker lever already extends into in the penetration position, and also the area that is extended further into the separated area 1 by the extension 14 of the linear drive during squeezing.

[0022] FIG. 4 shows diagrammatically a continuous compactor A having two tamping units W1 arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction, which can be moved independently of each other in the transverse direction of the track.

[0023] FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of the prior art arrangement and configuration. S1 shows a schematic diagram of a split-head tamping unit for a single-sleeper standard section, with a non-swivelable inner pick (IN) and an outer pick (AS). The picks are located side by side in the transverse direction of the track, but for simplification, are generally depicted side by side in the drawings. W1 shows a schematic diagram of a full-quality tamping unit for a point (as shown in FIG. 3 prior art) with swivelable inner and outer picks (IS and AS). This type of unit cannot be assembled one after the other in the longitudinal direction of the track, because they would collide with each other in the intermediate zone. W2 shows a schematic diagram of a standard tamping unit for a two-sleeper point (Sdt), driven via an eccentric shaft and with swivelable outer and inner picks. In the intermediate zone of the inner side, the inner pick cannot also be swivelable for space reasons. The arrangement D known from the prior art requires a rear W0.5 H The point for the tamping unit is shown, rear W0.5 H has inner and outer swivelable picks at the rear, but has an inner non-swivelable pick in the common middle area. V The arrangement E is a mirror-symmetrical arrangement of two point tamping units W0.5 H , W0.5 VThe layout F shows two tamping units W1 for sufficient quality. H and W1 V The figure shows a possible configuration according to the invention. This configuration of point tamping units located one after the other in the longitudinal direction of the track is the only arrangement in which all picks can be swiveled. Furthermore, based on the modular construction, this arrangement can be expanded to tamping additional sleepers simultaneously (resulting in a three- or four-sleeper compactor). The present application relates to the invention described in the claims, but also includes the following as other aspects. 1. A tamping unit (W1) for a ballast compactor (A), The tamping unit comprises a pair of tamping tools (7, 8) arranged on a support (4) guided in a height-adjustable manner in a tamping unit frame and configured as a swing lever (13); The lower tamping pick ends (10) of the tamping tool pairs (7, 8) that are set to penetrate the ballast bed are driven in opposite directions by the linear vibratory drive (2) and are hydraulically capable of squeezing towards each other, and each of the tamping tool pairs (7, 8) comprises at least two tamping units (W1 H 、W1 V ) are arranged one after the other on a tamping unit longitudinal axis (L) parallel to the longitudinal direction of the tamping machine, and at least two, preferably four, tamping units are arranged side by side transversely to the tamping unit longitudinal axis (L); For each tamping unit (W1), two planes (1) arranged perpendicular to the tamping unit longitudinal axis (L) on both sides of the assigned support (4) located at a distance of a rail sleeper form a working space (R), in which a rocking lever (13) and a tamping tool pair (7, 8) having a tamping pick end (10) describe a motion path when oscillating back and forth with a squeezing motion (14), the envelope of the motion path being located exclusively within the working space (R); The linear vibration drive units (2) of one tamping unit (W1) are arranged one above the other in a vibration plane extending transversely to the plane (1). The tamping unit (W1), characterized in that the linear vibratory drive device (2) of the tamping unit (W1) is arranged at an angle at least approximately parallel to the tamping unit longitudinal axis (L). 2. The tamping unit (W1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the linear vibratory drive (2) is a fully hydraulic linear drive (2) controlled by a proportional valve (3). 3. 3. The tamping unit (W1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the tamping tool pair (7, 8) can be rotated transversely to the longitudinal direction of the tamping machine by means of rotating cylinders (6, 9). 4. The linear vibratory drive (2) is arranged at an angle (α) of 5° to 45°, in particular 20°, to the longitudinal axis (L) of the tamping unit. 1 、α 2 4. The tamping unit (W1) according to any one of 1 to 3 above, characterized in that it is inclined by . 5. 5. The tamping unit (W1) according to any one of 1 to 4 above, wherein the linear vibration drive device (2) is configured as an identical structural component.

Claims

1. A tamping unit (W1) for a ballast compactor (A), The tamping unit comprises a plurality of tamping tool pairs (7, 8) arranged on a support (4) guided in a height-adjustable manner in a tamping unit frame and configured as a rocking lever (13); The lower tamping pick ends (10) of the tamping tool pairs (7, 8) which are set to penetrate the ballast bed are driven in opposite directions by linear vibratory drives (2) and are hydraulically capable of squeezing towards each other, and each of the tamping tool pairs (7, 8) comprises at least two tamping units (W1 Ｈ , W1 Ｖ ) are arranged one after the other on a tamping unit longitudinal axis (L) parallel to the longitudinal direction of the tamping machine, and at least two, preferably four, tamping units are arranged side by side transversely to the tamping unit longitudinal axis (L), For each tamping unit (W1), two planes (1) arranged perpendicular to the tamping unit longitudinal axis (L) on both sides of the assigned support (4) located at a distance of a rail sleeper form a working space (R), in which a rocking lever (13) and a tamping tool pair (7, 8) having a tamping pick end (10) describe a path of motion when oscillating back and forth with a squeezing motion (14), the envelope of which is located exclusively within the working space (R); In the tamping unit (W1), the linear vibration drive devices (2) of one tamping unit (W1) are arranged one above the other in a vibration plane extending transversely to the plane (1), The one rocking lever (13) and the other rocking lever (13) are configured mirror-symmetrically, and a linear drive device (2) is assigned to each of the one rocking lever (13) and the other rocking lever (13), A tamping unit (W1), characterized in that each of the linear vibration drive devices (2) of one tamping unit (W1) is constructed as an identical structural part and acts on each of the oscillating levers (13) in opposite directions from each other at pivot points (17) at the same height position, and each of the linear vibration drive devices (2) is arranged parallel to each other but offset horizontally and vertically, and is also arranged inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis (L) of the tamping unit.

2. Tamping unit (W1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the linear vibratory drive (2) is a fully hydraulic linear drive (2) controlled by a proportional valve (3).

3. 3. A tamping unit (W1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the tamping tool pair (7, 8) can be swiveled transversely to the longitudinal direction of the tamping machine by means of swiveling cylinders (6, 9).

4. The linear vibratory drive (2) is arranged at an angle (α １ , α ２ 4. The tamping unit (W1) according to claim 1, wherein the tamping unit (W1) is inclined by .

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