Ballast Clearing Device with Inverted Dozer Blade for Bidirectional Operation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing track construction machines require significant conversion efforts and additional machinery to operate effectively in both directions for track renewal and laying, limiting their versatility and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A ballast clearing device with a clearing blade arranged parallel to the transverse guide, allowing operation in the opposite direction without rotating the device, and featuring a cross conveyor belt system for efficient ballast transport and profiling, along with a remotely actuated clearing blade for enhanced safety and control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the ballast clearing device is rotated to operate in the opposite direction, then the machine can work in both directions, but the device complexity and conversion effort increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of rotating the ballast clearing device to change working direction, the invention inverts the approach by keeping the device in a fixed longitudinal orientation and using the dozer blade to push ballast in the opposite direction. The dozer blade is positioned to protrude below the clearing chain level, enabling the same device configuration to clear ballast effectively in both forward and reverse directions without mechanical rotation or complex conversion mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The ballast clearing device is designed with multi-functionality by incorporating a dozer blade that can operate in conjunction with the clearing chain regardless of the machine's direction of travel. The dozer blade serves as an additional functional element that enables opposite-direction operation without requiring the entire device to be rotated or reconfigured, thus achieving universality across different working directions.
2Manufacturing precision
If a separate smoothing machine is used for ballast bed preparation, then the ballast surface can be properly profiled, but the quantity of machinery and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the ballast clearing function with the ballast surface profiling function by integrating a dozer blade into the ballast clearing device. The dozer blade, positioned to protrude below the clearing chain level, simultaneously clears excess ballast and profiles the ballast bed surface to create the necessary contours for stable sleeper placement. This eliminates the need for a separate smoothing machine while achieving the required surface preparation quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The ballast clearing device is enhanced with multi-functionality by incorporating the dozer blade that performs both ballast collection and surface profiling operations. The same device that removes excess ballast also shapes the ballast bed surface, thereby eliminating the need for additional dedicated smoothing equipment and reducing overall system complexity.
3Productivity
If the dozer blade lower edge is positioned below the clearing chain level, then ballast can be collected and transported effectively, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ballast clearing device is segmented into distinct functional zones: the dozer blade positioned at the lower edge to push ballast upward, the clearing chain that collects and transports the ballast, and the longitudinal guides that direct the ballast flow. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently, with the dozer blade creating the initial ballast mound that the clearing chain then collects and transports along the ascending longitudinal guide.
Data Source
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AI summary
A ballast removal device (13) for a track construction machine (1) for receiving ballast (14), comprising an endless removal chain (19) guided along a transverse guide (23), an ascending longitudinal guide (24), and a descending longitudinal guide (25), wherein a discharge point (28) is arranged between the ascending longitudinal guide (25) and the descending longitudinal guide (25), wherein a removal blade (35) is arranged approximately parallel to the transverse guide (23), and wherein a lower edge (36) of the removal blade (35) projects at least partially below a removal plane (34) of the removal chain (19) in a working position. In this way, the ballast removal device (13) can be used in the opposite direction to a conventional working direction (2).