Displaceable Track Lifting Device for Ballast Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cleaning machines for ballast on tracks face challenges in efficiently operating within switch sections, where secure support and optimal work usage are compromised due to the limitations of existing track lifting devices.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning machine with a track lifting device comprising a longitudinal beam and a displaceable cross beam, allowing for adjustable height and movement relative to the machine frame, ensures secure support in switch sections by adapting the rail contact elements and enabling safe passage through challenging track areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the track lifting device is fixed to the machine frame, then the structure is simple and stable, but it cannot adapt to switch sections and causes damage to the ballast pick-up device
Solution Approach 1:
The track lifting device is designed with a cross beam that can be longitudinally displaced relative to the machine frame, transforming the fixed structure into a dynamic one. This allows the lifting device to adapt its position when encountering switch sections, preventing damage to the ballast pick-up device while maintaining secure support during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The track lifting device is segmented into independent components: a longitudinal beam fixed to the machine frame and a cross beam that can move independently. This segmentation allows the cross beam to be displaced rearward when approaching switch sections, while the longitudinal beam remains stable, thus resolving the contradiction between adaptability and structural stability.
2Productivity
If the ballast pick-up device operates continuously, then productivity is high, but it risks damage when encountering stationary obstacles in switch sections
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of switch sections using sensors that detect the absence of rails. Upon detection, the control unit activates the displacement mechanism to move the cross beam rearward before the ballast pick-up device reaches the switch section, preventing damage while maintaining continuous operation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates sensors that provide real-time feedback about track conditions, particularly the presence or absence of rails. This feedback loop enables the control unit to automatically adjust the cross beam position, allowing continuous operation while preventing damage through responsive, condition-based adjustments.
3Reliability
If the cross beam is displaced rearward for switch sections, then damage to ballast pick-up device is prevented, but work progress is temporarily reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The cross beam is rapidly displaced rearward when approaching switch sections and then quickly returned to its forward position afterward. This brief, accelerated displacement minimizes the interruption to work progress while still providing necessary protection, allowing the system to skip over the problematic switch section area efficiently.
Data Source
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AI summary
A cleaning machine for cleaning ballast of a track (2), having a machine frame (4) which can be moved on rail-mounted running gear sets (3), a ballast collecting device (10) and a track lifting device (9) which has rail contact elements (7) for grasping rails (8) of the track (2) and is connected to the machine frame (4), characterized in that the track lifting device (9) is designed so as to be displaceable in a longitudinal direction (21) of the machine relative to the machine frame (4) and relative to the ballast collecting device (10).