Pivotable Sweeping Brush Housing for Track Ballast Maintenance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current track ballast leveling devices face challenges in efficiently replacing sweeping brushes due to their heavy weight and directional limitations, leading to increased safety risks and reduced operational efficiency, especially when working on tracks with mixed sleeper types and under time constraints.
Innovation Solution
The device features a rotating sweeping brush housing that pivots 180° about a machine vertical axis, allowing bidirectional sweeping and improved accessibility for brush replacement, coupled with a displaceable steep conveyor belt and material guide, facilitating easier maintenance and operation on adjacent tracks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the sweeping brush housing is fixed in position, then the structure is simple and stable, but the sweeping brush replacement is difficult and time-consuming due to heavy weight and limited accessibility
Solution Approach 1:
The sweeping brush housing is made pivotable about a vertical axis, transforming from a fixed static structure to a dynamic one that can rotate between working position and maintenance position. This enables operators to access the sweeping brush from multiple directions and significantly facilitates replacement operations while maintaining structural integrity during sweeping.
2Ease of repair
If the sweeping brush housing is pivotable for easy maintenance, then the accessibility is improved, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is mounted on a pivotable connection to the machine frame, allowing it to rotate between working and maintenance positions. This dynamic mounting structure provides excellent accessibility for maintenance while adding only minimal structural complexity compared to a fixed housing.
3Productivity
If the sweeping brush housing is rotated 180 degrees for bidirectional sweeping, then the operational efficiency is improved, but the mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The housing can be rotated 180 degrees about the vertical axis to change the sweeping direction. This dynamic repositioning capability allows the machine to sweep in both forward and reverse directions without reversing the entire machine, significantly improving productivity while using a relatively simple rotation mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of changing sweeping direction by reversing the machine's longitudinal motion, the housing is rotated about a vertical axis, adding a rotational degree of freedom. This dimensional change allows bidirectional sweeping while the machine continues moving forward, improving efficiency.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the conveyor belt is rigidly attached to the machine frame, then the structure is stable, but the adaptability to different track conditions is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor belt is mounted on a movable connection to the machine frame rather than a rigid attachment. This dynamic mounting allows the conveyor belt to be adjusted or repositioned according to different track conditions and sleeper types, enhancing adaptability while maintaining structural stability through controlled movement.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient and cost-effective sweeping in both directions, reducing downtime and enhancing safety by simplifying the replacement process of sweeping brushes and wear parts, thus improving overall operational efficiency and adaptability to different track conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a steep conveyor belt with a feed area for the material guide and discharge area at the machine frame
Implementation Method 2
a ballast silo with ballast buckets for ballasting the track
Implementation Method 3
a rotary-driven ballast sweeping brush for sweeping off track ballast
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
What is described is a track ballast levelling apparatus (1) having a machine frame (15) which can move on rail bogies (14) and which is assigned a levelling device, which is adjustable relative to the machine frame (15), and a sweeping device which is adjustable relative to the machine frame (15), wherein the levelling device has a central plough (23) and two flank ploughs (24), and the sweeping device has a rotationally driven ballast-sweeping brush (2, 12) for sweeping track ballast, and wherein the machine frame (15) is assigned, where appropriate, a ballast-conveying device assigned to the ballast-sweeping brush (2, 12) and a ballast silo (3) with ballasting hoses (9, 10) for ballasting the track. In order to provide advantageous maintenance conditions, it is proposed that the ballast-sweeping brush (2, 12) is mounted in a rotationally driven manner in a sweeping brush housing (13) that is mounted so as to be pivotably adjustable about a machine vertical axis with respect to the machine frame (15) between a sweeping position and a maintenance position by means of a rotary device (6).