Railway Ballast Compaction and Cleaning Tool
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for maintaining railway tracks are costly and inefficient in extending the lifetime of ballast while ensuring its mechanical properties, as they either require complete or partial renewal of the ballasted layer or have limited depollution performance, leading to insufficient mechanical strength due to residual voids and aggregate displacement.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that use a modified tamping machine to suck pollution particles from the ballasted layer using air depression and simultaneously compact the aggregates through tightening and vibration, allowing for in-situ separation and rearrangement to restore mechanical properties without excavating the layer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If pollution particles are sucked from the ballasted layer using air depression, then depollution is achieved, but residual voids and aggregate displacement occur leading to insufficient mechanical strength
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies vibration to the ballasted layer after suction to rearrange aggregates and eliminate residual voids. The vibration causes aggregates to settle into a denser configuration, restoring mechanical strength while maintaining the depollution effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines suction and compaction actions in a continuous process within the same tool. The suction operation is immediately followed by compaction (vibration and tightening) in sequence, ensuring that voids are eliminated while pollution particles are removed, thereby maintaining mechanical strength.
2Strength
If the ballasted layer is renewed completely or partially, then mechanical properties are restored, but cost and implementation complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the harmful pollution particles from the ballasted layer while retaining the useful ballast aggregates in place. This selective removal avoids the need for complete or partial renewal of the ballasted layer, reducing both cost and implementation complexity while restoring mechanical properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses an intermediary tool that combines suction and compaction functions to treat the ballasted layer in situ. This single integrated tool performs both depollution and mechanical restoration without requiring excavation or replacement operations, simplifying implementation.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a suction tool is used to remove pollution particles, then depollution is achieved, but residual voids remain between aggregates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies vibration after suction to cause aggregates to settle and fill residual voids. The vibrational energy促使 aggregates to rearrange into a denser configuration, eliminating the voids created during the suction process while maintaining the depollution effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a continuous sequence of suction followed immediately by compaction (vibration and tightening) within the same tool. This continuous action ensures that voids are eliminated in the same operational cycle where pollution particles are removed, preventing void accumulation.
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
This approach effectively extends the lifetime of the ballast by improving mechanical properties while being cost-effective and easy to implement, targeting specific regions of high pollution accumulation for optimized results.
Implementation Method 1
apply, in this thickness of the ballasted layer, an air depression such that the pollution particles are, by suction, separated from the aggregates of ballast
Implementation Method 2
keeping this tool vibrating while it sucks and is moved through the ballasted layer so that the vibration applied to the tool is transmitted to the nearest aggregates and contributes to the take-off of the pollution particles
Implementation Method 3
the ballasted layer thus decontaminated by suction is 'recompacted' thanks to the tool, that is to say mechanically treated by this tool so that, by tightening and vibration, the ballast aggregates rearrange themselves
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention aims to treat a railway track (1) comprising a ballast layer (3), which covers a sub-layer (2), on which rail support sleepers (5) (4) rest, and which includes both ballast aggregates (3A) and pollution particles (3B) finer than the ballast aggregates. In order to extend the service life of the railway track ballast at a lower cost, while guaranteeing its mechanical properties, the method according to the invention provides for driving a tool (12) into the ballast layer (3), using this tool to suction at least a portion of the pollution particles (3B) so as to remove them from the ballast aggregates (3A), and after and/or during the suction of the pollution particles, compacting the ballast aggregates by clamping and vibration using this tool (12).