TRACK BALLAST LEVELLING APPARATUS
The invention relates to a track ballast levelling apparatus (1) comprising a machine frame (15) which is movable on rail bogies (14) and with which a levelling apparatus adjustable relative to the machine frame (15) and a sweeping device adjustable relative to the machine frame (15) are associated, wherein the levelling apparatus has a central plough (23) and two flank ploughs (24) and the sweeping device has a rotatably driven ballast-sweeping brush (2, 12) for sweeping away track ballast. and wherein the machine frame (15) is optionally assigned a ballast conveying device associated with the ballast-sweeping brush (2, 12) and a ballast silo (3) with ballast chutes (9, 10) for ballasting the track. In order to create 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) which is mounted so as to be pivotally 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 rotating device (6).
The invention relates to a track ballast levelling apparatus having a machine frame movable on rail bogies, with which a levelling device adjustable relative to the machine frame and a sweeping device adjustable relative to the machine frame are associated, wherein the levelling device comprises a central plough and two flank ploughs and the sweeping device comprises a rotationally driven ballast-sweeping brush for sweeping away track ballast, and wherein the machine frame is optionally associated with a ballast-conveying device associated with the ballast-sweeping brush and a ballast silo with ballast chutes for ballasting the track.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ARTSuch a track ballast levelling apparatus for ballasting a track is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,402,547. A ballast plough, which is adjustable in height by means of drives and is arranged below the machine frame, is followed by a total of three sweeping brush housings, which are spaced apart from one another and each have a rotationally driven sweeping brush. At the front end of the machine frame there is a further sweeping brush for replacement with a sweeping brush worn out by work ng in the sweeping brush housing. The manipulative effort required for this is relatively high, since the sweeping brush having a large number of elastic tubes is correspondingly heavy. In the event that the track being swept is located between two neighbouring tracks that are being used without restriction, serious safety problems arise in connection with the replacement of the sweeping brush.
AT 395 875 discloses a sweeping apparatus consisting of three separate sweeping brushes arranged side by side in the transverse direction of the track and individually lowerable towards the track.
The known sweeping brushes have a preferred working direction. While the central plough of track ballast levelling apparatuses can be designed to work in both working directions, this does not apply to the sweeping brushes.
From EP 2 775 035 track ballast levelling apparatuses are known, which have a ballast sweeping device, a steep conveyor belt and a ballast silo.
EP 0 787 858 describes two bearing arms for supporting the brush shaft, which are spaced apart from each other in the transverse direction of the machine and are connected to the machine frame, and which have holding devices for intermediate storage of the brush shaft to facilitate replacement of the sweeping brush. The holding device is mounted in a transversely displaceable manner and is connected to a transverse displacement drive. In order to ensure that different sweeping requirements can be met, up to three different equipped sweeping brushes are carried along with the machine. These differ according to the type of sleepers. In addition, on high-speed lines the ballast between the sleepers is swept out deeper so that there is no ballast turbulence or ballast being knocked loose from the intermediate compartment by ice breaking loose from the trains during winter operaton.
The exchange of sweeping brushes is complicated with the known devices, since drives must be dismantled, the sweeper shaft loosened and removed from the sweeper shaft housing and exchanged for another one. This is aggravated by the fact that the sweeper shaft is heavy and the exchange takes a lot of time.
Track ballast levelling apparatuses must ballast a track several times depending on the maintenance work and level the ballast. Finally, the specified ballast profile must be produced and the ballast swept off the sleepers. Since the current ballast-sweeping brushes can only sweep in one direction of work, the machine must back up to complete the work and perform the final levelling with sweeping. If sweeping could be done in both directions, then time would be saved and the work would be done more efficiently and cost effectively.
Work on the track is characterized by increasingly shorter track possessions. If wooden sleeper sections and concrete sleeper sections lie one behind the other during maintenance work, then the sweeping brush must be replaced in each case. There is often not enough time to do this, which is why in such a case a track of this type cannot be worked on in a single shift.
The sweeping brush housings are protected against wear by replaceable wear plates. If these are worn, then they must be replaced. This is very difficult to do on site due to the difficult accessibility of the inside of the sweeping brush housing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus with a sweeping brush, which permits an advantageous change of the ballast-sweeping brush. According to an advantageous further development of the invention, sweeping is to be possible in both directions of travel of the track ballast levelling apparatus.
The invention solves the problem posed in that the ballast-sweeping brush is mounted in a rotationally driven manner in a sweeping brush housing, which is mounted with a rotating device so as to be pivotally adjustable about a machine vertical axis with respect to the machine frame between a sweeping position and a maintenance position.
With the rotating device for the sweeping brush housing according to the invention, sweeping can be performed in both directions when the ballast-sweeping brush is pivoted by rotating the sweeping brush housing by 180° about a machine vertical axis, i.e., a vertical axis. To replace the ballast-sweeping brush, the sweeping brush housing is rotated 90° to the left or right. This considerably improves accessibility, which facilitates the replacement of the sweeping brushes, but also the replacement of worn brush hoses or the replacement of worn wear plates, which are thus easy accessible from the machine frame side. With the aid of a pivotable transfer device, the sweeper shaft can be picked up and pivoted outwards after the connection to the sweeper brush housing has been released. A simple lifting device can then be used to place the sweeping brush on the machine. Using the same lifting device, another sweeping brush is picked up and deposited into the transfer device. The sweeping brush is then pivoted into the sweeping brush housing and mounted.
Depending on space requirements or operation on adjacent tracks, the sweeping brush housing can be turned to the correspondingly safer or easier-to-use side. In addition, the sweeping brush housing in the sweeping position can be connected flush to a material guide downstream of the ballast-sweeping brush in the direction of sweeping in order to be able to ensure clean removal of the swept ballast. The material guide connected to a suitable conveying device and can be displaced with the conveying device from the conveying position away from the sweeping brush housing in order to be able to pivot the sweeping brush housing into the maintenance position.
Advantageous further developments of the invention will be apparent from the subclaims and the drawing.
In the drawing, the subject matter of the invention is shown by way of example, wherein:
The ballast-sweeping brush 2, 12 is rotatably mounted in the sweeping brush housing 13, which is mounted with a rotating device 6 so as to be pivotally adjustable between a sweeping position (
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Claims
1. A track ballast levelling apparatus comprising:
- a machine frame that is movable on rail bogies (14); and
- a levelling device that is associated with and adjustable relative to the machine frame; and
- a sweeping device that is associated with and adjustable relative to the machine frame;
- wherein the levelling device has a central plough and two flank ploughs, and the sweeping device has a rotatably driven ballast-sweeping brush sweeping away track ballast; and
- wherein the ballast-sweeping brush is mounted in a rotationally driven manner in a sweeping brush housing mounted so as to be pivotally adjustable by a rotating device about a machine vertical axis with respect to the machine frame between a sweeping position and a maintenance position.
2. The track ballast levelling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sweeping brush housing in the sweeping position adjoins a material guide that is arranged downstream of the ballast-sweeping brush in a sweeping direction and that is associated with a feed region of a steep conveyor belt, wherein the steep conveyor belt and the material guide are arranged on the machine frame so as to be displaceable by an adjusting drive between the sweeping position and a maintenance position releasing a pivoting range for the sweeping brush housing.
3. The track ballast levelling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the material guide is displaceable with the steep conveyor belt in a working direction from the sweeping position into the maintenance position.
4. The track ballast levelling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ballast-sweeping brush is displaceable out of the sweeping brush housing into a transfer position in the maintenance position by a support arm of a transfer device arranged laterally on the machine frame.
5. The track ballast levelling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a lifting device is supported on the machine frame, said lifting device providing movement of the ballast-sweeping brush between a transfer position and a storage position on the machine frame.
6. The track ballast levelling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sweeping brush housing in the sweeping position adjoins a material guide arranged downstream of the ballast-sweeping brush in a sweeping direction, and said material guide is associated with a feed area of a transverse conveyor belt.
7. The track ballast levelling apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the transverse conveyor belt and the material guide are displaceably arranged on the machine frame by an adjusting drive between the sweeping position and a maintenance position releasing a pivoting range for the sweeping brush housing.
8. The track ballast levelling apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the material guide is displaceable with the transverse conveyor belt in the working direction (A) from the sweeping position into the maintenance position.
9. The track ballast levelling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sweeping brush housing is mounted so as to be pivotally adjustable by at least 90° by a rotary drive.
10. The track ballast levelling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sweeping brush housing is mounted on the machine frame so as to be vertically adjustable by a lifting drive.
11. The track ballast levelling apparatus according to claim 1,
- wherein the machine frame is assigned a ballast conveying device associated with the ballast-sweeping brush and a ballast silo with ballast chutes ballasting the track.
12. The track ballast levelling apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the lifting device is a crane.
13. The track ballast levelling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sweeping brush housing is mounted so as to be pivotally adjustable by at least 180° by a rotary drive.
14. The track ballast levelling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the ballast-sweeping brush is displaceable out of the sweeping brush housing into a transfer position in the maintenance position by a support arm of a transfer device arranged laterally on the machine frame.
15. The track ballast levelling apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the ballast-sweeping brush is displaceable out of the sweeping brush housing into a transfer position in the maintenance position by a support arm of a transfer device arranged laterally on the machine frame.
16. The track ballast levelling apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the sweeping brush housing in the sweeping position adjoins a material guide arranged downstream of the ballast-sweeping brush in a sweeping direction, and said material guide is associated with a feed area of a transverse conveyor belt.
17. The track ballast levelling apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the sweeping brush housing in the sweeping position adjoins a material guide arranged downstream of the ballast-sweeping brush in a sweeping direction, and said material guide is associated with a feed area of a transverse conveyor belt.
18. The track ballast levelling apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the sweeping brush housing in the sweeping position adjoins a material guide arranged downstream of the ballast-sweeping brush in a sweeping direction, and said material guide is associated with a feed area of a transverse conveyor belt.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 17, 2020
Publication Date: Nov 3, 2022
Inventor: Bernhard Lichtberger (Vienna)
Application Number: 17/621,046