Title of Invention

"AN IMPROVED MACHINE FOR RENEWING A TRACK"

Abstract

An improved machine(1) for renewing a track(4) consisting of rails(2) and sleepers(3) includes a machine frame(6) formed of two frame parts (7) which is supportable at its ends on the track(4) by means of rail undercarriages(5). Additionally-provided are a frame joint(8) connecting the two frame parts(7) to one another, as well as a sleeper laying device(21), a sleeper lifting device(43), and an endless, rotatable clearing device(ll) for taking up ballast(14). Arranged between the clearing device(11) and the sleeper laying device(21) are a ballast discharge device(23), a discharging end(22) of a second conveyor belt unit(19), extending in the longitudinal direction of the machine, for transporting ballast(14), said discharging end being associated with the ballast discharge device, and a vertically adjustable ballast grading apparatus(27).

Full Text

The present invention relates to an improved machine for renewing a track consisting of rails and sleepers, comprising a machine frame formed of two frame parts which is supportable at its ends on the track by means of rail undercarriages and comprises a frame joint connecting the two frame parts to one another as well as a sleeper laying device and a sleeper lifting device, with an endless, rotatable clearing device, arranged between the sleeper laying device and the sleeper lifting device, for taking up ballast and a first conveyor belt unit for transporting the ballast away. A machine of this kind is known according to EP 0255 564 Bl. The sleeper crib ballast, presenting an obstacle for laying the sleepers, is transported upwards onto the conveyor belt unit by means of the clearing chain and discharged at the rear machine end upon the track which has meanwhile been newly installed. With this, the new sleepers resting on the levelled ballast bed are ballasted in order to stabilize the track position. French Patent No.FR 2 736 367 A describes a track renewal machine which is essentially composed of a first machine unit for lifting the old sleepers, a ballast cleaning unit, and a further machine unit for laying the new sleepers. Associated with the clearing chain is a ballast screen in which the contaminated ballast is cleaned. Located immediately behind the clearing chain is a ballast discharge site as well as a grading and consolidating apparatus. It is the object of the present invention to provide an improved machine of the specified kind which can be used during optimal track reconstruction operations simultaneously also for cleaning the exposed ballast bed. 2 According to the invention, this object is achieved with a machine of the kind mentioned at the beginning by arranging, between the clearing device and the sleeper laying device, a ballast discharge device, a djscharg]ng_end of a second conveyor belt unit, extending in the longitudinal direction of the machine, for transporting ballast, said discharging end being associated with the ballast discharge device, and a ballast grading apparatus vertically adjustable by a drive By combining the features of the invention with a machine frame of articulated design, mobile at its ends on the track, it is possible in a particularly advantageous manner to utilize the construction gap, freely accessible due to the brief removal of the track, for simplified and problem-free taking-up of ballast. Since no track is present in the construction gap, it is possible to very easily clean even especially problematic zones, such as platform areas, for instance, in which a clearing chain would not find space during normal cleaning with raising the track. An additional advantage lies also in the possibility to precisely vertically guide the clearing chain or the ballast grading apparatus for an exact reproduction of the track position by tracing the vertical position of the immediately preceding old sleepers, so that it is possible to accurately reproduce the vertical position with the new track If the clearing chain is transferred into the inoperative position, the machine may be used at any time and without any restrictions whatsoever for regular track reconstruction operations without cleaning of the ballast bed. Since the machine is supported merely at its ends on rail undercarriages, it is possible to produce an accurate I y~gracled and consolidated ballast formation for the new track position. Additional advantageous embodiments of the invention become apparent from the detail-descriptions^and the drawingso now The invention will/be described in more detail below with reference^to embodiment represented in the ^accompanying!drawings in which : - 3 - Fig. 1 shows a side view of a front part, with regard to the operating direction, of a machine for renewing a track, Fig. 2 shows a side view of a rear part of the machine, Fig. 3 shows a enlarged representation of a central section of the machine, and Fig. 4 shows an enlarged representation of the rear machine end. A machine_J_,_sh£wn in Figs. 1 to 4, for renewing a track 4 formed of rails 2 and sleepers 3 has a machine frame 6 mobile on the track 4 by means of rail undercarriages_5_arranged at the ends. The machine frame 6 is composed of two frame parts 7, arranged one following the other in the longitudinal direction of the machine, which are articulatedly connected to one another by means of a frame joint 8. Also arranged in the frame joint 8 are drives 9, provided for spreading the two frame parts 7 upwards while raising a rail undercarriage 10 located thereunder and for steering in track curve regions, and a clearing device 11. The clearing device 11, vertically adjustable by means of a drive 12, is equipped with an endless chain, rotatable by a drive 13, for taking up ballast 14. Associated with a discharging end 15 of the clearing device 11 is a receiving end 16 of a first conveyor belt unit 17 extending in the longitudinal direction of the machine and having a discharging end 18. A second conveyor belt unit 19, extending in the longitudinal direction of the machine, is provided underneath the first conveyor belt unit 17. The second conye_yp_r_belt_u_ni_t 19 has a discharging end 22 arranged immediately preceding - with regard to the operating direction of the machine 1 as represented by an arrow 20 - a sleeper laying device 21, a ballast discharge device 23 being located under the discharging end 22 The ballast discharge device 23 consists of a chute 24 having outlet openings 25 (see Fig. 3). - 4 - As can be better seen in Fig. 3, a ballast grading apparatus 27, vertically adjustable by means of drives_26,Js located between the sleeper laying device 21 and the immediately preceding ballast discharge device 23, the ballast grading apparatus being connected to a vibratable ballast consolidator 28. Additionally, the ballast grading apparatus 27 comprises two plough" shields 30, pivotable respectively about a vertical axis 29 and spaced from one another in the transverse direction of the machine, the sleeper laying device 21 being positioned between the two plough shields 30. The rear frame part 7 of the machine 1 is extended by means of a frame 31 having a rail undercarriage 32, thus creating a working space for screwing operations. Located at a machine end 33 positioned immedately behind the rail undercarriage 32 is a ballast chute 34 with outlet openings 35 spaced from one another in the transverse direction of the machine (Fig. 4). A ,._ receiving end 36 of the second conveyor belt unit 19 is positioned above the ballast chute 34. As is visible in Fig. 4, a rear conveyor belt 37 of the first conveyor belt unit 17 and a further rear conveyor belt 38 of the second conveyor belt unit 19 are each mounted for displacement in the longitudinal direction of the machine by means of a drive 39. Coupled to the rear machine end 33 is a screening wagon 40-which comprises a screening installation 41, vibratable by drives, for ballast cleaning and a motor unit 42 for supplying energy. Located immediately ahead of the clearing device 11 in the operating direction of the machine 1 is a sleeper lifting device 43. Provided immediately ahead of the latter is a tracing apparatus 44 for tracing the vertical position of the old sleepers 3 With the aid of a gantry crane 45 mobile on the leading frame part 7, the old sleepers 3 can be transported away and the new sleepers 3 can be transported to a conveyor unit 46. The new sleepers 3 are transported to the sleeper laying device 21 via a sleeper conveying unit 47 extending in the longitudinal direction of the machine - 5 - The mode of operation of the machine according to the invention will now be described in more detail. During working operations, the two frame parts 7 are spread against one another by actuating the drives 9, causing the rail undercarriage 10 located underneath the frame joint 8 to be raised. While the machine 1 advances continuously in the direction of the arrow 20, the old sleepers 3 are lifted off the ballast 14 with the aid of the sleeper lifting device 43 and removed by the gantry crane 45. Parallel to that, by means of the clearing device 11 lowered into the operating position, the entire ballast 14 is taken up, thus exposing an earth formation 48, and delivered via the first conveyor belt unit 17 to the screeninofinstallation 41. The cleaned ballast 14, discharged by the second conveyor belt unit 19 via the ballast discharge device 23 immediately ahead of the sleeper laying device 21, is graded by the ballast grading apparatus 27 and consolidated immediately thereafter by means of the ballast consolidator 28. The new sleepers 3 are laid upon this graded and consolidated ballast formation 50 by the sleeper laying device 21. In another variation of operations, there is also the possibility to employ the machine 1 without the screening wagon 40, with the clearing device 11 taking up merely the sleeper crib ballast (that is the ballast located between the old sleepers 3) while producing a ballast formation, and discharging said ballast into the ballast chute 34 with corresponding longitudinal displacement of the two rear conveyor belts 37 and 38 of the.conveyor belt units 17,19 (see dash-dotted arrow 49 in Fig. 4) Thus, the new sleepers 3 laid upon the ballast formation 50 are ballasted in order to stabilize the track position. Finally, in a third variant oloperations, the machine 1 can be employed in the customary manner for track renewal work without using the clearing device 11 (situated in the inoperative position). In this case, the desired ballast formation is produced by means of the ballast grading apparatus 27, the surplus sleeper crib ballast being shifted laterally onto the two ballast bed shoulders - 6 - We claim :- 1. An improved machined) for renewing a track(4) consisting of rails(2) and sleepers(3), "comprising a machine frame(6) formed of two frame parts (7) which is supportable at its ends on the track(4) by means of rail undercarriages(5) and comprises a frame joint(8) connecting the two frame parts(7) to one another as well as a sleeper laying device(21) and a sleeper lifting device(43), with an endless, rotatable clearing device(11), arranged between the sleeper laying device{21) and the sleeper lifting device(43), for taking up ballast(14) and a first conveyor belt unit(17) for transporting the ballast(14) away, characterized in that arranged between the clearing device(11) and the sleeper laying device(21) are a ballast discharge device(23), a discharging end(22) of a second conveyor belt unit(19), extending in the longitudinal direction of the machine, for transporting ballast(14), said discharging end being associated with the ballast discharge device, and a ballast grading apparatus(27) vertically adjustable by a drive(26). 2. The improved machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein a vibratable ballast consolidator(28), vertically adjustable by" drives (26), is arrange"d"lDetween the sleeper laying device (21) and the ballast grading apparatus(27). 3. The improved machine as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the ballast grading apparatus(27) includes two plough shields(30), pivotable respectively about a vertical axis(29) and spaced from one another in the transverse direction of the machine, the sleeper laying device(21) being positioned between the two plough shields(30). An improved machine(1) for renewing a track(4) consisting of rails(2) and sleepers(3) includes a machine frame(6) formed of two frame parts (7) which is supportable at its ends on the track(4) by means of rail undercarriages(5). Additionally-provided are a frame joint(8) connecting the two frame parts(7) to one another, as well as a sleeper laying device(21), a sleeper lifting device(43), and an endless, rotatable clearing device(ll) for taking up ballast(14). Arranged between the clearing device(11) and the sleeper laying device(21) are a ballast discharge device(23), a discharging end(22) of a second conveyor belt unit(19), extending in the longitudinal direction of the machine, for transporting ballast(14), said discharging end being associated with the ballast discharge device, and a vertically adjustable ballast grading apparatus(27).

Documents:

00375-cal-2001 abstract.pdf

00375-cal-2001 claims.pdf

00375-cal-2001 correspondence.pdf

00375-cal-2001 description (complete).pdf

00375-cal-2001 drawings.pdf

00375-cal-2001 form-1.pdf

00375-cal-2001 form-18.pdf

00375-cal-2001 form-2.pdf

00375-cal-2001 form-26.pdf

00375-cal-2001 form-3.pdf

00375-cal-2001 form-5.pdf

00375-cal-2001 letters patent.pdf

00375-cal-2001 priority document others.pdf

00375-cal-2001 priority document.pdf

375-CAL-2001-CORRESPONDENCE 1.1.pdf

375-CAL-2001-CORRESPONDENCE-1.1.pdf

375-CAL-2001-FORM 27-1.1.pdf

375-CAL-2001-FORM 27.pdf