GB2267304A

GB2267304A - A track tamping machine.

Info

Publication number: GB2267304A
Application number: GB9309342A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Josef Theurer; Friedrich Peitl
Original assignee: Franz Plasser Bahnbaumaschinen Industrie GmbH
Current assignee: Franz Plasser Bahnbaumaschinen Industrie GmbH
Priority date: 1992-05-06
Filing date: 1993-05-06
Publication date: 1993-12-01
Anticipated expiration: 2013-05-06
Also published as: DE4313300C2; GB2267304B; ITMI930613A1; ATA92292A; GB9309342D0; DE4313300A1; ITMI930613A0; IT1263846B; FR2690935A1; AT399893B; FR2690935B1

Abstract

A tamping machine includes a machine frame (2) supported on on-track undercarriages and with tamping units (10) having tamping tools. The tamping tools are connected to a tool frame (15) for vertical adjustment by means of vertical guides (16). Each tool frame is mounted on a transverse guide (12) secured to a carrier frame (13) and is connected to its own displacement drive (18) for transverse displacement. The carrier frame (13) is itself mounted on a second transverse guide (14) for transverse adjustment with respect to the machine frame (2) by means of an adjustment drive (21). This allows tamping of areas of track lying outside the machine frame outline. <IMAGE>

Description

9 2267304 A TRACK TAMPING MACHINE The present invention relates.to a

railway track tamping machine comprising a machine frame supported on on-track undercarriages and at least one tamping unit having tamping tools which can press and be set vibrating by means of drives, the tamping tools being respectively arranged on a tool carrier connected to a tool frame for vertical adjustment by means of vertical guides, and each tool frame being mounted on a transverse guide extending in the transverse direction of the machine and secured to a carrier frame, and being connected to its own displacement drive for transverse displacement.

A track tamping machine of the type specified is already known according to US 5,007,350 B, which has a bridge-shaped machine frame supported on on-track undercarriages, beneath which a support frame provided with its own undercarriage is arranged and is linked to the machine frame for relative displacement with respect to the said machine frame in the longitudinal direction of the machine. The support frame of this socalled continuous track tamping machine is provided with a track lifting and aligning unit and also with four tamping units, disposed behind the lifting and aligning unit in the operating direction. The tamping units are arranged side by side in the transverse direction of the track and are respectively associated with one longitudinal side of a rail. Each tamping unit has a tool carrier which is provided with tamping tools which can be pressed and set vibrating and which is mounted on vertical guides connected to a tool 2 frame for the purpose of lowering these tools into the ballast. A separate vertical adjustment drive for each of the four tamping tool carriers enables them to be lowered individually. So that the tamping units can be adjusted in the transverse direction of the track, they or their tool frames are mounted on two guide beams, extending parallel to one another in the transverse direction of the machine and spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction of the machine. These guide beams form transverse guides along which the tamping units are individually transversely displaceable by means of their own displacement drives. The guide beams are connected at each end to a carrier frame which is itself mounted on the aforementioned support frame or supported thereon by means of guide rollers such that the carrier frame is rotatable about a vertical axis located in the centre of the machine. The entire tamping unit arrangement can be thereby rotated to adjust to or to tamp sleepers which may be lying obliquely in the track, as can be necessary in the areas of points, for example. However, the tamping range is limited essentially to the width of the machine.

A track tamping machine is further known, according to DE 30 26 883 C2, comprising four tamping units, each associated with one longitudinal side of a rail, the tamping tools of which are connected to a tool carrier and are arranged together with the tool carrier on a tool frame for vertical adjustment on guides. In order to enable the tamping units to be movable in the transverse direction of the track, the tool frames are respectively mounted on horizontal transverse guides extending transversely to the longitudinal direction of the machine and are connected to displacement drives. A respective individual transverse guide beam is provided for each two tamping units associated with a rail and is arranged on the machine frame by way of sliding bearings. The tool frames of the inner 3 tamping units, viewed in the transverse direction of the track, are mounted for movement eg sliding on the respective transverse guide beam, while the tool frames of the outer tamping units are secured fixedly thereto and for the purpose of transverse adjustment are displaced together with the transverse guide beam in the transverse direction of the machine. This machine is very complicated in construction, and furthermore only enables the tamping range to be extended slightly.

An object of the invention is to provide a track tamping machine of the type described in the introduction, which retains transverse displaceability of the individual tamping units independently of one another and enables the tamping range to be substantially extended in the transverse direction of the machine.

To this end according to the invention in a machine of the type described in the introduction the carrier frame bearing the said first transverse guide is itself mounted on a second transverse guide and is designed for transverse adjustment with respect to the machine frame by means of an adjustment drive.

A machine provided in this way with two transverse guides, one superposed above the other, offers a substantial expansion of the range of applications in points and crossing area tamping. Thus, not only are the tamping units displaceable individually - by means of the first transverse guide - within the cross sectional outline of the machine so as to adjust the tamping tools to the prevailing conditions or to tamping obstructions in the regions of frogs, for example; in addition the carrier frame bearing all the tamping units on the first transverse guide can also be transversely displaced beyond the machine outline or outside the rails by means of the second 1 0 transverse guide. Thus, areas lying laterally outside the machine outline, with respect to the main track along which the machine is travelling, for example in the region of points or a branch track lie within the operating range of the tamping tools. Very long points sleepers can therefore be optimally tamped in a particularly advantageous manner in a single working pass, producing a stable layer. This ensures permanent correction of the track geometry. Furthermore, the transfer of the tamping tools to within the machine outline can be imDlemented rapidly and without difficulty by operation of the adjustment drive and by transverse displacement of the carrier frame. Such transfer is required for instance when train traffic occurs on an adjacent track or when the machine is to be moved along the tracks. Because of the constructionally simple concept, existing track maintenance machines could also be retrofitted with equipment constructed according to the invention without involving excessive expenditure.

The further development of the invention according to claim 2 offers the advantage of great simplicity in the construction of the design and, as a consequence thereof, exceptional robustness which also reduces the susceptibility to breakdown.

A preferred modification specified in claims 3 and 4 enables the operating range of the tamping tools to be considerably extended in the transverse direction of the machine. This is achieved by allocating the four tamping units or their transverse guides to two groups each associated with one longitudinal side of the machine. As a result each group consisting of two tamping units is individually transversely displaceable, independently of the other one. In this way it is possible to simultaneously tamp a length of main track and also the outer rail of a branch track at a particular point.

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The development according to claim 10 provides a particularly simple construction and robust solution according to the invention. The susceptibility to breakdown is particularly low which makes this development of the invention particularly suitable for the problem-free retrofitting of tamping machines already in service.

With the features set forth in claim 11 a particularly large transverse displacement range of the tamping units may be created. Not only is the whole length of the first transverse guide available for the transverse displacement of the tool frames, but because of the central arrangement of the sliding sleeve, it is also freely mobile together with the carrier frame in both directions on the second transverse guide over the whole inside width of the machine frame.

If in a further modification according to claim 12, two sliding sleeves are provided which are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the machine. The torsional rigidity and stability, (particularly in the longitudinal direction of the track) of the arrangement of tamping units mounted on the second transverse guide is considerably increased as a result.

The arrangement of four tamping units according to claim 13 provides a tamping machine which is usable under virtually all conditions occurring in practice. Any tamping obstruction which is encountered can be avoided without difficulty by displacement of the relevant tamping unit.

7 The modification described in claims 14, 15 and 16 offers an advantageous extension of the transverse adjustability of the tamping units and an increase in their operating range in the transverse direction of the machine. This is achieved by the construction of the carrier frame so as to be variable in length with respect to the transverse direction.

Finally, a further, constructionally very simple solution is described in claim 17. In order that the invention may be more readily understood reference will now be made by way of example to the embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig 1 shows a side view of a track tamping machine with tamping units mounted on a transversely displaceable carrier frame, Fig 2 shows an enlarged view of the carrier frames and the transverse guides, corresponding to the section II in Fig 1, Fig 3 shows a plan view of the area of the tamping machine represented in Fig 2 and of the tamping units and the mounting thereof, Fig 4 shows a perspective view of the arrangement of transverse guides shown in Figs 2 and 3, depicting only the most essential parts for reasons of greater clarity, Fig 5 shows a view, extending in the longitudinal direction of the machine, of another form of construction of the invention, Fig 6 shows a perspective view of the carrier frame as shown in Fig 5, and Fig 7 shows a side view of a tamping unit of a further embodiment of the invention.

A track tamping machine 1 represented in Fig 1 has an elongated, bridgeshaped machine frame 2 which is mobile by means of on-track undercarriages 3 on a track 4 and on which driver's cabs 5 are arranged at ' each end and an operator's cab 6 is arranged centrally. A power source 7 serves to supply energy to a motive drive 8, to a track lifting and aligning unit 9 supported on the machine frame 2 and provided with an auxiliary lifting device, and to tamping units 10 each having a pair of tamping tools and being arranged immediately behind the lifting and aligning unit in the operating direction. A levelling and aligning reference system 11 is provided for controlling the operating tools in use. So that the machine can also be used effectively in points and crossing areas, the tamping units 10 which are described in detail below, are mounted for displacement in the transverse direction of the machine on a first transverse guide 12 which is secured to a carrier frame 13. This is in turn designed similarly for transverse displacement on a second transverse guide 14 and is mounted on the machine frame 2. (In a known prior art continuous tamping machine, not shown here, the second transverse guide 14 would be arranged on an auxiliary frame or support frame bearing the operating units, instead of on the machine frame 2).

The construction of the transverse guides 12, 14 and the carrier frames 13 may be seen in detail in Fig 2, 3 and 4. Only the mounting of two tamping units 10 associated with the same lonaitudinal side of the machine are shown for the purpose of greater clarity of the drawing. A total of four tamping units 10 are provided on the machine 1. The tamping units are arranged side by side 9 in the transverse direction of the machined and each as its own tool frame 15 with vertical guides 16. Vertically adjustably mounted on the vertical guides 16 are tool carriers with tamping tools which are not shown here but which are identical in design to the tool carriers 39 described in connection with Fig 5. Each tool frame 15 is mounted by means of sliding bearings 17 on the first transverse guide 12 constituted by a beam extending in the transverse direction of the machine. Each tool frame is transversely displaceable with respect to the machine frame 2 by means of a displacement drive 18. Two tamping units 10 are respectively associated with each longitudinal side of the machine and are suspended with their tool frames 15 from two first transverse guides 12 extending parallel to one other and spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction of the machine. The tubular sliding bearings 17 are elongated for reasons of stability and are designed such that the two sliding bearings 17 respectively lying on the same transverse guide 12 may be telescoped into a position with their ends overlapping one another. As a result of this arrangement the relevant tamping units 10 can be positioned quite close to one another.

Each first transverse guide 12 is connected at each end to its own carrier frame 13, designed as a transverse guide beam 19 and respectively arranged above the first transverse guide 12 and mounted for displacement in the second transverse guide 14 extending parallel to the first transverse guide. The said second transverse guide 14 is formed from a parallelelpiped-shaped guide body 20 which is supported on the machine frame 2. By means of an adjustment drive 21, each carrier frame 13 is adjustable in the associated second transverse guide 14 or in the guide body 20 and is thus transversely displaceable relative to the machine frame 2. Each group of two first and second - transverse guides 12, 14 and carrier frames 13, respectively provided for one machine half, with respect to a central vertical plane 31 extending in the longitudinal direction of the machine. Each such group is arranged so as to be displaced or distanced in the longitudinal direction of the machine in relation to the group lying opposite it. Associated with each group of the transverse guides 12, 14 are two tamping units 10, displaceable transversely independently of one another by means of their own displacement drives 18. The tamping units 10 are asymmetrically secured to their sliding bearings 17 such that, when viewed in the transverse direction of the machine, all four tool frames 15 are aligned despite the staggered arrangement of the two groups, so that they are able to tamp the same sleeper of the track 4. The displacement drive 18 of the outer tamping unit 10 for driving it in the transverse direction of the machine, is connected to the outer tamping unit and to the first transverse guide 12 (or to the carrier frame 13), while the displacement drive 18 for the adjacent inner tamping unit 10 is connected to the inner tamping unit and to the guide body 20.

The total of four guide bodies 20, forming the second transverse guides 14 of the two groups, which lie parallel to one another in one plane, are joined together by carrier plates 22 to form a rigid carrier unit 23. This is supported on the machine frame 2 so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis 24 located in the centre thereof. For this purpose the machine frame 2 is provided with support plates 25, two of which are respectively arranged on each longitudinal side of the machine frame so as to be mutually parallel to and spaced apart from one another in the vertical direction, and the ends of the guide bodies 20 on the exterior side of the machine being slidably mounted therebetween. These ends are provided with sliding plates 26 in the region where they bear on surfaces of the support plates 25.

Respective pivot drives 27 are linked centrally to the ends of the carrier unit 23. The pivot drives are spaced from one another in the longitudinal direction of the machine and are connected to respective opposite sides of the machine frame 2 or to the upper support plates 25. By means of these two pivot drives 27, the carrier unit may be rotated through about 171 altogether in the horizontal plane. The carrier unit is centred by means of four guide rollers 29 which are rotatable about vertical axes 28. These guide rollers are respectively secured to one of the guide bodies 20 and adjoin or roll along a circular segment-shaped guide surface 30 of the lower support plates 25.

Fig 5 and 6 show a different variant of the invention in which a total of four tamping units 33, arranged side by side in the transverse direction of the track, are provided on a track tamping machine 32 which is merely indicated in the form of a machine frame 48. Each tamping unit 33 is equipped with tamping tools 35 which are pressed and may be set vibrating by means of drives 34, and which are arranged on a tool carrier 39 connected to a tool frame 38 for vertical adjustment by way of vertical guides 36 by means of a drive 37. The tool frames 38 are respectively mounted with sliding bearings 40 on a first transverse guide 41 which consists of two guide beams 42, extending parallel to one another in the transverse direction of the machine and are spaced apart from on another in the longitudinal direction of the machine and are respectively connected to their own displacement drive 43 for mutually independent transverse displacement.

The guide beams 42 of the first transverse guide 41 are secured at each end to a carrier frame 44 which extends essentially in a horizontal plane and which is provided centrally with respect to its length extending in the transverse direction of the machine, with two sliding sleeves 45. These sliding sleeves are arranged in the upper region of the carrier frame 44 spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction of the machine and are mounted on two slide bars 47 extending parallel to one another in the transverse direction of the machine and forming a second transverse guide 46. These horizontal slide bars 47 are secured at each end to the machine frame 48 and serve to mount the carrier frame 44 bearing the four tamping units 33 for transverse displacement by means of an adjustment drive 49 connected to the said carrier frame and linked to the machine frame 48. The displacement drives 43 of the tamping units 33, displaceable transversely independently of one another, are all connected to the carrier frame 44 in a similar manner. In order to further support the carrier frame 44 or to absorb the reaction forces occurring when the tamping tools 35 are lowered a horizontal sliding plate 50 is provided in the lower region of the machine frame 48. A sliding plate 51 connected to the carrier frame 44 is associated with the horizontal sliding plate 50 for mutual abutment. So as to additionally increase the operating range of the tamping tools 35 in the transverse direction of the machine, the carrier frame 44 which may be transversely displaced on the second transverse guide 46 over the entire inside width of the machine frame 48 is formed from three parts. The three parts are a central part 52, provided with the sliding sleeves 45, and two side parts in the form of supports 53 which extend parallel to one another in the longitudinal direction of the machine at the ends of the carrier frame 44 which lie opposite each other in the transverse direction of the machine, and to which the guide beams 42 of the first transverse guide 41 are connected. The supports 53 are adjustable in relation to or may be positioned away from the central part 52 in the transverse direction of the machine. For this purpose the supports 53 are respectively connected at the ends to the central part 52 by means of horizontal guide rods 54, secured to the support 53 and mounted for sliding in guide blocks 55 arranged on the central part 52, and also by means of transverse adjustment drives 56. The.guide beams 42 arranged between the two supports 53 are respectively designed so as to be extendible by means of a telescopic guide 57 so that they can adapt to the transverse adjustment movement of the supports 53. (In a simpler version of this form of machine, the supports 53 are fixedly joined to the central part 52, or the carrier frame 44 is made in only one piece. With such an arrangement the additional increase in the operating range is no longer available.) Fig 7 shows in simplified form a further possible embodiment of the invention. A carrier frame 58 is connected to a first transverse guide 59. Tamping units 61 having tool frames 60 are mounted on the said first transverse guide for displacement in the transverse direction of the machine relative to the carrier frame 58 by means of displacement drives 62 and are provided respectively with a vertically adjustable tool carrier 63 having tamping tools (not shown). The carrier frame 58 is arranged on a machine frame 64 by means of a second transverse guide 65 which has two slide rails 66 spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction of the machine. These are connected to the machine frame 64 on the underside thereof and extend transversely across the width of the machine. Mounted in these slide rails 66 are respective sliding blocks 67 connected to the carrier frame 58, which enable the carrier frame 58 together with the tamping units 61 arranged thereon to be displaceable in the 1 transverse direction of the machine by means of an adjustment drive 68 linked to the machine frame 64 and connected to the carrier frame 58.

Claims

1. A railway track tamping machine comprising a machine frame supported on on-track undercarriages and at least one tamping unit having tamping tools which can press and be set vibrating by means of drives, the tamping tools being respectively arranged on a tool carrier connected to a tool frame for vertical adjustment by means of vertical guides, and each tool frame is mounted on a first transverse guide extending in the transverse direction of the machine and secured to a carrier frame, and being connected to its own displacement drive for transverse displacement, wherein the carrier frame bearing the said first transverse guide is itself mounted on a second transverse guide and is designed for transverse adjustment with respect to the machine frame by means of an adjustment drive.

2. A machine according to claim 1, in which the carrier frame is designed as a transverse guide beam which extends parallel to the first transverse guide connected to the tamping units and is connected at its ends to the said first transverse guide, and is mounted in a guide body supported on the machine frame to form the second transverse guide.

3. A machine according to claim 1 or 2 wherein a group of two first and second transverse guides is provided for each machine half, with respect to a central vertical plane extending in the longitudinal direction of the machine the transverse guides being arranged apart from one another and mutually parallel, both with respect to the longitudinal direction of the machine and with respect to the vertical.

4. A machine according to claim 3, wherein tamping units which are transversely displaceable independently of one another by means of their own displacement drives are associated with each group of transverse guides.

5. A machine according to claim 3 or 4 wherein guide bodies forming the second trans ' verse guides of the two groups are joined together by means of carrier plates to form a rigid carrier unit.

6. A machine according to claim 3, 4 or 5 wherein the two groups of transverse guides or carrier frames are arranged so as to be staggered in relation to one another in the longitudinal direction of the machine.

7. A machine according to any preceding claim wherein the displacement drive of an outer tamping unit, with respect to the transverse direction of the machine, is connected to the outer tamping unit and to the first transverse guide or to the carrier frame, while the displacement drive for an adjacent inner tamping unit is connected to the inner tamping unit and to the guide body.

8. A machine according to claim 5 wherein the carrier unit is supported on the machine frame for rotation about a vertical axis and is connected to a pivot drive.

9. A machine according to claim 2 or 5 wherein the ends of the guide bodies on the exterior side of the machine are slidably supported on support plates connected to the machine frame, the ends of the guide bodies being provided with sliding plates in the region where they bear on the support plates, and four guide rollers, rotatable about vertical axes, are provided for abutment respectively against a circular segment- shaped guide surface of the support plates.

10. A machine according to claim 1, wherein the second transverse guide is designed as a horizontal slide bar, extending in the transverse direction of the machine and respectively connected at each end to the machine frame, for transversely displaceable mounting of the carrier frame.

11. A machine according to claim 10, wherein the carrier frame is mounted on the slide bar of the second transverse guide by means of a sliding sleeve which is connected to the carrier frame centrally with respect to the length thereof extending in the transverse direction of the machine, and the adjustment drive is linked to the machine frame.

12. A machine according to claim 11 wherein two slide bars and sliding sleeves are provided, spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction of the machine.

13. A machine according to any one of claims 10, 11 or 12 wherein four tamping units which are transversely displaceable independently of one another by means of respective individual displacement drives are mounted on the first transverse guide, the displacement drives being respectively connected to the carrier frame.

14. A machine according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the carrier frame has a central part connected to the sliding sleeves, and also two supports which are connected to the said central part and spaced apart from one another in the transverse direction of the machine and extend parallel to one another in the longitudinal direction of the machine, the ends of guide beams forming 18 - the first transverse guide being connected to the supports.

15. A machine according to claim 14 wherein the supports are adjustable in relation to or may be positioned away from the central part of the carrier frame in the transverse direction of the machine.

16. A machine according to claim 14 or 15 wherein the supports are respectively connected at each end to the central part by means of guide rods extending in the transverse direction of the machine, and by means of a transverse adjustment drive, and the guide beams of the first transverse guide which are arranged between the supports are designed so as to be extendible telescopically.

17. A machine according to claim 1 or 13 wherein at ends of the carrier frame which are spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction of the machine, the carrier frame is connected to respective sliding blocks extending in the transverse direction of the machine and mounted for displacement in the second transverse guide which is designed as a slide rail arranged on the machine frame.

18. A railway track tamping machine constructed substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 4 or Figures 5 and 6 or Figure 7 of the accompanying drawings.