US3196803A

US3196803A - Mobile track aligning machine and method

Info

Publication number: US3196803A
Application number: US281651A
Authority: US
Inventors: Plasser Franz; Theurer Josef
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-05-20
Filing date: 1963-05-20
Publication date: 1965-07-27
Anticipated expiration: 1982-07-27

Description

F. PLASSER ETAL MOBILE TRACK ALIGNING MACHINE AND METHOD Filed May 20, 1963 Fmmz 4.95562 INVENTOW JZSQF Wax/2&8

Zia/M United States Patent 3,196,803 MQlllLE TRACK ALIGNING MACHINE AND METHGD Franz Plasser and Josef Theurer, both of Johannesgasse 3, Vienna l, Austria Filed May 20, 1963, Ser. No. 281,651 3 Claims. (Cl. 104-8) The present invention relates to improvements in track alignment wherein a track must be moved laterally relative to the ballast whereon it rests.

Conventional track aligning apparatus falls essentially into two groups. In one group of track aligning machines, impact tools or jacks are provided which directly engage a track component, for instance a rail, and move the track by moving the directly engaged track component. This subjects certain track components, particularly the rail fastening bolts connecting the rails to the ties, to undue loads and tends to damage the track. In the second group of track aligning machines a selective vibration in the lateral direction towards which the track is to be moved is imparted to the track whereby the track glides in the desired direction. In the first place, this still means that the necessary lateral motion is transmitted to the track through one of the rails, causing the indicated weakening of the rail fastening to the ties. In the second place, it has been found rather difficult to move a track by vibration in relation to the ballast whereon it rests and wherein the track ties are embedded, and even more difiicult to secure the track in the corrected position. This is so because the natural elasticity of the rails tends to force them back into their original position after the vibratory movement has stopped. Therefore, it has been necessary in such machines to mount ballast working tools laterally outside the tie ends, which remove or loosen the ballast adjacent one tie end, i.e. in the direction in which the track is to be moved, and correspondingly to tamp or compact the ballast adjacent the other tie end so as to prevent the tie from returning into its original position.

It is the primary object of the present invention to overcome these disadvantages of conventional track aligning operations and to move a track laterally without, on the one hand, damaging any track component and, on the other hand, with the certainty of maintaining the track in the corrected lateral position.

The above and other objects and advantages are accomplished with a mobile track aligning machine which travels on the rails of the track. As usual, the rails are mounted on ties and the ties are embedded in ballast. According to the invention, the machine comprises a carrier and at least one impact tool is mounted on the carrier laterally outside one end of a respective tie. The impact tool ha a lower end immersed in the ballast to a level in hori- Zontal alignment with the tie end and spaced therefrom whereby ballast is interposed between the tie end and the impact tool end. A mechanism is operatively connected to the impact tool for imparting to the impact tool end a forceful motion directed towards the tie end whereby an indirect pressure impact is transmittable from the impact tool end through the interposed ballast to the tie end.

The pressure is indirect because the impact tool end is spaced from the tie end so that its forceful motion is transmitted to the tie end only through the interposed ballast. At the same time, this interposed ballast is compacted by the forceful motion of the impact tool end towards the tie end whereby the tie is effectively prevented from elastically returning into its original (uncorrected) position.

Thus, in the track alignment according to this invention, the track is moved laterally relative to the ballast bed by moving an impact tool laterally outside one tie end, immersing a lower tool end in the ballast to a level in horizontal alignment with the tie end and spaced therefrom,

and imparting a forceful motion directed towards the tie end to the impact tool end to transmit an indirect lateral pressure from the impact tool end through the interposed lballast to the tie end and to compact the interposed balast.

According to a preferred embodiment, the lower impact tool end has a flat jaw extending parallel to the tie end and the mechanism comprises means for moving the impact tool end in the direction of the tie end, preferably hydraulically, and means for vibrating the impact tool while it is moved in this direction. Tools of this general type have been used for ballast tamping but, in contrast to such use which requires the tool ends to reach below the level of the ties to tamp the ballast beneath them, the end of the impact tool of this invention is in horizontal alignment with the tie end so that it may impart its motion to the tie end. Accordingly, the immersion depth of the impact tool in the ballast is limited to such horizontal alignment.

To make it possible to move the track selectively into one or the other lateral direction, depending on the aligning requirements, it is preferred to mount on the machine a pair of transversely aligned impact tools laterally outside each end of a respective tie and to provide each tool with an independently operable pressure-transmitting.

mechanism for selectively exerting pressure against one of the tie ends. In this embodiment, it is advantageous to mount the upper ends of the impact tools pivotally on a pair of transversely extending support arms, to link a hydraulically operated member to a respective tool intermediate its ends to impart the forceful motion to the tools and to have a crank shaft cooperate with the support arms for imparting a vibratory motion thereto and to the tools upon rotation, the crank shaft extending in the direction of the rails and substantially centered therebetween.

The above and other features of the present invention will be more fully explained in the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein FIG. 1 is a schematic front elevation, partly in section, of the track moving tools and their mounting, viewed in the direction of the track and the section being transverse thereto;

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the track aligning machine; and

FIG. 3 shows a modification of the machine of FIG. 2.

Referring now to the drawing and first to FIG. 1, the track aligning machine is shown to include a frame 17 mounted on Wheels 18 adapted to travel on the rails 10 of the track. The rails are mounted on ties ll which are embedded in ballast bed 12. The impact tool carrier 1 is mounted on the frame on a pair of rail supports 16 extending in the direction of rails 1t and the carrier has a corresponding pair of guides l6, l6 glidably engaging the supports 16 for movably mounting the carrier for adjustment in relation to a respective tie 11, as best see in FIGS. 2 and 3.

A cam shaft 2 mounted on the impact tool carrier 1 for rotation about an axis extending in the direction of the rails cooperates with a pair of transversely extending support arms 3, 3 and imparts vibratory motion thereto upon rotation of the shaft. In the illustrated embodiment, the upper ends of two

impact tools

4, 4" are pivotally mounted on each outer end of the support arms whereby the impact tools are vibrated by the vibrating arms. Obviously, if desired, a single impact tool may be mounted on each support arm if its respective end 9', W is properly centered in respect of an adjacent tie end. Also, if no vibration of the impact tool is desired, the vibrating means consisting of the crank shaft 2 may be omitted as part of the mechanism for imparting to the 3 impact tool end a forceful motion directed towards the tie end.

This mechanism is operatively connected to the impact tool and, in the illustrated embodiment, comprises the following means for moving the impact tool end in the direction of the tie end:

The impact tool assembly 4 (which may consist of a single tool or a pair of tools, as actually shown) has its upper end pivoted to support 3 and is linked at respective pivots 5', 5" intermediate its ends to a tool moving mechanism. The exact nature of this mechanism is immaterial from the point of view of the present invention and any suitable mechanism may be used, which imparts to the lower impact tool end a forceful motion directed towards the tie end. The illustrated mechanism is hydraulically operated and each tool has an independently operable mechanism connected thereto for selectively transmitting an indirect pressure against one of the tie ends.

A useful tool moving mechanism is shown in FIG. 1 and includes, for each tool separately, a fixed piston rod 3, 8" mounted on carrier 1 between a pair of stop plates, each piston rod carrying a fixed piston 7, 7" intermediate the stop plates. A

cylinder

6, 6 is glidably mounted on each piston rod for reciprocating movement therealong, the piston separting the cylinder into two chambers. A

hydraulic fluid conduit

26, 26 is con nected to the inner chamber of each cylinder and is arranged to receive hydraulic fluid from a hydraulic fluid sump (not shown), the supply of hydraulic fluid to each cylinder being independently operable so that either one or the other cylinder may be moved, depending on the lateral direction in which it is desired to move the track. When hydraulic fluid is supplied to one of the cylinders through conduit 26' or 26", the respective cylinder will move inwardly toward the center of the track and will take along the corresponding impact tool which is linked to the cylinder at pivot 5', 5". To move the cylinder back into its neutral position, a pressure fluid, such as hydraulic fluid or compressed air, may be supplied to the outer chamber through conduit 27', 27". Alternatively, a compression spring may be mounted in the outer chamber to force the cylinder back into its original position, all of which is well known in hydraulic motors and forms no part of the present invention.

The mechanism combining the vibratory and lateral motions makes it possible to impart sufficient lateral force and pressure against the horizontally adjacent tie end slowly to move the track with the machine on it in the desired direction. The efficiency of this movement is increased by providing the lower impact tool end with a

flat jaw

9, 9" extending parallel to the tie end.

In the preferred illustrated embodiment, the machine frame 17 carries a support jack 13 having a foot-piece 28 arranged to cooperate with, and rest on, the ballast. The foot-piece is carried by piston 15 vertically movable in hydraulic cylinder 14 so that the foot-piece may be moved into engagement with the ballast and thus lift the machine off the track rails sufiiciently to remove the load from the track and thus make its lateral movement easier.

As shown in FIG. 2, the track aligning machine frame 17 may be coupled to a tractor 26 which, if desired, may be a conventional mobile track tamping and/ or track lifting machine. -To align the impact tool assembly 4 transversely with a tie 11 at the point where the track is to be moved laterally, the tool carrier 1 is glidably mounted on frame 17 on a support 16 extending in the direction of the track. In this manner, the position of the impact tool assembly may be readily adjusted in relation to the track ties.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the machine frame 17 is supported at one end on wheels 18 running on rails 10 while its other end is pivotally coupled to the tractor 26 at 20. When the aligning machine is not used, it may be simply lifted off the track by a hydraulic motor illustrated to consist of cylinder 21 glidably holding piston 22 which separates the cylinder into two chambers. One end of the cylinder has a lug pivoted at 25 to a lug on the machine frame 17 while a piston rod 23 extends from the other end of the cylinder and is pivoted at 24 to tractor 26. When hydraulic fluid is supplied to the upper chamber of the cylinder, the machine frame 17 will be lifted off the track about pivot 20.

A shown in FIG. 3, the track aligning machine may also be self-propelled, in which case it will be supported on front and rear trucks and the machine frame 17 will carry propulsion means for the machine.

While the invention has been described in connection with certain "preferred embodiments, it will be clearly understood that many variations and modifications may occur to the skilled in the art, particularly after benefiting from the present teaching, without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention as defined in the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. A mobile track aligning machine adapted to travel on the rails of the track, the rails being mounted on ties and the ties being embedded in ballast, the machine comprising a support extending in the direction of the rails, a carrier movably mounted on the support for adjustment in relation to a respective one of said ties, at least one impact tool mounted on the carrier laterally outside one end of the respective one of said ties, the impact tool having a lower end immersed in the ballast to a level in horizontal alignment with the said tie and spaced therefrom whereby ballast is interposed between the tie end and the impact tool end, and a mechanism operatively connected to the impact tool for imparting to the impact tool end a forceful motion directed towards the tie end whereby an indirect pressure impact is transmittable from the impact tool end through the interposed ballast to the tie end.

2. A method of moving a track relative to a ballast bed in a lateral direction, the track consisting of rails mounted on ties and the ties being embedded in the ballast, comprising the steps of moving an impact tool laterally outside one end of a respective one of the ties, immersing a lower end of the tool in the ballast to a level in horizontal alignment with the tie end and spaced therefrom whereby ballast is interposed between the tie end and the impact tool end, and imparting a forceful motion directed towards the tie end to the impact tool end to transmit an indirect lateral pressure in said lateral direction from the impact tool end through the interposed ballast to the tie end and to compact the interposed ballast while the other tie end is left free to move in said lateral direction.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the impact tool end is hydraulically moved to impart the forceful motion thereto and the impact tool is simultaneously vibrated.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 24,564 11/58 Herlehy 1048 2,734,463 2/56 Hursh et a1 104-7 2,926,616 3/60 Talboys l048 2,966,123 12/60 Talboys 104-8 2,969,749 1/61 Plasser et al 104-12 ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

LEO QUACKENBUSH, EUGENE G. BOTZ,

Examiners.

Claims

1 . A MOBINE TRACK ALIGNING MACHINE ADAPTED TO TRAVEL ON THE RAILS OF THE TRACK, THE RAILS BEING MOUNTED ON ITS AND THE TIES BEING EMBEDDED IN BALLAST, THE MACHINE COMPRISING A SUPPORT EXTENDING IN THE DIRECTION OF THE RAILS, A CARRIER MOVABLY MOUNTED ON THE SUPPORT FOR ADJUSTMENT IN RELATION TO A RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAID TIES, AT LEAST ONE IMPACT TOOL MOUNTED ON THE CARRIER LATERALLY OUTSIDE ONE ED OF THE RESPECTIVE ONE OF SAID CARRIER TIES, THE IMPACT TOOL HAVING A LOWER END IMMERSED IN THE BALLAST TO A LEVEL IN HORIZONTAL ALIGNMENT WITH THE SAID TIE AND SPACED THEREFROM WHEREBY BALLAST IS INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE TIE END AND THE IMPACT TOOL END. AND A MECHANISM OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO THE IMPACT TOOL FOR IMPARTING TO THE IMPACT