TAMPING UNIT FOR TAMPING SLEEPERS OF A TRACK

Abstract

A tamping assembly for tamping sleepers of a track has a tamping unit with tamping tools. The tamping tools are located opposite one another, are mounted on a height-adjustable tool support, and, by way of drives, can be caused to vibrate and can be fed relative to each other. Each tamping tool includes a pivot lever, which can be rotated about a feed axis, and an inner and an outer tamping pick retainer. Each tamping pick retainer can be laterally pivoted relative to the pivot lever. The outer tamping pick retainer can be pivoted about a first pivot axis and the inner tamping pick retainer can be pivoted about a second pivot axis. The second pivot axis is arranged at an offset to the first pivot axis. Thus, it is no longer necessary to adjacently arrange elements for pivoting the tamping pick retainers.

Claims

1-14. (canceled)

15. A tamping unit for tamping sleepers of a track, the tamping unit comprising: a tamping assembly with opposing tamping tools mounted on a height-adjustable tool carrier; drives configured to set said tamping tools into vibration and to squeeze said tamping tools towards one another; each of said tamping tool including a swivel lever mounted for rotation about a squeezing axis and inner and outer tamping tine supports; said outer tamping tine support being laterally swivelable relative to said swivelling lever about a first swivelling axis; and said inner tamping tine support being laterally swivelable relative to said swivelling lever about a second swivelling axis arranged offset relative to said first swivelling axis.

16. The tamping unit according to claim 15, wherein a first contact element is arranged on an outer side of said inner tamping tine support, a second contact element is arranged on an inner side of said outer tamping tine support, and said first and second contact elements engage in one another when said tamping tine supports are swivelled down.

17. The tamping unit according to claim 15, wherein said outer tamping tine support is directly connected to a first swivel drive and said inner tamping tine support is connected to a second swivel drive via a coupler arrangement mounted on the respectively assigned swivelling lever.

18. The tamping unit according to claim 17, wherein said coupler arrangement comprises a swivelling element rotatably mounted on said swivelling lever and a connecting member connecting said swivelling element to said inner tamping tine support.

19. The tamping unit according to claim 18, wherein said swivelling element is arranged to swivel about said first swivelling axis.

20. The tamping unit according to claim 18, which comprises a catch arranged on said connecting element, wherein said catch is in contact with a link element of said outer tamping tine support when said inner tamping tine support is swivelled up.

21. The tamping unit according to claim 17, wherein said outer tamping tine support is formed with a recess through which said coupler arrangement is passed.

22. The tamping unit according to claim 15, wherein said drives comprise a respective hydraulic cylinder assigned to each tamping tool for squeezing and for applying vibration.

23. The tamping unit according to claim 22, wherein said hydraulic cylinders of said two opposing tamping tools are arranged one below another.

24. The tamping unit according to claim 15, wherein each said tamping tool has an assigned squeeze cylinder and each squeeze cylinder is coupled to an eccentric drive for applying vibration.

25. The tamping unit according to claim 15, wherein said tamping assembly is one of a plurality of several tamping assemblies arranged one behind another in a longitudinal direction of the track for simultaneously tamping multiple sleepers.

26. The tamping unit according to claim 25, wherein said plurality of tamping assemblies are identical in construction.

27. The tamping unit according to claim 25, which comprises a shared tamping unit frame, and wherein said tool carriers of said tamping assemblies that are arranged one behind the other are mounted height-adjustably in said shared tamping unit frame.

28. The tamping unit according to claim 25, wherein each tool carrier of said tamping assemblies that are arranged one behind the other are separately adjustable in height by way of a separate actuator.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] In the following, the invention is explained by way of example with reference to the accompanying figures. The following figures show in schematic illustrations:

[0022] FIG. 1 Tamping unit with a tamping assembly in a front view

[0023] FIG. 2 Swivel bearing of the tamping assembly according to FIG. 1 in detail

[0024] FIG. 3 Tamping assembly in a side view

[0025] FIG. 4 Tamping tool with swivel mechanism for inner tamping tine support

[0026] FIG. 5 Tamping tool with swivel mechanism for outer tamping tine support

[0027] FIG. 6 Swivelling movement of the inner tamping tine support

[0028] FIG. 7 Swivelling movement of the outer tamping tine support

[0029] FIG. 8 Tamping unit for simultaneous tamping of several sleepers

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0030] The tamping unit 1 shown in FIG. 1 comprises a tamping unit frame 2, which is laterally displaceably mounted on a machine frame 3 of a track maintenance machine not described in more detail. In operation, the track maintenance machine travels along a track with sleepers 5 supported on a ballast bed 4 and rails 6 fastened to it. The sleepers 5 are tamped by means of the tamping unit 1.

[0031] At least one tamping assembly 7 is arranged in the tamping unit frame 2. In a tamping unit 1 for the simultaneous tamping of several sleepers 5, several tamping assemblies 7 are arranged one behind the other (FIG. 8). The respective tamping assembly 7 comprises a tool carrier 8, which is height-adjustably guided in vertical guides of the tamping unit frame 2. A lowering or lifting movement takes place by means of an assigned height adjustment drive 9. For the tamping of a sleeper 5, the tamping unit 1 comprises several tamping unit frames 2 arranged next to each other in the transverse direction of the track with tamping assemblies 7 mounted therein. Advantageously, they are rotatable about a vertical axis and separately laterally displaceable to enable positioning over a diverging rail of a turnout.

[0032] On the tool carrier 8 of the respective tamping assembly 7, two tamping tools 10 are mounted opposite each other in relation to a sleeper 5 to be tamped.

[0033] Specifically, the respective tamping tool 10 comprises a swivelling lever 11 which is mounted on the tool carrier 8 so as to be rotatable about a squeezing axis 12. The squeezing axis 12 is usually aligned in the transverse direction of the track.

[0034] An upper arm of the swivelling lever 11 is coupled to a drive 13 in order to cause a squeezing movement with a superimposed vibration movement during a tamping process. An inner tamping tine support 14 and an outer tamping tine support 15 for fixing tamping tines 16 are arranged on a lower arm of the swivelling lever 11. The designations as inner tamping tine support 14 and outer tamping tine support 15 refer to the position of two tamping assemblies 7 which can be lowered on both sides of a rail 6. The inner holders 14 of the two tamping assemblies 7 are directly opposite each other with respect to the rail 6. The tamping tines 16 fixed in the outer tamping tine supports 15 penetrate the ballast bed 4 at a greater distance from the rail 6.

[0035] If there is no space between the sleepers 5 and rails 6 for a tamping tine 16 to penetrate, it can be swivelled up before lowering the tamping assembly 7. This occurs especially when tamping turnouts or crossings, where diverging or crossing rails as well as control mechanisms are obstacles.

[0036] To swivel up the outer tamping tine support 15, it is connected to the swivelling lever 11 by means of a first revolute joint 17 so as to be rotatable about a first swivelling axis 18. According to the invention, a second swivelling axis 19 is arranged offset to this. If necessary, the inner tamping tine support 14 is swivelled up around this second swivelling axis 19. For example, a connection of the inner tamping tine support 14 to the swivelling lever 11 is designed as a second revolute joint 20, which is offset downwards and inwards relative to the first revolute joint 17. Both swivelling axes 18,19 are parallel to each other and aligned normal to the squeezing axis 12.

[0037] Advantageously, the outer tamping tine support 15 is directly connected to a first swivel drive 21. For example, this is linked to the outer tamping tine support 15 on one side and to the swivelling lever 11 on the other side. The inner tamping tine support 14 is connected to a second swivel drive 23 via a coupler arrangement 22. This is in turn linked to the swivelling lever 11. The swivel drives 21, 23 are preferably designed as hydraulic cylinders.

[0038] In the example shown, the coupler arrangement 22 comprises a swivelling element 24 rotatably mounted on the swivelling lever 11 and a connecting element 25 connecting the swivelling element 24 to the inner tamping tine support 14. The swivelling element 24 is advantageously rotatable about the first swivelling axis 18. The first revolute joint 17 thus also comprises the linkage of the swivelling element 24 to the swivelling lever 11.

[0039] In order to avoid uneven loads on the revolute joints 17, 20 during a squeeze process, the tamping tine supports 14, 15 are positively connected via additional contact elements 26, 27 when swivelled down. As shown in FIG. 1, a first contact element 26 is arranged on an outer side of the inner tamping tine support 14. A second contact element 27 is arranged on the inner side of the outer tamping tine support 15 facing it. The two contact elements 26, 27 are designed so that they can engage with each other. For example, the first contact element 26 comprises a wedge that fits into a wedge-shaped recess in the second contact element 27.

[0040] By means of the swivel drives 21, 23 first the outer tamping tine support 15 together with the tamping tine 16 can be swivelled up and then the inner tamping tine support 14 together with the tamping tine 16. With a further development shown in FIG. 2, both tamping tine supports 14,15 can be swivelled up simultaneously by means of the second swivel drive 23. The first swivel drive 21 is depressurized.

[0041] For synchronous swivelling up, a link element 28 is attached to the outer tamping tine support 15 at a point adjacent to the connecting element 25. A catch 29 is attached to the connecting element 25 as a counter element. This catch 29 is in contact with the link element 28. During a swivelling-up process, the catch 29 slides along the link element 28 and thus causes the outer tamping tine support 15 to swivel along with it. The shape and position of the link element 28 and the catch 29 determine the swivel movement of the outer tamping tine support 15.

[0042] In FIG. 3 it can be seen that the outer tamping tine support 15 has a fork towards the top. In this way, the outer tamping tine support 15 is connected to the swivelling lever 11 at two bearing points spaced apart in the direction of the swivelling axis 30. Between them there is a recess 31 through which the coupler arrangement 22 is passed. The inner tamping tine support 14 also has two bearing points spaced apart in the direction of the swivelling axis 30. In between, the connecting element 25 engages the inner tamping tine support 14. Despite the narrow design, this ensures a robust bearing of the tamping tine supports 14, 15.

[0043] In this example, the swivelling levers 11 are connected to hydraulic cylinders as drives 13. In this case, the respective hydraulic cylinder is designed to generate a squeezing movement with a superimposed vibration movement. A narrow design in the direction of the swivelling axis 30 is achieved by the hydraulic cylinders being arranged one below the other. The strokes and pressures of the hydraulic cylinders are coordinated with the respective lever ratio of the swivelling levers 11, so that the same squeeze forces and vibration amplitudes occur at the ends of the tamping tines 16. In this case, it can be useful to arrange the squeezing axes 12 offset in the vertical direction.

[0044] In an arrangement not shown, the drives 13 are designed as a squeeze cylinder and an eccentric drive. The respective swivelling lever 11 is coupled to the eccentric drive via an assigned squeeze cylinder. Specifically, each squeeze cylinder is connected to an eccentric shaft in order to generate the vibration movement when the eccentric shaft rotates. In addition, the tamping tines 16 are squeezed towards each other when the squeeze cylinders are activated. For a narrow design, it is advantageous if the squeeze cylinders are arranged next to each other. The eccentric drive is arranged above or below this. Brackets aligned upwards or downwards are mounted on the eccentric shaft, to which the squeeze cylinders are connected.

[0045] A swivelling-up process of the inner tamping tine 16 is explained with reference to FIGS. 4 and 6. The assigned second swivel drive 23 is designed as a hydraulic cylinder. One end of the cylinder is rotatably linked to the upper arm of the swivelling lever 11. The piston rod is hinged to the swivelling element 24. The swivelling element 24, which is rotatable about the first swivelling axis 18, and the inner tamping tine support 14, which is rotatable about the second swivelling axis 19, form a double rocker together with the connecting element 25 as a coupler. An actuation of the double rocker by activating the second swivel drive 23 is shown in FIG. 6. The starting position according to FIG. 4 is illustrated on the left. The illustration on the right shows the arrangement with the inner tamping tine support 14 swivelled up together with the tamping tine 16.

[0046] The swivel arrangement of the outer tamping tine support 15 is shown in FIGS. 5 and 7. In this case, the assigned first swivel drive 21 is linked to the swivelling lever 11 on one side and directly to the outer tamping tine support 15 on the other side. The eccentric linkage causes the tamping tine support 15 to swivel when the first swivel drive 21 is actuated. Both tamping tine supports 14, 15 can also be swivelled up simultaneously by means of the link element 28 and the catch 29. The first swivel drive 21, which is designed as a hydraulic cylinder, is depressurized.

[0047] The different swivel arrangements allow a particularly narrow design in the direction of the swivelling axis 30. This makes it possible to arrange several tamping assemblies 7 one behind the other in a shared tamping unit frame 2. FIG. 8 shows a corresponding arrangement for the simultaneous tamping of three sleepers 5. Each tamping assembly 7 is favourably assigned its own height adjustment drive 9 in order to be able to lower individual tamping assemblies 7 separately in the event of obstacles in the track. In addition to being separately lowerable, there is the advantage of an identical construction of all tamping assemblies 7. This facilitates the manufacturing and maintenance of the tamping unit 1.

[0048] In addition, successive tamping of a sleeper 5 in different depth zones is possible. For example, the frontmost tamping assembly 7 is lowered deeper than the middle tamping assembly 7. The rearmost tamping assembly 7 is lowered less deeply than the middle tamping assembly 7. In this way, with the tamping unit 1 advancing sleeper by sleeper, each sleeper is tamped three times with decreasing penetration depth. Especially with a large layer thickness of the ballast bed 4, such multiple tamping leads to improved ballast compaction.