US 20130263755A1

(19) United States

(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2013/0263755 A1
Widroither (43) Pub. Date: Oct. 10, 2013
(54) METHOD FOR BALLAST TAMPINGA Publication Classification
RALWAY TRACK
(51) Int. Cl.
(75) Inventor: Otto Widlroither, Freilassing (DE) EOIB 27/20 (2006.01)
(73) Assignee: ROBEL BAHNBAUMASCHINEN (52) U.S. Cl.
GMBH, Freilassing (DE) CPC ...................................... E0IB 27/20 (2013.01)
USPC ............................................................ 104/13
(21) Appl. No.: 13/994,945
(22) PCT Filed: Dec. 21, 2011 (57) ABSTRACT

(86). PCT No.: PCT/EP11?06463 Prior to immersion into the ballast, a hand tamper (1) for
S371 (c)(1), tamping a track is detachably connected to an anchor element
(2), (4) Date: Jun. 17, 2013 (10), fixed to the track (9) and lying opposite with regard to a
tamping motion (18), by means of a fixing member (15)
(30) Foreign Application Priority Data fastened to a tamper section (6) situated between a drive
motor (3) and a tamping blade (5). Thus, an improved com
Jan. 19, 2011 (DE) ...................... 10 2011 OO88938 paction effect can be achieved.

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Patent Application Publication Oct. 10, 2013 US 2013/0263755 A1
US 2013/0263755 A1
METHOD FOR BALLAST TAMPINGA
RALWAY TRACK
0001. The invention relates to a method of tamping a track
by means of a hand tamper.
0002 Well-known hand tampers are gripped in an upper
section comprising the drive and have a vibrating tamping
blade which is immersed into the ballast. During the immers
ing operation, one tries to achieve a compacting motion with
the tamping blade in the direction towards the sleeper by
lowering the upper drive section in the direction towards the
operator. The compaction effect resulting from this, however,
is unsatisfactory since the ballast—used as a kind of abutment
behind the tamping blade—does not offer much resistance
due to the vibrations.
0003. It is the object of the present invention to provide a
method of the type mentioned at the beginning with which it
is possible to achieve an improved ballast compaction.
0004. According to the invention, this object is achieved
with a method of the specified kind in that, prior to the
immersion into the ballast, the hand tamper is detachably
connected to an anchor element, fixed to the track and lying
opposite with regard to a tamping motion, by means of a
fixing member fastened to a tampersection situated between
a drive motor and a tamping blade.
0005. As a result of this temporary connection to the track,
a non-displaceable abutment is created so that the downward
motion of the upper section of the hand tamper causes a
forced countermotion of the tamping blade in the direction
towards the sleeper. With this, the ballast is positively dis
placed underneath the sleeper and compacted.
0006 Additional advantages of the invention become
apparent from the dependent claims and the drawing descrip
tion.
0007. The invention will be described in more detail below
with reference to embodiments represented in the drawing in
which
0008 FIG. 1 shows a view in the longitudinal direction
of the sleeper—of two hand tampers,
0009 FIG. 2 shows a top view and
0010 FIG.3 a simplified representation of a further vari
ant of the invention.
0011 Hand tampers 1, shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, each have a
drive motor 3, arranged in an upper section 2, and handles 4.
A central tamper portion 6 provided between the drive motor
3 and a tamping blade 5 is configured as a connecting tube 17,
having alongitudinal direction 7, in which an eccentric shaft
(not shown) is set in rotation.
0012 Located above a sleeper 8, to be tamped, of a track 9
is an anchor element 10 in the shape of a rail anchor which is
detachably connected to a rail 12 by means of a quick fastener
11 and has hooks 13. A fixing member 15 in the shape of a
chain or rope, for example, is fastened to the connecting tube
17 on a hook 14 in the half of the tube lying closer to the
tamping blade 5.
0013 To execute the tamping method, the hook 14 is con
nected by means of the fixing member 15 to a hook 13 of the
anchor element 10 fixed to the track. In order to achieve an
Oct. 10, 2013
optimal compaction effect, the handle 4 together with the
drive motor 3 is moved in a working direction 16 towards the
operator. Due to the connection of the central tamper section
6 to the anchor element 10, this produces a forced tamping
motion 18 of the tamping blade 5 in the direction towards the
adjacent sleeper 8.
0014 Further optimisation of the procedure of tamping
the track 9 can be achieved by synchronously employing two
hand tampers 1 positioned opposite one another with regard
to the sleeper 8 to be tamped—and each connected to the
anchorelement 10. As indicated in dash-and-dot lines in FIG.
2, it is also possible, by using four hand tampers 1 each
attached to the anchor element 10, to carry out synchronous
tamping motions for tamping the sleeper 8.
0015. After the ballast has been sufficiently compacted,
the fixing member 15 is detached from the anchorelement 10.
After attaching the anchor element 10 above the succeeding
sleeper, the above-described tamping method is repeated. It is
also possible, of course, to fasten the anchor element 10
directly to the sleeper. Moreover, one could also use, for
example, a rail clip or the like, connecting the rail 12 to the
sleeper 8, as an anchor element for fastening the fixing mem
ber 15 to the track 9.
0016 For carrying out the method according to the appli
cation, it would alternatively also be possible to directly con
nect to one another by means of the fixing member 15 only the
hooks 14, serving as anchor element 10, of two hand tampers
1 lying opposite one another, (see FIG. 3). For achieving the
best possible ballast compaction, the movement of the two
hand tampers 1 in the working direction 16 should be carried
out largely synchronously.
1. A method of tamping a track by immersing a hand
tamper into ballast, wherein prior to the immersion into the
ballast, the hand tamper is detachably connected to an anchor
element, fixed to the track and lying opposite with regard to a
tamping motion, by means of a fixing member fastened to a
tamper section situated between a drive motor and a tamping
blade.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein two hand
tampers, each serving as an anchor element, are used for
tamping, the tampers being connected to one another by
means of the fixing member and plunging into the ballast at
the same time at an opposite longitudinal side of a sleeper,
respectively, with regard to a tamping movement.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a rail anchor
detachably connected to the rails is used as an anchor ele
ment.
4. A The method according to claim3, wherein the anchor
element is fastened at an intersection of the sleeper and the
rail.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the fixing
member is fastened to a connecting tube, arranged between
the drive motor and a tamping blade, in the half of the tube
situated closer to the tamping blade.
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