Ballast grader

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Ballast grading machine SSP 110 from the manufacturer Plasser & Theurer in action
Ballast graders are often used during night-time shutdown breaks
Broom for sweeping

A ballast leveler is a track-laying machine that is used to create or restore the bedding cross-section. There are ballast leveling machines for all common gauges , such as standard gauge (1435 mm) and narrow gauge (1000 mm, 750 mm).

Working method

A ballast leveling machine is usually used in combination with a track tamping machine . The tamping machine compacts the ballast, while the leveling machine follows and creates the bedding cross-section.

A ballast leveling machine has measuring devices to record the bedding before the leveling process. These can, for example, be laser-assisted measuring devices that forward their data to a measuring computer, which compares the current state of the bedding with a target value. On some machines, additional sensors can also determine the size of the ballast in the bed flanks.

The side plow (or flank plow) is then used to create the edge of the embankment according to the infrastructure operator's specifications . There are tolerances, the utilization of which makes it possible to produce a bedding that complies with the guidelines by simply transporting the ballast crosswise over central plows. Machines that have a storage facility such as a ballast silo or to which a material conveying and silo unit is connected are more efficient : ballast can be picked up at points with excess ballast and later returned to where it is needed.

For routes that hour at speeds of 140 km / or be driven higher, the sweeping is emerging top and sweeping the gravel needed by a sweeper to Schotteraufwirbelungen be avoided. Sweeping is done with brooms, which are made of elastomer materials.

Additional equipment

Additional devices on a ballast leveler increase the efficiency of the vehicle :

  • To store excess ballast, ballast silos or bunkers can be installed, which usually have a volume of 5 m³ to 13 m³ and can therefore store up to 20 tons of ballast. By collecting and later reusing the ballast removed during sweeping, costs are saved when building the track. Some tamping machines are compatible with material conveyor and silo units: by adding such units, the amount of ballast that can be picked up can be increased as required.
  • The side plow of a ballast grading machine can be equipped with a swing limit. When working on a multi-track railway line, regular traffic often takes place on the neighboring tracks of the construction track. In such cases, the swing-out limitation ensures that the side plow does not protrude into the clearance profile of the neighboring track.
  • The sweeping device can be designed in two stages and then consists of a coarse and a fine broom. In this way, an even greater degree of thoroughness is achieved, which is necessary for high- speed routes in high-speed traffic. In order not to damage the line cable of the line control or the rail fastening when sweeping, protective plates can be provided.
  • There are ballast leveling machines with built-in sprinkler systems to reduce dust when sweeping, especially on newly built routes .

literature

Lothar Marx, Detlef Bugenhagen, Dietmar Moßmann: Working methods for the maintenance of the superstructure , Eisenbahn-Fachverlag, ISBN 3-9801093-7-2

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Helmut Misar: Savings through intelligent ballast management. In: Der Eisenbahningenieur 8/2001, pp. 38–41.