Patent Publication Number: US-2018044119-A1

Title: Loading Car With Separately Activatable Discharge Devices

Description:
The invention relates to a loading car for picking up, transporting onward and discharging bulk material, including a car frame supported on on-track undercarriages and a distributing conveyor belt, extending in a longitudinal direction of the car, for transporting the bulk material to discharge devices. 
     According to WO 2013/189564 A1, a ballast plough is already known which contains a silo. The latter may be unloaded via a chute or via conveyor belts. 
     Further loading cars are evident from GB 2 264 275 A and EP 0 096 236 A1. 
     It is the object of the present invention to provide a loading car of the type mentioned at the beginning with which a discharging of bulk material is possible in many variants. 
     According to the invention, this object is achieved with a loading car of the specified kind by way of the features cited in the characterizing part of the main claim. 
     By means of a loading car of this type, the bulk material to be discharged can be ejected, as desired, either into the track, laterally next to the track or onto the bedding shoulder, or also onto cars situated on the neighboring track. If the third discharge device is configured accordingly, discharge is also possible onto cars situated on the track travelled upon. The loading car can be employed in combination with a cleaning machine or with machines for track- or formation rehabilitation. The bulk material discharged by the loading car can either be reintroduced into the track (cleaned ballast, for example), or new material is introduced (for example, new ballast, gravel, sand). Additionally, it is possible to transport away material and spoil which is no longer needed or soiled. Further advantages of the invention become apparent from the dependent claims and the drawing description. 
    
    
     The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to an embodiment represented in the drawing in which  FIG. 1  shows a side view and  FIG. 2  a top view of a loading car. 
     A loading car  1 , represented in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , for picking up, transporting onward and discharging bulk material consists essentially of a car frame  3  supported on on-track undercarriages  2 . Arranged on the same is a distributing conveyor belt  5 , extending in a longitudinal direction  4  of the car, for transporting the bulk material to discharge devices  6 ,  7 ,  8 . The distributing conveyor belt  5  is designed to be adjustable in the longitudinal direction  4  of the car for selectively charging the discharge devices  6 ,  7 ,  8 . The first discharge device  6  is designed as a chute  10  arranged above a track  9 . The second as well as the third discharge device  7 ,  8  are designed in each case as a conveyor belt  12  pivotable about a vertical axis  11 , each having a receiving end  13  positioned in the region of the axes  11 . The second discharge device  7  is arranged underneath the car frame  3 , and the third discharge device  8  is arranged above the car frame  3 . 
     The second discharge device  7  consists of a total of two conveyor belts  12  pivotable independently of one another about vertical axes  11  and arranged side-by-side with regard to a transverse direction  14  of the car. The conveyor belt  12  of the third discharge device  8  is designed to be pivotable about an angle a of preferably 90°. A chute  15  is arranged between the distributing conveyor belt  5  and the second discharge device  7  arranged underneath the car frame  3 , the chute  15  having a receiving end  16  positioned between a discharge end  17  of the distributing conveyor belt  5  and the receiving end  13  of the third discharge device  8  arranged above the car frame  3 . 
     In operation, the distributing conveyor belt  5  is displaced—depending on the desired discharge point—in such a way that the discharge end  17  thereof is located immediately above the corresponding discharge device  6 ,  7 ,  8 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the discharge end  17  is located above the first discharge device  6 . Thus, the bulk material is discharged into the chute  10 ; ergo a discharge of material takes place into the track  9  on which the loading car  1  travels. Other positions of the distributing conveyor belt  5  are indicated in dash-and-dot lines. In a central position, the discharging takes place via the chute  15  onto the second discharge device  7  and from there laterally adjacent to the track  9  or onto the bedding shoulder of the same. In the front-most position, with respect to the longitudinal direction  4  of the car, the discharging takes place onto the third discharge device  8 . If the conveyor belt  12  of the latter is pivoted about the angle a of 90°, it is possible to charge cars located on the track adjacent to the track  9 . If the conveyor belt  12  of the third discharge device  8  is designed with corresponding length, it is also possible to charge cars located on the track  9  which precede the loading car  1 .