EP0096431A2 - Apparatus for obtaining soil samples in the neighbourhood of railroad tracks with the aim to explore the mechanical properties of the soil - Google Patents

Abstract

For arbe ⁱ tsmassigen simplification, the weather independence and increasing the available values are made by means of a drilling aggregate (1) in the region of track installations drilling and cores obtained. The drill cores are used as test objects for laboratory testing. The drill pipe (4) of the drilling unit (1) has a window (45). This window extends over at least half the circumference of the drill pipe (4) and can be closed.

Description

Particularly with regard to the increase in the speed of railroad trains and the load per axle, there has recently been a need to obtain a number of details about the condition and composition of the track substructure, whereby under track substructure not only that directly under the Railroad gravel, but also the underground, ie the bearing surface of this ballast should be understood.

Only in the sense of example information is interested in the ballast, among other things, for the reasons mentioned above. the grain composition and the degree of soiling, while in connection with the surface i.a. the load behavior, the moisture content and the grain composition of the respective layers of earth are in the foreground.

Since any necessary remedial measures, be it with regard to the ballast or the subsoil, are associated with considerable activities and expenses, there is an eminent interest in the criteria already mentioned and, if applicable to obtain further information as precise as possible.

The need to obtain more detailed information on the most important criteria through suitable studies is not new in itself. Above all, two methods are known. One is to clear the ballast between two neighboring sleepers by hand or mechanically in order to then make a very approximate assessment of the condition of the substructure with regard to both the ballast and the subsoil. It is clear that this method is very labor-intensive, especially because the cleared gravel has to be refilled. Furthermore, the observation results can be completely falsified by weather influences (e.g. rain). Finally, an impairment of the position stability cannot be ruled out with the usual method after refilling the ballast. It is crucial, however, that there was no way to obtain sufficiently precise information about the nature of the ballast bed and the subsoil with this method that had been used up to now, which as such would have allowed targeted and effective remedial measures to be taken.

A second known method consists in producing a digging slot in the ballast bed and driving a mandrel into the ground at a predetermined speed. Based on the force required for this drive, the load capacity behavior of the subsoil can then be concluded with regard to certain mathematical relationships. This method has the decisive disadvantage that only the payload behavior and this can only be determined with approximate accuracy, while in relation to all other criteria, such as the grain composition and the degree of contamination of the ballast as well the grain composition of the layers of earth and their moisture content, no further information is available.

The present invention is based on the object of creating a weather-independent method and a device suitable for carrying out this method, which method is suitable for obtaining soil samples in the area of railway tracks for the purpose of determining soil mechanical parameters and the decisive advantage over the previously known methods has that it is less labor-intensive, does not hinder continuous train traffic even with single-track systems and, above all, provides considerably more information about the quality of the ballast and the sub-surface, ie For example, information about the grain composition and the degree of contamination of the ballast, the load-bearing behavior of the substructure, the grain composition of the layers of earth and the moisture content in order to obtain relevant data for the construction or renovation regarding the type and scope of the measures to be taken.

These tasks are solved by a method of the type mentioned at the outset, which is characterized in that earth bores are made in the area of track systems by means of a drilling device and drilling cores are obtained, which can then serve as test objects for laboratory tests.

A device which is characterized in that the drilling device is mounted on a railroad car is particularly suitable for carrying out this method.

• Fig. 1 eine schematische Seitenansicht einer in einen Eisenbahnwagen eingebauten ersten Ausführungsform unter Weglassung eines Zylinder-Kolben-Aggregates,
• Fig. 2 einen Schnitt nach der Linie II-II in Fig. 1,
• Fig. 3 eine schematische Seitenansicht einer zweiten, auf einem Eisenbahnwagen aufgebauten Ausführungsform,
• Fig. 4 eine Ansicht in Richtung des Pfeiles A in Fig. 3,
• Fig. 5 eine Draufsicht.
• Fig. 6 und 7 sind schematische Darstellungen verschiedener Arbeitsstellungen des Bohraggregates.
• Fig. 8 zeigt das Mitnehmerende des Bohrrohres samt Mitnehmer in perspektivischer Darstellung bei teilweise weggelassener Deckplatte,
• Fig. 9 einen Axialschnitt durch eine besondere Ausführungsform des Bohrzylinders und
• Fig. 10 einen Schnitt nach der Linie X-X in Fig. 9.

In the following description, an exemplary embodiment of the method in question is explained, and in the drawing, two exemplary embodiments and certain structural details are shown schematically in part.

• 1 is a schematic side view of a first embodiment installed in a railroad car, with the omission of a cylinder-piston unit,
• 2 shows a section along the line II-II in FIG. 1,
• 3 is a schematic side view of a second embodiment built on a railway carriage,
• 4 is a view in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 3,
• Fig. 5 is a plan view.
• 6 and 7 are schematic representations of various working positions of the drilling unit.
• 8 shows the driver end of the drill pipe together with the driver in a perspective view with the cover plate partially omitted,
• Fig. 9 is an axial section through a special embodiment of the drilling cylinder and
• 10 shows a section along the line XX in FIG. 9.

1 and 2, two earth drilling units, generally designated 1, are provided, the essential parts of which are a drive motor 2, a transmission shaft 3 and a drill pipe 4 driven by the motor via the shaft 3. 1 and 2, two identical earth drilling units 1 are provided, but it would also be possible to be satisfied with a single such unit.

The two twin units 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are arranged in a manner to be described in a part of a railway carriage 5, which can be moved on rails 7 by means of wheels 6, displaceable at right angles to the track axis. The remaining parts of the rail car 5 can be made in any way be designed. It would be possible to provide a lounge for the operating team, a material room and a compartment for the drill cores.

For the sake of simplicity, the following description refers to one of the two twin earth drilling units 1, since these two units are constructed and installed in an identical manner. Each of the units concerned is attached to a carriage 8 which runs in corresponding guides 9 of a swivel plate 10. In the illustrated embodiment, only the motor 2 is firmly connected to the carriage 8, while the drill pipe 4 is slidably mounted within the block 11, which is also fastened to the swivel plate 10. However, it would also be possible to assign a slide to the drill pipe 4. At the top of the slide 8 there is the actuating plate 12, on which the cylinder-piston units 13 engage, by means of which the slide 8 together with the earth drilling unit 1 can be moved along the swivel plate 10 (in the starting position shown at right angles to the track level).

With the swivel plate 10, a grid plate 14 is firmly connected, which together with the swivel plate 10 and the drilling unit 1 can be swiveled about the geometric axis 15. The grid plate 16 works together with the grid plate 14, which in turn is firmly connected to the frame part 17, which together with the further frame part 18 and the crossbar 19 forms the frame 20.

In order not to overload the drawing, the details of the two grid plates 14 and 16 are not shown in the drawing. One of the two grid plates has one resiliently projecting parts, which can enter corresponding recesses in the other grid plate. Furthermore, not shown operating parts are provided on the swivel plate 10, with which the swivel plate together with the drill unit can be pivoted about the axis 15 according to the grid pitch of the two locking disks 14 and 16.

A cylinder-piston unit 21 is arranged between the two frame parts 17 and 18 and a fixed part of the railroad car. Furthermore, each frame part 17 and 18 has a laterally projecting pin 22, which pins enter corresponding tabs 23 of one column 24 (the other is designated by 25) of a main frame 26, so that the pivot plate 10 by means of the two cylinder-piston units 21 can be pivoted about the geometric axis of the bearing pin 22.

The main frame 26 is suspended from the sliding frame 27, which essentially consists of two longitudinal bars 28 (only one is visible in the drawing) and two transverse bars 29. Both longitudinal spars 28 run in a U-rail 3 equipped with roller rollers 30 and arranged transversely to the track axis, so that the sliding frame 27 together with all parts attached to it, such as the two twin earth drilling units 1, can be moved back and forth at right angles to the track axis.

If, as in the illustrated embodiment, the two twin earth drilling units 1 are arranged within the two rails 7, the described displacement option allows the sliding frame 27 to be moved such that an earth drilling unit 1 is located approximately in the middle between the two rails 7, while the others come to lie outside the rail car profile and thus also outside the track, so that bores can be made simultaneously between the two rails 7 and outside the track.

The drill cores can then either be examined in the laboratory itself in the laboratory, or on a suitable place to be transported. As already mentioned, these drill cores then serve to obtain soil mechanics knowledge.

3-7 schematically shows a further off. management form of the subject matter of the invention, wherein reference is made in particular with regard to the means for movement (rotation and pivoting) of the earth drilling unit 1 to the constructive option shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

In the exemplary embodiment in question, a base plate 32 is provided at one end of a railway carriage 5 and is fixedly connected to a toothed wheel 33. This gear 33 can be put into circulation by means of a pinion 34 meshing with it, the pinion in question being provided with any operating means. At its edge facing the end of the carriage, the base plate 32 has two tabs through which the pivot axis 36 passes, as also through those (39) of the pivot plate 37. The position of the swivel axis 36 is selected such that when the swivel plate 37 rotatable about this axis is set up at right angles to the track plane, the earth drilling unit 1, which is displaceably mounted on this swivel plate 37, projects beyond the end of the carriage.

Between the base plate 32 and the pivot plate 37, two cylinder-piston units 38 are provided on the side of the pivot plate 37, by means of which the pivot plate 37 and thus the earth drilling unit 1 can be pivoted relative to the plane given by the base plate 32.

As in the first exemplary embodiment, the swivel plate 37 is connected to the frame 39 via two locking disks, the last of which can be swiveled about the axis 36 by means of the cylinder-piston unit 38.

Of the locking plates 40 and 41 is, accordingly the constructive solution in the first embodiment, one (40) with the swivel plate 37 and the other (41) with the frame 39 fixed. Of these plates 40 and 41, as usual, the one not shown resilient, protruding locking means, which are intended and suitable to engage in corresponding recesses in the other locking plate.

As in the exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 1 and 2, the swivel plate 37 has on its outside a guide for a carriage 42, on which the earth drilling unit 1 is fastened. This slide, which, thanks to the guides mentioned, is arranged to be displaceable parallel to the axis of the swivel plate 37 on this last one, has an actuation extension 43, on which a cylinder-piston unit, not shown, acts laterally, by means of which the earth drilling unit 1 along the guide of the in Fig. 3 position perpendicular to the track level in a removal position parallel to this level can be brought.

Thanks to the locking plates 40 and 41, there is still the possibility of placing the earth drilling unit in a freely selectable intermediate position opposite the vertical to the track level, so that drilling samples are taken not only in an oblique direction outside the track, but also directly from the support underneath the sleepers 44 can be. These issues are shown schematically in FIGS. 6 and 7.

The first embodiment differs from that shown in FIGS. 3-7 in that the twin earth drilling unit according to the first embodiment is replaced by a single earth drilling unit, and that instead of the displaceability of the twin earth drilling units provided in the first embodiment, a single such unit at the end of a railroad car on egg ner rotatable plate 32 is arranged.

As already mentioned, the facility in question is concerned with taking drill samples at certain points in the area of a railway track, which can then be subjected to a laboratory test. In an expedient embodiment of this device, care is taken to ensure that the drill cores can be removed from the drill pipe in the simplest possible manner.

The possibility of pivoting the drill pipe into a horizontal plane, which is provided in both exemplary embodiments, already serves this purpose, which decisively simplifies the removal of the drill cores with regard to a further exemplary embodiment of the drill pipe.

For example, the drill pipe has a window 45 which extends over the length of a normal drill core and extends over half the circumference and which is rotated upward and opened when the drill pipe is pivoted, so that the drill core can be easily removed. 8 shows an example of an embodiment of such a drill pipe. In this case, 46 denotes the driver driven by the motor, which enters corresponding T-shaped grooves 47 in the drill pipe 4. This configuration of the driver 46 and the upper part of the drill pipe not only permits rotary movements, but also the transmission of an axial force, such as must be used when pulling the drill pipe out of the borehole, for example.

8 also shows the size of the window, the arrangement of which corresponds to the length of a conventional drill core in the direction of the geometric axis of the drill pipe 4, and which extends over half the circumference of the drill pipe. During the drilling process, window 45 is covered by plate 48, which is partially shown in FIG. 8 for ease of understanding is omitted. The side window edge and the panel edge cooperating with it have corresponding offsets, while along the lower edge the panel edge engages under the window edge with a projecting rib 49. The upper edge of the plate is connected to a reinforcing ring 50 by means of countersunk screws, which cannot be seen in the drawing, so that the plate 48 forms a closure of the window 45 during the drilling process, without additional resistance being counteracted by a radially projecting part of a rotary movement.

Another possibility for the formation of the drill pipe 4 is shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 and consists in that the casing of the drill pipe 4 is slotted. A rough assessment of the various zones can consequently be carried out through the slot 51, this slot 51 additionally allowing laterally smaller drill pipes 52 to be inserted in order to be able to take soil samples from the drill core at certain points.

In this way it is possible to take soil samples in the area of train tracks for the purpose of determining soil mechanical parameters, which convey a large number of essential information without having to accept the disadvantages of the previously known methods.

Furthermore, the device also forming the subject of the invention allows these soil samples to be obtained in a simple and labor-saving manner.

Claims (6)

1. A method for obtaining soil samples in the area of train tracks for the purpose of determining soil mechanical parameters, characterized in that earth drilling and drilling cores are carried out in the area of track systems by means of a drilling device, the last of which can then serve as test objects for laboratory tests. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the angle between the geometric axis of the drilling device and a perpendicular to the track plane is variable. 3. Device for performing the method according to claim 1, characterized in that the drilling device is mounted on a railroad car. 4. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the drilling device is pivotable about a horizontal axis. 5. Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the horizontal axis extends in the direction of the rails or perpendicular to it. 6. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the drilling device has a drill pipe provided with a closable window.

Images