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  Tamping blade for a railroad tamping machineUSPTO Application #: 20070186798Title: Tamping blade for a railroad tamping machine Abstract: A tamping blade for a railroad-tamping machine to tamp ballast on a railway line. The tamping blade includes a pad that attaches to a shank of a railroad-tamping machine and is made of hardened steel. A wear-resistant coating covers and protects the surfaces used to tamp the ballast. Wear-resistant inserts are fixed in a leading face of the pad to absorb a large portion of the impact and improve the efficiency of the tamping process. The wear-resistant inserts are positioned to reduce the formation of a wear pattern during use. The method allows for production of a hardened steel pad with a wear-resistant coating and wear-resistant inserts. (end of abstract) Agent: Brooks & Cameron, PLLC - Minneapolis, MN, US Inventor: Glenn Gevik USPTO Applicaton #: 20070186798 - Class: 104010000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Railways, Track Layers, Tamper The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070186798. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to a tamping blade for a railroad-tamping machine, and more particularly to a tamping blade having an improved structure to resist wear and a method for producing the tamping blade. [0002] During use of railroads, ballast supporting the railroads shifts away from the railroad ties. Railroad tamping machines maintain ballast to provide correct alignment and elevation of rails. These tamping machines employ tamping tools that push multiple vibrating blades into the ballast and then towards the rail to compact the ballast supporting the rail. This provides a firm foundation for the rail to support the load of the trains passing over it. This procedure subjects the tamping blade to extremely harsh conditions, as typical ballast includes materials such as rock, wooden cinders, concrete, slag and taconite. Because the ballast also becomes compacted, the tamping blade must break up the ballast in order to repair the ballast. The abrasive nature of the ballast causes tamping blades to wear quickly, necessitating repair or replacement. Each railroad-tamping machine can employ from sixteen to thirty-two tools. Thus, wear and replacement leads to significant expense both in time lost and the cost of replacement blades. [0003] Many attempts have been made to increase the life of tamping blades by employing wear-resistant materials such as tungsten carbide. For example, U.S. Patent Application No. 2005/0109235 discloses a tamping tool that has a wear-resistant tip inserted into a groove in the end of its blade. Wear-resistant tiles are fixed on the portions of the blade to further protect the blade. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,763 describes a tamping tool having a paddle of carbon steel construction with wear-resistant material brazed to the front, exposed face of the paddle. [0004] Current tamping blades employing wear-resistant materials are generally made using a soft metal pad. As long as the pad is not exposed to abrasion, and is protected by wear-resistant material, the pads will be fine. But when the wear-resistant material chips off, or the metal pad is otherwise exposed, the soft metal quickly wears away and the tamping blade must be replaced. There is therefore a need for a tamping blade that is less affected by chipping. [0005] During use, the tamping blade must often break up the ballast. Current tamping blades employ a blunt leading face. The blunt leading face tends to incur impact along the entire length of the leading face and is inefficient for breaking up ballast. Concentrating the impact in a smaller area facilitates breaking up ballast. The stress at the point of impact is greater for a non-blunt blade. There is therefore a need for a tamping blade having a non-blunt leading face capable of withstanding the stress and wear occurring at the point of impact. [0006] Hardening the metal pad also improves resistance to wear by abrasion. It is therefore desirable to combine wear-resistant material with a hardened metal pad. However, application of wear-resistant material by brazing or welding causes softening of hardened metal, rendering a heat treatment process useless. Using a heat treatment processes after application of a wear-resistant material, such as carbide, would cause the joining material, such as a brazing silver solder to melt off. There is therefore a need for a tamping blade that combines a heat-treated pad with a wear-resistant material and a process to manufacture a tamping blade that combines a heat-treated pad with a wear-resistant material. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0007] The present invention therefore discloses a tamping blade for a railroad-tamping machine to tamp ballast on a railway line. The tamping blade includes a pad that attaches to a shank of a railroad-tamping machine and is made of hardened steel. A wear-resistant coating covers and protects the surfaces used to tamp the ballast. Wear-resistant inserts are fixed in a leading face of the pad and absorb the greatest impact, as well as increase the efficiency of the tamping process. The wear-resistant inserts are positioned to reduce the formation of a wear pattern during use. The method for producing the tamping blade allows for use of a hardened steel pad with a wear-resistant coating and wear-resistant inserts. [0008] These and further objects and advantages of the present invention will become clearer in light of the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment of this invention described in connection with the drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0009] The illustrative embodiment may best be described by reference to the accompanying drawings where: [0010] FIG. 1A shows a perspective view of one embodiment of the tamping blade of the invention. [0011] FIG. 1B shows a top view of one embodiment of the leading face of the tamping blade of the invention. [0012] FIG. 2A shows a side view of a wear-resistant insert of the invention. [0013] FIG. 2B shows a side view of a second embodiment of a wear-resistant insert of the invention. [0014] FIG. 2C shows a side view of a third embodiment of a wear-resistant insert of the invention. [0015] FIG. 3 shows a flow diagram of a method for producing the tamping blade of the invention. [0016] All figures are drawn for ease of explanation of the basic teachings of the present invention only; the extensions of the figures with respect to number, position, relationship, and dimensions of the parts to form the preferred embodiment will be explained or will be within the skill of the art after the following description has been read and understood. Further, the exact dimensions and dimensional proportions to conform to specific measurements will likewise be within the skill of the art after the following description has been read and understood. Values provided are representative and are utilized to facilitate the description of the preferred embodiment. [0017] Where used in the various figures of the drawings, the same numerals designate the same or similar parts. Furthermore, when the terms "upper," "lower," "side," "end,""bottom," "first," "second," "laterally," "longitudinally," "row," "column," "array," and similar terms are used herein, it should be understood that these terms have reference only to the structure shown in the drawings as it would appear to a person viewing the drawings and are utilized only to facilitate describing the illustrative embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT [0018] Refer now to FIG. 1A, which shows a perspective view of one embodiment of the tamping blade 10 of the invention. The tamping blade 10 includes a pad 12. The pad 12 includes an attachment location 14 where the pad 12 can be attached to a shank of a railroad-tamping machine by welding or other known methods. The welding process should not exceed 350 degrees F. in order to avoid softening the pad 12. The welding process can be done over a longer period of time in order to avoid too much heat being applied to the pad 12. The pad 12 further includes a leading face 16 suitable for breaking up ballast and moving and compacting ballast to properly support a rail. [0019] In order to withstand the harsh environment involved in tamping ballast, the pad 12 is preferably hardened. In the preferred embodiment, the pad 12 comprises a four inch (4'') by four and one-half inch (41/2'') by three-fourths inch (3/4'') 4140 steel pad having a hardness rating of around fifty-five (55) on a Rockwell C scale. As those skilled in the art will recognize, other conformations of the pad 12 are possible and lie within the spirit and scope of the invention. [0020] To further protect the surfaces 36 coming into contact with the ballast, the pad 12 includes a wear-resistant coating 18. In the preferred embodiment, the wear-resistant coating 18 covers the portions of the bordering faces 20, 22, 24, 26 adjacent to the leading face 16. In this example embodiment, the wear-resistant coating 18 is a continuous coating made of tungsten carbide covering at least one inch (1'') from the edge adjoining the leading face 16 on each of the bordering faces 20, 22, 24, 26. In this example embodiment, the coating 18 has an average thickness of at least one-eighth of an inch (1/8''). In an alternate embodiment, the wear-resistant coating 18 also covers the leading face 16. Continue reading... Full patent description for Tamping blade for a railroad tamping machine Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Tamping blade for a railroad tamping machine patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. 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