Tamping tool

Abstract

The present disclosure generally relates to an improved railroad track ballast tamping tool. The tamping tool may be lowered into ballast underlying railroad tracks and between railroad track ties for performing ballast tamping operations. The tamping tool includes a shank and a paddle coupled to the shank. The paddle comprises a top ridge disposed on a top surface of the paddle and a bottom ridge disposed on a bottom surface of the paddle. The tamping tool additionally includes a top surface wear tile coupled to the top surface of the paddle and abutting a rear face of the top ridge, a bottom surface wear tile coupled to the bottom surface of the paddle and abutting a rear face of the bottom ridge, and a nose wear tile coupled to the top and bottom surfaces of the paddle and abutting a front face of both the top and bottom ridges.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A tamping tool comprising:
 a shank;   a paddle coupled to the shank, wherein the paddle comprises:
 a top ridge disposed on a top surface of the paddle; and 
 a bottom ridge disposed on a bottom surface of the paddle; 
   a top surface wear tile coupled to the top surface of the paddle and abutting a rear face of the top ridge;   a bottom surface wear tile coupled to the bottom surface of the paddle and abutting a rear face of the bottom ridge; and   a nose wear tile coupled to the top and bottom surfaces of the paddle and abutting a front face of both the top and bottom ridges.   
     
     
         2 . The tamping tool of  claim 1 , wherein the shank comprises:
 an upper portion for interfacing with a rail vehicle chassis; and   a lower portion for coupling with at least one of the top surface and a rear surface of the paddle, wherein the lower portion extends upwardly at an angle from the paddle to substantially match a profile of the paddle.   
     
     
         3 . The tamping tool of  claim 1 , wherein the shank is integrally formed with the paddle. 
     
     
         4 . The tamping tool of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the top ridge and the bottom ridge is integrally formed with the paddle. 
     
     
         5 . The tamping tool of  claim 1 , wherein the nose wear tile substantially covers a front end of the paddle, wherein the front end is adjacent to the top and bottom surfaces of the paddle. 
     
     
         6 . The tamping tool of  claim 1 , wherein a cross-sectional shape of the nose wear tile substantially matches a cross-sectional profile of the front end of the paddle. 
     
     
         7 . The tamping tool of  claim 1 , wherein the top ridge comprises a plurality of top ridges. 
     
     
         8 . The tamping tool of  claim 7 , wherein the top surface wear tile comprises a plurality of top surface wear tiles, each top surface wear tile abutting a rear face of a top ridge of the plurality of top ridges. 
     
     
         9 . The tamping tool of  claim 1 , the bottom surface wear tile comprises a plurality of bottom surface wear tiles positioned adjacent to each other on the bottom surface of the paddle, each bottom surface wear tile abutting a rear face of the bottom ridge. 
     
     
         10 . The tamping tool of  claim 1 , further comprising a side surface wear tile coupled to a side surface of the paddle. 
     
     
         11 . The tamping tool of  claim 1 , further comprising a shank surface wear tile coupled to an outside surface of the shank. 
     
     
         12 . The tamping tool of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the top surface wear tile, the bottom surface wear tile, and the nose wear tile is coupled to the paddle via one or more braze operations. 
     
     
         13 . The tamping tool of  claim 12 , wherein at least one of the top ridge and the bottom ridge prevents braze material from entering a tile location abutting the at least one of the top ridge and the bottom ridge during the one or more braze operations. 
     
     
         14 . The tamping tool of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the top surface wear tile, the bottom surface wear tile, and the nose wear tile is coupled to the paddle via only one braze operation. 
     
     
         15 . The tamping tool of  claim 1 , wherein the paddle is configured to be lowered into ballast underlying railroad tracks and between rail ties of the railroad tracks for performing ballast tamping operations. 
     
     
         16 . The tamping tool of  claim 15 , wherein forces absorbed by the nose wear tile during ballast tamping operations are at least partially transferred to at least one of the top ridge and the bottom ridge. 
     
     
         17 . The tamping tool of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the top surface wear tile, the bottom surface wear tile, and the nose wear tile is detachedly coupled to the paddle. 
     
     
         18 . The tamping tool of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the top surface wear tile, the bottom surface wear tile, and the nose wear tile comprises beveled edges. 
     
     
         19 . The tamping tool of  claim 1 , wherein the nose wear tile is a single tile piece. 
     
     
         20 . The tamping tool of  claim 1 , wherein the nose wear tile comprises multiple tile pieces. 
     
     
         21 . The tamping tool of  claim 1 , wherein the nose wear tile is coupled to a front end of the paddle, wherein the front end is adjacent to the top and bottom surfaces of the paddle 
     
     
         22 . The tamping tool of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the top surface wear tile, the bottom surface wear tile, and the nose wear tile is coupled to the paddle via one or more braze operations at a wear penetration point of the paddle. 
     
     
         23 . The tamping tool of  claim 1 , wherein forces absorbed by the nose wear tile during ballast tamping operations are at least partially diverted from at least one of the top surface wear tile and the bottom surface wear tile. 
     
     
         24 . The tamping tool of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the top ridge and the bottom ridge at least partially speed up alignment of at least one of the nose wear tile, the top surface wear tile, and the bottom surface wear tile during production. 
     
     
         25 . A tamping tool paddle coupled to a shank and comprising:
 a top ridge disposed on a top surface of the paddle; and   a bottom ridge disposed on a bottom surface of the paddle;   a top surface wear tile coupled to the top surface of the paddle and abutting a rear face of the top ridge;   a bottom surface wear tile coupled to the bottom surface of the paddle and abutting a rear face of the bottom ridge; and   a nose wear tile coupled to the top and bottom surfaces of the paddle and abutting a front face of both the top and bottom ridges, wherein the nose wear tile substantially covers a front end of the paddle.   
     
     
         26 . A tamping tool paddle comprising:
 a top ridge disposed on a top surface of the paddle; and   a bottom ridge disposed on a bottom surface of the paddle;   a top surface wear tile coupled to the top surface of the paddle and abutting a rear face of the top ridge;   a bottom surface wear tile coupled to the bottom surface of the paddle and abutting a rear face of the bottom ridge; and   a nose wear tile coupled to the top and bottom surfaces of the paddle and abutting a front face of both the top and bottom ridges.