Railway rolling stock – Car framing and structure
Patent
1990-07-17
1991-11-05
Oberleitner, Robert J.
Railway rolling stock
Car framing and structure
105413, 52729, 280781, 296204, B62D 2112, B61D 1700
Patent
active
050623699
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a frame structure which is particularly although not exclusively suitable for use as the chassis frame of a road or rail vehicle.
Conventionally such chassis frames had side rails of -I-section beams fabricated by welding with welded web stiffeners at locations subject to high loading. In view of the high stresses to which the flanges of the beams may be subjected it is undesirable to weld other members on to or near these flanges. Such side rails also present design limitations partly because reinforcement is necessary at any position to which another structural member is joined and partly because both bending and changing the shape of the rails is difficult.
In our prior U.K. patent application 8603235 we describe a vehicle chassis of aluminium alloy having two spaced apart side rails each comprising at least two hollow extrusions stuck together with at least one of the rails having an outwardly facing extruded formation for receiving fasteners to be secured to other, non-structural, members disposed outwardly of the side rails. These formations are unrelated to the load bearing function of the vehicle chassis. The rails are described as having brackets bonded to the inner faces thereof at intervals therealong to be bolted to box formations extending between the side rails. Thus the rails do not need extra reinforcement at highly stressed locations such as the respective upper and lower surfaces of the hollow extrusions and the box formations constituting structural parts of the chassis are secured to the side rails in a manner that does not adversely affect the stress characteristics of the side rails.
We have now found that an improved frame structure can be provided having side rails each comprising at least three hollow extrusions and structural cross-members of an aluminium alloy that can be assembled wholly by the use of bolts so that it can readily be dismantled for replacing parts.
According to the present invention there is provided a frame structure of aluminium alloy having a pair of spaced apart side rails and a plurality of spaced apart cross-members each comprising a central tubular formation and extending between the side rails, characterised in that at least over a major part of its length each side rail comprises at least three hollow extrusions welded together at positions of low stress and has more than two longitudinally extending re-entrant formations opening inwardly thereof at selected low stress locations thereon to receive the heads of bolts and in that an end plate formation is welded to each end of the tubular formations, said bolts engaging through apertures in the associated end plates to removably secure together the side rails and the cross-members only by said bolts at any desired location along said major part of the length of each side rail.
The above and other aspects of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 shows a section through a side rail with a cross-member bolted thereto,
FIG. 2 is a section on the line II--II of FIG. 1,
FIG. 3 shows in section, a modified fastening,
FIG. 4 shows in perspective, one end of a shaped side rail, and
FIG. 5 is a perspective view with parts cut away of a skid-plate sub assembly.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings a chassis frame comprises a side rail 1 joined to a cross-member 2 via an end plate 3. The side rail is formed of three hollow aluminium alloy extrusions 4, 5 and 6. The outer extrusions 4 and 6 are identical and are welded to opposed ends of the central extrusion 5.
The extrusions 4 and 6 each have an outer flange 7, side wall 8 and 9 and an inner wall 10 joined to the side walls by inclined parts 11. The edges of the inner wall 11 are provided with formations, indicated at 12 to facilitate welding. The side walls 8 and 9 are extended to provide continuous re-entrant slots 13 and 14.
The central extrusion 5 is of generally rectangular shape with flank walls 15 and 16 and end walls 17. The flank walls are extended at
REFERENCES:
patent: 4958844 (1990-09-01), Hancock
Cobden Ronald C.
Shiels Alan J.
British Alcan Aluminium PLC
Oberleitner Robert J.
Rutherford Kevin D.
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