Railway rolling stock – Special car bodies – Shock absorbing
Utility Patent
1999-01-13
2001-01-02
Le, Mark T. (Department: 3617)
Railway rolling stock
Special car bodies
Shock absorbing
C002S220000
Utility Patent
active
06167815
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a railway vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
On a railway vehicle of the prior art disclosed in DE 3228942 C2, fastened to the undercarriage of a car body is a mounting which supports the coupling device that runs centrally in the longitudinal center axis of the car body and points toward the end of the car body. The mounting also supports a shock absorbing element device that is located above the coupling device and below the undercarriage. This shock absorbing element device also runs in the longitudinal direction of the car body and, like the coupling device, projects beyond the end of the car body in the longitudinal direction of the car body. The shock absorbing element device has an impact plate on its exposed end, while on the opposite end it is rigidly supported on the undercarriage. Between the support and the impact plate, the compression rod construction includes at least one support element which, when a specified mechanical load is exceeded, undergoes a permanent change in shape and thereby absorbs the force of the impact at least largely inelastically. The impact plate thereby has a plurality of pyramid-shaped elevations that are located next to and above one another, and provides protection against a tilting of the car, which prevents the railway vehicles in question from climbing on top of one another and from moving laterally in relation to one another in the event of an impact.
The object of the invention is to provide measures on a railway vehicle by which under-running can be prevented.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention teaches that this object can be accomplished by a railway vehicle made in accordance with the present invention.
On a railway vehicle in accordance with the present invention, the damage that can occur on the end portion when the railway vehicle rams into trees that have fallen onto the tracks, or trucks, automobiles, large animals etc., can be prevented because the structure of the car body that lies behind the front part in the direction of travel remains largely undamaged. Such impacts generally occur below the plane in which the coupling device is located.
Preferably, there are a plurality of, and in particular four, individual shock absorbing elements that are arranged symmetrically with respect to the vertical center plane of the car body, and are fastened individually, in pairs or jointly in groups on a beam on the car body. In particular, the arrangement of the shock absorbing elements is such that they are located in pairs in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle so that the distances between the contact surfaces of the shock absorbing elements can absorb a moment of force introduced in a manner that could push the shock absorbing elements of the under-running guard downward. For this purpose, the individual shock absorbing elements are located next to one another in a horizontal plane. So that it is also possible to absorb in a graduated manner any impact moment that occurs, the middle shock absorbing element or elements are displaced forward toward the front end of the car body with respect to the laterally neighboring shock absorbing elements. As a result, the middle portion of the shock absorbing element device is generally the first to come in contact with the obstacle, thereby initiating a disintegration of the obstacle. The pieces of the obstacle that are moved sideways are then impacted by the recessed shock absorbing elements. A load that exceeds the specified load thereby results in a permanent deformation of the support element on the respective shock absorbing element in question, so that a significant portion of the impact energy is already absorbed and is not transmitted to the car body.
To prevent any interference with easy access to the coupling device, the exposed ends of the shock absorbing elements can be recessed in the longitudinal direction of the car axially towards the middle part of the car body with respect to the exposed end of the coupling device. The center shock absorbing elements in particular are thereby fastened jointly to the connection-side end of the leg of a rigid U-shaped or V-shaped beam, the exposed ends of which, as well as the outer shock absorbing elements are fastened jointly to the undercarriage. The ends of this beam, however, can for their part also be fastened to a point on the car body that is offset from the fastening points of the outer shock absorbing elements, in particular in the longitudinal direction of the car, to achieve a distribution of any impact force that occurs to the undercarriage of the car body. At the same time, when impact forces occur that have a force component that deviates from the longitudinal axis, a buckling of the system, in particular a downward buckling, is prevented.
To promote the disintegration of the obstacle, the center shock absorbing elements can be located next to one another with only a small space in between, so that the point of the initial introduction of force is directed toward the central portion of the obstacle. The distance to the shock absorbing elements located to the sides can thereby be greater and can be designed so that there is sufficient protection and a clearing action for the trailing truck. A shock absorbing element device of this type is accordingly highly suitable for installation in the nose area of a high-speed railway vehicle. In that case, it is also appropriate, in the area that contains the shock absorbing elements, to continue the front wall of the car body beyond the shock absorbing elements, and to thereby realize the front wall of the car body in a V-shape similar to the generating curve of an envelope. The shock absorbing elements are thereby concealed behind a streamlined skin for normal operation and do not generate any noise. The permanently deformable support elements thereby consist in particular of tubular sleeves that are manufactured from fiberglass-reinforced plastic or metal, or a combination of the two, and extend approximately over the entire length of the respective shock absorber element.
REFERENCES:
patent: 596227 (1897-12-01), Andrews
patent: 4576294 (1986-03-01), Forster
patent: 4715292 (1987-12-01), Pavlick et al.
patent: 5579699 (1996-12-01), Dannawi et al.
patent: 635018 (1936-09-01), None
patent: 2910481 (1979-09-01), None
patent: 3228942 (1984-09-01), None
patent: 0655565 (1995-05-01), None
Huber Max
Werner Friedrich
ABB Daimler-Benz Transportation (Technology) GmbH
Le Mark T.
Webb Ziesenheim & Logsdon Orkin & Hanson, P.C.
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