Railway rolling stock – Trucks – Bogie
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-15
2001-10-23
Morano, S. Joseph (Department: 3617)
Railway rolling stock
Trucks
Bogie
C105S157100, C105S206100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06305297
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a railway vehicle bogie and to a process or manufacturing a side member for such a bogie.
2. Description of the Related Art
A railway vehicle bogie is intended to support a vehicle, such as a car body or motor car body, on a plurality of wheels supported on axles. Taking into account the masses of the car bodies or motor car bodies and their speed of movement, the forces due to accelerations of this stock, particularly during changes of direction, are considerable, with the result that it is usual to produce bogies in the form of massive parts made of steel or of welded structure. These massive pieces and welded structures are rigid and must be equipped with suspension and damping systems to ensure comfort for passengers or the absorption of vibrations due to irregularities of track on which the stock moves.
European Patent Application 0 031 008 discloses a railway vehicle bogie comprising H-shaped webs made of composite material. These webs do not enable the forces due to the vertical and transverse accelerations of the equipment in motion to be efficiently absorbed and do not allow the assembly of accessory or safety elements such as a motor, a braking system or a control system. In order efficiently to resist the dynamic stresses to which they are subjected, these webs should have a large cross-section, which would consume a large amount of composite material. This would increase the cost of the bogie and might raise technical problems of molding.
It is a particular object of the present invention to overcome these drawbacks by proposing a bogie of which the side members present such a shape that they participate efficiently in the suspension of the vehicle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To that end, the invention relates to a railway vehicle bogie, this bogie being in abutment on wheels distributed on at least two axles, at least one side member being provided to connect the axles to a central part of the bogie, characterized in that the side member is formed by an elastic blade shaped as a flattened loop.
Thanks to the invention, the geometry of the side member enables it to perform at the same time:
a function of supporting the vehicle between the axles,
a function of suspension of the railway vehicle,
a function of damping the vibrations between the axles and the vehicle,
and this, while ensuring drive of the box body or rail car with the functions of traction, braking and guiding on the track.
In addition, the particularly simple geometry of the side member leads to an attractive cost, which improves the overall economic performances of the bogie.
According to a first advantageous embodiment of the invention, the elastic blade is made of composite material based on fiber-reinforced plastics resin. In that case, the bogie made is substantially lighter than the conventional steel devices, this making it possible to increase the load embarked on the vehicle. The suppleness of a composite material enables it to provide efficient damping at the vibratory frequences most often active in a bogie. In addition, a bogie made of composite material according to the invention may be manufactured more easily than a conventional bogie, particularly due to its simple geometry. The composite material may be based on epoxide, phenolic or other resin and reinforced with glass, carbon, aramid and/or other specific fibers allowing a possible failure of the material to be detected.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the elastic blade may be made of metal, preferably spring steel. This second embodiment makes it possible to use a conventional material whose properties are well known in the field of railway construction.
According to another advantageous aspect of the invention, the bogie comprises at least one shock absorber disposed in the interior volume of the side member. This shock absorber is stressed as a function of the elastic deformations of the blade forming the side member.
According to another advantageous aspect of the invention, the elastic blade is constituted by two elongated webs and two curved zones fixed with respect to axle boxes of the wheels. In this way, the side member is fixed at its two ends thanks to the two curved zones. In that case, it may be provided that at least one axle box comprises a projecting part around which is disposed a curved zone of the elastic blade. This curved zone is advantageously fixed on this projecting part by gluing, or mechanically.
According to another advantageous aspect of the invention, the projecting part comprises two substantially opposite surfaces against which corresponding surfaces of the elongated webs of the elastic blade are adapted to abut. This geometry of the projecting part and of the elastic blade avoids a pivoting of the blade around the projecting part, which improves fixation between these two elements.
According to another aspect of the invention, the bogie comprises two side members each formed by an elastic blade, these side members being connected to a common chassis. This chassis may support the vehicle and be equipped with a suspension member. In that case, it may be provided that each side member is connected to the chassis, at the level of an upper web and at the level of a lower web of the loop that it forms.
The invention also relates to a process for manufacturing a side member, in the case of a side member made of composite material as described hereinbefore. This process consists in:
winding a continuous lap of reinforcing fibers, over at least one turn, around two studs, so as to form a loop around these two studs, and
polymerizing a resin-based matrix around these fibers.
Thanks to the process of the invention, a side member can be produced particularly simply and economically.
According to an advantageous aspect of the process of the invention, said process consists in adapting the distance between the studs as a function of the wheel base and/or the load provided on the side member. According to another advantageous aspect, the process consists in adapting the number of winding turns of the lap around the studs as a function of the dimensions and/or the rigidity provided for the side member. The process of the invention is very adaptable to the operational characteristics of the side member, with the result that several types of side members may be manufactured in the same installation, which is particularly advantageous from the industrial standpoint.
REFERENCES:
patent: 36657 (1862-10-01), Lamb
patent: 285675 (1883-09-01), Post
patent: 1186987 (1916-06-01), Hewitt
patent: 2357020 (1944-08-01), Nystrom
patent: 4422627 (1983-12-01), Schmidt et al.
patent: 4715589 (1987-12-01), Woerndle
patent: 5123358 (1992-06-01), Kemppainen et al.
patent: 569676 (1958-07-01), None
patent: 1804605 (1969-12-01), None
patent: 0547010 (1993-06-01), None
Alstom Transport SA
Dowell & Dowell , P.C.
Morano S. Joseph
Olson Lars A.
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