Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Enclosed compartment
Patent
1997-01-06
1998-07-28
Avila, Stephen
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Enclosed compartment
296183, B60P 305
Patent
active
057853720
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a self-supporting box structure for utility vehicles as described in the preamble of claim 1.
Such utility vehicles are already known, according to DE-C-35 17 290, in which the equipment cab and/or the driver's cab and if necessary the fire-extinguishing substance agent container are designed as independent modules with fixed dimensions, and the various optional modules can be assembled to form a utility vehicle. The individual modules are rigidly yet interchangeably interconnected, and the modules or sub-assembly modules or the support frames are provided with co-operating coupling parts of similar connecting devices. Each of these modules preferably has a support frame with standardized dimensions of width, height and depth, and said modules form container-like units, which are interconnected by the similar coupling and connecting devices and are connected to form a complete box structure. This type of box structure permits a rapid and free assembly of variously fitted equipment cabs. It is however necessary to provide each module with a self-supporting support frame, whereby the empty weight of such a box structure is relatively high for a utility vehicle, so that its use is only of advantage for special service requirements in which under certain circumstances, due to rapidly-changing conditions of use, it is necessary to assemble said box structures rapidly and in various ways according to the requirements of use.
The objective of the present invention is to create a self-supporting box structure for a utility vehicle, particularly a firefighting vehicle, which is designed to be self-supporting and permits a large number of embodiment variants for the equipment cab, which are then not further altered in operation.
This objective of the invention is achieved by the features of the characterising part of claim 1. The advantage here is that by the manufacture of a self-supporting box structure and by the use and assembly of various sheet metal elements, a generous variation for the design of the box structure is possible using a plurality of identical parts, and the sub-divisions required in such a box structure simultaneously take over a support function, so that a support framework made of tube sections can be omitted. Thus it is possible to use knowledge gained from the construction of cars relating to such self-supporting cabs, for the production of complex box structures for utility or firefighting vehicles, so that in this way the advantages of strength with simultaneous weight reduction can now be realised in trucks. In addition, by means of the combination of the horizontal support element with the transverse support elements and the diagonal support elements made of profiled sheet metal, using correspondingly profiled sheet metal parts a frame-work-like support structure can be obtained which can resist even higher torsional forces when travelling off-road and permits the storage even of heavy pieces of equipment at any point inside the box structure. Simultaneously by means of this useful combination of the individual support elements it is achieved that a fire-extinguishing substance container can be integrated in the interior of such a box structure with identical or similar components. Thus it is possible to use the same constructive system for the box structure both for auxiliary vehicles and for pump water tenders, whereby the universal utility of this constructive principle can be increased further.
An embodiment according to claim 2 is also advantageous as because of the design of sheet metal parts, made of either aluminium or steel, and their suitable interconnection, a self-supporting structure can be produced from these parts alone.
A further development is however possible according to claim 3, as thereby also planar honeycomb elements with a high resistance to buckling and low weight can be provided, whereby integration, for example of a liquid tank, is simplified in such a structure.
In a further development according to claim 4, without a large requirement
REFERENCES:
patent: 1908457 (1933-05-01), Swift et al.
patent: 2812973 (1957-11-01), Pritchard
patent: 3572815 (1971-03-01), Hackney
patent: 5076639 (1991-12-01), Jewett et al.
International Search Report dated Jul. 31, 1995.
Glatzmeier Alfred
Hochdaninger Franz
Avila Stephen
Rosenbauer International Aktiengesellschaft
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