Disclosure of Invention
One of the objects of the present invention is to alleviate the above drawbacks by proposing a bogie that improves the comfort of passengers getting on or off the car by taking into account load variations and wheel wear.
To this end, the invention relates to a bogie of the above-mentioned type. For at least one of the wheels, the bogie includes a wear detection member for the wheel and a mechanical linkage between the leveling valve and the wear detection member for transmitting a displacement of the wear detection member to the leveling valve to control an existing pressure increase or decrease in the secondary suspension arrangement. By the wear detection member, the mechanical connection member, and the arrangement between the wear detection member and the mechanical connection member and the wheels and the leveling valve, the present invention can reliably reduce the distance in the height direction between the floor of the vehicle compartment and the platform by taking into account the wear of at least one of the wheels, so that the distance can be adjusted according to the load of the vehicle compartment, thereby improving the comfort of passengers.
According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the bogie also has one or more of the following features, taken in isolation or in any possible combination:
the bogie has two longitudinal sides, each longitudinal side comprising one wheel of each pair, the secondary suspension arrangement comprises at least one leveling valve for each longitudinal side of the bogie, the bogie comprises for each wheel a wear detecting member and a mechanical connection between the leveling valve and the wear detecting member of the wheel for transmitting the displacement of the wear detecting member to the leveling valve for controlling the existing pressure increase or decrease in the secondary suspension arrangement;
each wear detecting member is hinged to the corresponding wheel in the vicinity of a first connecting pivot, and the mechanical connection is hinged on the one hand to the leveling valve in the vicinity of a second connecting pivot, and on the other hand to the wear detecting member of the wheel in the vicinity of a third articulation pivot and a fourth rigid articulation pivot;
-each wheel is rotationally movable about an axis, and wherein the wear detector of a wheel detects wear of the wheel by displacement of a first connecting pivot of the wear detector of the wheel to the axis of rotation of the wheel, the displacement of the first connecting pivot to the axis of rotation of the wheel being caused by a reduction in the diameter of the wheel;
the leveling valve is hinged, in the vicinity of a fifth connection pivot, to an arm extending between two longitudinal ends, the arm being hinged, at each longitudinal end in the vicinity of the second connection pivot, to the mechanical connection of the corresponding wheel;
the distance in height between the fourth rigid connection pivot and the axis of rotation of the wheel is substantially constant, irrespective of the wear of the wheel;
the adjustment distance in height direction between the second connecting pivot and the axis of rotation of the wheel varies as the wheel wears;
the wear detection member of the wheel is hinged to the frame by means of a connecting guide and comprises a spring system between the first connecting pivot and the fourth rigid connecting pivot, so that the wear detection member of the wheel moves only in translation in the height direction and the mechanical connection moves in rotation about the fourth rigid connecting pivot;
-the leveling valve is configured to compensate for load variations of a car of a rail vehicle associated with the bogie by: the existing pressure in the secondary suspension device is controlled to increase when the load increases or to decrease when the load decreases.
The invention also relates to a railway vehicle carriage comprising at least one bogie according to the invention.
Detailed Description
In the following description, the terms "high" and "low" are understood in terms of the typical height direction Z of a rail vehicle. On level ground, the height direction Z is therefore substantially vertical.
A bogie 10 for a railway vehicle is illustrated with reference to fig. 1.
The bogie 10 includes two pairs of wheels 12.
The wheels 12 of each pair are connected to each other by an axle structure 14, which axle structure 14 comprises an axle box 16 for each wheel 12 of the corresponding pair of wheels.
The truck 10 includes a frame 18. The frame is for example an articulated frame 18.
Each axle structure 14 is connected to a vehicle frame 18 by a primary suspension arrangement 20. The primary suspension device 20 includes, for example, a coil spring or a pneumatic spring.
The primary suspension device 20 typically includes one or two springs per wheel 12. In the illustrated example, the primary suspension device 20 includes one coil spring for each wheel 12. The coil spring extends in the height direction Z.
The main suspension device 20 damps vibration of the frame 18 of the bogie 10 in the height direction Z with respect to the wheels 12.
The truck 10 includes a plurality of secondary suspension arrangements 22 carried on the frame 18. The secondary suspension device 22 includes, for example, a coil spring or a pneumatic spring. The secondary suspension 22 extends between the bogie 10 and a carriage 23 of a car of the railway vehicle (as shown by the dashed lines in fig. 1).
The bogie 10 has two longitudinal sides 24 extending in the longitudinal direction L.
Each longitudinal side portion 24 includes one wheel 12 of each pair.
The secondary suspension arrangement 22 typically includes one or two springs for each longitudinal side 24.
In the example shown, the secondary suspension means 22 comprise, for the longitudinal side 24, a pneumatic spring, located substantially at the midpoint of the rotation axis X of the wheel 12 of the longitudinal side 24.
The pneumatic spring extends in the height direction Z.
The secondary suspension device 22 damps vibration of the car body 23 of the car in the height direction Z with respect to the bogie 10.
The secondary suspension arrangement 22 includes at least one leveling valve 26 for each longitudinal side 24 of the bogie 10.
The leveling valve 26 of a longitudinal side 24 is connected on the one hand to a pressurized fluid reservoir (not shown) and on the other hand to the secondary suspension device 22 of the same longitudinal side 24.
The pressurized fluid is, for example, air.
The leveling valve 26 includes a lever 28. The lever 28 is movable between a first extreme position and a second extreme position. Displacement of the operating lever 28 to the first extreme position causes expansion of the secondary suspension device 22 located at the longitudinal side 24 of the leveling valve 26.
The expansion of the secondary suspension device 22 causes the floor of the vehicle compartment placed on the bogie 10 to displace in the height direction Z.
Displacement of the operating lever 28 to the second extreme position causes contraction of the secondary suspension arrangement 22 at the longitudinal side 24 of the leveling valve 26.
The contraction of the secondary suspension device 22 causes the floor of the vehicle compartment placed on the bogie 10 to be displaced downward in the height direction Z.
In the example shown, the leveling valves 26 are two in number and are symmetrical about a longitudinal mid-axis of the frame 18, which is parallel to the longitudinal sides 24 and is located at a midpoint of the longitudinal sides 24.
For each wheel 12, the bogie 10 comprises a wear detection member 30 of the wheel 12 and a mechanical linkage 34, the wear detection member 30 being articulated to the wheel 12 in the vicinity of a first linkage pivot 32, the mechanical linkage 34 being located between the leveling valve 26 and the wear detection member 30 of the wheel 12.
The first connecting pivot 32 between the wear detecting member 30 and the wheel 12 is formed by a wheel portion having a diameter between 2% and 20% of the diameter of the wheel 12 on which the first connecting pivot 32 is located.
In the example shown, the first link pivot 32 is located below the wheel 12 in the height direction Z and is in contact with the wheel 12.
The wear detection member 30 of the wheel 12 is articulated to the frame 18 by means of a connecting rail 36. Such a connection rail 36 allows the wear detection member 30, and advantageously the first connection pivot 32, to move in translation along the height direction Z, but does not allow the wear detection member 30, and advantageously the first connection pivot 32, to move along the longitudinal direction L.
The wear detector 30 of the vehicle 12 preferably has no electronic components.
The mechanical link 34 is hinged on the one hand to the leveling valve 26 in the vicinity of a second connecting pivot 38 and on the other hand to the wear detection member 30 of the wheel 12 in the vicinity of a third articulation pivot 40 and a fourth rigid connection pivot 42.
In the example shown, the mechanical link 34 is substantially shaped like a "Z", the terminal branches of which, on the one hand, lead the second link pivot 38 to the leveling valve 26 and, on the other hand, lead the third articulation pivot 40 to the wear detection member 30.
The mechanical linkage 34 is rotationally movable about a rigid link pivot 42 and about an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal direction L and the height direction Z.
Preferably, the wear detection member 30 of the wheel 12 includes a coil spring 44 located between the first link pivot 32 or the wear detection member 30 and the fourth rigid link pivot 42. The coil spring 44 extends in the height direction Z.
Thus, the wear detector 30 of the wheel 12 is moved in translation only in the height direction Z by the connecting rail 36, and the fourth rigidly connected pivot 42 is kept at a constant distance D from the axis of rotation X of the wheel 12 above which the rigidly connected pivot 42 is located.
Preferably, the wear detection member 30 and the mechanical connection member 34 of the same longitudinal side portion 23 are symmetrical with respect to a vertical median axis of the frame 18, which is perpendicular to the longitudinal side portion 24 and is located at the midpoint of the rotation axis X of the wheel 12 of the corresponding longitudinal side portion 24.
Each leveling valve 26 is hinged to an arm 48 near the fifth connecting pivot 46, which arm 48 extends between two longitudinal ends 50, 52.
Preferably, the fifth connecting pivot 46 between the leveling valve 26 and the arm 48 is disposed substantially equidistant from each of the second connecting pivots 38 on each of the mechanical links 34 that hinge the arm 48 to the same longitudinal side 24 of the bogie 10.
This arrangement of the fifth connecting pivot 46 allows compensation of the average value of the wear of the wheel 12 of the longitudinal side portion 24.
The arm 48 articulates each of the longitudinal ends 50, 52 to the mechanical link 34 of the corresponding wheel 12, in the vicinity of the second connection pivot 38.
The arm 48 is preferably telescopic. This enables relative movement between the axle housings 16 of small magnitude longitudinally during travel.
The adjustment distance a between the second connecting pivot 38 and the axis of rotation X of the corresponding wheel 12 is defined in the height direction Z. The adjustment distance a varies according to the diameter of the wheel 12 and therefore according to the wear of the wheel 12.
The function of the bogie 10 according to the invention will be explained below.
As one of the wheels 12 wears, its diameter decreases, causing the first link pivot 32 to move toward the axis of rotation X of the wheel 12.
In particular, the first link pivot 32 is displaced in the height direction Z towards the arm.
The wear detector 30 of the corresponding wheel 12 is caused to translate in the height direction Z towards the arm by the displacement of the link rail 36 and by the expansion of the helical spring 44 so that the fourth rigid link pivot 42 is maintained at a constant distance D from the axis of rotation X of the wheel 12 on which it rests.
Displacement of the first link pivot 32 in the elevation direction Z of the arm causes rotational displacement of the mechanical link 34 about the fourth rigid link pivot 42.
When the mechanical link 34 is rotationally displaced about the fourth link pivot 42, the mechanical link 34 causes the corresponding second link pivot 38 to be displaced upward in the height direction Z.
The adjustment distance a increases. The upward displacement of the corresponding second link pivot 38 causes the arm portion 48 to tilt.
The tilting of the arm 48 in turn causes an upward displacement of the fifth connection pivot 46 in the height direction Z, which causes an upward displacement of the lever 28 of the leveling valve 26.
The upward displacement of the operating rod 28 controls the existing pressure increase in the secondary suspension 22 of the same longitudinal side 24. The pressurized fluid contained in the reservoir tank is injected into the secondary suspension device 22 to inflate the secondary suspension device 22.
The floor of the car placed on the bogie 10 is raised to compensate for the height drop caused by the wear of the wheels, thereby facilitating the boarding and disembarking of passengers, especially persons with impaired mobility.
Load variations of the car are also compensated by the leveling valve 26, which leveling valve 26 injects pressurized fluid into the suspension device 22, preferably by displacement of the operating rod 28, when the load increases, thus controlling the existing pressure increase in the suspension device 22; or to draw pressurized fluid from the suspension unit 22 when the load is reduced so that the existing pressure of the suspension unit 22 is reduced.
Thereby improving passenger comfort.
The bogie 10 according to the invention also makes it possible to reduce maintenance costs due to wear of the wheels 12 and does not require calibration.
Furthermore, the wear detector of the wheel 12, the mechanical connection 34 and the arm 48 are entirely mechanical, and the adjustment of the height of the secondary suspension does not require electronic components and electrical power.