EP1312527B1 - Articulated coupling - Google Patents

Abstract

The joint mechanism has an energy absorbing member (24,) which is connected to rail wagons (100,101) for transferring impacts. The connecter has a defined force connection and a deformation element (6,8) and is formed as a destructive part. The deformation element is integrated into the connecter in a play-free manner and between the deformation element and pressure plates (10,12) a ring (14,16) grips.

Description

The present invention relates to a hinge assembly for articulated Connecting car bodies of a multi-unit vehicle, with a first articulated arm and a second articulated arm, which interact by means of a bearing articulated, and with at least a destructive energy consuming element, which the by one from a car body to an adjacent, connected Car body transferred shock dissipates accumulating energy.

For connecting car bodies of a multi-unit vehicle, such as a rail vehicle, one usually distinguishes between two different main clutch principles, each be used on the type of car body. Own the car bodies in each case only one wheel unit, so serves for connection a so-called Jacob bogie. For trolley types with one Two-wheeler device, at each end of the respective car body a wheel unit sits, is usually a coupling device used to connect the car bodies. A Such coupling device generally consists of a Arm with a vertically arranged socket, which serves by to receive at the top a dependent shaft journal, which at the outer End of a longitudinal direction from the end of the following Carcass protruding arm is arranged. The coupling device is designed so that both horizontal as well as vertical pivoting movements performed in the socket can be when the vehicle is through bends or over a level difference drives.

Regardless of the particular clutch principle used in a rigidly supported coupling device during the Driving, z. B. when braking, occurring shocks and vibrations Damage to the wheel bearings or the bearings of the shaft journal to lead. To avoid such damages it is necessary to the transmission of such shocks, vibrations and the like eliminate. This is preferably achieved by one the coupling device with elastic damping means for Absorbing such shocks provides.

A connecting device with the aforementioned features is basically known from rail vehicle technology. European Patent Application EP 0 612 646 A1 is concerned for example, with a car body coupling of the above-described Art, in which the dependent shaft journal in a special ball bearing is stored, whereby a jacket-shaped Elastomer body as a shock-absorbing means in the connecting device is integrated. This so-called elastomer joint causes the bearings of wear-promoting Stress is largely spared and yet horizontal Crease angle between the connected vehicle car boxes are feasible.

It is also known from European Patent EP 0 771 710 B1 equipped with an elastomer joint car coupling the initially known type, wherein the coupling in the dimensions compact, sealed and made of standard machine elements is constructed.

From document FR-A-2716149 is a connecting device between vehicles, in particular an articulated coupling between Railway vehicles, known. This device is included Energy absorbers fitted between a carbody and an articulating coupling element are arranged. The disadvantage of this is that it is in the known Solution especially for non-straight loads of the connecting device, due to corner / point travel, hills or the like in the route network, in a crash situation to irreproducible and in advance only inaccurately assessable Results in the energy intake can come.

The same disadvantages also apply to those from the document US-A-2,051,958 known hinge assembly to. This joint arrangement has a first and a second articulated arm, which interact in an articulated manner by means of a bearing. It is in one the articulated arms integrated an energy attenuator, which serving to move from one car body to another, connected car body transmitted shock energy to dampen.

Furthermore, coupling devices are composed of pull / push devices with combinations of friction spring and regenerative Shock protection, sphero-elastic bearings and elastomer support known and therefore belong to the prior art. The vertical support of the pull / push device can be made by rubber or steel springs. The integration of a center actuator is also possible.

Pulling / pushing devices take tension and pressure up to a defined Size up and direct further forces undamped over the bearing block in the vehicle undercarriage. Thereby Although tensile and impact forces, which during the normal Fahrbetriebes between the individual car bodies occur, in This regenerative shock absorber absorbs when exceeded the operating load, but about the impact of the vehicle an obstacle or in the event of an abrupt deceleration of the vehicle, become the regenerative shock absorbers and the joints possibly destroyed between the individual car bodies or damaged and in any case not for consumption the accumulating energy. As a result, these shocks then no longer in the energy consumption concept of the entire vehicle integrated, so that the resulting impact energy directly is transferred to the vehicle undercarriage. This will be this exposed to extreme loads and possibly damaged or even destroyed. In rail vehicles running in such a Case the car body risk derailment. For passenger trains, especially on high-speed railways, this would be inevitable lead to a serious accident, as, for example in the ICE derailment on 3 June 1998 in Lower Saxony Eschede was the case.

Regarding the growing importance of high-speed rail systems in passenger transport has a commission of the European Community in the Official Journal of 21 March 2001 (2001/290 / EC) in § 11 mechanical limit values of vehicles redefined. The goal is to protect all vehicles of travelers and staff in a collision safely too put. This should u. a. by building methods in which the Collision occurring energy is absorbed, happen. The Commission recommends that, in the event of a collision, at least 6 MJ of the impact energy to be absorbed, at least 75% of it was taken in the front part of the first car and the rest overflowed to the transitions between the car bodies should distribute the train length. This far exceeds the mechanical limits of the currently used and above described 2ug- / shock devices of the individual joint arrangements or car couplings between the car bodies.

The present invention is based on the problem Such known from the vehicle art hinge assembly for the articulated connection of car bodies of a multi-unit Further develop vehicles such that even by an extreme Push from a car body to an adjacent car body transmitted energy is absorbed. As an example for an extreme impact is the collision of the vehicle higher speed with a dormant obstacle in question. Apart from the absorption of the occurring extremely high impact energy is the joint arrangement in a normal Driving occurring shocks, such as the moderate Braking or accelerating the vehicle incurred, in known Remove the way to the spherical bearings or bearings and wheels of the vehicle undercarriage should not be damaged.

On the basis of the described problem was the present invention, the object of a joint assembly for the articulated connection of car bodies of a multi-unit Vehicle of the type mentioned in such a way, that with a compact and modular design, a hinge assembly also by an extreme push from a car body transmitted to an adjacent connected car body Shock energy reliably degraded by the joint assembly becomes.

This object is articulated in a joint assembly Connecting car bodies of the type mentioned by solved that the energy-absorbing member in one of the articulated arms is integrated without backlash.

The solution according to the invention has a whole series of essential Advantages over those known from the automotive industry and explained above device. The energy absorber takes the impact energy, which by impact on the joint assembly between adjacent car bodies. Impacts during normal driving, such as moderate acceleration but also those in extreme situations, occur during an impact, are from the energy absorbing element largely absorbed. This will be less or no impact energy on the bearing block on the vehicle undercarriage transmitted undamped, which on the one hand, the hinge assembly and on the other hand, the entire vehicle with the associated Passengers is protected.

In this case, the energy absorbing element is designed to be destructive. Just then - as in another advantageous embodiment the joint arrangement provided - the response of the Energieverzehrgliedes exactly definable and can the respective Operating requirements, such as the vehicle configuration and the designed vehicle speed to be adjusted. Especially allows the present invention and this development, provided by the European Community To comply with limit values by the threshold value of the defined Responsiveness just as well as from the European Community provided, is defined.

An advantage of the energy dissipation member is that this contains a deformation element. The mode of action of such Energieverzehrgliedes is justified by the fact that at Impact generated impact energy in deformation work and Heat is converted. The deformation element takes the Energy due to defined deformation. Here it is from Advantage that a deformation element as an energy absorbing element not only enables a precise definition of the response force, but this response can also be a relatively high value accept what the protection of passengers and, of course also the achievement of the specifications of the European Commission serves.

Advantageous developments of the invention are in the dependent claims specified.

An advantageous embodiment of the energy absorbing element exists in that the energy absorbing element is a deformation element contains, is given by the fact that the power consumption without Force peak occurs. Furthermore, the joint arrangement in this embodiment, a maximum possible power consumption, because the force / stroke characteristic in a deformation element a has rectangular shape.

A constructive realization of a backlash-free integration the deformation element in the hinge assembly is that it is clamped between a pressure plate and a cone ring is. Here are of course other constructive Measures conceivable.

In a possible embodiment of the joint arrangement according to the invention is the destructive energy-consuming element as a deformation tube executed. Deformation tubes are already out of the Shock protection for the protection of vehicle undercarriage tested. So can in this embodiment on already known Energieverzehrglieder be used, the way it works has already proven and further facilitates the implementation of the invention becomes. By using one from the shock protection of vehicle undercarriages known deformation tube in the according to the invention, it is possible to standard components to fall back on the vehicle technology, causing the inventive joint assembly cost-effectively manufacture is.

Another advantage proves that the integration of the invention an energy absorbing element in one of the state art known joint assembly, consisting of a first Articulated arm and a second articulated arm, which by means of a Lagers articulate interact, is feasible. For this Reason it is not necessary to completely redesign a joint assembly To construct, it can be on already proven and far advanced Embodiments of standard joint assemblies accessed become. Also, a car body, which is the inventive Joint arrangement with an energy dissipation member has, without further ado to a car body of the conventional Kind, d. H. with a hinge arrangement without integrietem Energieverzehrglied, be coupled. Furthermore, you can the known from the prior art elastic Dämp-. usually in the warehouse between the first and second articulated arm to eliminate shocks and vibrations, which occur during normal driving, integrated are, continue to be used.

In a specific embodiment of the invention, the energy absorbing member over a profile and a flange in the hinge assembly integrated. The use of a profile in combination with a flange allows a conventional hinge assembly, d. H. without integrated energy absorber, without problems retrofit. By simply changing the profile shape the arrangement according to the invention can also individually special car bodies, z. B. on a special railcar, be adjusted.

In the following, a preferred embodiment of the invention Joint arrangement described with reference to FIGS.

Fig. 1

einen horizontalen Längsschnitt durch die erfindungsgemäße Gelenkanordnung mit zwei integrierten destruktiven Energieverzehrgliedern;

Fig. 2

einen Vertikalschnitt durch die Gelenkanordnung der Fig. 1 entlang der Schnittlinie A-A.

Show it:

Fig. 1

a horizontal longitudinal section through the hinge assembly according to the invention with two integrated destructive Energieverzehrgliedern;

Fig. 2

a vertical section through the hinge assembly of FIG. 1 along the section line AA.

Fig. 1 shows a horizontal longitudinal section through a hinge assembly for the articulated connection of - not shown - Car bodies 100, 101 of a multi-unit vehicle, so for example a rail vehicle, a S-Bahnzuges or a tram train. The hinge assembly has a first one Articulated arm 1 and a second articulated arm 3, which by means of a Bearing 5 articulate together. The articulated arm 1 is here formed with a vertically arranged eye 19, which in a fork 18 at the end of the second articulated arm 3 is arranged is. The eye 19 and the fork 18 serve a dependent Bolt 21 record. The bolt 21 is in the eye 19 means a bearing, which in the illustrated embodiment as Spherolastic 5 is realized, stored so that it is in the Location is the gimbal movements of the car bodies 100, 101 permit.

When driving are on the eye 19, the fork 18, the camp 5 and the bolt 21 pressure or tensile forces on both sides arranged profiles 7, 9, in the described embodiment C-shaped, transferred and to the vehicle undercarriage (not shown) forwarded. The occurring Vertical forces are from the prestressed Sphaerolasiklager 5 taken and the profiles 7, 9 to the vehicle undercarriage forwarded. The profiles 7, 9 are with the energy absorbers 2, 4 tensioned free of play. The illustrated in the Embodiment identically constructed energy absorbing elements 2, 4 each have a destructive deformation element 6, 8. The articulated arms 1, 3 are on the profiles 7, 9 with the deformation element 6, 8 on the pressure plate 10, 12 and the cone ring 14, 16 tensioned free of play.

As already known from the prior art, the Spherarastiklager serves 5, which with an elastic material like Rubber coated, in addition, during normal driving absorb occurring shocks and vibrations to avoid damage the hinge assembly or the bolt 21 to prevent.

The profiles 7, 9 are each a vertical flange 11, 13 and via a respective horizontal flange 15, 17 with the (not shown) car bodies 100, 101 connected. This is preferably done by means of screws 22, 23. About a base plate 20 is the entire hinge assembly with the Jacob bogie (not shown) connected.

The energy absorbing members 2, 4 have the task when exceeded a defined response force, as it happens with a Collision is the case, the resulting kinetic (and possibly, on a sloping road, potential) energy, which about the respective joint arrangement of car body 100, 101 is transferred to carbody 101, 100, by plastic Deforming the energy absorbing members 2, 4 reduce. In the defined Work area below the response of the energy absorbing elements 2, 4 takes the Sphaerolasiklager 5 according to the known in the art working pressure or tensile forces elastic on, so that shocks, which in normal driving occur, are elastically damped.

The hinge assembly leaves a gimbal movement of the car bodies 100, 101 too. These can be entered within the Angle deflections in the train formation vertical as well as horizontal track curves passed through. The train or train encountered while driving Compressive forces are absorbed by the joint assembly and on the connected car bodies 100, 101 and the bogie forwarded.

Fig. 2 shows a vertical section through the hinge assembly of Fig. 1 along the section line A-A. Based on this presentation becomes clear how the eye 19 of the first articulated arm 1 in the fork 18 of the second articulated arm 3 engages, and like that Sphärolastiklager 5 the first articulated arm 1 and the second articulated arm 3 hingedly interconnects, and as the bolt 21st the two articulated arms 1, 3 determines each other. It is in Fig. 2 shows an angle of about +/- 5 degrees, which indicates the clearance of the joint in the vertical direction. in the In comparison, in Fig. 1, an angle of +/- 30 degrees for the horizontal clearance of the joint arrangement registered.

It should be noted that the embodiment of the invention not on the embodiment described in FIGS. 1 and 2 is limited, but also in a variety of variants is possible.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

articulated arm

2

Energy dissipating member

3

articulated arm

4

Energy dissipating member

5

camp

6

deformation element

7

profile

8th

deformation element

9

profile

10

printing plate

11

Vertical flange

12

printing plate

13

Vertical flange

14

cone ring

15

Horizontal flange

16

cone ring

17

Horizontal flange

18

fork

19

eye

20

baseplate

21

bolt

22

screw

23

screw

Claims (7)

1. An articulation arrangement for the articulated connection of (100, 101) of boxes of a multi-unit vehicle, comprising a first articulated arm (1) and a second articulated arm (3) which cooperate in an articulated manner by means of a bearing (5), and at least one destructive energy-dissipating member (2, 4) which dissipates the energy arising from an impact transferred by one box (100, 101) to a neighbouring connected box (100, 101),
   characterised in that
   the energy-dissipating member (2, 4) is integrated free from play in one of the articulated arms (1, 3).
2. The articulation arrangement according to Claim 1,
   characterised in that
   the energy-dissipating member (2, 4) responds upon exceeding a definable response force.
3. The articulation arrangement according to Claim 1 or 2,
   characterised in that
   the energy-dissipating member (2, 4) includes a deformation member (6, 8).
4. The articulation arrangement according to Claim 3,
   characterised in that
   the deformation member (6, 8) is clamped between a compression plate (10, 12) and a conical ring (14, 16).
5. The articulation arrangement according to Claim 3 or 4,
   characterised in that
   the deformation element (6, 8) is formed by a deformation tube.
6. The articulation arrangement according to one of the previous claims,
   characterised in that
   each articulated arm (1, 3) comprises an energy-dissipating element (2, 4).
7. The articulation arrangement according to one of the previous claims,
   characterised in that
   each articulated arm (1, 3) comprises a section (7, 9) each of which being connected with the associated box (100, 101) via a vertical flange (11, 13) and a horizontal flange (15, 17) and transferring the impact energy into the box undercarriage.

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