Patent ID: 8033748
Filing Date: 2011-10-11
Classification: B61D,B61F,B61G,F16C,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A pivoting arrangement for an articulated connection of wagons of a multiple-element vehicle having spherical faces, the pivoting arrangement comprising: a ball head having a ball stem, a flat end opposing the ball stem and a predominately convexly curved spherical outer surface with a constant radius providing a first contacting region; an outer ring having opposing axially opposing outer surfaces each having a respective aligned opening and a concavely curved spherical inner surface with a constant radius extending between the openings and providing a second contacting region opposing the first contacting region of the ball head, the outer ring being adapted to be mounted in a housing having a cavity for receiving the outer ring therein, and the outer ring matingly receiving the ball head such that the first contacting region of the ball head is contactable with the second contacting region of the outer ring and the ball stem extends through one of the openings and an opening of the cavity, the ball stem being affixable to a first connecting part of one of the wagons of the multiple-element vehicle and the housing being affixable to a second connecting part of another of the wagons of the multiple-element vehicle, whereby the arrangement is viewed from a three-dimensional right-angled system of coordinates having an X axis, a Y axis and a Z axis, where the Z axis is a longitudinal rotational pivoting axis passing longitudinally through the ball stem and the aligned openings of the outer ring and the cavity of housing and the arrangement has a center point, which is also a center of origin of the three-dimensional right-angled system of coordinates that is located at a center of the convexly curved spherical outer surface of the ball head, whereby, in relation to the center point, which is the center of origin of the Z axis, the first contacting region of the ball head and the second contacting region of the outer ring both extend in a positive direction of the Z axis towards the ball stem and in a negative direction of the Z axis towards the flat end of the ball head with the first contacting region of the ball head and the second contacting region of the outer ring each extending further in the negative direction of the Z axis than in the positive direction of the Z axis, and the outer ring extending further in the negative direction of the Z axis than the ball head and the concavely curved spherical inner surface of the outer ring maintains the constant radius with the outer ring curving inwardly, toward the Z axis longitudinally offset from the flat end of the ball head, and wherein a diameter of the convexly curved spherical outer surface of the ball head and a diameter of the concavely curved spherical inner surface of the outer ring are adapted to each other, so that forces from the first connecting part can be transmitted to the second connecting part and forces from the second connecting part can be transmitted to the first connecting part via the ball head and the outer ring.