Torque support and a bogie for a rail vehicle

A torque support for the articulated mutual support of two elements is provided, for example, a frame or a bogie on the one hand and a housing such as a final drive housing of a rail vehicle on the other hand. The torque support includes a rod, at the two ends of which one respective receiver head is arranged. The receiver head includes a bearing for accommodating a bolt which is used for support on the respective element. The rod is arranged as a sleeve at least in the region of its two ends and the bearing includes a socket which is arranged in the radial direction of the bolt between the bolt and the receiver head and is supported on the receiver head via at least one further bearing element. The socket includes a bulbous section in the manner of a universal ball joint on its outer circumference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a torque support and a bogie, especially for a rail vehicle provided with a drive, e.g. for a locomotive.

2. Description of the Related Art

Such a bogie comprises a bogie frame. The frame supports one or several wheelsets. Each wheelset comprises wheels, a final drive with an axle and a final drive housing. At least one of the wheelsets is in drive connection with a drive motor of the rail vehicle. A transmission is usually arranged in this drive connection.

As a result, single-stage spur gears are usually used for the transmission of drive power from the drive motor to the wheels in metropolitan rail vehicles, i.e. in rail traffic with maximum operating speeds of 80 to 110 kilometers per hour (km/h). As a result of different maximum operating speeds which are usually between 80 km/h and 110 km/h and different motor concepts, the transmission ratios usually mostly vary between 6.3 and 7.7. This leads to the necessity that depending on the transmission ratio desired by the operator, which is chosen according to the intended maximum operating speed, a transmission needs to be chosen from a number of stored or offered transmissions of various sizes and to be installed in the rail vehicle. The producers of such railway vehicle transmissions therefore usually offer various transmissions of different sizes, in which the use of the same parts for the various transmissions sizes is extremely limited.

Torque supports are provided because such transmissions need to be supported against the driving torque of the drive motor concerning their installation position especially in the bogie of the rail vehicle. They allow an articulated support of the transmission on the bogie. The torque supports needs to bridge different distances depending on the size of the used transmission and the bogie and on the installation position. Consequently, a large number of different torque supports of different lengths and configurations need to be kept in stock. In the case of torque supports produced by primary forming, a separate tool is required for each embodiment. This increases the production and storage costs, both for new transmissions and also for the torque supports and spare parts. This is disadvantageous if, as a result of promises for warranty, the products of the various components need to be kept in stock over many years for a potentially necessary exchange. The increased variety is especially disadvantageous in the case of new developments, because in this case every single configuration needs to be adapted to the new technology. This consequently entails increased development costs.

What is needed in the art is a torque support and a bogie for a rail vehicle which avoids the disadvantages of the state of the art. In particular, a torque support should be provided which can be adapted easily to the different linkages of the final drive to the bogie and enable different lengths and angular installation positions. At the same time, the variety of components and the development and production costs should be reduced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a torque support and a bogie for a rail vehicle, which overcomes the disadvantages of the state of the art. More specifically, the present invention provides a torque support for the articulated mutual support of two elements, for example a frame or a bogie on the one hand and a housing such as a final drive housing of a rail vehicle on the other hand. The inventive torque support includes a rod, at the two ends of which one respective receiver head is arranged. The receiver head includes a bearing for accommodating a bolt which is used for support on the respective element.

The rod is arranged in accordance with the present invention as a sleeve at least in the region of its two ends. The bearing includes a sleeve which is arranged in the radial direction of the bolt between the bolt and the receiver head and is supported via at least one further bearing element on the receiver head. The sleeve includes a bulbous section on its outer circumference in the manner of a spherical cap.

Different installation situations of the transmission relative to the bogie can be realized. Consequently, adjustments to the desired installation situation can occur by an adjustment of the length of the rod, in that it is accordingly cut to size depending on the embodiment and is then provided with receiver heads which are connected to the rod by friction welding for example. As a result, the same receiver heads can be used at all times for different embodiments without requiring a separate master pattern for each torque support. This helps reduce the variety of components for the torque supports to a considerable extent as well as the development costs, production costs and storage costs. The same applies to the associated final drives, which are usually connected in outgoing circuit to the transmission in the direction of power transmission as seen from the drive motor to the wheels.

A bogie in accordance with the present invention for a rail vehicle includes a bogie frame with at least one wheelset including two wheels, a final drive, an axle and a final drive housing. Furthermore, a torque support for the articulated mutual support of the final drive on the bogie or bogie frame is provided, wherein the torque support is arranged in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly toFIG. 1, there is shown a bogie for a locomotive. It includes three wheelsets2,3,4. Each wheelset2,3,4includes two wheels2.1,2.2,3.1,3.2and4.1,4.2, and further axles2.3,3.3and4.3, a final drive2.4,3.4,4.4and one respective final drive housing8.1,8.2,8.3.

FIG. 1further shows four springs5. Springs5are disposed between the bogey and the frame of the locomotive (not shown), and further springs6which are disposed between bogie frame15and respective axle2.3,3.3and4.3. A link tower9is further shown inFIG. 1, positioned between final drives3.4and4.4.

The illustrated components are accommodated by bogie frame15. In the present case, final drive2.4,3.4,4.4is respectively supported in an articulated manner on bogie frame15by one respective torque support1. Torque support1is used for absorbing the torque transmitted by the drive motor (not shown) via a transmission (also not shown) of the rail vehicle to respective final drive2.4,3.4,4.4. The transmission could also be supported in an articulated manner on bogie frame15via the torque supports in accordance with the present invention.

Referring now toFIG. 2, there is shown a torque support1, as is known from the state of the art. It is produced by primary forming such as casting or forging and includes a rod10shaped in the manner of an open-end wrench, which integrally forms a receiver head12.1,12.2at each of its ends10.1,10.2in which a bearing13.1,13.2is provided for accommodating one respective bolt14.1,14.2. Bolts14.1,14.2are barrel-shaped in order to transmit optimal absorbing of transverse and bending torques from the transmission to the bogie. The barrel shape disadvantageously leads to higher production costs as a result of the production tolerances.

It is disadvantageous in these torque supports however that new torque supports are always required for different connection lengths, i.e. for different distances between two longitudinal axes of two bolts14.1and14.2, and therefore a new casting or forging mold for the production of the same. This causes high development, production and storage costs when a large number of different embodiments of such torque supports need to be offered.

Referring now toFIG. 3, there is shown a torque support1in accordance with the present invention. The same components are provided with the same reference numerals, as described above. Rod10of torque support1in accordance with the present invention is consistently arranged as a sleeve having an inner surface and an outer surface in the present case. The sleeve has a circular shape in this case, but other cross-sectional shapes can also be considered. It could also consist of a solid material and include respective sleeve-like bored portions only in the region of ends10.1,10.2.

In the present case, receiver heads12.1,12.2respectively include a connection pin11.1,11.2, integrally formed into receiver heads12.1,12.2, wherein integrally formed connection pins11.1,11.2have an outside shape which is complementary to the inner shape of rod10in the region of ends10.1,10.2. It can also be considered that integrally formed connection pins11.1and11.2are arranged in such a way that they are placed on rod10. In this case integrally formed connection pins11.1,11.2would be provided with an inner bored portion which substantially has the same inner diameter as the outer diameter of ends10.1and10.2of rod10.

For the purpose of producing torque support1in accordance with the present invention, it is accordingly adjusted in its length depending on the required connection length of rod10. Subsequently, integrally formed connection pins11.1,11.2are inserted into the rod10or are placed thereon, so that the integrally formed connection pins11.1,11.2,directly contact the inner surface or outer surface of the sleeve, and are non-detachably connected to the inner surface or outer surface of the sleeve, and are non-detachably connected to the rod in a material-formed joint by friction welding for example. It is also possible to provide other joining methods, for example friction-locked or interlocking ones.

Bolts14.1,14.2are arranged cylindrically in the present case. Other cross-sectional shapes and polygons can, however, be considered. Sockets17.1,17.2are provided for allowing transverse and bending torques to be absorbed. They respectively include a bulge on their outside surface and surround bolts14.1,14.2in the circumferential direction. Sockets17.1,17.2are inserted into bearing13.1,13.2. Each socket17.1,17.2is supported in bearing element13.1,13.2by a further bearing element18.1,18.2such as a rubber element via the bulge which has a substantially spherical outside shape. Similarly, further bearing elements can be considered for supporting the sockets17.1,17.2on receiver head12.1,12.2. As a result of socket17.1,17.2arranged in accordance with the present invention, cylindrical bolts can now be inserted, thus substantially further reducing the amount of production work. In addition, angular positions can be compensated by providing bolts14.1,14.2which are smaller in their diameter and smaller sockets17.1,17.2which are respectively smaller according to the inner diameter, in combination with substantially constant connection length of bolts14.1,14.2with respect to each other (see dashed lines in the top view ofFIG. 3). As a result, it is possible with torque supports of the same connection lengths and by using bolts14.1,14.2with different diameters to already compensate small angular changes in the mounting of the torque supports, e.g. before the start-up of the rail vehicle, in different arrangements of transmissions and bogies without having to produce a new torque support. As a result, the same connection lengths can be used depending on the gear ratio for different transmission sizes desired by the operator.

It is a further advantage of cylindrical bolts14.1,14.2that instead of screwed connections they can also be joined by a press fit with final drive housing8.1,8.2,8.3and/or with the bogie. For this purpose, bolts14.1,14.2and the associated receivers for bolts14.1,14.2can accordingly be provided with tolerances for press fit on the bogie or final drive housing8.1,8.2,8.3. An additional screwed connection (screw19) could then merely be used for protection against twisting. Generally, it is not necessary to fulfill such high demands placed on quality as is the case in screwed connections in the state of the art, so that the production costs can be reduced considerably. Protection against twisting would also be possible by an interlocking connection, wherein in this case bolts14.1,14.2and the associated receivers would be arranged accordingly.

Since the arrangement of bolts14.1,14.2is completely flexible, it is possible for example to provide different receiver heads12.1,12.2for each torque support. As a result, the receiver head12.1on the transmission side could be arranged in such a way for example that it includes a bolt14.1of a different diameter than the bolt14.2associated with the receiver head12.2on the bogie side. At least one of the two bolts14.1,14.2could be arranged cylindrically and the other in the shape of a barrel. This would require respectively arranged different receiver heads12.1,12.2. Similarly, ends10.1,10.2of rod10and connection pins11.1,11.2could be arranged in a respectively different way in one and the same torque support.

The torque supports in accordance with the present invention offer the advantage that they can already be pre-mounted by the producer or supplier of the final drives and/or bogies. As a result, they can already be fixed only with the end on the bogie side to the bogie when it is delivered. However, they could also only be connected to final drive housing8.1,8.2,8.3when it is delivered, or be connected after mounting of the former in the bogie with the two elements. In any case, an especially flexible mounting of the torque supports in accordance with the present invention is possible, thereby considerably reducing the production and mounting costs of such a torque support.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS