Railway system and bogie, tail wagon, vehicle frame, bearing member and trailer therefor

Abstract: A railway bogie (10) bears the ends of two vehicle frames (7) in releasable manner via a bearing member (8) which is swivellable about a vertical swivel axis (23) relative to the chassis of the bogie (10).

Description: The invention relates to a railway system as described in the preamble of claim 1. Such a railway system is known from EP-A-0241099. Herein the bearing member is pivotable relative to the bogie about a vertical axis. The bogie is loaded outside this vertical axis in dependency of the load difference of both vehicles, due to which the wheels of the bogie are unequally loaded. This means that the brake forces of all the wheels can not be well adjusted by means of a common brake force adjusting system. US-A-2,963,986 discloses a railway system in which a bearing member is universally pivotable relative to the bogie and has universal pivoting means for bearing the second vehicle frame which are located just above the vertical swivel axis of the bogie. The supporting of the vehicle frames is therein arranged in the vertical swivel axis such that the bogie is thereby centrally loaded so that the wheel shafts are loaded uniformly. The bearing member engages close to the end wall on the first vehicle frame with a considerable moment. Vertical loading, braking and/or tractive longitudinal forces and/or transverse load in the transmitting of transverse forces can lead to unacceptable deformations and/or to breakage of the connection between the bearing member and the first vehicle frame. The invention has the object of a better transfer of the loads of both vehicle frames to the bogie and has the object to load the bogie wheels in a predetermined way in order to allow the use of a common brake force adjusting system. To this end the railway system according to the invention discloses the features of the characterising portion of claim 1. The bearing member is now loaded on both sides of the vertical swivel axis so that the clamping moment of the bearing member on the first vehicle frame is reduced. The invention also relates to and provides a tail wagon, a vehicle frame, a bearing member, a bogie and a trailer as designated in the following claims. Preferred embodiments thereof are specified in following claims and in the figure description following hereinafter and annexed drawings. In the drawing, by way of non-limiting example: Fig. 1, 2 and 3 each show a side view of a fraction of a railway system according to the invention; fig. 4 shows on a larger scale a partly broken away side view of detail IV of fig. 3; fig. 5 shows on a larger scale a perspective view of detail V of fig. 4 in the position not yet coupled to the bearing member; fig. 6 shows on a larger scale a partly broken away, exploded perspective view of detail VI of fig. 1; and fig. 7 is a diagram of possible loadings of a fraction of a railway system according to the invention. The railway system 1 according to the invention preferably consists of a considerable number of elements for assembling trains. Each train comprises at each of its ends a tail wagon 2 which is provided with the normal relevant rail equipment 3. The railway system 1 preferably further comprises trailers 4 which, drawn by a tractive unit, can each be transported by road on wheels 5 provided with pneumatic tyres (fig. 3) and which can be arranged in a train; bogies 6; vehicle frames 7 without wheels, and bearing members 8. A tail wagon 2 rests close to the rail equipment 3 in normal manner on a normal bogie 9 and by means of a console 11 on an end bogie 10 protruding outside the tail wagon 2 (fig. 6). As according to fig. 1 and 2 another vehicle frame 7 without wheels supports on the bogie 10, while it supports at the other end on a bogie 9 via a bearing member 8. Supporting on the bearing member 8 is the vehicle frame 68 of a trailer 4 which also supports at its other end on a bogie 9 via a bearing member 8 (fig. 4). The bogie 9 is a normal railway bogie whereof the chassis 70 comprises a universal central pivot 15 consisting of a fixed pivot bearing 14 in which a swivel ring 16 is enclosed for movement by means of a bolt 20. Attached to the swivel ring 16 with bolts is a coupling plate 17 which is provided with two positioning stops 18 and into which is recessed a round coupling opening 19 with positioning edge. In fig. 4 can be seen a bearing member 8 which is coupled in advance to a trailer 4 but which is not yet quite coupled to the bogie 9. The bearing member 8 has a connecting edge 21 with a positioning surface 22 which can pass through the opening 19. The connecting edge 21 centres the bearing member 8 in the central vertical swivel axis 23 of the bogie 9. The bearing member 8 has a coupling arm 13 which extends from the swivel axis 23 over a considerable length a of for instance 1.5 m to a first receiving member 25 of a trailer 4. This first receiving member 25 has a passage 27 adapted to the height of the free end 12 of the coupling arm 13 and sloping positioning surfaces 26 adjoining it, while the free end 12 also has a converging point 28. The bearing member 8, which weighs for instance 400 kg, can thereby be placed easily, for example with a fork-lift truck, into the first receiving member 25. Thereafter the coupling arm 13 is coupled to two consoles 29 arranged on the trailer 4 by two locking pins 30 which fit into holes of the consoles 29 being inserted into sizable corresponding holes 31 of the V-shaped coupling arm 13. The fork-lift truck is then removed and the trailer 4 is then moved in a position raised by means of its air springs 35 above the bogie 9 together with the bearing member 8 coupled thereto (fig. 5), wherein vertical, sloping positioning surfaces 37 which are then situated at the level of the stops 18 locate these stops 18 and during the reverse movement of the trailer 4 cause the bearing member 8 to swivel slightly in the horizontal plane. Finally, a vertical stop 38 of the bearing member 8 strikes against the coupling plate 17. When the bearing member 8 is thus centred the trailer 4 is lowered by reducing the air pressure of the air springs 35, whereby the coupling edge 21 of the trailer 4 comes to lie in the swivel ring 16. Locks 39 arranged on the bearing member 8 are now pushed beneath the stops 18. These are connected for this purpose to cranks 40 of shafts 41 which are mutually coupled by means of a coupling rod 42 and which are operated by means of a handle 43. The wheels 5 provided with tyres which are each independently suspended by means of air springs 35 and which are rotatably mounted on swivel arms 44 are retracted upwards from the travel surface 66 (level of the rails 67) by means of air cylinders 45. The trailer 4 is then placed on its normal supports 46 and the relevant trailer is removed after disengaging the coupling pin 47. After the trailer 4 has been raised slightly further using its supports 46 a bogie 9 can be placed thereunder having a bearing member 8 resting thereon and another trailer 4 resting on the member 8. For this purpose each trailer 4 has at its front end a third receiving member 48 in the form of a part-spherical cup disposed in the longitudinal central plane which fits around a part-spherical support member 49 disposed on a protruding bearing member piece 41 for the forming of a universal pivot 50 between the trailer 4 and the bearing member 8. When the receiving member 48 comes to lie about the support member 49 during retraction of the supports 46 the trailer 4 is locked around the bearing member 8 by means of a locking pin 51 which is displaceable using a crank arm 52 from the release position drawn in fig. 4 into a locking position wherein it engages onto a gripping member 53 of the trailer 4 in order to block an upward movement. Finally, the supports 46 are further retracted. A crank 54 of the crank arm 52 grips in a vertical slot 55 of the locking pin 51 (fig. 5). The distances b of the support member 49, of the universal pivot 50 and the supports 32 to the vertical transverse plane 56 are preferably equal and small, in any event considerably smaller than the distance a of the free end 12 of the coupling arm 13 to this transverse plane 56. Due to the considerable distance a compared to the distances b the trailers 4 and the vehicle frames 7 are well placed on the bogies 9 without wrenching. The construction height is therein small, which is of advantage both for enlarging the available loading height and for absorbing lengthwise forces. The shaft loads of a bogie 9 are equal whereby a joint load-dependent braking system is used for both shafts. The transverse load is also absorbed without wrenching by means of the bearing member 8. The reaction forces of the bearing member 8 pass without torsion as vertical and/or horizontal forces into the trailer 4 via the receiving members. The bogie 9 can rock about its universal pivot 15 under the bearing member 8 without this leading to jerking forces in the trailers 4. Instead of a trailer 4 a vehicle frame 7 without wheels can be placed by means of bearing members 8 on two bogies 9, for instance with a hoisting crane present at stations. This vehicle frame 7 is accordingly provided with a first receiving member 25, two second receiving members 34 and a third receiving member 48. This vehicle frame 7 has a length suitable for receiving for instance three vehicle frames 7 stacked on one another, three bogies 9 or stackable or non-stackable containers 57. Fig. 7 also shows what the tail wagons 2 with a slightly greater length can carry. The tail wagons 2 all have a similar console 11, wherein depending on the formation direction of the train to be formed, either a coupling device 60 with one support member 49 or a coupling device 61 with two supports 32 is placed by means of its swivel pin 62 in a rotating bearing 63. The support plate 64 of coupling device 61 supports on two slide surfaces 65 of the consoles 11. The coupling devices 60, 61 have locking means (not shown) to secure them to the console 11 in addition to the above described locking pin 51 with operating means. The trailers 49 are placed at three points on two bearing members 8, wherein they rest with their closed front end on a universal pivot 50 and with their open rear end on two cylindrical pivots so that they are pivotable there about a horizontal transverse axis 72 relative to a bearing member 8.

Claims: Railway system (1) comprising at least one bogie (9) for bearing via a bearing member (8) a first and second vehicle frame (7, 68), which bearing member (8) is pivotable about pivot means (15) relative to the bogie chassis (70), has a coupling arm (13) extending from the vertical swivel axis (23) in the direction towards the first vehicle frame (7, 68) and gripping outside the pivot axis (23) of said pivot means (15) onto the first vehicle frame (7, 68) spaced apart in transverse direction by means of support means (33) and, is pivotally connected to the second vehicle frame (7, 68) by means of universal pivoting means (50) disposed outside said pivot axis (23) and connected to a bearing member piece (71) extending from said pivot axis (23) in the direction towards the second vehicle frame (7, 68), characterized in that said coupling arm (13) comprises a coupling member (12) at its end at a distance ( a ) from said pivot axis (23) which is substantially longer than the distance ( b ) between said support means (33) and said pivot axis (23); said coupling member being uncouplebly received by a receiving member (25) of said first vehicle frame (7, 68); said bearing member (8) being universally pivotable relative to said bogie chassis (70) by means of said pivot means (15) positioned between said support means (32) and said universal pivoting means (50). Railway system (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the support means (33) are situated substantially at the same small distance ( b ) from the vertical transverse plane extending through the vertical swivel axis (23) as the turning centre of the universal pivoting means (50) of the second vehicle frame (7, 68). Railway system (1) as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized by at least one tail wagon (2) provided with an end console (11) which supports on a tail wagon bogie (10) and which is provided substantially above the universal pivot (15) of the tail wagon bogie (10) with receiving means (63) for receiving rotatably about a vertical swivel axis (23) a preferably interchangeable coupling device (60, 61) for bearing a vehicle frame (7, 68). Railway system (1) as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, characterized by at least one vehicle frame (7) without wheels which can function as loading platform for instance for stackable or non-stackable containers (57), other vehicle frames (7) without wheels, bogies (9) or other loads. Railway system (1) as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, characterized by at least one trailer (4) which is provided with a first receiving member (25) for receiving the free end (12) of a bearing member (8); with at least one pair of second receiving members (34) for receiving supports (32) of the bearing member (8) arranged at a mutual distance; and with a third receiving member (48) for receiving universal pivoting means (49) of a vehicle frame (7, 68). Trailer (4) for a railway system as claimed in claim 5, characterized by a first receiving member (25) for receiving the free end (12) of a bearing member (8); at least one pair of second receiving members (34) for receiving supports (32) of the bearing member (8) arranged at a mutual distance; and a third receiving member (48) for receiving universal pivoting means (49) of a vehicle frame. Bearing member (8) for a railway system (1) as claimed in any of the claims 1-5 and being provided with bearing means for bearing a first and second vehicle frame (7, 68), which bearing member (8) is provided with coupling means for coupling said bearing member (8) through universal swivel means (15) with a vertical swivel axis (23) to a bogie chassis (70), said bearing member (8) having a coupling arm (13) extending from the vertical swivel axis (23) in the direction towards the first vehicle frame (7, 68), said swivel arm (13) being provided with means for gripping outside the vertical swivel axis (23) onto the first vehicle frame (7, 68) and being provided with universal pivoting means (50) for pivotally connection to the second vehicle frame (7, 68), characterized in that the universal pivoting means (50) are disposed outside the vertical swivel axis (23) and are connected to a bearing member piece (71) extending from the vertical swivel axis (23) in the direction towards the second vehicle frame (7, 68). Bogie (9) for a railway system (1) as claimed in any of the claims 1-5, characterized by coupling means (17, 21, 39) for discoupable coupling the bearing member (8) of claim 7 to the universal bogie pivot (15). Tail wagon (2) for a railway system (1) as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, characterized by an end console (11) for supporting on a bogie (10) and provided substantially above the universal pivot (15) of said bogie (10) with receiving means (63) for receiving rotatably about a vertical swivel axis (23) a preferably interchangeable coupling device (60, 61) for bearing a vehicle frame (7, 68). Wheel-less vehicle frame (7) for a railway system (1) as claimed in any of the claims 1 to 4, characterized in that this vehicle frame (7) is provided at a distance a from its one end with a first receiving member (25) for receiving the free end (12) of a bearing member (8) and at least one pair of second receiving members (34) for receiving supports (32) of the bearing member (8) arranged at a mutual transverse distance, said second receiving members being provided at a distance b from said one end, wherein the distance b is smaller than the distance a ; and that this vehicle frame is provided at its other end with a third receiving member (48) for receiving universal pivoting means (49) of a railway vehicle (2), a bogie (70) or a bearing member (8).

Inventors: RITTINGHAUS UWE, RITTINGHAUS, UWE
Applicants: ALPHA ENG STORK, STORK ALPHA ENGINEERING B.V.
Application year: 1990
Main classification: B61D3
IPC codes: B61J1, B61F5, B61G5, B61D3, B61F3