Rotary support with braking discs, particularly for railway use

Abstract: A rotary support to be braked, particularly for railway use, provided with braking discs (16,16'), each of said braking discs (16,16') consisting of several segments (17-19,17'-19') with elements (29-31,29'-31') for rigidly joining said segments (17-19,17'-19') together, elements (26-31) for rigidly fixing said segments (17-19,17'-19') to the rotary support and elements (33-38) for rigidly joining together the discs (16,16') arranged on opposite sides of the rotary support. Said support consists at least of a hub (11) and a web (12), said web (12) - in the case of a railway wheel (10) - comprising a first radial region (13) of greater rigidity towards the hub (11) and a second radial region (14) of lesser rigidity towards the tread (15), in said regions (13,14) there being provided respective series of through apertures. The braking discs (16,16') are secured to the rotary support in correspondence with the radial region (13) towards the hub, the constituent segments (17-19,17'-19') of each disc being provided in an odd number other than 1. The rotary support can be either a hub to be braked or an actual wheel, in particular a railway wheel (10).

Description: This invention relates to a rotary support to be braked, in particular for railway use, provided with ring-type braking discs and elements which connect them together, the rotary support to be braked being in particular a hub or a wheel of a railway vehicle. Such supports are known both in the form of a simple hub on which a disc is fixed comprising two annular flat friction surfaces or tracks, and in the form of a railway vehicle wheel, on the surfaces of which there are fixed two discs, each again comprising an annular flat friction surface or track. The linkage between the disc and discs and the hub or wheel is made by keying and screwing the parts together, this linkage being elastic or movable on guides, as the disc becomes hot when subjected to braking and undergoes different degrees of expansion relative to the hub or wheel. If an elastic linkage is used, the various parts are rigidly secured to the rotary support by making the linkage thin and long to deform elastically, however as the spaces within which the system is compelled to lie are small, these linkages are not sufficiently elastic and remain weak, to fracture by fatigue. If however linkages movable on guides are used, the reciprocating movement produced causes wear and consequent noise, the wear being irreparable. Other such rotary supports are known in which the discs, instead of being whole or composed of two halves joined rigidly together by screws, are each divided into two segments spaced apart by a space which enables them to expand. Each disc segment is linked to the hub or wheel by screws and bushes which are partly rigid and partly elastically deformable. Suitable behaviour is however again not achieved in such assemblies because if the segments are too tightly fixed they break by the expansion due to the braking heat, whereas if they are not tightly fixed the segments move during braking because of the action of the brake shoes which pass firstly along one and then along the other segment of the disc, resulting in noise and irreparable wear. This is the negative consequence during the braking with an even number of segments as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 of US-A-4 132 294. This patent relates to a rotary support with braking discs according to the preamble of claim 1. In these known systems and particularly in the case of a railway wheel, there is also the defect that when the braking discs are fixed to the wheel hub, the entire system becomes very heavy. There is hence a considerable increase in the unsuspended mass, resulting in serious damage during operation. In contrast, in the case of systems with braking discs fixed to the web and/or the wheel tread, as these have to follow the considerable flexure of the wheel occurring round a bend due to the thrust on the wheel flange, they fracture by fatigue, it indeed being possible for the wheel to break by fatigue as a result of the constraint caused by said discs. If to obviate this deformation the thickness of the wheel web is thickened, the wheel can become excessively rigid, causing excessive wear of the flange of the wheel tread, so that it has to be replaced prematurely. An object of the present invention is to obviate the aforesaid drawbacks of the known art together with others which have not been stated. A further object of the present invention is to provide a rotary support to be braked, such as a hub plus web or a wheel for a railway vehicle, the life of which is not limited by the application of braking discs. A further object of the present invention is to provide said rotary support with a braking element, in particular in the form of braking discs, which can be easily mounted on and demounted from the rotary support, which is effective in terms of its braking action, which reduces mechanical fatigue, allows effective heat dissipation, is light in weight and can be used to its wear limit. A further object of the present invention is to configure said braking discs to achieve easy and economical construction, together with simple integration into the profile of the rotary support, hence limiting to a maximum extent their overall size compared with the vehicle transmission members. These and further objects are effectively attained by a rotary support according to claim 1. In a railway vehicle wheel, the formation of the web as two radial regions or bands of different rigidity (obtainable either by different material thicknesses or possibly by materials of different characteristics) enables, for equal total masses, a wheel to be obtained with the flexibility to withstand the forces deriving from the running of the vehicle, while at the same time comprising a suitable region towards the hub for the fixing of the braking disc or discs which is of sufficient rigidity such that they deform only to a limited extend so as not to undergo fracture by fatigue, and a region towards the tread of lesser rigidity, provided with spaces towards the facing braking discs and their connections, so as not to interfere with them under any vehicle running condition. The two braking discs are divided into the same odd number of facing segments. Each segment has its braking surface on its frontally outer side and, on its opposite side, cooling and connection appendices, one of which is arranged for its bolt fixing to the web in that region towards the hub and to the facing segment, and others are arranged radially inwards and outwards for its connection to the facing segment. These bolted and non-bolted connections between an individual segment and the web and between facing segments are made via said respective series of through apertures, of which the former are made via the apertures provided in the radial region towards the hub and the latter are made via the apertures provided in the less rigid region, or external to the web if it does not form part of a wheel. The segments are arranged with the radially inner appendices resting on one and the other side of that region of the radial web towards the hub and are disposed on each side with circumferential spaces between them to prevent them touching during heat expansion. Together with the axially outer surfaces they form the friction tracks for the brake shoes. The segments of each individual braking disc are connected together by axially slidable bodies, such as pins, arranged in facing dead holes in the circumferential spaces separating them. These holes are of greater depth than the pins to enable the segments to undergo expansion by heat. Besides maintaining the segment surfaces mutually level during braking, these bodies enable the braking force of each segment to be transmitted to the braking disc complex. In their turn the bolt connections positioned in the radially inner appendices of the segments transmit the braking force of the braking discs to the rotary support. Dividing the braking disc into a plurality of segments enables it to be constructed more economically, because the disadvantages of having a greater number of pieces and hence of having to arrange a greater number of connections between the pieces are vastly outweighed by the advantages deriving from the fact of being able to construct them with greater precision and lesser cost, in view of their smaller dimensions. Further advantages and characteristics of the present invention will be more apparent from the description given hereinafter. It is of descriptive character and makes reference to the accompanying drawings of forms A and B, which are provided by way of non-limiting example and in which: Figure 1A and 1B represent a side view of a rotary support with braking discs according to the present invention, where the rotary support is a railway wheel; Figures 2A and 2B are a section on the line II-II of the rotary support with braking discs of Figures 1A and 1B; Figures 3A and 3B are a detailed view of a part of the rotary support with braking discs of Figures 1A and 1B. Hereinafter when figures are mentioned, these relate to both embodiment A and embodiment B. In Figures 1 and 2, the reference numeral 10 indicates overall a railway vehicle wheel. Said wheel 10 consists of a hub 11, external to which in the radial direction there is a web 12 divided into two concentric bands or regions, of greater rigidity 13 and of lesser rigidity 14 respectively. In the illustrated embodiments the rigidity of the two bands or regions 13 and 14 depends on the material thickness, the greater rigidity region 13 having a larger thickness than the region 14. In other cases, not shown herein, different rigidity of the two regions can be achieved by means of two different materials and hence with a different modulus of elasticity, and in still further cases an intermediate solution can be used with different materials of different thicknesses. In the case of regions of different materials, the greater rigidity region is formed of material having a modulus of elasticity lower than the region of lesser rigidity. External to the web 12 there is the tread 15, which rests with its flange on the rail (not shown). In correspondence with the region of greater rigidity 13, a series of circumferential arc segments 17, 18 and 19, three in number in this case, form the braking disc 16. Said three segments, with their respective outer surfaces, define a braking track for the sliding of a respective shoe 20 and 21', operated by mechanisms which are not further described herein. On the other side of the wheel 10, not visible in Figure 1 and only partly visible in Figure 2, a further three constituent segments of a braking disc are applied in exactly corresponding positions. For simplicity, in the ensuing description, these segments will be given the reference number of the corresponding visible segment followed by an asterisk. Likewise, every other element corresponding to an element visible in Figure 1 by lying identically on the non-visible side of the wheel 10 will be indicated by the same reference numeral as Figure 1 followed by an asterisk. The number of component segments of the braking disc 16 of the present invention must be an odd number other than one. In this manner, as will be further explained hereinafter, perfect balance is attained between the forces acting on the component segments 17, 18 and 19 of the braking disc 16. The segments are separated one from another by a circumferential free space so that they can freely expand or contract depending on the temperature. The three segments 17, 18 and 19 are joined to each other at these free spaces by axially sliding elements or pins 21, 22 and 23 arranged in holes 32 facing the circumferential spaces which separate them, the holes having a greater depth than the elements. In this manner linkages movable on guides are formed. With reference to Figure 3, it can be seen that each constituent segment 17, 18 and 19 of the braking disc 16 is provided, in a virtually central position in correspondence with radially inner curved portions of it, with an appendix 24 comprising a hole. The bolt connection elements (indicated by the reference numerals 26, 27 and 28 respectively in Figure 1) are inserted through the relative inner appendices 24 to rigidly fix the respective segment 17, 18 and 19 to the corresponding segments 17', 18' and 19' and to the web 12, elements (indicated in Figure 1 by the reference numerals 29, 30 and 31 respectively) for rigidly joining the segments 17, 18 and 19 positioned on one side of the wheel 10 to the segments 17', 18' and 19 positioned on the other side being inserted through the radially outer appendices 25. With reference to Figures 1 and 2, it can be seen that each constituent segment 17, 18, 19 of the braking disc 16 is provided in its end positions in proximity to the radially opposing curved portions of the segment with elements 33, 34, 35 and respectively 36, 37, 38 for joining together the mutually facing segments. Suitable spacers, such as those shown in the figures, can be associated with all the joining elements. The mechanism by which the braking force is distributed equally between the two halves of the braking disc, to then be totally transferred to the wheel, is explained below. When a braking force F is applied to the pair of facing segments 17-17', this pair of segments pivoted at 26 transmits to the segments 18-18' and 19-19' a respective force F1, F1' and F2, F2' via the elements 21 and 22 (or 21' and 22') respectively. As these two pairs of facing segments 18-18' and 19-19' are pivoted on the web 12 at 27 and 28 respectively, these forces F1, F1' and F2, F2' are transmitted by the segments 18-18' and 19-19' to the elements 23 and 23' in opposite directions one segment to the other in the form of forces F3, F3' and F4, F4'. In other words the two forces F3, F3' and F4, F4' have equal but opposite vectors. In this manner the assembly forming the braking discs 16 and 16' becomes self-locked and responds as a single body to the force of the brake shoes, the wheel 10 remaining braked via the connection bolts 26, 27 and 28. The braking tracks of the segments of each disc 16, 16' are preferably free of holes and can withstand considerable thermal transients without the formation of cracks during braking, which the presence of holes would favour. However if for space reasons such holes are present, the same result can be achieved if the holes are suitably flared and provided with a circumferential interruption in that region contacted by the brake shoes. In this manner during braking there is a lesser concentration of heat at the hole mouth, with the material subjected to heat being able to expand freely. The segments rest on the wheel 10 in the circumferential region 13 in which the web 12 of the wheel 10 is of such rigidity as not to undergo significant flexure on travelling along a bend, so preserving good planarity of the braking discs 16, 16'. The appendices 25 of the braking discs located in the lesser rigidity region 14 of the web 12 can be of suitable shape and number, and enable the facing segments to be fixed together without said segments and their connections interfering with the wheel even during the flexure which this undergoes along a bend, so as not to influence the planarity of the discs as heretofore achieved. The structure of the rotary support with braking discs according to the present invention is not limited to the aforegoing embodiments, and can undergo modifications within the capacity of the expert of the art, while remaining within the general scope of the present invention. From the aforegoing description and illustrations, it can be seen that this wheel, leaving aside the small appendices arranged on the disc segments for connection purposes, comprises braking discs which are radially limited to the mere friction surface of the brake shoe and axially housed within the thickness of the wheel. This results in a very small unsuspended mass and also enables the entire space between the wheels to be used for installing the vehicle transmission members, for possible site installation of the discs there being required an axial space equal only to their thickness, without the need for any demounting of the delicate constituent parts of the transmission, which can hence be of considerable axial and radial size as the segments can be extracted radially and returned in the same manner. The wheel according to the present invention is hence particularly suitable for railway locomotives with hollow shaft transmission. The ease of installation even in operation for any application pertaining to the railway field is of considerable benefit with an advantage in terms of time which makes the use of this rotary support with braking discs particularly convenient. Moreover as the size of the segments can be chosen at will provided their number is an odd number other than one on each side of the wheel, a considerable advantage can be achieved in terms of the material and the particular method used to form them. In this respect, they represent parts which are of small dimensions compared with the corresponding elements of the state of the art, and hence easier to form in their semi-finished state, easily handled, of low cost because of the virtual elimination of rejects, and easy to machine using current CNC machines for series production. The rotary support with braking discs according to the present invention satisfies the requirements of safety in particular at high train speeds. It can also be provided with a further system for preventing rotation of the segments about the relative bolts, consisting of using the same aforesaid joining elements 36, 37 and 38, but providing them with circumferential surfaces radially facing the inner surfaces of the braking discs in correspondence with the circumferential ends of the segments. In this manner the rotary support with braking discs is doubly safe.

Claims: A rotary support with braking discs, particularly for railway use, provided with a pair of ring-type braking discs (16,16'), each disc of said pair of discs (16,16') being arranged on a respective side of said rotary support, each of said braking discs (16,16') consisting of several segments (17-19, 17'-19'), there being provided elements (21-23, 21'-23', 32) for rigidly joining said segments together, elements (26-28) for rigidly fixing said segments (17-19, 17'-19') to the rotary support and elements (29-31,33-35,36-38) for rigidly joining together said discs (16,16') arranged on opposite sides of the rotary support, said support consisting of at least of a hub (11) and a web (12) radially external to the hub (11) and rigid with it, said braking discs (16,16') being secured co the rotary support in correspondence with said web, said web (12) comprising through apertures, characterised in that said constituent segments (17-19,17'-19') of each of said braking discs are provided in an odd number other than 1, and are arranged with a circumferential space between them. A rotary support with braking discs, particularly for railway use, as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the joining elements (21-23, 21'-23', 32) between the segments of each disc are in the form of linkages movable on guides. A rotary support with braking discs, particularly for railway use, as claimed in claim 2, characterised in that said linkages movable on guides consist of axially slidable bodies (21-23, 21'-23') , such as pins, arranged in facing dead holes (32) provided in the segments (17-19, 17'-19') in correspondence with their terminal portions. A rotary support with braking discs, particularly for railway use, as claimed in claim 3, characterised in that said facing dead holes (32) have a total depth greater than the length of said pins. A rotary support with braking discs, particularly for railway use, as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that each of said segments (17-19, 17'-19') has a friction track free of circumferentially complete holes. A rotary support with braking discs, particularly for railway use, as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that in correspondence with their radially opposing curved portions, each of said segments (17-19, 17'-19') is provided with appendices (24, 24'), of which at least one is inner and arranged in a virtually central position. A rotary support with braking discs, particularly for railway use, as claimed in claim 6, characterised in that those elements for rigidly fixing said segments (17-19, 17'-19') to the rotary support which are inserted through said inner appendices (24, 24') in a virtually central position and through the through apertures in said web are bolt elements (26 - 28). A rotary support with braking discs, particularly for railway use, as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the elements for rigidly joining together said discs (16, 16') positioned on opposite sides of the rotary support are inserted through appendices (25, 25') of said segments (17-19, 17'-19') and through through apertures in said web (12), or alternatively are arranged external to it. A rotary support with braking discs, particularly for railway use, as claimed in claims 1 to 8, characterised in that said rotary support is in one piece. A rotary support with braking discs, particularly for railway use, as claimed in claims 1 to 8, characterised in that said web (12) comprises towards the hub (11) a first radial region (13) of greater rigidity, and in the opposite direction a second radial region (14) of lesser rigidity, in both said radial regions (13, 14) there being provided a respective series of through apertures, said braking discs (16, 16') being secured to the rotary support in correspondence with said first radial region (13) of greater rigidity. A rotary support with braking discs, particularly for railway use, as claimed in claim 10, characterised in that the elements for rigidly fixing said segments (17 - 19, 17' - 19') to the rotary support consist of bolt elements (26 - 28) inserted through the inner appendices (24, 24) in a virtually central position on said segments and through through apertures in said greater rigidity region (13) of said web (12). A rotary support with braking discs, particularly for railway use, as claimed in claim 11, characterised in that said elements (29 - 31') for rigidly joining together said discs (16, 16') positioned on opposite sides of the rotary support are inserted through said appendices (25, 25') of said segments (17 - 19, 17' - 19') and through the series of through apertures in said lesser rigidity region (14) of said web. A rotary support with braking discs, particularly for railway use, as claimed in claim 10, characterised in that said lesser rigidity region (14) of the web (12) is separated by space in all directions from the mutually facing braking discs (16, 16') and from the elements which connect them together. A rotary support with braking discs, particularly for railway use, as claimed in claim 10, characterised in that said greater rigidity region (13) has a greater thickness than said lesser rigidity region (14). A rotary support with braking discs, particularly for railway use, as claimed in claim 10, characterised in that said greater rigidity region (13) is formed of material having a lower modulus of elasticity than said lesser rigidity region (14). A rotary support with braking discs, particularly for railway use, as claimed in claim 10, characterised in that the joining elements comprise, when neccessary, spacer devices inserted freely through said apertures provided in said web (12); to maintain the facing segments (17 - 19, 17' - 19') positioned on one and the other side of said rotary support spaced apart. A rotary support with braking discs, particularly for railway use, as claimed in claim 10, characterised by comprising, inserted through apertures provided in the greater rigidity region (13) of the web (12), elements (33 - 35, 36 - 38) for rigidifying the facing segments (17 - 19, 17' - 19') provided with circumferential surfaces radially facing the inner surfaces of the braking discs (16, 16') in correspondence with the circumferential ends of the segments. A rotary support with braking discs, particularly for railway use, as claimed in claims 10 to 17, characterised by being a train wheel.

Inventors: POLI ANTONIO, POLI, ANTONIO
Applicants: POLI S P A, POLI S.P.A.
Application year: 1996
Main classification: F16D65
IPC codes: B61H5, F16D65