AU2017204823A1

AU2017204823A1 - Method for assembling a railway vehicle

Info

Publication number: AU2017204823A1
Application number: AU2017204823A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Stephane Roll; Bernard Tritz
Original assignee: Alstom Transport Technologies SAS
Current assignee: Alstom Transport Technologies SAS
Priority date: 2016-07-19
Filing date: 2017-07-13
Publication date: 2018-02-08
Also published as: DK3272616T3; PL3272616T3; EP3272616B1; BR102017015357A2; FR3054192B1; FR3054192A1; EP3272616A1

Abstract

Method for assembling a railway vehicle The invention relates to a method for making a body (10) of a railway vehicle, comprising the steps of: - providing two side faces (14) and a transverse structure selected from among an upper pavilion (16) and a body bottom (12); 10 - applying at least one definitive outer surface coating on both side faces (14) and the transverse structure (12, 16); - welding the transverse structure (12, 16) to both side faces (14); characterized in that the step for applying the definitive outer surface coating on both side faces (14) and the transverse structure (12, 16) isolated is carried out before the 15 welding step. Fig. 4 16 68 62 70 66 72 18 71 78 74 76

Description

The invention relates to a method for making a body (10) of a railway vehicle, comprising the steps of:

- providing two side faces (14) and a transverse structure selected from among an upper pavilion (16) and a body bottom (12);

- applying at least one definitive outer surface coating on both side faces (14) and the transverse structure (12, 16);

- welding the transverse structure (12, 16) to both side faces (14); characterized in that the step for applying the definitive outer surface coating on both side faces (14) and the transverse structure (12, 16) isolated is carried out before the 15 welding step.

Fig. 4

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FIG.7

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Australian Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

STANDARD PATENT

Invention Title

Method for assembling a railway vehicle

The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:25

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The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a car body of a railway vehicle comprising the steps of:

- providing two side faces and a transverse structure selected from among an upper pavilion and a body bottom;

- applying at least one definitive outer surface coating on both side faces and the transverse structure;

- welding the transverse structure to both side faces.

A railway vehicle comprises a metal body borne by bogies. The bogies bear the wheels and the electric motors responsible for the propulsion of the vehicle.

The metal body generally consists of several assembled parts by bolting or by welding, the welding giving the possibility of reducing notably the mass of the body as well as its manufacturing cost.

The body of the railway vehicle further receives a certain number of pieces of equipment, depending on the intended use of the vehicle, like windows, electric cables, seats or inner trim elements.

In a known way, the step for providing the trim of the railway vehicle takes place after assembling the body, and should therefore be carried out from the inside of the body, which reduces the access possibilities and imposes constraints for its installation on a production line. The partial automation possibilities of the trim are also reduced by the difficult access to the inside of the body.

The outside of the assembled metal body as for it receives an external coating playing a role for protecting the body against corrosion and improving the esthetics of the vehicle.

An object of the invention is to allow the trim of the body and the application of the outer coating in a simplified way during the assembling process.

For this purpose, the object of the invention is a method of the aforementioned type, characterized in that the step for applying the definitive outer surface coating on both side faces and the insulated transverse structure is carried out before the welding step.

According to particular embodiments, the method according to the invention comprises one or several of the following characteristics, taken individually or according to any technically possible combination:

- the side faces and the transverse structure have an inner face and an outer face, the welding step being exclusively carried out from the side of the external faces;

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- each welding of each side face to the transverse structure comprises the following steps:

- making a first weld directly between the side face and the transverse structure,

- positioning an intercalating element, having two edges, between the side face and the transverse structure, above the first weld, and

- making two complementary welds, on the one hand between the side face and an edge of the intercalating element and on the other hand between the transverse structure and the other edge of the intercalating element;

- during the welding step, an edge of one of the side faces and an edge of the transverse structure are positioned so as to define an aperture, the aperture allowing access from the outside of the body to a contact point between the transverse structure and the side face for producing the first weld;

- the method comprises a step for adhesively bonding a trim element covering both complementary welds, and jutting out on either side of the two complementary welds, the trim element leaving two areas exposed on the external faces, located on either side of both complementary welds;

- the distance between each exposed area and each complementary weld is greater than 30 mm;

- the method comprises a step for assembling at least one piece of equipment selected from the group consisting in a window, a trim element, and an electric cable on at least one of both side faces and of the insulated transverse structure, the step for assembling each piece of equipment being carried out before the welding step;

- the welding step is achieved in an automated way; and

- during the provision step, an upper pavilion and a body bottom are provided and the application and welding steps are applied first at the bottom of the body and then to the upper pavilion.

The invention will be better understood upon reading the description which follows, exclusively given as an example and made with reference to the appended drawings, wherein:

- Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of the assembly of the different portions of the body during the method according to the invention;

- Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are partial sectional views of the steps for assembling the body bottom to one of the side walls; and

- Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are partial sectional views of the steps for assembling the pavilion to one of the side walls.

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The method for assembling a metal body 10 of a railway vehicle comprises a step for assembling four constitutive elements provided beforehand, schematically illustrated in

Fig. 1.

The constitutive elements of the metal body 10 comprise a body bottom 12, two 5 side walls 14 and an upper pavilion 16. The assembling of both side walls 14 to two transverse structures, which comprise the body bottom 12 and the pavilion 16, forms a « tube » intended to be subsequently closed at both of its ends by bolted end transverse walls.

The body bottom 12, the side walls 14 and the upper pavilion 16 are structures in 10 aluminium comprising an internal face 17 and an external face 18 connected through cross-pieces 19, as illustrated in Figs. 2 to 7. Such structures are generally made by extrusion.

According to the invention, the body bottom 12, both side walls 14 and the pavilion 16 are provided with pieces of equipment before their assembling. These pieces of equipment inter alia comprise windows 20 and doors 22 installed in apertures present in the side walls 14. The pieces of equipment also comprise electronic equipment and electric cables intended to connect the different vehicles of the train. The pieces of equipment further comprise trim elements of the inner faces 17, as well as flooring.

In addition to the installation of equipment, and before assembly, a definitive outer coating is applied on the external faces 18 of the body bottom 12, of the side walls 14 and of the pavilion 16. This definitive outer coating for example comprises one or several paint layers contributing to the esthetics of the vehicle and to the protection of the body 10 against corrosion.

The assembling of the body bottom 12, of both side faces 14 and of the upper pavilion 16 is accomplished by longitudinal welding along contact areas between the elements. More specifically, the assembling first comprises the making of two low connections between the body bottom 12 and each side wall 14 and then the making of two high connections between each side wall 14 and the upper pavilion 16.

The making of each low connection is accomplished according to a method in three steps, illustrated in Figs. 2 to 4.

In a first step illustrated in Fig. 2, the body bottom 12 and the side wall 14 are put into contact through their respective inner faces 17. The inner faces 17 of the body bottom 12 and of the side wall 14 are chamfered on the surfaces put into contact, and cooperate for forming an open V-shaped notch towards the outside, wherein is achieved a first weld

24.

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Advantageously, an arrow 26 present on the side wall 14 will be supported against the inner face 17 of the body bottom 12 for contributing to the alignment of both inner faces 17. Alternatively, the arrow 26 is borne by the body bottom 12 and will be resting on the inner face 17 of the side wall 14.

The weld 24 is achieved with a method for welding with an electric arc under a flow of inert gas (or MIG welding, for « Metal Inert Gas ») using a welding torch provided with a meltable electrode.

Advantageously, the weld is made in an automated way on a production line.

An upper edge 28 of the external face 18 of the side wall 14 and a lower edge 30 of the external face 18 of the body bottom 12 define an aperture 32. The welding torch used for making the first weld 24 accesses the point of contact between the body bottom 12 and the side wall 14 through the aperture 32 for making therein the first weld 24. The aperture 32 has a width greater than 50 mm, advantageously the aperture 32 has a width substantially equal to 60 mm, for allowing the passage of the welding torch.

The second step is illustrated in Fig. 3. An intercalating element 34 is positioned and supported on the edges 28, 30 for closing the aperture 32. The intercalating element 34 is a metal plate provided with a superstructure 36 of a trapezoidal section, the superstructure 36 being inserted into the aperture 32.

A high weld 38 is made between the upper edge 28 and an upper edge of the intercalating element 34, and a low weld 40 is achieved between the lower edge 30 and a lower edge of the intercalating element 34.

The third step is illustrated in Fig. 4. An outer trim element 42 is placed above the intercalating element 34, between two exposed areas 43. The trim element is for example a substantially planar rectangular strip, in plastic. The exposed areas 43 are substantially planar portions of the external faces 18 of the body bottom 12 and of the side wall 14 which are not covered by the trim element 42.

The trim element 42 is placed supported on two protrusions 44 located on the external faces 18 of the body bottom 12 for one and of the side wall 14 for the other one. The trim element 42 is attached by means of an adhesive introduced in two grooves 46 located between the protrusions 44 and the exposed areas 43.

A trim coating is then added for filling in a smooth and continuous way the residual spaces between each edge of the trim element 42 and of the neighboring exposed area 43.

According to the invention, the distance separating the high weld 38 as well as the 35 low weld 40 of the closest respective exposed area 43 is greater than 30 mm, advantageously greater than 35 mm.

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This minimum distance between the exposed area 43 and the weld 38, 40 gives the possibility of limiting the temperature of the exposed area during welding. Notably, the temperature of the exposed area is maintained below the temperature for damaging the definitive outer coating, for example below 90°.

Figs. 5 and 7 describe the steps of the high connection of the pavilion 16 to the side walls 14. The high connection method is substantially similar to that of the low connection described earlier, with the differences described below.

The inner face 17 of the side wall 14 has an extension 50 on which the pavilion 16 is positioned supported on its inner face 17, as illustrated in Fig. 5.

A first weld 52 is made in a space at right angle formed by the extension 50 and an end cross-piece 54 of the pavilion 16. The welding method is identical with the one described earlier, and the welding torch accesses the welding point through an aperture 56 between an edge 58 of the side wall 14 and an edge 60 of the pavilion 16.

The aperture 56 has a width greater than 50 mm, advantageously greater than 60 mm, for allowing the passage of the welding torch.

As illustrated in Fig. 6, an intercalating element 62 is positioned supported on the edge 58 of the side wall 14 and on the edge 60 of the pavilion 16. The intercalating element 56 is a metal plate which closes the aperture 56, provided with a trapezoidal superstructure 64 which penetrates into the aperture 56.

A side weld 66 is made in a space at right angles between the intercalating element 62 and the edge 58 of the side wall 14. An upper weld 68 is also made in a space at right angles between the intercalating element 62 and the edge 60 of the upper pavilion 16.

As illustrated in Fig. 7, the third step of the method comprises the positioning of a bridged trim element 70 above the intercalating element 62 between two exposed areas 71. The bridged trim element 70 is a strip in plastic for which the section has two tabs 72 which jut out from a plate with a rectangular base. Both tabs 72 are positioned and supported on two grooves 74 located on the side face 14 for one of them and the upper pavilion 16, exteriorly relatively to the welds 66, 68.

The bridged trim element 70 is attached to the ribs 72 with an adhesive introduced into grooves 76 located on the side face 14 and the pavilion 16, between the ribs 74 and rails 78 located on the exposed areas 71 of the side wall 14 and of the pavilion 16, exteriorly relatively to the ribs 72.

Like in the low connection, the residual spaces in the grooves 76 between the tabs

72 and the rails 78, after adhesively bonding the bridged trim element 70, are filled smoothly with a trim coating.

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Here again, the distance separating the lateral weld 66 as well as the upper weld 68 of the closest respective exposed area 71 is greater than 30 mm, advantageously greater than 35 mm.

An advantage of the method for manufacturing a body according to the invention is 5 to apply attachment means which are simple to make. These simple attachment means are adapted for allowing assembling of the elements of the body with a simplified conformer as compared with usual methods.

Only traditional hoisting pieces of equipment like bridges are required with welding rails for the connections of the sub-assemblies.

This allows a significant gain in room since the number of conformers required per year and per equipment manufactured according to conventional methods may quickly require very large storage surfaces.

Further, the manufacturing cycle and the surface required for applying the method are reduced as compared with a manufacturing cycle with a standard conformer.

Further, the method according to the invention only requires small painting chambers or corundum grinding chambers since only small parts are handled.

Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word comprise, and variations such as comprises and comprising, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or admission or any form of suggestion that that prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavor to which this specification relates.

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Claims

THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1. A method for manufacturing a body of a railway vehicle, comprising the steps of:

5 - providing two side faces and a transverse structure selected from among an upper pavilion and a body bottom;

- applying at least one definitive outer surface coating on both side faces and the transverse structure;

- welding the transverse structure to both side faces;

10 wherein the step of applying the definitive outer surface coating on both side faces and the transverse structure isolated is carried out before the welding step, each welding of each side face to the transverse structure comprising the following steps:

- making a first weld directly between the side face and the transverse structure,

15 - positioning an intercalating element, having two edges, between the side face and the transverse structure, above the first weld, and

- making two complementary welds, on the one hand between the side face and an edge of the intercalating element and on the other hand between the transverse structure and the other edge of the intercalating element.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the side faces and the transverse structure have an inner face and an outer face, the welding step being exclusively carried out from the side of the outer faces.

25 3. The method according to any of claims 1 and 2, wherein, during the welding step, an edge of one of the side faces and an edge of the transverse structure are positioned so as to define an aperture, the aperture allowing access from the outside of the body to a contact point between the transverse structure and the side face for making the first weld.

4. The method according to claim 3, comprising a step for adhesively bonding a trim element covering the two complementary welds and jutting out on either side of both complementary welds, the trim element leaving two exposed areas on the outer faces , located on either side of the two complementary welds.

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5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the distance between each exposed area and each complementary weld is greater than 30 mm.

6. The method according to any of the preceding claims, comprising a step for 5 assembling at least one piece of equipment selected from the group consisting in a window, a trim element, and an electric cable, on at least one of both side faces and of the isolated transverse structure, the step for assembling each piece of equipment being carried out before the welding step.

10 7. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the welding step is carried out in an automated way.

8. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein during the provision step, an upper pavilion and a body bottom are provided and wherein the

15 application and welding steps are applied first to the body bottom and then to the upper pavilion.

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