AU676613B2

AU676613B2 - Centre buffer coupling for rail vehicles

Info

Publication number: AU676613B2
Application number: AU77623/94A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Joachim Kreher
Original assignee: Scharfenbergkupplung GmbH and Co KG
Current assignee: Voith Turbo Scharfenberg GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 1993-11-05
Filing date: 1994-11-03
Publication date: 1997-03-13
Anticipated expiration: 2014-11-03
Also published as: EP0652149B1; AU7762394A; ES2098093T3; DE59401329D1; EP0652149A1; DE4337748A1

Description

Fd/l I Rogulalion 3.2(2)

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT 9 .9 99 9.

9 9 Application Number: Lodged: I 99.

I

999649 9 9 9 9 9* 9. 9 9 Invention Title: CENTRE BUFFER COUPLING FOR RAIL VEHICLES The following statement Is a full description of this Invention, Including the p Iest method of performing It known to us Centre Buffer Coupling for Rail Vehicles The invention is concerning a centre buffer coupling/ z ewft -te-' A centre buffer coupling of this kind is known trough DE PS 662 874. Due to the arrangement of a guide beak as a guiding means on the funnel side and the arrangement of an internal strip as a second guiding means on the extending centring protrusion, an increase of the gripping range is achieved compared to centre buffer couplings that have no guide beak.

This gripping range is defined as that zone, within which a coupling process of axially offset centre buffer couplings can still be initiated correctly and, after positioning to each other, can be successfully concluded.

The exact axial alignment between two centre buffer couplings of two rail vehicles travelling towards each other is in practical application not achievable before they are engaging, The reason for this are the track conditions on the one hand and the vehicle characteristics on the other hand. Not only vertical and lateral offset have to be compensated before the coupling process, but also angular offset. The gripping range indicates therefore, what magnitude of offset, from the exact axial alignment of two centre buffer couplings to be engaged, must not be exceeded to achieve proper coupling.

It is known from the magazine "Verkehrstechnische Woche 1938" (Vehicle Engineering Weekly 1938), Issue 42, page 532, to arrange at the face plate level and on the side of the centring cone a jib that protrudes over the vertical edge and extends the lower edge of the face plate, which extends the grip rPnge of a coupling according to DE PS 662 874.

In order to further enlarge the grip range, the DE PS 739 733 proposes to increase the size of the protruding centring cone to a second guide beak in such a way, that only the face plate section below the latching elements in the vicinity of the longitudinal centre plane of the centre buffer coupling remains of the otherwise common buffer area, which is formed by the face plate of the centre buffer coupling.

The available room for installing centre buffer couplings in more modern rail vehicles is quite often drastically reduced and, in addition to that, electrical connections, that are arranged either laterally or above or below the coupling head, have to be coupled simultaneously. The vertical dimensions of the installation room available, particularly in rail vehicles employing the low-floor-level system, are on the one hand greatly reduced but, on the other hand, the high expectations in terms of the vertical grip range of centre buffer coupling still remains.

S Coupling heads without guide beaks in accordance with DE OS 29 26 301 feature on the one hand an almost rectangular grip range which, however, is for many applications too small.

It is therefore the task of the invention to further develop the centre buffer coupling of the type mentioned in the beginning in such a way, that a sufficiently large grip range, particularly vertical grip range, of the coupling heads is achieved, even with a guide beak of drastically reduced length compared to the known state of the art.

AEccrding to thc invcntion, this task is solvod by thc c h a. .stic fo-turOc' of clzi l^ Purposeful construction details of the invention are apparent fro sub claims.

A significant feature of the coupling he esign according to the invention is, that a preliminary vertical centring oc rough the guide beak s in onjunction with the centring protrusion, particular he alignment of the protruding edges of the guide beak on the gripping i the lead-in slope on the lower edge of the centring protrusion of an opposing «p n .in n s~t tho art c ns 'ri,~uctione w ih 'guido bea,, tho -ortic l o tt.g 2a According to the invention, there is provided a centre buffer coupling for rail vehicles with a coupling head that features a vertical face plate surface, a swivelling disk latch and a pivoting coupling lug which is in a retracted position inside a centring protrusion when the coupling is not used, in which this centring protrusion has a conical taper on one half of the face plate surface which projects out from this surface, and in which the other half of the face plate surface features a funnel that extends into the inside of the coupling head, symmetrical in relation to the centring protrusion, as well as a guide beak, thus facilitating the coupling of the centring protrusion of an opposing coupling head of the same design by means of two guiding elements, ie, the guide beak and an internal strip of the projecting centring protrusion, wherein the guide beak, which begins below the lower edge of the face plate surface, protrudes some distance from its starting point horizontally in front of the face plate surface and is connected rigidly via an angular brace from its starting point almost to its end to the lower edge of the face plate surface, features a straight lead-in edge, which slopes downwards relative to the horizontal plane and to the level of the face plate surface in such a way, that a gripping jib tip at the end of the guide beak is placod at a vertical distance below the lower edge of the face plate 20 surface which is larger than half of the vertical opening distance of the funnel and smaller than the distance from the horizontal centre axis of the coupling head to the lower edge of the face plate surface and at a distance projecting at right angles from the plane of the face plate surface which is approximately oil equal to the said distance from the horizontal centre axis of the coupling head to °o S25 the lower edge of the face plate surface, and the centring protrusion, which has, from its own tip to the gripping jib tip at the end of the guide beak, a horizontal distance in the magnitude of 1,25 times the width of the funnel, has at its lower *i edge a lead-in slope that is bevelled at an angle of 64-520 in respect to the face plate surface and has a cone height vertically towards the face plate surface, which is approximately equivalent to half of the opening height of the funnel.

A significant feature of the coupling head design according to the invention is, that a preliminary vertical centring occurs through the guide beak In conjunction with the centring protrusion, particularly in the alignment of the protruding edges of the guide beak on the gripping jib with the lead-In slope on the lower edge of the centring protrusion of an opposing coupling. In state of the art constructions with guide beak, the vertical centring -3is achieved by the guide beak sliding against the lower edge of the face plate of the opposing coupling head. This is the primary reason for the fact that jibs of this kind protrude significantly over the face plate surface as well as the lateral edge of the face plate. Due to the new and inventive design of the coupling head, the necessary vertical and lateral installation space on the vehicle can be reduced.

An exemplary configuration of the invention is depicted diagrammatically.in the drawing.

Shown are in: Fig.1 a three-dimensional oblique projection of a coupling according to the invention, particularly the face plate area of the coupling head; Fig.2 the gripping range of a coupling according to the invention by way of a plan view.

As shown in Fig.1, the face plate area I of a coupling head has attached, in an already known manner, a centring protrusion 3 which accepts a coupling lug 2 that is part of the coupling latch mechanism; it also features, at the same distance from the vertical centre axis a of the centre buffer coupling as the centring protrusion 2 but on its other side, a funnel 4, also in an already known manner, for the purpose of accepting the centring protrusion 3 of an opposing coupling head.

9 ***94 9 Starting from the face plate surface 2, the centring protrusion 3 has an approximately rectangular, partially oval centring surface 5 with an internal strip 5a, to which connects a section of the centring protrusion 3 that tapers towards the front, whose larger axis, in front view, coincides with the horizontal centre axis t of ',he coupling head.

The approximately rectangular, partially oval centring orifice of funnel 4, located in face plate 1, corresponds in terms of diameter with the centring surface 5, thus causing the centring protrusion 3 to be locted without play in the funnel of the opposing 'coupling head when the coupling is engaged. Opposite to the horizontal centre axis b of the coupling head, the funnel 4 features on the edge of its centring orifice the lead-in slopes 8, which by themselves provide only a limited rectification of any horizontal and vertical offset of the centre buffer coupling.

A guide beak 9 is located on the lower edge of face plate 1 and below funnel 4. It has a shape similar to a door handle with exclusively straight, partially sloped edges. The part of the guide beak 9 that protrudes forward, forms the so called gripping jib 10 that has a lead-in edge 11 which points slightly downwards and, with increasing length, gains in distance from the face plate. The gripping jib tip 10a, located at the end of the lead-in edge 11, also constitutes the furthermost protruding point of the guide beak 9.

*t For reasons of strength, the guide beak 9 is connected over almost its entire length with face plate 1; this is achieved by an angular brace 12 that is adapted to the slope of the gripping jib f 10 and makes the connection between gripping jib 10 and the lower edge of face plate 1.

In the exemplary configuration according to the Invention, the largest horizontal extension of funnel 4 is dimension H between 237 mm and 268 mm, which coincides with the horizontal centre axis b of the coupling head. The corresponding largest vertical orifice opening is 2 x P with dimensions ranging between 207 mm and 233 mm, measured vertical to the afore mentioned axis. Correspondingly, the cone height L of the centring protrusion 3 can be 103 mm to 117 mm at a horizontal distance S to the gripping jib tip 10a of 300 mm to 320 mm.

The guide beak 9 with the tip 10a of the gripping jib 10 protrudes at least 132 mm and at most 150 mm from the face plate surface 1 protrusion D the vertical distance K of the gripping jib tip 10a to the lower edge of the face plate surface is therefore in the range between 103 mm and 150 mm.

With the afore stated dimensions, the grip range of a centre buffer coupling according to the invention as depicted in Fig.2 of approximately 250 mm to both sides and 95 mm above and below the centre pc'nt M, which is the intersection of the two axes a and ,b is safely achieved. Apart from an unused fringe section on the right-hand side, the range mentioned is almost rectangular.

00 *000 *.0 *o *oo oo••* *oo• *0 00 0 0 0 Reference list: 1 Face plate area of a coupling head of a centre buffer coupling 2 Coupling lug 3 Centring protrusion 4 Funnel Centring surface Internal strip 6 Disk latch mechanism 7 Centring protrusion recess 8 Lead-in slope 9 Guide beak 10 Gripping jib 10a Gripping jib tip 11 Laud-in edge s"o 12 Angular brace a Vertical centre axis of centre buffer coupling b Horizontal centre axis of centre buffer coupling D Distance of gripping jib tip from the plane of the face plate surface H Largest horizontal opening of funnel K Vertical distance of gripping jib tip to the lower edge of the face plate surface S L Cone height, distance from the tip of the centring protrusion to the plane of the face plate surface M Intersection of the axes a and b 0 Distance from the horizontal centre axis b to the lower edge of the face plate surface P Half of the largest opening width of the funnels measured vertically in relation to H S Horizontal distance to the tip of the centring protrusion

Claims

1. A centre buffer coupling for rail vehicles with a coupling head that features a vertical face plate surface, a swivelling disk latch and a pivoting coupling lug which Is in a retracted position inside a centring protrusion when the coupling is not used, in which this centring protrusion has a conical taper on one half of the face plate surface which projects out from this surface, and in which the other half of the face plate surface features a funnel that extends into the inside of the coupling head, symmetrical in relation to the centring protrusion, as well as a guide beak, thus facilitating the coupling of the centring protrusion of an opposing coupling head of the same design by means of two guiding elements, le. the guide beak and an internal strip of the projecting centring protrusion, wherein the guide beak, which begins below the lower edge of the face plate surface, protrudes some distance from Its starting point horizontally In front of the face plate surface and is connected rigidly via an angular brace from Its starting point almost to its end to the lower edge of the face plate surface, features a straight lead-in edge, which slopes downwards relative to the horizontal plane and to the level of the face plate surface in such a way, that a gripping jib tip at the end cf the guide beak is placed at a vertical distance below the lower edge of the face plate surface which is larger than half of the vertical opening distance of the funnel and smaller than the distance from the horizontal centre axis of the coupling head to the lower edge of the face plate surface ano at a distance projecting at right angle,' from the plane of the face plate surface which Is approximately equal to the said distance from the horizontal centre axis of the coupling head to the lower edge of the face plate surface, and the centring protrusion, which has, from its own tip to the gripping jib tip at the end of the guide beak, a horizontal distance in the magnitude of 1,25 times the width of the funnel, has at Its lower edge a lead-in slope that is bevelled at an angle of 64-52° In respect to the face plate surface and has a cone height vertically towards the face plate surface, which is approximately equivalent to half of the opening height of the funnel. -i ^J^ a

2. Centre buffer coupling according to claim 1, wherein the lower edge of the face plate surface finishes at a distance of approximately the distance from the horizontal centre axis of the coupling head to the lower edge of the face plate surface less half the opening height of the Iuiinel below the internal strip of the centring protrusion, whose recess, which allows access to the coupling lug, is located fully on that side of the centring pri-'ision that extends to the centre of the face plate surface and has a dome i. r ;i o rojects outward.

3. Centre buffer coupling according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the upper and lower side as well as the outer side that is adjacent to the edge of the face plate surface of the centring protrusion features sloped flat surfaces that extend towards the tip of the centring protrusion and meet in a vertical elongated ridge section.

4. Centre buffer coupling according to one of the previous claims, wherein the funnel has on its edge towards the face plate surface a lead-in slope that tapers out towards the upper and lower edge and has an angle of 45° In respect to the plane of the face plate surface. t DATED this 15th day of January, 1997. WATERMARK PATENT TRADEMARK ATTORNEYS 290 BURWOOD ROAD HAWTHORN VICTORIA 3122 AUSTRALIA p. V -9- ABSTRACT Centre buffer coupling for rail vehicles. The invention is concerning a centre buffer coupling for rail vehicles with a latching rI achanism comprising a swivelling disk latch and a pivoted coupling lug, where the coupling lug is retracted into the inside of the centring protrusion when the coupling is not used, and where the funnel side is fitted with a guide beak. The exact axial alignment between two centre buffer couplings of two rail vehicles travelling towards each other is in practical application not achievable before they are engaging. The o reason for this is to be found in the track condition and the vehicle characteristics. It is necessary therefore to compensate not only for vertical and horizontal misalignment but also for angular misalignment before the coupling process. A centre buffer coupling according to the invention is characterised by a new design of the guide beak as a guide on the funnel side and the placement of a lead-in slope as a further guide on the projecting centring protrusion for preliminary centring in terms of height. **too: In comparison to centre buffer couplings without guide beak, this achieves an increased grip S range, within which a coupling process of axially offset centre buffer couplings can still be initiated correctly and, after their alignment to each other, can be completed iin*<-l-liii.m-