CN111356623A

CN111356623A - End plate for a rail vehicle connection head and rail vehicle connection head

Info

Publication number: CN111356623A
Application number: CN201880074240.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: A.施温宁
Original assignee: Voith Patent GmbH
Current assignee: Voith Patent GmbH
Priority date: 2017-11-22
Filing date: 2018-11-12
Publication date: 2020-06-30
Anticipated expiration: 2038-11-12
Also published as: EP4035967A1; ES2915578T3; CN111356623B; DE102017127552A1; CN113799843A; EP3713806B1; EP3713806A1; WO2019101552A1; PL3713806T3

Abstract

The invention relates to an end plate (10) for a rail vehicle connection head, comprising a coupling element which comprises a coupling projection (1) which projects out of the end plate (10) in the front direction and a coupling opening (6) for receiving the coupling projection of a mirror-symmetrical coupling element of a mating end plate, wherein the end plate (10) has a contact surface (7) on the end side for receiving a pressing force when the mating end plate is connected. The invention is characterized in that the contact surface (7) on the end side is provided with at least one recess (3) which is located outside the coupling element and is open at least in some regions.

Description

End plate for a rail vehicle connection head and rail vehicle connection head

The invention relates to an end plate for a rail vehicle connection head and a rail vehicle connection head having such an end plate.

For winter operation of rail vehicles, it is necessary that their connection heads are not frozen by ice and snow as far as possible, since ice and snow deposits adhering to the connection heads, in particular to the end plates of the connection heads, prevent a proper coupling of the connection heads of the rail vehicles. For example, the end plates of the rail vehicle connection head have vertical, end-side contact surfaces which surround the coupling element and which transmit the contact forces between the end plates of the rail vehicle connection head which are coupled to one another. When snow and ice build up on the contact surface, the end plates and thus the connection heads cannot be displaced sufficiently far towards one another in order to couple the coupling elements of the two rail vehicle connection heads to one another.

The corresponding snow and ice buildup must therefore be removed from the end plates conventionally manually. In the passenger transport region of rail vehicles or in power locomotives, an electrical heating device of the end plate can also be provided in order to ablate the ice and snow. However, for example, in freight connectors, such as those to which the invention relates, the corresponding electrical heating device cannot be supplied with electrical energy, so that in this practice the snow and ice buildup must be removed manually as described above.

Documents EP 1805073B 1, EP 1632414B 1 and EP 1293409 a1 disclose rail vehicle connectors with electrically heatable end plates.

Document WO 2015/036482 a1 discloses a connecting head of an intermediate damping connector, having a connecting head housing and having an end plate which closes the connecting head housing from the end side and is releasably connected to the connecting head housing, wherein the connecting head housing has a first connecting region for coupling to the end plate and a second connecting region for establishing a connection to a coupling rod, and is designed in one piece as a forged part, wherein the first connecting region is formed on the connecting head housing by at least two contact surfaces arranged at a distance from one another for at least indirectly bearing against a partial surface of the end plate, and the connecting head housing is connected in the first connecting region to the end plate by a force-fitting connection.

The object of the invention is to provide an end plate for a rail vehicle connection head, in which the need for manual removal of ice and snow deposits is at least largely avoided even without an electric heater.

The technical problem according to the invention is solved by an end plate having the technical features of claim 1. Particularly advantageous and expedient embodiments of the invention and rail vehicle connection head with corresponding end plate are given in the dependent claims.

According to the invention, the end plate for a rail vehicle connection head has a coupling element which comprises a coupling projection which projects out of the end plate in the front direction and a coupling opening for receiving the coupling projection of a mirror-symmetrical coupling element of a mating end plate. Accordingly, the frontal direction based on the front face of the end plate refers to the direction in which the end plate is moved relative to the corresponding connector in order to couple the two rail vehicle connectors to each other.

The coupling projections may for example comprise or be constituted by so-called coupling cones, which are also referred to as standard coupling cones. The coupling openings are, in particular, circular and cylindrical funnel-shaped in cross section in order to be able to accommodate the corresponding coupling cones in the opposite direction.

The end plate has a contact surface on the end side, or facing in the front direction, in order to be able to absorb the pressing force when the adapter end plate of the other rail vehicle connection head is engaged. In this connection, the end-side contact surfaces of the two end plates abut against one another.

According to the invention, the contact surface of the end plate on the end side is provided with at least one recess which is positioned outside the coupling element and is open at least in regions. That is to say, only one coherent recess can be provided, which is at least partially open at the edge, or two or more separate recesses can be provided, which are at least partially open at the edge.

The effect of the open-edged recess according to the invention is that, during the coupling process, when the two end plates of the rail vehicle connection head coupled to one another are moved toward one another, snow enclosed between the end plates and falling or being pressed off during the coupling process can migrate into the at least one recess and be displaced by its open-edged section and thus be discharged from the two end plates or the engagement region of the coupling element. The design of the end plate, which can be produced relatively simply, makes it possible to leave the remaining components, for example the coupling element, unchanged, while it is also possible to arrange the invention in a plurality of different connector types and connector variants, irrespective of whether the rail vehicle connector is provided, for example, with a releasable end plate, with a pressure air connector and/or with a so-called clamping device. In fact, the recess according to the invention can be applied in any of the above-described connectors or connector variants.

The contact surface on the end side may, for example, comprise or be formed by a plurality of contact surface sections which are positioned in a distributed manner on the front side of the end plate and which are raised with respect to the adjacent regions, i.e. protrude with respect to the adjacent regions. Each contact surface section has a particularly planar contact surface which is oriented in such a way that it can rest on an end plate of the corresponding connector or of a rail vehicle connection head to be coupled.

The contact surface sections are in particular positioned and oriented in such a way that they provide force introduction areas which are arranged spatially separated from one another for receiving the pressing forces during the connection.

The number and size of the contact surface sections can be selected such that the contact surface sections are reduced to the minimum required for reliable transmission of the compressive forces occurring during operation. For example, the contact surface section can generally withstand a compressive force of at least 2000kN (kilonewtons) or more. The risk of ice and snow deposits adhering to the contact surface sections is minimized in such relatively small contact surface sections.

The arrangement of the contact surface sections and the geometric design of the contact surface sections are dependent here primarily on the basic geometry of the end faces and the arrangement of the coupling elements. The contact surface section is arranged at a distance from the coupling element, so that at least one partial region of the recess, which is at least partially open at the edge, is formed. The recess extends in the region of the outer periphery of the end plate, preferably directly to the outer periphery of the end plate.

Preferably, the end plate features a substantially rectangular base surface. Furthermore, the end plate can also extend a surface area for arranging a holder or other slide-in surface for the coupling process. A coupling element is arranged centrally. In this case, the arrangement of the contact surface sections is then preferably carried out in four corner regions outside the coupling element, wherein the contact surface sections either end flush with the outer circumference of the end plate or are arranged on the end plate in an outer edge region or in the region of the outer circumference. In the latter case, the contact surface section and a surface region facing the outer peripheral direction of the end plate constitute an auxiliary sliding surface for ice and snow or the like.

Preferably, the end plate according to the invention has a plurality of open-edged recesses which are positioned outside the coupling element. Particularly preferably, the individual open-edged recesses or the segments of the open-edged recesses extend around the coupling element and between the individual contact surface segments to the outer circumference of the end plate. Preferably, the recess ends flush with the outer periphery.

In order to optimize the output of ice and snow during the coupling, at least one open-edged recess comprises at least one ramp arranged in the edge region of the recess, the surface of the ramp facing in the direction of the edge. In other words, the end plate has a chamfer in the region of the slope, i.e. a surface on the front side which is continuously set back towards the edge. Whereby the space provided for the output of ice and snow increases toward the outer periphery of the end plate. Alternatively or additionally, the recess can also be provided with a slope which points in the direction of the center, i.e. in particular in the peripheral direction between the two contact surface sections, starting from the two contact surface sections in each case in the direction of the center.

In other words, the slope of the recess can be oriented, in particular in the edge region, i.e. in the peripheral region, with respect to the contact surface and/or the base surface of the recess, as viewed in the direction from the coupling element to the edge region (in the height direction in the installation position) and/or transversely thereto (in the width direction in the installation position).

The chamfer or slope can be varied depending on the production method.

The ramp preferably has an angle of at least 10 ° with respect to the contact surface and/or the base surface of the recess.

Furthermore, it is alternatively or additionally provided that the circumferential surface region of the contact surface portion defining the recess is arranged so as to extend perpendicularly or at an angle to the actual contact surface with respect to the base surface of the recess, and that the contour of the recess is configured so as to extend in the peripheral direction in such a way that the respective open-edged recess is characterized along its circumferential surface toward the periphery of the end plate by the same span or a constant cross-sectional shape, respectively, between two adjacent contact surface portions, as viewed in a plane parallel to the contact surface; or the recesses, which are open at the respective edges, are preferably configured with a modified cross-sectional shape, in particular as an expansion in the peripheral direction of the end plate.

The at least one at least partially edge-open recess may vary in its geometry in all directions along the extension on the end face of the end plate. The recesses can be embodied with the same height/depth or with a varying height/depth, viewed in the longitudinal direction of the end plate, and furthermore the design of the recesses can also vary in the circumferential direction of the end plate.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the at least one open-edged recess has at least one at least partially open-edged, in particular only partially open-edged, circumferential groove which partially or completely surrounds the coupling projection on its outer circumference.

If a plurality of individual contact surface portions of the contact surface formed on the end side are provided, the surface or front surface of the contact surface portion is preferably smaller than the surface or front surface of the at least one recess with a partially open edge. The front side of the at least one open-edged recess is also referred to herein as the base side.

For example, the contact surface on the end side comprises at least three or four raised contact surface sections distributed along the circumference of the contact surface. When the contact surface section has an at least substantially quadrangular or rectangular shape, a raised contact surface section may be provided on each corner, respectively, for example.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the end plate has a gripper which projects from the end plate in the front direction and which is surrounded on its outer circumference at least partially or completely by an at least partially edge-open recess, wherein, depending on the embodiment, an opening or a through-opening can also be provided through which the compressed ice and snow can be deflected. For example, the recess which is open around the edge of the holder is formed by a flat surface which is set back parallel or at an angle to the contact surface. In other words, the gripper extends from said surface. The holder may, for example, be formed by or comprise an arched or bent lever, which in particular protrudes from the surface.

The at least one open-edged recess preferably has a base surface which is set back by at least 2.5mm or at least 5mm relative to the contact surface. The base surface may extend partially or completely parallel to the contact surface, but in particular at least in one or several sections has one or more ramps.

The substantial retraction of the base surface compared to the contact surface forms a sufficient space during the coupling process and in the coupled state, into which ice and snow can be pushed without adversely affecting the coupling process or the coupled state.

The end plate according to the invention is particularly free of electrical heating means. However, the invention may also be used in combination with electrically heated end plates.

The rail vehicle connection head according to the invention has a connection head housing and an end plate according to the invention which is releasably or unreleasably connected to the connection head housing. The rail vehicle connection head can be designed, for example, as a freight connection or as a component of a freight connection.

The invention can be used in particular in central buffer connectors. The application can be implemented in the field of passenger transport or freight transport.

The invention is described below by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

figure 1 shows a perspective top view of an end plate according to the invention;

fig. 2 shows a side cross-sectional view of the end plate shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 1 and 2 show an end plate 10, which can either be formed integrally with the connection head housing 11 or can be releasably connected to such a connection head housing. The corresponding connection head housing 11 is schematically shown in fig. 2 in dashed lines. The end plate 10 and the connection head housing 11 together form a rail vehicle connection head 13 or at least a component of said rail vehicle connection head.

The coordinate system provided on the end plate 10 is exemplarily shown in fig. 1. Depending on the installation position on the rail vehicle connection head 13, the X direction corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the rail vehicle. The Y direction describes the width direction, i.e. the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The Z direction describes the height direction.

The end plate 10 has an end face 14 pointing away from the connector housing 11 for cooperation with a corresponding rail vehicle connector, not shown. On the rear side facing away from the end face 14, the end plate 10 is either formed integrally with the connector housing or is formed and connected in a co-operating manner with the connector housing, depending on the different connection methods on the connector housing 11.

The end plate 10 has an end-side contact surface 7 for interacting with a contact surface of a corresponding rail vehicle connection head, in particular for receiving a pressing force when an adapter end plate of the corresponding rail vehicle connection head is engaged. Furthermore, the end face 14 has a corresponding coupling element for coupling with a corresponding rail vehicle connector. For this purpose, a coupling projection 1, which is embodied here as a coupling cone, projects in the case shown from the end plate 10 in the front direction. Laterally adjacent thereto, a coupling opening 6 is located, which can receive a corresponding coupling projection of a corresponding rail vehicle connector. According to the invention, the end-side contact surface 7 is provided with at least one recess 3 which is located outside the coupling element and is open at least in regions. The recess divides the contact surface 7 into a plurality of contact surface sections 5 arranged spatially apart from one another, which form force introduction regions, in particular for the introduction of a pressing force. In this case, the contact surfaces 7 are formed by individual contact surface segments 5 distributed in the circumferential direction of the end plate 10. For example, four contact surface sections 5 are provided, each of which is arranged in the region of one corner of the end plate in the case of an end plate 10 having a substantially rectangular base surface on which a coupling element is arranged and between two contact surface sections 5 arranged in the width direction in the corner region, further contact surface sections being arranged. The design of the locally edge-open recesses in the edge region or in the peripheral region of the end plate 10 can vary depending on the production process. When the end plate 10 has a particularly long extension between the corners, an additional contact surface section 5 can be provided, in particular between the corners, for example in the axial center, as shown in fig. 1. The contact surface section 5 has an annular shape here.

Furthermore, in the exemplary embodiment, a clamping device 8 is provided which projects in the front direction from the end plate 10 and interacts with a corresponding clamping device of the respective coupling in order to center the two end plates or the rail vehicle connection head relative to one another during the coupling process.

According to the invention, the end-side contact surface 7 is arranged here outside the coupling element with the partially open-edged recess 3, which is formed by the coupling projection 1, the coupling opening 6 and the holder 7. The open-edged recess 3 can be regarded as a single, coherent open-edged recess or as a plurality of at least partially, preferably completely, adjacently arranged open-edged recesses 3.

The contact surface 7 is divided into a plurality of individual contact surface sections 5 by the open-edged recesses 3. As a result, gaps are formed between the contact surface sections 5, into which ice and snow can penetrate during the coupling.

At least one at least partially edge-open recess 3 located outside the coupling element extends at least in each case from the region of the outer periphery, preferably directly from the basic geometry describing the outer periphery 15 of the end plate 10, in the direction of the coupling element, in particular at a distance therefrom. If the recess is substantially rectangular, it extends in the respective corner region to the outer periphery 15, wherein the recess divides the contact surface 7 into sections which are arranged spatially apart from one another and form the local force introduction region.

In order to be able to evacuate the snow and ice from the recesses, a ramp 4 is provided in the edge region, i.e. in the region of the outer periphery 15 of the end plate 10 or in the region of the open-edged recess 3. In the embodiment shown, two ramps 4 are provided on the upper end of the end plate 10, and another ramp is provided on the open-edged recess 3 or on a part of the open-edged recess, from which recess/part of the recess the holder 8 protrudes.

When the rail vehicle connector is coupled to a suitable rail vehicle connector, the funnel-shaped connecting sleeve is inserted over the coupling projection 1. This makes it possible to press ice and snow adhering to the coupling protrusion 1 into the region of the end plate 10 surrounding the coupling protrusion 1 in the frontal direction. In order to enable the ice and snow to drift away, the coupling projection 1 is surrounded by a circumferential groove 2, which is also open at the edge, in the region of the ramp 4 and in the vertical direction between the contact surface sections 5 on the edge facing outward on the side of the connection head 1. The circumferential groove 2 is also shown by the view of fig. 2.

In order to achieve a threaded connection of the end plate 10 to the connection head housing 11, in particular a threaded bore 12 is provided, which is provided in the contact surface section 5. In order to prevent ice and snow from becoming locked in the threaded holes 12, the threaded holes can also be open-edged.

In the embodiment shown, the recess 3 which is open around the edge of the holder 8 is formed by a surface 9 which is set back relative to the recess 3 which is open at the other edge or relative to other regions of the recess 3 which is open at the edge. The retracted surface 9 may be oriented, for example, at an angle to the contact surface 7 or to the remaining region of the edge-open recess 3. However, a parallel orientation is also conceivable. Finally, the set-back surface 9 can be arranged in a common plane with the other regions of the open-edged recess 3 in order to form a common base surface of the open-edged recess 3. But also additional through-holes in the region of the holder. The compressed snow can also pass there through and fall downward.

List of reference numerals

1 coupling boss; cone body

2 circumferential groove

3 open-edged recess

4 slope

5 contact surface section

6 coupling opening

7 contact surface

8 clamp

9 retracted surface

10 end plate

11 connector shell

12 screw hole

13 railway vehicle connector

14 end side

15 outer periphery of

Claims

1. End plate (10) for a rail vehicle connection head, having a coupling element which comprises a coupling projection (1) which projects out of the end plate (10) in the front direction and a coupling opening (6) for receiving a coupling projection of a mirror-symmetrical coupling element of a mating end plate, wherein the end plate (10) has a contact surface (7) on the end side for receiving a pressing force when connecting the mating end plate; characterized in that the contact surface (7) on the end side is provided with at least one recess (3) which is located outside the coupling element and is open at least in regions.

2. The end plate (10) according to claim 1, characterised in that the contact surface (7) at the end side comprises a number of open-edged recesses (3) positioned outside the coupling element.

3. The end plate (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one open-edged recess (3) has at least one ramp (4) arranged in the edge region of the recess (3), the surface of which faces in the edge direction and/or in the direction towards the center.

4. The end plate (10) according to claim 3, characterized in that the ramp (4) has an angle of at least 10 ° with respect to the contact surface (7).

5. The end plate (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that at least one open-edged recess (3) has at least one at least partially open-edged circumferential groove (2) which partially or completely surrounds the coupling projection (1) on its outer circumference.

6. The end plate (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the contact surface (7) at the end side comprises at least three or four raised contact surface sections (5) distributed along the periphery of the contact surface (7).

7. The end plate (10) according to claim 6, characterized in that the contact surface (7) has a substantially quadrangular or rectangular shape and in each corner region a raised contact surface section (5) is located, respectively.

8. The end plate (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the coupling element comprises a holder (8) projecting from the end plate (10) in the frontal direction, which holder is at least partially surrounded on its periphery by an at least partially edge-open recess (3).

9. The end plate (10) according to claim 8, characterized in that the recess (3) which is open around the edge of the holder (8) is constituted by a flat surface (9) which is set back parallel or at an angle relative to the contact surface (7).

10. The end plate (10) according to any of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that at least one open-edged recess (3) has a base surface which is set back at least 2.5mm or at least 5mm relative to the contact surface (7).

11. The end plate (10) according to claim 10, characterized in that the base surface is at least partially parallel to the contact surface (7).

12. The end plate (10) according to any of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the recess (3) which is open around the edge of the holder (8) has a through hole, in particular a through hole.

13. The end plate (10) according to any of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that the coupling protrusion (1) comprises or consists of a coupling cone.

14. A rail vehicle joint having a joint housing (11) and an end plate (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 13 releasably or unreleasably connected to the joint housing (11).