EP0177460B1

EP0177460B1 - Bogie for railway vehicles with independent wheels

Info

Publication number: EP0177460B1
Application number: EP85830240A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Romano Panagin
Original assignee: Fiat Ferroviaria Savigliano SpA
Current assignee: Fiat Ferroviaria Savigliano SpA
Priority date: 1984-10-05
Filing date: 1985-09-24
Publication date: 1990-12-12
Anticipated expiration: 2005-09-24
Also published as: DE3580886D1; ATE59022T1; IT1182317B; IT8467993A1; EP0177460A2; EP0177460A3; IT8467993A0

Abstract

A bogie for railway vehicles comprises a central support structure (10) including two transverse tubular supports (54) between which are mounted, with the interposition of bushes of elastomeric material, two shafts (56) each of which supports at its ends a pair of substantially longitudinal arms (12) bearing the spindies (68) of the wheels (14). A tubular spacer member (88) aligned with the spindles (68) of the wheels (14) is interposed between the ends of the two longitudinal arms supported by each shaft (56). There are provided means for connecting the central support structure to the body of a railway vehicle in an articulated manner, and transverse and vertical suspension means between the bogie and the body.

Description

The present invention relates in general to bogies for railway vehicles, in particular of the type defined in the pre-characterising portion of Claim 1.
A bogie of this type is known from GB-A-2 050 273.
Due to its structure, this bogie has independent self-steering wheels, which results in a series of important advantages over conventional bogies, in terms of both simplicity of construction and improved functioning in use.
The present invention constitutes, in fact, an improvement in the one forming the subject of the patent documents cited above, and its object is to simplify the construction while ensuring dimensional stability in use.
According to the invention, this object is achieved due to the feature set forth in the characterising portion of Claim 1.
The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the appended drawings supplied purely by way of non-limiting example, in which:

Figure 1 is a partially sectional plan view from above of a bogie for railway vehicles according to the. invention,
' Figure 2 is an elevational view along the arrow II of Figure 1,
Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line III-III of Figure 1, and
Figure 4 is a section taken on the line IV-IV of Figure 1.

The bogie illustrated in the Figures is substantially analogous to the one described and illustrated in GB-A-2 050 273 cited above. Briefly, this comprises a central support structure 10 to which are articulated four arms 12 each bearing an idle wheel 14.
The support structure 10 comprises two lateral supports 94 rigid with two transverse tubular supports 54 and defining with them a space 96 within which extends a vertical-axis bush 98 in which is inserted a vertical pin 28 for articulation of the bogie to the vehicle body.
The upper end of the pin 28 is integral with frusto-conical attachment member 100 intended to be secured rigidly to the base of the body and the opposing sides of which are connected to the lateral supports 94 by two vertical connecting rods 102.
Two shafts 56 are rotatably mounted within the two transverse tubular supports 54. The end of each shaft 56 project from the respective tubular support 54 and each supports, through an elastic coupling, one of the arms 12 bearing the wheels 14. Bushes of elastomeric material, not visible in the drawings, usually of the type sold under the trade mark "SUTUCO" by the Italian firm SAGA of Milan, are interposed coaxially between each of the shafts 56 and the respective tubular support 54. The purpose of the bushes of elastomeric material is to permit a misalignment between the shafts 56 and the respective tubular spacers 88 so as to effect the self-steering of the arms 12 bearing the wheels 14 during travel of the bogie around curves, and to allow rolling oscillations of these arms 12. In this manner, each shaft 56 connecting a pair of arms 12 is subject to simple bending stresses in use, and not to twisting actions.
Supported in a projecting manner at the free end of each arm 12 is a spindle 68 which, with the interposition of rolling bearings, serves as the support for rotation of the respective wheel 14. A horizontal support 72 projects from the free end of each spindle 68, against which bears a helical suspension spring 76 intended to react at its upper end against the base of the body of the railway vehicle. The four springs 76 constitute the only suspension of the bogie: in this way, the structural weight of the body passes directly to the wheels 14 through the springs 76, without stressing intermediate members.
Connected to the springs 76 are four vertical hydraulic shock-absorbers 80, each of which is interposed between the free end of one of the arms 12 and the body of the vehicle.
Each wheel 14 comprises a one-piece body of hot rolled steel which has a rim of variable conicity and the outer faces of which co-operate with a brake caliper 82 supported by the respective arm 12.
The bogie also includes a pair of transverse hydraulic shock-absorbers 84 articulated to the sides of the support 10 and intended to be connected to the body of the vehicle, and a pair of anti-roll bars, generally indicated 86, which connect the two pairs of arms 12 supported by the two shafts 56.
A tubular spacer member 88 aligned with the spindles 68 of the wheels 14 is interposed between the free ends of the two arms 12 supported by each shaft 56.
The two tubular spacers 88, whose ends are rigidly connected to the ends of the corresponding arms 12, serve to maintain the wheels 14 at the prescribed gauge, which is advantageous both during the assembly of the bogie and when it is in use.
According to the invention, the arms 12 of the two pairs located on the same side of the bogie are articulated to each other in correspondence with their facing ends. In fact, one arm 12 of each pair has a longitudinal appendage 90 which extends towards the arm 12 of the other pair situated on the same side of the bogie and is connected to that arm by means of a transverse pin 92, with the interposition of members of elastomeric material, not shown.
The bush 98 is surrounded at its upper end by a collar 104 and at its lower end by a collar 106, with the interposition of respective sleeves of elastically-yielding material 108 and 110. The upper collar 104 is connected in turn to the two tubular supports 54 by a pair of substantially horizontal longitudinal connecting rods 112 arranged in a Z-configuration.
The lower collar 106 has two lateral buffers 114 of elastomeric material directed parallel to the transverse axis A of the bogie and having respective convexly-profiled ends 11 a facing corresponding convexly-profiled ends 116a of a pair of similar buffers 116 protruding from the lateral supports 94. Each pair of buffers 114, 116 is surrounded by a helical compression spring 118 reacting between the collar 106 and the corresponding lateral support 94.
In practice, the buffers 114 and 116 and the springs 118 constitute a resilient system through which the arms 12 of the bogie are uncoupled with respect to the body.

Claims

1. Bogie for railway vehicles, comprising a central support structure (10) including two transverse tubular supports (54) within which are mounted, with the interposition of bushes of elastically-yielding material, two shafts (56) each of which supports at its ends a pair of substantially longitudinal arms (12) bearing the spindles (68) of the wheels (14) at their free ends, means for connecting the central structure to the body of the railway vehicle in an articulated manner transverse and vertical suspension means (76) for mounting between the bogie and the body, and a tubular spacer member (88) - aligned with the spindles (68)'..of the wheels (14) and rigidly connecting the free ends of the two longitudinal arms (12) supported by each shaft (56), characterised in that the arms (12) of the two pairs situated on the same side of the bogie are articulated to each other in correspondence with their facing ends by means of a longitudinal appendage of one arm (12) of each pair extending towards the arm (12) of the other pair situated on the same side of the bogie and connected to that arm (12) by means of a transverse pin (92).

2. Bogie according to Claim 1, characterised in that the central support structure (10) includes two lateral supports (94) rigid with the tubular supports (54) and defining with the latter a space (96) into which extends a bush (98) for a vertical pin (28) for articulation to the body of a railway vehicle, resilient transverse centring means (114, 116, 118) being associated with the bush (98) and the bush (98) being connected on one side to one of the tubular supports (54) and on its other side to the other of the tubular supports (54) by means of a pair of longitudinal connecting rods (112).

3. Bogie according to Claim 2, characterised in that the resilient centring means comprise two pairs of buffers of elastically-yielding material (114, 116) which are located opposite each other, are fixed respectively to the lateral supports (94) and the bush (98) for the articulation pin (28), and have respective facing ends with convex profiles (114a, 116a), and a pair of helical springs (118) which are interposed between the bush (98) and the lateral supports (94) and surround the buffers (114,116).