EP1257455B1 - Crumple element - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a crushing element of a rail vehicle, which in the area at least one vehicle end-side crumple zone is arranged, and at least having a tubular cavity.

For economic and safety reasons are in a rail vehicle in the Area of the longitudinal ends usually crumple zones provided. To the one can thereby avoid damage to the vehicle in an accident or On the other hand, this can increase the safety of the vehicle occupants. The most frequently directly involved in accidents parts of a rail vehicle are the front and rear wagon end area, since most accidents are rear-end collisions - im Case of a train, which consists of several coupled wagons, it can at a Accident to a collision of individual wagons come among themselves - or frontal collisions with other road users or obstacles.

To protect a rail vehicle are therefore according to the prior art in the front and usually integrated into the rear vehicle front tubular crumple elements, which are compressed and folded at a strong enough force can. By doing this, some of the kinetic energy that is on the vehicle acts, spent for the deformation of the crushing element. Through this reduction of kinetic energy also reduces the load on the rest of the rail vehicle acts.

Due to the great weight and the associated high kinetic energy of the rail vehicle can occur in accidents, yet very high peak forces. Out For this reason, it is advantageous to reduce the load occurring in a crushing element with less Initiate triggering power over as large a surface as possible and distribute it over it.

Traditionally, attempts have been made to solve this problem by being different from one another integrated built-in crushing elements, which are as simple tubular hollow body with a Almost approximately square cross-section are executed, parallel to each other in the Vehicle front integrated, with the longitudinal sides of the crushing elements parallel to the direction of travel are arranged. Usually, these crushing elements become in the head areas of the vehicle underframe and with a crossbeam acting as a bumper, connected with each other. Of the achievable crushing characteristics of the entire Depending on the vehicle, it depends on how many crumple elements are used and whether these are only available be installed at the end of a car or both.

DE 195 09 541 A1 shows a bumper for a motor vehicle, one of two Sheets made U-shaped profile part and attached to the profile part impact body made of a rubber-elastic material. One or both of the sheets of the profile part may have corrugations to change the deformation resistance of the profile part, wherein the two sheets of the profile part at their edges together to form a single large cavity are interconnected. With the known embodiment can be for a motor vehicle, such as a car, although a good crush behavior However, could be due to the design, due to the single large cavity, with the known bumpers in a rail vehicle only very low collision forces, which would not ensure adequate protection of the rail vehicle.

US 5,630,605 and US 5,715,917 describe a method of degradation in a Clash released energy by means of a shock transmission element, which in a frame is guided movably in the direction of travel, and a shock-absorbing honeycomb Structure that is compressible by the shock transmission element.

The FR 2 140 937 describes a front end portion of a rail vehicle to Both sides of a housing of an automatic clutch a wave-shaped plate is arranged. This sheet metal is both with the coupling housing as well as with longitudinal and Cross members of the rail vehicle welded and forms part of the vehicle structure, why an exchange of this sheet in the case of deformation with large work and Cost involved.

EP 0 612 647 A1 discloses a railway carriage with a deformation element, which is formed from a wave-shaped sheet metal and also a part of the vehicle structure forms, so that replacing the sheet also here with a lot of work connected is.

A disadvantage of the known devices is furthermore that, due to design unwanted despite everything high force peaks may occur before there is a folding of the crushing elements comes. Through this sometimes very high force peaks, a large part of the occurring Loads are transmitted to the passenger compartment. To damage in an accident of the rail vehicle or injury to vehicle occupants to avoid, therefore the rest of the vehicle structure are carried out correspondingly stronger and heavier, resulting in Loads of payload goes. Furthermore, the relatively high cost of manufacturing are conventional Crumple elements of disadvantage. It is also the replacement of damaged crushing elements associated with a high workload.

An object of the invention is therefore to provide a simple and inexpensive to manufacture To provide a crushing element with low release force, in which a large force application is possible and which is also easy to exchange.

This object is achieved in that the crush element in the Rail vehicle fastened interchangeably and is formed of two sheets, of which at least one is designed as a profile sheet, which are facing each other and to each other adjacent webs, forming mutually parallel hollow boxes with each other are connected.

In the crushable element according to the invention by the superposed sheets formed tubular cavities that can be compressed in an accident, wherein Damaged crushing elements can be replaced with new ones.

It is a merit of the invention to provide a crushing element with which it is possible continuously cover and protect a larger width of the vehicle front. These Measure contributes significantly to the fact that in an accident, the introduction of force into an inventive Crumple element over a larger area than in the known crushing elements takes place, whereby the force peak occurring can be significantly reduced. One Another major advantage over the known Knautschvorrichtungen consists in the simple and inexpensive production.

To provide a holder for the crushable element, which is easy to replace guaranteed, there is an advantageous embodiment is that the sheets in a frame are held.

A proven in practice connection of the two sheets provides that the two superimposed Sheets are selectively welded together at their contact surfaces.

Due to costs and production, spot welding is compared to others possible connection methods, such. B. welding the two sheets with a Fillet weld over its entire length or screwing, given preference.

To get the best possible Knautscheigenschaften, the hollow boxes have one hexagonal cross-section on.

To protect the widest possible range of vehicle width and a large area Force introduction into the crushing element, the sheets extend substantially over the entire width of the rail vehicle.

A favorable embodiment of the invention provides that the frame has two side parts and a front part, wherein the front part of a box-shaped crossbar has, which extends substantially over the entire vehicle width, wherein at the Rail vehicle facing away from the crossbar ribs are provided at a collision with a second rail vehicle to prevent the crossbeam one rail vehicle slides over the other and unprotected vehicle areas damaged.

An advantageous variant of securing the beaded sheets in the frame is that the beaded sheets are welded to the frame.

The mounting and removal of the crushing element is facilitated by the Side parts of the frame via guide rails in the longitudinal member of the rail vehicle are insertable.

An embodiment with a high practical use, is that the side parts the frame by means of clamping connections with the longitudinal beams of the rail vehicle are detachably connected.

A favorable variant provides that the clamping connection four mutually displaceable Has wedges.

Advantageously, two wedges are rigidly connected to a plate.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a wedge is rigidly connected to rods, each one Have thread.

To fix the clamp connection, it is envisaged that a wedge with nuts on the Thread on the rods can be fastened.

• Fig. 1 Abschnitte eines Schienenfahrzeugoberteils mit einer erfindungsgemäßen Knautschvorrichtung in perspektivischer Ansicht;
• Fig. 2 eine Ansicht des erfindungsgemäßen Knautschelement aus der Richtung II in Fig.l;
• Fig. 3 eine Ansicht einer Variante des erfindungsgemäßen Knautschelementes aus der Richtung II in Fig. 1;
• Fig. 4 einen Querschnitt entlang der Linie III-III in Fig. 2;
• Fig. 5 den Bereich V aus Fig. 1.

The invention together with further advantages will be explained in more detail below with reference to an embodiment which is illustrated in the drawing. In this show

• 1 shows sections of a rail vehicle upper part with a crumple device according to the invention in a perspective view;
• FIG. 2 shows a view of the deformable element according to the invention from the direction II in FIG.
• 3 shows a view of a variant of the deformable element according to the invention from the direction II in FIG. 1;
• 4 shows a cross section along the line III-III in Fig. 2.
• 5 shows the region V from FIG. 1.

According to FIG. 1, the upper part of a crushing element 1 according to the invention has a profile sheet 2b ', with profiles mounted periodically over the surface. The bottom of the Crumple element 1 is formed by a similar profiled sheet 2a ', which consists of representational However, reasons not shown. The two similar profile sheets 2a ', 2b' are mutually mirrored to each other, the contact surfaces of the two profile sheets 2a ', 2b' lie in the mirror plane. This arrangement will be more accurate as below described hollow boxes 4a formed with a hexagonal cross-section. This situation is particularly clear Fig. 2 shows. The facing each other and adjoining Webs 3a, 3b are connected to each other, preferably selectively welded.

The two profile sheets 2a ', 2b' are connected to a frame 5, preferably welded, the two side parts 5a, 5b and a front part 6 has. The front part 6 consists from a crossbar 6 ', which is designed as a welded box. At his the rail vehicle facing away from the cross member normal to the longitudinal side center plane of the car extending ribs 7 on. Through the ribs 7 on the bumper as a serving front part 6 is prevented in a collision of two rail vehicles, that the front part 6 of the frame 5 of a rail vehicle, the front part of the other Rail vehicle "climbed" and damaged unprotected areas of the vehicle front.

For the embodiment shown here are used as materials for the profile sheets 2a ', 2b' Stainless steel and for frame 5 a low alloy steel preferred. The usage other materials for the profiled sheets 2a ', 2b' and the frame 5, such as e.g. Aluminum, is but quite possible.

The side parts 5a, 5b of the frame 5 can be in long beams 8a, 8b of the rail vehicle be inserted over guide rails and there by means of detachable clamping connections. 9 be fixed. In case of damage to the crushing element 1, the clamping connections 9, which are described in detail below, solved and the crushing element 1 together with Frame 5 replaced as a whole.

According to a preferred embodiment, as shown in Fig. 2, the profiled sheets 2a ', 2b' formed in cross-section as isosceles trapezoids, their longer parallel Page a is open, wherein the two profiled sheets 2a ', 2b' superimposed so that hollow Boxes 4a are formed with the cross section of a regular hexagon. The side length s, c one of these regular hexagons is in the range between 40 and 100 mm. Almost any symmetrical, cross-sectional shape of hollow boxes forming a polygon - circle, 3-corner, 4-corner, 6-corner ... - is in principle suitable for an inventive crush element. If one chooses a quadrangular or square cross-section, so instead of the second Profile sheet also be arranged a smooth sheet, as shown in Fig. 3. the preparation, However, a variant with a hexagonal cross-section of the hollow boxes prefers.

In one embodiment of the invention of Fig. 3 are a profiled sheet 2a and a smooth Sheet 2b so superimposed that hollow boxes 4b with a substantially square Cross-sectional area are formed. An advantage of this variant is the simple and inexpensive production.

The crushable element according to the invention according to FIG. 4 has a first profiled sheet 2a 'on which a similar, second profile sheet 2b ', which here for illustrative reasons is not shown, is placed mirror-inverted, the profile sheets 2a ', 2b' at their Webs (3a, 3b) are selectively welded together at a distance 1 of about 20 mm. The welds are shown in the figure as crosses. In principle, there are others Types of connection between the profile sheets 2a ', 2b' possible, z. B. a continuous Weld or screw.

The clamping connection 9 shown in FIG. 5 has two end-side threads 12a, 12b two rods 13a, 13b tightenable nuts 11a, 11b, and four pairs against each other displaceable screw wedges 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d. The two rods 13a, 13b are longitudinally displaceable mounted in guides 14 which are arranged laterally on a plate 15. Out To save weight, the plate 15 has circular recesses 16. The Clamping connections 9 are in the side parts 5a, 5b of the frame 4 and in the side members 8a, 8b inserted. By tightening the two nuts 11a, 11b, the wedges 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d are pushed in pairs one above the other, resulting in the corresponding Side part 5a, 5b of the frame 4 in the respective side member 8a, 8b of the rail vehicle fix it.

Claims (13)

1. A deformable element (1) of a rail vehicle disposed in the region of at least one crumple zone located at an end of the vehicle and having at least one tubular cavity,
   characterized in that
   it is replaceably attached to the rail vehicle and comprises two plates (2a, 2b), of which at least one is in the form of a profiled plate (2a', 2b'), which are interconnected via lands (3a, 3b) opposing and abutting each other, to form hollow boxes (4a, 4b) lying parallel to each other.
2. A deformable element as defined in claim 1, characterized in that said plates (2a, 2b) are mounted in a frame (5).
3. A deformable element as defined in claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that said two abutting plates (2a, 2b) are spot-welded to each other at their contacting surfaces.
4. A deformable element as defined in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said hollow boxes (4a, 4b) have a hexagonal cross section.
5. A deformable element as defined in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said plates (2a, 2b) span substantially the entire width of the rail vehicle.
6. A deformable element as defined in any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that said frame (5) has two side members (5a, 5b) and a front member (6), which front member (6) possesses a box-shaped transverse unit (6') spanning substantially the entire width of the vehicle, ribbing (7) being provided on that side of said transverse unit (6') which is remote from the rail vehicle.
7. A deformable element as defined in any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that said plates (2a, 2b) are welded to said frame (5).
8. A deformable element as defined in claim 6 or claim 7, characterized in that said side members (5a, 5b) of said frame (5) can be inserted via guide rails into longitudinal supports (8a, 8b) of the rail vehicle.
9. A deformable element as defined in claim 8, characterized in that said side members (5a, 5b) of said frame (5) can be connected via releasable compression-type connections (9) to said longitudinal supports (8a, 8b) of the rail vehicle.
10. A deformable element as defined in claim 9, characterized in that said compression-type connection has four mutually displaceable wedges (10a, 10b, 10c, 10d).
11. A deformable element as defined in claim 10, characterized in that two of said wedges (10b, 10c) are rigidly attached to a plate (15).
12. A deformable element as defined in claim 11, characterized in that one wedge (10d) is firmly attached to rods (13a, 13b), each of which has a thread (12a, 12b).
13. A deformable element as defined in claim 10, characterized in that one of said wedges (10a) can be locked in position by means of nuts (11a, 11 b) engaging said threads (12a, 12b) on said rods (13a, 13b).

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