EP3475138B1

EP3475138B1 - Vehicle body of a public transportation vehicle provided with floating floor panels

Info

Publication number: EP3475138B1
Application number: EP17732117.1A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Alejandro TOLL JIMENEZ
Original assignee: Bombardier Transportation GmbH
Current assignee: Alstom Transportation Germany GmbH
Priority date: 2016-06-24
Filing date: 2017-06-22
Publication date: 2020-05-20
Anticipated expiration: 2037-06-22
Also published as: GB2551582A; GB201611043D0; WO2017220741A1; EP3475138A1; GB2551582B; CN211494048U

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a floor of a public transportation vehicle. It relates more precisely to a vehicle body of a public transportation vehicle provided with a floor covering an underframe.

BACKGROUND ART

A floating-constructed in-built floor structure of a subway vehicle disclosed in CN104627190 comprises a floating aluminium honeycomb floor that rests on rubber blocks fixed to an underframe of the vehicle body. A lateral edge profile of the aluminium honeycomb floor is fixed to the underframe through a rubber block with a bolt. The rubber block is fixed in a groove of the underframe and the head of the bolt is embedded in the rubber block. A bolt rod of the bolt is fixed to the aluminium honeycomb floor. Thus, metal connection between the aluminium honeycomb floor and the vehicle body is completely avoided.
Because of the connection between the bolt rod and the aluminium honeycomb floor, the assembly of this floor to the underframe requires low tolerances and is relatively complex and time-consuming.
A vehicle body with a floating floor is illustrated in WO15037100 . The floating floor includes a set of floor panels that cover an underframe of the vehicle body. The adjacent edges of two adjacent floor panels are fixed to a common T-shaped rail, which rests on an elastic member fixed to the underframe. The underframe is provided with a hook-shaped protrusion, which co-operates with a corresponding hook fixed to the T-shaped rail to limit the vertical and horizontal relative motion between the T-shaped rail and the underframe. The assembly process necessitates a precise positioning of the four different structural elements, which may prove difficult or time-consuming.
A railway box car with a floor assembly having a primary floor and secondary floor is known from US 2003/196567 A1 . A covering plate for flooring in a railway car is known from WO98/09860 A1 .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention aims to provide a structure that simplifies the assembly of the floor to the underframe of a public transportation vehicle.
According to the invention, there is provided a vehicle body of a public transportation vehicle having the features of claim 1.
Because the floor panels are no longer fixed to the underframe in the vertical direction, a significant assembly time is saved. Once the first floor panel has been put in place on the underframe, the assembly of the second floor panel is particularly simple.
The floor panels can have an aluminium honeycomb structure covered on the upper face with linoleum and, if necessary, with a heat and/or noise insulation material on the lower face.
According to one embodiment, the vehicle body further comprises opposite side walls and/or opposite access doors on opposite sides of the underframe, wherein the floor panels extend from one of the opposite side walls or opposite access doors to the other. Preferably, each of the floor panels extends transversally from one of the opposite side walls to the other.
Means are provided for retaining the floor panels in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle with respect to the underframe. More specifically, the underframe is provided with one or more retention channels extending in a transverse direction of the vehicle body and each provided with opposite retention walls that are parallel to a vertical transverse plane of the vehicle body and wherein at least one, and preferably only one, of the floor panels is provided with one or more retention protrusions received in the one or more retention channels between the opposite retention walls at a distance of each of the opposite retention walls, the retention channel and retention protrusion being preferably made of light metal. The space between the protrusion and each of the retention walls ensures a limited freedom of movement of the floor panel in the direction perpendicular to the retention walls, i.e. in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. The protrusion can be a continuous rib that protrudes downwardly from the floor panel. The retention channel is preferably a U-shaped profile. The distance between the two retention walls is preferably between 20 and 40 mm. Preferably, the one or more retention channels are each provided with resilient elements between each of the retention walls and the one or more retention protrusions. The protrusion is preferably at a distance of each or the resilient elements, at least in a nominal position of the vehicle body.
Advantageously, the overlapping edge profile and overlapped edge profile are provided with one or more interlocking cavities and protuberances.
The upper faces of the first and second floor panels are flush with one another, and the interlocking edge profiles are located below the common floor plane.
The one or more retention protrusions protrude downwardly from the overlapped edge profile.
Advantageously, the second floor panel has no direct contact with the underframe. Accordingly, the position of the second floor panel in the longitudinal direction is set by the inteelocking with the first floor panel.
Preferably, the vehicle body is further provided with fixing means for fixing the overlapping edge profile to the overlapped edge profile. Once assembled, the first and second floor panels form a unit.
According to a preferred embodiment, the first panel is an intermediate panel, located at a distance of the two ends of the vehicle body. Preferably, the set of floor panels comprises a third floor panel adjacent to the first floor panel, the first floor panel being located longitudinally between the second and third floor panels, the first floor panel being provided with a further overlapped edge profile, the third floor panel being provided with a further overlapping edge profile that overlaps the further overlapped edge profile, wherein the further overlapping edge profile rests on the further overlapped edge profile. The first floor panel is the first to be installed on the underframe. The second and third panels are installed in subsequent steps of the assembly process. Only the first floor panel has to be precisely positioned with respect to the underframe. The second and third floor panels, on the other hand, are positioned relative to the first floor panel. Preferably, the first floor panel is substantially shorter than the second and third floor panels. In one embodiment, the length of the first floor panel measured in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body is between 1/5 and 1/3 of the length of the second and third floor panels, which are preferably substantially equal.
The two overlapping edge profiles have preferably the same shape, and the two overlapped edge profiles too. Fixing means can be provided for fixing the further overlapping edge profile to the further overlapped edge profile.
According to one embodiment, the unit formed by the first, second and third floor panels is retained in the longitudinal direction solely by the retaining channel and the one or more retaining protrusions.
Alternatively, the underframe is provided with at least a further retention channel extending in a transverse direction of the vehicle body and provided with opposite retention walls that are parallel to a vertical transverse plane of the vehicle body and the further overlapped edge profile is provided with one or more further protrusions received in the further retention channel between the opposite retention walls of the further retention channel. Preferably, the third floor panel has no contact with the underframe.
According to a preferred embodiment, the set of floor panels consists of the first, second and third floor panels, which cover an entire floor space of a saloon of the vehicle body. The floor panels are preferably mounted on the underframe before the side walls are erected.
According to an embodiment, the first floor panel extends transversally between two opposite access doors of the vehicle body, preferably centrally located between two ends of the vehicle body.
Advantageously, the vehicle body is further provided with resilient blocks, wherein the floor panels bear against an upper face of the resilient blocks, and a lower face of the resilient blocks bears against the underframe. Preferably, the resilient blocks include resilient profiles that extend in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. As the floor panels rest on the resilient pads, a true floating floor is realised. According to one embodiment, the resilient profiles include side profiles that are located along longitudinal edge profiles of the floor panels. Additional profiles parallel to the two side profiles may be located at intermediate locations between the two side profiles. The profiles preferably extend along the whole length of the vehicle body, if necessary with small interruptions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Other advantages and features of the invention will then become more clearly apparent from the following description of a specific embodiment of the invention given as a non-restrictive example only and represented in the accompanying drawings in which:

figure 1 is a diagrammatic illustration of a rail vehicle provided with two vehicle bodies according to one embodiment of the invention.
figure 2 is a section through line A-A of figure 1;
figure 3 is a section through line B-B of figure 1;
figure 4 is a section through line C-C of figure 1;
figure 5 is a section through line D-D of figure 1.

Corresponding reference numerals refer to the same or corresponding parts in each of the figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A multiple unit vehicle illustrated in figure 1 consists of a front vehicle 10 having a vehicle body 12 provided with a driver's cabin 14 and a passenger saloon 16, one or more optional intermediate vehicles 18 each with a vehicle body 20 with a with passenger saloon 22 extending from one end, and an end vehicle (not shown) which can be with or without driver's cabin. Each vehicle body 12, 20 has a structure consisting of structural subunits such as an underframe, opposite side walls 24 and a roof. Each vehicle body has a vertical median plane and a horizontal longitudinal axis 100.
The underframe of each vehicle is covered with a floor assembly 26 consisting in a set of three floor panels, namely a first floor panel 28 of short length positioned in the middle of the saloon laterally between two access doors 29 of the vehicle, and a second floor panel 30 and a third panel 32 positioned each at one end of the first floor panel 28. The second floor panel 30 is located towards the front end of the vehicle and is shorter than the third floor panel 32 in the front vehicle 10 due to the presence of the driver's cabin 14. In the intermediate vehicles 18 the second and third floor panels 30, 32 are substantially identical with one another. The first floor panel 28 accounts for approximately 1/10^th of the overall length of the saloon of the front vehicle 10 and 1/11^th of the length of the saloon of the intermediate vehicles. The second floor panel accounts for 4/10^th of the overall length of the saloon 16 of the front vehicle and 5/11^th of the length of the saloon 22 of the intermediate vehicles 18. The third floor panel 30, which is identical for all vehicles, accounts for half of the overall length of the saloon 16 of the front vehicle 10 and 5/11^th of the length of the saloon 22 of the intermediate vehicles 18. The second and third floor panels 30, 32 are made of four or five modular units, which are fixed together before assembly onto the vehicle body. The floor panels 28, 30, 32 define a horizontal floor plane of the vehicle body.
As illustrated in figures 2 to 4 , each floor panel 28, 30, 32 comprises an aluminium honeycomb core 34 faced with upper and lower epoxy coated aluminium sheets 36, 38 and framed into aluminium extrusions. The floor panels are covered with a floor covering material 40 such as linoleum or rubber and bonded to the upper aluminium sheet 36 under control conditions before assembly into the vehicle. If and where necessary, the lower aluminium sheet 38 can be covered with a heat and/or noise insulation layer (not shown).
As illustrated in figure 5 , the underframe 42 of the vehicle body 24 is provided with parallel longitudinal channels 44, which extend substantially over the whole length of the saloon and are distributed at regular intervals in the width direction, with at least two channels 44 close to the two side walls 25 and one to three additional intermediate channels (not shown). Each of these longitudinal channels 24 receives an extruded profile of resilient material 46, e.g. silicone rubber, which runs over the whole length of the channel 44, with or without interruptions or gaps. These extruded profiles form resilient blocks which support the whole weight of the floor panels 28, 30, 32.
As shown in figures 2 and 3 , the first floor panel 28 and second floor panels 30 have interlocked aluminium edge profiles 48, 50 that extend in the transverse direction of the vehicle body 12, 20. More precisely, the edge profile 48 of the first floor panel that faces the second floor panel 30 is partly overlapped by the corresponding overlapping edge profile 50 of the second panel 30. The overlapping edge profile 50 is provided with a tapered cavity 52 opened downwardly, and the overlapped edge profile 48 with a tapered protruding key 54 that faces upwardly and is received in the tapered cavity 52. The two slanted faces of the tapered protruding key 54 bear against two slanted faces of the tapered cavity 52. There is no contact between the bottom of the cavity 52 and the tapered protruding key 54. At regular intervals, fixings 56 are used to secure the connection between the overlapping edge profile 50 and the overlapped edge profile 48.
The overlapped edge profile 48 of the first floor panel 28 is provided with a retention rib 58 that protrudes downwards and received in a U-shaped retention channel 60 of the underframe structure. The retention rib 58 and the retention channel 60 extend over substantially the whole width of the first floor panel 28. The retention channel 60 has two opposite retention walls 62, which are at a distance from one another and from the retention rib 58. Resilient extruded pads 64 are interposed between the retention rib 58 and the retention walls 62, preferably without contact with the retention rib 58, at least in a nominal position of the first floor panel 28. The retention rib 58 is without contact with the bottom of the retention channel 60. As can be readily understood, the retention rib 58 and retention channel 60 do not contribute to the vertical support of the first floor panel 28, but ensure a proper positioning of the first floor panel 58 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, within a limited range determined by the retention walls 62.
A similar arrangement is provided at the interface between the first floor panel 28 and the third floor panel 32, as illustrated in figure 4 . The edge profile 148 of the first floor panel that faces the third floor panel 32 is the mirror image of the opposite edge profile 48. The corresponding edge profile 150 of the third floor panel is the mirror image of the edge profile 50 of the second floor panel. More precisely, the edge profile 148 of the first floor panel that faces the third floor panel 30 is partly overlapped by the corresponding overlapping edge profile 150 of the third panel 30. The overlapping edge profile 150 is provided with a tapered cavity 152 opened downwardly, and the overlapped edge profile 148 with a tapered protruding key 154 that faces upwardly and is received in the tapered cavity 152. The two slanted faces of the tapered protruding key 154 bear against two slanted faces of the tapered cavity 152. There is no contact between the bottom of the cavity 152 and the tapered protruding key 154. At regular intervals, fixings similar to the fixings 56 are used to secure the connection between the overlapping edge profile 150 and the overlapped edge profile 148. Optionally, the overlapped edge profile 148 may be provided with a retention rib 158 and the underframe 42 with a further retention channel 160 with two retention walls 162 covered by resilient pads 164.
The assembly of the floor starts with the first floor panel 28, which is laid on the resilient blocks 46 and fitted into the retention channel(s) 60. The second and third floor panels 30, 32 can then be laid on the resilient blocks 46 and the tapered cavities 42 interlocked with the tapered protruding keys. The fixings 56 are screwed to fasten the second and third floor panels 30, 32 to the first floor panel 28. Discs of covering 66 are applied to fill the access holes to the fixings 56 and the joints 68 between adjacent pieces of floor covering 40 at the junction of the three floor panels 28, 30, 32 are sealed.
The floor assembly 26 as a whole rests on the resilient blocks 48. The retention ribs 58, 158 and retention channels 60, 160 ensure an accurate positioning of the floor assembly 26 in the longitudinal direction and retain the floor assembly 26 as a whole whilst preserving acoustic isolation from the underframe structure. Lateral retention is provided by the interface with the access doors 29 and vertical retention by the close proximity of the body side panels and draught screens, etc. The floor assembly is designed to allow for thermal expansion and contraction mostly in the longitudinal direction and also, to a lesser albeit sufficient extent, in the lateral direction.
While the above example illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention, various other arrangements can also be considered, provided they fall under the scope of the appended claims. In particular, the location, number and shape of the resilient blocks 46 may vary.

Claims

A vehicle body (12, 20) of a public transportation vehicle, the vehicle body (12, 20) having a longitudinal direction (100), the vehicle body comprising an underframe (42), a set of floor panels (28, 30, 32) covering the underframe (42), wherein the floor panels (28, 30, 32) rest on the underframe (42) without being fixed to the underframe (42) in a vertical direction, wherein the set of floor panels (28, 30, 32) includes at least a first floor panel (28) and a second floor panel (30) that are interlocked with one another, wherein the second floor panel (30) is provided with an overlapping edge profile (50) that overlaps with an overlapped edge profile (48) of the first floor panel (48) and rests on the overlapped edge profile (48), wherein the underframe (42) is provided with one or more retention channels (60, 160) extending in a transverse direction of the vehicle body (12, 20) and each provided with opposite retention walls (62, 162) that are parallel to a vertical transverse plane of the vehicle body (12, 20) and wherein at least one of the floor panels (28, 30, 32) is provided with one or more retention protrusions (58, 158) received in the one or more retention channels (60, 160) between the opposite retention walls (62, 162) at a distance of each of the opposite retention walls (62, 162) and the one or more retention protrusions (58, 158) protrude downwardly from the overlapped edge profile (48,148).
The vehicle body (12, 20) of claim 1, further comprising opposite side walls (24) and/or opposite access doors (29) on opposite sides of the underframe (42), wherein the floor panels extend from one of the opposite side walls (24) or opposite access doors (29) to the other.
The vehicle body (12, 20) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein only one of the floor panels (28, 30, 32) is provided with one or more retention protrusions (58, 158) received in the one or more retention channels (60, 160) between the opposite retention walls (62, 162) at a distance of each of the opposite retention walls (62, 162).
The vehicle body (12, 20) of claim 3, wherein the one or more retention channels (60, 160) are each provided with resilient elements (64, 164) between each of the retention walls (62, 162) and the one or more retention protrusions (58, 158).
The vehicle body (12, 20) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the overlapping edge profile (50) and overlapped edge profile (48) are provided with one or more interlocking cavities (52) and protuberances (54).
The vehicle body (12, 20) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second floor panel (30) has no direct contact with the underframe (42).
The vehicle body (12, 20) of any one of the preceding claims, further provided with fixing means (56) for fixing the overlapping edge profile (50) to the overlapped edge profile (48).
The vehicle body (12, 20) of the preceding claims, wherein the set of floor panels (28, 30, 32) comprises a third floor panel (32) adjacent to the first floor panel (28), the first floor panel (28) being located longitudinally between the second and third floor panels (30, 32), the first floor panel (28) being provided with a further overlapped edge profile (148), the third floor panel (32) being provided with a further overlapping edge profile (150) that overlaps the further overlapped edge profile (148), wherein the further overlapping edge profile (150) rests on the further overlapped edge profile (148).
The vehicle body (12, 20) of claim 8, wherein the underframe (42) is provided with at least a further retention channel (160) extending in a transverse direction of the vehicle body and provided with opposite retention walls (162) that are parallel to a vertical transverse plane of the vehicle body and the further overlapped edge profile (148) is provided with one or more further protrusions (158) received in the further retention channel (160) between the opposite retention walls (162) of the further retention channel (160).
The vehicle body (12, 20) of any one of claims 8 to 9, wherein the third floor panel (32) has no contact with the underframe (42).
The vehicle body (12, 20) of claim 8 or claim 9, wherein the set of floor panels (28, 30 32) consists of the first, second and third floor panels (28, 30, 32), which cover an entire floor space of a saloon of the vehicle body (12, 20).
The vehicle body (12, 20) of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the first floor panel (28) extends transversally between two opposite access doors (29) of the vehicle body (12, 20).
The vehicle body (12, 20) of any one of the preceding claims, further provided with resilient blocks (46), wherein the floor panels (28, 30, 32) bear against an upper face of the resilient blocks (46), and a lower face of the resilient blocks (46) bears against the underframe (42).
The vehicle body (12, 20) of claim 13 wherein the resilient blocks (46) include resilient profiles that extend in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle body (12, 20).
The vehicle body (12, 20) of claim 14 wherein the resilient profiles (46) include side profiles that are located along longitudinal edge profiles of the floor panels (28, 30, 32).