FR2836654A1 - System for making intermodal transport vehicles comprises hydraulically motorized wheel pivots and integrated gas damper means - Google Patents

Abstract

The intermodal transport vehicle comprises hydraulically motorized wheel pivots and integrated gas damper means. There are means for adjusting the height of the wheels and wheel motors. Each wheel pivot is supplied from a central hydraulic unit driven by the vehicle's heat engine. The wheel pivot comprises a tire (1) on the rim (2) on which a hydraulic motor (3) is fixed. An arm (4) is rigidly fixed on a motor shoulder and extends in a bend (5) above the wheel vertical axis (XX'). The angled top of the arm is extended by a tube (6) sliding in an annular hydraulic actuator (7). A piston (8) integral with a rod (9) fixed on the vehicle chassis slides in the tube bore (10).

Description

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System for producing intermodal transport vehicles, road, train, river, sea and its applications.

The invention relates to a set of means of construction of intermodal transport vehicles or VTI, able to make them combinable with all other modes of transport to unclog the roads and optimize the general logistics of the transport of goods, combined rail-road-river- sea. VTIs are compatible with the maximum capacity authorized by the Highway Code, compatible with gauge A for rail loading in international transport, on existing wagons and for transport on container ships.

Intermodal transport units (UTI) are already known. UTI: containers, swap bodies and semi-trailers suitable (partially) for intermodal transport.

Maritime container: container strong enough to be stacked in a cellular vessel and gripped from above. It generally meets the standards laid down by the International Organization for Standardization ISO.

Swap body: Unit designed for the transport of goods, optimally adapted to the dimensions of road vehicles and equipped with gripping elements allowing transhipment between modes, usually rail / road.

Semi-trailer: a vehicle without a motor for transporting goods, intended to be coupled to a motor vehicle in such a way that a substantial part of its weight and of the load is supported by said vehicle. It may be subject to specific adaptations to suit combined transport.

 The containers do not meet all the needs of shippers (those who entrust others with the care of delivering their goods to a recipient), in particular they are too narrow to accept two standard pallets across their width (the most used in Europe are: 1000nun x 1200mm ISO and 800mm x 1200mm CEN. The swap bodies are adapted to be easily transferred between rail and road and vice versa; wider than containers, they are suitable for easy palletizing, but on the other hand , they are more fragile and are not superimposable ITUs, containers and swap bodies require handling means such as cranes to ensure transshipment between modes in pre and post routing.

 Three types of road vehicles are currently known for the transport of goods: * the truck: motor vehicle comprising a space reserved for loading; * the articulated unit: motor vehicle coupled to a semi-trailer; * road train: motor vehicle with a trailer coupled without an engine.

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These road vehicles are generally not suitable for intermodal transport. They are limited, in terms of combined accompanied or unaccompanied transport, to modes of transport such as the ferry-boat or the train. Transport on train and ferry boat requires wedging and stowage before departure. The loading and unloading are carried out at the end and their duration is long. The capacity of the ferry boats is limited and it is not easy to unload and load trucks in the middle of the train or among the on-board trucks because all those who are in the way should be taken out.

 The containers, not being motorized, are dependent on the availability of handling equipment and transport vehicles: train and road vehicles. The dependence of modes of transport on each other creates bottlenecks detrimental to the efficiency of current intermodal transport.

 All these drawbacks are overcome by VTIs which are new loading units which present the advantages of containers, swap bodies and semi-trailers without having the drawbacks, and which are optimized for autonomous transshipments between modes.

 The VTIs according to the invention are produced in various forms according to their function, starting from the same basic concept constituted by hydraulically motorized wheel pivots, orientable on 1800 (900 on the left or 900 on the right), comprising gas shock absorbing means and means for adjusting the height of the position of the wheels until complete retraction. These wheels, lm in diameter, allow driving at 100 km / hour. Each wheel is autonomous and is powered from a hydraulic power unit driven by a diesel engine. These wheel pivots allow the VTI to have the bottom of their floor at ground clearance, about 300mm. Their curb weight is much lower than that of conventional or semi-trailer trucks. The carrying volume of VTIs is therefore much greater than that of other comparable vehicles, because due to their low floor height they can carry two levels of pallets with a movable intermediate floor.

 Because the VTIs can fully retract all their wheels and rest on the ground, with a self-supporting hull of sufficient strength, they can be used as motorized containers stackable on 3 or 4 levels. These VTI motorized containers get on and off container ships without assistance from port handling facilities. This total autonomy of the VTI allows very significant time savings in intermodal transport without the intervention of actors outside the combined transport. These VTI containers can be gripped from above, stacked on several levels, like containers, and are suitable for mass river and sea transport.

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This autonomy of VTIs limits the infrastructure necessary for intermodal transhipment to the strict minimum (parking and a maritime, river or rail quay).

 For the transport of 20 or 40-foot containers, the container-carrying VTIs are fitted out in double gantry joined by a rigid beam, like log-carrying trucks, their wheel pivots at 1800 allow them to move laterally in relation to the containers and lower themselves down on them to load them by locking their ISO standard corners on the gantry cranes equipped for this purpose, then hydraulically pull their wheels out to transport them either from a company or from a platform to the station the nearest, either from a station at the nearest port to drop the containers near the cranes that will load them on a container ship, or on low carts that are maneuverable by small tractors.

The 20-foot containers can be transported in pairs with VTIs including a gantry trailer also fitted with swivel hydraulic wheels.

 The VTI pallet trucks with motorized trailer with pivots have a carrying capacity of 34 CEN pallets which can be increased to 72 CEN pallets on two levels. The capacity of a 12.20m (40ft) semi-trailer is 30 CEN pallets. This VTI has a total length of 18m 75 (maximum authorized by the Highway Code). The loading length is 15.60m equivalent to three 20ft containers (3 TEU).

TEU / TEU-Equivalent twenty feet: unit of measurement corresponding to an ISO container 20 feet long (6, 10m), used to estimate transport capacities or flows. A 40 feet ISO standard 1 series container corresponds to 2 TEU / TEU.

 The simple VTI with 4 axles and 32 tonnes, with 2 levels for the transport of 42 to 43 CEN pallets, with a length of 12m and whose pallet loading length is 20.40m with its 2 levels thanks to its floor in terms of clearance at ground level In comparison, a semi-trailer truck with a floor length of 15.50m-GVW 40 tonnes and payload 24 tonnes has a capacity of 38 CEN pallets, 4 to 5 pallets less than this simple VTI .

 To be entirely intermodal, the VTI container is combined with autonomous loading and unloading means integrated into container ships intended mainly but not exclusively for the transport of VTIs. These integrated handling means, gangways that can be brought up to the quay, overhead traveling cranes and gantries, make it possible to divide by at least four, the transhipment time by the most efficient current means equipping specialized ports for container traffic. The container ship VTI can be operated from ports or docks not specialized in container traffic (no cranes, gantries or straddle carriers, forklifts etc.).

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 The VTIs according to the invention get on and off railway wagons on their own, anywhere in the train because all their wheels can rotate from 30 to 900 depending on the wheel arch.

The wagon / load pair (wagon-VTI) to register in the profile of the civil engineering works of the railway lines traveled must respect the space limits corresponding to the template A approved by UIC (Union Internationale des Chemins de Fer) which is the gauge whose total wagon height + VTI and the width on either side of the central axis of the track are the smallest. On a wagon with a floor / rail height of 0.80m, the height of the VTI container of 3.05m allows a useful interior height of 2.70m very satisfactory for loaders and greater than that of semi-trailers (2.50m ) and containers (2.30m). On these wagons, the VTI container is loaded from the side by pivoting all its wheels on the order of 300 or 900 then by performing a lateral translation at an angle of 30 or 90. At the end of movement, in the transport position on the wagon, it raises its wheels to rest the underside of the VTI on the wagon floor, on which it can be locked like a container. The container VTIs get on the wagons by tilting their wheels at 90, drop the container (s) and get off the wagon to go back to load other containers or bring back empty containers.

 Container VTIs have the advantage of not being immobilized on a railway wagon or on a container ship. These are vehicles that operate in noria over short distances between logistics platforms or businesses and stations and between station and port or port and station. They considerably reduce the downtime of containers and allow their use to be extended to many companies.

 By their reinforced structure, comparable to that of maritime containers, VTI containers are suitable for handling by the various means used on intermodal platforms for transhipment on wagon or on ships: cranes, gantry cranes, straddle carriers etc. with gripping frames with roof locking or telescopic arm for gripping at the base.

 The economic, ecological and human advantages provided by VTIs and their complementary means (VTI carrier ships and VTI carrier wagons) are as follows: * savings in consumables: lower consumption of fuel, tires, etc.

 * economy of technical resources: reduction in the number of vehicles and extension of their service life; economy of human resources: reduction in the number of truck drivers, better working conditions, safety, reduction in the number of accidents;

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 * infrastructure savings: liberation of saturated highways and better use of under-capacity railways; the transport of VTI by sea or river requires only minimal infrastructure compared to the masses transported and the distances traveled; economy: it is no longer necessary to build new road axes to cope with the increase in traffic when road transport does not pay the use of road infrastructure at the right price, which, for the community, can be treated as a grant; e time savings: in combined transport, VTIs escape the regulatory constraints linked to road transport (35 hours, driving time, driving bans) and can be operated 24 hours a day and 7 days a week:. space saving: existing railways provide service throughout the territory without creating new roads to meet the growing need for freight transport; * energy saving: in terms of total mass moved, the 40-ton road assembly is replaced by a 65-ton railway assembly. The traction of a rail ton consumes three times less energy than that of a road ton. The reduction in energy needs is 30% for the road part, with the adoption of hydraulic power transmission, and 50% for the rail part. Transport by river or sea further increases this economy by a factor of 2:. reduction of pollution: in certain agglomerations and on certain motorways, a real and consequent improvement in air quality can only be possible by avoiding the saturation of urban space. Multimodal links by sea make it possible to unclog and safeguard sensitive ecological zones seriously threatened by the increase in road transport such as the Pyrenees, the Alps, the German-Polish border while reducing transport costs for shippers; * noise reduction: our fellow citizens bear less and less the noise aggressions and the risks induced for their health which are generated by the trucks on our roads, in this respect a competitive maritime service thanks to the VTI technology will bring a solution appreciated by all.

 The pivoting hydraulic wheels apply to the production of all types of transport vehicles with or without a low bed or construction site vehicles.

 The VTI vehicles according to the invention are described below in the following text with reference to the accompanying drawings given by way of non-limiting examples, in which:

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 Figure 1 shows, in elevational section an example of a hydraulically powered wheel pivot with total retraction thereof along the entire height of the ground clearance; . FIG. 2 shows, in section in elevation, another example of a wheel pivot at 900 on the right and on the left, without retraction of the wheel; . Figure 3 shows a wheel pivot according to Figure 1, rotated 90; . FIG. 4 shows an example of a wheel pivot seen from above with the fixing of its hydraulic rotary jack ensuring the orientation of the wheel; * Figure 5 shows an example of attachment of a non-motorized wheel pivot, * Figures 6 and 7 show, seen in cross section and in section in elevation, the rotary hydraulic motor mounted on the drive wheel pivots; * Figures 8 to 10 show an example of an articulated container vehicle 2 times twenty feet, seen in elevation, in side view and in top view, made with. motorized wheel pivots with retractable wheel, for intermodal combined transport; * Figure 11 shows, in elevation view, an example of a 40-foot container vehicle; * Figures 12, 13 and 14 show, seen in elevation, seen at the end and seen from above, an example of a road vehicle for transporting in particular pallets; * Figures 15, 16 and 17 show, seen in elevation, at the end and seen from above, an example of a stackable container vehicle articulated for intermodal combined transport; * Figures 18,19, 20 and 21 show, seen in elevation, at the end, in section and seen from above, an example of a stackable container vehicle articulated for intermodal combined transport; . Figures 22, 23 and 24 show, seen from above, the location of the drawbar, and its position during steering maneuvers of articulated vehicles and an example of drawbar carriage hydraulically retractable at the end of the turn; * The figures show, in top view, an example of loading and unloading, by their own means, of container VTIs on a railway wagon; . FIG. 26 shows an example of a container vehicle in the process of loading or unloading a container laterally on a low maneuvering cart in the factory; * Figure 27 shows a factory tractor pulling a container placed on a low maneuvering cart; * Figure 28 shows a container moved back until penetration of a conveyor belt bringing the packages to be loaded into the container, the tractor advancing or reversing the container on its trolley as required;

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 * Figure 29 shows the loading on a semi-trailer truck, of containers each placed on a low cart with special wheels by a container vehicle, by means of a tractor which pushes them on the profiles in 1 constituting the chassis of the truck on which the containers will be fixed by their ISO corners; * Figure 30 shows an example of a low container carrier trolley in half cross-section; w Figures 31, 32 and 33 show, seen in section in elevation, in cross section and seen from above, a container ship adapted to allow the VTI to enter perpendicularly into it by its own means, as well as the containers placed on a low trolley, on an interior gangway equipped with means for raising to a height relative to the quay, and handling means for stacking it like a container; . Figures 34 and 35 show an example of an annular hydraulic cylinder according to the invention for causing the wheels to pivot; . Figures 36 and 37 show variants of wheel pivots whose pivot axis is on the side of the wheel.

 Figure 1 shows, in elevation section an example of a hydraulically powered wheel pivot with total retraction thereof along the entire height of the ground clearance G. It includes the tire 1 on the rim 2 on which is fixed a hydraulic motor 3 with 10-speed rotating casing in both directions of rotation. This hydraulic motor is the subject of a separate invention patent. It is described briefly below.

An arm 4 is rigidly fixed to an 8-sided shoulder of the motor and extends at an elbow 5 above the vertical axis of the wheel XX '. The bent top 5 of the arm 4 is extended vertically along the axis XX ′ by a tube 6 sliding in an annular hydraulic cylinder 7 with paddles in the bore of which it is keyed. A fixed piston 8, integral with a rod 9 fixed to the chassis of the vehicle, slides in the bore 10 of the tube 6 closed in leaktight manner at its upper end by a plug 11. The rigidity of the sliding assembly is obtained d on the one hand by the fixing in the upper part to the chassis of the shouldered rod 9, by a nut and a counter-nut2, and on the other hand by a rigid support 13 secured to the chassis on which the annular cylinder 7 is fixed. This cylinder annular can rotate 360, but is preferably limited to 180. In the retracted position 15, the underside of the wheel is at the level of the underside 16 of the low floor 17 after a stroke C equal to the ground clearance G, ie approximately 300mm. The leveling of the wheel is carried out by an oil pressure passing through the hole 18 to push the arm 4 down or vice versa.

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To retract the wheel, an oil pressure is sent, via a solenoid valve in the conduit 19 drilled in the rod 9, ending under the plug 11 in the volume 20.

The vertical damping of the wheel is obtained by means of at least one accumulator A1, A2 per pivot, for example with nitrogen (FIG. 2).

These hydraulic energy accumulators provide assistance with starting and emergency functions when there is no HP in the event of a thermal engine failure or a hydraulic line rupture. The hydraulic pressure of all the wheel pivots of the same vehicle is measured on a common circuit so as to be equalized. This overall pressure provides the total mass in tonnes of the vehicle, both laden and unladen. This information is displayed on a digital display on the control panel on the dashboard. In the same way, this information can be provided by wheel pivot or by axle (on these vehicles there is no longer an axle; by "axle" two wheel pivots forming a virtual axle) by isolating it from the circuit. common by solenoid valves. We also act on the height of each pivot relative to the others, in particular to compensate for the wear of certain tires. We can also collect this information at the support of the rod 9 on the chassis by means of strain gauges by bringing this information on a diagram which also informs if a wheel deflates. In normal operation, the hydraulic wheel motors are supplied together, but they absorb a flow depending on the grip of the wheel they drive and according to their cornering needs. With mechanical differential axles, the axle is blocked when a wheel slips. The second wheel has no more torque because the axle turns on itself, there can no longer be any torque transmission, even if the internal combustion engine is accelerated. This differential bridge function is ensured between the two hydraulic wheel motors of an "axle", both when turning and losing wheel grip (slippage), by using one of the displacements of each of the wheel motors as a compressor. inside the bend to return, by a pipe connecting them and controlled by a solenoid valve, their flow on the same displacement of the other motor of each "axle", the additional flow returned is managed by a microprocessor which ensures the speed difference between internal wheels and external wheels when cornering by acting on the displacement control solenoid valves. The same applies in the event of one or more wheels slipping. When a wheel skates, the resistant force disappears. It is controlled by a pressure sensor which informs the microprocessor by comparison with the second wheel of the axle. The flow returned is added to the flow received by the motor whose wheel has better grip, for example at 200 bars, the operating pressure of the engine displacement which receives this additional flow increases to 400 bars, that is to say receives the entire "axle" torque.

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This optimizes the engine torque permanently to each wheel according to its grip on the ground which depends on the state of the road, humidity, slippery waste (soil, ice ...) and the state of tires and their different wear.

A worn tire has its outer diameter reduced by 3 to 4 cm, or about 13 cm per revolution, which changes the speed of this wheel compared to a new tire. Thus, the rotational speeds of the wheels are self-adjusting according to their adhesion and wear.

l'amortissement en virages sur les pivots se trouvant à l'extérieur du virage en envoyant une surpression momentanée sur les amortisseurs en cause, contrôlée par les capteurs de pression se trouvant sur chaque pivot en coopération avec le microprocesseur de commande.. la figure 2 montre, en coupe en élévation, un autre exemple de pivot de roue à 900 à droite et à gauche, sans rétraction de la roue. Il comporte les mêmes organes que sur la figure 1, mais les courses étant réduites au simple amortissement de roue, le pivot est très compact puisqu'il n'occupe au dessus de la roue qu'un espace de moins de 300mm. Le tube 6 devient le 25 et la tige 9 devient la 26. Les autres organes sont identiques à ceux de la figure 1. The hydraulic suspension of the pivots makes it possible to cause the "hardening" of

damping in bends on the pivots outside the bend by sending a momentary overpressure on the shock absorbers in question, controlled by the pressure sensors located on each pivot in cooperation with the control microprocessor. Figure 2 shows, in section in elevation, another example of a wheel pivot at 900 on the right and on the left, without retraction of the wheel. It has the same members as in FIG. 1, but the strokes being reduced to simple wheel damping, the pivot is very compact since it occupies above the wheel only a space of less than 300mm. The tube 6 becomes the 25 and the rod 9 becomes the 26. The other members are identical to those of FIG. 1.

For non-directional pivots, the jack 7 is replaced by a keyed sheath fixed on a rigid support such as 13; the tube 6 or 25 slides in the sheath during the damping of the irregularities of the road on which the vehicle is traveling. The pivot is included inside a formwork 28. When the vehicle wheels do not need to be pivoted 90 to move transversely, this pivoting is limited to 30 for example on either side of the direction of displacement, which reduces the depth of the formwork 28 and frees up more storage space on the floor.

 FIG. 3 shows a pivot with a retractable wheel whose wheel is turned 90. The reference numbers are the same as those in Figure 1.

 Figure 4 shows an example of a steerable swivel wheel seen from above with the fixing of its hydraulic rotary actuator 7 on a support 13 laterally secured to the formwork 28. This formwork is reinforced to the right of the pivot fasteners. The pivot axis 30 can be offset towards the outside to reduce the depth of the formwork 28 when the wheel 31 is turned 90, which allows room to accommodate more pallets.

 FIG. 5 shows an example of attachment of a non-motorized wheel pivot to the rim 35 on which the tire 1 with a diameter of approximately Imeter is mounted. The rim 35 is turned over 180 relative to its position when it receives a hydraulic motor and the arm 4 is fixed on an intermediate piece 36 which is fixed on the same shoulder 37 of the rim as the hydraulic motor.

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 Normally each non-powered wheel should be fitted with a brake. But as the motorized wheels act as a brake with all the power of their hydraulic motor.

The braking capacity is much higher than it is on conventional trucks without the need to add conventional brakes on non-motorized wheels. The braking of the wheels is controlled, without locking the wheels, by means of a solenoid valve returning to the oil tank without pressure (tarpaulin).

 Figures 6 and 7 show, seen in cross section and in section in elevation, the rotary hydraulic motor mounted on the drive wheel pivots, a brief description of which will better understand the advantage of this new generation of intermodal transport vehicles. As shown, this motor has 4 displacements A, B, C, D, equidistant and of a different volume, formed in the stator 40 of outer radius R and inner radius r, a rotor 41 rotates concentrically at stator 40 on bearings 42,43; a large clearance J between the stator and the rotor makes it possible to absorb internal expansion or overpressure. The rotor has 24 equidistant grooves 44 and oriented radially towards the center, in which 24 valve vanes 45 self-piloted by ia high pressure HP slide in the active displacements, flanges 46, 47 ensure a tight closure of the displacements. They are assembled by prestressed bolts 48. Annular grooves 49.50 constitute differential pressure chambers 51 in line with the pallet housings 45. These annular chambers 49, 50 are at the pressure Pi of the casing, which is controlled from the central unit hydraulic through an orifice 52. In the absence of HP pressure in line with a displacement, the pallets 45 rise to the bottom of their housing under the action of the pressure Pi always greater than the low pressure BP.

Each displacement at its ends a ramp RI, R2 can be either an entry ramp or an exit ramp according to the direction of rotation. Each of the ramps RI, R2 is provided with a groove RAI, RA2 for supplying HP and evacuating LP to the tank, leading to a pipe 53 for admission or exhaust of the working fluid. The direction of application of the working fluid has been illustrated by arrows F on the pallets 45. The thrust of the HP on each of the active pallets is equal to F bars / cm2 multiplied by the active surface of the pallet. The operating pressure ranges from 185 to 250 bars with a maximum of 350 bars. Each displacement is delimited by its pre-active pallets located successively upstream and downstream and ensuring its tightness. The pallets become active only when they are fully engaged on the bottom of displacement r.

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 The pallets are T-shaped comprising shoulders 54, 55 cooperating with the annular grooves 49.50 making them self-piloting by the HP because they are pierced with holes allowing the HP to pass through them and push on the opposite surface 56 larger than the active surface 57, to cause them to descend by pressing on the radius r of the active displacement bottoms. The width of the shoulders 54.55 defines the contact pressure of the surface 57 of the pallets on the radius r; the pressure Pi acts on the shoulders 54, 55 to maintain the pallets at the bottom of their housing in the absence of HP in the displacement. The pressure Pi is represented by a shading with small points. Side pads 58,59 support the lateral forces of the engine. A bearing surface 60 allows the centering of the motor on the shoulder of the wheel rim bearing on a face 61 and the fixing is carried out by means of a set of tapped holes 62. The large tapped hole 63 receives a fixing screw of the pivoting arm centered on an eight-point seat 64. Each engine is equipped with a parking brake FP ensuring positive immobilization of the vehicle by means of a mechanical clutch.

 FIGS. 8 to 10 show an example of an articulated container vehicle 65, 66 of 2 times twenty feet, seen in elevation, side view and seen from above, produced with 8 motorized wheel pivots with retractable wheel 67, for intermodal combined transport. These wheel pivots are mounted as in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4. Each axle or pair of wheels is mounted on an identical gantry 68. The gantries 68 are secured to a box beam 69. The gantries are provided with corner locks ISO in correspondence with the ISO 70 corners of the 65 containers. The front 72 comprises a cabin 73 as well as the heat engine, the hydraulic power unit, the hydraulic oil tank and the fuel tank. The hydraulic pump of the hydraulic power unit can be a constant flow pump or a variable flow pump driven in rotation from, for example toothed pulleys and a toothed belt, the drive pulley being keyed on the output shaft of the thermal motor. The cab dashboard has a console with the various hydraulic controls. the console for the various hydraulic functions includes in particular: the retraction of the wheels and their return to the ground clearance level; the pivoting of the wheels to 90 for the lateral loading / unloading of the containers on wagon, on trolley or any other movement; position control of the articulation axis of the drawbar (s) when cornering; shifting of speeds AV, AR; weight control empty and loaded on digital display.

The oil flow supplying the hydraulic wheel motors is routed to these by means of rigid and flexible pipes and displacement control solenoid valves.

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Hydraulic accumulators are arranged in the gantries to accumulate braking energy and that of the suspension provided by the wheel pivots in the form of pressurized oil. When restarting, the accumulators restore the energy stored under braking and on the wheel pivots with each damping. This energy is also used in the event of a break in the supply line of the working fluid or in the event of a breakdown of the internal combustion engine to ensure emergency braking and the operation of the clutch brakes which positively immobilize the vehicle. These container vehicles only do pre-routing and post-routing over short distances. The container loading operation is carried out laterally. When it is above a container, it retracts its wheels until it touches the container, then the ISO corners are locked and the wheels are pulled out to the ground clearance G. To unload the containers, it performs the reverse maneuver, deposits the container on the ground then the ISO corners are unlocked, the wheels come out and the vehicle is released laterally. In plan view in FIG. 10, the wheels 74 are shown pivoted at 90 in the loading or unloading position. To facilitate in particular the loading of containers, a remote control button box for the lateral movement of the vehicle has been provided, acting on the solenoid valves for controlling the rotary wheel orientation jacks, on the supply of the engine displacement in the direction necessary for loading unloading, on the drop to the ground or for picking up or depositing on a low cart or for lifting it after locking on the vehicle gantry. The ISO corner locks of container vehicles can each be mounted on an articulated support to facilitate the loading and unloading of containers sideways by increasing the clearance of gantry cranes on each side of the container to be loaded.

The truck can be used alone to transport a single container, or with its motorized trailer as needed.

 Figure 11 shows, seen in elevation, an example of a 40 foot container vehicle 75. This vehicle comprises two gantries 76 identical to 4 wheel pivots each of which it is possible to motorize only two wheels per gantry. The gantries are assembled on a beam 77.

This vehicle operates like that of Figures 8,9 and 10.

 Figures 12, 13 and 14 show, seen in elevation, seen at the end and seen from above, an example of a road vehicle for transporting in particular pallets. This vehicle can have a total mass of 32 tonnes at maximum load. It comprises four pairs 80 of non-retractable wheel pivots (according to FIG. 2). It may only have four motorized wheels.

The eight wheel pivots can be swivel or only the four from the front depending on the maneuvers to be performed.

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When all the wheels are pivoting, the maneuvers are faster, which saves time. At the rear of the cabin 72, two berths can be provided superimposed above the front axle. This vehicle has a low floor, the underside of which is 300 mm from the ground. It further comprises a movable floor 83 which can be raised against the ceiling with a cable and pulley winch system. It rests on stops above the wheel formwork.

This vehicle is intended to transport pallets over long distances, more than 500 km. Its length is the largest authorized by the highway code, which allows it to transport pallets on two levels.

 Figures 15, 16 and 17 show, seen in elevation, at the end and seen from above, an example of a stackable articulated container vehicle for intermodal combined transport. This vehicle is equipped with 10 wheel pivots retractable over the entire height of the ground clearance G so that it can reduce its height and load itself on a railway wagon and rest on the wagon floor like a container on which it can be locked by its ISO locking corners 70 arranged at its angles, at a distance corresponding to the location of those of the ISO containers. The structure of this vehicle is rigidly designed so that it can be stacked on conventional or special container ships.

It comprises at the front two axles 85 of which for example only one can be motorized, at the rear it comprises a single axle 86 which may not be motorized; its trailer 87 comprises at the front an axle 88 with two motorized or non-motorized pivots, and at the rear an axle 89 with motorized or not. It is indeed possible to motorize only the rear wheels or the front wheels of the trailer, all the wheels being pivotable at 90 to allow it to be loaded onto the railway wagons provided for this purpose. It can also load itself by its own means on container ships provided for this purpose. the alignment position of the two articulated elements of the VTI is locked laterally between them, on each side of these elements, by two sliding bars extended and hydraulically locked each by two pins, before any manipulation of said vehicle as a container.

 Figures 18,19, 20 and 21 show, seen in elevation, in section, at the end and seen from above, an example of stackable container vehicle articulated in three parts 92, 93, 94 of length equal to that of 20 foot containers , for intermodal combined transport. The corners of these three elements are fitted with ISO locking corners. This vehicle is similar to that of FIGS. 15, 16 and 17 with the difference that these three elements can be uncoupled and each treated as a conventional container on ports equipped with container loading cranes on conventional container ships.

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The two trailers 93, 94 are coupled by means of special drawbars which are described below in FIGS. 22 to 24, these drawbars make it possible to reduce the space between the articulated elements of the vehicles according to the invention to 0.20 m so as not to not exceed the lengths allowed by the highway code in a straight line.

The alignment position of the two structures of the VTI is locked laterally between them by two sliding bars extended and hydraulically locked each by two pins, before any gripping of said vehicle as a container.

 Figures 22 and 23 show, seen from above, the location of the drawbar, and its position during steering maneuvers of articulated vehicles and an example of drawbar carriage hydraulically retractable at the end of the turn. For short turns requiring a large turn of the wheels, it is necessary to have a larger space between the articulated elements 100, 101. The conventional triangular drawbar 102, pivoting along the axis AA 'has its free end articulated at 103 on a swivel pivot 104 secured to the top of a means allowing its displacement over a sufficient length to perform the maneuvers in large turns. We can predict the position of the joint 103 to allow the element before turning 90 relative to the next. The displacement of this articulation point relative to the rear of the front element can be carried out in different ways, for example by means of a small carriage 105 provided with 4 rollers 106 moving in a slide 107 pulled or pushed by the rod 108 of a hydraulic cylinder 109 immobilized either in the extended position in a bend (Figure 23) or in the retracted position (Figure 22). This function could also be performed by a slide formed by a rod of cylindrical section on which a sleeve mounted on two ball bushings is made to slide, said sleeve being immobilized in rotation for example by a roller moving in a linear groove.

 Figure 25 shows, in top view, an example of loading and unloading, by their own means, intermodal transport vehicles on a railway wagon 110 at low height above the rails to allow passage under the overhead lines and in tunnels. Wagons have been shown stopped between two platforms 111 and 112, on which two container vehicles 113,114, articulated in two parts like those of FIGS. 8,9 and 10, are immobilized in front of wagon 110, their wheels turned to 90. The vehicle 113 is about to get on the wagon of suitable length to load the containers 115 and 116 and transport them to their place of destination, while the vehicle 114 is about to deposit two other containers itself that it has just bring them for transportation by train to their destination.

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This operating mode makes it possible to load and / or unload a train almost simultaneously so as to reduce the loading / unloading time of a complete train to a minimum time which, ultimately, could be that of unloading / loading a wagon if all container vehicles are present at the arrival of the trains and facing their wagon. The time saved becomes extremely important in terms of train rotations and the elimination of waiting times.

 FIG. 26 shows an example of a container vehicle, for example the front element of FIG. 8, loading or unloading a container laterally on a maneuvering cart in the factory so as to allow companies of all kinds to maneuver themselves their container (s) 120 with their tractor 123, FIG. 27, to bring them to the end of the production line, FIG. 28, load them directly without the need to palletize the packages, using the containers in space mobile storage unit that can be stored in the factory yard. The tractor 123 can reverse the container until, for example, a conveyor belt 124 enters the interior of the container 120 to reduce the time for handling the packages 125 As soon as a container is full, it is brought into the course of the factory to be removed then by a container vehicle to transport it to the next train and an empty container is brought in place of the one who has just been taken into the yard.

The storage-destocking operations are eliminated and the storage space is returned to manufacturing. It is no longer necessary to use pallets to prepare the loading of conventional trucks. There is no longer any waiting time for loading or unloading thanks to the low trolleys 121. With wheels swiveling at 90, the trolley can be pushed laterally into position under the container, otherwise it is the vehicle container which moves laterally to come above the cart (s) to deposit its container (s). These handling trolleys of these containers are slightly shorter than the containers, the platform of these trolleys is at a height such that when the container vehicle has deposited a container on it when it returns its wheels to the road position , there is sufficient clearance under the gantry so that the vehicle can disengage laterally without rubbing on the container.

The height of the trolley tray is approximately 20mm lower than the bottom of the container for trolleys which are slid laterally under the container to be received.

The empty container 120 is deposited in the course of the factory on a low cart 121 and if another container is full the container vehicle will load it laterally on its low cart 121 and go back to loading. In the case where the containers are placed on the carts.

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 The diameter of the wheels may be greater than the ground clearance, since the container floor is located above the frame profiles of its chassis. One can for example use wheels with a diameter of 360 to 370mm. These wheels are pivotally mounted to allow the various maneuvers necessary to move the containers in the factories. Containers can also be stored in stations on such trolleys to avoid immobilizing container vehicles in stations awaiting trains. This allows them to continue the shuttle to bring the full containers to the stations.

For the vehicle system according to the invention to be entirely intermodal, the containers must be able to be loaded onto semi-trailer trucks without the need for powerful cranes which can only be justified from a large number of containers to be handled. This is very rarely the case in factories.

FIGS. 29 and 30 illustrate a method of loading a conventional semi-trailer truck currently transporting containers loaded from gantries, by means of low carts 130, 131 on which containers 120 are placed, from a quay at the trailer floor height. The wheels of these carriages have a central part 132 with a width equal to that of the top of the sections 133 in 1 of the chassis of the truck on which they roll, shoulders 134, 135 act as lateral guidance of the wheels on the sides of the section. 133; outside of these shoulders, a bandage 136,137 makes it possible to roll on the floor of the factories. These wheels are mounted on pivot 138 to allow the loading maneuvers of the carriages 130, 131. The tractor 123 has set up the first cart 130 with its container 120 and then moves the second cart back 131 until it contacts the first container. The containers are then locked to the chassis by their ISO corners. These corners can for example be mounted on supports articulated to the profiles 133 to make up for the height of the carriage. These semi-trailer trucks can also be fitted with hydraulically powered wheel pivots.

 Figures 31, 32 and 33 show, seen in section in elevation, in cross section and seen from above, a container ship 140 adapted to allow the VTI containers 141 to penetrate perpendicularly therein by their own means, by mounting on a plate (146) folded down on the quay, articulated on the end of one of the interior gangways (142) of said ships, equipped with means (143) for raising in relation to the quay, in that when it is stopped in a predefined position on said gangway, the VTI retracts all of its wheels to put itself in the gripping state as a container by the appropriate handling means (144, 145) of said vessel, gantry (144) and overhead traveling cranes (145).

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The means of handling these VTI containers on container ships consist of a set of gantries (144) moving on two longitudinal rails, each corresponding to one of the gateways (142) for entering or leaving VTI containers, said gantry cranes being each equipped with a frame for gripping the VTI containers to stack them on deck. At the gangways (142), the VTI containers are maneuvered by gripping frames moved by several overhead traveling cranes (145) for loading into the hold. The containers, brought in by vehicles of the semi-trailer type, are placed on a low trolley loaded in reverse by tractors, on an interior gangway 142 fitted with means 143 for raising to the height of the quay and an articulated platform 146 folded down on the quay, and handling means 144 of the gantry type to stack it on the deck like a container on 3 or 4 levels and in the hold by means of overhead cranes 145 taking the containers directly on the gangway to store them in the hold.

The ship 140 has three entry gangways 142, three handling gantries 141 and three overhead traveling cranes 145 considerably reducing the loading or unloading time without waiting time due to its handling autonomy and the fact that the VTI containers are load directly onto the gangways without external intervention, the ship having its own tractors and low carts stored on the gangways during navigation.

 Figures 34 and 35 show an example of an annular cylinder 7 with pallets according to the invention (shown in place in Figures 1, 2,4, 36,37), intended to ensure the orientation of the directional wheels on pivot, motorized or no, retractable or not. This annular cylinder is slidably mounted on the cylinder tube 6 of the retractable wheels, or 25 of the short tube of the non-retractable wheels of the arm 4 of the wheel pivots, by its bore 150. The rotation drive of the tube 6 or 25 is provided by at least one key 151. It consists of a body 152 comprising at least three to four pallets 153, an outer sheath 154 forming with the pallets, volumes in which the oil is circulated under pressure causing the wheels to pivot. These volumes are delimited laterally on the one hand by an internal shoulder 155 rotating on a bearing surface 156 of the body 152, and on the other hand by a closing flange 157 rotating on a bearing surface 158 of the body, the sealing being ensured by seals annular 159. The shoulder 155 and the flange 157 bear on the lateral ends of the pallets. The flange 157 is fixed to the sheath by means of a screw crown. A washer 160 makes it possible to adjust the minimum clearance with the paddles. To ensure a good seal between the end of the pallets 153 and the bore 161 of the sleeve, the pallets 153 are produced which are independent of the body 152 by introducing them each into a radial groove 162 of the

<Desc / Clms Page number 18>

 body bosses 163. The contact pressure of the pallets on the bore 161 is provided by a set of preloaded and tared springs 164. This function can also be performed hydraulically by bringing the HP under the pallet by drilling holes leading into the bottom of the grooves 162. improve the sealing of the pallets on their bore, a slot 165 has been machined in the axis of the contact surface and this surface is machined at the radius of bore 161.

The orientation of the wheel, to the right or to the left, is ensured by a pressure P of HP oil coming from an orifice 168 applying to the boss of the pallet and to the corresponding pallet in the direction S requested. The BP is evacuated via a second orifice 169. When the pallet approaches the second orifice 169, the intake and evacuation circuit closes and the orifices 170 and 171 open and take over until orientation at 90. The cylinder is provided with 4 fixing lugs on a rigid support 13 (fig. 1 and 4). The jack contributes to the rigid retention of the wheel in cooperation with the upper fixing point 12 of the piston rod 19,26 (fig. L).

 Figures 36 and 37 show variants of the wheel pivot in Figures 1 and 2. We kept the same pivot device, so the same part numbers, but we changed the pivot point which is no longer found vertically above and above the wheel center, but to the side.

FIG. 36 shows a motorized pivot with a non-retractable wheel similar to that of FIG. 2.

The arm 175 carrying the wheel is very short, the jack tube 176 secured to the arm is also very short, as is the rod 177 fixed to the chassis. All the motorized wheel-carrier arms are drilled with HP and BP displacement feed holes. These holes are connected by flexible hydraulic hoses to the supply tubes coming from the hydraulic control unit.

The annular cylinder 7 for orienting the wheel is identical to those used for FIGS. 1 and 2.

It is also fixed to the chassis. This version is space-saving in height. The floor 17 has been shown at the minimum ground clearance G. We could put the top of the floor slightly above the wheel to have the entire storage area for certain applications.

FIG. 37 shows a motorized pivot with retractable wheel similar to that of FIG. 1. The cylinder tube 180 of the arm 181 carrying the motor, sliding in the annular cylinder 7, is of a length allowing the wheel to be fully retracted (stroke G ). The cylinder 7 and the top of the piston rod 182 are fixed to the chassis 183 for rigid retention of the pivot.

As for the versions of FIGS. 1 and 2, these wheel pivots may not be motorized and in this case the arms 175 and 181 are fixed to the rim on a plate 36 as in FIG. 5.

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Likewise, the pivots with a non-directional wheel do not have an annular jack 7, this is replaced by a sheath keyed onto the jack tube of the arms 175.181 and fixed on the frame like the jack 7. In this case it does not provide as the damping of the wheel.

Claims (33)

CLAIMS: 1) VTI intermodal transport vehicle, characterized in that it comprises hydraulically motorized wheel pivots, orientable on 180 (90 on the left or 900 on the right), comprising gas-shock absorbing means, means for adjusting the height of the position of the wheels, and of the wheel motors (making it possible to drive at 100 km / hour); each wheel pivot being autonomous and supplied from a hydraulic unit driven by the vehicle's heat engine; these wheel pivots being arranged to allow the VTI to have the underside of their floor at ground clearance (G), that is to say about 300mm; said vehicle being able to be articulated and used as a container carrier, motorized container, pallet transporters or other loads.  2) VTI intermodal transport vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the hydraulically motorized wheel pivots are each fully hydraulically retractable so that the floor of said vehicle can be brought to rest on the ground, or on a railway wagon of iron or superimposed on several levels as a container vehicle stacked on other identical container vehicles articulated or not.  3) VTI intermodal transport vehicle according to claim 2, characterized in that said vehicle carrying the wheel pivots is arranged in a container carrier with or without a trailer, comprising two gantries (68) secured to a box beam (69); the gantries (68) being provided with ISO corner locks corresponding to the ISO corners (70) of the containers (65); the container (65) being loaded laterally by lowering the gantries until contact with the container or containers which are then locked by their ISO corner pieces (70) between the gantries.  4) VTI intermodal transport vehicle, according to claim 2, characterized in that said vehicle, carrying the pivots of motorized wheels, is arranged in a container alone or with articulated trailers, comprising a rigid chassis allowing its stacking, equipped at the front two axles (85) and at the rear of a single axle (86), its trailer (87) comprises at the front an axle (88) with two motorized or non-motorized pivots, and at the rear an axle ( 89) motorized or not, all the wheels being swivel at 90 to allow its loading / unloading on railway wagons; said vehicle being provided, at its angles, with ISO corner pieces (70), at a distance corresponding to the location of those of ISO containers for its handling and locking as a simple stackable container on container ships and on the floor of railway cars. <Desc / Clms Page number 21>  5) VTI intermodal transport vehicle according to claims 2 and 4, characterized in that it comprises a movable floor (83) which can be raised against the ceiling with a winch system, cables and pulleys, and resting on stops above the wheel formwork.  6) VTI intermodal transport vehicle according to claims 3,4 and 5, characterized in that the front element (72) comprises a cabin (73), and is arranged to receive a heat engine driving the pump of a hydraulic power station wheel motors, hydraulic tank and fuel tank.  7) VTI intermodal transport vehicle according to claims 3,4 and 5, characterized in that the drawbar of the VTI trailers consists of a triangular part (102) articulated horizontally along the axis XX 'to the trailer and the free end (103) of which is articulated on a swivel pivot (104) integral with the top of a displacement means with linear guide with slide (107) pulled or pushed by the rod (108) of a hydraulic cylinder (109) immobilized either in the extended position when cornering, or in the retracted position.  8) VTI intermodal transport vehicle according to claim 4, characterized in that the alignment position of the trailers of the container VTI is locked laterally between them by two sliding bars extended and locked hydraulically each by two pins, before any manipulation of said vehicle. as a container.  9) VTI intermodal transport vehicle according to claims 4 and 8, characterized in that the container VTI alone or with trailers penetrates by its own means into container ships (140), by mounting on a tray (146) folded over the quay, articulated on the end of one of the interior gangways (142) of said ships, equipped with means (143) for raising in height relative to the quay, in that when it is stopped in a predefined position on said gangway, the VTI retracts all of its wheels to get into a gripping state as a container by the appropriate handling means (144,145) of said ship, gantry (144) and overhead traveling cranes (145).  10) VTI intermodal transport vehicle according to claims 4,8 and 9, characterized in that the handling means of the container VTIs on the container ships consist of a set of gantries (144) moving on two longitudinal rails, each corresponding to one of the gateways (142) for entering or leaving the VTI containers, said gantries each being equipped with a frame for gripping the VTI containers for stacking on the bridge, in that, at the level of the gateways (142 ), the VTI containers are operated by gripping frames moved by several overhead traveling cranes (145) for loading in the hold. <Desc / Clms Page number 22>  11) VTI intermodal transport vehicle according to claim 2, characterized in that the road VTI vehicle carrying the motorization means with pivoting pivots on hydraulically motorized wheels is arranged in a pallet truck on two levels by means of a movable floor (83), with two or three axles, capable of loading itself on a railway wagon by retracting its wheels.  12) VTI intermodal transport vehicle according to claims 2 and 11, characterized in that the road VTI with trailer carrying the motorization means with pivoting pivots hydraulically motorized is fitted out as a truck-mounted pallet carrier on two levels, with two or three axles being able to load itself on a railway wagon thanks to its steerable 90 and retractable wheels.  13) VTI intermodal transport vehicle according to claims 2, 11 and 12 characterized in that the road VTI comprises four pairs (80) of non-retractable wheel pivots, only part of which is hydraulically powered, a low floor (17), the below (16) is at ground clearance (G), in that it comprises a cabin (73) and a movable floor (83).  14) VTI intermodal transport vehicle according to claim 3, characterized in that the container vehicles deposit the empty or full containers in the factory and in the stations and ports on low trolleys (121, 131) for maneuvering these containers slightly shorter than the containers, in that the platform of these carriages is at a height such that when the container vehicle has placed a container on it, when it returns its wheels to the road position, there is still a play sufficient under the gantry so that the vehicle can clear laterally without rubbing on the container.  15) VTI intermodal transport vehicle according to claim 14, characterized in that the low trolley (131) for loading / unloading of containers on semi-trailer truck, comprises wheels the central metal part of which is intended to roll on top of the profiles in 1 or others (133) of the chassis of these trucks and guide themselves laterally against the parallel edges of these profiles, thanks to two shoulders (134,135), tires (136, 137) of larger diameter are arranged on each side of the central part (132) of the wheel for rolling on the ground, in that these wheels are pivotally mounted to allow the various maneuvers of the containers. <Desc / Clms Page number 23>  16) VTI intermodal transport vehicle according to one of claims 4 and 5, characterized in that the container vehicles equipped with retractable wheels orientable at 90, load themselves on railway wagons (110) of suitable length , retract their wheels and rest on their equipped floor to lock their ISO corners by immobilizing them on it.  17) VTI intermodal transport vehicle according to claim 3, characterized in that the container vehicles equipped with retractable wheels orientable at 90, mount themselves on railway wagons (110) of suitable length by orienting their wheels at 90 , retract their wheels and deposit on the floor of the wagon or remove one or two containers, in that these wagons are equipped to lock the ISO corners of the containers by immobilizing them on their floor.  18) VTI intermodal transport vehicle according to one of claims 3,4, 6, 11, 12, 13, characterized in that the control of the unladen and laden weight of said vehicles is carried out by measuring the hydraulic pressure prevailing in the load balancing circuit, in that this measurement in tonnes is also carried out at each "axle" and each wheel pivot.  19) System for making VTI intermodal transport vehicles according to claim 18, characterized in that the load balancing on all of the wheel pivots is obtained by putting all of the pivots on a common hydraulic circuit even pressure and by acting on the height of each pivot relative to the others.  20) VTI intermodal transport vehicle according to one of claims 3,4, 6, 11, 12, 13, characterized in that the braking control without locking the wheel is carried out by means of a solenoid valve returning to the tank d oil without pressure.  21) VTI intermodal transport vehicle according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that each wheel motor is equipped with a clutch brake (65).  22) VTI intermodal transport vehicle according to claim 3, characterized in that the locking systems of the ISO corner pieces of the container vehicles are each mounted on an articulated support to facilitate the loading and lateral unloading of the containers.  23) VTI intermodal transport vehicle according to one of claims 2,3, 4,6, 11, 12,13, characterized in that the function of the differential bridge is ensured between the two hydraulic wheel motors of an "axle ", both when cornering and when the wheels lose grip, by using one of the capacities of each of the internal wheel motors in the compressor as a compressor to return their flow on the same displacement of the other motor of each" axle ", in <Desc / Clms Page number 24>  what the additional flow returned is managed by a microprocessor which ensures the speed difference between interior wheels and exterior wheels when cornering by acting on the displacement solenoid valves.  24) VTI intermodal transport vehicle according to one of claims 2,3, 4,6, 11, 12,13, characterized in that it comprises, at the level of each motorized wheel pivot, at least one accumulator of hydraulic energy accumulated under braking and at each damping, for starting assistance and emergency functions in the absence of HP in the event of a thermal engine failure or hydraulic line rupture.  25) VTI intermodal transport vehicle according to one of claims 2, 3, 4,6, 11, 12,13, characterized in that the control console of the various hydraulic functions comprises in particular: the retraction of the wheels and their return to the ground clearance level; the pivoting of the wheels to 90 for the lateral loading / unloading of the containers on wagon, on trolley or any other movement; position control of the articulation axis of the drawbar (s) when cornering; shifting of speeds AV, AR; weight control empty and loaded on digital display.  26) VTI intermodal transport vehicle according to claims 3 and 14, characterized in that it comprises a button box for remote control of the lateral movement for the loading / unloading of the containers, acting on the solenoid valves for controlling the rotary actuators d 'orientation of the wheels, on the power supply of the engine displacement in the direction necessary for loading unloading, on the drop to the ground or on a container trolley or its lifting after locking on the gantry of the vehicle.  27) VTI intermodal transport vehicle according to one of claims 2,3, 4,6, 11 to 13,19, characterized in that the hydraulic suspension of the pivots is arranged to cause the "hardening" of damping in turns on the pivots located outside the turn by sending a momentary overpressure on the shock absorbers in question, controlled by the pressure sensors located on each pivot in cooperation with the control microprocessor.  28) VTI intermodal transport vehicle according to claim 2, characterized in that the wheel pivots consist of a wheel-carrying arm (4,175, 181) extended by a jack tube (6,25, 176,180) cooperating with a piston fixed (8) integral with a rod (9,26, 177,182), the upper end of which is fixed to the chassis of the vehicle, in that the jack tube is closed by a plug (11) through which the piston rod passes, in that the actuator tube is centered and held in an annular actuator 7 made integral with the chassis, on which it is keyed for the directional pivots, and keyed sliding in a sleeve integral with the chassis for the pivots <Desc / Clms Page number 25>  non-directional, in that the wheel support arm is fixed to an eight-point seat of the hydraulic motor (3) itself fixed on a shoulder (37) of the rim, in that the wheel support arm is pierced with holes passage from HP and BP to displacement and from the arrival to the cylinder tube (18).  29) VTI intermodal transport vehicle according to claims 2 and 28, characterized in that the wheel support arm (4) is bent above the wheel, the pivot axis XX ′ of the wheel being disposed above the vertical axis of the wheel.  30) VTI intermodal transport vehicle according to claim 2,28, characterized in that the wheel support arm (175, 181) is extended by the jack tube (176,180) disposed vertically on the side of the wheel.  31) VTI intermodal transport vehicle according to one of claims 2,29, 30, characterized in that for non-motorized wheels, the support arm of the pivot is fixed on the rim 35 returned by 180 relative to its position when it receives a hydraulic motor, in that the wheel support arm is fixed on the eight-point seat of an intermediate piece (36) fixing on the same shoulder (37) of the rim as the hydraulic motor.  32) VTI intermodal transport vehicle according to one of claims 2 and, 28, 29, 30, 31, characterized in that the motorized wheels or not, steerable or not, are made retractable by giving a stroke C to the piston (8 ) equal to the ground clearance (G).  33) VTI intermodal transport vehicle according to claims 2,28 to 32, characterized in that the orientation of the directional wheel pivots is obtained by means of an annular cylinder (7) slidably mounted on the cylinder tube of the support arms wheels retractable or not, by its bore (150) on which it is keyed, in that it consists of a body (152) comprising at least three to four pallets (153), an outer sheath (154) closed by a flange, rotating on spans of the body, forming with the paddles, volumes in which the oil is circulated under pressure causing the wheels to pivot, the paddles (153) each slide in a radial groove (162) of bosses ( 163) of the body, in that the contact pressure of the pallets on the bore (161) is ensured by a pushing means which presses them against the bore, a slot (165) has been machined in the axis of the contact surface and this surface is machined at the radius of the bore (16 1), in that orifices (168, 169 and 170, 171) send the HP onto the active pallet and evacuate BP, in that the jack is provided with 4 fixing lugs on a rigid support integral with the chassis of the vehicle.