GB2101548A

GB2101548A - Vehicles or containers, in particular railway freight wagons

Info

Publication number: GB2101548A
Application number: GB08214831A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gunter Asche; Horst Willner
Original assignee: Linke Hofmann Busch GmbH
Current assignee: Alstom Transport Deutschland GmbH
Priority date: 1981-06-05
Filing date: 1982-05-21
Publication date: 1983-01-19
Also published as: FR2507140A1; DE3122410C2; DE3122410A1; CH657099A5; GB2101548B; FR2507140B1

Abstract

A freight wagon has a roof 5 comprising two longitudinally separate half-sections 5a and 5b respectively secured to posts e.g. 6 delimiting closed positions of side wall sections which can slide relative to each other in upper and lower guides to provide side access to the load space within the wagon. Each roof section and associated posts form a side wall frame which can pivot about bearings 8 at the bottoms of the respective posts and aligned with the lower guide. The pivoting of the side wall frames outwardly opens the roof to provide top access to the load- space while, since the upper guides move with the side frames, the side wall sections can still slide open. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Vehicles or containers, in particular railway freight wagons The invention relates to vehicles or containers and in particular to railway freight wagons such as a wagon having a roof which is divided into two halves along the longitudinal central plane of the vehicle and having side walls which each comprise at least two relatively movable sections, the wall sections being mounted in an upper and in a lower guide and being arranged in a common plane in the close position but being pivotable into a sliding plane, which is in front of (outside) the common plane and parallel to the latter, and which wall sections are constrained to be slidably displaceable inthe longitudinal direction of the vehicle or container in this sliding plane.

German Offenlegungsschrift No. 2 002 766 discloses a freight wagon in which, prior to sliding displacement the wall sections forming the side wall are pivoted into a displacement plane which is arranged in front of the closed-position plane, so that easy opening is even ensured if the freight, which may be mostly piece-goods, is displaced during the journey. However, the fixed roof of these wagons or containers, which gets in the way of loading and unloading operations by means of a crane, is disadvantageous. A further disadvantage foliows from the arrangement of the upper guide rails on the longitudinal strut which supports the roof, so that the upper and lower rail approximately lie in a common vertical plane. This prevents the loading, through the side of the wagon, of the load space (which is bounded by the curved roof) above this longitudinal strut.

The prior art (German Patent Specification No.

1 040 586) also includes freight wagons in which the roof consists of two half-sections which can be separated along the longitudinal central plane of the vehicle. These freight wagons whose loading space can be exposed for easy access from the top has the disadvantage that in the open position, the half-sections of the roof lie in front of the side walls, so that the latter cannot be designed with sliding wall sections and lateral loading is precluded.

It is known from German Offenlegungsschrift No. 2849 515 to connect the associated pairs of each of the opposite side walls to a respective roof section to form a unit and to design them in such manner that a side wall section with the assigned roof section is brought into the displacement plane and slid over the other side wall section for lateral loading and for loading from the top. This arrangement has the disadvantage that only half the length of the wagon interior can be exposed to access from above at any time.

It is the aim of the invention to improve lateral access to the load space and to improve access to the load space during loading and unloading from the top so that the load space is then accessible through the side of the vehicle or container.

According to this invention there is provided a vehicle or container having a roof comprising two longitudinally separate sections and two opposite side walls each comprising at least two relatively movable wall sections having respective upper and lower longitudinal guides enabling movement of the wall sections between a closed-position plane and a sliding displacement plane in which latter one of the wall sections can move longitudinally in its guides relative to another of the wall sections stili in the closed-position plane, each roof section forming, with posts delimiting the wall section closed positions, a substantially rigid side wall frame which is pivotable on bearings aligned with the lower guide relative to which the upper guide can be displaced outwardly with pivoting of the rigid side wall frame.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side view of a freight wagon embodying this invention; Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view on line Il-Il of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view corresponding to that of Fig. 2 with the wagon opened to expose the load-space; and Fig. 4 is a cross-section on line IV--IV of Fig. I.

In the following description, the arrangement and construction of the side walls and associated roof are designed for a railway freight wagon, but it is readily conceivable to use this arrangement and construction for freight containers including large capacity containers as well as for vehicles.

The embodiment described here is a covered railway freight wagon having two wall sections 1 and 2 on each side of the wagon. The wall sections 1 and 2 are mounted in upper and lower guides 3 and 4 so as to be longitudinally displaceable from positions in which the wall sections form a generally even (planar) side wall.

In the region of the usual standard upper longitudinal support, the side wall sections 1 and 2 are inwardly bent in such manner that they form a part of the roof 5 as an extension thereof. The lower guide 4 which is fixed to an underframe of the wagon consists of a common continuous shaft which can be rotated to a limited extent and has a two-way running rail, whereas the upper guide 3 which is fixed on the roof 5 is so constructed that when opening a wall section the latter is guided parallel into a sliding plane.The wall sections 1 and 2 are bounded at their ends by corner posts 6 and by a central post 7, which posts of the one hand, in conformity with the side wall sections 1 and 2 are inwardly bent and securely connected to the roof 5 and on the other hand can be respectively pivoted on bearings 8 each of which is secured to the underframe and axially aligned with the lower guide 3, the posts 7 taking over the function of the running rail of the lower guide 3 in the region of their bearings 8. In the region of the front walls 9, the corner posts 6 which are not connected to the front walls are so constructed that they form extensions of the peripheries of these front walls with increasing cross-section so that the front walls 9 and these extensions together are trapezoidal in plan view.

The roof 5 consists of two half-sections 5a and Sb which are separated along the longitudinal central plane of the vehicle and whose edge portions Sc are so constructed that a weatherproof seal is provided and freezing up is avoided. Each half-section of the roof, 5a and Sb respectively, together with the corner posts 6 and the reinforcing central posts 7 forms the frame of the side wall which can be pivoted outwardly around the bearings 8, where both in the closed position and in the pivoted position of the frame of the side wall the wall sections 1 and 2 are displaceable. In order to open and close the roof half-sections and thus the frame of the side wall the front walls are provided with hydraulic, pneumatic or mechanical actuating members, the rotating motion of the frame of the side wall being so calculated that the entire load space is freely accessible from the top.

Claims

1. A vehicle or container having a roof comprising two longitudinally separated sections and two opposite side walls each comprising at least two relatively movable wall sections having respective upper and lower longitudinal guides enabling movement of the wall sections between a closed-position plane and a sliding displacement plane in which latter one of the wall sections can move longitudinally in its guides relative to another of the wall sections still in the closedposition plane, each roof section forming, with posts delimiting the wall section closed positions, a substantially rigid side wall frame which is pivotable on bearings aligned with the lower guide relative to which the upper guide can be displaced outwardly with pivoting of the rigid side wall frame.

2. A vehicle or container according to claim 1 wherein the posts are shaped and arranged to cooperate so as to conform in end view with the outline of the roof and side walls.

3. A vehicle or container according to claim 2 wherein the posts provide extensions of end walls, said extensions increasing in cross-section outwardly from the end walls.

4. A vehicle or container according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the roof sections are arranged to meet, when closed, in a weatherproof seal.

5. A vehicle or container according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the roof sections are arranged to meet, when closed, along the longitudinal centre plane of the load space.

6. A vehicle or container according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the closed position plane and the sliding displacement plane are parallel.

7. A vehicle or container substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.