GB2146600A

GB2146600A - Side-frame-centre-body attachment arrangement in a bogie

Info

Publication number: GB2146600A
Application number: GB08422556A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Roland Gayfer
Original assignee: BECORIT
Current assignee: BECORIT
Priority date: 1983-09-16
Filing date: 1984-09-06
Publication date: 1985-04-24
Also published as: GB8324867D0; GB8422556D0; GB2146600B

Abstract

The attachment means comprises a guiding member 27 carried by body 10 and a member 28 guided thereby carried by side frame 11(12). Faces 29, 30 of member 28 are convex and which are in sliding contact with plates 31 and 32 of member 27 to allow vertical relative displacement, by reason of piston and cylinder unit 22, whilst restricting relative longitudinal displacement between the body and frame elements. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Rail vehicle and bogie therefor From one aspect, the present invention relates to a vehicle suitable for use on a track comprising two rails, the vehicle comprising a plurality of bogies.

In GB 2,042,446A, there is described a rail vehicle having bogies, each of which has four trackengaging wheels. Each of these wheels is connected by a respective bearing with a respective arm, each arm being pivotally mounted on a body of the bogie by means of a further bearing. The arms associated with the wheels which run on one rail of the track are pivotally connected with a common, extensible strut and each of the arms associated with the other wheels are similarly connected with a further extensible strut.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simpler arrangement of bogie than that described in the aforesaid published application.

According to the first aspect of the invention, there is provided a rail vehicle bogie having two wheels which run on one rail of the track, a first carrier connected by respective bearings with the said wheels, two further wheels which run on another rail of the track, a second carrier connected by respective bearings with the further wheels, a body supported on the carriers and respective connecting means for connecting each carrier with the body, wherein each connecting means includes mutually engaged guiding and guided members, one comprised by the body and the other comprised by the respective carrier, wherein the guiding member presents opposed guide faces which are parallel to each other and spaced apart horizontally and the guided member has convex faces arranged for sliding contact with respective ones of the guide faces to restrain relative displacement of the carrier and body in directions along the track, whilst permitting relative displacement upwardly and downwardly and permitting rocking of the carrier relative to the body in a mannerto raise one of the wheels which supportthe carrier and to lower the other of the wheels which support the carrier.

In the preferred vehicle, there is provided for each carrier a respective piston and cylinder unit arranged to act between the carrier and the body for urging the body upwardly relative to the carrier, the unit being slidably engaged with at least one of the carrier and the body.

An example of a vehicle incorporating a bogie in accordance with the invention will now be described, with reference to the accompanying draw ing, wherein :- Figure 1 shows a plan view of the bogie; Figure 2 shows a side elevation of the bogie; and Figure 3 shows a cross-section of the line Ill-Ill of Figure 1, certain parts of the bogie being omitted and rails of the track being shown.

The bogie illustrated in the drawing may be comprised by a load-carrying vehicle having a load platform supported in a known manner on two identical bogies. With the exception ofthe bogies, the arrangement of the vehicle may be that of a known rail vehicle for use in a mine working.

Alternatively, the vehicle may be a tractor having a body carried on first and second bogies, one of which is as shown in the drawing and the other of which includes driven wheels. The bogie shown in the drawing may be modified by the provision of means for driving the wheels. Two such modified bogies may be provided in one tractor.

The bogie shown in the drawing comprises a body 10 supported on a left-hand carrier 11 and on a right-hand carrier 12, the carriers being supported by wheels which run on the track rails 13 and 14. The body 10 defines a bearing opening 15 for receiving a generally upright pin (not shown), by means of which horizontal components of forces can be transmitted from the bogie to the load platform or other superstructure of the vehicle. For transmitting vertical components of force from the load platform to the body 10, there is provided a plate 16 and a plurality of resilient elements 17,39 interposed between the plate and the body 10. When the bogie is in use, the load platform or other superstructure of the vehicle rests on the plate 16 which, in turn, rests on the elements 17,39. The elements 17 may be blocks of elastomer.The elements 39 are coiled compression springs which have an unstressed length somewhat greater than the corresponding dimension of the blocks 17. When the vehicle carries no load or only a small load, the springs 39 maintain a small clearance between the plate 16 and the blocks 17. When the vehicle is fully loaded, the blocks 17 transmit the major part of the downward load from the plate 16 to the body 10.

The carrier 11 is of elongated form and is arranged with its length extending generally along the track.

At a position somewhat nearer to one end of the carrier than to the centre of the carrier, there is provided on the carrier a bearing 18, by means of which the track-engaging wheel 19 is connected with the carrier. A further wheel 20 is connected with the carrier by a bearing 21 positioned near to the other end of the carrier. The bearings are arranged symmetrically with espect to the centre of the carrier and the wheels 19 and 20 run one behind the other on the rail 13.

A piston and cylinder unit 22 is provided for transmitting downwardly directed force from the bogie body 10 to the carrier 11. One element of this unit, the cylinder 23 in the example illustrated, engages one of the body and the carrier, the body 10 in the example illustrated, and the other element of the unit 22, the piston 24, slidably engages the carrier 11. To this end, the carrier incorporates an open-sided cup 25 positioned mid-way between the bearings 18 and 21 and projecting from the carrier 11 in a direction away from the carrier 12. A bottom wall of the cup presents a concave, upwardly facing surface on which a rounded end face of the piston 24 rests.It will be noted that the axis of the piston and cylinder unit is normally vertical and intersects, or almost intersects, a longitudinal centreline of the rail 13 or the line of contact between that rail and the wheels 19 and 20.

In the particular example illustrated, the cylinder 23 is not secured to the body 10. A part 26 of the body 10 projects laterally outwardly at a level above that of the carrier 11 to rest on the cylinder 23.

Alternatively, the cylinder may be pivotally connected with the body so that movement of the cylinder away from the body is restrained when the body is raised relative to the carrier 11, for example when the bogie is removed from the track for maintenance.

The bogie further comprises a guiding member 27 and a guided member 28 which is engaged by the guiding member and guided thereby for upward and downward movement, whilst being restrained against movement in a direction along the track. In the example illustrated, the guiding member 27 is incorporated in the body 10 and the guided member 28 is incorporated in the carrier 11. The guided member 28 has the form of a block disposed midway between the ends of the carrier 11 and which protrudes from the remainder of the carrier a short distance in a direction towards the carrier 12. Faces 29 and 30 of the block 28 which face in opposite directions along the track are convex. The guiding member 27 includes plates 31 and 32 which present towards each other respective parallel and generally upright guide faces which are parallel to the axis of the piston and cylinder unit 22.The guide faces are spaced apart in a direction along the track just sufficiently to receive the block 28 between them, so that the convex faces 29 and 30 are in sliding contact with the plates 31 and 32. The spacing between the guide faces is substantially equal to twice the radius of curvature of the faces 29 and 30. Thus, relative displacement of the carrier and body in directions along the track is prevented whilst relative displacement of the body and carrier upwardly and down wardlythrough a limited range is permitted, under the control of the piston and cylinder unit 22.

Rocking of the carrier 11 relative to the body 10 through a limited range, typically up to 15", in a manner such that one of the wheels 19 and 20 rises whilst the other descends is permitted, without extension or contraction of the unit 22, the piston 24 then sliding on the bottom wall of the cup 25.

Displacement of the carrier 11 relative to the body 10 in lateral directions transverse to the length of the track is prevented by parts of the body 10, between which the carrier 11 is received with sufficient clearance to avoid interference with rocking of the carrier relative to the body.

The arrangement of the carrier 12 and associated parts is the same as that of the carrier 11 and need not be described. The carriers are interconnected adjacent corresponding ends by respective links 33 and 34 which permit limited rocking of one carrier relative to the body and the other carrier.

It will be noted that the spacing between the carriers 11 and 12 is less than the spacing between the rails 13 and 14. The separation of the face 29 from a corresponding face on the carrier 12 is somewhat less than the separation of the wheels on the carrier 11 from the wheels on the carrier 12.

As shown in the drawing, brake shoes may be mounted on the carriers 11 and 12 for engagement with peripheral surfaces of the wheels of the bogie.

These brake shoes may be operated in a known manner, for example by pneumatic piston and cylinder units or by springs controlled by such units.

Furthermore, there may be provided on the body 10 a brake shoe 35 for engaging the rail 13 and a corresponding brake shoe for engaging the rail 14.

Normally, the piston and cylinder unit 22 and the corresponding unit associated with the carrier 12 would be extended sufficiently to maintain these shoes clear of the track rails. However, in an emergency the piston and cylinder units would be permitted to collapse and lower the body 10 until the brake shoe 35 bears on the rail 13 and the corresponding shoe associated with the carrier 12 bears on the rail 14. The brake shoe 35 may be used for normal service braking, if so required.

Claims

1. A rail vehicle bogie having two wheels which run on one rail of a track when the vehicle is in use, a first carrier connected by respective bearings with said wheels, two further wheels which run on another rail of the track when the vehicle is in use, a second carrier connected by respective bearings with the further wheels, a body 10 supported on the carriers and respective connecting means for connecting each carrier with the body, wherein each connecting means includes mutually engaged guiding and guided members, one comprised by the body and the other comprised by the respective carrier, wherein the guiding member presents opposed guide faces which are parallel to each other and spaced apart horizontally and the guided member has convex faces arranged for sliding contact with respective ones of the guide faces to restrain relative displacement of the carrier and body in directions along the track, whilst permitting relative displacement upwardly and downwardly and permitting rocking of the carrier relative to the body in a manner to raise one of the wheels which support the carrier and to lower the other of the wheels which support the carrier.

2. A bogie according to Claim 1 wherein there is provided for each carrier a respective piston and cylinder unit arranged to act between the carrier and the body for urging the body upwardly relative to the carrier and wherein said unit is rigidly mounted on one of the carrier and the body and is slidably engaged with the other of the carrier and the body.

3. A bogie according to Claim 2 wherein each said piston and cylinder unit lies over a respective one of the track rails when the bogie is in use and the guide faces are offset from the corresponding wheels in a direction parallel to the axes of rotation of the wheels.

4. A bogie substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawing.

5. A rail vehicle incorporating at least one bogie in accordance with any preceding claim.

6. Any novel feature of novel combination of features disclosed herein or in the accompanying drawing.