GB2155423A

GB2155423A - Horizontal support arrangement for the wheel sets of a rail crane

Info

Publication number: GB2155423A
Application number: GB08505921A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Horst Bendix; Wolfgang Hanneforth; Bernd Pasemann; Werner Fischer; Bernd Hellmich; Walter Rode
Original assignee: MAN Takraf Fordertechnik GmbH
Current assignee: Takraf GmbH
Priority date: 1984-03-08
Filing date: 1985-03-07
Publication date: 1985-09-25
Also published as: DE3504528A1; DD221701A1; GB8505921D0; GB2155423B

Abstract

The arrangement comprises a frame 4 having wheelsets 8 mounted thereto by members 6 disposed at the side of the frame. The members 6 abut spring elements 5 which provide for reduced-shock transmission of the transverse loading resulting from starting or braking the rotary or slewing movement of the turntable 1 and also from towing of the vehicle, the spring characteristics of the parallel-connected spring elements 5, in combination, and also that of each individual spring element, may be degressive, linear or progressive. The spring elements are designed with or without an adjustment member, to produce a prestressing. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Horizontal support arrangement for the wheel sets of a rail crane This invention relates to a horizontal support for the wheel sets of a crane carriage in which the axially movable wheel sets are guided horizontally on the chassis frame by way of transverse members or also rocking arms, by means of transverse abutments.

DD-PS 150 995 discloses a device for setting laterally displaceable wheel sets. The transverse members which are arranged between each two wheel sets transmit the transverse forces which occur in operation of the crane or when the crane is being towed along, to the chassis frame, by way of transverse abutments which are arranged in a relationship of alignment with the transverse carrier members.

There is the disadvantage that the shocks or impacts which are produced by the rotary or slewing gear being brought into operation or being braked and the shocks or impacts which occur when the crane is travelling result in hard impacts against which occur when the crane is travelling result in hard impacts against the transverse abutments.

That disadvantage is also the cause of the load swinging, as well as being the cause of substantial peaks in the transverse forces. Those disadvantages have a detrimental effect both on the safety of travel and also on the dimensioning of the vehicle frame. In the travelling mode, the guide arrangement which has play therein and which is formed without any resilient intermediate member gives rise to unstable travelling motion and as a result thereof a reduction in maximum speed.

German published specification (DE-AS) No 24 19 989 discloses that carriages for rail vehicles are arranged with pivot mountings which are resilient in the transverse and lengthwise directions, on the chassis frame. The object of that construction is to provide an arrangement with radial adjustment of the wheel sets while negotiating a curve. As a result of its design configuration, that construction is not suitable to transmit the hard abutments which are caused by the relatively high shock forces which occur in crane operation, and is therefore unsuitable for use in relation to rail cranes.

Carriages for rail vehicles are known, wherein the wheel sets are connected to the chassis frame and to each other by way of transverse members.

In that arrangement, the wheel sets are usually disposed in axle bearing guide mountings in the chassis frame, with play in a horizontal transverse direction relative to its longitudinal axis (DD-PS 41 622). However, that construction does not provide, as in accordance with the further development in DD-PS 150 995, transverse abutments which are arranged in alignment with respect to the transverse carrier members of the chassis frame. That means that it is not possible to arrive at an economical structure in respect of the support frame as transverse force peaks occur in crane operation and also when the vehicle is being towed, due to the guide arrangement with the play therein. Both the travel motion and the operating reliability in the travel mode are adversely affected.

The invention seeks to provide a wheel set sup- port arrangement, in particular for rail cranes, which provides an improvement in function and operating safety and reliability both in the crane operating mode and also in the towing mode and thus provides an improvement in the serviceability and functional value, with a support frame construction which is little material-intensive.

The invention is based on the problem of developing a horizontally movable wheel set support arrangement which provides that the forces and moments which occur in the crane operating mode and in the towing mode in a horizontal transverse direction are transmitted to the chassis frame in a shock-reducing manner by way of the transverse members or rocking arms and the transverse abutments which are arranged in aligned relationship to the transverse carrier members.

The transverse members which are arranged between each two wheel sets for the purposes of transmitting the vertical forces or the rocking arms or transverse members which are arranged between a wheel set and a fixed point are used, as is know, for the transmission of the horizontal forces from the wheel sets to the chassis frame. For the purposes of directed application and uniform distribution of such horizontal forces, as is also known, the wheel sets are arranged with or without transverse play in the axle guide mountings and transverse abutments on the chassis frame.

According to the present invention there is provided a horizontal support arrangement for the wheel sets of a rail crane, wherein the wheel sets are arranged with or without clearance resiliently in a horizontal transverse direction and the wheel sets are guided in a horizontal transverse direction on the chassis frame by way of transverse members or rocking arms, through transverse abutments, said transverse abutments being formed as support means for carrying the forces and moments resulting from the slewing movement of the crane, the transverse abutments comprising spring elements and are connected in parallel mode, the position thereof being variable in the lengthwise direction of the chassis frame.

Preferably a plurality of spring elements are disposed in parallel and are arranged variably in respect of position thereof on the longitudinal centre line of the vehicle, corresponding to the number of transverse members or rocking arms. The spring elements which are connected in parallel mode with or without prestressing between the transverse members or rocking arms have, in combination or individually, a degressive linear or progressive spring characteristic. It is possible to produce any required spring characteristic, by combining such variants. An adjusting member which is disposed in the spring element makes it possible to adjust the spring both with play and also with prestressing.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying draw ings,in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a rail crane with a pivotable crane portion; Figure 2 is a plan view of a spring element which is arranged between a transverse member and the chassis frame; Figure 3 is a plan view of a spring element which is arranged between a rocking arm and the chassis frame; Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view of the individual wheel set pivotal motion with different spring characteristics; and Figure 5 is a sectional view of the spring element.

The pivotable turntable crane portion 1 is connected to the fixed crane portion 3 by way of a ball-bearing type slewing gear 2. When the pivotal or slewing movement is initiated or when such movement is braked, for example in the direction indicated by the arrow A, the moment M is carried by the support points FD which are arranged at the spacing 2a, and transmitted to the chassis frame 4.

From the chassis frame 4, the forces are passed in and directed mode by way of spring elements 5 into the transverse members 6 or rocking arms 7, into the wheel sets 8 and further to the rail 9 (see Figure 1). The wheel sets 8 are horizontally transversely connected to the chassis frame 4 by way of the transverse members 6 and the spring elements 5 (see Figure 2) or by way of the rocking arms 7 and the spring elements 5 (see Figure 3). When the transverse forces FH are transmitted by the chassis frame 4, they are transmitted to the wheel sets 8 by way of the spring elements 5 and the transverse members 6 or the rocking arms 7. When the transverse forces FN are applied by the wheel sets 8, they are transmitted in the reverse sequence to that just described above.The spring elements 5 are arranged as transverse abutments and, for example, depending on their arrangement, in the diagrammatic view shown in Figure 4, produce a linear spring characteristic 11 when spring elements 5 which are per se linear act simultaneously in a parallel-connected mode over the entire spring travel S, a degressive characteristic 12 when, after a defined travel, it is no longer all the spring elements 5 that operate, and a progressive characteristic 13 when all the spring elements 5 are operative in a paraliel-connected mode only after a defined spring travel S.

Different resulting spring characteristics are produced by the arrangement of the prestressed or non-prestressed spring elements 5 between the transverse member 6 or the rocking arm 7 and the chassis frame 4. In that way, it is possible to provide for any required combination. The paralle connection of the spring elements provides for a doubling of the spring rate in its effect on the total elasticity, thereby giving the advantage of a lighter construction for the spring elements 5.

The adjusting portion or member 9 of the spring elements 5 makes it possible to provide for a variable prestressing and thus, in conjection with the spring rate or stiffness of each spring element, to fix the overall spring rate as well as the point at which the spring 10 becomes ineffective. The adjusting portion or member 9 is also suitable for fixing the position of the wheel sets 8 in the chassis frame 4. Figure 5 shows the spring element 5 with a progressive spring characteristic.

The construction of the movable wheel set support arrangement in accordance with the invention provides for a reduction both in the shock ioading on the chassis frame, the transverse members and the rocking arms, and also in one of the causes of load swinging. Travel stability and the degree of safeguard against derailment of the rail crane are improved. Further advantages are the improvement achieved in the reliability of the carriage or bogey and in the reduction in wear between the wheel and the rail, thereby consequently giving a saving in energy.

Claims

1. A horizontal support arrangement for the wheel sets of a rail crane, wherein the wheel sets are arranged with or without clearance resiliently in a horizontal transverse direction and the wheel sets are guided in a horizontal transverse direction on the chassis frame by way of transverse members or rocking arms, through transverse abutments, said transverse abutments being formed as support means for carrying the forces and moments resulting from the slewing movement of the crane, the transverse abutments comprising spring elements and are connected in parallel mode, the position thereof being variable in the lengthwise direction of the chassis frame.

2. A horizontal support arrangement as claimed in claim 1, in which parallel-connected spring elements in combination thereof, have a linear spring characteristic, a degressive spring characteristic or a progressive spring characteristic, and that each spring element, in itself, also has a degressive, linear spring characteristic.

3. A horizontal support arrangement as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, in which the spring elements are provided with an adjusting member.

4. A horizontal support arrangement as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the spring elements are arranged on the transverse members or rocking arms.

5. A horizontal support arrangement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, in which spring elements are arranged on a chassis both on the chassis frame and also on the transverse members or rocking arms.

6. A horizontal support arrangement for the wheel sets of a rail crane, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.