GB2201928A

GB2201928A - A coupling device to be mounted on a railway bogie for coupling bimodal transport wagons suitably prearranged

Info

Publication number: GB2201928A
Application number: GB08804061A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Antonio Meo
Original assignee: CIMA
Current assignee: CIMA
Priority date: 1987-03-10
Filing date: 1988-02-22
Publication date: 1988-09-14
Anticipated expiration: 2008-02-22
Also published as: GB8804061D0; IT211419Z2; DE3806260A1; FR2612145A1; NL8800476A; GB2201928B; BE1001491A3; CH673442A5; IT8763233V0

Description

1 9 1 A COUPLING DEVICE TO BE MOUNTED ON A RAILWAY BOGIE FOR COUPLING

BIMODAL TRANSPORT WAGONS SUITABLY PREARRANGED 1' 2 2 0 19 &"/- u The present patent of invention relates to a coupling device to be mounted in particular on a railway bogie, the said device being fit for coupling bimodal transport vehicles, that is wagons or semi-trailers carried out in such a manner that they can be employed either for a road transport or a railway transport. At present, the most employed intermodal transport system consists of a railway bogie "Poche" on which a semi-trailer is arranged. however., in the aforesaid solution there are great disadvantages as regards the volumes and the number of the semi- trailers which can be conveyed by railway because the railway loading gauge does not coincide with the road loading gauge. In fact, if we consider, for instance, C) a train 500 metres long, only thirty semi-trailers at most can be conveyed by employing the "Poche" system, whereas no less than thirty- seven semi-trailers can be conveyed by employing the device according to the present invention. Moreover, whether the railway bogies "Pochell-are employed, the trailers must be loaded with their wheels on the carriers, which does not permit to take a full advantage C.

A 1 of the road loading gauge. All the aforesaid inconveniences and further ones are removed satisfactorily by the coupling device according to the present invention. In fact, the said device can be mounted on a conventional railway bogie and permits wagons or semi-trailers, particularly shaped, to be coupled together. Thus, a train can be formed with very simple coupling operations and in order that each vehicle may act both as hauling element and hauled element. In order to better specify the difference between a train formed by employing a coupling device according to the present invention, and a train formed by employing a "Poche" bogie or the like, we must say that as regards the "Poche" bogie it is necessary a complete railway carrier on which the trailer must be laid to be transported, whereas in our case the carrier is formed by the trailer itself which is laid on a railway bogie, suitably provided with the device according to the present itivention. Furthermore. by eliminating the encumbrance of the road wheels and the encumbrance of the railway carrier frame, it is possible by means of the present invention to lower the level of the loading plane of the vehicle on gaining a remarkable height. In this way, it is also possible to take advantage of the entixe road loading gauge of the semi-trailer and in a more rational manner as well in fact the edges of the upper angles are eliminated. The invention relates to a coupling device or dynamic joint to be mounted on a conventional railway bogie for coupling bimodal wagons or semi-trailers, characterized in that for comprehending a box, connected with a lower footstep bearing, which comprehends a middle element, provided with a vertical hole in which a pivot passes; the said middle element provides side seats in which a supporting arm slides, the said arm being particularly shaped and comprising both a middle cushioning unit and and end, which is provided with extensions showing transversal holes interested by stopping means; the said box and the said supporting arm can execute independent angular displacements on a horizontal plane around the said pivot, whereas angular oscillations on a vertical plane are permitted by means of horizontal pivots arranged on a side.of the said box.

The invention will.be better understood from the follow ing description, set forth as an example not retricting the invention itself, as well as from the accompanying drawings in which:

- figure 1 shows a schematical view of the manoeuvres to be performed for changing the road working into a railway 1 working; - figure 2 shows a schematical, perspective view of a supporting arm, mounted on a middle element; - figure 3 shows a schematical side view of a coupling device or dynamic joint as a whole; - figure 4 shows a schematical plan of the same; - figure 5 shows a schematical front view of the rear transverse of a wagon or semi-trailer; - figure 6 shows a plan of the same; - figure 7 shows a schematical front view of the fore transverse of a wagon; and figure 8 shows a plan of the same. With reference to the accompanying drawings, number 1 denotes a conventional railway bogie, provided with a middle footstep bearing 2, which supports a counter footstep bearing 3 showing a middle hole 4. The counter footstep bearing 3 is connected at 5 with a box 6, or articulated joint, which is open frontally and is part of a dynanic joint, indicated as a whole with number 7. The said box 6 shows an upper seat 8 and a lower seat 81 for housing bushings 9 and 91, respectively. The bushings 9 and 91 include both a vertical pivot 10 passing through the bushings themselves, and a middle element 11. The element 11 shows a middle hole through which the pivot 10 passes and is provided with side seats 12 and h A, I- upper stops 13,, screwed in the element 11 itself. An arm 14 is kept in the said seats 12 in a vertical position and may slide horizontally. The said arm 14 is inserted in an opening 61 of the box 6 and comprises a component 15 and an elastic cushioning unit 16. The unit 16 has a traction - buffer function and comprises a horizontal shaft 17, which is fixed at 18 to the element 11. The element 11co-operates with rubber shock absorbers 19 or the like, which permit the arm it self to execute a cushioned horizontal movement and have the arm advancEdor with-drawn to a certain extent with respect to the middle element 11, during the brakng phase and accelerating phase of the train, respective ly. Extensions or forks 20 extend from the unit 16 and are provided with transversal holes 21 in which pivots 22 pass. The pivots 22 are dull at their ends and are comprised in the fore structure of the wagon or semitrailer, As represented in the figures 7 and 8. The pivots 22 are inserted in seats of the forks 20 by means of hand-wheels/acting on the pivots themselves. It is obvious that the wagon or semi-trailer must be so shaped that it can be employed either as a railway vehicle or a road vehicle. In fact. the wagon or semitrailer is provided with fore and rear,seats for housing the coupling parts of the joint 7 (see figures 5, 6,7 and 8). The box 6 is provided with a pair of pivots 24 on a side (see figure 4), the axes of the said pivots being horizontal and orthogonal with respect to the axis of the arm 14. The pivots 24 are used for inserting the rear transverse which is particularly shaped. In fact, the said transverse (see figures 5 and 6) is provided with hollow seat 25 which comprises suitable joint guides 26, provided with self-centering lower thread 27. In this way, the semi-trailer 28 is inserted in the pivots 24 and thus can execute angular oscillations both on a vertical plane by means of the pivots 24 themselves, and on a horizontal plane, too because the pivots 24 are part of the articulated box 6 which is vertically hinged on the bushings 9 of the pivot 10, as already described. Also the arm 14 can execute angular displacements on a horizontal plane; in fact, besides permitting the arm to slide in the seats 12, the central element 11 itself can rotate around the pivot 10 on allowing the complete joint articulation. Now, we shall describe an example for coupling a semitrailer with the joint of a railway bogie. As it appears from figure 1, at the beginning of the operation, the semi-trailer is lifted by means of a conventional lifting device or the like, so that the road wheel arrangement can be loosen and detached from the frame itself. Thus, the wheels remain on the spot and may be employed for another frame in the inverse operation. The semi-trailer is then carried and arranged over the railway lines, where a tail carrier 29 has been already prearranged. A bogie 2 showing a dynamic joint according to the present invention is provided in the fore part of the said carrier. The joint guides 26 of the rear transverse of the semi-trailer must be inserted just on the pivots 24 on self-centering the joint guides themselves.

1 At this point, it is sufficient to convoy a further bogie on the railway lines and insert the extensions or forks 20 of the arm 14 just in the seats of the fore transverse of the semi-trailer, in order that the extensions or forks 20 are locked by the pivots 22 of the transverse it self, through the actuating of the hand-wheels 23. From the above description it appears that the semitrailer in question is somewhat more complex than a conventional one owing to the detachable road wheel arrangement, owing to the coupling elements of the articulated joint and owing to the much stronger structure of the vehicle. However, by means of te present invention - b - it is possible to employ a lower number of road wheel arrangements with respect to the number of frames: in fact. it will be sufficient to employ less than half of wheel arrangements in a good traffic management. Moreover, if the wheels are 920 millimetres in diameter, it is possible to travel at SS speed and with a load of 20 tons on each axis. Accordingly, a vehicle with only two axles can carry a gross load of 34 tons (without considering the weight of the railway bogies), and this weight plus the weight of the road wheel arrangement amounts to 37 tons, that is the maximum transportable road load. The coupling operations for the subsequent carriages C> must be executed according to the above-described manner, till the train is completed.

4k i 1

Claims

Coupling device or dynamic joint (7) to be mounted on a railway bogie for coupling bimodal transport wagons., the said coupling device being characterized in that there is provided a box (6), connected with a lower thrust or footstep bearing (2) which comprises a middle element (11) which, in its turn, is provided.with a vertical hole through which a pivot (10) passes; the said middle element (11) is also provided with side seats (12) in which a support ing arm (14) slides, the said arm being particularly shaped and comprising both a middle cushioning unit (16) and an end which is provided with extensions (20) with transverse holes (21) for stop means (22); the said box (6) and the said supporting arm (14) being capable of executing independent angular displacements I a horizontal plane around the said pivot (10), whereas oscillations I on a vertical plane are permitted by pivots (24) which have horizontal axes and are arranged on a side of the said box (6).:
2. - Coupling device, as claimed in claim 1, characterized by the fact that the said box (6) is open in the front part for housing the said arm (14) and has upper and lower seats (8, 81) for bushings (9,, 91) in which the said middle element (11) is inserted.
3. - Coupling device, as claimed in claim I or 2, 1 by the fact that the said middle cushion- ing unit (16) may comprise of a series of elements (19) made of rubber or similar material. which elements allow a cushioned horizontal movement of the arm (14), upon the arm (14) itself being advanced or withdrawn to a certain extent with respect to the middle element (11) during the braking or accelerating phase of the train.
4. Coupling d evice as claimed in the claim 1, characterized by the fact that the extensions (20), which have transverse holes (21) for housing the said arr, (14), may be intersected by pivots (22) which are rivetted over or blunted at their ends and are part of the front structure 91 a semi-trailer (figg. 7 and 8).
5. - Coupling device, as claimed in any of the foregoing claiin , characterized by the fact that the said device may be mounted and employed on bimodal transport semi-trailers (28), which comprise front seats (figs. 7 and 8) and rear seats (figg. 5 and 6), the seats being particularly shaped in order o house the coupling parts (20, 24) of the device itself.
6. - Coupling device, as claimed in claim 1, characterized by the fact that the horizontal pivots (24), arranged on a side of the said box (6), permit the rear transverse of the semi-trailer (figs. 5, 6) to be put in.
7. - Coupling device, as claimed in any, of the foregoing claims, t A characterized by the fact that the said rear transverse of the semi- trailer (figs. 5, 6) may execute angular oscillations, either on a vertical plane by means of the said lateral pivots (24) of the said box (6), and on a horizontal plane by means of a hinge of the box (6), this hinge being provided on the said vertical pivots (10).
8. - A device as claimed in any of the previous claims, characterized by the fact that the said arm (14) may execute angular displacements in a horizontal plane by means of a hinge of the said middle element (11), which hinge is provided on the said vertical pivots (10), the entire articulation being thus permitted.
9. - Coupling device or dynamic joint mountable on a railway bogie;substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 1 Published 1968 at The Patent Office, State House, 66P7 1 High Holbom London WC1R 4TP. Further copies maybe obtained from The Patent 0Mce,