GB2205290A

GB2205290A - An auxiliary supporting displacing device to be fitted in a bimodal wagon or the like

Info

Publication number: GB2205290A
Application number: GB08811849A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Antonio Meo
Original assignee: CIMA
Current assignee: CIMA
Priority date: 1987-05-28
Filing date: 1988-05-19
Publication date: 1988-12-07
Also published as: FR2616404A1; ES1006414U; CH673260A5; YU103588A; NL8801232A; ES1006414Y; BE1000957A5; DE8805414U1; GB8811849D0

Abstract

The present auxiliary device is to be fitted in a bimodal wagon and comprising a supporting vertical shaft (2) adjustable for height and mountable on a lower side member (11) of a wagon, the said vertical shaft (2) having a wheel (3) on its lower part, the wheel having a railway contour, as well as an overturnable foot (6) suitable for supporting the wagon on a flat surface. The said shaft (2) may slide vertically with a rack (12) which is driven by means of a kinematic unit (13) in order that the wheel (3) may remain in a lifted position, or the wheel (3) may be lowered till touching a track (14). <IMAGE>

Description

AN AUXILIARY SUPPORTING DISPLACING DEVICE TO-BE FITTED IN A BIMODAL i OR THE LIKE The present invention relates to an auxiliary device for independently supporting and displacing a bimodal road-railway wagon.

In the field of transportation, the employment of bimodal wagons or semi-trailers proves particularly advantageous, since such means of transportation may be used either on road or on railway.

As regards the solution for the railway transport, the semi-trailers are coupled one another through an only coupling bogie, suitably arranged, and provided with articulations and further devices permitting a soobtained train to be conveyed on railway lines.

In these solutions, which are deemed the most functional, there may be some inconveniences when it is necessary to displace a single wagon, for instance in case of breakdown of one of its apparatuses, or when it is necessary to split up the train in several sections in order to embark such on a ferry-boat.

In fact, when the above-described wagons have to be separated, the end of the wagon from which the bogie has been removed renains without a support and can not be transported independently unless lifting vehicles are employed, which vehicles are quite inadequate for those purposes and can be found only with difficulty.

In order to overcome the aforesaid inconveniences, an auxiliary device has been conceived for permitting one or more wagons of a same train to be supported, displaced and moved at a reduced speed towards a branch railway line, or embarked on a ferry-boat, and in general to be moved whenever their independent displacement should be necessary.

The auxiliary device according to the present invention is easy to be carried out and fits for all kinds of bimodal wagons at low costs, or it can be obtained direct ly on a lower side member of a wagon, the said side member being suitably arranged so as to form a sole part with the auxiliary device.

The invention relates to an auxiliary device for a bimodal wagon, characterized in that generally comprising a vertical shaft, adjustable in height and bearing a wheel on its lower part, which wheel nas a railway contour; the said vertical shaft is inserted in a seat of a lower side member of a wagon and has a rack which may be touched and driven by a driving gearing unit so that the said wheel may be lifted or lowered in order to touch or not touch the rails; a particular overturnable foot is provided for permitt ing the wagon to be supported on a flat surface.

The invention will be better understood from the following description set forth as an example not restricting the invention itself as well as from the accompanying drawing in which: - figure 1 is a schematic side view of an auxiliary device as a whole according to the present invention, the auxiliary device being fitted in a lower side member of a wagon; - figures 2 and 3 show a bimodal wagon in a normal travelling situation and in a situation of emergency for a transport at a reduced speed; - figure 4 is a side view of the wheel unit with an overturnable foot; as an enlarged franentary detail; and - figure 5 is a schematic cross section on the line of Fig.4.

With reference to the accompanying drawings,number 1 denotes an auxiliary device as a whole according to the present invention.

The auxiliary device generally comprises: a vertical shaft 2, adjustable for height, as described below; a wheel 3 with a railway contour mounted on the lower end of the vertical shaft 2 and hinged at 4 on vertical shoulders 5; asupport or foot 6 also hinged in 4 and is overturnable as appears from figure 4. The foot 6 is used for supporting a wagon or a semi-trailer when it is necessary to lay the semi-trailer on a flat surface as in the usual operations of coupling and disconnecting respectively with and from a road tractor. The foot 6 may be locked in a lifted position by means of a latch 7 which is insertable through a fixed shoulder seat 8 and a loop 9 arranged on a side of the foot itself.

The vertical shaft 2 may slide to a certain extent in a housing 10 of a lower side member 11 of a bimodal wagon (see figure 1). The shaft sliding is etrected via a rack 12 which is fixed to the shaft itself and is driven by means of a kinematic unit 13 provided with an endless screw or other suitable driving gear.

The displacement of the shaft 2, tacilitated by the said gearing, permits the wheel*3 to be lifted or lowered till the wheel itself touches the railway track 14.

Figures 2 and 3 show how a bimodal wagon 15, provided with the described auxiliary device, may be also displaced independently at a reduced speed besides being normally transported on a railway bogie. In fact it is sufficient to lower the device 1 which acts as an auxiliary bogie.

Claims

1. An auxiliary device to be fitted in a bimodal wagon or the like, characterized in that it generally comprises a vertical shaft (2) adjustable in position and bearing a wheel (3) on its lower part, the wheel showing a railway contour; the said vertical shaft (2) is inserted in a seat of a lower side member (11) of a wagon (15) and is provided with a rack (12) or the like which may be engaged and driven b y a driving gearing unit (13) so that the said wheel (3) may be lowered or raised in order to contact or not a railway track (14) therebelow; moreover, a particular overturnable foot (6) is provided for permitting the wagon (15) to be support ed on a flat surface.

2. An auxiliary device substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

3. An auxiliary device fitted to a bimodal vehicle comprising at least one (possibly two) vertically adjustable shaft displaceably mounted on the vehicle and extendable downwardly therefrom and carrying at its' lower end a wheel having the contour of a railway wheel so as to be capable of rolling on a railway track, and drive means for displacing said shaft.

4. A. device as claimed in claim 3, in which a supporting foot is displaceably mounted at said lower end for use when the vehicle is to be supported on a flat surface and securable in said position or out of said position when said wheel is to be used.