GB2262926A

GB2262926A - Axle retainer structure in a railway wagon.

Info

Publication number: GB2262926A
Application number: GB9226223A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Aki Kauhanen; Pasi Kaikkonen
Original assignee: TRANSTECH Ltd Oy
Current assignee: TRANSTECH Ltd Oy
Priority date: 1991-12-31
Filing date: 1992-12-16
Publication date: 1993-07-07
Also published as: GB9226223D0; FI89776C; FI89776B; FI916179A0

Abstract

An axle retainer (7) in railway wagons for limiting transverse movement in the axial direction of a wheel-and- axle set (6) comprises a resilient plate section (7) which has guide edges which engage in grooves (23a) in the journal box (3) so as to guide its vertical movement. The axle retainer (7) is L-shaped having in its first branch (9a) the guide edges for guiding the movement of the journal boxes (3). The axle retainer (7) is attached by its second branch (9b) at the level of the floor (11) to the wagon. A stop member can be provided to limit the movement of the first branch (9a) in the axial direction. <IMAGE>

Description

Axle retainer structure in a railway wagon The invention relates to an axle retainer structure in railway wagons, particularly in automobile-carrying wagons with a low floor, to limit transverse movement in the axial direction of the wheel-and-axle set in a wheel suspension in which both ends of the wheel axle are mounted in journal boxes sprung relative to the wagon frame, the axle retainer being made up at least of a vertical resilient plate part which has parallel guide edges pointing towards each other, which edges in grooves or shoulders in a journal box guide its vertical movement during flexion.

The prior known and generally used attaching of axle retainers in railway vehicles takes place so that axle-retainer halves, which are of a flat and straight plate, are attached by longhole welding to the outer longitudinal beam of the railway vehicle. To lighten the load on these welded joints, there is against each half of the axle retainer, on the vertical surface facing away from the longitudinal beam, a support moulding which constitutes the web of a U-shaped support which engages the axle retainer and is by its flanges attached to the longitudinal beam. The web made up of the support moulding is in this case rounded towards its lower edge.

The modern travel gear of a 2-axle freight wagon has wheel pairs with the necessary longitudinal and transverse play, the wheels settling in parallel to a curve in the rail. The limiters of the wheel pairs in the transverse direction of the wagon, and their transverse play, have been designed specifically for the centrifugal force which is generated during travel at the maximum speed and with a certain rail radius and a certain banking of the curve. Thus, in long curved stretches of the rail which are negotiated at the maximum speed, continuous contact of the journal box of the axle of a wheel pair with the axle retainer may be present for a long period, during which the axle bearing'transfers any transverse movement caused by the unevenness of the rail to the axle retainer and from there further to the chassis of the railway vehicle.

For this travel state, an axle retainer the elastic resilience of which is greater than that of the rigid standard axle retainer would be advantageous.

On the other hand, it is also known that, in long 2-axle freight wagons having a relatively large loading gauge, when the trains are travelling through shunting routes having Scurves, great forces are mediated by friction between the wagon buffers to the axle retainers so that distortions of axle retainers may appear. For this travel situation, axle retainers with greater rigidity and strength than previously would be needed.

In order that both of these contradictory requirements could be fulfilled without affecting the travel characteristics, there would be required such an axle retainer or an axle-retainer attachment facility that, first, when the axle journal box is bearing on the -axle retainer, the transverse reaction force is soft, whereby the wagon and the load are protected from transverse vibrations and great transverse accelerations, and second, there is arranged a transverse support for the axle retainer, in which case a loading bending moment will not, even when there are great forces present, cause permanent deformation of the axle retainers.

Attempts have been made to solve these described problems by means of an axle retainer attachment, described in FI-79494, which includes an axle-retainer support which encircles the axle retainer in the area of, or below, the lower edge of the longitudinal beam of the wagon frame and has a suitably curved surface for producing a steady force. The said support solves the said problems to a certain degree, but the design of the axle retainer itself is completely conventional.Sitce the axle retainer is attached to the vertical surface of the longitudinal beam running along the edge of the wagon, and since there must be a rather long attachment in the vertical direction in order to achieve a sufficiently strong attachment and a sufficient support length, and since the support described in the reference publication also limits a potential vertical movement of the wheel, an attempt at applying the structure to low-floor railway wagons will lead to considerable problems. Since the aim in railway wagons such as automobile-carrying wagons is a large freight-space height, small wheels are used in the wagons and the floor level is lowered considerably. In this case the side beams of the wagon are at such a low level that it is not possible to attach axle retainers to them, since in that case they would become short and too rigid.Furthermore, as efforts are made to utilize maximally the permitted loading gauge and to make the freight space maximally great also in the transverse direction of the wagon, the result is a situation in which the longitudinal side beam of the wagon is outside a point suitable for the axle retainer. Finding a suitable attachment point for the axle retainer thus becomes even more difficult than previously.

The object of the invention is thus to provide an axle retainer structure which is suitable for use also in low-floor railway wagons, such as automobile-carrying wagons, and which is sufficiently resilient for producing a soft transverse reaction force and which simultaneously withstands even great transverse forces without permanent deformation. The axle retainer thus has to be softly resilient under low axial forces of the wheeland axle set and be rigid against forces which cause large movements. A further object of the invention is a structure of this type, in which the stress peaks caused by axial forces are minimal and which is simple in construction.

The disadvantages described above can be solved and the objects defined are achieved by means of the structure according to the invention, which is characterized in what is defined in the characterizing clause of Claim 1.

It is the most important advantage of the invention that the axle retainer according to it can be installed in a small vertical space, especially in low-floor railway wagons, and that its action against the axial force of the wheel-and-axle set is progressive in the desired manner.

The invention is described below in detail, with reference to the accompanying figures.

Figure 1 depicts an axle-retainer structure according to the invention, in the longitudinal direction of the wagon, from direction B in Figure 2.

Figure 2 depicts the structure of Figure 1 along plane A-A in Figure 1 Figure 3 depicts the structure of Figures 1 and 2, as seen from above from direction C.

Figure 4 depicts, on a larger scale, another embodiment of the axle retainer according to the invention, in the same representation as Figure 1.

Figure 5 depicts separately the axle retainer of Figure 1.

Figure 6 depicts a third embodiment of the axle-retainer structure according to the invention, in the same representation as Figure 1.

Figure 7 depicts separately the axle retainer of the embodiment of Figures 1-3, in the same representation as Figure 2.

Figures 1, 2 and 3 show the axle-retainer structure according to the invention in a low-floor automobile-carrying wagon, in connection with the wheel suspension of a wheel-and-axle set.

Both ends of the wheel axle 2 of the wheel-and-axle set 6 are mounted in journal boxes 3, which are sprung 4 relative to the wagon frame 5. At the journal box 3 and in the area of movement, caused by flexion under the effect of load and travel, there is an axle retainer made up of a vertical resilient plate part 7 having parallel guide edges 8a and 8b which point towards each other and which, in the grooves 23a, 23b in the journal boxes, guide the said vertical movement of the journal box during flexion. In accordance with the invention, the axle retainer, which is generally indicated by reference numeral 1, is one unit which is made up of at least one plate or plate structure 10 which has been made primarily L-shaped.This Lshaped plate structure includes in its first downwardly vertically oriented branch 9a the said parallel guide edges 8a and 8b for guiding the movement of the journal boxes and for limiting the transverse movement parallel to the wheel axle 2. In accordance with the invention, the plate structure is attached by the second branch 9b of its L-shape at the floor level 11 of the wagon. By the floor level of the wagon is in this case ~ meant the horizontal surface on which the intention is to place the freight to be transported. Since the second axle-retainer 1 branch 9b, by which the axle retainer is attached, is thus at least approximately horizontally positioned, the attachment of the axle retainer will not take more space in the vertical direction than the thickness of its material, and so the use of space is very efficient.As can be seen in the figures, the angle of the first branch 9a of the axle retainer to the second branch 9b is preferably a right angle, in which case, the second branch being horizontal, the first branch 9a will point vertically downward and be alongside the journal boxes at their shoulders 23a, 23b.

The first branch 9a of the axle retainer 1 is shaped so as to converge strongly triangularly from the junction 13 of the first branch and the second branch toward the lower edge 20 of the axle retainer, as can be seen in Figure 7 and also in Figure 2. Thus this branch is, at the lower edge 20, in the direction perpendicular to the guide edges 8a and 8b, considerably narrower, for example by the order of magnitude of one-third, than at its upper edge in the area of the said junction 13. As the width of the horizontal second branch 9b corresponds to the width L of the upper edge of the first branch, the second branch has a rather large surface area, as can be seen in Figure 3.If the edges of the large surface of this second branch 9b are, for example, welded to the longitudinal beam 15 of the wagon, its transverse beams 16, and the floor material 24 of the wagon frame 5, the axle retainer will bear on a very large area in the wagon frame, whereupon its strength will be very good. Owing to its described triangular shape, and as there is a rounding R at the junction 13 of the first branch and the second branch, the stress caused by the force F acting in the direction of the axle 2 of the wheel-and-axle set 6 will be distributed evenly throughout the axle retainer, without high stress peaks, in which case the first branch 9a can be made of a sufficiently thin material in-order to produce the required good resilience under small transverse loads.The radius R of the rounding at the junction 13 is at least of the order of magnitude of the thickness of the material, but clearly greater roundings can also be used.

According to the invention it is preferable that the second branch 9b of the axle retainer is-oriented from the first branch 9a and the junction 13 of the branches towards the outer edge 12 of the wagon, as can be clearly seen in Figure 1. In this case the edge of the second branch 9b of the axle retainer can be connected to the longitudinal beam 15 on the outer edge of the wagon, whereupon it will be possible to attach the second branch 9b by at least three of its sides in the manner described above to strong, low-resilience structural parts of the wagon frame 5. In this case the forces acting on the axle retainer will not cause deformation in the material 24 of the floor 11 of the wagon.It is considered to be the most preferred embodiment that the axle retainer 1 is formed from one or a continuous plate structure 10, in which the said guide edges 8a, 8b are formed by the edges of a substantially Ushaped groove 14. An axle retainer 1 exactly of this type, of one piece, is shown in Figure 7, and also in Figures 1-3. This continuous plate structure 10 is advantageous in terms of strength, since the load can be distributed evenly. It is also possible to form the axle retainer 1 from two L-shaped plate sections, in which case the first branches 9a of these two plate sections have edges 8a and respectively 8b, which, after the plate sections have been installed in place, will form the said vertical guide edges.However, it is evidently more difficult to make this structure as strong as the continuous structure described above, since the structure of the wagon frame at the floor level 11 in the area of the journal boxes 3 must be solved in some other manner.

Especially in the embodiments of Figures 1-3, the axle retainer, and particularly its second branch 9b, constitutes a structural part of the wagon frame and specifically its floor 11, it being welded 26 by all its edges to parts of the wagon frame.

Especially in this case it is expedient to provide on the guide edges 8a and 8b specific replaceable wear pieces 21 and 22, which will come against the surfaces of the shoulders 23a and 23b of the journal boxes 3. This for the reason that in this construction, which otherwise leads to good strength, the replacement of the axle retainer itself is difficult. The replacing of separate wear pieces 21, 22, on the other hand, is very simple. The axle retainer may also by its second branch be welded 27 to the material 24 of the floor 11 of the wagon, as is shown in Figure 6, or to another part to be described later, as is shown in Figure 4.It is, of course, also possible to attach the axle retainer by its second branch, entirely or in part, by for example bolts or rivets 25 to the floor, as shown in Figure 5, but the strength achieved in this case may perhaps no longer be as good as in the alternatives described above.

The axle retainer design according to the invention, described above, is so sturdy that it is not necessary to tie the lower edges 20 of the axle retainer on the side of the guide edges 8a and respectively 8b to each other by a reinforcement tie, as it has been necessary to do in state-of-the-art structures. This absence of reinforcement ties, in accordance with the invention, can be seen clearly in Figures 1, 2 and 7. The absence of reinforcement ties substantially facilitates achieving the permitted loading gauge in wagon structures.

The above-described axle retainer structure according to the invention, consisting of an axle retainer 1, is even in itself usable with good results in railway wagons for limiting transverse movement in the axial direction of a wheel-and-axle set.

Its functioning can, however, be further improved by using, adjacent to the first branch 9a of the axle retainer, a relatively rigid stop piece 17, starting from the junction 13 of the first branch and the second branch and being parallel to the first branch, such stop piece being shown in Figure 4. This stop piece 17 limits the flexure of the axle retainer 1 under high axial forces F. The vertical length H1 of the stop piece 17 in the direction of the guide edges 8a, 8b is substantially smaller than the length H2 of the first branch in this direction. The length H1 of the branch may vary approximately within 10-50 % of the length H2 of the first branch, and in the embodiment of Figure t it is in the order of magnitude of 30 % of the length H2 of the first branch.

It is advantageous to make the stop piece 17 L-shaped in the same manner as the axle retainer and to locate it in connection with the axle retainer in such a manner that the first branch 18a of the stop piece is parallel to the first branch 9a of the axle retainer and the second branch 18b of the stop piece is parallel to the second branch 9b of the axle retainer. In this case the stop piece can be simply attached by its second branch 18b at the level of the floor 11 of the wagon. The stop piece can be attached by its second branch 18b to the floor 11 of the wagon, for example by welds 28 at least over the lengths of its edges to the floor material 24 and possibly also to the longitudinal beams 15 and/or the transverse beams 16 of the wagon frame. A structure such as this is shown in Figure 4.In this case the stop piece 17 constitutes a structural part of the wagon frame 5, and the axle retainer is attached by its second branch 9b to the second branch 18b of the stop piece. In the embodiment of the figure, this joint has been made by welding.

In addition, the axle retainer may, of course, also be connected to the longitudinal and/or the transverse beams. The axle retainer can in this case also be attached to the stop piece 17 by means of bolts. If the stop piece is located so that its first branch 18a is on that side of the first branch 9a of the axle retainer which faces the outer edge of the wagon, not shown in the figures, the axle retainer will, in a manner described previously, for example welded, constitute a structural part of the wagon frame 5. In this case the stop piece 17 can be attached by its second branch 18b to the second branch 9b of the axle retainer by welding, with rivets, or with bolts. There are thus in use two, in a manner reverse, methods of mutually locating the axle retainer and the stop piece.

The axle retainer can be made to operate especially progressively if there is arranged between the first branch 9a of the axle retainer and the first branch 18a of the stop piece 17 an air gap 19 or a gap filled with a suitable resilient and compressible material. In this case the axle retainer 1 will flex alone under small axial loads F, the resilience being great.

Under greater axial forces F the first branch 9a of the axle retainer will begin to act against the first branch 18a of the stop piece, whereupon this will stiffen the unit made up of these components; this will lead to progressive resistance during flexion. It is clear that the first branches may also be tightly against each other.

Claims

1. An axle retainer structure in railway wagons, particularly in a low-floor automobile-carrying wagons, for limiting transverse movement in the axial direction of the wheeland-axle set (6) in a wheel suspension in which both ends of the wheel axle (2) are mounted in journal boxes (3) sprung (4) relative to the wagon frame (5), the axle retainer (1) being made up at least of a vertical resilient plate section (7) which has parallel guide edges (8A, 8B) pointing towards each other, which edges in grooves or shoulders (23a, 23b) in the journal box guide its vertical movement during flexion, characterized in that the axle retainer (1) is made up of at least one plate structure formed into the shape of an L, which includes in its first branch (9a) the said vertical guide edges for guiding the movement of the journal boxes and for limiting movement parallel to the wheel axle (2), and is by its second branch (9b) at the level of the floor (11) of the wagon.

2. An axle retainer structure according to Claim 1, characterized in that the axle retainer S (1) second branch (9b) at each journal box (3) is oriented from the first branch (9a) towards the outer edge (12) of the wagon, and that at the junction (13) of the first branch and the- second branch there is a rounding having a radius (R) at minimum in the order of magnitude of the thickness of the material.

3. An axle retainer structure according to Claim 1, characterized in that the axle retainer (1) is made of either one or a continuous plate structure (10) in which the said guide edges (8a, 8b) are formed by the edges of a substantially U-shaped groove (14), or alternatively of two L-shaped plate sections which have in their first branches (9a) edges which, after the plate sections have been installed in place, form the said vertical guide edges.

4. An axle retainer structure according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the axle retainer (1) is by its second branch (9b) attached to the floor of the wagon by means of bolts, rivets or by welding, or alternatively this second branch constitutes a structural part of the floor (11), in which case it is welded to the floor at least over the lengths of its edges and possibly to the longitudinal (15) and/or transverse (16) beams of the wagon.

5. An axle retainer structure according to Claim 1, characterized in that, adjacent to the first branch (9a) of the axle retainer (1), starting from the junction (13) of the first branch and the second branch, there is a relatively rigid stop piece (17), parallel to the first branch, for limiting the flexure of the axle retainer under great axial forces, that the length (H1) of the stop piece in the direction of the guide edges (8a, 8b) is substantially smaller than the length (H2) of the first branch in this direction, and that the stop piece (17) is located towards the center line of the wagon at least from the first branch (9a) of the axle retainer.

6. An axle retainer structure according to Claim 5, characterized in that the stop piece (17) is also li-shaped, in which case its first branch (18a) constitutes a section parallel to the first branch (9a) of the axle retainer and its second branch (18b) is substantially parallel to the second branch (9b) of the axle retainer, and that the stop piece is attached by its second branch (18b) at the level of the floor (11) of the wagon.

7. An axle retainer structure according to Claim 6, characterized in that the stop piece (17) is by its second branch (18b) attached to the floor of the wagon by means of bolts, rivets or by welding, or alternatively this second branch constitutes a structural part of the floor (11), in which case it is welded to the floor at least over the length of its edges and possibly to the longitudinal (15) and/or transverse (16) beams of the wagon.

8. An axle retainer structure according to Claim 4 or 7, characterized in that the axle retainer (1) is attached to a stop piece (17) constituting a structural part of the wagon frame (5) and/or the stop piece (17) is attached to an axle retainer (1) constituting a structural part of the wagon frame (5).

9. An axle retainer structure according to any of the above claims, characterized in that between the first branches (9a, 18a) of the axle retainer (1) and the stop piece (17) there is either an air gap (19) or a gap filled with a resilient compressible material, or that these branches are tightly against each other.

10. An axle retainer structure according to any of the above claims, characterized in that the first branch (9a) of the axle retainer (1) converges strongly from the junction (13) of the first branch and the second branch towards the lower edge (20) in a direction perpendicular to the guide edges (8a, 8b), that there are attached to the guide edges (8a, 8b) replaceable wear pieces (21, 22) coming against the grooves or shoulders (23a, 23b) of the journal boxes (3), and that the lower edge is without a reinforcement tie.