GB2369336A

GB2369336A - Electric current pick-up shoe for a railway vehicle

Info

Publication number: GB2369336A
Application number: GB0126697A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jean-Pierre Buttazzoni
Original assignee: Regie Autonome des Transports Parisiens
Current assignee: Regie Autonome des Transports Parisiens
Priority date: 2000-11-24
Filing date: 2001-11-07
Publication date: 2002-05-29
Anticipated expiration: 2021-11-07
Also published as: GB0126697D0; GB2369336B; FR2817203B1; FR2817203A1

Abstract

To improve reliability and simplify repairing, the pick-up shoe comprises a slipper (7) for contacting an electrified rail and a damping device (8) comprising a first support plate (81) connected to a structural element of the vehicle, a second support plate (82) connected to the slipper and elastically deformable connecting plates (83) connecting the support plates. The connecting plates (83) are two bowed plates each having two end regions fixed respectively to the first support plate (81) and to the second support plate (82). The shoe comprises a strap (11) the ends of which are fixed to the first support plate (81) and a central region of which is secured to the second support plate (82), adopting a V-shape to relieve the connecting plates (83) when the slipper (7) is not resting against the rail. The strap (11) extends longitudinally between lowered ends of the plate (81) and a raised central portion of the plate (82).

Description

ELECTRIC CURRENT PICK-UP SHOE FOR A RAILWAY VEHICLE The invention relates to an electric current pick-up shoe for a railway vehicle, for picking up current on an electrified rail.

Current is generally supplied to railway vehicles in metropolitan railway networks using an electrified rail. The current is transmitted to the running vehicle by means of a pick-up shoe carried by a structural element, such as a beam, of the vehicle, this pick-up shoe having a contact slipper designed to rest against the electrified rail, and a damping device inserted between the contact slipper and the structural element of the vehicle to constantly keep the slipper pressed against the electrified rail as the vehicle moves along.

Numerous types of pick-up shoe for supplying current to railway vehicles are known, the main ones of which are of the pantograph, scissors, damper, etc. type.

In these known pick-up shoes, the slipper is kept pressed against the electrified rail by articulated rigid arms forming a damper. However, the damping device generally lacks flexibility and this disadvantage combined with the weakness of certain arms leads to a great amount of problems, which have detrimental influences on the railway network.

Among these problems, mention may be made of the breakage of the lower arms of the pick-up shoes of the pantograph type, or premature wear of their hingepins, and the breakage of the arms of pick-up shoes of the damper type due to impacts experienced as the rollingstock passes over rail sections. All these problems lead to very high maintenance costs, on top of a very high cost of manufacture.

It is an object of the invention to overcome the ( drawbacks, particularly those mentioned hereinabove, of

known pick-up shoes by proposing an inexpensive pick-up shoe which is resistant to the shocks inherent to its use, is of a simple design, and has a lower maintenance cost.

To these ends, the invention relates to an electric current pick-up shoe for a railway vehicle, for picking up current on an electrified rail, comprising a contact slipper designed to rest against the electrified rail, and a damping device comprising a first support plate designed to be connected to a structural element of the vehicle, a second support plate connected to the slipper and elastically deformable connecting plates connecting the support plates, the shoe being characterized in that the connecting plates are two plates which have a bowed shape, each connecting plate having two opposite end regions fixed respectively to the first support plate and to the second support plate, and in that it comprises a strap, the ends of which are fixed to the first support plate and an approximately central region of which is secured to the second support plate, this strap adopting a V-shape when the slipper is not resting against the rail so as then to relieve the connecting plates of at least part of the weight of the slipper.

By virtue of the deformable system consisting of the support plates and of the connecting plates, the necessary contact pressure between the slipper and the electrified rail supplying the current is maintained, while at the same time providing good ability to withstand lateral deformation as the railway vehicle runs along, while the drive force passes wholly through the strap. The elastically deformable connecting plates have better resistance to lateral shocks and the strap has better resistance to longitudinal shocks, so not only is the design of the pick-up shoe simpler, hence having a lower cost by comparison with the articulated

arms, reducing the overall cost of the pick-up shoe, but its life is also lengthened.

Furthermore, the combination of the damping device and of the driving means consisting of the strap forms a deformable system that can easily be exchanged, thus making it possible to reduce the maintenance costs of the pick-up shoe.

The pick-up shoe may also have one or more of the following features: the connecting plates are made of a noncombustible and electrically insulating elastically deformable material; the strap is arranged in such a way that its length runs in a longitudinal horizontal plane with respect to the support plates and connects the first support plate to the central region of the second support plate; the first support plate comprises an approximately flat central part and two extensions bent towards the slipper ;, the ends of the extensions of the first support plate constitute stabilizers for the slipper, on which stabilizers the connecting plates rest during phases in which current is not being picked up; the strap is fixed to the ends of the extensions of the first support plate; the second support plate comprises an approximately central transverse rib projecting towards the first support plate, to which the strap is fixed in such a way that the front portion of the strap is

tensioned parallel to the slipper when current is being picked up ; and it comprises a fixing device for connecting the damping device to the structural element and fixing the shoe to this structural element, this fixing device being fixed to a first support plate of the damping device and equipped with manipulating means to which is fixed a connecting strip connecting the second support plate to the manipulating means so as to raise or lower the slipper.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description which will follow of one form of embodiment of the invention given by way of nonlimiting example illustrated by the appended drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic profile view of a railway vehicle equipped with a pick-up shoe according to the invention; and Figure 2 is a schematic depiction in perspective of a pick-up shoe according to the invention.

Figure 1 is a diagram showing an end region of a vehicle 1 running along two guide rails 2 and powered with electric current by a pick-up shoe 3 for picking up the current supplied by an electrified third rail 4; the pick-up shoe 3 here is fixed to a structural element of the vehicle such as a beam 5 arranged under the body of the vehicle, facing the third rail 4.

The pick-up shoe according to the invention comprises (Figure 2) a fixing device 6 clamped onto the beam 5, a contact slipper 7 and a damping device 8 inserted between the slipper 7 and the beam 5. The damping device 8 is connected to the beam 5 by the fixing

device 6 and to the slipper 7 by spacer tubes 9 through which bolts pass.

The railway vehicle is supplied with current via a connecting cable 10 connected to the contact slipper 7, of which only the end connected to the slipper 7 is depicted in Figure 2.

More specifically, the damping device 8 comprises a first support plate 81, which is rigid, comprising an approximately flat central part fixed by bolts to the fixing device 6, and a second support plate 82, also rigid, fixed by bolts to the spacer tubes 9, these two plates 81,82 being, respectively, the upper support plate and the lower support plate of the damping device '8 as depicted in Figures 1 and 2. The spacer tubes 9 are made of electrically insulating material, or consist of electric insulators.

The second support plate 82 is connected to the first support plate 81 by connecting plates 83 of bowed shape, made of non-combustible and electrically insulating elastically deformable material and which are the damping members of the damping device 8. These connecting plates 83 are fixed respectively to the end regions of the two support plates in the longitudinal direction of the electrified rail 4 and of the beam 5 which will hereinafter be considered as being the longitudinal direction of the pick-up shoe, for example via backing plates 84 and bolts or the like.

By virtue of their bowed shape in the shape of a couched U, the end regions of the branches of which are fixed to the support plates 81,82 by the backing plates and the internal spaces of which face each other, the connecting plates 83 act as a damper, by operating in bending in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the support plates 81,82, to keep the slipper 7 in contact with and pressed against the

electrified rail 4 with sufficient pressure while the vehicle is moving along.

In addition, they provide good resistance to lateral deformation during running.

These connecting plates 83 may, for example, be made of two layers of ethylene propylene diene monomer commonly known as EPDM, or silicone, assembled to one another via an armature made of polyester fibres, providing the required elasticity and strength.

A flexible strap 11 made of non-combustible insulating material, the length of which runs in a longitudinal horizontal plane of the vehicle therefore of the pickup shoe and of the support plates 81,82, is fixed at each of its ends to the ends of longitudinal extensions bent towards the slipper 7, of the first support plate 81, or the like, and in its central region to an approximately central transverse rib projecting towards the first support plate, of the second support plate 82, or the like.

The regions of attachment of the strap 11 belonging respectively to the longitudinal extensions of the first support plate 81 and to the transverse rib of the second support plate 82 are approximately aligned so that the front portion, when considering the direction of travel of the pick-up shoe, of the strap 11 is tensioned parallel to the slipper 7 when current is being picked up, so as not to alter the pressure with which the slipper 7 presses against the electrified rail 4.

By contrast, when the vehicle is running through regions where current is not picked up, the vertical tensile force to which the connecting plates 83 are subjected as a result of the weight of the slipper 7 suspended in space, is reacted and cancelled by the

strap 11, the two portions of which are then tensioned into a V shape. In addition, the bowed regions of the two connecting plates 83 then rest on the ends of the longitudinal extensions of the first support plate 81 or the like, which thus constitute stabilizers for the slipper 7 during phases in which current is not being picked up, preventing this slipper from tipping sideways.

In order to be able to raise the slipper 7 if need be, the fixing device 6 comprises manipulating means comprising a lever 61 collaborating with a cam (not visible in the drawings) to which is connected an insulating and non-combustible connecting strip 62 fixed by its opposite end to the cam to the second support plate 82, preferably approximately at the centre thereof.

Manipulating the lever 61, which causes the cam to rotate, causes the slipper 7 to be raised or lowered via the strip 62 and thus makes it possible to break or make the electrical contact between the electrified rail 4 and the slipper 7.

Thus, the only wearing parts of the pick-up shoe, namely the deformable system and the contact slipper can be changed easily and at low cost by virtue of the simple design of the assembly.

Of course, the invention is not restricted to the form of embodiment described and depicted hereinabove, and other forms of embodiment may be envisaged without departing from its scope.

Claims

1. Electric current pick-up shoe for a railway vehicle, for picking up current on an electrified rail comprising a contact slipper designed to rest against the electrified rail, and a damping device comprising a first support plate designed to be connected to a structural element of the vehicle, a second support plate connected to the slipper and elastically deformable connecting plates connecting the support plates in which the connecting plates are two plates which have a bowed shape, each connecting plate having two opposite end regions fixed respectively to the first support plate and to the second support plate, and comprising a strap, the ends of which are fixed to the first support plate, and an approximately central region of which is secured to the second support plate, this strap adopting a V-shape when the slipper is not resting against the rail so as then to relieve the connecting plates of at least part of the weight of the slipper.

2. Pick-up shoe according to claim 1, in which the connecting plates are made of a non-combustible and electrically insulating elastically deformable material.

3. Pick-up shoe according to either one of claims 1 and 2, in which the strap is arranged in such a way that its length runs in a longitudinal horizontal plane with respect to the support plates and connects the first support plate to the central region of the second support plate.

4. Pick-up shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the first support plate comprises an

approximately flat central part and two extensions bent towards the slipper.

5. Pick-up shoe according to claim 4, in which the ends of the extensions of the first support plate constitute stabilizers for the slipper, on which stabilizers the connecting plates rest during phases in which current is not being picked-up.

6. Pick-up shoe according to claim 4 or claim 5, in which the strap is fixed to the ends of the extensions of the first support plate.

7. Pick-up shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 6, in which the second support plate comprises an approximately central transverse rib projecting towards the first support plate, to which the strap is fixed in such a way that the front portion of the strap is tensioned parallel to the slipper when current is being picked up.

8. Pick-up shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 7, in which it comprises a fixing device for connecting the damping device to the structural element and fixing the shoe to this structural element, the fixing device being fixed to a first support plate of the damping device and equipped with manipulating means to which is fixed a connecting strip connecting the second support plate to the manipulating means so as to raise or lower the slipper.

9. An electric current pick-up shoe for a railway vehicle substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.