IE852595L

IE852595L - Railway bogie for railway vehicle of tilting body type.

Info

Publication number: IE852595L
Application number: IE852595A
Authority: IE
Original assignee: S C C I M I Societa Costruzion
Priority date: 1984-10-22
Filing date: 1985-10-21
Publication date: 1986-04-22
Also published as: GB2165808B; ES8609086A1; PT81353B; ES548762A0; SE462275B; DE3537564A1; SE8504941L; GB2165808A; DK481785D0; SE8504941D0; AU3846185A; DK481785A; NO165388B; GB8525863D0; FR2572041A1; FI85249C; NL8502866A; AU581872B2; GR852552B; IE56832B1

Abstract

The bearing is so shaped as to allow the vehicle to tilt relatively to the bogie both around a vertical axis 20 and a horizontal axis. The bearing is semi-spherical and is supported by a transverse beam 3 of the bogie, which is in turn supported by the frame 4 of the bogie, with the interposition of springs (6). The footstep bearing can alternatively be supported by the frame of the bogie and support the tilting beam, which in its turn is linked to the body with the interposition of springs. <IMAGE> [GB2165808A]

Description

S S 3 3 2 5 e The present invention relates to a railway bogie for railway vehicles & 10 of the tilting body type.

It is known that curves in railway tracks, show a certain degree of superelevation of the track, to reduce the effect of the centrifugal acceleration to which the vehicles are subject. 15 Such a superelevation allows the curves to be faced at higher speeds.

For stability reasons, the superelevation values are limited by international regulations. 20 In order to further increase the speed of the vehicles in the curves, without submitting the passengers to unacceptable values of centrifugal acceleration, the principle is known of rendering variable the position of the body of the railway vehicle, by suitably tilting the same 25 relative to the bogies towards the inside of the curve, by means of suitable mechanical devices. In this way, the angle of body tilting is added to the track superelevation angle, compensating totally or partly for the greater centrifugal accelerations on the passengers produced by the higher speed through the curves. 30 The systems known suffer however from the drawback that they do not allow bodies to be used of traditional structure for tilting body vehicles, and hence require special bogies and bodies to be built. ¥ 35 The object of the present invention is a structure for a railway bogie, either driving or idler bogie, to be used in passenger cars and also in locomotives, suitable to tilt the body of the vehicle in relation to k the curvature radius of the track, at the highest reachable speed, as -2- well as to the general conditions of track equipment, said structure being capable of using, without structural changes, existing vehicle bodies, or new bodies of traditional design, by replacing the existing bogies with those according to the invention. 5 In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a bogie for railway vehicles of the tilting body type comprising a tiltable transverse beam interposed between the bogie frame and the body, and a footstep bearing coupling the tiltable beam with the bogie frame or the 10 body, the footstep bearing including connecting means in the form of a pivot pin extending substantially vertically through the components of the footstep bearing, coupling them together and allowing relative rotation of the parts coupled by the footstep bearing about the pivot axis and the footstep bearing also being constructed to allow relative 15 rocking movement of the parts coupled by the bearing about a horizontal longitudinal axis.

A bogie according to the invention offers therefore, relative to the already known existing bogies, many advantages, such as e.g. structural 20 simpleness, and rapid transformation of existing vehicles. Such a bogie does not require long periods of development and great investment for new vehicles, and consequently a large reduction of the starting investment, and of the availability delays of the tilting body vehicles to be put into service may be attained. 25 The bogie, which is the object of the present invention, can have e.g. its frame of the welded type, consisting of two side members, and of one or more tranverse beams, they too being welded. That notwithstanding, such elements of the structure of the frame could be cast as 30 well, instead of being Melded.

The bogie can be provided with primary and secondary suspension systems, which may be of any of the presently used types. The suspension system is Independent of the mechanism which realizes the 35 variable position of tilting body relative to the bogies according to the present invention. -3- The bogie can be provided with a tiltable transverse beam positioned on the upper side, or on the lower side relative to the springs of the secondary suspension. 5 The bogie may be fitted with side suspension units of the pneumatic cylinder type, or of the pneumatic-hydraulic cylinder type, whose function is of keeping the centre of the footstep bearing at the centre of the frame of the bogie during the running in the curve, equilibrating the centrifugal force. The tilting of the body takes 10 place around an axis lying on the longitudinal symmetry plane. In this way, the tilting of the body is obtained, which produces the partial or total compensation of the centrifugal acceleration in curves.

Further details of the invention will be clearer from the following 15 disclosure, whichjelates to some exemplifying embodiments of the invention, shown in the drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a transversel view, partly in section, of a bogie according to the invention; 20 Fig. 2 is a view similar to that of fig. 1, but with a different suspension system; Fig. 3 and 4 are transversel views, partly in section, of another practical embodiment of the invention, with two different suspension systems; 25 Fig. 5 is a top view of a bogie according to the invention; Fig. 6 shows a further practical embodiment of a bogie, in a partly sectioned transversel view.

The spherical footstep bearing 1 allows the rotation of the tiltable 30 beam 3 and of the frame of the bogie 4 in all directions relative to the body 2, i.e., both around a vertical axis and around a horizontal axis. The spherical footstep bearing 1 is provided with the vertical safety pivot 20 and with two pairs of facing supports 21 and 22 (fig. 5). The elements 21 are solid with the upper component of the 35 footstep bearing, the elements 22 with the lower component of the footstep bearing. The purpose of said supports is of suitably limiting the tilting angle of the footstep bearing 1 in the longitudinal vertical plane. -4- The present invention has all the notable advantages described above, consequent to the simpleness of the system, owing to the fact that the characteristic described above of the spherical footstep bearing is also used to the purpose of obtaining the angular movement of the body, 5 by varying Its position relative to the tiltable beam 3 and to the frame of the bogie 4 in the transverse vertical plane, as shown by dotted lines.

As it can be seen in figs. 1 and 2, the footstep bearing comprises a 10 part-spherical hollow part, movable between two mating parts which are fastened together by the pivot pin, the two mating parts being fastened to the tiltable transverse beam 3 and the part-spherical hollow part to the body 2. The hollow part-spherical part has such an opening, as to allow it to rotate relative to the mating parts also around a 15 horizontal axis.

The tilting of the body 2 relative to the tiltable transverse beam 3 in response to the centrifugal force F is carried out by means of hydraulic cylinders 5 of simple type, or of telescopic type. The 20 cylinders 5 are protected by suitable protecting covers 17.

The base of each cylinder 5 is fastened inside a suitable cavity provided in the tiltable beam 3, whilst the upper end of the relevant piston is housed, with the interposition of a thrust bearing of the 25 ball bearing type or of another type, inside a corresponding cavity provided in the body, so as to reduce the space occupied by them.

Cylinders 15 of pneumatic type or of pneumatic-hydraulic type are additionally foreseen, for the drive of the lateral active suspension; 30 they are installed between the tiltable transverse beam 3 and the side members 4 of the frame of the bogle and their pistons are protected by protecting covers 17.

Stop pads 16 positioned between the tiltable transverse beam 3 and body 35 2 have the function of mechanically limiting the rotation of the body 2 relative to the tiltable transverse beam 3 to the maximum allowable limit, at the same time avoiding possible dangerous impact stresses on the cylinders 5. -5■ Said stop pads 16 are provided with antifriction contact surfaces for a rigid or elasticized contact, as well as with a device to allow precise adjustment after assembling, of the maximum value of the rotation angle 5 of the body in its tilted condition.

The stop pads 16 can be of fixed type, or of movable type. The stop « pads of the movable type are in their resting condition during the normal operating of the tilting system, thus acting, in that sense, 10 only as stroke end pads. Under their operating condition, they extend out of their seat, being hydraulically and/or mechanically actuated, going along a same stroke, to the purpose of acting as a safety device, which brings back the body 2 to its vertical position, and blocks it in said position, should the tilting system be excluded. The movable pads 15 16 can also be used as emergency device, totally replacing the drive cylinders 5, for actuating the tilting positioning.

Figs. 1 and 2 differ from each other only in that in fig. 1 the secondary suspension of the bogie is realized by means of pneumatic 20 springs 6, whilst in fig. 2 it is realized by means of traditional steel helical springs 6. In both cases, the secondary suspension system further comprises lateral 18 and vertical 19 side hydraulic dampeners, positioned between the transverse beam 3 and the side members 4 of the frame of the bogie. 25 In a further practical embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the function of rotating the bogie relative to the body in the horizontal plane is effected by the lower cylindrical footstep bearing 7, whilst the function of rotating the body 2 in the transverse 30 vertical plane is effected only by the upper footstep bearing 8 of cylindrical sector shape. The front and rear ends, in the longitudinal sense, of the intermediate element 9 of the footstep bearing have vertical walls which prevent longitudinal movement of the cylindrical upper footstep bearing 8 relative to the bogie. The walls are of 35 sufficient thickness to bear the longitudinal pressures against them when the vehicle is accelerating or braking. -6- Basically, the footstep bearing comprises in this case en intermediate part 9 linked with a cylindrical geometrical coupling to the footstep bearing parts respectively fixed to the body and to the frame, the axes of the cylindrical parts being orthogonal to each other. The parts are 5 assembled together by the vertical pivot 20.

In fig. 5 a type of bogie is shown, for exemplifying purposes, in its basic components, having a structure according to the invention. 10 The bogie is formed by the axles 10, by the disc brakes 11, by the brake cylinders 12, while the frame of the bogie is formed by: end transverse beams 13, intermediate transverse beams 14, side members 4, as well as by the tiltable transverse beam 3, drive hydraulic cylinders 5 and spherical footstep bearing, e.g. of the type shown in figs. 1 and 15 2.

In fig. 6 the transversal section is shoun, for exemplifying purposes, of another possible type of bogie according to the invention. This allows the advantageous characteristics according to the invention to 20 be evidenced, which, always thanks to its charcteristics of structural simpleness, can be used in a simple way on any types of a bogie provided with the tiltable transverse beam 3, transforming the bogie from a normal type bogie to a bogle of the type for tilting body systems. 25 30 The bogie shown in fig. 6 differs from that shown in figs. 1-5, in that the tiltable transverse beam 3 is mounted beneath the secondary suspension springs 6 of the pneumatic type shown in the figure, or of the cylindrical helical spring type.

In this figure, the body 2 is supported by the tiltable transverse beam 3 by the interposition of the springs 6, and the same transverse beam 3 leans on the frame of the bogie 4 with the interposition of the footstep bearing of compound type 7, 8, 9 as shown in fig. 3 or 4, or 35 with the interposition of the footstep bearing of type 1 shown in figs. 1 or 2. -7- The tilting of the frame 4 of the bogie in curve, in the horizontal plane, takes place relative to the tiltable transverse beam 3 and hence relative to the body 2, as these latter do not rotate relative to each other in curve in this plane. 5 The tilting of the body 2 and of the tiltable transverse beam 3 in the transverse vertical plane takes place always by means of the footstep bearing of compound type 7, 8, 9 or by means of the footstep bearing of simple type 1, relative to the frame of the bogie 4. 10 The drive hydraulic cylinders 5 confer to the tiltable transverse beam 3 and hence to the body 2 the angular transverse tilting motion.

The base of each of the cylinders 5 is fastened e.g. inside the side 15 members 4, while the upper end of each of the relevant pistons is housed inside a cavity provided inside the transverse beam 3 with the interposition of a thrust bearing of the ball bearing type, or of another type. The purpose of the bearing is to allow the upper end of the relevant piston to slide freely relative to the transverse beam 3 20 when the frame 4 of the bogie rotates when entering a curve.

The bogie shown in fig. 6 is equipped with all the fundamental elements typical for a railway bogie, already shown in fig. 5. 25 As it can be easily seen from the above description a railway bogie of the tilting type, provided with the system according to the invention, is suitable to allow, with complete safety, higher speeds during the running in a curve, than those which can be obtained with the traditional bogies, whilst partly or totally compensating for the 30 effect of the increased centrifugal acceleration on the passengers.

Moreover, with a bogie according to the invention, the structure of the body may remain the traditional structure, so that a bogie according to the invention is also suitable to be applied to already existing 35 railway vehicles, as a replacement for the traditional bogies, with notable economic advantages. -8- The bogie disclosed, in addition to performing all the existing functions between the body and the bogie, i.e., of rotation in all planes and in all directions including rotation of the body in the vertical transverse plane for obtaining the tilting positioning action, performs also the function of transmitting all dynamic and static forces produced by the weights, and all the horizontal dynamic, longitudinal and transverse forces produced by the traction, by the braking and by the centrifugal force.

Claims

1. CLAIMS 5 1. A bogie for railway vehicles of the tilting body type comprising a tiltable transverse beam Interposed between the bogie frame and the body, and a footstep bearing coupling the tiltable beam with the bogle « frame or the body, the footstep bearing including connecting means in the form of a pivot pin extending substantially vertically through the 10 components of the footstep bearing, coupling them together and allowing relative rotation of the parts coupled by the footstep bearing about the pivot axis and the footstep bearing also being constructed to allow relative rocking movement of the parts coupled by the bearing about a horizontal longitudinal axis. 15

2. A bogie as claimed in claim 1 in which the footstep bearing includes a part-spherical hollow part which is movable between mating parts which are fastened to one another by the pivot pin, and the part-spherical part has a central opening around the pivot pin which 20 permits said rocking movement.

3. A bogie as claimed in claim 1 in which the footstep bearing includes two sets of bearing parts held together by the pivot pin, each set having mating cylindrical surfaces which are relatively rotatable about 25 the respective common axes of the cylindrical surfaces, one of the common axes coinciding with that of the pivot pin, the other being orthogonal to it.

4. A bogie as claimed In claim 1, 2 or 3 having hydraulic cylinders 30 mounted between the tiltable beam and the bogie frame or the body for effecting the said relative rocking movement.

5. A bogie as claimed in claim 4 in which the pistons of the hydraulic cylinders engage the part to be moved through thrust bearings which 35 reduce horizontal stresses during the rotation of the bogie relative to the body. -10-

6. A bogie for railway vehicles substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 5 Dated this the 21st day of October 1985. *;BY: TOMKINS & CO..;Applicants' Agents,;*' 10 (Signed) 5, Dartmouth Road, DUBLIN 6. 15 20 25 30 -11-