JP2012145132A - Air spring - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air spring capable of changing the maximum displacement quantity of a horizontal directional displacement of a lower surface plate and a bottom plate or spring properties according to a lane where a vehicle travels with a simple operation without disassembling or reloading the air spring.SOLUTION: The air spring has an upper surface plate 1, the lower surface plate 2, a cylindrical flexible member 3 arranged extending from the upper surface plate 1 to the lower surface plate 2, an elastic stopper 4 attached to the lower surface plate 2, a through hole 18 formed in the lower surface plate 2, and a regulating member 16 attached the bottom plate 14 of the elastic stopper 4 while being inserted into the through hole 18, contacting the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 18 when the lower surface plate 2 and the bottom plate 14 relatively displace in a predetermined quantity in a horizontal direction, and thereby regulating the relative horizontal direction displacement of the lower surface board 2 and bottom plate 14 in a predetermined range. The regulating member 16 is arranged so as to change the contact site with the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 18, the maximum displacement quantity of the horizontal direction displacement can be changed by changing the contact site.

Description

  The present invention relates to an air spring used for a railway vehicle or the like.

  Conventionally, as an air spring used in a railway vehicle or the like, an upper plate attached to a vehicle body of a vehicle, a lower plate arranged below the carriage, and a flexible rubber made provided over the upper plate and the lower plate. A member provided with a member and an elastic stopper interposed between a bottom plate and a carriage is known.

Air is supplied to the inside of the flexible member and maintained in a pressurized state. The air spring is configured so as to exhibit a buffering function against a load, vibration or roll in the vertical direction by a flexible member and an elastic stopper which are inflated with pressurized air.

By the way, the above-mentioned air spring structurally has a horizontal spring constant that is close to linear, and therefore the force for suppressing the relative horizontal displacement between the carriage and the vehicle body becomes weak. Therefore, when the vehicle passes through the curve at a high speed, a large centrifugal force acts in the left-right direction and the roll increases, so that it is a problem to ensure traveling safety.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the lateral displacement of the elastic stopper can be limited within a predetermined range to make the spring constant in the lateral direction non-linear, thereby suppressing the rolling of the vehicle body. Air springs are known.

  FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the air spring showing a state in which the flexible member 33 is filled with air, with the left half showing the cross-section in the front-rear direction and the right half showing the cross-section in the left-right direction. The air spring 30 is interposed between the upper surface plate 31, the lower surface plate 32, the flexible member (bellows) 33 disposed across the upper surface plate 31 and the lower surface plate 32, and the lower surface plate 32 and the carriage. The elastic stopper 34 is provided.

  A long hole 35 extending in the vehicle front-rear direction is formed in the lower surface plate 32 of the air spring 30, and a regulating member 37 having a tip inserted into the long hole 35 is erected on the bottom plate 36 of the elastic stopper 34. The elastic stopper 34 generally has a laminated rubber structure in which rubber layers and steel plates are alternately laminated.

  The regulating member 37 can be formed in a cylindrical shape as shown in FIGS. As such an air spring, what was described in patent document 1 is known, for example. In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, the shape of the regulating member 37 can be formed in a flat shape by scraping the curved surface portions at both ends in the left-right direction of the cylinder. Thereby, the contact area of the regulating member 37 and the inner peripheral surface of the long hole can be increased, and deformation of the regulating member can be suppressed. As such an air spring, what was described in patent document 2 is known, for example.

  In the air spring 30, when a force is applied in the left-right direction of the vehicle and the relative horizontal displacement between the carriage and the vehicle body exceeds a predetermined amount, the regulating member comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the elongated hole and moves in the horizontal direction. The spring constant becomes high, that is, the spring constant becomes non-linear. Thereby, traveling stability (high-speed stability) at a high speed of the vehicle can be ensured.

JP-A-8-21475 JP 2008-215455 A

  However, in the air spring, once the restricting member is installed, the maximum amount of relative horizontal displacement between the bottom plate and the bottom plate is fixed. Therefore, when it is desired to change the maximum amount of relative horizontal displacement between the bottom plate and the bottom plate according to the conditions of the route on which the vehicle travels, the air spring is lifted with the vehicle body mounted on the top plate lifted. It was necessary to replace the regulating member by disassembling the air spring or to replace the entire air spring.

  Accordingly, in the present invention, in view of the above problems, the relative horizontal displacement between the bottom plate and the bottom plate can be achieved according to the route on which the vehicle travels by a simple operation without disassembling or stacking the air spring. It is an object of the present invention to provide an air spring capable of changing the maximum displacement amount, that is, the spring characteristics.

  In order to solve the above problems, an air spring according to the present invention is attached to an upper surface plate, a lower surface plate, a cylindrical flexible member disposed across the upper surface plate and the lower surface plate, and the lower surface plate. An elastic stopper, a through hole formed in the lower surface plate, and attached to the bottom plate of the elastic stopper in a state of being inserted through the through hole, and when the lower surface plate and the bottom plate are relatively displaced by a predetermined amount in the horizontal direction. A regulating member that contacts the inner peripheral surface of the through hole and regulates relative horizontal displacement between the bottom plate and the bottom plate (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as “horizontal displacement”) within a predetermined range; The regulating member is provided so as to be able to change a contact part with the inner peripheral surface of the through hole, and the maximum displacement amount of the horizontal displacement can be changed by changing the contact part. To do.

  According to the above configuration, the lower surface plate can be changed according to the route only by changing the contact portion with the inner peripheral surface of the through hole in the regulating member without disassembling or re-loading the air spring according to the traveling route. The maximum amount of horizontal displacement relative to the bottom plate can be changed.

  In order to change the contact portion of the restricting member with the inner peripheral surface of the through hole, a vent hole is provided as an air spring in the top plate, and the restricting member is held on the central axis of the vent hole in the bottom plate. What is necessary is just to set it as the structure in which the holding | maintenance part was formed. When changing the contact part of the regulating member, with the air inside the air spring exhausted, with the top plate seated on the bottom plate, remove the piping connected to the vent hole from the inside of the vehicle body and remove the vent hole. Expose. Since the holding portion is located directly below the vent hole, an appropriate jig may be inserted into the vent hole to operate the regulating member.

  Specifically, as the restricting member, for example, the horizontal cross section of the portion in contact with the bottom plate is provided in a non-circular deformed cross-sectional shape, and the restricting member can change its direction around the central axis with respect to the bottom plate. The maximum displacement amount of the horizontal displacement can be changed by changing the direction of the regulating member.

  In this case, if the restricting member is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the bottom plate, the orientation of the restricting member can be changed by rotating the jig inserted through the vent hole while being engaged with the restricting member. Become. Even if the restricting member is not provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the bottom plate, for example, the base of the restricting member may have a regular square cross section, and the holding portion may be formed with a recess capable of engaging the base of the restricting member. In this case, the restriction member may be extracted from the holding portion by the jig, and the restriction member may be rotated about the central axis to change the orientation of the restriction member and engage the base portion of the restriction member with the recess again.

  Further, the restricting member can be switched between a restricting posture for restricting the horizontal displacement within a predetermined range and a releasing posture for releasing the restriction of the horizontal displacement. In this case, by setting the restricting member to the release posture, it becomes possible to linearize the spring constant and maintain good riding comfort on the low-speed route. That is, it is possible to provide an air spring having spring characteristics corresponding to each route from the low speed route to the high speed route.

  In order to switch the regulating member between the regulating posture and the releasing posture, for example, the regulating member is provided so as to be detachable from the bottom plate, and when it is attached to the bottom plate, it is in the regulating posture and is removed from the bottom plate. It can be configured to be in a release posture sometimes.

  Further, the restricting member may be provided so as to be movable in a state of being engaged with the bottom plate, and can be switched between a restricting posture and a releasing posture depending on the engaging position of the restricting member with respect to the bottom plate. Specifically, in order to set the restricting member to the restricting posture, the restricting member is raised toward the upper surface plate in a state of being engaged with the holding portion, and in order to set the restricting member to the releasing posture, the restricting member is held to the holding portion. What is necessary is just to descend | fall toward a bottom plate with the state engaged with.

  The air spring according to the present invention is attached to the bottom plate of the elastic stopper, and contacts the inner peripheral surface of the through hole formed in the bottom plate when the bottom plate and the bottom plate are displaced by a predetermined amount in the horizontal direction. A regulating member that regulates the relative horizontal displacement between the bottom plate and the bottom plate within a predetermined range, and the regulating member is provided so that the contact portion with the inner peripheral surface of the through hole can be changed, and the contacting portion is changed. This makes it possible to change the maximum amount of displacement in the horizontal direction, so that the spring characteristics can be changed according to the route on which the vehicle travels by simple work without disassembling or restacking the air spring. .

It is a figure which shows embodiment of the air spring of this invention, and is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state which the control member took the control attitude | position The top view of the state which removed the upper surface board and flexible member of the air spring of FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a state in which the regulating member is rotated 90 ° around the central axis in FIG. The figure which shows the state which the control member took the cancellation | release posture in FIG. The graph which shows the relationship between the displacement of the left-right direction in the air spring of this invention, and a load. A longitudinal sectional view showing a conventional air spring The principal part enlarged plan view which shows a part of the control member and lower surface board of FIG. The figure which shows the aspect of the control member different from FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1-4 is a figure which shows embodiment of the air spring for railway vehicles which concerns on this invention. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the air spring in a state where the restricting member assumes a restricting posture, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the state in which the top plate and the flexible member are removed in FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the air spring in a state in which the restricting member is rotated by 90 ° around the central axis, and FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the air spring in a state in which the restricting member is in the release posture. 1 and 4, the AA cross section in FIG. 2, that is, the left half of the air spring shows the cross section in the front-rear direction, and the right half shows the cross section in the left-right direction.

  The air spring includes an upper surface plate 1 attached to the vehicle body of the vehicle, a lower surface plate 2 disposed below the upper surface plate 1, and a cylindrical flexible member 3 disposed between the upper surface plate 1 and the lower surface plate 2. And an elastic stopper 4 interposed between the bottom plate 2 and the carriage. 1 and 4 show a state in which the air in the flexible member 3 has escaped.

  In the present embodiment, a rubber bellows is used as the flexible member 3. The flexible member 3 is composed of a laminated rubber having a reinforcing rubber layer in which a reinforcing cord is embedded as an intermediate layer, and the flexible member 3 has a wall thickness in which a reinforcing rubber layer is wound around a bead core at an upper end portion and a lower end portion thereof. Bead portions 3a and 3b are formed. That is, the flexible member 3 includes bead portions 3a and 3b formed at both upper and lower ends, and a thin and tubular flexible portion 3c made of laminated rubber formed between the bead portions 3a and 3b. .

  As shown in FIG. 1, the upper surface plate 1 includes a metal disk-shaped support plate 5, a cylindrical bead receiving portion 6 that protrudes toward the lower surface plate at the center of the support plate 5, and the support plate 5. A protective rubber layer 7 is provided on the lower surface of the bead receiving portion 6 at a portion radially outward from the bead receiving portion 6, and the bead portion 3 a is fitted into the bead receiving portion 6. A vent hole 10 for adjusting the air pressure inside the flexible member 3 is formed at the center of the top plate 1.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the elastic stopper 4 includes a laminated rubber portion 15 in which a rubber layer 11 made of vulcanized rubber and a reinforcing layer 12 made of a steel plate are alternately laminated. A metal top plate 13 and a bottom plate 14 are bonded to the laminated rubber portion 15 at the lower end. The laminated rubber part 5 is formed in a thick cylindrical shape.

  The lower surface plate 2 is formed in a disk shape from a metal material, and is fixed to the top plate 13 of the elastic stopper 4 by fastening members such as bolts and nuts. The top plate 13 is formed in an annular shape. The lower surface plate 2 also has a function as a bead receiving portion, and the bead portion 3 b is fitted into the lower surface plate 2.

  A rubber seat 8 is mounted on the lower side of the bead portion 3b along the shape of the bead portion 3b. The rubber seat 8 is formed in an annular shape by rubber and reinforcing metal fittings. Thereby, durability of the flexible member 3 can be maintained favorably.

  The bead receiving portion 6 and the lower surface plate 2 have a function of ensuring safe driving of the vehicle by the bead receiving portion 6 being seated on the lower surface plate 2 when the air inside the flexible member 3 escapes (when deflated). Have both. A sliding sheet 9 is fixed to each contact surface with which the bead receiving portion 6 and the lower surface plate 2 are in contact during deflation.

  The sliding sheet 9 is made of a thermoplastic or thermosetting synthetic resin that can be formed into a thin and tough sheet, and has a small friction coefficient. Specific examples include fluororesin, polyethylene, and polypropylene. In this embodiment, a fluororesin sheet is used.

  The bottom plate 14 of the elastic stopper 4 is formed in a disc shape, and a holding portion 17 that locks the regulating member 16 is formed at the center portion so as to protrude upward. The holding portion 17 is formed in a truncated cone shape with a conical tip cut off, and is fixed in a state of being inserted into the laminated rubber portion 15. The holding portion 17 is formed on the central axis CA of the vent hole 10 in a state where the air spring is stationary.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a through hole 18 is formed in the center portion of the lower surface plate 2, and the regulating member 16 is inserted into the through hole 18 in a state where the regulating member 16 is locked to the holding portion 17. The state (regulated posture) is maintained. In a state where no horizontal force is applied to the air spring, the regulating member 16 is positioned at the center of the through hole 18 without contacting the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 18 as shown in the figure. When the regulating member 16 is removed from the holding portion 17, the release posture is set.

  The through-hole 18 is a rectangular long hole that is longer in the longitudinal direction C of the vehicle than in the lateral direction B of the vehicle. Therefore, when the restricting member 16 takes a restricting posture, the restricting member 16 does not contact the through hole 18 even if a force acts in the front-rear direction of the air spring when the vehicle starts or stops, and the lower surface plate 2 The relative longitudinal displacement between the base plate 14 and the bottom plate 14 is not restricted. As a result, it is possible to maintain good riding comfort with respect to the shaking of the vehicle in the front-rear direction.

  On the other hand, when a strong force acts in the left-right direction of the air spring, such as when the vehicle passes a curve at a high speed, the relative lateral displacement between the bottom plate 2 and the bottom plate 14 is a predetermined amount ( In FIG. 2, when the length X) is reached, the restricting member 16 comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the through hole 18 and further displacement is restricted, and the spring constant can be made non-linear. This makes it possible to ensure high-speed stability on high-speed routes.

  The restricting member 16 is formed of a hexagon socket head bolt, and a screw hole into which the restricting member 16 can be screwed is formed at the top of the holding portion 17. The restricting member 16 is formed in a substantially rectangular horizontal cross section at a portion in contact with the lower surface plate 2. Therefore, the distance between the regulating member 16 and the through hole 18, that is, the horizontal (left and right) displacement is caused by making the long side or the short side of the rectangular cross section of the regulating member 16 face the left and right inner surfaces of the through hole 18. The maximum amount of displacement can be changed.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the distance between the regulating member 16 and the through hole 18 (the maximum displacement in the left and right direction displacement) is made by making the short side of the regulating member 16 face the left and right inner surfaces of the through hole 18. Amount) is X. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, when the orientation of the regulating member 16 is rotated by 90 ° around the central axis of the regulating member and the long side of the regulating member 16 is opposed to the left and right inner surfaces of the through holes 18, The distance to the hole 18 is (maximum displacement amount in the lateral displacement) Y.

  The maximum displacement amount in the left-right direction displacement is set to X on the high-speed route, and the maximum displacement amount in the left-right direction displacement is set to Y on the medium-speed route (where X <Y). Thereby, the spring characteristic of an air spring can be changed according to the route which a vehicle drive | works.

  When the vehicle is operated on a low-speed route, the restricting member 16 is set to the release posture. Thereby, not only when a force acts in the front-rear direction of the air spring, but also when a force acts in the left-right direction of the air spring, the relative horizontal displacement between the lower surface plate 2 and the bottom plate 14 is restricted. Never happen. Therefore, the spring constant of the air spring in the left-right direction can be linearized, and the vibration when the vehicle passes through the curve at a low speed can be effectively mitigated. Riding comfort can be maintained.

  A method of changing the spring characteristics in the air spring having the above configuration will be described. When the regulating member 16 is locked to the holding portion 17, the air connected to the vent hole 10 is removed while the air in the flexible member 3 is discharged and the upper surface plate 1 is seated on the lower surface plate 2. The vent hole 10 is exposed. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, an appropriate rod-shaped jig may be used to attach and detach the regulating member 16 from the vent hole 10 of the top plate 1 to the holding portion 17.

  As a specific example, as shown in FIG. 4, in a state where the regulating member 16 is attracted to the tip of a magnet-type hexagon wrench 19 by a magnetic force, the hexagon wrench 19 is inserted from the air hole 10 to hold the regulating member 16 in the holding portion 17. Can be screwed together.

  Further, in order to switch the regulating member 16 between the orientation shown in FIG. 2 and the orientation shown in FIG. 3 in the regulation posture, adjustment may be performed using a spacer having an appropriate thickness such as a washer. Preferably, by placing a mark indicating the orientation of the regulating member 16 in a jig for operating the regulating member 16, the orientation of the regulating member 16 can be accurately adjusted.

  In order to set the restricting member 16 to the release posture, the restricting member 16 is removed from the holding portion 17 using the hexagon wrench 19 and then taken out from the vent hole 10 while being adsorbed to the hexagon wrench 19. .

  As described above, by using the air spring according to the present invention in a vehicle, the spring characteristics are changed by changing the direction of the regulating member while making the spring constant non-linear by setting the regulating member 16 to the regulating posture. It is possible. Further, the spring constant can be linearized by setting the restricting member 16 to the release posture.

  FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the displacement of the air spring in the left-right direction and the load. In the figure, No. No. 1 shows a case where the restricting member is in the orientation shown in FIG. No. 2 shows the case where the regulating member is in the orientation shown in FIG. 3 shows the case of the release posture. As shown in the figure, by changing the direction of the restricting member, the maximum displacement amount of the lateral displacement can be changed, and the spring characteristic of the air spring can be changed.

  In the present embodiment, the aspect in which the regulating member 16 is provided detachably with respect to the holding portion 17 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the regulating member 16 is not removable from the holding portion 17 and the holding portion It is also possible to allow only rotation with respect to 17. Thereby, the characteristic of the air spring cannot be linearized, but the spring characteristic can be changed by changing the direction of the restricting member in the restricting posture. In this case, the direction of the regulating member 16 can be fixed or changed by providing an appropriate click mechanism.

  In the present embodiment, the aspect in which the maximum displacement amount in the left-right direction displacement is changed by changing the direction of the regulating member 16 is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is also possible to change the maximum amount of displacement in the left-right direction depending on the position (height) of the restricting member with respect to the lower surface plate 2.

  Specifically, a member formed such that the diameter changes in the central axis direction of the restricting member may be used as the restricting member. For example, it can be set as the aspect in which a diameter becomes small as the front end side of a control member. And the maximum displacement amount of the left-right direction displacement can be changed by moving the regulating member in the direction of the central axis while being engaged with the bottom plate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Upper surface board 2 Lower surface board 3 Flexible member 4 Elastic stopper 5 Support plate 6 Bead receiving part 7 Protective rubber layer 8 Rubber seat 9 Sliding sheet 10 Vent hole 11 Rubber layer 12 Reinforcement layer 13 Top board 14 Bottom board 15 Laminated rubber part 16 Regulation Member 17 Holding part 18 Through hole 19 Hexagon wrench

Claims (5)

An upper surface plate, a lower surface plate, a cylindrical flexible member disposed across the upper surface plate and the lower surface plate, an elastic stopper attached to the lower surface plate, a through hole formed in the lower surface plate, The bottom plate is attached to the bottom plate of the elastic stopper while being inserted through the through hole, and contacts the inner peripheral surface of the through hole when the bottom plate and the bottom plate are displaced by a predetermined amount in the horizontal direction. And a regulating member that regulates relative horizontal displacement between the base plate and the bottom plate within a predetermined range, and the regulating member is provided so as to be able to change a contact portion with the inner peripheral surface of the through hole, An air spring characterized in that the maximum displacement amount of the horizontal displacement can be changed by changing. The air spring according to claim 1, wherein a ventilation hole is provided in the top plate, and a holding portion that holds the regulating member is formed on a central axis of the ventilation hole in the bottom plate. The restricting member is provided with an irregular cross-sectional shape in which a horizontal cross section of a portion in contact with the lower surface plate is non-circular, and the restricting member is provided to be capable of changing a direction around a central axis with respect to the bottom plate. 3. The air spring according to claim 2, wherein the maximum displacement amount of the horizontal displacement is changed by changing the direction of the member. The air spring according to claim 3, wherein the regulating member is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the bottom plate. The restricting member can be switched between a restricting posture for restricting a relative horizontal displacement of the lower surface plate and the bottom plate within a predetermined range and a releasing posture for releasing the restriction of the horizontal displacement. The air spring according to claim 3.

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