US1821121A - Torpedo shaped suspended railway vehicle for high speeds - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 1, 1931. c. S TEDEFEL D 1,821,121

TORPEDO SHAPED SUSPENDED RAILWAY VEHICLE FOR HIGH SPEEDS Filed April 27, 1928 Patented Sept. 1, 1931 PATENT) OFFICE CUR-'1 STEDEFELD, OF HEIDELBEBG, GERMANY TOR-PEDO SHAPED SUSPENDED BAILVIAY VEHICLE FOR HIGI-I SPEEDS Application filed April 27, 1528, Serial No.

For high speed railways with very high speeds 300 km. hr. and more, various vehicles of wind cutting form mostly on the mono rail suspended and propeller driven system have been correctly proposed as the most suitable.

The rail constructional work of such high speed railways is in all circumstances more expensive than the long distance railways hitherto in use. Such high speed railways can only be economically established therefore where the trailic density is high, that is where a high transport output expressible in number oi passengers carried times kilometres of track covered per day, is required from the line. Assuming the easily examined case of a high speed line between only two places with a maximum speed of 300 km. hour and a ourney speed oi 200 km. hour. Assuming the line to be used by the same number of persons each day for the to and fro journey n the railway operation used hitherto Wl'i'll 100 km. hour maximum speed and 67 km. hour journey speed between the same places. Then the same number of tickets wouid be sold daily as on the railway and there would depart. in 24: hours the same munber of equal size trains, but the high speed passengers and trains would be in movenuznt only for a third of the previous time, the trains and operating staii would arrive again at the starting point and be free for a new journey. in other words there are needed onl one third the vehicle space and operating stafi'; the high speed railway in this way operates considerably more efficiently than the ordinary railway. On the other hand the track and operating material costs are much higher. For the same profitableness the high speed railway with the same transport output must charge higher fares or else its transport output must exceed that of the ordinary railway line, that is, it

5 must transport more than the previous passcngcr l ad of one railway line or other parallel traffic carrying agenoy. For this purpose the high speed railway has the 0 best prospects right from the start owing to its very great speed. It can then operate 273,348, and in Germany April 30, 1927.

for the same fares per person and per kilometre as the ordinary railway. If for examplein the case under consideration three times as many persons travel as before, with three times as high speed as before exactly as many persons per car and therewith vehicles and operating stafi will always be in movement as previously on the ordinary railways. The returns, however, with the same tarifii will in the same time be three times as great as before, and since the sum of the considerably higher track and operating material expenscs and the butslightly higher vehicle and costs are by far less than three times as great as the corresponding costs on the ordinary railway, a high speed railway line with such a transport output will considerably exceed an ordinary railway in profitableness. In the first place therefore economy requires higher transport output of a high speed railway, that is an increased number of passenger places leaving the stations in unit time; furthermore a very essential condition of high speed transport avoidance of waiting times is only to be obtained by short time intervals between trains. The traflic is, however, is no way uniform through the day and on different days. If vehicles of medium size are used in low traffic periods sufficiently frequent trailic facilities can be given and excessive waiting times avoided, but in heavy traffic periods a change must be rapidly made to a vehicle sequence with very short time intervals, which is limited by the oper ating security provided by the signalling system. It is fundamentally possible, by considerable extension of the signal system in use hitherto, to obtain approximately a two minutes train interval. With vehiclesfor at the most persons, which with regard to propeller drive are still efficient, up to 1500 persons could be carried each hour equalling the load of three ordinary railway trains. Apart from the installation costs of such an extensive signalling system, such an operat-' ing system makes very heavy demands on the exact carrying out of all working operations; in practical operation the lowest interval which makes allowance'for emergencies such as machine or signal operation interruptions, shortexaminations of the line sections, and so forth has shown itself to be three minutes below which with slight interruptions noticeable disadvantages occur. Along with high operating times with the likelihood of delays and so forth it must further be borne in mind how at the numerous connections made with ordinary railway trains during the day hundreds of passengers descend at once on to the hi h speed line stations and expect tobe carried further by the high speed line without delay. Then even with very close sequence of individually driven vehicles a part of the passengers must always be waiting and find fault with this.

All such cases will tend towards the sec-' o'nd way of increasing the transport output, namely, the enlargement of individual transports. 7

if for example trains of 6 vehicles each for persons could be run at the convenient interval of three minutes, the continuous transport capacity would be increased to 20 300=6,000 persons corresponding to 12 ordinary railway trains. There is thus obtained four times the amount of carrying capacity that was previously possible with two minute intervals yet without the installation cost of the extended signalling system, without such stringent requirements of operating exactness and besides a smaller operating staff is necessary. The characteristics of propeller drive, however, do not permit the trains to be made up simply by putting together a long series of passenger vehicles with propeller locomotives coupled in front or behind. The propeller diameter must not exceed an amount limited by the cross section profile of the line. The greater the horsepower imposed on this given propeller surface, the worse the propeller operates in regard to noise, driving efliciency and particularly to the tractive force obtainable per horse power. For this reason as light as possible, not too large, torpedo shaped driving vehicles or driving vehicle trains are employed. Coupling together of the propeller driven vehicles to form a train has hitherto only been considered with large distances between the vehicles, long coupling rods being interposed between the torpedo shaped vehicles in order to maintain them at a distance, about 10 metres, suilicient for the free action of the propeller stream. Such arrangements have the great disadvantage that the coupling is not only very inconvenient to effect, but above all that the desired rapid'filling and emptying procedure will suffer due to the fact that the space between individual vehicles is wasted and unnecessarily increases the cost of the platform structure.

In contradistinction the present invention enables considerably shorter train lengths and fully utilized platform lengths with proper care for satisfactory propeller operating conditions and the use at will of the individual vehicles as separately running driven vehicles, as the following describes in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a device embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a modified form,

ig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal cross sectional view of a detail of the device,

Fig. 4 is a similar view of another detail,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged end view of the body portion of one of the cars,

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of a cross-section taken along line VIVI of Fig. 5.

Figure 1 shows the new propeller vehicle train seen from the side. The torpedo shaped vehicles 11, 12, 13 and 14 are similar to one another and closely coupled together at 15, 16 and 17, for example by one of the known automatic couplings, so that the coupling up is simply and rapidly effected. In contradistinction to the previously known streamlinepropeller driven vehicles, here the torpedo shape is formed without points before and behind; the vehicles are as it were cut off and terminate before and behind in transverse cross-sectional areas having equal diameters (18 to 25). Only the fore most vehicle has its streamline form completed by a round cap on the front and the rearmost vehicle 11 by a point 27. By means of these parts which are shown in greater detail in Figures 3 and 4-, a streamline shape is obtained. Between the individual vehicles the air does not close completely in front of that decreasing part at which in such bodies the greatest danger of termination of stream action exists (see Hutte, 25th edition vol. 1 page 371 figure 421) and the air meets the increasing )art of the following vehicle head. Here the air stream is again forced outwards and accelerated so that the danger of termination and thus the main source of air resistance losses, is avoided. -For this reason and for saving in length the shortenin is made as great as possible, since the inner space of the torpedo points can hardly be made use of. The amount of shortening is always limited by the operating requirements of the propellers 28 to 31. It is known that the centre third of the propeller surface is almost ineffective and that the centre of pressure of the blade lies at about 0.7 to 0.75 of the radius from the centre. Accordingly, when the propeller is mounted directly in the cut off surface, the diameter of this surface can extend from about to of that of the propeller without the efficiency of the latter being reduced. The efficiency may even be a little increased, as has been observed in the case of axial pumps and Kaplan turbines, with hubs to of the blade diameter. The intermediate space between the end surfaces 19 and 20, 21 and 22-, 23 and 24 will be made as small as possible, only suflicient for the play of the buffered couplings 15, 16 and 17.

Naturally the invention can also be carried into effect, when as in Figure 2 (side view) only some of the vehicles 32 and have propeller drives, the others 33 and 34 being without driving means, and when the propellers 36 and 37 are at the front ends of the respective vehicles 32 and 35. The vehicles are here connected by short coupling rods 38, 39 and 40 which can remain permanently attached to one of the vehicle ends. Between the vehicles 33 and 34 a somewhat different form of junction is shown: vehicle 34 has at the rear a fixed point 53 which disappears into a hollow space 52 in the front end of the vehicle 33. In the opposite way, between vehicle 34 and vehicle 35 for example is shown how a fixed front end 54 can be so enclosed by a rear hollow space 55 of the vehicle 35 that the train has the desired chain form with no sharp changes in the general exterior shape.

Figure 3 (longitudinal section) shows more fully the stream line nose 27 which can be attached to the last vehicle. 28 is the propeller of the last vehicle; its hub 41 is connected to the propeller shaft 43 in the usual way by a nut 42 and taper seating. The conical sheet nose 27 fits upon centering seats 44 of the propeller 28. It is very firmly held by a long bolt 45 screwing into the propeller shaft 43. This point weighs very little and is rapidly and safely attached and removed.

Figure 4 (longitudinal section) shows an arrangement for the stream line completing cap 26 on the front end of the first vehicle, in the form of two hemi-spherical caps which are permanently attached to the vehicle body in such a manner that when needed they can easily be moved outwardly. For this purpose the cap halves 26aand 26?) are rotatably held on a pin 46 in the vehicle body. If the vehicle is not the foremost of a train, the cap halves have the position shown in full lines inside the vehicle driving body 26a, 26?). If it is the foremost they can be swung into the dotted line position 26a, 26 5 by the aid of the spreading levers 47a, 47b and securing rod 48, and then complete the torpedo form of the frontend.

If in mono-rail suspended railways the vehicles are arranged so that they can swing about the rail 49, Figures 1 and 2, so as to permit automatic banking on curves, then during running on curves or under the action of side winds or rail unevennesses, there is the possibility of the end surfaces 19 and 20, 21 and 22, 23 and 24 or 50 and 51, 52 and 53 and 54 and 55 moving in relation to one another through swinging out of the various vehicles by different amounts and then naturally the air stream is greatly affected. Bad effects through vertical displacements due to oscillation of the vehicles on their carrying springs are not to be feared owing to the smallness of these movements. The relative horizontal swinging of the vehicles could be prevented in the arrangement of Figure 1 solely by the lateral rigidity of the couplings 15, 16, 17, but owing to the small distance of the couplings 15, 16, 17 from the rail which forms the axis of oscillation the lateral forces to be transmitted from one vehicle to another would be very great. It is better to transmit the lateral forces at the closely abutting cut off surfaces 19 and 20, 21 and 22 and 23 and 24, since they are at a greater distance from the rail 49, forming the axis of oscillation. Such an arrangement is shown in Figure 5 (end View) and- Figure 6 (lower half in vertical longitudinal section and upper half in section on line VIVI of Figure 5). The vehicle end 59 cooperates with a tongue 56 in the centre of the cut off surface 61, which tongue enters a guide 57a, 57b in the end 58 of the next vehicle. It permits no lateral movement between the vehicle ends 58 and 59 or at most only a limited -movement in as far as the guides 57a, 575 may be supported by spring 60a, 605. If the springs as shown comprise strongly bent piles of laminations, then in addition these small lateral movements are effectively clamped by the frictional effect of adjoining members rubbing upon one another. If the vehicle end 59, as shown, carries a propeller, the tongue 56 must he in line with the propeller shaft nut 63 and by being supported on a bearing 62 allow'it to revolve freely when the tongue is firmly held between the guides 57a, 57 Z). As shown in Figure 5 the tongue can nevertheless move up and down without restraint between the guides during relative up and down movements of the vehicles 58 and 59, see the positions 56 and 56". Naturally other constructions embodying the invention are possible, the tongue bearing 62 instead of being on theextended nut 63 could for example be on the extended propeller shaft 43, and so forth.

It should also be mentioned thatthe devices according to Figures 5 and 6 do not exclude the application of those of Figures 3 and 4. The tongue 56 can have a small hole and the nut 63 or shaft 43 a tapped hole formed in it, in which the securing bolt 45 for the point cap 27 fits. At the other end the guiding device of Figure 5 can be directly mounted in the hollow space shown in Figure 4 while permitting the swinging cap halves 26a, 26b to move freely in all positions. 2

I claim:

l. Torpedo shaped suspended railway vehicles for high speeds adapted to be formed into trains, in which an end of each vehicle is removable in such a manner that the vehicles can be arranged close behind one another with shortened ends of substantially equal cross section.

2. The invention as set forth in claim 1, wherein coupling means is provided at the ends of each vehicle and propellers are provided on some of said vehicles adjacent said coupling means.

3. The invention as set forth in claim 1, wherein coupling means are provided at the ends of each vehicle, said coupling means preventing horizontal relative movement between said vehicles.

4:. Torpedo shaped suspended railway vehiclesfor high speeds adapted to be formed into; train-s according to claim 1 in which coupling members at the constricted portions of the vehicle tram permit the individual vehicles to move freely, in a vertical direction but hold them firmly in relation to one another in the direction of lateral swinging; said coupling members at the constricted portions of the vehicle being arranged to eiiect damped spring coupling oi the individual vehicles in a la oeral direction.

5. A railway train comprising a plurality of similar vehicles of substantially torpedo sl1ape,means for intimately oining said vehicles whereby the train as an entirety has a generally stream-line shape.

6. The combination with a plurality of similar vehicles, each oi substantially torpedo shape, of means for effecting telescoping engagement of the abutting ends of adjacent vehicles, whereby the group of vehicles as an entirety has a generally stream-line shape.

7. The combination with a plurality of similar vehicles, each of substantially torpedo shape, oi means for effecting telescoping engagement of the abutting ends of adjacent vehicles, whereby the group of vehicles as an entirety has a, generally streamline shape, and coupling means providing substantially free relative displacement in a vertical direction but restricted relative displacement in a horizontal direction.

8. A coupling for a plurality of vehicles comprising a plug member carried by one vehicle and a socket member carried by an adjacent vehicle, said socket member comprising a plurality of spring-pressed guide members for receiving said plug member and mounted. to permit substantially free lateral movement of said plug member in one direction but restricted lateral movement in all other directions.

9. A railway train comprising a plurality of independently operable, similar, streamlined vehicles and means for joining said vehicles comprising'a recessed end on each vehicle, the opposite end of each vehicle being inserted in the recess of an adjacent vehicle, said recesses being of such size relative to the shape of the vehicle that the train has a generally stream-line shape.

10. In a railway train, a plurality of similar, propeller-driven, stream-lined vehicles and means for joining said vehicles providing a lateral cross-sectional area of jointure of a size substantially equal to the ineliective inner portion of the propeller slipstream.

l. In a railway train, a plurality of fillilar, propeller-driven vehicles of substantially torpedo snape, and means for joining said vehicles to form an articulate, unitary body, having joints coaxial with and adjacent to propellers, the diameter of said joints being from to the diameter of the propellers.

12. In an articu ate railway train comprising a plurality of intimately joined sections, means for driving said train comprising propellers nounted adjacent the joints oi said train.

133;. in an articulate railway train comprising a plurality of intimately joiner sections of substantially circular cross-section, means for driving said train comprising propellers mounted adjacent the joints of said train and coaxial therewith.

i l. in an articulate railway train comprising a plurality of intimately joined sections of substantially circular cross-section, means-for driving said train comprising propellers mounted adjacent the joints oi said train and coaxial therewith, he lateral crosaseetional areas of said train adjacent said propellers being of such size as to lie in the substantiall inetlicient working portion of the propeller slip-stream.

15. in a vehicle of substantially torpedo shape,- a body ineinoer, pivoted end members and means for rotating said end members to a position within said body memher, said end members being of such shape that when rotated to a position within the body member, an opening in the body member is produced, having its edges lying in a plane substantially perpendicular the vehicle axis.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

CURT STEDEFELD.

Images