US2996018A - Device in two-axled carriages - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 15, 1961 E. v. ASPENBERG 2,996,018

DEVICE IN TWO-AXLED CARRIAGES Filed April 4, 195 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

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DEVICE IN TWO-AXLED CARRIAGES Filed April 4, 195'. 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

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Aug. 15, 1961 v, ASPENBERG 2,996,018

DEVICE IN TWO-AXLED CARRIAGES Filed April 4, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 La 4 Q 2d 4 2c huezator L. lids Q fizz/Z2 (21? NW (g W United States Patent 2,996,018 DEVICE [N TWO-AXLED CARRIAGES Erik Vilhelm Aspenberg, Linkoping, Sweden, assignor to Aktiebolaget Svenska Jarnvagsverkstaderna, Linkoping,

Sweden, a joint-stock company of Sweden Filed Apr. 4, 1957, Ser. No. 650,720 Claims priority, application Sweden Apr. 13, 1956 3 Claims. (Cl. 105-3) Most of the railway carriages used for passanger railway cars have four axles, that is, they run on bogies, the result being heavy and complicated structures and an elevated centre of gravity. Railway carriages of this type are expensive to manufacture, to run and to maintain in proper working condition.

A natural solution of the problem of producing lighter and simpler carriage structures is to change over to using carriages with two axles. Then the difliculty will arise, when a relatively long carriage with great distance between the axles is employed, that a smooth run is to be combined with the capability of travelling around curves. In earlier, comparatively short two-axled carriages travelling around curves was made possible by using link axles and by utilising the sine curve run. The term link axles represents conventional spring devices like those applied to wagons for transporting goods and provided with two axles. The expression sine curve run designates that which arises due to the conicity of the wheel rings and the axial play in the bearings causing oscillations of the car body. Thus, the result was a jerky and uncomfortable ride, which gradually made it necessary to begin to use bogies, when, owing to the short distance between the axles, axles in stationary guides could be used. Therefore, in order to obtain a reasonably smooth run, insofar as a two-axled carriage is concerned, the earlier principle of using link axles must be dispensed with and it must be seen to it that the plane of the wheel moves in a tangent to the rail. The dificulty of making an axle which is movable to a certain degree in a horizontal plane, fulfilling the condition therefor, is evident.

This problem can be solved by connecting the wheel axle firmly to the corresponding axle in the next carriage so that the two axles are parallel. When the carriage reaches a curve the carriage bodies make a twist in rela tion to the axles connected in the manner stated, which run on the rail as a bogie common to the two coupled carriages close to each other. In the same way, as in a bogie, the axles will adjust themselves in such a manner that the wheels in their plane tend to fall tangent to the rail. According to the above device freely rotating wheels can be used, as, owing to the short distance between the axles, the angle between the plane of the wheel and the rail will never be so great that there will be risk of climbing.

To connect two two-axled carriages by means of two neighbouring running gears is already known, but the two running gears coupled together to a bogie of earlier known embodiments have, however, when travelling around a curve, the same qualities as usual bogies, for example the quality that the rail itself, through the action of one of the wheel flanges, forces the bogie to assume the angle necessary for the curve. The running gears according to the present invention have horizontally acting resilient elements, which, when the running gear is free and not coupled to the next carriage, holds the running gear in central position. When the running gear is coupled together to form a bogie, and the carriages travel in a curve, an advantageous situation arises, which will be described below.

Patented Aug. 15, 1961 In an embodiment of the said resilient elements these are combined with a mounting of the carriage body on the running gear. Then they consist of springs with horizontal as well as vertical mobility and effect and they may be mounted outside the wheels on traverse yokes, two for each axle end. The horizontal effect of the springs finally can be extended so as to allow merely lateral motion between the carriage body and the running gears. Such lateral motion is mostly desired in order to obtain a smooth run laterally.

Two running gears coupled together in accordance with this invention are shown diagrammatically in the accompanying drawing. FIG. 1 shows a plan view of the running gears belonging to two cars coupled together and running in a straight direction, certain parts being in section, and FIG. 2 shows an end view of a part of the running gear. FIG. 3 shows a plan view of the running gears like FIG. 1 but in their mutual positions when passing a curve. FIGS. 4 and 5 show in greater detail the construction of a yoke, rubber support elements, and wheel bearing elements. The two running gears of the said embodiment are supposed to be identical and are described in United States Patent Nos. 2,949,194 and 2,958,297.

Reference numerals 1 and 6 designate cross beams and longitudinal beams of the under frame of each car 2, 2a, 2b designate the wheels and 3 the axles of the wheels. 2c, 2d, 2e designate roller bearings between the wheels 2- and the axles 3. At each end of the axles there is mounted a yoke 4. The said yoke consists of a metal element 4b, U-shaped in section, which is secured to the axleii on a sleeve 4a which, in turn, is disposed on the end of the axle. Over the sleeve 4a there is located an inverted U-shaped reinforcing element 40, the flanges of which are fixed to the flanges of the yoke 4 by welding, for instance. Reference numeral 5 designates two torsion spring rods, each of which is mounted along its respective under frame beam 6. Each torsion spring rod has one end fixed to a shaft 7 which is pivotally mounted in bearings 8, of which one at each side of the frame is attached to a projection 8a extending from beam 6, and the other is positioned on a cross beam 1a in the frame. Reference numeral 14 designates transversely extending projections in the form of levers mounted on the shaft 7. Each of the levers 14 is disposed at one side of the car axle 3 and rests at one end on spring or rubber elements 15 and 16 provided on yoke 4. The other end of the torsion spring rod is mounted in a hub 10 connected to a lever 11 utilized for adjusting the the floor height of the carriage in the manner described below. The hub is pivotally mounted in a sleeve 12 attached to a cross beam 1b at the frame beam 6. Across the end of each lever 11 there is a vertical bolt 11a (see FIG. 3) which is pressed against a suitable surface under the car body. Thus, by means of at least four such bolts 11a the height of the card body can be adjusted. This adjustment is carried out as follows: By means of each screw 11a the end of each arm 11 is, for example, lowered in relation to the car body. As the arm 11 is fixed to the torsion rod 5 then the rod and the axle 7 are turned in their bearings 12 and '8, so that the arms 14 which rest on the rubber elements 15, 16 are swung downwards in relation to the car body. Consequently, the car body is raised. On the other hand, the car body is lowered when the end of each arm 11 is raised in relation to the car body.

Each of the rotatable pair of wheels has a coupling head containing coupling elements of any kind, for example of the type called tight-lock, the exterior of which is shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 and designated by reference numeral 21. A draw bar 20 forms part of the coupling head. The said bar has one end resiliently fixed to the rear portion of the coupling head, which rear portion is movable in a sleeve 30 attached to the wheel axle 3. The structure of the interior sleeve 30 is shown in United States Patent No. 2,949,l94. When coupled together, as shown in FIG. 1, the two coupling heads will engage each other entirely, and the two connected rotatable wheel assemblages will form a unit operating in the same manner as a two-'axled railway bogie. If the connected carriages of a pair of carriages connected to each other in this manner move towards a curve, the front end of the front carriage will follow the curve laterally and form an angle between the carriages. At this moment the resilient ele ments and 16, see FIGS. 2 and 3, for the rotatable wheels, will start to function, as the resilient elements are also movable horizontally as well as vertically. The anterior carriage tends with its resilient elements to turn its wheel assembly to the same position as it has itself, and the second carriage tends to restrain its wheel assembly in its normal position crosswise of the carriage. Then the spring elements of the carriages will counteract each other (see FIG. 3), as th y are designed so as to have the same stillness. The result will be that the pair of wheel assemblies coupled together to form a bogie places itself in an intermediate position resulting in half as great a change of angle in relation to the straight carriage as the carriage has to the rail. If these two carriages are on a continuous curve, the pairs of wheels tend to automatically place themselves in a position such that the longitudinal axis of the wheel assemblies will be tangent to the curve. Through this arrangement the pair of wheel assemblies will have their curve position at an early stage, which is a great advantage for the run of the carirages and in view of the wear of the wheel flanges.

The invention is not restricted to the details shown. The resilient elements may be made in different Ways without the efiect described and aimed at being changed. Besides the invention can be applied to connectible carriages which do not run on rails.

What I claim is:

1. In a wheel articulated bogie device for two-axled wheeled vehicles, each axle and two wheels constituting a wheel assembly, coupling means on each axle of each vehicle so arranged that the wheel assemblies of adjacent vehicles of similar construction may be rigidly coupled together to form a four-wheel bogie unit turnable in relation to the carriages, each said wheel assembly inoluding two horizontal yokes mounted one on each end of the axle, and vertically extending resilient compression support means mounted on each of said yokes forming the sole vertical support between said vehicle and said wheel assembly, each said resilient support means being of a substantial vertical height with respect to its area in a horizontal plane, and of sufficient resilience to permit substantial horizontal movement of said support means for swinging of said wheel assembly with respect to said vehicle under the twisting action of said wheel assembly with respect to said vehicle when the wheel assemblies are steered around a curve, the horizontal stiffness of said support means normally holding said wheel assembly in and to return said wheel assembly to alignment with said vehicle when not subjected to the said twisting action.

2. In an under carriage arrangement for supporting a rail vehicle body, a wheeled axle, steering means on said axle, a yoke supported on each end of said axle, resilient support members mounted on said yokes, each said resilient support member being of a substantial vertical height with respect to its area in a horizontal plane, and of sufficient resilience to permit substantial horizontal move ment of said member for swinging of said wheeled axle with respect to said vehicle body under the twisting action of said wheeled axle When the wheeled axle is steered around a curve, the horizontal stiffness of said support member normally holding said wheled axle in and returning said wheeled axle to alignment with said vehicle body when not subjected to the said twisting action, a pair of arms for each yoke, said arms having one end supported on said resilient memb rs, and means on the other ends of said arms for connection to said vehicle body.

3. In an under carriage arrangement for supporting a rail vehicle body, a wheeled axle, a wheel steering coupling means mounted on said axle normal thereto, a yoke supported on each end of said axle, resilient members mounted on said yokes, means on said vehicle body supported on said resilient members, said resilient members each being of substantial vertical height in comparison with their sectional area in a horizontal plane and of sufficient resilience to permit substantial horizontal movement of said yokes with respect to said vehicle body under steering action of said wheel guiding coupling, said resilient members being of sufi'icient horizontal stiffness to normally hold said axle in alignment with said vehicle body and to return said axle to alignment with the vehicle body when not subjected to steering action of said coupling.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,184,241 Huston May 23, 1916 2,109,276 Pflager Feb. 22, 1938 2,217,034 Van Dorn Oct. 8, 1940 2,287,575 Sensenich June 23, 1942

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