WO2002076803A1

WO2002076803A1 - Freight car

Info

Publication number: WO2002076803A1
Application number: PCT/FI2002/000242
Authority: WO
Inventors: Pekka E. Rapeli
Original assignee: Permar Oy
Priority date: 2001-03-26
Filing date: 2002-03-22
Publication date: 2002-10-03
Also published as: FI20010613A; FI20010613A0

Abstract

The invention relates to a railway carriage comprising a chassis (1) with wheels, end walls (2) and lateral walls (3, 4), which can be at least partly shifted in the vertical direction, and a roofing member (5). The carriage is flanked by vertical beam members (6) for controlling said vertical movability. Both the lateral walls are divided into at least two horizontal members (3, 4), which may move mutually overlapping. The roofing member (5) is adapted to be raised high enough for the lower edge on the side of the roofing to get to a level higher than the uppermost portion of the cargo loaded in the carriage. The lateral walls (3, 4) can also be raised to the height mentioned above relative to the cargo (10) to be loaded, allowing the carriage to be entirely loaded through its open side.

Description

Freight car

The present invention relates to a railway carriage comprising a chassis with wheels, end walls and lateral walls movable at least partly in the vertical direction, and a roofing member, the carriage being flanked by vertical beam members for controlling said vertical movability.

There are several known solutions for enhancing the modifiability of railway carriages and for optimising the interior of the carriage with a view to general cargo transport. Although the solution described below has been developed especially for the transport of automobiles, it is also suitable for transport of similar general cargo.

It is previously known to provide a railway carriage with roofing that can be shifted together with its lateral members in the vertical direction so as to allow the height of the carriage to be adapted to local conditions and norms. It is also previously known to provide slightly displaceable lateral walls with a view to ventilation of the car- riage, for instance.

It is also known to provide the carriage with roofing and wall members that can be shifted in the longitudinal direction, in order to facilitate loading and unloading of the carriage, among other operations. In that case, the lateral wall may be e.g. curtain-like or the assembled wall and roofing unit can be telescopically movable in the longitudinal direction of the carriage.

Regardless of the arrangements described above, railway carriages provided e.g. for the transport of cars have been devised so that cars are loaded and unloaded by driving. Besides being relatively slow, this procedure normally requires that the carriage be equipped with separate sublevels or separate racks, which will reduce space. The design of normal passengers cars of sedan model cannot be utilised for optimal space utilisation.

Using conventional methods, it is also difficult to provide automated loading and locking of the cars. Cars mounted on pallets at the factory cannot be loaded in the carriage by conventional methods.

The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate the shortcomings above and to provide a railway carriage that allows complete loading and unloading through the side of the carriage, while allowing more advanced automation and mechanisation of the entire transport process.

To achieve this purpose, the invention is characterised by the two lateral walls being divided into at least two horizontal members, which can move mutually overlap- ping, by the roofing member being adapted to be raised high enough for the lower edge of the roofing side to get to a higher level than the uppermost portion of the cargo placed in the carriage, and of the lateral walls being also hoistable to the height mentioned above relative to the cargo to be loaded, allowing the carriage to be completely loaded through its open side.

The invention and its other features and advantages are explained in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

figure 1 is a perspective view of the carriage of the invention in closed, i.e. transport position,

figure 2 is a corresponding view with the carriage in loading position,

figure 3 is a side view of me carriage interior with the carriage loaded with passenger cars,

figure 4 is a view similar to figure 3, with the cargo to be loaded placed on pallets,

figure 5 is a view similar to figure 4 viewed from the end of the carriage,

figure 6 shows a vertical member included in the support structure of the carriage,

figure 7 shows the carriage in cross-section including its hoisting mechanism,

figure 8 is a view similar to figure 7 with the roofing in raised position,

figure 9 shows the array of raisable wall members, and

figure 10 shows the carriage in cross-section with the roofing in raised position and in two different running positions, respectively.

With reference first to figures 1 and 2, the main members of the railway carriage are the chassis 1 with wheels, end walls 2, lateral wall members 3 and 4 and the roofing member 5. In addition, the carriage has interior vertical members 6 with cargo brackets.

Figure 1 shows the carriage in closed driving position. The lateral wall is formed of overlapping members 3 and 4, which can be shifted vertically mutually overlapping and also overlapping with the roofing periphery, as explained below.

The carriage has a design that allows the entire roofing member 5 and the raised lateral walls to be raised to a height such that the carriage can be completely loaded and unloaded through its open side.

Figure 3 is a side view of a carriage fully loaded with cars 10, with the roofing raised in loading and unloading position. When the vertical members 6 inside the carriage are equipped with brackets for car wheels and the cars are additionally loaded from the side of the carriage, three large-sized passenger cars can be loaded on top of each other in the central part of the carriage.

Figure 4 illustrates a situation in which the roofing of the carriage is in running position and cargo units 10 on pallets have been loaded on the cargo brackets.

Figure 5 is a cross-section of the carriage at its end portion, with two cars on top of each other. Transverse yokes 9 for fixing the car wheels have been fixed on top of the brackets.

The vertical member shown in figure 6 is formed of lateral columns 6, an upper bow 7 and brackets 8. The brackets may be hinged so as to be swung up if necessary to provide space for any cargo present on the carriage bottom.

Specifically for cars, transverse yokes 9 have been provided with adjustable position in the longitudinal direction of the carriage (e.g. by means of holes and pins), depending on the model and size of the car. The wheels are locked in position by conventional means, which are not included in the scope of this invention.

Figure 7 shows mechanisms for hoisting the wall members 3 and 4 and the roofing member 5. Inside the roofing, electric motors 11 are provided at one or both ends of the carriage, the motors being able to raise the wall members 3 and 4 overlapping with each other and the roofing periphery, respectively, with the aid of a gear and rod meachanism 12 and associated vertical wire cables. In addition, the carriage has hoisting cylinders 13 at its ends for ensuring the raising of the entire roofing along with the lateral walls. Besides the hoisting cylinders 13, vertical bars 14 are provided at least at the ends of the carriage, the bars being attached to the roofing 5 and movable in guides provided in the vertical columns 6. The guides also comprise locking pins for locking the roofing in raised position.

Figure 9 shows the design of the roofing periphery and the lateral wall in greater detail. The roofing periphery is double and open at its centre, allowing the wall members 3 and 4 to be raised within the roofing periphery. The upper wall member 4 is attached to transverse bodies, having guide discs 16 or the like at their ends. The axis of the discs moves in a vertical groove within the inner layer of the peripheral part in a manner known per se.

Accordingly, the lower wall member 3 is guided by discs 17 in the upper wall member 4. The upper wall member also comprises a slide body 18 of plastic, for instance, for supporting the wall members 3 and 4 in relatively rigid relationship.

Vertical cable wires 15 attached to the lower wall member 2 serve to raise the wall members within the roofing, the cable wires being actuated by the motors 11 and their gear mechanism 12 described above. At its edge, the carriage chassis has a longitudinal groove for accommodating an embossment 19 on the lower edge of the wall member 3 when the carriage is in nmning position.

Finally, figure 10 shows a railway carriage viewed from the end in three different positions, i.e. in loading and unloading position at the left, and in two different running positions at the centre and to the right, depending on the local height standards imposed in each case. In this solution, the vertical members of the carriage are slightly different from those of the embodiment explained above.

The roofing design may be e.g. shell-like, not requiring transverse partitions in the railway carriage. Since, however, in the case of car transport, spaced vertical members are called for, these can naturally be carried out so as to partly support the roofing.

The raisable wall means may have a thinner cellular board structure or they can be made of solid board, e.g. aluminium. Under hot conditions, the wall means can be perforated or have a mesh structure.

Claims

1. A railway carriage comprising a chassis (1) with wheels, end walls (2) and lateral walls (3, 4), which are at least partly movable in the vertical direction, and a roofing member (5), the carriage being flanked by vertical beam means (6) for con- trolling said vertical movability, characterised in that both the lateral walls are divided into at least two horizontal members (3, 4), which can move mutually overlapping, in that the roofing (5) is adapted in a manner known per se to be raised to a height such that the lower edge on the side of the roofing gets to a level higher than the uppermost portion of the cargo placed in the carriage, and in that also the lateral walls (3, 4) can be raised to the height mentioned above relative to the cargo (10) to be loaded, allowing the carriage to be entirely loaded through its open side.

2. A railway carriage as defined in claim 1, characterised in that the vertical column (6) on the side of the carriage constitutes one branch of a bow-like vertical member fitted transversely to the carriage, the vertical members being substantially equal to the cross-section of the roofing and the lateral members of the carriage.

3. A railway carriage as defined in claim 1, characterised in that the support structure of the roofing and lateral walls (3, 4) of the carriage comprises vertical members (6, 7) placed at a mutual distance, said distance being selected so as to exceed the corresponding dimension of the cargo (10) loaded in the carriage with a certain clearance.

4. A railway carriage as defined in claim 3 especially for transporting freight units, such as cars (10), to be loaded on top of each other, characterised in that said vertical members (6, 7) are equipped with brackets (8) projecting in the longitudinal direction of the carriage for supporting a freight unit at a given height.

5. A railway carriage as defined in claim 2, characterised in that actuating means (11-15) have been disposed in the upper part of the vertical member for raising both the roofing (5) and the lateral walls (3, 4).

6. A railway carriage as defined in claim 5, characterised in that the actuating means comprise electric motors (11), gears (12), runner wheels and cable wires