WO2009053598A2

WO2009053598A2 - Multi-articulated wagon

Info

Publication number: WO2009053598A2
Application number: PCT/FR2008/051804
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jean Michel Ven
Original assignee: Igf Industries-Arbel Fauvet Rail
Priority date: 2007-10-04
Filing date: 2008-10-06
Publication date: 2009-04-30
Also published as: FR2921885A1; FR2921885B1; WO2009053598A3

Abstract

The invention relates to a multi-articulated wagon (1) comprising at least four frames/bodies (2) arranged astride bogies (3) termed inner bogies. The inter-body coupling between each end frame/body and the immediately associated intermediate frame/body is produced by at least one pair of pre-loaded side friction blocks (6) without longitudinal clearance. In addition, the end frames/bodies (4) rest at their end on free wheel axles (5) devoid of any braking linkages.

Description

POLY-ARTICULATED WAGON

The invention relates to a poly-articulated wagon intended for the transport of freight. The present invention is therefore in the field of rail and more particularly in the construction of poly-articulated wagons for the transport of ores.

However, although particularly intended for such an application, the poly-articulated wagon, object of the present invention, can be used for the transport of other types of goods including urban aggregates, agricultural products, iron and steel products and more. all types of freight usually transported by rail, particularly in bulk, pallet or container.

We know that rail transport is subject to numerous regulations and standards.

One of the most restrictive elements is in particular the passage to the template which generates high dimensional constraints as much in the lower parts as the high parts of the wagons considerably complicating the design of new structures. On the other hand, to limit transport costs, manufacturers are seeking to increase, for each wagon, the useful volume of freight to be transported or the load per axle. These transport costs are all the more accentuated as the cost of the steel itself, used for the manufacture of the wagons, has greatly increased. In fact, raw material costs, which previously accounted for about 30% of the cost of manufacturing the wagon, currently represent around 70%.

The design of a multi-articulated wagon must therefore take into account these two opposite constraints of compliance with standards and regulations and, secondly, the need to increase the useful mass or the volume to be transported for a given length of train. or wagons.

Conventionally, the freight wagons comprise a number of chassis / box arranged on bogies and axles, the load being distributed over the set of bogies and axles homogeneously, that is to say that each axle and each bogie have a function of porting and braking substantially identical.

At the end axles there is a wheelhouse system which occupies a large volume in the middle part and at the top of the frame / body occupying a space that can not be occupied by the payload.

This longitudinal space occupied by the wheelhouse means that the wagons have a considerably limited shape in length reducing by the same amount the load of each wagon, which is particularly detrimental since given the constraints of templates, the designer can not recover the volume lost by expanding the chassis / crate or increasing its height.

Furthermore, all chassis / box of the same car being generally identical, the loss on the frame / end box is multiplied by the number of chassis / inner box and therefore the loss on a volume car or transport capacity by weight is very important.

Among the state of the art, the document US Pat. No. 5,259,322 discloses a poly-articulated wagon comprising five frames / boxes arranged astride bogies and whose chassis / end boxes also rest on bogies. The inter-body connection between the chassis / boxes is carried out by a pair of lugs and a central pivot connection of vertical axis, the lugs ensuring a forward travel back, that is to say a longitudinal clearance between the two chassis / crates, necessary to allow pivoting between the two frames / boxes when crossing the curve flat on the track, while these flaps provide a constant support between the two frames / boxes, that is to say no play vertical. Such an inter-box connection has drawbacks when crossing the left lanes, the pivot connection and the constant contact on the flaps limiting the roll-making capacity between the two frames / boxes because in this case, to avoid the hyper droop of a planar connection on three co-planar surfaces, ie the central pivot can only be a vertically sliding pivot ensuring a mediocre potential stability to the articulated wagon and no longer guaranteeing the altitude alignment of the inter-box links with the extreme elements of shock and traction, the body frame must have a degree of freedom in torsion vis-à-vis the inter-body connection, so as to accept a twist in the left track (as described in US Patent 5,259,322), but this intrinsic torsional capacity of the body is limiting to the field of Application of the wagon: in practice, thus, it is limited to open cross section boxes. In addition, such a wagon design is adapted to American standardizations and for speeds of the order of 50 km / h, but can not be used on tracks according to UIC700, responding to the templates according to UIC505-1 and UIC506 and with Conventional European rail freight speeds of around 100 km / h with an intermodal freight potential of over 160 km / h. The present invention aims to overcome the disadvantages of freight wagons conventionally used in proposing a poly-articulated wagon for a given length of wagon a significant increase in useful volume or weight per axle.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-articulated wagon intended for the transfer of freight, which has a low tare with respect to the total load capacity.

Another object of the present invention is to propose a multi-articulated wagon intended for the transfer of freight enabling the car to be moved on tracks according to UIC700 and corresponding to the templates according to UIC505-1 and UIC506 and demonstrating a much better stability than with the links. central sliding pivot.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a poly-articulated wagon in which the components used allow a significant gain in material and components compared to wagons conventionally used. As such, the present invention relates to a poly-articulated wagon comprising at least four frames / boxes arranged astride said bogies inside said.

According to the invention, the inter-cash connection between each chassis / end box and the immediately connected intermediate frame / box is formed by at least one pair of longitudinal-free play-slip lugs, these lugs being preloaded so as to exert two forces antagonists, and by a central spherical non-slip bond. These antagonistic efforts, left and right, are permanent, the sum of the vertical components being substantially equal to the unladen mass in support of the frame / end box and the immediately connected intermediate frame / box, and independent of the state of load of the wagon and the state of the roll inter-box, for the negotiation of the left-hand lanes at the input and at the end of the curve.

The term "slider" without longitudinal clearance means that it immediately provides an anti-yaw torque between the end frame / box and the immediately connected intermediate frame / box at the entry and exit of the curve. This makes it possible to avoid any risk of seaming in the interconnect link in alignment, in and out of lane curves. In addition, the sum of the pre-loads equal to the empty mass in support of the frame / end box on the frame / intermediate box immediately connected, or conversely, eliminates the uncertainties on the value of the transfer of effort in roll between the chassis / crates when passing lanes left, while avoiding the risk of derailment in flat curves on the tracks. While the absence of this pre-charge or, on the contrary, a too high pre-load would also result respectively in instability by excess of yaw mobility, between the chassis / cases, especially in alignment, or a risk of derailment of the wagon by insufficient mobility in yaw, especially out of curve especially as the risk of instability maintained is very high at the classical speed of European rail freight of the order of 100 km / h with a poly-articulated wagon low wheelbase.

In addition, the chassis / end boxes are at their ends on free axles and have no braking linkages. The removal on the chassis / end boxes of any braking device of the free axle has the advantage of eliminating the bulk of the direct environment of this axle and thus increasing the volume of the chassis / end boxes in this environment.

Furthermore, the elimination of braking on the free axles of the chassis / end boxes has the function of balancing the wear of the wheels of the axles of the wagon. Indeed, the axles on the chassis / end boxes guide the poly-articulated wagon and, for that, wear out faster than the wheels of the axles on the chassis / intermediate boxes. The elimination of braking on the end axles free therefore avoids adding additional wear and homogenizes the general wear on each axle.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly on reading the following description of a preferred embodiment in which the description is given by way of non-limiting example with reference to the drawings. annexed, among which:

FIG. 1 schematically represents a first example of a wagon made according to the invention, FIG. 2 also schematically represents a second embodiment of a wagon according to the invention,

FIGS. 3a and 3b show two embodiments of the inter-body links of the wagon according to the invention.

Referring mainly to Figures 1 and 2, there is shown a poly-articulated wagon 1 having several chassis / box 2 arranged astride the bogies said 3 interior.

The chassis / end boxes 4 rest at their ends on unbraked free axles 5, these chassis / end boxes 4 not having wheelhouses, which limits the space requirement on the chassis / end boxes. 4. Furthermore, referring this time to Figures 1 and 2 and also to Figures 3a, 3b, we see that the inter-cash connection between each chassis / box 2 end and the frame / intermediate box is made by a pair of lugs 6 without longitudinal clearance, these lugs 6 being arranged on each lateral side of the inter-body link 6, that is to say the lateral sides of the wagon. In these figures 3a and 3b, a single slider is shown; of course, such a reader is disposed on each lateral side of the link.

In addition, this inter-body connection also comprises a non-slip spherical connection disposed in the center, equidistant from each slider. This connection constitutes chassis / intermediate box immediately connected. In the example of Figures 1 and 2, the set of cars has an inter-body connection made by a pair of lugs 6 without longitudinal play. Such sleeves without longitudinal clearance immediately provide an anti-yawing torque between the frame / end box and the frame / intermediate box between which they are implemented, and allow only vertical movement between the chassis / end box and the chassis / intermediate box. However, these sliders undergo pre-load equal to the empty weight in support between the frame / end box 4 and the frame / intermediate box 2 with which it is connected. This pre-load of the pair of lugs makes it possible to exert two opposing forces permanently on each side, left and right, of the inter-body connection, in particular in the left lanes, which avoids any risk of yaw between them. chassis / box of the wagon; the anti-yaw couple being independent of the state of roll between the chassis / box of the wagon.

However, in other embodiments and depending on the destination of the wagon 1, it can also be provided that only the inter-linkage between the frame / end box 4 and the frame / box 2 intermediate will be achieved by a light without longitudinal clearance, the other frame / box can rely on other types of light and possibly dry leg, UIC elastic springboard console emerged or embedded in the frame.

With regard to the slider 6 without longitudinal clearance, it will be possible to preferably use a strip-type slider as shown in FIG. 3a or a slider with a return arm as represented in FIG. 3b. Such lugs are in particular known for the implementation of roll support links between the bogie and the body, with the difference that they do not represent, because of the incomplete spherical connection between bogie and body, at best, that of the order of 50% of the unladen mass in support otherwise beyond this ratio, the central pivot of the bogie would no longer be sufficiently guided, which would prevent it from correctly transmitting the longitudinal braking forces for example . Incomplete spherical bond is understood to mean a bond which is exerted only on a partial sector of the sphere; for a bogie, conventionally, a solid angle of the order of 30 degrees.

In order to make it possible to release the space above the ends of the wagon, namely at the usual locations of the wheelhouses, it is expected to postpone the braking load usually taken up by the free axles 5 by the internal bogies 3. Free axles 5 only provide a function of carrying the load. The use of an inter-body connection with a longitudinal play without longitudinal clearance is particularly important since it makes it possible to fight against interchange lace, especially as the wheelbase of the car is short and particularly in the example of the embodiment of Figure 1 with five frames, there is provided a car with a wheelbase of the order of five times 5500 mm.

The inter-body connection with a pair of lugs 6 without a longitudinal clearance and pre-loaded in the manner defined above, and with a non-slip spherical connection in the central part, therefore serves to ensure the stability of the wagon and in particular the stability when the car 1 is empty or the stability of the car 1 in braking mode when the car 1 is loaded.

According to another advantageous characteristic of the invention and also to increase the stability of the assembly, provision is made for alignment in the direction of the height of the rail of the horizontal meridian plane of the shock and traction members of the frame / end box, with the horizontal plane passing through the center of the interconnecting spherical pivots, that is to say the spherical non-slip connection between the chassis.

The bogies 3 will also be advantageously mounted on the articulation to the pivot right of bogies 3 with a spherical pivot.

In the example of FIG. 1, the wagon 1 comprises five chassis / body resting on four bogies 3 and two free axles 5.

This wagon 1 preferably has a length of between 29 m in optimization for lines UIC700D4 and 80 m in optimization for lines UIC700D2, with a capacity of bulk transport, for a multi-articulated wagon with five chassis, scalable according to the apparent density of the product and between 120 m ³ in optimization for heavy aggregates and 600 m ³ in optimization for light cereals.

Of course, other embodiments with a different number of chassis / box 2 could be envisaged and in particular, as shown in FIG. 2, with a wagon 1 comprising four chassis / box 2 resting on three bogies 3 and two axles. In this case, the wagon preferably has a length of between 23 m and 65 m, between support faces of the buffers or between active faces of the automatic couplers, for a transport capacity of between between 96 m ³ and 470 m ³ .

It is also important to note at this level that the use of free axles 5 at the ends, in addition to allowing clearance of the upper parts and therefore the possibility of using frame / box 2 with useful longitudinal dimensions higher to improve all the useful volume of the frame / box 1 in whole, further reduces the wear of the end wheels.

Indeed, the absence of braking function preserves specific wear in this mode of operation, which is all the more important that these wheels have a natural need for much greater orientation, typically three to seven times, than those which are already pre-oriented by yawing to the chassis / bogie box and that this need can not be completely satisfied, especially in curves of less than 300 m, for which a compromise of settings of the suspension assembly primary guaranteeing sufficient stability in alignment should also be sought.

Regarding the distribution of the braking load, as indicated above, it is fully reported on the inner bogies 3.

Advantageously, it is expected that this load will be reported homogeneously and iso-static as to the effective load assigned to each frame / body.

In the example of Figure 1, i.e. for a multi-articulated wagon 1 to four bogies 3 and two free axles 5, it is expected that each bogie axle has a brake weight equal to 10/8 of ^th natural weight transferred to the rail by each axle. In the example of Figure 2, i.e. for a multi-articulated wagon 1 with three bogies 3 and two free axles 5, it is expected that each bogie axle has a brake weight equal to 8/6 ^th of natural weight transferred to the rail by each axle.

In the examples of Figures 1 and 2, it is expected that the poly-articulated wagon is equipped with frame / box 2 hopper type for the transport of aggregates. However, these two types of wagon can also be used with flat cars, including container or metal reel carriers or dumpers or superstructures with sliding walls. Of course, other embodiments within the reach of those skilled in the art could also be envisaged without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the claims below.

Claims

1. Multi-articulated wagon (1) comprising at least four frames / box (2, 4) arranged astride bogies (3) said interior characterized in that: the inter-body connection between each frame / end box (4) and the immediately connected frame / box (2) is formed by at least one pair of longitudinal-free play sliders (6) and pre-loaded so as to exert two opposing left and right efforts whose sum of the vertical component substantially corresponds to the unladen weight in support and a non-slip spherical central connection, whatever the state of load of the wagon and regardless of the rate of inter-body roll;

- the chassis / end box (4), not equipped with brake linkage, rest at their ends on free axles (5).

2. A poly-articulated wagon according to claim 1 wherein the inter-body connection (6) between each frame / body of the wagon comprises at least one pair of flippers without longitudinal play.

3. A poly-articulated wagon according to either of claims 1 and 2 wherein the lip is a strip slide (7).

4. A poly-articulated wagon according to either of claims 1 and 2 wherein the lip is a straightener with return arm (8).

5. A poly-articulated wagon according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the braking weight of the entire wagon (1) rests integrally on the inner bogies (3), the free axles (5) providing only a carrying function and guiding the load.

6. A poly-articulated wagon according to any one of the preceding claims comprising five chassis / box (2) resting on four bogies (3) and two free axles (5).

7. A poly-articulated wagon according to claim 6, of a length of between 29 m and 80 m, between the bearing faces of the buffers or between the active faces of the automatic couplers, for a transport capacity of between 120 m ^3. and 600 m ³ .

8. A poly-articulated wagon according to any one of claims 1 to 5 above, comprising four frames / box (2) based on three bogies (3) and two free axles (5).

9. A poly-articulated wagon according to claim 8, of a length of between 23 m and 65 m, between the bearing faces of the buffers or between the active faces of the automatic couplers, for a transport capacity of between 96 m ^3. and 470 m ³ .

10. A poly-articulated wagon according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the horizontal planes of the various intermediate and extreme shock and traction members are aligned in the direction of the height to the rail this regardless of the state of charge of the wagon and whatever the inter-cash roll rate for the negotiation of the left of track in input and output of curve.