Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B61—RAILWAYS
  • B61F—RAIL VEHICLE SUSPENSIONS, e.g. UNDERFRAMES, BOGIES OR ARRANGEMENTS OF WHEEL AXLES; RAIL VEHICLES FOR USE ON TRACKS OF DIFFERENT WIDTH; PREVENTING DERAILING OF RAIL VEHICLES; WHEEL GUARDS, OBSTRUCTION REMOVERS OR THE LIKE FOR RAIL VEHICLES
  • B61F1/00—Underframes
  • B61F1/08—Details
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B61—RAILWAYS
  • B61F—RAIL VEHICLE SUSPENSIONS, e.g. UNDERFRAMES, BOGIES OR ARRANGEMENTS OF WHEEL AXLES; RAIL VEHICLES FOR USE ON TRACKS OF DIFFERENT WIDTH; PREVENTING DERAILING OF RAIL VEHICLES; WHEEL GUARDS, OBSTRUCTION REMOVERS OR THE LIKE FOR RAIL VEHICLES
  • B61F1/00—Underframes

Definitions

• the invention relates to the general field of rolling stock structures.
• the invention relates more particularly to a composite beam design for lightening, using composite materials, the structure of a rail transport vehicle (wagon), rail freight transport in particular.
• the wagon construction sector seeks to reduce the mass of structures forming the vehicle in order to increase the payload and / or reduce transport costs by controlling both the production costs of the vehicles and their energy consumption.
• a first peculiarity to consider is the anisotropic character of the composite materials, the character of which results that their properties, their mechanical properties in particular, are not identical in all directions, because of the presence of the reinforcing fibers composing the material.
• Such a feature requires defining a material architecture adapted to each application.
• Still another particularity lies in the specificities of the different variants of composite materials available, in particular with regard to the nature of the fibers used, mineral fibers (glass fibers, carbon fibers, etc.) or organic fibers, which gives the corresponding composites properties, behaviors, as well as different costs.
• mineral fibers glass fibers, carbon fibers, etc.
• organic fibers which gives the corresponding composites properties, behaviors, as well as different costs.
• fiberglass composite materials are the least expensive, while carbon fiber composites appear to be the most expensive.
• the composite materials considered are so-called "structural" composite materials which are materials based on long and continuous fibers which represent approximately 50% of the material, the other approximately 50% being constituted by a matrix, generally made of resin thermosetting, epoxy type (EP), diallylphthalate (DAP), polyester or vinylester for example and, more rarely, thermoplastic resin, polyamide type, PEEK or PEI for example.
• An object of the invention is to provide a particular structure of composite material that can be used to manufacture vehicles such as those mentioned above.
• an object of the invention is to define a wagon platform structure, whose shape characteristics are optimized to allow its manufacture in composite materials.
• the ultimate goal here is to significantly reduce the mass of a wagon structure, while optimizing manufacturing costs for robustness performance equal to or better than the performance of current structures.
• the subject of the invention is a structure made of composite material, in particular for a vehicle chassis for transporting goods or passengers, said structure being configured to accommodate a running gear or a bogie at each of its ends, said structure comprising minus a central beam forming a plate on which the load of the vehicle rests.
• said beam comprises:
• a median box having a central portion and two ends, said ends having reinforcements for supporting the stresses transmitted to the frame by the hinge elements of the rolling gear and by the shock absorbing elements, arranged at the ends of the vehicle, the central portion of the median box being configured to have a reinforced portion increasing the resistance of the beam to the bending forces imposed by the load carried;
• lateral caissons are configured so as to reinforce the resistance of the beam to the longitudinal and transverse bending forces imposed on it;
• a covering floor forming a skin configured to cover the upper faces of the median box and side boxes.
• the various elements constituting the beam are made of composite materials reinforced with glass fibers or carbon fibers or a mixture of glass fibers and carbon fibers.
• the median box consisting of an upper half-box extending over the entire length of the beam and a lower half-box disposed in central part, the two half-boxes each having a bottom and two side walls.
• the upper half-box and the lower half box are arranged relative to each other so that the bottom of the upper half-box forms the upper face of the middle box and the bottom of the lower half-box forms the underside of said box.
• the bottom of the lower half-box also extends outside thereof towards the ends of the beam.
• an intermediate partition of composite material is placed between the upper half-box and the lower half-box, so as to reinforce the rigidity of the median box and the buckling resistance of the side walls of the upper half-box and side walls of the lower half-box.
• the covering floor consists of a plate-shaped main element (61), made of a monolithic composite material with glass fiber reinforcement, comprising in its middle part a reinforcement element (62) of material composite dimensioned to cover the upper face of the median box (314).
• the bottom of the upper half-box, the bottom of the lower half-box and a median reinforcement element of the main element of the skin disposed on the upper face of the structure are made of material monolithic composite with reinforcement consisting mainly of unidirectional fibers, said fibers being preferentially carbon fibers.
• the structure according to the invention further comprises lateral reinforcements made of composite material disposed on either side of the beam and arranged so as to ensure the recovery of the forces applied to the lateral parts of the structure by the load transported.
• Each reinforcement is secured to a lateral box by one of its ends and the median box by its other end.
• the elements forming the beam consist of planar faces of composite material.
• the upper half-box comprises a bottom consisting of a monolithic composite material plate and sandwich structure side walls consisting of two thin skins made of composite material with fiberglass reinforcement and a core constituted by an element made of foam of polymer material, or of a material with a honeycomb structure, or of a balsa-type wood.
• the lower half-box comprises a bottom consisting of a monolithic composite material plate and sandwich-structure side walls consisting of two thin skins made of composite material with fiberglass reinforcement and a core constituted by an element made of foam of polymer material, or of a material with a honeycomb structure, or of a balsa-type wood.
• the lateral reinforcing elements have a sandwich structure consisting of two thin skins made of composite material with fiberglass reinforcement and a core consisting of a foam element made of a polymer material or a structural material. honeycomb, or a balsa type of wood.
• the various elements of the structure according to the invention comprise rims arranged so as to allow the assembly of said elements by bonding and / or bolting and / or riveting, two elements assembled to each other having flanges arranged to be placed vis-à-vis at the time of assembly.
• FIGS. 1 and 2 are diagrammatic illustrations showing the basic structure of the chassis according to FIG. invention in side view and in frontal section at the middle portion of the frame.
• FIG. 3 a schematic side view, in section, of an embodiment of the frame according to the invention.
• FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the frame of Figure 3, in a plane passing through the central zone of the structure;
• FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the frame of Figure 3, in a plane passing at one end of the structure;
• FIG. 6 a schematic cross-sectional view of the tray surmounting the structure of the frame according to the invention, in the embodiment of Figure 3;
• FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the lower half-box constituting the beam of the frame according to the invention, in the same embodiment;
• FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a lateral reinforcing panel that can be integrated with the beam of the frame structure according to the invention
• FIG. 1 1, a schematic illustration of the different stages of the assembly of the structure according to the invention.
• the schematic figures 1 and 2 are intended to present the basic structure of the frame according to the invention.
• the frame according to the invention mainly comprises an upper plate 1 1 for supporting the transported load 13, having end reinforcements 1 1 1 and 1 12, and a lower box 12, or reinforcement, located under the central portion of the plate 1 1 intended to give the assembly increased rigidity in the central part, in particular in terms of longitudinal and transverse bending.
• the end reinforcements have for their main function to ensure the recovery of forces imposed on the structure at the hinge pins 1 13 and 1 14 of the chassis with the running gear of the vehicle (bogies), and the resumption of the forces suffered by the vehicle, the wagon, at the level of the connecting pieces, shock absorbers or end buffers, etc.
• the various structural elements of the chassis are made of composite materials.
• the structure of each of the elements is furthermore defined in such a way that the parts to be subjected to stresses in the plane are constituted by simple webs of composite material, with a monolithic structure, preferably comprising a reinforcement of longitudinally oriented fibers, while the parts of an element to undergo off-plane stresses, twists for example, have a sandwich structure formed of two skins of composite material separated by a spacer element, a core, made of a filling material, preferably the lightest possible, a foam of polymeric material of PS type, PVC, PU, PET for example, or nida or a low density wood, balsa type for example ...
• the fibers constituting the reinforcement of the composite material used are either glass fibers or carbon fibers, which are either in the form of unidirectional folds (UD) or under form of woven folds (fabrics) that are stacked as much as necessary.
• UD unidirectional folds
• fabrics woven folds
• the wagon chassis according to the invention consists mainly of a beam 31 which groups together the functionalities of the upper plate 1 1 and the lower box 12 of the structure of principle described above, the beam 31 being covered with a coating plate 32.
• the coating 32 is a planar element, relatively thin, made of composite material, the dimensions of which are defined so that it covers the entire surface of the structure (of the frame).
• the skin 32 is constituted by a first planar element 321 made of fiberglass reinforced composite material having a reinforced middle portion on its underside by a second flat element 322 made of composite material with fiberglass reinforcement. also.
• the second element 322 can also be made of carbon fiber reinforced composite material, optionally UD, so as to have in particular a greater mechanical strength (traction / compression and bending in particular). and a lower weight-resistance ratio.
• the beam 31 forming the plate has a central portion 31 1 and two end zones 312 and 313 on which are articulated the running gear of the vehicle, ie the bogies of the wagon in the present example.
• the central portion 31 1 and the two ends 312 and 313 of the beam 31 are constituted by a single element, made of composite material, incorporating reinforcing elements 35, 36 at its ends, as shown in Figures 3 and 5.
• These reinforcing elements, in the form of sails or beams of material composite, are intended in particular to strengthen the area of connection and articulation with the bogies and the transmission of forces applied to the buffers.
• the beam 31 according to the invention consists of a median box 314 and two side boxes 315, 316 located on either side of the median box 314, in the longitudinal direction, and assembled at the median box 314.
• the median box 314 can be made in one piece. Nevertheless, for reasons of ease of embodiment in particular, it is preferably made in two parts, an upper half-box 317 extending over the entire length of the car and a lower half-box 318 which reinforces the half upper box 317 in the central zone 31 1 of the beam 31.
• the upper half-box forms both the central portion 31 1 and the reinforced ends 312 and 313 of the beam 31.
• the lower half-box 318 located only in the central part of the wagon has a bottom wall 319 whose function is to reinforce the bending inertia of the assembly.
• this wall 319 extends, as illustrated in FIG. 3, beyond the limits of the lower half-box 318 to the end zones 312 and 313 of the upper half-box 317, so as to close said Upper half-box and thus participate in the resumption of efforts, printed in particular by the axes of articulation of bogies.
• each half-box in particular that of the lower half box 318, is defined according to the manufacturing choices chosen to meet the mechanical stresses that the structure must bear, especially the weight of the load.
• the side boxes 315 and 316 are, for their part, are continuous elements along the entire length of the wagon. Located on either side of the upper half-casing 317, they constitute with it the upper face of the beam 31 on which rests the skin 32. They also contribute to the longitudinal and transverse flexural strength of the frame thus formed and participate in the resumption of efforts to the right of the buffers. In a particular embodiment, illustrated in FIG.
• the central part of the beam 31 is moreover laterally reinforced by lateral elements 33 and 34 made of composite material, arranged obliquely and which, according to the variant of embodiment considered, dress this central portion continuously along its entire length and form 2 side reinforcing walls, or, alternatively, constitute localized reinforcements, forming oblique reinforcing bars spaced apart from one another along the central part of the beam 31.
• lateral elements 33 and 34 made of composite material, arranged obliquely and which, according to the variant of embodiment considered, dress this central portion continuously along its entire length and form 2 side reinforcing walls, or, alternatively, constitute localized reinforcements, forming oblique reinforcing bars spaced apart from one another along the central part of the beam 31.
• Figures 6 to 10 show the morphological and structural characteristics of the various elements described above.
• the panel constituting the skin 32 disposed on the upper face of the structure consists of a main planar element 61 covering by its dimensions the totality of the surface formed by the upper faces of the median box 314 and the lateral caissons 315 and 316 and a median reinforcement element 62, also plane, disposed facing the upper face of the median box 314.
• the main element 61 may for example be made of fiberglass reinforced composite material, as well as the reinforcing element 62.
• the second element 62 may also be made of carbon fiber reinforced composite material, optionally UD, so as to have a higher mechanical strength (traction / compression and bending in particular) and a lower weight-resistance ratio.
• the upper half-box 317 is formed mainly of a bottom 71 consisting of a monolithic wall of composite material, and two side walls 72 and 73, these walls extending over the entire length of the median box.
• the monolithic bottom 71 may according to the embodiments envisaged consist of two skins (76, 77) made of composite material with fiberglass reinforcement, the reinforcement mainly consisting of UD layers of glass fibers, or alternatively, for reasons mechanical strength in particular and lower weight-resistance ratio, made of composite material with carbon fiber reinforcement.
• the two side walls 72 and 73 have a sandwich structure formed of two skins 76, 77 made of composite material separated by an intermediate element 78, a core made of a filling material, a foam of polymeric material of the same type.
• PS, PVC, PU, PET for example, or a material with a honeycomb structure (nida) or a balsa-type wood for example.
• Their sandwich structure allows the side walls to have a better buckling stability.
• the upper half-box 317 has a generally parallelepipedal overall shape with an open face, opposite to the face forming the bottom 71.
• the side walls 72 and 73 each have a flange 74 or 75 extending laterally outwardly of the half-box over the entire length thereof, this flange being used to realize assembly of the complete chassis.
• the lower half-box 318 is mainly constituted, as the upper half-box of a bottom 81 and two side walls 82 and 83 which border the central part of the middle box 314. As well as the walls 72 and 73 of the upper half-box, the two side walls 82 and 83 here have a sandwich structure.
• the bottom 81 which extends, as has been said previously, over the entire length of the structure and whose function is to reinforce the bending inertia of the whole structure (of the frame), also has a monolithic structure consisting, according to the embodiments envisaged, of the two skins made of composite material with fiberglass reinforcement, the reinforcement mainly consisting of UD layers made of glass fibers, or alternatively, in particular for reasons of mechanical strength and ratio lower weight-resistance, made of composite material with carbon fiber reinforcement.
• the lower half-box 318 has a trapezoidal-shaped prism shape whose bases represent the side walls 82 and 83 of the half-box.
• the front and rear faces of the half-box are constituted by the bottom 81 which extends obliquely forwards and backwards, beyond the lower half-box 318, so as to come gradually into contact with the upper half-box 317, with its flanges 74 and 75, as illustrated in Figure 3 for example.
• the side walls 72 and 73 each have a rim 84 or 85 extending laterally outwardly of the half-box considered along the entire length of that here, this flange being used to complete the assembly of the complete chassis.
• the side walls 82 and 83 each have a flange 84 or 85 extending laterally outwardly of the half-box over the entire length thereof.
• the bottom 81 has, on its part extending out of the lower half-box, flat flanges 86 and 87, used to achieve the assembly of the complete frame.
• the flanges 86 and 87 are configured and arranged in such a way that they are placed, at the ends of the structure, opposite the flanges 74 and 75 of the side walls of the upper half-casing 317.
• the flanges 84 and 85 are themselves configured and arranged so that they are placed at the central part of the structure, facing the edges 74 and 75 of the walls.
• This assembly can for example be made by gluing the flanges, or by riveting or bolting, or by a joint collage-plus-riveting assembly of these same edges.
• each box has a vertical inner side wall 91, intended to come into contact with one of the side walls of the upper half-box 317 and an outer side wall, oblique 92 forming an outer upper edge of the frame .
• the oblique orientation of the outer lateral wall advantageously makes it possible to produce a support without adjustment to assemble the lateral elements 33 and 34.
• the lateral walls of a lateral box are interconnected by a flat bottom 93 parallel to the plane of the bottom 71 of the upper half-box.
• the walls of lateral caissons are constituted, as the side walls of the upper half-boxes 317 and lower 318 of two skins made of composite material, reinforced with glass fibers, separated by a core made of filling, foam of polymeric material, or material honeycomb structure (nida), or wood, such as balsa.
• a filler material may be furthermore integrated in the caissons 315 and 316, a material consisting of either a foam of polymer material, or a honeycomb structure material (nida), or else Balsa type wood for example.
• This material makes it possible to bind the inner skins 91 -92-93 of the lateral boxes 315-316 to one another and to the skin placed on the upper face of the plate 32.
• the lateral reinforcement elements of composite material 33 and 34 intended to reinforce the resistance to torsion and bending (longitudinal and transverse) of the frame structure according to the invention are also constituted, as the side walls of the upper half-boxes 317 and lower 318 of two skins in composite material, reinforced with glass fibers, separated by a core consisting either of foam of polymeric material or of a material with a honeycomb structure (nida), or else of balsa type wood for example.
• the body 101 of the reinforcement is extended by flanges 102 and 103 arranged with respect to the body 101 so as to facilitate the assembly of the considered reinforcing element with the wall.
• This assembly can for example be made by bonding the flanges, or by riveting or bolting, or by a mixed bonding-plus assembly -rivetting of these same edges.
• the frame structure according to the invention has the important advantage of being composed of elements having both a simple morphology and easy to assemble (faces and supports on plane faces), as well as an internal structure easy to realize. These characteristics advantageously make it easier to assemble such a structure, despite the sometimes large dimensions of the latter.
• the composite material elements forming the structure according to the invention being simple shaped elements having flat faces
• the structure according to the invention can advantageously be constructed in a simple and inexpensive way, the various elements made of composite materials constituting the structure being able to be carried out by simple methods, mainly by draping prepregs and / or dry fibers, associated with a vacuum or RTM polymerization, or by infusion taking into account the large size of the elements manufactured, such as those implemented in the realization of wind turbine blades for example.
• the assembly of the various composite elements constituting the frame according to the invention is advantageously simple to realize insofar as all the connections take place along supports planes and linear provided for this purpose, the assembly can be achieved using tools not complex, by bonding, or by riveting or bolting, or by a mixed collage-plus-riveting assembly of different elements to each other for example.
• FIG. 11 schematically illustrates the method of assembling a chassis structure according to the invention from the constituent elements described above, which method comprises:
• step 1 consisting in assembling the upper half-casings 317 and lower 318 to form the median casing 314;
• step 2 which consists in assembling the side boxes 315 and 316 on the median box 314 to form the beam 31 forming the plate of the structure, the assembly being made at the upper half-box 317; possibly having integrated in the casings 315-316 a filling material consisting either of a foam of polymeric material or of a material with a honeycomb structure (nida), or else of wood of the balsa type, for example .
• step 3 A third step (step 3) of fixing the skin 32 on the upper face of the beam 31 so as to cover the upper faces of the upper half-box 317 and the side boxes 315 and 316;
• step 4 consisting, where appropriate, in fixing the lateral reinforcing elements 33 and 34 on the beam 31.
• steps 3 and 4 can be switched. Furthermore, according to the embodiments envisaged, steps 1 to 4 may be performed in a different order, 2, 3, 1, 4 or 3, 2, 1, 4 for example.
• the assembly of the upper half-boxes 317 and lower 318 can be achieved by interposing between the two half-boxes, the binding edges 74-75 and 84-85, a plateau intermediate, as described above, this plate having the function of reinforcing the rigidity of the assembled beam.
• the composite beam 31 thus produced incorporates at its ends, at the level of the reinforcements, metal elements whose role is notably to interface with the bogies and with the buffers. end.
• the fixing of the metal elements to the composite material structure according to the invention is carried out by appropriate fastening means (bolts and / or rivets), for example by using an appropriate technique of assembly between metal parts and parts made of material composite, such as that described in patent FR 2 948 154 belonging to the applicant.
• the complete embodiment of a frame according to the invention also comprises an operation of placing and fixing the interface elements on the beam 31, at the ends of the boxes 315, 316 and 317, an operation which according to the manufacturing method adopted can be carried out on the boxes before assembly or during assembly, after step 2 for example.
• this invention can be used on all types of railway vehicles intended for the transport of freight (wagons) or passengers. It can also be used to make chassis of road freight vehicles, truck trailers in particular.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Body Structure For Vehicles (AREA)
• Laminated Bodies (AREA)

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Citations (2)

Family Cites Families (14)

• 2013
  • 2013-08-02 FR FR1357688A patent/FR3009262B1/fr active Active
• 2014
  • 2014-07-29 US US14/908,853 patent/US20160207547A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2014-07-29 CN CN201480048444.0A patent/CN105492290A/zh active Pending
  • 2014-07-29 RU RU2016107485A patent/RU2016107485A/ru not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2014-07-29 CA CA2919927A patent/CA2919927A1/fr not_active Abandoned
  • 2014-07-29 EP EP14744560.5A patent/EP3027481B1/fr active Active
  • 2014-07-29 WO PCT/EP2014/066236 patent/WO2015014819A1/fr active Application Filing
  • 2014-07-29 AU AU2014298544A patent/AU2014298544A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2014-07-29 JP JP2016530485A patent/JP2016530152A/ja active Pending

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