RAIL VEHICLE HAVING A COUPLING ARRANGED IN THE FRONT REGION THEREOF

Abstract

A rail vehicle includes a coupling disposed centrally in a front region of the rail vehicle. The coupling is mounted in a transversely extended crossmember, so that forces acting on the coupling are introduced through the crossmember into abutments which are supported on a front side of a car body of the rail vehicle. The crossmember is connected through at least one elastic energy absorption configuration to one of the abutments.

Claims

1-14. (canceled)

15. A rail vehicle, comprising: a rail vehicle body having a front and a front end; abutments supported on said front end; a transversely extended crossmember; at least one elastic energy-absorption configuration connecting said crossmember to one of said abutments; and a coupling disposed centrally in a vicinity of said front and mounted in said crossmember, for introducing forces acting on said coupling through said crossmember and into said abutments.

16. The rail vehicle according to claim 15, wherein said energy-absorption configuration includes energy-absorption elements being disposed and constructed in part for tensile stressing and in part for compressive stressing of said coupling.

17. The rail vehicle according to claim 15, wherein said at least one elastic energy-absorption configuration includes two elastic energy-absorption configurations each being disposed on a respective side in a transverse direction of the rail vehicle, in a state in which said elastic energy-absorption configurations are offset horizontally relative to said coupling.

18. The rail vehicle according to claim 17, which further comprises: two connecting rods each being extended horizontally in a longitudinal direction of the rail vehicle and being fixed to a respective one of said abutments; said elastic energy-absorption configurations each being disposed on a respective one of said connecting rods; said crossmember having retaining portions with openings formed therein; said connecting rods each passing through a respective one of said openings; and said elastic energy-absorption configurations being constructed for lateral abutment against said retaining portions.

19. The rail vehicle according to claim 18, wherein said crossmember is guided at least one of vertically or laterally relative to said abutments by said connecting rods.

20. The rail vehicle according to claim 15, which further comprises separate guide elements each guiding said crossmember at least one of vertically or laterally relative to said abutments.

21. The rail vehicle according to claim 15, wherein said crossmember has an inward end portion relative to the rail vehicle, and stops guide said inward end portion on said front of the rail vehicle or said body.

22. The rail vehicle according to claim 15, wherein said abutments are constructed as specifically deformable crumple elements for absorbing collision energy.

23. The rail vehicle according to claim 15, wherein said abutments are interchangeably fastened on said front of the rail vehicle by a releasable connection.

24. The rail vehicle according to claim 15, wherein said front of the rail vehicle is constructed as a specifically deformable crumple zone for absorbing collision energy.

25. The rail vehicle according to claim 24, wherein said front of the rail vehicle is interchangeably fastened on said body of the rail vehicle by a releasable connection.

26. The rail vehicle according to claim 15, wherein said coupling includes a coupling rod, and further elements for reversible or irreversible energy absorption or force-limiting are disposed in said coupling rod.

27. The rail vehicle according to claim 15, wherein said coupling includes a coupling rod, and further elements for reversible or irreversible energy absorption or force-limiting are disposed between said coupling rod and said crossmember.

28. The rail vehicle according to claim 15, which further comprises an anti-climbing device disposed and fastened on said crossmember above said coupling.

Description

[0016] An exemplary embodiment of the invention will be explained in yet more detail hereinbelow with reference to the drawings, in which:

[0017] FIG. 1 shows a vertical cross-sectional view of a coupling region of a rail vehicle taken along plane A-A from FIG. 2,

[0018] FIG. 2 shows a horizontal cross-sectional view of the coupling region of a rail vehicle from FIG. 1 taken along plane E-E from FIG. 1,

[0019] FIG. 3 shows a further vertical cross-sectional view of the coupling region of a rail vehicle from FIGS. 1, and

[0020] FIG. 4 shows a horizontal cross-sectional view of part of FIG. 2.

[0021] As can be gathered from FIG. 1, a central buffer coupling having a coupling head 1 and a coupling rod 2, which bears s the coupling head 1, is mounted in a spherical bearing 3 with a vertically running pivot axis. The spherical bearing 3, which has energy-absorption elements, is supported on a crossmember 4, which runs transversely in the front region of the rail vehicle. The crossmember 4 is arranged in an opening in the front of the rail vehicle and extends horizontally from a body 5 of the rail vehicle along a front 6, which is fitted on the body 5 of the rail vehicle, and continues along an abutment 7, from which the crossmember 4 projects in the outward direction. Both the front 6 of the rail vehicle and the abutment 7, for the purpose of absorbing collision energy, are designed in the form of a specifically deformable crumple zone. In addition, the front 6 is fastened in a releasable manner on the body 5 of the rail vehicle. Provision is likewise made for the abutment 7 to be fastened in a releasable manner on the front 6 of the rail vehicle.

[0022] An anti-climbing device 8 is provided on the upper, front portion of the crossmember 4, and forms a structural unit with the crossmember 4.

[0023] FIG. 2, then, shows, rather more in detail, the introduction into the body 5 of the rail vehicle of a longitudinal force which acts on the coupling head 1. Such longitudinal forces, which may be tensile or compressive forces, are transmitted in the first instance from the coupling head 1, via the coupling rod 2, which may itself be equipped with energy-absorption elements, to the spherical bearing 3 and thus to the crossmember 4, which runs horizontally in the transverse direction of the rail vehicle. The crossmember 4 has its inward end guided horizontally with the aid of stops 9. Guidance of the crossmember 4 is supplemented by an energy-absorption arrangement 10, which is designed in a number of parts. The energy-absorption arrangement 10 has, as its central element, a connecting rod 11, which in the present exemplary embodiment is screwed into the abutment 7. Proceeding from the crossmember 4 is a retaining portion 12, which extends horizontally in the lateral direction and is found in the form of a metal sheet. The retaining portion 12 has a through-bore, through which the connecting rod 11 extends. The retaining portion 12 and the abutment 7 have arranged between them, in the present exemplary embodiment, two energy-absorption elements 13, 14, which are designed in the form of spring assemblies and are pushed together when the coupling is subjected to compressive stressing. Located on the opposite side of the retaining portion 12 is an energy-absorption element 15, which ensures elastic mounting of the crossmember 4 in relation to the abutment 7 in the case of tensile stressing. An energy-absorption element 16, which is provided in the region of the abutment 7, is likewise fitted onto the connecting rod 11 and, in the case of the coupling being subjected to tensile stressing, is supported on a metal sheet 17, which is fastened on the abutment 7. As seen in the longitudinal direction of the rail vehicle, from the inside to the outside, the energy-absorption arrangements 10 are therefore designed such that it is the energy-absorption element 16 which is provided first of all, followed by the metal sheet 17 and then the energy-absorption elements 13, 14, which are designed in the form of spring assemblies. The latter are, in turn, supported on the retaining portion 12, which is followed in the outward direction by the energy-absorption element 15, which is secured in a conventional manner by a nut. This design of the energy-absorption arrangements 10 can be gathered, in particular, from FIG. 4. The energy-absorption elements 13, 14, 15, 16 therefore serve, as a whole, to provide for the elastic mounting of the crossmember 4 in relation to the abutment 7, to be precise both in the case of tensile stressing and in the case of compressive stressing. In simplified embodiments, it is possible, if appropriate, just for energy-absorption elements for exclusively compressive stressing or exclusively tensile stressing to be present.

[0024] FIG. 3 likewise shows the makeup of the energy-absorption arrangement 10.

[0025] It can be seen that an energy-absorption arrangement 10 is provided, in a symmetrical state, on either side of the is central buffer coupling, each energy-absorption arrangement interacting with an associated abutment 7, on which it is supported.