IMPROVED COUPLING FOR INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS, AND RAIL VEHICLE

Abstract

A coupling includes a claw part and an intermediate piece. The intermediate piece includes a tube piece produced from aluminum or from an aluminum alloy, and a buffer part received in an end region of the tube piece and including elastic damping elements for receiving the claw part. The damping elements are surrounded by the end region radially at an outside in a circumferential direction. The buffer part includes a part which is different from the damping elements and is produced from a material of a brittleness which is greater than a brittleness of the tube piece.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A coupling, comprising: a claw part; and an intermediate piece including a tube piece produced from aluminum or from an aluminum alloy, and a buffer part received in an end region of the tube piece and including elastic damping elements for receiving the claw part, said damping elements being surrounded by the end region radially at an outside in a circumferential direction, said buffer part including a part which is different from the damping elements and produced from a material of a brittleness which is greater than a brittleness of the tube piece.

17. The coupling of claim 16, wherein the claw part includes axially protruding claws received in the end region of the tube piece and being surrounded, at least over a part of an axial extent of the claws, by the end region radially at the outside in the circumferential direction.

18. The coupling of claim 16, wherein the claw part includes axially protruding claws received in the end region of the tube piece and surrounded by the end region radially at the outside in the circumferential direction over an entire axial extent of the claws.

19. The coupling of claim 16, wherein the part of the buffer part is produced from gray cast iron.

20. The coupling of claim 16, wherein the buffer part has a C-shaped or J-shaped profile in a longitudinal section.

21. The coupling of claim 16, wherein the buffer part and the claw part are arranged at the end region of the tube piece, said tube piece having another end region, and further comprising a further claw part, said further claw part and a further buffer part of the intermediate piece being arranged at the other end region of the tube piece.

22. The coupling of claim 16, wherein the buffer part is connected to the tube piece via an adhesive-bonding connection.

23. The coupling of claim 16, further comprising a coupling joint formed by the buffer part and the claw part.

24. The coupling of claim 16, wherein at least one of the elastic damping elements of the buffer part is produced by additive manufacturing.

25. The coupling of claim 16, wherein the elastic damping elements are configured so as to be separately mountable and dismountable.

26. The coupling of claim 16, further comprising an encircling collar formed as an axial stop on the buffer part and produced from an electrically insulating material for interrupting a creepage current flow between the claw part and the buffer part.

27. The coupling of claim 16, further comprising a cover arranged on the buffer part and produced from an electrically insulating material for interrupting a creepage current flow between a shaft received in the claw part and the buffer part.

28. An industrial application, comprising: a drive unit; an output unit; and a coupling configured to connect the drive unit and the output unit in a torque-transmitting manner, said coupling designed as set forth in claim 16.

29. A bogie for a rail vehicle, said bogie comprising: a traction motor; a wheel; and a coupling configured to connect the traction motor and the wheel in a torque-transmitting manner to one another, said coupling designed as set forth in claim 16.

30. (canceled)

Description

[0023] The invention will be discussed in more detail below on the basis of individual embodiments in figures. The figures are to be viewed in a mutually complementary manner insofar as the same reference signs in different figures have the same technical meaning. The features of the individual embodiments can also be combined with one another. Furthermore, the embodiments shown in the figures can be combined with the features outlined above. In the figures, specifically:

[0024] FIG. 1 schematically shows a first embodiment of the claimed coupling in a sectional illustration;

[0025] FIG. 2 shows a structure of an embodiment of a claimed bogie;

[0026] FIG. 3 shows a structure of an embodiment of a claimed industrial application.

[0027] A sectional illustration of a first embodiment of a claimed coupling 10 is shown in FIG. 1. The coupling 10 comprises a first coupling part 12 and a second coupling part 14, which are connected to an intermediate piece 20. The claw parts 12, 14 each have a plurality of claws 16 which engage into the intermediate piece 20. A rotation of the first claw part 12 about a main axis of rotation 15 of the coupling 10 is transmitted as torque 25 to the intermediate piece 20, and from there to the second coupling part 14. The torque 25 is supplied by a first power shaft 51 (not illustrated in any more detail) and is removed via a second power shaft 53 (not shown in any more detail). The intermediate piece 20 comprises a tube piece 21 which is provided in each of its end regions 19 with a buffer part 24. At least one of the buffer parts 24 is produced from a cast material, in particular gray cast iron. The tube piece 21 is produced from aluminum or from an aluminum alloy and has an outer diameter which defines the largest outer diameter 34 of the coupling 10.

[0028] The buffer parts 24 in the end regions 19 of the tube piece 21 have a substantially C-shaped profile 26 as viewed in longitudinal section. In each case an outer surface 23 of the buffer parts 24 bears against an inner wall 31 of the tube piece 21 and is connected via an adhesive-bonding connection 30 to the tube piece 21. The tube piece 21 and the buffer parts 24 are in each case designed in such a way that an adhesive-bonding gap 37 is formed therebetween in a non-adhesively-bonded state. In the region of the adhesive-bonding gap 37, the outer surface 23 of the buffer part 24 and the tube piece 21 have increased roughness in order for the load capacity of the adhesive-bonding gap 37 to in this way be increased. An adhesive-bonding-gap length 32 between the respective buffer part 24 and the tube piece 21 is defined by a dimension of the corresponding buffer part 24 in an axial direction 27. The larger the adhesive-bonding-gap length 32 is, the greater the mechanical load capacity of the adhesive-bonding connection 30 is. The buffer parts 24 furthermore each have a collar 28 which forms a stop and in this way limits the position of the buffer parts 24 in the tube piece 21 in an axial direction 27. The collars 28 in each case ensure a spatial alignment of the buffer parts 24. In the buffer parts 24, there is arranged in each case a plurality of elastic damping elements 22 which, during operation of the coupling 10 as intended, exert tangential forces 17 on the claws 16 or on which tangential forces 17 are exerted by the claws 16. The elastic damping elements 22 are fastened in a force-fitting and/or form-fitting manner to the respective buffer part 24 via holding projections 33. Via the tangential forces 17, pressure loads are induced in the respective buffer part 24. At least one of the elastic damping elements 22 is produced by means of additive manufacturing and is equipped with a sensor 39 (not illustrated in any more detail). The sensor 39 is in this case positioned in the interior of the elastic damping element 22.

[0029] The elastic damping elements 22 are surrounded on three sides by the respective buffer part 24. In this way, the elastic damping elements 22 are each separately mountable and dismountable. Arranged on a side of the respective buffer part 24 that faces away from the tube piece 21, that is to say the open side thereof, is in each case one claw part. In this way, the elastic damping elements 22 are substantially enclosed. In the event of failure of an elastic damping element 22, the latter breaks down into fragments which, by being enclosed, still allow an emergency operation of the coupling 10. The buffer parts 24, the claws 16 and the elastic damping elements 24 are dimensioned in such a way that a gap 18 of encircling form is present between the first or second claw part 12, 14 and the intermediate piece 20. This results in a joint plane 42 in relation to the intermediate piece 20 at the first and second claw parts 12, 14. Each of the joint planes 42 corresponds to a joint 43 and allows compensation of an angular offset 36 that is brought about by a tilting movement 35. Furthermore, an axial offset 44 and/or radial offset 56 are/is also able to be compensated between the intermediate piece 20 and the first or second claw part 12, 14. In this way, the coupling 10 constitutes a double-joint coupling 40. The coupling 10 is furthermore represented in a computer program product 70 which is configured to simulate the operating behavior of the coupling 10, for example in an industrial application 50 or in a rail vehicle 60.

[0030] FIG. 2 shows a schematic structure of an embodiment of a claimed bogie 65 which is used in a rail vehicle 60. The rail vehicle 60 comprises a carriage body 63 to which the bogie 65 is fastened. The bogie 65 comprises a traction motor 62 which is connected via a coupling 10 to a transmission 64 in order to drive a wheel 61 that rolls on a rail 66. For this purpose, the coupling 10 is torque 25 is supplied to the coupling 10 by way of a first power shaft 51 and the torque 25 is removed via a second power shaft 53. The coupling 10 is designed according to one of the embodiments outlined above, for example according to the double-joint coupling 40 as per FIG. 1. The coupling 10 is in this case represented in a computer program product 70 by way of which the operating behavior of the coupling 10 during operation of the bogie 65, and thus of the rail vehicle 60, is able to be simulated

[0031] FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a structure of an embodiment of a claimed industrial application 50. The industrial application 50 comprises a drive motor 52, which may be in the form of an electric motor, combustion engine, hydraulic motor, turbine wheel or flywheel. The drive unit 52 provides torque 25 which is supplied via a first power shaft 51 to a coupling 10. The torque 25 is transmitted from the coupling 10 to an output unit 54 via a second power shaft 53. The output unit 54 is a mechanical application by way of which the function of the industrial application 50 is defined. The industrial application 50 may overall be in the form of a mill, rolling mill, cement mill, sugar mill, extruder, conveying installation, rock crusher, roller crusher, stirring unit, stirring comminutor, rotary furnace, roller press, rolling press, pump, fan, lifting apparatus, scrap press or waste press. In this case, the coupling 10 is designed according to one of the embodiments outlined above, for example as a double-joint coupling 40 as per FIG. 1.