Rail vehicle having a covered bogie

Abstract

A rail vehicle has a bogie, which is covered in such a way that a bogie cavity exists, which is formed in the under floor region of the rail vehicle by a cover assembly and walls adjacent to the bogie. A device for producing pressurized air is connected, with respect to flow, to an air inlet device in the walls of the bogie cavity in such a way that the air can be blown into the bogie cavity.

Claims

1. A rail vehicle, comprising: a bogie; a covering arrangement and walls adjacent said bogie in an under floor region of the rail vehicle; said covering arrangement and said walls together forming a bogie cavity; an air inlet device formed in said walls of said bogie cavity; a device for producing pressurized air connected to fluidically communicate with said air inlet device, said device being configured for providing pressurized air with an increased temperature to be blown into said bogie cavity such that added heat is provided for increasing the temperature in said bogie cavity, said device for producing pressurized air controllable such that a pressure produced in said bogie cavity is greater than an exterior ambient pressure outside of said bogie cavity.

2. The rail vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the rail vehicle has a base plate forming an upper wall of said walls of said bogie cavity and said air inlet device is formed in a portion of the base plate located above said bogie.

3. The rail vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said walls of said bogie cavity comprise bulkheads disposed forward of said bogie and rearward of said bogie in a longitudinal direction of the rail vehicle, and wherein said air inlet device is provided in at least one of said bulkheads.

4. The rail vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said air inlet device is configured for blowing the air into said bogie cavity in a planar manner.

5. The rail vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said air inlet device is configured for blowing the air into said bogie cavity in a punctiform localized manner.

6. The rail vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said air inlet device is a nozzle that projects into said bogie cavity.

7. The rail vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said device for producing pressurized air is an exhaust air device of an air-conditioning system of the rail vehicle.

8. The rail vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said device for producing pressurized air is a transformer cooler of the rail vehicle.

9. The rail vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said device for producing pressurized air is a power converter cooler of the rail vehicle.

10. The rail vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the pressurized air is derived from spent air from cooling other components of the rail vehicle and is resistance neutral during further use thereof.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

(1) Embodiments of the invention are explained in greater detail below with reference to the drawings, wherein functionally identical components are indicated with the same reference numerals. In the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a bogie region of a rail vehicle in a first embodiment,

(3) FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a bogie region of a rail vehicle in a second embodiment,

(4) FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a bogie region of a rail vehicle in a third embodiment,

(5) FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a bogie region of a rail vehicle in a fourth embodiment,

(6) FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a bogie region of a rail vehicle in a fifth embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(7) FIG. 1 shows a bogie region of a rail vehicle. A bogie 1 has in conventional manner a bogie frame 2 on which wheels 3 of the bogie 1 are supported. The bogie 1 is provided with a covering 4 which has an inner portion 5 which extends horizontally below the bogie frame 2 between the wheels 3 and two portions 6 which extend obliquely upward on the portion 4 in front of and behind the bogie frame 2. Using the bogie covering 4, consequently, the bogie is covered both at the bottom and at the sides so that oncoming external air can substantially still pass through only gaps between the external free edges of the covering portions 6 and the nearest region of the rail vehicle carriage body.

(8) The bogie 1 is arranged in a bogie cavity 7 which is delimited at the bottom by the bogie covering 4. At the top, the bogie cavity 7 is delimited by a base plate portion 8 of the rail vehicle, whilst the bogie cavity 7 is formed by bulkheads 9 laterally in the longitudinal direction of the rail vehicle. The bulkheads 9 extend vertically downward and delimit the relevant base plate portion 8 in this instance in the longitudinal direction of the rail vehicle.

(9) As a result of the above-mentioned gaps between the outer edges of the covering portions 6 and the rail vehicle carriage body, incoming external air accumulates in the bogie cavity 7 and consequently causes in particular in high-speed trains a considerable travel resistance, wherein additionally, for example, dirt particles are introduced into the bogie cavity 7.

(10) In order to reduce the travel resistance and the introduction of dirt particles (also snow in winter), pressurized air is blown into the bogie cavity 7. In principle, all devices of the rail vehicle which generate a type of exhaust air may be considered as a source for the pressurized air. Pressurized air may also originate from a “conventional” pressurized air system, such as, for example, the main air compressor (produces compressed air for brake and pantograph, etcetera). It is further conceivable to separately install a system only for this purpose in addition if, for example, it is desirable to prevent the accumulation of snow in a selective manner. In technical travel resistance terms, however, such a procedure would potentially be disadvantageous. Examples of a device for producing pressurized air 10 are various cooling devices of the rail vehicle, such as, for example, a transformer cooler or a power converter cooler which are typically arranged below the floor of the rail vehicle and which are consequently located in the vicinity of the bogie 1. The device 10 for producing pressurized air may, however, also be formed by an exhaust air device of an air-conditioning device of the rail vehicle, which is typically located instead in the roof region of the rail vehicle. Depending on the type of device 10 used for producing pressurized air, technical flow connections to the bogie cavity 7 are intended to be produced. In the embodiment according to FIG. 1, a line arrangement 11 is located between the device 10 for producing pressurized air and, in the embodiment illustrated, two air inlet devices 11 which are arranged in the region of the base plate portion 8. The air inlet device 11 may, for example, be produced in the form of a hole pattern. The hole patterns extend over the entire base plate portion 8, which forms the upper wall of the bogie cavity 7, with the exception of a central region in which a transverse carrier of the bogie frame 2 and a secondary suspension for the rail vehicle are located. The introduction of pressurized air is thus carried out in a planar manner. The introduction of the air results in a pressure present inside the bogie cavity 7 being increased. This results in there being formed, beyond leaks of the bogie cavity 7 on an air outlet face with respect to the environment, an air cushion which reduces the introduction of external air into the bogie cavity 7 and consequently also reduces the travel resistance of the bogie 1. At the same time, an introduction of dirt or snow particles into the bogie cavity 7 is also reduced. With regard to the type of device 10 used for producing pressurized air, it should be noted that, in all the embodiments illustrated, the air has an increased temperature so that during operation of the rail vehicle in winter even snow which has already accumulated in the bogie cavity 7 can be melted and consequently at least partially removed.

(11) The embodiments illustrated with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5 have in common with the embodiment explained with reference to FIG. 1 that an introduction of pressurized air is used to generate in the bogie cavity 7 an air cushion which counteracts the introduction of external air. Modifications appear primarily in the implementation of the introduction of the pressurized air. In FIG. 2, the device 10 for producing pressurized air is connected to air inlet devices 12 which are provided in the bulkheads 9 of the bogie cavity 7. In this instance, the introduction of pressurized air is consequently carried out in a horizontal direction along the rail vehicle into the bogie cavity 7.

(12) In the embodiment according to FIG. 3, the air introduction is carried out via the bulkhead 9 in a planar manner, that is to say, over the entire width and height of the bulkhead 9, whilst in FIG. 4 the introduction is carried out in a localized manner, that is to say, for example, via a region 13 which extends over less than 25% of the surface-area of the bulkhead 9. The introduction of the pressurized air is carried out in FIG. 3 using a suitably sized air inlet device 14 and in FIG. 4 with an appropriately sized air inlet device 15.

(13) In the embodiment according to FIG. 5, the pressurized air, again produced by the device 10 and supplied to the bogie cavity via the line arrangement 11, is blown in via a nozzle 16 which protrudes into the bogie cavity 7. In this instance, the illustrated nozzle 16 is in place of a possible plurality of identical nozzles which may be directed onto the bogie regions which are particularly at risk with regard to accumulations of dirt and/or snow. The nozzle 16 may, for example, be connected to the line arrangement 11 by means of a hose portion.

(14) All the embodiments illustrated have in common that the air resistance of the rail vehicle, in particular a vehicle for high-speed travel, is reduced. This is in principle achieved by a significantly more favorable, flow at a lower resistance around the bogie by the pressurized air produced at the vehicle side. It should additionally be emphasized that the air which is drawn in for cooling other components or for the air-conditioning system of the rail vehicle, and which is consequently resistance-neutral during further use, is used again in order to reduce the air resistance and to bring about the aerodynamic protection against contamination of the bogie cavity 7.