Rail vehicle with articulated connection

Abstract

An articulated connector for a rail vehicle having a plurality of rail car bodies including a first and a second rail car body supported on a bolster of a Jacobs bogie. The articulated connector includes a spherical joint mechanism connecting the first rail car body and the second car body to one another, the spherical joint mechanism having at least two spherical joint bearings, and the spherical joint mechanism being disposed on the bolster of the Jacobs bogie.

Claims

1. An articulated connector for a rail vehicle having a plurality of rail car bodies including a first and a second rail car body supported on a bolster of a Jacobs bogie, the articulated connector comprising: a spherical joint mechanism having a first joint with a spherical bearing articulably connecting the first rail car body and the second rail car body to one another, the spherical joint mechanism further having a second spherical joint with a spherical bearing articulably connecting the spherical bearing of the first joint to the bolster of the Jacobs bogie; the first joint and the second joint being independently articulable; and the spherical joint mechanism being disposed on the bolster of the Jacobs bogie; the first joint coupling the first and second rail car body and the second joint received within a portion of the Jacobs bogie; wherein bearing surfaces of both joints surround a spacer bolt that extends between and interconnects the joints; and wherein each spherical bearing has a ball segment and a bearing shell surrounding the ball segment, the ball segment and bearing shell each being rotationally symmetrical.

2. The articulated connector of claim 1, wherein the spherical bearing of the first joint is an upper spherical bearing and the spherical bearing of the second joint is a lower spherical bearing, and the upper spherical bearing and the lower spherical bearing are arranged spaced apart from one another in a direction of a vertical axis of the rail vehicle.

3. The articulated connector of claim 2, wherein the lower spherical bearing is connected to the bolster of the Jacobs bogie.

4. The articulated connector of claim 3, wherein the bolster of the Jacobs bogie comprises a pot for receiving the lower spherical bearing.

5. The articulated connector according to claim 1, wherein the first joint is received within two opposing limbs of either the first or second rail car body and the spacer bolt extends through the limbs and is received in the Jacobs bogie.

6. A rail vehicle, comprising: a plurality of rail car bodies including a first and a second rail car body; a Jacobs bogie having a bolster, the first and second rail car body being supported by the bolster of the Jacobs bogie; a spherical joint mechanism connecting the first and second rail car bodies with each other, the spherical joint mechanism being disposed on the bolster, the spherical joint mechanism comprising at least two spherical joints each having a spherical joint bearing, the spherical joints being spaced apart from one another in a direction of a vertical axis of the rail vehicle and the bearing surfaces of both joints surround a spacer bolt that extends between and interconnects the joints; wherein each spherical bearing has a ball segment and a bearing shell surrounding the ball segment, the ball segment and bearing shell each being rotationally symmetrical.

7. The rail vehicle according to claim 6, wherein a first one of the spherical joints is an upper spherical joint connecting the first and second rail car bodies and a second one of the spherical joints is a lower spherical joint connecting the spherical joint mechanism with the bolster of the Jacobs bogie.

8. The rail vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the bolster of the Jacobs bogie comprises a pot for receiving the lower spherical joint.

9. The rail vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the bearing of the upper spherical joint and the bearing of the lower spherical joint are rotated by 180° with respect to one another.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention will be described in more detail below by way of example with reference to the drawings.

(2) FIG. 1 schematically shows a Jacobs bogie in a side view, with the rotationally articulated connection between the two rail car bodies on the Jacobs bogie only being schematically indicated;

(3) FIG. 2a shows a first variant of the spherical joint mechanism in section;

(4) FIG. 2b shows a plan view of the joint mechanism of FIG. 2a;

(5) FIG. 3a shows a second variant of the spherical joint mechanism in section; and

(6) FIG. 3b shows a plan view of the joint mechanism of FIG. 3a.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(7) The Jacobs bogie 1 shown in FIG. 1 comprises the frame 3, wherein two wheel sets 4 are arranged at the frame 3 with primary springs 6. The bolster, designated as a whole by 10, is supported on four springs 8 on the frame 3. The spherical joint mechanism 20, 40 is arranged on the bolster 10, with the spherical joint mechanism 20, 40 being connected to the respective schematically indicated rail car bodies 14, 16 by joint arms 21, 22; 41, 42.

(8) The first variant of a spherical joint mechanism 20 shown in FIG. 2a and FIG. 2b is characterized by the two spherical joint bearings 24 and 26. The inner spherical joint bearing 24 comprises an inner ball segment 24a on which an outer ball segment 26a of the outer spherical joint bearing 26 is supported. The outer ball segment 26a of the outer spherical joint bearing 26 is supported in the bearing shell 26 that is of a ball segment kind and that is connected to the rail car body 16 by the joint arm 22. The outer ball segment 26a furthermore has a saddle 30 by which the outer ball segment 26a is connected to the rail car body 14 by the joint arm 21. The connection member 31 for connecting to the bolster 10 of the Jacobs bogie 1 is arranged at the inner ball segment 24a. The connection member 31 is provided with a support 31a for connecting to the bolster.

(9) The spherical joint mechanism 20 has the common pivot point 32. A spacing 33 from the upper side of the bolster 10 is formed by the connection member 31 in conjunction with the support in the bolster. This spacing 33 forms a lever arm that exposes the bolster 10 to corresponding torques on the engagement of horizontal forces at the pivot point 32. The forces that engage at the pivot point 32, for example, include forces in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, that is in particular forces on accelerating and decelerating the rail vehicle. Transverse forces in the horizontal direction arise due to the effect of centrifugal forces or also due to the effect of track guiding forces. To keep the bolster 10 free of torque to this extent, the bolster can be supported with respect to one another toward the frame of the Jacobs bogie by longitudinal and/or transverse arms, e.g. in the form of a lemmiscate arm.

(10) The spherical joint mechanism 40 shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b is characterized by an upper spherical joint bearing 47 and by a lower spherical joint bearing 57; the two joint bearings are arranged spaced apart from and above one another to this extent. The two joint bearings 47 and 57 are connected to one another by the spacer bolt 50 to form the spacing. The lower spherical joint bearing is supported on the bolster 10′ by the pot 12. The upper spherical joint bearing 47 in detail comprises a ball segment 48 that is supported in a bearing shell 49. The bearing shell 49 is connected by the joint arm 41 to the rail car body marked by 14′. The ball segment 48 in contrast is connected to the rail car body 16′ by the joint arm 42. The lower spherical joint bearing 57 has the ball segment 58 that is held in the bearing shell 59. The bearing shell 49 is in turn supported in the pot 12 that is arranged in the bolster 10′.

(11) The connection between the spherical joint bearing 47 and the spherical joint bearing 57 takes place, as already mentioned, by the spacer bolt 50. The joint arm 42 for connecting the spherical joint bearing 47 to the rail car body 16′ is provided with two limbs 42a and 42b for receiving the ball segment 48 of the spherical joint bearing 47. The ball segment 48 is held between these two limbs 42a and 42b of the joint arm that is fork-like in this respect. The limb 42a receives a clamping member 41c that is connected to the spacer bolt 50 by a stud bolt 41d. The spacer bolt 50 in turn contacts the limb 42b. In the same manner, the lower spherical bearing 57 has a clamping member 61a that contacts the ball segment 58 and that is connected to the spacer bolt 50 by a stud bolt 61b. The bolster is connected by the stud bolt 63 to the pot 12 and thus to the lower spherical joint bearing 57.

(12) Rolling, pitching, kink and compensating movements or also combinations of these movements can now be taken up and transmitted by the spherical joint mechanism 40 having the two joint bearings arranged above one another and spaced apart from one another; in addition, this design, however, also ensures that the bolster remains substantially free of torque on an engagement of horizontal forces. This results from the following:

(13) The spherical joint bearing 47 has a pivot point 70; the spherical joint bearing 57 has the pivot point 75. The spacing between the two pivot points 70 and 75 is marked by 80 and forms a lever arm. If forces in a horizontal direction are now introduced into the pivot point 70 of the spherical joint mechanism 40, the ball segment 58 of the lower spherical joint bearing 57 can pivot in the bearing shell 59. This means that the torques arising due to the introduction of horizontal forces into the upper spherical joint bearing 47 are substantially intercepted by the lower spherical joint bearing 57, whereby the bolster 10′ on which the spherical joint mechanism 40 is held by the pot 12 remains substantially free of torque.

REFERENCE NUMERAL LIST

(14) 1 Jacobs bogie 3 frame 4 wheel set 6 primary spring 8 spring 10, 10′ bolster 12 pot 14, 14′ rail car body 16, 16′ rail car body 20 spherical joint mechanism (1st variant) 21 joint arm (of the rail car body) 22 joint arm (of the rail car body) 24 inner spherical joint bearing 24a inner ball segment 26 outer spherical joint bearing 26a outer ball segment 26b bearing shell 30 saddle 31 connection member 31a support 32 pivot point 33 spacing (lever arm) 40 spherical joint mechanism (2nd variant) 41 joint arm 41c clamping member 41d stud bolt 42 joint arm 42a limb of the joint arm 42b limb of the joint arm 47 spherical joint arm (top) 48 ball segment 49 bearing shell 50 spacer bolt 57 spherical joint bearing (bottom) 58 ball segment 59 bearing shell 61a clamping member 61b stud bolt 63 stud bolt 70 pivot point 75 pivot point 80 spacing (lever arm)