BELLOWS FOR A GANGWAY BETWEEN TWO VEHICLES MOVABLY CONNECTED TO ONE ANOTHER OR FOR A JETWAY

Abstract

A bellows as gangway protection between two movably connected car bodies or a jetway has a roof and two side parts facing one another. At least the two side parts have a multiplicity of folds or corrugations formed of a bendable sheet material. Each fold or corrugation has a narrow and a longitudinal side. Two folds or corrugations abutting one another are joined along their longitudinal sides. At least one fold or corrugation has at least one reinforcing section and at least two normal sections. The reinforcing section has a thickness greater than the normal sections. The reinforcing section has a narrow and a longitudinal side. The longitudinal side primarily extends in the direction of the longitudinal side of the fold or corrugation. An extension of the narrow side of the reinforcing section is a maximum of 75% of an extension of the narrow side of the fold or corrugation.

Claims

1. A bellows as gangway protection for a gangway between two car bodies moving together connected to one another in a multi-section vehicle or for a jetway, the bellows comprising: a roof; and two side parts arranged facing one another, at least the two side parts each comprising a multiplicity of folds or corrugations formed of a bendable sheet material; wherein; each of the multiplicity of folds or corrugations has a narrow side and a longitudinal side; each of two of the folds or corrugations abutting one another are joined together on their longitudinal sides at least one of the folds or corrugations has at least one reinforcing section and at least two normal sections, the at least one reinforcing section having a thickness that is greater than a thickness of the at least two normal sections; the at least one reinforcing section having a narrow side and a longitudinal side, the longitudinal side of the at least one reinforcing section primarily extends in a direction of the longitudinal side of the respective fold or corrugation; and an extension of the narrow side of the at least one reinforcing section is a maximum of 75% of an extension of the narrow side of the respective fold or corrugation.

2. The bellows according to claim 1, wherein the at least one reinforcing section is in the form of a strip, the longitudinal side of the at least reinforcing section that is made up of the strip that is at least half as long as the longitudinal side of a straight section of the respective fold or corrugation.

3. The bellows according to claim 2, wherein the strip that is as long as the longitudinal side of the straight section of the respective fold or corrugation.

4. The bellows according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the at least one reinforcing section is at least 1.25x, 1.5x, or 2x the thickness of the corresponding at least two normal sections.

5. The bellows according to claim 1, wherein the extension of the narrow side of the at least one reinforcing section is a maximum of 60%, 50%, or 25% of the extension of the narrow side of the respective fold or corrugation.

6. The bellows according to claim 1, wherein the extension of the narrow side of the at least one reinforcing section is at least 5% or 10% of the extension of the narrow side of the respective fold or corrugation.

7. The bellows according to claim 1, wherein the bellows is a corrugated bellows, with each corrugation running in a cross-section plane parallel to the narrow side in an arc.

8. The bellows according to claim 1, wherein the bellows is a folding bellows, the folds being arranged in a zigzag pattern in a cross-section plane that is parallel to the narrow side.

9. The bellows according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the folds or corrugations has at least two reinforcing sections running along the narrow side of the respective fold or corrugation.

10. The bellows according to claim 9, wherein the at least one of the folds or corrugations has exactly two reinforcing sections running along the narrow side of the respective fold or corrugation.

11. The bellows according to claim 10, wherein the two reinforcing sections are distributed in mirrored symmetry along the narrow side of the respective fold or corrugation.

12. The bellows according to claim 10, wherein the bellows is a corrugated bellows with a multiplicity of corrugations; wherein the two reinforcing sections cover two imaginary lines running parallel to the longitudinal sides of the respective corrugation and wherein in a section plane running parallel to the narrow side of the respective corrugation the first of the two imaginary lines is at an angle of + 45° related to a mirrored symmetry plane of the respective corrugation and the second of the two imaginary lines is arranged at an angle of - 45° related to the mirrored symmetry plane; wherein a peak of the angles is given by an intersection between the mirrored symmetry plane and a vertical straight line at the mirrored symmetry plane, so that a circle around the peak intersects the vertical straight line and the mirrored symmetry plane within the bendable sheet material of the respective corrugation; and wherein the circle is determined in a non-extended and uncompressed state of the respective corrugation.

13. The bellows according to claim 1, wherein the at least one reinforcing section is made up of a strip of material that is applied to the bendable sheet material of the respective fold or corrugation by being glued, sewn or welded on, or the at least one reinforcing section is made up of a thickening of the bendable sheet material of the respective fold or corrugation.

14. The bellows according to claim 13, wherein the strip of material follows a curve of the bendable sheet material of the respective fold or corrugation.

15. The bellows according to claim 13, wherein the strip of material is sewn together with the bendable sheet material of the respective fold or corrugation with two seams, the seams running in a direction parallel to the narrow side of the strip of material and having a distance of at least 5 mm, 7 mm or 10 mm between the seams.

16. The bellows according to claim 1, wherein the at least one reinforcing section is arranged on an inner side of the bellows.

17. The bellows according to claim 1, wherein at least half of the multiplicity of folds or corrugations has at least one reinforcing section.

18. The bellows according to claim 1, wherein each of the folds or corrugations has at least one reinforcing section.

19. A gangway system comprising: a bellows according to claim 1; and a bridge.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0053] Further advantages, characteristics and application possibilities for the present invention are made clear on the basis of the following description of embodiments and the related figures. The figures designate the same elements with the same reference signs.

[0054] FIG. 1 is an isometric illustration of a corrugated bellows;

[0055] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-section view in a section plane that is parallel to the narrow side of the folds of a corrugated bellows as per this invention;

[0056] FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-section view in a section plane that is parallel to the narrow side of the corrugations of a corrugated bellows as per this invention;

[0057] FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-section view in a section plane that is parallel to the narrow side of the corrugations by a corrugation of a corrugated bellows as per a second embodiment of this invention and

[0058] FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-section view in a section plane that is parallel to the narrow side of the corrugations by a corrugation of a corrugated bellows as per a further embodiment of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0059] FIG. 1 shows a bellows 1 that is in the form of a corrugated bellows,, as is used for the connection of two railway carriages. The illustration in FIG. 1 is intended to describe in a comprehensible an application of the present invention, whereby the reinforcing sections 14 in FIG. 1 cannot be seen.

[0060] Bellows 1 as illustrated in FIG. 1 is connected to a car body 3 of a railway carriage with its facing side 2 turned away. Bellows 1 is used to protect the gangway between car body 3 of the two railway carriages that are coupled together to protect against environmental influences, especially the airstream and the weather. Bellows 1 forms a gangway system together with the bridge 4, which is surrounded by bellows 1. In FIG. 1 at the front facing side 5 the bellows 1 exhibits a screw-on frame 6 to connect the bellows to the car body 3. Bellows 1 comprises a roof 7 and two side parts 8, 9 arranged facing one another. In addition,the illustrated bellows 1 has a floor 10 that passes through underneath the bridge 4. In this way bellows 1 forms a type of frame around the gangway between two car bodies 3 of two railway carriages coupled to one another.

[0061] The narrow side of the individual folds or corrugations of the side parts 8, 9 is designated in FIG. 1 with the reference sign 13. The longitudinal side of the corrugations or folds designates the direction designated in FIG. 1 with the reference sign 12.

[0062] The individual corrugations 18 of bellows 1 are made up of a bendable strip-like material that is an elastomer-coated fabric in the illustrated embodiment. The folds 18 of the corrugated bellows from FIG. 1 run in a plane that is parallel to the narrow side 13 of the individual folds and are mainly U-shaped. A basically similar setup of a bellows 1 can also be produced as a folding bellows 1, whereby the individual folds 15 of the bellows are than arranged in a plane that is parallel to the narrow side 13 and are mainly U-shaped.

[0063] In addition to protection from the airstream and the weather, the bellows 1 serve also to insulate from and/or dampen ambient noises, in general terms this is acoustic protection.

[0064] In order to improve this acoustic protection, which is provided solely by the separation of the inside area 11 of bellows 1 from the environment by bellows 1, then in accordance with the invention reinforcing sections 23 are applied to the individual folds 15 or corrugations 18 of a bellows 1, 1. The reinforcing sections 23 support the relevant fold or corrugation in areas with less mechanical stability. The remaining thinner sections of each fold 15 or corrugation 18 constitute the normal sections 24 within the meaning of the present application.

[0065] In all the illustrated embodiments each fold 15 or corrugation 18 has exactly two reinforcing sections 23 so that each fold or corrugation has three normal sections 24. Each reinforcing section 23 is made up of a strip of material 14 that is sewed onto the bendable sheet material 16 of the fold 15 or corrugation 18. The strips of material 14 that define the reinforcing sections 23 are arranged on the inner side of the relevant bellows 1, 1'.

[0066] The strips of material 14 of the reinforcing sections 23 are likewise made of a bendable material so that they can follow a curve of the bendable sheet material 16 of the fold 15 or corrugation 18. Each of the strips of material 14 is sewn with two seams to the bendable sheet material 16 of the fold 15 or corrugation 18, whereby the seams 17 run in a direction that is parallel to the narrow side 13 of the material section 14 with a distance of 10 mm between them.

[0067] In the following the individual folds 15 or corrugations 18 of a bellows 1, 1’ will be looked at in the following, in accordance with the present invention. FIG. 2 illustrates the formation of the reinforcing sections 23 in a folding bellows 1 in accordance with the invention. On the other hand, FIG. 3 shows the formation of reinforcing sections 23 of this type in a corrugated bellows 1.

[0068] The folding bellows 1’ from FIG. 2 exhibits a multiplicity of folds 15, whereby the folds 15 are made out of two flexible sheets of material 16 that are V-shaped in a cross-section plane that is parallel to the narrow side 13 of the folds 15. The individual sheets of material are sewn together at their ends. The corresponding seams and shown schematically in FIG. 2 and designated with reference sign 17. The extension of a fold 15 in a direction that is parallel to the narrow side designates the length of the sheets of material 16 that are joined together as part of a single fold 15. The reinforcing sections 14 are applied such that they reinforce each leg of the relevant fold 15 in the area of its middle. In this area the relevant fold 15 the lowest mechanical stability and thus has the highest probability of causing acoustic excitation. Thus each fold 15 has exactly two reinforcing sections 14.

[0069] The individual corrugations 18 of the corrugated bellows 1 from FIG. 3 likewise have exactly two reinforcing sections 14. Thus the corrugations 18 can clearly be seen to be U-shaped in the cross-section profile. Each of the corrugations 18 is made up of a bendable strip of material and extends from the inside area 11 in a curve to the outside and then back inside again. Two adjacent corrugations 18 and their sheets of material 16 are joined to one another at their ends 19. In this connection a clamping profile 20 made of aluminum provides the required stability. The extension of the narrow side 13 of each corrugation 18 is the length of the sheet material 16 in the illustrated cross-section view, which illustrates precisely one corrugation 18.

[0070] As a result of the arrangements of the reinforcing sections 14 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and also FIGS. 4 and 5 described in the following, a considerable reduction of the amount of noise from the environment entering the inside area 11 defined by the bellows 1’ was attained.

[0071] The sheet of bendable material 16 of the folds 15 or corrugations 18 had a thickness of 4 mm in all the embodiments shown. The strips of material 14 that define the reinforcing sections 23 are 1.1 mm thick, so that the thickness of the reinforcing sections is a total of 5.1 mm. Thus the thickness of each of the reinforcing sections 23 is 1.275x the thickness of the normal sections 24.

[0072] In each of the embodiments shown the two reinforcing sections 23 are mirrored symmetrically in a mirrored symmetry plane 21 of the fold 15 or corrugation 18 along the narrow edge of the fold 15 or corrugation 18.

[0073] In all the embodiments shown each fold 15 and each corrugation 18 exhibits exactly two reinforcing segments 23.

[0074] FIGS. 4 and 5 show two further embodiments of the corrugated bellows 1 in accordance with the invention, whereby only a single corrugation 18 is shown of these corrugated bellows.

[0075] While FIG. 4 shows a corrugation 18 with a relatively small extension, the extension of the corrugation 18 from FIG. 5 is noticeably greater. This means that in the cross-section view from FIG. 4 the corrugation 18 completely follows a curved course, while the corrugation 18 from FIG. 5 exhibits two comparatively long straight sections or legs 22.

[0076] It was found that regardless of the extension of the sheet material 16 in the direction parallel the narrow side that the area of the sheet material 16 of the corrugation 18 has the lowest mechanical stability and hence the highest probability for acoustic excitation in a range of ±45° from the arc formed by the sheet material 16.

[0077] For that reason both the embodiments of FIGS. 4 and 5 have the two strips of material 14, which define the reinforcing sections 23, arranged in such a way that they cover two imaginary lines 25 running parallel to the longitudinal sides 12 of the corrugation 18. Thus in the illustrated section plane the first of the two lines 25 is arranged at an angle α of + 45° related to the mirrored symmetry plane 21 and the second of the two lines 25 is arranged at an angle α′ of- 45° related to the mirrored symmetry plane 21, whereby the peak 26 of the angles α, α′ is given by the intersection between the mirrored symmetry plane 21 and a straight line 27 that is vertical to the mirrored symmetry plane 21, so that a circle with radius r about the peak 26 intersects the straight line 27 and the symmetry plane 21 within the bendable sheet material 16 of the corrugation 18. Thus the corrugation 18 in both FIGS. 4 and 5 is shown in its non-extended and uncompressed state.

[0078] For the purposes of the original publication reference was made to the fact that all the characteristics, in the way that they have been disclosed for an expert in the present description and drawings, even if they were only concretely described in connection with certain other characteristics, both individually and also in any particular combinations with others of the characteristics or groups of characteristics published here that they can be combined with, insofar as that was not expressly excluded or technical circumstances make such combinations impossible or meaningless. A comprehensive and explicit illustration of all possible conceivable combinations has been dispensed with here so as to keep the description short and easy to read.

[0079] While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and the preceding description, the illustration and description are only exemplary and are not intended to be a restriction of the protected area in the way that is defined in the claims. The invention is not restricted to the published embodiments.

[0080] Variations from the published embodiments will be obvious for an expert from the drawings, the description and the attached claims. In the claims the word “exhibit” does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article “a” does not exclude a multiple number. The mere fact that certain characteristics are demanded in various requirements does not exclude the possibility of their combination. The reference signs for the claims are not intended as a restriction of the area of protection.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0081] 1 Corrugated bellows [0082] 1’ Folding bellows [0083] 2, 5 Facing sides of the bellows [0084] 3 Car body [0085] 4 Bridge [0086] 6 Screw-on frame [0087] 7 Roof [0088] 8, 9 Side part [0089] 10 Floor [0090] 11 Inside area [0091] 12 Longitudinal side [0092] 13 Narrow side [0093] 14 Strips of material [0094] 15 Fold [0095] 16 Sheet material [0096] 17 Seam [0097] 18 Corrugation [0098] 19 End [0099] 20 Clamping profile [0100] 21 Symmetry plane [0101] 22 Leg [0102] 23 Reinforcing section [0103] 24 Normal section [0104] 25 Imaginary line in the longitudinal direction [0105] 26 Peak [0106] 27 Straight