Abstract
A rail assembly for rail vehicles having flanged wheels, in particular in the area of track covers and track crossings, as well as a profiled filling element therefor. The rail assembly (1) comprises a support structure (7) for a cover (9) which covers the space (8) directly alongside the rail (2), the cover (9) acting as a guide rail and being easy to remove from the support structure (7). Also disclosed is a profiled filling element (200, 220) particularly suitable for the rail assembly (1).
Claims
1. A rail assembly (1) for rail vehicles with flanged wheels (22), comprising: a) at least one rail (2) of the Vignol type with a rail head (3), having a running surface (6) for a flanged wheel (22), a rail web (4) and a rail foot (5), b) a support structure (7), flanking the rail (2) laterally in the longitudinal direction of the rail, for a cover (9) covering the space (8) directly alongside the rail (2), which cover (9): aa) is detachably connected to the support structure (7), such that in the installed state the cover (9) can be reversibly removed from the support structure (7), bb) has an essentially horizontal surface, which is essentially flush with the running surface (6) of the rail head (3), and cc) has an edge region (11) directed towards the rail (2), which forms a guide rail, c) an angled profile (10) which is generally L- or J-shaped in cross-section and is fixedly connected to the cover (9), or formed integrally with the latter, wherein the angled profile (11) has a first leg (19) extending in the direction of the rail foot (5), and a second leg (20) extending in the direction of the rail web (4), wherein the support structure (7), the cover (9) and the angled profile (10) are not attached to the rail (2).
2. The rail assembly (1) according to claim 1, further comprising a strand-shaped profiled filling element (100, 200, 220), wherein the profiled filling element (100, 200, 220) is arranged on the second leg (20) extending in the direction of the rail web (4).
3. The rail assembly (1) according to claim 2, wherein the surface of the profiled filling element (200, 220) is essentially flush with the running surface (6) of the rail head (3).
4. The rail assembly (1) according to claim 2, wherein the profiled filling element (100, 200, 220) is attached to the generally L- or J-shaped angled profile (10).
5. The rail assembly (1) according to claim 2, wherein the profiled filling element (200, 220) is generally L- or J-shaped in cross-section and has a first profile leg (202, 222) extending in the direction of the rail foot (5), and a second profile leg (203, 223) extending in the direction of the rail web (4), and wherein the first profile leg (202, 222) contains at least one hollow channel (201, 221) extending in the longitudinal direction of the strand-shaped profiled filling element (200, 220), which is surrounded transversely to the longitudinal direction of the strand-shaped profiled filling element (200, 220) by a wall of profile material, and the second profile leg (203, 223) of the profiled filling element (200, 220) is of solid construction and forms a profiled filling element base.
6. The rail assembly (1) according to claim 1, wherein the support structure (7) has a rear wall (13) extending essentially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the rail, and transverse walls (25) directed transversely to the rear wall in the direction of the rail (2) and arranged at intervals from one another.
7. The rail assembly (1) according to claim 1, wherein the support structure (7) has openings (32).
8. The rail assembly (1) according to claim 1, wherein the support structure (7) has a drainage fitting.
9. A profiled filling element (200, 220) for a rail assembly (1) according to claim 1, wherein the profiled filling element (200, 220) has a strand-shaped form, and generally has an L- or J-shaped cross-section, and wherein a first profile leg (202, 222) contains at least one hollow channel (201, 221) extending in the longitudinal direction of the strand-shaped profiled filling element (200, 220), which is surrounded by profile material transversely to the longitudinal direction of the extruded profiled filling element (200, 220), and a second profile leg (203, 223) of the profiled filling element (200, 220) is of solid construction.
10. The profiled filling element (200, 220) according to claim 9, wherein the first profile leg (202, 222) comprises a section (204, 224) with a protrusion (206, 226), which projects in the direction in which the second profile leg (203, 223) extends, and wherein at least a part of the at least one hollow channel (201, 221) is located in the section (204, 224) with the protrusion (206, 226).
11. The profiled filling element (200, 220) according to claim 10, wherein the section (201, 224) with the protrusion (206, 226) is arranged such that in the installed state the protrusion (206, 226) can be brought into engagement with the underside of the rail head of a Vignol-type rail (2).
12. The profiled filling element (200, 220) according to claim 9, wherein the profile material laterally surrounding the at least one hollow channel (201, 221) in the first profile leg (202, 222) forms a first lateral profile leg wall (207, 227) facing the side with the second profile leg (203, 223), and an opposing second lateral profile leg wall (208, 228), wherein the first lateral profile leg wall (207, 227) in cross-section is zigzag-shaped such that the protrusion (206, 226) is thereby formed, and wherein the inner wall surfaces (209, 229) of the at least one hollow channel (201, 221), located towards the first lateral profile leg wall (207, 227) in the section (204, 224) with the protrusion (206, 226), extend essentially parallel to the outer wall surfaces (211), 231) of the first lateral profile leg wall (207, 227), such that the first lateral profile leg wall (207, 227) has essentially the same wall thickness in the section (204, 224) with the protrusion (206, 226).
13. The profiled filling element (200, 220) according to claim 12, wherein a single hollow channel (201, 221) is arranged in the first profile leg (202, 222), such that the wall part (205, 225) located towards the free end of the first profile leg (202, 222) has a greater wall thickness than the first lateral profile leg wall (207, 227), also the second lateral profile leg wall (208, 228) extends with a zigzag-shaped cross-section, and the inner wall surfaces (209, 229, 210, 230) of the one hollow channel (201, 222) in the section with the protrusion (206, 226) extend essentially parallel to the respective outer wall surfaces (211, 212; 231, 232) of the first and second lateral profile leg walls (207, 227; 208, 228), such that the first and second lateral profile leg walls (207, 227; 208, 228) in the section (204, 224) with the protrusion (206, 226) in each case have an essentially uniform wall thickness.
14. The profiled filling element (200, 220) according to claim 9, wherein the design of the profiled filling element (200, 220) is generally L-shaped in cross-section.
15. The profiled filling element (200, 220) according to claim 9, wherein the profiled filling element (200, 220) consists of an elastomeric material.
16. The rail assembly (1) according to claim 2, wherein the profiled filling element (100, 200, 220) is attached to the generally L- or J-shaped angled profile (10) by a screw-form fitting or by adhesive.
17. The rail assembly (1) according to claim 1, wherein the support structure (7) has openings (32) in the transverse walls (25).
Description
[0041] In what follows the invention is explained in more detail with the aid of the figures, appended purely for illustrative purposes.
[0042] FIG. 1 shows a cross-section through an embodiment of an inventive rail assembly.
[0043] FIG. 2 shows a cross-section through the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 of an inventive rail assembly, with a profiled filling element.
[0044] FIG. 3 shows a cross-section through the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 of an inventive rail assembly, with a further profiled filling element.
[0045] FIG. 4 shows a cross-section through the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 of an inventive rail assembly, with a further profiled filling element.
[0046] FIG. 5 shows a simplified spatial representation of an embodiment of an inventive rail assembly, (A) with cover, and (B) without cover.
[0047] FIG. 6 shows a simplified plan view onto an embodiment of an inventive rail assembly.
[0048] FIG. 7 shows a cross-section through an embodiment of a profiled filling element for an inventive rail assembly.
[0049] FIG. 1 shows a cross-section through an embodiment of an inventive rail assembly 1. The rail assembly 1 comprises a rail 2 of the Vignol type, with a rail head 3 having a running surface 6, a rail web 4, and a rail foot 5. The rail 2 is here arranged on a ribbed metal plate 14. Between the underside of the rail foot 5 and the ribbed plate 14 there is arranged an insulation layer 12, which can consist of a plastic polymer, for example. The surface of the ribbed plate 14 has a slight inclination, so that the rail 2 arranged on it is also slightly inclined. If the rail 2 is part of a track, it is slightly inclined towards the inside of the track. The rail 2 is fixed to the ribbed plate 14 in the usual manner by means of tension clamps 15. The ribbed plate 14 is here fixed, for example welded, onto a base plate 16. The base plate 16 has attachment devices 17, with the aid of which it can be attached, e.g. securely bolted, to a suitable surface, for example railway sleepers. The right-hand side of the figure shows a support structure 7, flanking the rail in the longitudinal direction, which comprises a metal rear wall 13 running in the longitudinal direction of the rail, with supports 18 welded to it and directed towards the rail 2. The support structure 7 also comprises transverse metal walls 25 (see FIGS. 5A, B; FIG. 6), which are welded to the rear wall 13 and extend transversely to the longitudinal direction of the rails in the direction of the rail 2. Within a track, the support structure 7 would preferably flank the rail 2 on the inside of the track. The support structure 7 serves to support a flat metal cover 9, which is configured such that it can be driven on by, for example, motor vehicles. The cover 9 here lies on the supports 18 together with the transverse walls 25, and is reversibly attached by means of mounting flanges 26 provided on the transverse walls 25 (see FIG. 5A) with appropriate attachment devices 21, for example by means of screw-form fittings. The cover 9 covers the space 8 directly alongside the rail 2. The upper surface of the cover 9 is essentially flush with the running surface 6 of rail 2, and has an edge region 11 directed towards the rail 2, which forms a guide rail, that is to say, it assumes the function of the guide rail of a grooved rail. In the edge region 11 of the flat cover 9, an angled metal profile 10, L-shaped in cross-section, is fixedly attached, for example welded, onto the underside of the cover. The L-shaped angled profile 10 comprises a first leg 19, which is essentially vertical and extends towards the rail foot 5, and a second leg 20, which is essentially horizontal and extends towards the rail web 4. The second leg 20 is arranged in the region of the rail web 4, i.e. the free end of the second leg 20 lies below the height of the underside of the rail head 3, and above the rail foot 5, wherein the free end of the second leg 20 preferably lies within the rail chamber 33 bounded by the underside of the rail head 3, the rail web 4 and the top of the rail foot 5. The free end of the second leg 20 can reach as far as the rail web 4 and even touch it, or can be spaced apart from the rail web 4. Together with the edge region 11, the legs 19, 20 of the angled profile 10, together with the lateral flanks of the rail 2, form a groove 28, in which, for example, a profiled filling element 100, 200, 220 can be arranged. The cover 9 is fixedly connected to the angled profile 10 and can, together with the angled profile 10, and, if necessary, the profiled filling element 100, 200, 220, be removed from the support structure 7, for example so as to carry out maintenance or repair tasks.
[0050] FIG. 2 shows a cross-section through the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 of an inventive rail assembly 1, with a strand-shaped profiled filling element 100, which is arranged on the second leg 20 of the angled profile 10 and here simply performs the function of replicating the groove floor of a conventional groove rail, and filling the space between the angled profile 10 and the rail 2. The profiled filling element 100 has a hollow channel 101 running in the longitudinal direction of the strand-shaped profiled filling element 100. In this figure part of a flanged wheel 22 with a flange 23 is drawn for purposes of illustration. The dashed line indicates the limits of a flange 23 protruding further into the groove 28 as a result of wear of the rail head 3.
[0051] FIG. 3 shows a cross-section through the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 of an inventive rail assembly 1, with a further strand-shaped profiled filling element 200. The profiled filling element 200 is generally L-shaped in cross-section and has a first profile leg 202 extending essentially vertically in the direction of the rail foot 5 and in the direction of the open end of the groove 28, respectively, and a second profile leg 203 extending essentially horizontally. Here the first profile leg 202 has two hollow channels 201 and is elastically deformable, such that the profile leg 202 is elastically deformed in the vertical direction as the flange 23 drives past, while the second profile leg 203 is designed as a solid profile base and is not, or only slightly, elastically deformable in comparison to the first profile leg 202. The second profile leg 203 is arranged on the second leg 20 of the angled profile 10, while the first profile leg 202 of the profiled filling element 200 rests on the first leg 19 of the angled profile 10 on the one hand, and on the lateral flank of the rail head 3 facing the groove 28 on the other hand. The first profile leg 202 has a zigzag-shaped cross-section in a section 204 (see FIG. 7A). Here the profile leg 202 has an angularly-shaped protrusion 206 located at the height of, or just below, the underside of the rail head 3, whereby the cross-section of the profile leg 202 is widened so that the profile leg 202 is wider at this location than the groove 28 in the region of the rail head 3, and the protrusion 206 is in engagement with the underside of the rail head 3. In this manner, the profiled filling element 200 is held in the groove 28 without additional fixing. In this section a hollow channel 201 with inner wall surfaces 209, 210 (see FIG. 7A) is configured in cross-section as a square or a diamond-shape standing on a point, while a second hollow channel 201 located above it is generally semicircular in cross-section, with an inner wall lying essentially horizontally or slightly curved towards the open end of the profile leg 202. The profile material laterally surrounding the lower hollow channel 201 in the first profile leg 202 forms a first lateral profile leg wall 207 facing towards the side with the second profile leg 203 with an outer wall surface 211, and an opposing second lateral profile leg wall 208 with an outer wall surface 212 (see FIG. 7A). The lateral profile leg wall 207 facing the rail 2 has an essentially uniform wall thickness in the section 204 with the protrusion 206. The solid part 205 at the upper free end of the profile leg 202 has a greater wall thickness than the lateral profile leg wall 207 located below. The profiled filling element 200 is attached to the angled profile 10 by means of a screw 24 running through the first leg 19 of the angled profile 10 and projecting into the second, solid profile leg 203 of the profiled filling element 200. The second profile leg 203 is as wide in cross-section as the groove 28 and fills the latter in this region.
[0052] FIG. 4 shows a cross-section of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 of an inventive rail assembly 1 with a further strand-shaped profiled filling element 220 (for details see also FIG. 7B). This profiled filling element 220 is also generally L-shaped in cross-section and has a first profile leg 222 extending essentially vertically towards the rail foot 5 or towards the open end of the groove 28, and a second profile leg 223 extending essentially horizontally. The first profile leg 222 has only one hollow channel 221 and is elastically deformable, particularly in the direction of the groove floor, while the second profile leg 223, which forms the profile base, is of solid construction, and is comparatively hard and less elastically deformable. Here, too, the second profile leg 223 extends over the entire groove cross-section. The profiled filling element 220 is fixed to the angled profile 10 by means of a screw 24 screwed into the second profile leg 223, and can be removed, together with the cover 9 and the angled profile 10, in one step, so as to make the space 8 accessible alongside the rail 2. In this profiled filling element 220, both profile leg walls 227, 228 laterally surrounding the hollow channel 221 are zigzag-shaped in the section 224, with the protrusion 226 (see FIG. 7B). The protrusion 226 formed in the first profile leg wall 227 extends in the direction of the rail 2 and engages with the underside of the rail head. The single hollow channel 221 is designed such that its lateral inner surfaces 229, 230 run essentially parallel to the respective lateral outer wall surfaces 231, 232 of the profile leg walls 227, 228, so that the lateral profile leg walls 227, 228 of the profiled filling element 220 have a essentially uniform wall thickness in the region of the hollow channel 221. The solid part 225 of the profile leg 222 located at the upper free end has a greater wall thickness than the lateral profile leg walls 227, 228 located underneath.
[0053] FIG. 5 shows a simplified spatial view of an inventive rail assembly 1. FIG. 5A shows the support structure 7 without the cover 9, while FIG. 5B shows the support structure 7 with the cover 9. The tension clamps 15 are not shown here, so as to provide a better overview, neither are the attachment devices 17 of the base plate. Just the holes 29 provided for this purpose are shown here. Only one section of the rail 2 is shown. FIG. 5B also shows only one section of a cover 9 so as to provide a better overview. This view shows transverse walls 25, extending from the rear wall 13 in the direction of the rail 2, and providing upper support surfaces 30, on which the cover 9 can be laid in position. If required, the second leg 20 of the angled profile 10 can be positioned on the lower support surfaces 31 of the transverse walls 25. However, this is not absolutely necessary, since the angled profile 10 is already attached, e.g. welded, to the support, and only has to absorb as a maximum the forces exerted by a profiled filling element 100, 200, 220 as the flanged wheel 22 drives over. The transverse walls 25 have openings 32, which, for example, serve to allow the drainage of water. Mounting flanges 26 on two transverse walls 25 are provided here for purposes of attaching the cover 9, by means of which the cover 9 can be reversibly attached by means of suitable attachment devices 21, e.g. screw-form fittings. Here the cover 9 has openings 27, which can be used not only to attach the cover 9 to the support structure 7 by means of attachment devices 21, but also to drain water from the inside of the track. The base plate 16 can have openings (not shown here) for purposes of draining or extracting water into the ground.
[0054] FIG. 6 shows a simplified plan view onto a form of embodiment of an inventive rail assembly 1. In the lower part of the figure, the cover 9 has been omitted so as to provide a better overview. Here, too, the ribbed plates 14 are shown without the tension clamps 15 and just the holes 29 for the attachment devices of the base plate 16. In other respects, so as to avoid unnecessary repetitions, reference is made to the description of FIGS. 1 to 5.
[0055] FIGS. 7A and 7B show embodiment of an inventively configured profiled filling element 200, 220. The profiled filling element 200 shown in FIG. 7A has already been described with reference to FIG. 3, and the profiled filling element 220 shown in FIG. 7B has already been described with reference to FIG. 4, so that here too reference is made back to these descriptions. Both profiled filling elements 200 and 220 are made of an elastomeric material and have astrand-shaped form. They have a generally L-shaped cross-section, wherein a first profile leg 202, 222 contains at least one hollow channel 201, 221 running in the longitudinal direction of the strand-shaped profiled filling element 200, 220, which is surrounded transversely to the longitudinal direction of the strand-shaped profiled filling element 200, 220 by profile material. The hollow channel 201, 221 can be open to the end faces of the strand-shaped profiled filling element 200, 220, but is laterally surrounded by profile material, such that a first profile leg wall 207, 227 and a second profile leg wall 208, 228 are formed. A second profile leg 203, 223 is of solid construction and forms a comparatively hard profile base, which is less elastically deformable in comparison to the first leg 202, 222. The first, more elastically deformable leg 202, 222 runs essentially vertically in the intended installed state, while the second, less elastically deformable leg 203, 223 runs essentially horizontally. The profiled filling elements 200, 220 each have a protrusion 206, 226 in the direction in which the second leg 203, 223 also runs, which protrudes horizontally beyond an imaginary vertical 40, which is dropped from the upper left-hand corner of the profiled filling element 200, 220 in the figure onto the second profile leg 203, 223. For both profiled filling elements 200, 220, in each case the profile of the outer wall surfaces 211, 231 of the first profile leg 202, 222 in the section 204, 224 with the protrusion 206, 226 essentially follows the contour of the hollow channel 201, 221 located inside the said section 204, 224. In the case of the profiled filling element 220 shown in FIG. 7B, the same also applies to the outer wall surfaces 232 of the second profile leg 222.
