DEVICE FOR REDUCING THE AIR RESISTANCE OF RAIL VEHICLES

Abstract

A rail vehicle front end has a center buffer coupling with a free coupling end section such that the free coupling end section is connectable to a further center buffer coupling of a further rail vehicle front end. The center buffer coupling extends along a longitudinal axis in a rest position. The center buffer coupling is mounted in such a way that the free coupling end section can be pivoted with respect to the longitudinal axis. The rail vehicle front end has a front panel that radially surrounds the center buffer coupling at least in sections such that a front opening pointing substantially in the longitudinal direction is defined between the front panel and the center buffer coupling. A cover device for covering the front opening extending between a front panel and a center buffer coupling of a rail vehicle is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A rail vehicle front end, comprising: a center buffer coupling with a free coupling end section such that the free coupling end section is connectable to a further center buffer coupling of a further rail vehicle front end; the center buffer coupling extending along a longitudinal axis in a rest position; the center buffer coupling being designed and mounted in such a way that the free coupling end section can be pivoted with respect to the longitudinal axis a front panel radially surrounding the center buffer coupling at least in sections such that a front opening pointing substantially in the longitudinal direction is defined between the front panel and the center buffer coupling; a cover device arranged in such a way that the front opening is at least partially covered by the cover device, the cover device comprises a through opening aligned in the longitudinal direction; the free coupling end section of the center buffer projecting from an inside to an outside through the through opening of the cover device or is substantially flush with the through opening of the cover device; and the cover device having at least a first rigid support element and at least a first fabric-like material section and a second fabric-like material section, the first fabric-like material section extending radially between the front panel and the first rigid support element at least in sections, the second fabric-like material section extending radially between the center buffer coupling and the first rigid support element at least in sections.

2. The rail vehicle front end according to claim 1, wherein: the cover device is connected to the front panel via a radial outer edge of the cover device or abuts the front panel; and the cover device is connected to the center buffer coupling via a radial inner edge of the cover device or abuts the center buffer coupling.

3. The rail vehicle front end according to claim 1, wherein the cover device is arranged within the rail vehicle front end in such a way that the first rigid support element is arranged in a manner axially spaced from a region of the first fabric-like material section and axially spaced from a region of the second fabric-like material section.

4. The rail vehicle front end according to claim 1, wherein the first rigid support element is arranged at least in sections within the front opening such that the first rigid support element is radially surrounded by the rail vehicle front end at least in sections.

5. The rail vehicle front end according to claim 1, wherein: the cover device has at least a second rigid support element; the second rigid support element defines a through opening; the second rigid support element is arranged in such a way that the center buffer coupling projects through the through opening; and the center buffer coupling and the cover device are arranged in such a way that pivoting the center buffer coupling with respect to the longitudinal axis causes a change in position and/or orientation of the second rigid support element.

6. The rail vehicle front end according to claim 1, wherein the cover device comprises: a first module which covers a first region of the front opening; and a second module which covers a second region of the front opening; wherein; the first region and the second region of the front opening are not congruent; and the first module of the cover device and the second module of the cover device, via a closure device, are connectable to one another and are detachable from one another in a non-destructive manner.

7. A cover device for covering a front opening extending between a front panel and a center buffer coupling of a rail vehicle, comprising: the cover device having a through opening aligned in a longitudinal direction; the cover device being configured such that the front opening can be covered at least in sections by the cover device; the cover device having at least a first rigid support element, and at least a first fabric-like material section and a second fabric-like material section; the cover device being configured to be arranged on the rail vehicle in such a way that the first fabric-like material section is arranged at least in sections radially between the front panel and the first rigid support element; and the cover device being configured in such a way that the second fabric-like material section can be arranged at least in sections radially between the center buffer coupling and the first rigid support element.

8. The cover device according to claim 7, wherein the first fabric-like material section, the second fabric-like material section and the first rigid support element are components of a bellows.

9. The cover device according to claim 7, wherein the first fabric-like material section and the second fabric-like material section are arranged in such a way that they each have a fold or a corrugation.

10. The cover device according to claim 9, wherein the folds or corrugations of the first and second material sections are configured such a way that a respective center of curvature of a fold or corrugation is arranged between the longitudinal axis and an apex of the fold or an apex of the corrugation.

11. The cover device according to claim 7, wherein the cover device is configured such that it is connectable to the front panel on an outside or can be placed against the front panel.

12. The cover device according to claim 11, wherein the cover device is configured in such a way that it is connectable to the center buffer coupling on an inside or can be placed against the center buffer coupling.

13. The cover device according to claim 7, wherein: the first material section is connected to the first rigid support element in a form-fitting, force-fitting or material-fitting manner; and the second material section is connected to the first rigid support element in a form-fitting, force-fitting or material-fitting manner.

14. The cover device according to claim 13, wherein: the first material section is connected to the first rigid support element in the force-fitting manner; and the second material section is connected to the first rigid support element in the force-fitting manner.

15. The cover device according to claim 7, wherein the first rigid support element is self-supporting.

16. The cover device according to claim 15, wherein the entire cover device is self-supporting.

17. The cover device according to claim 7, wherein: the cover device has a plurality of rigid support elements; and the first or the second fabric-like material section extends between at least one adjacent pair of rigid support elements.

18. The cover device according to claim 7, wherein the first rigid support element is a closed ring which surrounds a circular, elliptical or polygonal cross-section.

19. The cover device according to claim 18, wherein the closed ring surrounds the rectangular cross section.

20. The cover device according to claim 18, wherein all rigid support elements are closed rings.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0054] Further advantages, features and possible applications of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments thereof and the accompanying figures. In the figures, the same elements are designated with the same reference signs.

[0055] FIG. 1 is an illustration of an embodiment of a rail vehicle front end according to the invention having an installed cover device;

[0056] FIG. 2 is an isometric illustration of the inner side of an embodiment of a cover device according to the invention;

[0057] FIG. 3 is an isometric illustration of the outer side of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2; and

[0058] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a cover device according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0059] FIG. 1 shows a rail vehicle front end 1 having an exposed center buffer coupling 2. In accordance with the present disclosure, a cover device 7 is located between the center buffer coupling 2 and a front panel 4. In the exemplary embodiment, said cover device 7 consists of a plurality of rigid support elements 5, wherein in each case an adjacent pair of rigid support elements 5 is connected via a fabric-like material section 6 which, in the resting state, forms regular corrugations. The rigid support elements 5 are designed as closed rectangular frames with rounded corners. The material sections extending between two adjacent frames each form regular corrugations both in the vertical direction and in the horizontal direction.

[0060] The cover device is designed in such a way that the center buffer coupling 2 projects through the through openings of the rigid support elements 5 and the coupling end section 3 remains visible and accessible from the outside. The outer surface of the first rigid support element 5 is connected to the front panel 4 of the rail vehicle front end 1 via the outer edge of the cover device 8. From this starting point, the cover device 7 extends inward in a funnel shape to the center buffer coupling 2.

[0061] Provided that another rail vehicle is connected to the illustrated vehicle via the coupling end section 3 and subsequently set in motion, the center buffer coupling 2 will likewise move both horizontallydue to corneringand verticallydue to uphill travel. Due to the fabric-like material sections 6 lying in corrugations between the individual rigid support elements 5, the cover device 7 can also follow the movement, for example in a right-hand curve. In this scenario, the inside curve side of the cover device 7 will increasingly compress such that the inside curve corrugations of the fabric-like material section 6 will cover a smaller region of the front opening in this manner. At the same time, stretching of the outside curve side of the cover device 7 is effected. Thus, due to the range of movement provided by a corrugated arrangement of the fabric-like material section 6, a cover device is provided, which moves along with a horizontal movement of the center buffer coupling.

[0062] FIG. 2 shows the inner side of a cover device 7 in a possible embodiment. Said cover device consists of numerous, axially successively arranged, rigid support elements 5, which are connected to one another via fabric-like material sections 6. A subset of rigid support elements 5 and associated fabric-like material sections 6 can form a module which extends between two rigid support elements delimiting the module. In the application example, the cover device 7 contains two such modules, which are connected to one another via a closure device 12.

[0063] In particular, the closure device 12 can comprise a form-fit-forming connecting element.

[0064] In the embodiment shown here, the first module 10 is the inner module. Said first module 10 forms with the inner edge 9 of the cover device 7, which at the same time is the inner edge of the module 10, a through opening 14 through which the center buffer coupling 2 projects if the cover device is implemented as a component of a rail vehicle front end as shown in FIG. 1. The second module 11 is the outside module in the application example. Said module is fastenedas shown in FIG. 1to the front panel 4 of the rail vehicle front end 1 by means of the outer edge 8 of the cover device 7. The outermost element of the second module 11, which is directly connected to the front panel 4, is a rigid fastening element 13.

[0065] FIG. 3 shows the rear view of the embodiment of the cover device 7 shown in FIG. 2. From this perspective, the inner rigid support element 5, which defines the through opening 14 for the center buffer coupling 2 with the inner edge of the cover device 9, is visible. The remaining rigid support elements 5, which form the first and second modules 10, 11 in combination with the fabric-like material sections 6, are only slightly visible through the through opening 14. Likewise, only a part of the closure device 12, which connects the two modules to one another via the rigid support elements 5, can be seen.

[0066] FIG. 4 shows a vertical cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the cover device 7. This consists of the first module 10 which is connected to the second module 11 via the closure device 12. The modules 10, 11 are in each case composed of the fabric-like material sections 6, which are arranged in a corrugated manner, and the rigid support elements 5. The outermost element of the second module is the rigid fastening element 13 which can be fastened to the front panel 4 of a rail vehicle front end 1 by means of the outer edge of the cover device 8.

[0067] FIG. 4 shows the inner fabric-like material section 6 of the first module 10 for two different layers 15, 15a. The first position 15 of the inner fabric-like material section 6 shows it in the rest position of the cover device 7, i.e., when a center buffer coupling 2 projecting through the through opening 14 is in the rest positionas in FIG. 1. The second position 15a shows the behavior of the cover device 7 when said cover device is deflected from the rest positionfor example, by a vertical pivoting of a center buffer coupling 2 projecting through the through opening 14.

[0068] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the rigid support elements 5 are frame profiles that have a U-shaped cross-section. In the recess formed by the U-shaped cross-section, two adjacent end sections of two fabric-like material sections 6 are fastened in such a way that the two fabric-like material sections 6 may form folds or corrugations. In the case of vertical deflections of the through opening 14caused by a vertical pivoting of the center buffer coupling 2the inner support element 5, which abuts or can be placed against the center buffer coupling 2 with the inner edge 9 of the cover device 7, moves in the vertical direction. The fabric-like material section 6 fastened in the recess can also follow such movement. Subsequently, the unfolding of said fabric-like material section 6 causes a vertical movement of the next adjacent rigid support element 5. Thus, a chain of coupled relative movements of the rigid support elements 5 can occur in order to enable the mobility of the center buffer coupling 2 while at the same time covering the front opening.

TABLE-US-00001 List of reference signs 1 rail vehicle front end 2 center buffer coupling 3 coupling end section 4 front panel 5 rigid support element 6 fabric-like material section 7 cover device 8 outer edge of the cover device 9 inner edge of the cover device 10 first module 11 second module 12 closure device 13 rigid fastening element 14 through opening 15 first position of the fabric-like material section 15a second position of the fabric-like material section