MOUNTING INTERFACE AND BUFFER SYSTEM FOR A RAIL VEHICLE

Abstract

A mounting interface for attaching supporting components to a buffer of a rail vehicle. The interface has a mounting body with a component fastening region and an attachment region that is different therefrom. The component fastening region is equipped with fastening elements and/or bores for attaching the components. The attachment region is formed in such a manner that it can be fastened to at least one fastening point at a front side of a buffer flange using screws. There is also described a buffer system and a rail vehicle with such a mounting interface.

Claims

1-13. (canceled)

14. A mounting interface for attaching supporting components to a buffer of a rail vehicle, the mounting interface comprising: a mounting body having a component-fastening region and an attachment region different from said component-fastening region; said component-fastening region being equipped with fastening elements and/or formed with bores for attaching the supporting components; and said attachment region being shaped to enable said attachment region to be fastened to a front side of a buffer flange of the buffer with a screw at at least one fastening point.

15. The mounting interface according to claim 14, wherein said attachment region has a shape that is the same as a shape of a predetermined buffer flange or at least a part of the predetermined buffer flange.

16. The mounting interface according to claim 14, wherein said attachment region is formed with a recess configured to encompass a buffer housing of a predetermined buffer.

17. The mounting interface according to claim 16, wherein said attachment region corresponds to only part of the area of a buffer flange of the predetermined buffer with at least one bore for one of the buffer screws and is formed with a recess where a buffer housing is situated at or on the buffer flange.

18. The mounting interface according to claim 14, wherein said attachment region is angled relative to said component-fastening region.

19. The mounting interface according to claim 18, wherein said attachment region extends orthogonally to said component-fastening region.

20. The mounting interface according to claim 14, wherein a fastening element is a bolt or a screw and said component-fastening region is fixedly attached to said mounting body, and/or wherein a bore in said component-fastening region is formed with a thread.

21. The mounting interface according to claim 14, further comprising fastening elements or bores in said component-fastening region for attaching further attachment parts.

22. The mounting interface according to claim 21, wherein the further attachment parts are configured for attaching at least one component selected from the group consisting of a step, a footplate, a handle and a platform.

23. The mounting interface according to claim 21, wherein the further attachment parts are configured for attaching at least one component selected from the group consisting of a coupler handle, a switchman's footplate, a switchman's platform, a maintenance platform, a railing, and a handlebar.

24. The mounting interface according to claim 14, wherein said mounting body is formed with at least one weakening between said component-fastening region and said attachment region. said weakening being configured to separate said component-fastening region from said attachment region when a predetermined force acts on said weakening.

25. The mounting interface according to claim 24, wherein said weakening is a predetermined breaking point.

26. The mounting interface according to claim 24, wherein said weakening is a perforation or a shear-off element.

27. A buffer system, comprising: a buffer having a buffer flange; and a mounting interface according to claim 14 attached with screws to said buffer flange.

28. The buffer system according to claim 27, comprising a crash element attached to said buffer flange, and wherein said mounting interface is attached to a front side of said buffer flange on a side opposite from said crash element.

29. The buffer system according to claim 28, wherein said buffer is a center flange buffer.

30. The buffer system according to claim 27, wherein said attachment region of said mounting interface has at least partially a shape that is the same as a shape of said buffer flange, and said mounting interface is formed with bores at corresponding locations as bores of said buffer flange, and wherein said mounting interface is fastened to said buffer flange by means of the screws.

31. The buffer system according to claim 30, wherein: said attachment region of said mounting interface is formed with a recess that encompasses a buffer housing at least partially; and said attachment region corresponds to only part of an area of said buffer flange, and said mounting interface is fastened to said buffer flange with at least one screw.

32. A rail vehicle, comprising a buffer system having a buffer with a buffer flange; and a mounting interface according to claim 14 attached with screws to said buffer flange.

Description

[0037] The invention will be explained once again in more detail hereunder with reference to the appended figures and by means of exemplary embodiments. Identical components in the various figures are provided with identical reference signs. The figures are typically not true to scale. In the figures:

[0038] FIG. 1 shows a buffer system according to the prior art, comprising a buffer and a crash element;

[0039] FIG. 2 shows an attachment of supporting components in the region of a buffer of a rail vehicle according to the prior art;

[0040] FIG. 3 shows FIG. 2 viewed at a different angle;

[0041] FIG. 4 shows an exemplary embodiment of a buffer system according to the invention having a preferred mounting interface;

[0042] FIG. 5 shows the front of a rail vehicle, in which a footplate is attached by means of a preferred mounting interface; and

[0043] FIG. 6 shows FIG. 5 viewed at a different angle.

[0044] FIG. 1 shows a buffer 10 according to the prior art. The buffer has a buffer flange 11 which serves for fastening the buffer 10 to a front plate of a rail vehicle 4, or to a crash element 3 as illustrated here. The fastening of the buffer flange 11 is performed by means of buffer screws 12, of which only a single screw is illustrated here in order to also show the bores which for this purpose are present in the buffer flange 11 and the crash element 3.

[0045] The buffer sleeve 13 into which the buffer plunger 14 protrudes is welded to the buffer flange 11 here. An elastic buffer element, which is not visible here and can reversibly absorb and dissipate pressures that act on the buffer plate is incorporated between these two elements, whereby said elastic buffer element preferably can also convert some of the energy into heat and thus serves as a shock absorber. In the event of an accident in which much higher forces act than is normally the case, the crash element 3 serves for absorbing these forces. Said crash element 3 is deformed in the process and absorbs the crash energy irreversibly.

[0046] FIGS. 2 and 3 show an attachment of supporting components 2 to a buffer 10 of a rail vehicle 4 according to the prior art. The arrows point toward the regions of the rail vehicle to which the supporting components 2 are fastened. A footplate 2 serves as an example of a supporting component 2 here. However, this could also be a handle or a switchman's platform. The footplate 2 shown here is fastened in the front-end region of the rail vehicle 4. The footplate 2 is fastened to the driver's cab or front end of the rail vehicle and to the side of the car body of the latter, as is referenced more specifically by the arrows. Owing to the rather large width of the footplate, the fastenings on the driver's cab or front end here are of a comparatively massive dimension so as to ensure a minor elastic deformation.

[0047] FIG. 4 shows a preferred buffer system 9 having an exemplary embodiment for a mounting interface 1 according to the invention, to which can be attached a footplate 2 as a supporting component 2. The buffer system 9 comprises a buffer 10 with a buffer flange 11 which is assembled on a crash element 3 as is shown in FIG. 1, for example. As opposed to FIG. 1, the mounting interface 1 according to the invention comprises on the front side of the buffer flange 11 (i.e. on the side facing the buffer plate 15), wherein the components are connected to one another by means of buffer screws 12.

[0048] The mounting interface 1 here has a mounting body 1 (and in this example is fundamentally composed of this mounting body). This mounting body 1 has a component-fastening region 1a which here is angled orthogonally in relation to the attachment region 1b, so that a footplate 2 (not illustrated here, cf. following figures) can be placed thereon and be fastened with screws 7 in the bores of the component-fastening region 1a.

[0049] Situated below this component-fastening region 1a is the attachment region 1b which here corresponds to part of the face of the buffer flange 11, specifically the upper region of the latter, and is fastened to the buffer flange 11 with two buffer screws 12. Since the buffer sleeve 13 is welded to the buffer flange 11, or in the case of a center flange buffer is guided through the latter, there is a recess in the attachment region 1b, which recess partially encompasses the buffer sleeve 13.

[0050] The component-fastening region 1a here is equipped with bores (of which only two are provided with a reference sign for reasons of clarity), whereby, instead of the bores 5, other fastening elements such as, for example, screws could absolutely also be present in the component-fastening region 1a. The attachment region 1b here can be attached to the buffer flange 11 with two buffer screws 12, so that these buffer screws 12 connect the crash element 3, the buffer flange 11 and the supported mounting interface 1 to the buffer system 9. As an alternative to the fastening by means of the buffer screws 12, a fastening to extra fastening points on the buffer flange would also be possible.

[0051] FIG. 5 shows the front of a rail vehicle 4, in which a footplate 2 is attached by means of a preferred mounting interface 1. The footplate 2 here, by means of screws 7, is fastened to the mounting interface 1 in bores 5 which are presently obscured by the perspective (cf. FIG. 5, for example), and the mounting interface 1 is fastened to the buffer 10 of the rail vehicle 4 with two buffer screws 12.

[0052] In order to maintain optimal functioning of the crash element 3, specifically the optimal deformability of the latter in the event of an accident, the mounting interface 1 here has weakenings 6 in the form of a perforation so that the component-fastening region 1a is torn away from the attachment region 1b exactly at this location.

[0053] FIG. 6 shows FIG. 5 when viewed from another angle. The two arrows on the right indicate the fastening points on the buffer, or on the mounting interface 1, while the arrow on the left indicates an additional fastening possibility on the side of the rail vehicle (as is also used in the prior art). In particular in the case in which fastening takes place thereon, the weakening 6 in the mounting interface 1 is preferred.

[0054] It is finally pointed out once again that the embodiments described in detail above are merely exemplary embodiments which can be modified in the most varied way by the person skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the invention. Furthermore, the use of the indefinite article a does not preclude that the respective features may also be present in multiples. Likewise, terms such as unit do not preclude that the respective components are composed of a plurality of interacting sub-components which optionally may also be distributed in space.