Lifting system for rerailing a rail vehicle

Abstract

A lifting system for rerailing a rail vehicle is particularly suited for rerailing a locomotive. The lifting system has a support profile of an undercarriage structure of the rail vehicle as a lifting point for a rerailing device, the profile support running transversely to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle on a front end of the rail vehicle. It further has a gripping element, which can be lifted and lowered by the lifting device, including two hook-shaped gripping brackets, the hooked profile thereof corresponding to the support profile. The gripping brackets for lifting and lowering the rail vehicle by gripping under the support profile can thereby be symmetrically engaged at the vehicle longitudinal center plane. By this means, a lifting system for rerailing a rail vehicle is provided, in which a frontal lifting device positionable in front of the rail vehicle can be used.

Claims

1. A lifting system comprising: a rail vehicle with an undercarriage structure, said undercarriage structure having a support unit, said support unit having a plateau section permanently affixed to said undercarriage structure and a track clearance receiver connected to said plateau section by side wall sections; a coupling cage being defined by said plateau section bounding a top of said cage, said side walls bounding lateral sides of said cage and said track clearance receiver bounding a bottom of said cage, and said plateau, said side walls and said track clearance receiver delimiting a front opening of said coupling cage; a support profile affixed at opposite ends thereof to said side walls, said support profile running transversely to a longitudinal axis of said rail vehicle and across said front opening; a central buffer coupling with integrated energy absorption element projecting through said front opening; a gripping element to be raised and lowered by a lifting device, said gripping element having two hook-shaped gripping brackets said gripping brackets being spaced apart from one another and configured to be positioned under said support profile symmetrically to a vehicle longitudinal center plane for engagement of said gripping element by being lowered on both sides of said central buffer coupling and by subsequently being inserted into said front opening for engagement of said gripping element with said undercarriage structure for lifting and lowering the rail vehicle; and said gripping brackets having a hooked profile corresponding to said support profile.

2. The lifting system according to claim 1, wherein the rail vehicle is a locomotive and the gripping element is dimensioned for lifting the locomotive.

3. The lifting system according to claim 1, further comprising an actuatable safety device including a pin for securing said gripping element that is engaged with said support profile against disengagement in an absence of a lifting force of said lifting device.

4. The lifting system according to claim 3, wherein said pin is attached to said rail vehicle and a through-hole penetrates said gripping bracket to receive said safety pin, said safety pin is actuated by producing a form-fit connection between said safety pin and said gripping bracket.

5. The lifting system according to claim 1, wherein said support profile is formed as a ride-up protection device configured to prevent said rail vehicle riding up in an event of a collision with another rail vehicle.

6. The lifting system according to claim 1, wherein said lifting device is a crane truck with a support cable to be connected to said gripping element.

7. A lifting system comprising: a rail vehicle with an undercarriage structure, said undercarriage structure having a support unit with a front opening disposed at a front end of said rail vehicle, said support unit with said front opening forming a coupling cage and having a support profile running transversely to a longitudinal axis of said rail vehicle and forming a top edge of said front opening; a central buffer coupling with integrated energy absorption element projecting through said front opening; a gripping element to be raised and lowered by a lifting device, said gripping element having two hook-shaped gripping brackets said gripping brackets being spaced apart from one another and configured to be positioned under said support profile symmetrically to a vehicle longitudinal center plane for engagement of said gripping element by being lowered on both sides of said central buffer coupling and by subsequently being inserted into said front opening for engagement of said gripping element with said undercarriage structure for lifting and lowering the rail vehicle, said gripping element including a horizontal joint pin, and said gripping brackets being rotatably connected to said joint pin; and said gripping brackets having a hooked profile corresponding to said support profile.

8. The lifting system according to claim 7, wherein said gripping element comprises two lifting belts each having an end rotatably connected to said joint pin and an end connected to said lifting device.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

(1) FIG. 1 a perspective depiction of a front end of a rail vehicle with support profile as a lifting point,

(2) FIG. 2 an enlarged section from FIG. 1 with an engaged gripping element and

(3) FIG. 3 a side view of a central buffer coupling and an engaged gripping bracket of the gripping element.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(4) According to FIG. 1 a rail vehicle designed as a locomotive 1 has a vehicle structure 2 which is supported on undercarriages (not illustrated) with wheel sets which run on rails of a track (likewise not shown). The vehicle structure 2 comprises a vehicle body 3 which is supported by an undercarriage structure. The undercarriage structure has longitudinal supports 4 extending in the vehicle longitudinal axis and transverse supports running at right angles thereto. Arranged at a front end 8 of the locomotive 1 is a support unit 5 which forms a plateau section 6 which has a horizontal laminar extension and is permanently integrated into the undercarriage structure and thus into the vehicle structure 2 of the locomotive 1. In other words the plateau section 6 is permanently connected to longitudinal supports 4 and transverse supports of the undercarriage structure. Thus the support unit 5 and in particular the plateau section 6 is for example welded to the longitudinal supports 4 and the driver's cab 7 extending above the plateau section 6 or is permanently connected in another manner. The support unit 5 not only has the plateau section 6 but also a track clearance receiver 10, which is provided for holding and attaching rake blades of a track clearance unit. The track clearance receiver 10 is permanently connected to the plateau section 6 via side wall sections 13. The side wall sections 13 extend between the track clearance receiver 10 and the plateau section 6, thereby forming a coupling cage 14 which is bounded at the bottom by the track clearance receiver 10 and laterally by the side wall sections 13. The coupling cage 14 can be bounded at the top for example by the plateau section 6. In addition a support profile 15 extends transversely to the vehicle longitudinal axis between the side wall sections 13 and is permanently welded to the side wall sections 13 and is designed to be particularly stable. In a collision the support profile 15 engages with the support profile of an oncoming rail vehicle, preventing the locomotive 1 or the rail vehicle from riding up and thereby preventing derailing. The coupling cage 14 delimits the movement of a central buffer coupling 18 according to FIG. 2, which extends out from a feed-through opening 17 formed further back in the undercarriage section through the coupling cage 14 in the direction of travel forward from a front opening 19 of the coupling cage 14. The central buffer coupling 18 serves to couple further rail vehicles and because of an integrated energy absorption element has a comparatively long coupling shaft.

(5) An inventive lifting system 20 for rerailing a rail vehicle, in particular the locomotive 1, now comprises according to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 the support profile 15 at the front end 8 of the locomotive 1 as a central lifting point 16 for a lifting device. Because of the cage-like structure of the support unit 5 this has a high bending moment, so that high lifting forces can be absorbed, without the support unit 5 having to manufactured from particularly thick material. The lifting system 20 further comprises a gripping element 21 with two hook-shaped gripping brackets 22 which can be raised and lowered by the lifting device. The hooked profile of the gripping brackets 22 corresponds to the cross-section profile of the support profile 15. The gripping brackets 22 can be engaged for lifting and lowering the rail vehicle by gripping under the support profile 15 symmetrically to the vehicle longitudinal central plane. The gripping element 21 has a horizontally lying joint pin 23, to which the gripping brackets 22 are rotatably connected. The gripping element 21 further has two lifting belts 24 which can each be rotatably connected at one end to the joint pin 23 and at the other end to the lifting device.

(6) The lifting system 20 additionally comprises an actuatable safety device 25, by means of which the gripping element 21 engaged with the support profile can be secured against disengagement in the absence of lifting force of the lifting device. The safety device 25 has a safety element chained to the rail vehicle, which in the depicted exemplary embodiment is designed as a pin 26, and a through-hole 27 penetrating the gripping bracket 22 to receive the safety element. In this case the securing means 25 can be actuated by producing a form-fit connection between safety element 26 and gripping bracket 22. The gripping brackets 22 are spaced apart such that to engage the gripping element 21 they can be positioned under the support profile 15 by being lowered on both sides of the central buffer coupling 18 and by then being inserted into the front opening 19. As diagrammatically shown in FIG. 3, the lifting device 28 can be designed as a crane truck 28 with support cable 29, wherein the support cable 29 can be connected to the lifting belts 24 of the gripping element 21. In this way the locomotive 1 can be lifted and thus rerailed.