Rail vehicle with a completely retractable coupling

Abstract

A rail vehicle has a bogie which rolls on a track in a direction of travel, a vehicle structure which is supported on the bogie, a rigid carrying structure which is arranged on the end side of the rail vehicle, and an end-side coupling opening through which a coupling extends for coupling further rail vehicles. A coupling securing device secures the coupling to the rail vehicle. The coupling securing device has reversible securing elements which permit a reversible lifting movement counter to the direction of travel to such an extent that the coupling is retracted completely into the supporting structure. As a result of the retraction of the coupling into the cage-like carrying structure it no longer influences the crash behavior.

Claims

1. A rail vehicle, comprising: a bogie for rolling on a track in a direction of travel; a vehicle structure supported on said bogie; a rigid support structure disposed at an end side of the rail vehicle and having an end-side coupling opening; a coupling extending through said end-side coupling opening for coupling further rail vehicles; a coupling securing device for securing said coupling to the rail vehicle, said coupling securing device having reversible securing elements configured to permit a reversible stroke movement counter to the direction of travel to thereby completely retract said coupling in said support structure for precluding detrimental effects of said coupling on a crash behavior of the rail vehicle.

2. The rail vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said coupling is an automatically coupling train coupling.

3. The rail vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said coupling securing device is configured to be subject to tension and compression, and said securing device has an internally hollow securing sleeve into which a securing plunger projects, and wherein said securing plunger is supported in said securing sleeve by a spring.

4. The rail vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said supporting structure includes a ride-up protection device which, in the event of a collision with an obstacle, prevents the rail vehicle from riding up over the obstacle or vice versa.

5. The rail vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said supporting structure comprises a plateau section which is part of said vehicle structure, and further comprising a guard iron receiver arranged underneath said plateau section for securing a guard iron that is permanently connected to said plateau section.

6. The rail vehicle according to claim 5, wherein said guard iron receiver is connected to said plateau section by a further securing device, wherein said further securing device, said plateau section and said guard iron receiver form a coupling cage which delimits said coupling opening on the end side.

7. The rail vehicle according to claim 6, wherein said coupling cage forms a jacking position, and wherein said support structure has a stability to permit a jacking up of the rail vehicle at the jacking position.

8. The rail vehicle according to claim 5, wherein said supporting structure includes ribs forming a ride-up protection device which, in the event of a collision with an obstacle, prevents the rail vehicle from riding up over the obstacle or vice versa, and wherein said ribs project out of a front end face of said plateau section.

9. The rail vehicle according to claim 5, wherein said plateau section extends in a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction, so that a horizontal surface is formed, and wherein said securing device is mounted to an underside of said horizontal surface.

10. The rail vehicle according to claim 5, wherein said securing device includes reinforcement plates, which form perpendicular side wall sections.

11. The rail vehicle according to claim 1, which comprises energy absorption elements at a head end of the rail vehicle, wherein said supporting structure projects beyond said energy absorption elements in the direction of travel.

12. The rail vehicle according to claim 11, wherein an uppermost point of said supporting structure has a clearance h of less than 1500 mm from a plane defined by wheel contact points at which wheels of said bogie are in contact with rails of the track.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

(1) FIG. 1 shows a partially sectional side view of an exemplary embodiment of the inventive rail vehicle with extended coupling and

(2) FIG. 2 shows the rail vehicle according to FIG. 1 with retracted coupling.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(3) FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of the inventive rail vehicle 1 in a partially sectional side view. The rail vehicle 1 has a bogie 2, of which only one wheel 3 of a wheel axle of a bogie truck is identifiable in the figures. The wheel 3 is supported on rails 4 to permit it to roll, wherein in FIGS. 1 and 2 it moves in a direction of travel 5. Two rails 4 running parallel to one another define a trackway for the rail vehicle 1. The contact point between rail and wheel is designated here as a wheel touchdown point. Supported on the bogie 2 is a vehicle structure 6 which has a vehicle body 7 which has a baseframe, of which a sole bar 8 is illustrated in the figure. The baseframe further has transverse supports (not identifiable in the side view illustrated) which run horizontally and at right angles to the sole bar. On the front of the rail vehicle 1 or in other words on its end side 9 a rigid support structure 10 can be recognized, which has a plateau section 11 and a guard iron receiver 12. The guard iron receiver 12 is permanently connected to the plateau section 11 by way of securing means 13, wherein on the end side a circumferentially closed delimited coupling opening 14 is formed by the plateau section 11 of the guard iron receiver 12 and the securing means 13, and through which a coupling 15 extends. The plateau section 11 runs both in the longitudinal direction matching the direction of travel 5 and also at right angles thereto in the said horizontal transverse direction. The securing means extend perpendicular thereto and in the longitudinal direction, so that the supporting structure forms a coupling cage. For connection with the plateau section 11 the securing means 13 are for example welded to the latter and to the guard iron receiver 12 or are otherwise permanently connected. The supporting structure 10 is therefore a rigid supporting structure 10 and because of its cage-like and spatial embodiment has a high bending moment.

(4) The guard iron receiver 12 serves to attach a guard iron (not illustrated in the figures) which is secured with a small clearance above the rails 4 and therefore above a plane formed by the wheel touchdown points of the rail wheels 3.

(5) Arranged above the supporting structure 10 on the end side of the rail vehicle are energy absorption elements 16 which when an external force is applied can be plastically deformed and therefore provide collision protection.

(6) The coupling 15 is embodied as a central coupling which can be subject to tension and compression. In other words the supporting structure 10 too is arranged in the transverse direction centrally on the end side 9 of the rail vehicle 1. The coupling 15 has a coupling head 17 which projects out of the supporting structure in the direction of travel and which is secured on the rail vehicle 1 by a coupling securing means 19 by way of a coupling rod 18. The coupling securing means 19 is here mounted permanently on the vehicle body 7 and therefore on the vehicle structure 6. It can likewise be subject to tension and compression and has an internally hollow beaker-shaped securing sleeve 20, into which a securing plunger 21 extends with its support end, which is not identifiable in the figures. Facing away from the support end, the securing plunger 21 has a clamping jaw which engages with the coupling rod 18.

(7) The coupling securing means 19 can be subject to tension and compression, wherein they permit a reversible displacement of the coupling 15 counter to the direction of travel 5 such that this is completely retracted in the supporting structure 10. This completely retracted position of the coupling 15 is identifiable in FIG. 2. It is clarified here that the coupling head 17 and therefore the front end (in the direction of travel 5) of the coupling 15 is retracted completely behind the delimitation of the coupling opening 14. A detrimental effect of the coupling 15 on the crash behavior of the rail vehicle 1 is therefore precluded.

(8) The uppermost position of the supporting structure 10, in other words therefore the upper end of the plateau section 11, has a clearance h of 1450 mm to the rail 4. In a collision the supporting structure 10 hence generally runs under protuberant collision regions of the collision object counter to the direction of travel 5 in the longitudinal direction, so that the energy absorption elements 16 arranged above the supporting structure 10 can come into play.

(9) To prevent riding-up the plateau section 11 is fitted on its front end side with ride-up protection means, here in the form of ribs 24. In a collision the ribs 24 engage with correspondingly embodied ribs or ride-up protection means different therefrom on the other vehicle involved in the collision, thereby to the greatest possible extent preventing the vehicles involved in the collision from riding up over one another and therefore preventing the rail vehicle 1 from being derailed.