SUPPORT FOR A TROLLEY, AND OVERHEAD TRANSPORT DEVICE HAVING SUCH A SUPPORT

Abstract

A support for a trolley, having a running surface that is formed on the support for the trolley, an upper chord, a lower chord and braces that connect said chords together, wherein the braces are designed to be flat, and each brace has a main surface that faces away from the support longitudinally between the upper chord and the lower chord. Two of the braces form a brace pair in each case and are arranged next to one another as viewed in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the support, preferably on the outside of opposite longitudinal sides of the support. To provide such a support, the flat braces are releasably secured to the upper chord and/or to the lower chord. The invention also relates to an overhead transport device having such a support and a trolley that can be moved along the support on the running surface.

Claims

1. A support for a trolley, comprising a running surface that is formed on the support for the trolley, an upper chord, a lower chord and braces that connect said chords together, wherein the braces are designed to be flat, and each brace has a main surface that faces away from the support longitudinally between the upper chord and the lower chord, wherein two of the braces form a brace pair in each case and are arranged next to one another as viewed in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the support, preferably on the outside of opposite longitudinal sides of the support, wherein the flat braces are releasably secured to the upper chord and/or to the lower chord.

2. The support according to claim 1, wherein a receiving groove having a c-shaped cross-section is provided on the upper chord and/or lower chord, preferably on the outside of a longitudinal side of the respective chord, in order to be able to receive therein an element for producing the releasable securing of the braces.

3. The support according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the braces is designed to be chamfer-free at least on its longitudinal sides.

4. The support according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the braces has, on at least one of its longitudinal sides, a secondary surface adjoining the main surface and extending transversely thereto.

5. (canceled)

6. The support according to claim 1, wherein the main surface of at least one of the braces has a bead.

7. The support according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the braces is designed to be multi-arm, preferably two-arm or four-arm, wherein the main surface of the brace is preferably designed similarly on each arm.

8. The support according to claim 1, wherein at least one friction-increasing contact surface is provided between at least one of the braces and the upper chord and/or between at least one of the braces and the lower chord.

9. The support according to claim 1, wherein the running surface is arranged in an interior space enclosed by the lower chord, in order to be able to receive an internally running trolley running gear of the trolley, for which purpose the lower chord preferably has a c-shaped cross-section and the running surface is arranged on the arms thereof delimiting an opening of the interior space.

10. An overhead transport device comprising a support according to claim 1 and a trolley that can be moved along the support on the running surface, wherein the transport device is preferably designed as a suspension track or as a crane, preferably a suspension crane.

Description

[0052] Some exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail with reference to the following description and associated schematic figures. The following are shown:

[0053] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a crane with a support according to the invention in a first embodiment,

[0054] FIGS. 2a, 2b show a first perspective and a first lateral detail view of the support of FIG. 1,

[0055] FIGS. 3a, 3b show a second perspective and a second lateral view of the support of FIG. 1,

[0056] FIGS. 4a, 4b show a perspective and a lateral detail view of a second exemplary embodiment of a support according to the invention for the crane according to FIG. 1,

[0057] FIGS. 5a, 5b show a perspective and a lateral detail view of a third embodiment of a support according to the invention for the crane according to FIG. 1, and

[0058] FIGS. 6a, 6b show a perspective and a lateral view of a fourth embodiment of a support according to the invention for the crane according to FIG. 1.

[0059] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a crane 1 designed as a single-girder suspension crane with a support 2 according to the invention in a first exemplary embodiment. The support 2 designed as a truss girder comprises, as essential components, an upper chord 3, a lower chord 4 and braces 5 that connect said chords together. In this case, the lower chord 4 is longer than the upper chord 3 and in particular also longer than the longitudinal extension of the bracing formed by the braces 5. As a result, the lower chord 4, which determines the total length of the support 2, projects in the direction of its longitudinal ends beyond the bracing on both sides.

[0060] In order to form the crane 1 as a suspension crane, a trolley 6 is arranged on the support 2, carries a hoist 6c designed as a chain hoist by way of example, and can be moved by means of wheels 6b of its trolley running gear 6a on a running surface of the support 2 in a horizontal trolley travel direction X. The trolley travel direction X is defined by the running surface for the trolley 6, which running surface extends on the support 2 in the longitudinal direction thereof, that is, in parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof.

[0061] The running surface for the trolley 6 is arranged in an interior space that is enclosed by the lower chord 4 and in which the internally running trolley running gear 6a and the wheels 6b of the trolley 6 are received. For this purpose, the lower chord 4 in the present example has a c-shaped cross-section, the arms of which delimit an opening of the interior space and on the arms of which the running surface is arranged.

[0062] In order to form the crane 1 as a suspension crane, the support 2 is also suspended in the region of its longitudinal ends on two spaced-apart profile rails 10, which define a crane track of the crane 1 and each have a c-shaped cross-section. The support 2 is suspended by means of crane running gears 7, 8, which are attached in the region of the longitudinal ends of the support 2 and each of which is partially, in particular with its wheels (not shown), received in an interior space enclosed by the assigned profile rail 10, and is connected to the support 2 through an opening delimited by the arms of the respective profile rail 10. The profile rails 10 are likewise suspended on a superstructure by means of rail suspensions (not shown) and are arranged, by way of example, in parallel to one another.

[0063] The longitudinal extension of the profile rails 10, which form the crane track and associated running surfaces for the crane running gears 7, 8 or the wheels thereof, defines a crane travel direction Y of the crane 1, which extends horizontally and in this case at right angles to the trolley travel direction X.

[0064] The lower chord 4 of the support 2 is formed by a profile rail 10 having the aforementioned features of the crane-track profile rails 10, so that the crane 1 has a total of three identical profile rails 10. By way of example, FIG. 1 also shows that the lower chord 4 is formed by two chord segments 4b or correspondingly long profile-rail segments, which meet one another in the region of their butt joint 11 and are flushly secured to one another in the longitudinal direction of the support 2. In this way, the upper chord 3 can also be designed to be multi-part and can be formed by a plurality of chord segments. In the present example, the lower chord 4 is longer than the upper chord 3 and the longitudinal extension of the bracing formed by the braces 5. In this case, the lower chord 4 projects in the direction of its longitudinal ends beyond the bracing and the upper chord 4 on both sides. The crane running gears 7, 8 are arranged on and secured to the longitudinal ends, which are thus free of upper chord and of bracing.

[0065] In addition, FIG. 1 shows a control switch 9, which is connected in a signal-transmitting manner via a control line 9a to the trolley 6 and in particular to the hoist 6c for the purpose of controlling at least the lifting motor of the hoist 6c.

[0066] FIG. 1 furthermore shows an arrangement in pairs of braces 5 along the longitudinal axis of the support 2, wherein the braces 5 of the brace pairs are arranged such that a rising and a falling inclination of the braces 5 or of the associated arms 5d (see also FIGS. 3a and 3b) alternately result along each longitudinal side. This results in a bracing in the form of inverted “Vs” arranged in a row on each longitudinal side of the support 2. The braces 5 are each releasably secured with at least one of their securing ends 5f (see, for example, FIGS. 2a and 2b along with 3a and 3b) to the upper chord 3 and with a further one of their securing ends 5f to the lower chord 4. The releasable securing is carried out by way of example via a screw connection on each securing end 5f. For this purpose, provision is made for a receiving groove 3a, 4a (see, for example, FIGS. 2a to 3b) with a c-shaped cross-section to be provided on the outside of the respective longitudinal side of the upper chord 3 and of the lower chord 4, in order to be able to receive therein at least one element per securing end 5f for producing the releasable securing of the braces 5, for example the nut(s) of the respective screw connection.

[0067] In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, all braces 5 of the support 2 are designed to be completely chamfer-free in the above sense. The main surfaces 5a of the braces 5 therefore face away from the support longitudinally and horizontally between the upper chord and the lower chord and extend in particular vertically to the running surface and crane track. Between the securing ends 5f, the longitudinal edges of the braces 5 have a biconcave profile and the main surface 5a thus has a profile which narrows on both sides, as a result of which the braces 5 or arms 5d initially taper along their longitudinal extension starting from the respective securing end 5f and subsequently widen again in the direction of the opposite securing end 5f.

[0068] With regard to the number of their securing ends 5f, the braces 5 of the support 2 of FIG. 1 differ, however, so that a total of two variants of the braces 5 are installed on the support 2. The design of the first variant of the braces 5 of FIG. 1 is also shown in the detail views of FIGS. 2a and 2b. The design of the second variant of the braces 5 of FIG. 1 is also shown in the detail views of FIGS. 3a and 3b.

[0069] While the braces 5 according to the first variant each have only two securing ends 5f in the form of their opposite longitudinal ends, one of which is secured to the upper chord 3 and one of which is secured to the lower chord 4 in each case, the braces 5 according to the second variant are two-arm and thus multi-arm. The two arms 5d formed per brace 5 as a result converge in a connection region 5e of the brace 5 on the upper chord 3, wherein the connection region 5e simultaneously forms one of the total of three securing ends 5f of this variant. Accordingly, the arms 5d or their securing ends 5f arranged on the lower chord 4 are spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction of the support 2. This results in a bracing in the form of an inverted “V” on the respective longitudinal side of the support 2 similarly to the arrangement of two braces 5 with only two securing ends 5f each. Due to the symmetry, the two-arm braces 5 also have, on their arms 5d, in particular similarly designed main surfaces 5a.

[0070] A further difference between the two variants is that, with the first variant, each securing end 5f is secured to the upper chord 3 or lower chord 4 by a screw connection comprising two screws 12. In the second variant, each of the three securing ends 5f is instead secured to the upper chord 3 or lower chord 4 by a screw connection comprising four screws 12.

[0071] As can be seen in FIG. 1, two brace pairs of two-arm braces 5 and therebetween brace pairs, the braces 5 of which have only two securing ends 5f, are arranged on each of the opposite longitudinal ends of the bracing of the support 2. The detailed views of FIGS. 3a and 3b show the two-arm braces 5 of one of the two longitudinal ends. Other combinations and arrangements of the described brace variants are also conceivable.

[0072] FIGS. 4a and 4b show detail views of a second embodiment of an alternative support 2 according to the invention for the crane 1 according to FIG. 1. In this second embodiment, the braces 5 as well as the variant shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b have only two securing ends 5f in each case. An essential special feature of the braces 5 according to the second embodiment is that they have, on each of their longitudinal sides, a secondary surface 5b adjoining the main surface 5a for increasing the buckling stiffness. The secondary surfaces 5b each extend transversely to the main surface 5a inward in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the support 2. As a result, the braces have a U-shaped cross-section. With respect to the securing of the braces 5 to the upper chord 3 and the lower chord 4, the orientation of the main surfaces 5a and the overall resulting bracing in the form of inverted “Vs” arranged in a row, the above descriptions also apply to this embodiment.

[0073] FIGS. 5a and 5b show detail views of a third embodiment of an alternative support 2 according to the invention for the crane 1 according to FIG. 1. The braces 5 of this embodiment substantially differ from the braces 5 of the second embodiment according to FIGS. 4a and 4b in that all braces 5 of the support 2 are designed to be completely chamfer-free in the above sense, that is to say that in particular no secondary surfaces 5b are provided on their longitudinal sides. In order to increase the buckling stiffness, the main surface 5a of each brace 5 has a bead 5c instead. In this case, the bead 5c formed as a depression in the respective main surface 5a is arranged between the longitudinal sides of the brace 5, such that a planar portion of the main surface 5a extending in parallel to the longitudinal axis of the support 2 is located between the bead 5c and the two edges delimiting the longitudinal sides. In addition, the longitudinal extension of the bead 5c extends in parallel to and in a centered manner with respect to the central longitudinal axis of the main surface 5a of the respective brace 5. The depression of the main surface 5a provided for forming the bead 5c is directed outward by way of example.

[0074] FIGS. 6a and 6b show detail views of a fourth embodiment of an alternative support 2 according to the invention for the crane 1 according to FIG. 1. The braces 5 of this embodiment substantially differ from the braces 5 of the second and third embodiment according to FIGS. 4a to 5b in that all braces 5 of the support 2 are designed to be completely chamfer-free in the above sense, i.e., no secondary surfaces 5b are provided, and no beads 5c are provided either. Another difference is that the braces 5 according to the fourth embodiment are designed to be multi-arm. In contrast to the two-arm braces 5 of FIGS. 1, 3a and 3b, the braces 5 of the fourth embodiment are however designed to be four-arm. The four arms 5d of each brace 5 converge in a connection region 5e, which, however, unlike in the two-arm variant, is arranged not on the upper chord 3, but in the free region of the brace 5 between the upper chord 3 and the lower chord 4. This results in an x-shaped or H-shaped design of these braces 5. Due to the symmetry, the four-arm braces 5 also have, on their arms 5d, in particular similarly designed main surfaces 5a. Due to the x-shaped or H-shaped form, the four-arm braces each have four securing ends 5f, of which two are spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction of the support 2 and secured to the upper chord 3 and two are spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction of the support 2 and secured to the lower chord 4 in each case.

[0075] In comparison to the three-arm braces 5, fewer screws 12, in the present case two screws 12 by way of example, are provided in the fourth embodiment in each case per securing end 5f and associated screw connection on the upper chord 3 or lower chord 4.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0076] 1 Crane [0077] 2 Support [0078] 3 Upper chord [0079] 3a Receiving groove [0080] 4 Lower chord [0081] 4a Receiving groove [0082] 4b Chord segment [0083] 5 Brace [0084] 5a Main surface [0085] 5b Secondary surface [0086] 5c Bead [0087] 5d Arm [0088] 5e Connection region [0089] 5f Securing end [0090] 6 Trolley [0091] 6a Trolley running gear [0092] 6b Wheel [0093] 6c Hoist [0094] 7 First crane running gear [0095] 8 Second crane running gear [0096] 9 Control switch [0097] 9a Control line [0098] 10 Profile rail [0099] 11 Butt joint [0100] 12 Screw [0101] X Trolley travel direction [0102] Y Crane travel direction