Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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PA 21 US.~ sg
I~ THE U~ITED STATES PATENT AND TRADE~IARK OFFICE
"SUPPORT RAIL ARRA~GE~ENT A~D SUPPORT SYSTE~I
FOR SUSPENSION TRA~SPORT SYSTE~IS"
; The invention relates to a suspension rail system for
suspension transport systems, cranes or the like, having a
self-supporting suspension rail structure,optionally compri-
sing a plurality of rail elements,and connecting, su!pension
or attachment elements associated with the suspension rail
structure.
Back~round: In a suspension rail syste~ in the form
or a conveyor system known from German Patent Disclosure Docu-
ment DE-OS 25 45 907, having a bogie, or crab, running on a
rai,, a carrier rail is used which itself is described in
German Patent 23 42 777, and in which each flange, i.e, the
head and bottom running portion of a generally I construction,
has a horizontal running surface for bogie wheels on its head
portion and vertical guide surfaces for guide rollers of the
lS suspension trolleys on both its opposed outer sides. The
hollow space in each flange is accessible from the outsid~ v-a
a longitudinal slit e~tending outside the running surface and
guide surface, the two longitudinal slits of the flanges being
disposed in the vicinity of the web with which the flanges
are interconnected, via inclined surfaces.
A carrier rail of this kind is suitable in principle
only for bogies which run on the upper flange or rail portion.
;; They can be attached only by means of brackets or straps, whicn
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are firmly screwed or otherwise fastened to the web and on the
other end are anchored to a ceiling or other structural parts.
Other applications exist, however, in which a lateral attach-
ment or suspension of the carrier rail such as this is inappro-
priate, because the web must remain free at both sides, forinstance because of the shape of the bogie, or must be avail-
able for receiving current supply buses or direction, path-
way and terminal controls or the like.
For bogies running on the lower flange, a suspension
rail arrangement is provided such as that described in U. S.
Patent 3,155,207, the carrier rail of which is embodied as
a massive I-beam. The I beams may be suspended from above or
supported from below on their flanges; however, to accomplish
this, bores must be~made in the flanges at the suspension or
support points, which is labor-intensive and costly to assemble.
Aside from this factor, and I-beam of solid material such as
this is very heavy, and for this reason alone it is entirely
unsuitable for many applications, such as in relatively light-
weight sl-spension transport systems.
The Invention: It is an object to devise a suspension
rail system for suspension tranport systems, cranes or the
like which is selectively suitable for use with bogies running
on either the upper orthe lower flange and which is distin-
guished by a large carrying capacity and light weight as well
as simplicity in terms of how the carrier rails are suspended
or attached.
Briefly, both flanges oP the suspension carrier rail
of generally I-aspect are formed by hollow tubular bodies of
rectangular cross section, which on the side adjacent to the
web have running surfaces extending at right angles to the
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central plane and located at both sides of the web; one of the
flanges is closed, and the other is provided, on its side re-
mote from the web, with a longitudinal slit extending symmetri~
cally with respect to the central plane.
The carrier rail of this suspension rail system, on
account of the closed hollow space of the one flange, which
has the effect of a tubular beam reinforced by the web, is
distinguished by a high carrying capacity. The suspension rail
system can be used selectively for bogies running on the upper
L0 or lower flange, while on the other hand the longitudinal slit
of the slit flange, located opposite the web and leading out-
ward, presents a simple, effective means for attaching or sus-
pending the carrier rail without requiring the use of brackets
extending laterally away from the web, although in special
cases in which such brackets are desired they can also be used
and selectively attached. The closed flange may be narrower,
as viewed crosswise to the central plane, than the other flange,
because its width needs to be dimensioned taking only the run-
ning surfaces into accou`nt, while the slit flange, with its
greater width, can assure increased strength and security from
tilting. For similar reasons, the closed flange may also be
lower than the other flange, viewed in the direction of the
web. It is advantageous if all the outer surfaces,extending
in pairs parallel to one another, of at least the closed flange
are embodied as running surfaces, so that the same carrier rail
can be used for the most various sorts of bogies.
In a preferred embodiment, a row, or series of holes
is emDodied in the web, extending at least in the longitudinal
direction, thus obviating the time-consuming and tedious bo-r-
ing of holes in assembling the suspension rail system; the
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row of holes serves to attach current supply and control de-
vices disposed laterally on the web, and can also be used to
fasten lateral brackets or other construction elements firmly
with screws. The row, or rows, of holes may be provided in
accordance with various requirements, but as a rule it is
appropriate for one row of holes to be disposed on the longi-
tudinal axis of the carrier rail.
Great simplicity in terms of manufacture is attained
if the web is double-walled, and its two wall portions are
interconnected with connecting means. These means may, in
the case where the web is provided with at least one row of
holes, be embodied by hollow rivets inserted in the holes,
but spot welding of the wall portions is also possible. The
carrier rail may also be of cold-rolled sheet metal.
Adjacent rail elements of the suspension rail system
may be interconnected at the butt joints b~ means of elonga-
ted connecting elements inserted into the flanges and attached
thereto; those connecting elements that are provided in the
slit flange are disposed laterally with respect to the slit,
so that the flange is provided with a longitudinal groove,
opening along the slit, which is not interrupted by the con-
necting elements.
Furthermore, at ].east one holding plate overlapping the
slit may be disposed in the flange; this plate is connected to
an attachment element protruding to the outside through the
sLit and is attached to the flange. The holding plate may also
be screwed by means of the attachment element to a flat holder
part resting on the flange. This holder part may be simply a
bracket or the like; or it may be embodied by a simple counter
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plate, if the carrier rail Ls held by the attachment element
embodied in the manner of a tension bolt.
In another embodiment, the holding plate may be embodiéd
in the vicinity of the slit with a spherical depression or ball
socket, in which a corresponding ball of the attachment elemenL,
embodied as a tension bolt, is supported. To attain the nece~s
sary strength, the holding plate may be screwed together with a
counter plate of appropriate shape fitted onto the outside of
the flange.
When there are long free'spans between adjacent attach-
ment points and heavy loads as well, it may be efficient for
a relatively rigid shaped rail to be placed on the slit flange.
being continuous over at least a portion of the length of the
carrier rail, and rigidly connected to the flange by means of
the attachmenc elements. This shaped rail may advantageousl~
be U-shaped or C-shaped in cross section.
As already noted, holder elements for current pickups,
direction, pathway and terminal cont'rols and the like may be
anchored to the row of holes, and they may also engage the
associated holes of the row of'holes. To this end, in one
embodiment the holder elements may for instance be snap-in
spring brackets, which at one end are suspended in a corres-
ponding hole of the row of holes and on the other end are
suspended with pretension in the slit of the slit flange.
In applications in which a support or pull or drag
cable is associated with the trolley or cart traveling on
the suspensior rail system, it is advantageous for a sliding
or rolling element for support cables or the like to be guide;
lo'ngitudinally movably on the slit flan~ge; the sliding or
rolling element has a bearing element supported at both sides
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of the slit, and a narrow web which protrudes outward through
the slit and to which the support cable or the like is at~achec!
is in turn attached to t~e bearing element. The arrangement
may also be such, however, that a sl~ding or roIling element
of this kind, intended for support cables or the li'~e, is
guided longitudinally movably on one of the flanges and has
a bearing element which laterally engages the flange in claw-
like fashion and is supported on the running surfaces adjoininf
the web.
The novel suspension rail system and the carrier rail
used with it are widely applicable ~or bogies travelling on
either the lower or the upper flange, and the associated elec-
trical contact or slide lines are easily attached to the web
such that they are readily accessible at all points. The
carrier rail may be used with a closed flange pointing either
upward or downward, thereby making possible a great many com-
binations, especially in the field of travelling cranes, crane
transport systems and crane bridges, and with single or dual
travelling cranes. The carrier rail may be used for support
cranes having bogies travelling on the upper flange, and
when used with the longitudinal slit located at the top,
lateral brackets can be screwed on in order to secure sepa-
rately guided current supply means (contact or slide line or
travelling cable box system). In the case where the slit is
~5 located at the bottom, the carrier rail, as a crane transport
rail, can be screwed directly to brackets or supports, while
as a]ready noted in the case of the slit located a. the top,
the carrier rail can be suspended with ball joint straps and
threaded rods and other similar tension bolts. The carrier
rail can furthermore be screwed or clamped directly onto an
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e~isting structural part of a building. Finally, the compo-
nents of the suspension rail system can also be used in the
construction of portal and half-portal cranes, walking or wall
cranes, and davits, to name only a few additional possible
applications.
Drawing:
Flg. 1 shows a single bogie, or crab, suspension crane
having a carrier rail arrangement according to the invention,
in partial side view and partial sectional view;
10Fig. 2 shows the beam of the suspended travelling crane
of Fig. 1 with its associated carriage assembly, in a side
sectional view t~ken along the line II-II of Fig. 1 and on a
different scale;
Fig. 3 shows a carriage assembly of the suspended trav-
elling crane of Fig. 1, in a side view on a different scale;
Fig. 4 shows a carrier rail for a suspension rail sys-
tem according to the invention in cross section, in a side
view;
Fig. 5 shows a detail, in a side view, of the connec-
ting point of two carrier rails according to Fig. 4;
Fig. 6 shows the arrangement of Fig. 5, in a side
sectional view taken along the line ~TI-VI of Fig. 5;
Fig. 7 shows the attachment of a carrier rail according
to Fig. 4 in one embodiment, in a side view and in detail;
Fig. 8 shows the holding plate with the associated
attachment element of the arrangement of Fig. 7, in a side view;
Fig. 9 shows the arrangement~of Fig. 7 in a plan view
and on a different scale;
Fig. 10 shows the attachment of a carrier rail accor-
ding to Fig. 4, in another embodiment, in a side sectional
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view taken along the line X-X of Fig. 11, and in detail;
Fig. 1L shows the arrangement of Fig. 10, in a plan
view and in detail;
Fig. 12 shows the carrier rail of Fig. 4 with the
shaped rail in place on it, in an end-on plan view;
Fig. 13 shows the arrangement of Fig. 12 in a modified
embodiment and again in an end-on plan view;
Fig. 14 shows the carrier rail of Fig. 4 with current
supply buses in place on it, in cross section, in a side view;
Fig. 15 shows the carrier rail of Fig. 4 with current
supply buses in place on it in a different embodiment and in
a side view;
Fig. 16 shows the arrangement of Fig. 15 in a side
view and in deeail; and
lS Figs. 17 and 18 show two different forms of embodiment,
each in an end-on plan view, of the carrier rail of Fig. 4,
having an associated suspension for support cables or the like.
Detailed Description: In Fig. 1, the carrier rail ar-
rangement for a single bogie, or crab, suspension crane is
shown, the beam 1 of which is supported at one end from below
via a carriage 2 on a carrier rail 3 laid down in a stationary
position and is supported at the other end via a carriage
assembly 4 on a carrier rail 3a that is suspended in a sta-
tionary position. The beams 1, serving as a carrier rail for
two bogies 6 coupled to one another by means of a crossbeam
5, and the carrier rails 3, 3a have the same cross-sectional
shape, which is shown in detail in Fig. 4:
The cross-sectional shape of the carrier rail 3 shown
by way of example in Fig. 4 is substantially I-shaped, having
a hollow upper and lower flange 7 and 8, respectively, the
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two flanges 7, 8 being interconnected by means of a flat web
10 located in the central plane 9 of the flanges 7, 8. The
two flanges 7, 8 are embodied as hollow tubular bodies of
rectangular cross section, which on the side adjoining the
web 10 have running, or rail surfaces, located at both sides
of the web 10 as indicated at 11 and 12, respectively and
extending at right angles to the central plane 9, for bogie
wheels of the suspension transport system trolleys and the
like. The lower flange 8 is closed, while the upper flange
7, on its side remote from the web 10, is provided with a
longitudinal sli~ 13 extending symmetrically with respect to
the central plate 9 in such a manner that the upper flange 7
is grooved, or slit.
The lower, closed, flange 8 is narrower, when viewed
crosswise to the central plane 9, than the upper fl.ange 7;
it is also lo~er than the upper flange 7, viewed in the direc-
tion of the web.
In the case of the lower, or closed, flange 8, the
; outer surface 14 facing the running surfaces 12 and oriented
parallel to them is also embodied as a running surface, while
in the slit flange 7, the sur~aces 15 extending parallel to
: the running surfaces 11 may also be used as running surfaces,
although as a rule they serve as attachment and support sur-
faces instead.
The parallel surfaces 16, 17 of.the upper and lower
flanges 7 and 8, respectively and extending at right angles to
the running surfaces 11 and 12, respectively, serve as guide
surfaces for the trolleys of the suspension transport system.
The carrier rail 3, in the embodiment shown, is made
of sheet metal in a unitary structure; that is, it is made of
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cold-rolled strip steel~ Its web 10 is double-walled, and its
two wall portions lOa, lOb are connected with one another by
connecting means such as spot welding or the like. The carrier
rail may be galvanized or painted, in the usual manner.
A row or series of holes is disposed in the web 10,
extending in the longitudinal direction and comprising holes
18 spaced apart at equal intervals, as shown in tne bea~ 1 of
Fig. 1 by way of example. As shown in the drawing, the row of
holes extending in the longitudinal direction of the carrier
rail is disposed on the longitudinal axis 19 of the rail.
As secn in Fig. 4, the connecting means that connect
the two wall portions lOa, lOb of the web 10 with one another
may also co~prise hollow rivets 20, which are inserted into
corresponding holes 18 of the row of holes and are then closed
by flanging the edges.
The described embodiment of the carrier rail 3 assures
that a rail arrangement comprising shaped carrier rails of
this kind can be used selectively for bogies running on the
upper or lower flange, without requiring any change in the shsE!e
of the rail. This is clearly shown in Figs. 1-3, as follows:
The bogies 6 running on the carrier rail which forms
the beam 1 are intended for running on the lower flange, and
one of these bogies 6 is shown in detail in Fig. 2. Uith its
bogie wheels 21 associated in pairs with one another, it runs
2i on the running faces 12 of the closed, lower flange 8. The
bogie wheels 21 are embodied as flanged wheels; their guid,e or
tracking flanges 22, in cooperation with the lateral guide
faces 17 of the closed flange 8, effect lateral guidance.
The bogie wheels 21 are also rotatably supported in a
substantially U-shaped housing 23, which has a fork element ~4
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on its underside, to which the crossbeam 5 is attached by means
of a bolt 25 such that it is pivotable about a horizontal axis.
An electric-mocor friction-wheel drive may be associated with
at least one of the bogies 6, enabling independent travel of
the bogies 6 on the beam 1.
The carriage assembly 4 holding the beam 1 on the right-
hand side of Fig. 1 is also a bogie travelling on the lower
flange, the details of which are shown in Fig. 3, as follows:
Rollers or wheels 27 associated in pairs with one ano-
ther are rotatably supported on a U-shaped housing 26 and run
on the running surfaces 12 of the lower flange 8 of the carrier
rail 3a. The lateral guidance of the carriage assembly 4 is
effected by two guide rollers 28 rotatably supported on the
housing 26 and having parallel axes of rotation; these guide
rollers 28 cooperate with the lateral guide surfaces 17 of the
closed, lower flange 8.
A fork element 29 is also disposed on the bottom of
the housing 26, and the beam 1 is suspended from it via a bol~
30 and a bearing element 31 (Fig. 1) such that it is pivotable
about a horizontal a~is.
The carrier rail 3a is also suspended from a ceiling
or other structural part, as will be described in detail later.
Above the carriage assembly 4, current collector rails
32 are secured to both sides of the web 10, serving to supply
current to the electrical tractor of the carriage assembly 4,
which is not shown in further detailbut cooperates by fric-
tional engagement with the carrier rail 3.
The carriage 2 supporting the beam 1 on the left-hand
side in Fig. 1 embodies a bogie running on the upper flange.
It has two wheels 33 disposed one behind the other, one of
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which is shown in Fig. 1, and which travel on the running sur-
face 14 pointing upward of the closed flange 8 of the running
or carrier rail 3. The running or carrier rail 3 is supporced
from below with its slit flange 7, via its surfaces 15, on
brackets 34 projecting from a side wall. Guide rollers 35 of
the carriage 2, which are supported, each rotatable about a
vertical axis, on a guide roller carrier 36 cooperate with a
lateral guide surface 17 of the lower Elange 7.
The carrier rails 3, 3a and the beam 1 ~ay be of an
arbitrary length, corresponding to a given situation. They
are put together as needed from a plurality of rail segments,
as shown in Figs. 5, 6 for the beam 1 as follows:
Adjoining rail segments are connected with one another
at the butt joint 40 by elongated connecting elements 41, 42
inserted into the flanges 7, 8 and atcached there. The con-
necting elements 41 inserted into the closed flanges 8 are in
the form of shaped rails having a rectangular cross section,
corresponding to the inside shape of the flanges 8; th~ are
connected with the flanges 8 by means of serrated pins later-
ally disposed in the vicinity of the guide surfaces 17, insuch a manner that the lateral guidance of the guide or track-
ing flanges 22 of the bogies 6 is not impaired.
Two rail-like connecting elements 42, again of rectan-
gular cross section, are fitted into the upper, slit flanges
7, to which they are screwed with laterally disposed bolts 44.
The connecting elements 42 are dimensioned such that they are
]ocated to the side of the longitudinal slit 13, so that in
the vicinity of the longitudinal slit 13 the flange 7 has a
longitudinal groove open at the edges.
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The attachment of the carrier rails 3, 3a of Fig. 1 to
the brackets 34, or to a ceiling or the like, is shown in Figs.
7-9 for one possible embodiment:
Holding plates 46 which laterally overlap the longi-
tudinal slit 13 are disposed spaced apart in the split flange7 and are screwed,by means of a nut'50 and an attachment ele-
ment protruding through the longitudinal slit 13 and embodied
by a bolt 47,to a flange 48 (Fig. 1) of the wall brackets 34
or to a flat holder part 49 (Fig. 7) resting on the surfaces
15 of the slit flange.
The carrier rail 3a of Fig. l may also be suspended
at the required intervials from the ceiling or the like in the
manner shown in ~igs. 10, 11, via a ball joint connection.
At each such suspension point, a holding plate 52 provided
with a ball socket or spherical depression 51 is inserted into
the slit upper flange 7 and screwed by means of bolts 54 to
a counter plate 53 mounted on the outside of the flange 7 on
the surfaces 15. The counter plate 53 has a part 55 which
supports the area of the ba,ll socket 51 of the holding plate
52 and is shaped accordingly.
A corresponding ball 56 of a tie bolt 57 is supported
in the ball socket 51, and the tie bolt 57 is anchored to a
ceiling or the like via a threaded rod 59 secured by a nut 58.
Since the ball socket 51 and the ball 56 are located in the
hollow space of the slit flange 7, not only are they protec-
ted on the outside but a particularly low height is also
attained for the arrangement as a whole.
If for structural reasons particularly long distances
between adjacent suspension or support points have to be tra-
versed with a carrier rail according to ~ig. 4, then the
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longitudinal slit 13 makes it possible to increase the rigid-
ity of the carrier rail in a simple manner by mounting a
shaped rail upon the carrier rail. This is shown in detail
in Figs. L2, 13:
In the embodiment of Fig. 12, a shaped rail 60 of U-
shaped cross section is placed with one of its side flanges
61 on the surfaces 15 of the slit flange 7. The connection
with the carrier rail 3 is effected via the holding plates 46
already explained in conjunction with Figs. 7-9, which are
fastened by means of the bolts 47 and the nuts 50 to the appro-
priately perforated shank 61 of the shaped rail 60. The free
shank of the shaped rail 60 remote from the longitudinal slit
13 may in turn be used for suspending or supporting the entire
arrangement.
Naturally the shaped rail 60 may also be attached
with its middle shank on the slit flange 7 in the manner
described, and it is also possible to use a shaped rail with
a C-shaped cross section or some other shape appropriate to
a given need, instead of the shaped rail 60 having the U-shaped
cross section.
A further possibility of such a kind is shown in Fig.
13, where an I-beam 60a is used as the shaped rail, the lower
flange of which in turn is fastened firmly by means of holding
plates 46 to the surfaces 15 of the slit flange 7. To this
end, two bolts 47 with associated nuts 50 are provided for
each holding plate 46, so that the lower web 61a of the I-beam
60a is clamped quite firmly on both sides of the middle web 62.
In conjunction with Fig. 3, it has already been men-
tioned that it is possible to secure current collector rails
32 to the web 10 of the carrier rail 3, 3a. For securing the
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current collectors 32, the already-available holes 18 in the
row of holes provided in the web 10 can be used, as shown for
two exemplary embodimen~s in Figs. 1~-16:
In the embodiment of Fig. 14, the current collector
rails 32 are each seated in holders 65 of insulating material,
which are disposed spaced apart from one another and each of
which has a formed-on straddling rivet 66, which in turn is
inserted into the opening of a hollow rivet 20 and engaged
thereO The holders 65 rest at the top, at 67, on the associ-
ated surface 11 of the slit flange 7, so that they are heldsecurely and prevented from tilting.
In the embodiment of Figs. 15, 16, the current collec-
tor rails 32 are secured with their holder parts 68 of insula-
ting material to individual spring-steel brackets 70, which are
provided at intervals along the carrier rail 3, by means of
hollow rivets 69.
Each snap-in spring bracket 70 is embodied substantial-
ly corresponding to the outer circumference of half of the
slit flange 7; that is, it has a substantially U-shaped part
70a and a part 71 integrally formed onto it which extends of
to one side at a right angle; the part 71 merges at one end
with a substantially I,-shaped, formed-on hook 72, which is
fastened in the manner shown in Figs. 15, 16 in the hollow
space of a hollow rivet 20. At the other end, the U-shaped
part 70a likewise has an approximately semicircular, formed-on
hook portion 73, which overlaps the edges of the slit 13 and
thus fixes the spring bracket 70, together with the L-shaped
hook 72, on the carrier rail 3 with pretension~ without tools
or the like being required for assembly.
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Instead of the current supply rails or buses 32, other
parts required for operating a given system may naturally be
secured to the web 10; examples are direction, pathway and ter-
minal controls and the like. Furthermore, the holes 18 of the
row of holes Oll the carrier rail also enable the attachment of
control stops for the bogles,or end caps; this is shown in Fig.
1 for an end cap 75 and a bogie control stop 76.
In suspension transport systems or cranes, for instance,
the necessity sometimes arises of associating drag cables or
loose energy supply cables, compressed air hoses and the like
with the carriage assembly, these cables and the like being
carried along as the carriage assembly moves. The shape of
the carrier rail shown in Fig. 4 makes it possible to provide
a movable suspension of these drag cables or the like in a
simple manner, without altering the shape of the rail, as Figs.
17, 18 show:
In the embodiment of Fig. 17, a bearing element 80 SUD-
ported on both sides of the longitudinal slit 13 is disposed in
the slit flange 7 of the suspended carrier rail 3 having the
longitudinal slit pointing downward. This bearing element 80
is part of a sliding or rolling element 81,and a narrow web
82 protriding outward through the longitudinal slit 13 is
secured on it. This narrow web 82 has an eye 83 for receiving
a drag cable 84 or the like. The bearing element 80 may be
supported such that it slides or has rollers, not shown.
In the embodiment of Fig. 18, which is particularly
appropriate for the case when the carrier rail 3 having the
slit flange 7 is suspended such that it points upward, the
arrangement is selected such that the sliding or rolling ele-
ment 81 has a suspension bearing 80a, which encompasses the
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closed flange 8 in claw-like Eashion and is supported with
end parts 85 on the running surfaces 12 of the closed flange
8; once again, the manner of support may be slidable or else
effected by means of rollers, not shown. The other parts are
embodied as shown in ~ig. 17 and are provided with the same
reference numerals, so they need not be described again here.
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