Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
HUBNER Gummi- ~nd KunstRtoff-GmbH,
Kassel
p 13623/89
D/fi/te (#7)
Multi-membered vehicle, especially articulated bus
The invention relate~ to a multi-membered vehicle,
especially an articulated bus, with an articulated
connection between two vehicle members which contains a
rotary mount and which i8 pivotable about the vertical
axis and the horizontal transverse axis and i8 exposed to
tor~ional forceR about the longitudinal axis, one vehicle
- ~ ~r being connected to an inner rotary ring of the
rotary mount via a f ir8t crosspiece absorbing torsional
forces, and the other vehicle member being connected in
a forked -nner to two transverse-axis articulation parts
which are arranged on the outer rinq of the rotary mount
and which are connected by means of a second cros~piece
absorbing the torsional forces.
, ~ ,
The rotary mount in the articulated connection between
the vehicle '--r~ gives these the possibility of
executing a pivoting -v.- -nt about the vertical axis in
relation to one another. The transverse-axis ~oints
arranged on the rotary mount allow the vehicle members to
execute an additional pivoting -v~ - t about the hori-
zontal transverse axis. On multi ~ered vahicle~, a
relative rotation about the longitu~inAl axis of the
vehicle can occur as a third c~ ~Ant of v. -nt.
IIo~avel~ in some cases, thls has to be ffu~Le~ed by
torsion-resistant connection of the vehicle members.
Thi~ applies, for example, to articulated bu e~, in which
a wide walk-on platform i~ provided between the vehicle
~ -rs above the ~oint, sinc~ otherwise a ch~ngi ng
height offset which could endanger the pa~engers would
occur between the platform and the floor of the vehicle
- ~ - r~ when the vehicle travelled over uneven ground.
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Although the unevenness of the road i~ ab~orbed by the
undercarriage, the tor~ional forces occurring between the
vehicle members and to be transmitted by the articulated
connec~ion can nevertheless be considerable. The rotary
mounts hitherto obtainable in the trade for such purpose~
are not made sufficiently rigid to be capable of trans-
mitting such torsional forces without deformation. The
manufacturers of rotary mounts therefore stipulate that
the supporting structure provided for the rotary mount
must be torsion-resistant, 80 as to be capable of absorb-
ing the torsional force~. For this purpo~e, on known
articulated vehicles, the inner rotary mount rests on the
first crosspiece over a large surface, whilst the second
crosspiece is arranged ~etween the articulation parts of
the transver~e-axis ~oint which are located on the rotary
mount or on the vehicle, and thereby relieves these of
the torsional forces (EP-A 0,122,956, US-A 4,781,123,
DE-A 3,340,446, DE-A 3,208,615 and DE-C 2,806,543). The
disadvantage of thi~ is that the constructional heights
of the rotary mount and of the two crosspieces are added
together.
The obiect on whlch the invention is baYed i8 to reduce
the constructional height of the articulated connection
between the ~ehicle '-~8 and to simplify the form of
construction.
In the solution ascording to the invention, the outer
rotary mount is designed as a second crosspiece.
In other worda, the provision of a special crosspiece for
the torsion-resistant connection of the parts of the
trans~erse ~oint is AhAn~o~ed. Instead, this ~unc~ion is
assigned to the as~ociated rotary ring which is made
correspondingly more rigid.
This doea not preclude u~ing different material~ for
forming the supporting parts of the crosspiece on the one
hand and for forming the rotary-mount bearing, for
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example by inserting a bearing ring into the outer ring
of the rotary mount forming the cro~pi~ce. It iB
critical that these parts of the outer ri~g of the rotary
mount should con~titute a unit in constructional and
S functional terms. This can also be expressed by ~aying
that, in contras-t to the state of the art, the elements
participating in the formation of the rotary mount have
relinquished their independence from the crosspiece.
However, since it can be advantageous if the rotary mount
is mountable and exchangable a3 a whole, according to a
further feature of the invention tran~verse-axis arti-
culation parts provided on the outer ring of the rotary
mount for the connection to the associated vehicls part
can be removable by being designed, for example, as
spherical axle stub~ or as screw-on flanges. This
affords the possibility of treating the rotary mount,
together with the second crosspiece, as a ~ingle unit for
assembly and maintenance purpose~.
A~PLOP iately, the inner ring of the rotary mount does
not pro~ect sub~tantially beyond the outer ring in the
direction of the vertical axis, thus contributing to
reducing constructional height. Furthermore, it is
advantageous, in this re~pect, if the transverse-axis
articulation parts are arranged essentially laterally of
the rotary mount.
On at least one inner ring of the rotary mount, according
to the invention there can be an inner horizontal leg
which serves as an a~sembly surface for att~cl -nt part~,
especially for rotary bearings of middle ~hackles or
bearing elements for parts which are guided through
underneath the rotary mount.
Furthermore, it i9 known to arrange above the ~oint a
walk-on rotary platform which i~ su~poLLed by the ~oint
or one of the two vehicle part~ via a ball-type rotary
connection. Such a rotary connection i~ nece~sary
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becau~e the rotary platform has to ad~ust itself accord-
in~ to the bisector between the two vehicle directions
and must therefore be movable relative to the two
vehicles and consequently also relative to the two rotary
rings of the ~oint. The disadvantage of the known
solution is that it requires a considerable amount of
vertical space which, according to the invention is
reduced because the rotary mount has a third rotary ring
supporting the rotary platform.
Three units are therefore to be connected to the rotary
mount so as to be movable relative to one another. ~o
ensure that they do not collide with one another, it i~
expedient to design the third rotary ring as an inner
rotary ring with upwardly and/or inwardly directed
fastening members, whilst the outer rotary ring has
laterally formed-on transverse-axis articulation parts
for connection to one vehicle part and the middle rotary
ring has fastening - ~-rs located on the under~ide of
the rotary mount and intended for the connection to the
other vehicle part.
A triple rotary mount is known from US-A 4,?81,12~ for
connecting a vehicle ~oint to the bogie of a rail
vehicle. In thi~, the middle ring rests on a crosspiece
of the bogie, the inner ring i8 connected to one vehicle
- ~er so as to be articulated about a transverse axis,
and the outer ring i~ connected rigidly to the other
vehicle ~ . The crosspiece of the bogie also carries
the rotary platform, arranged above the ~oint, vLa stays
pro~ecting upwards laterally of the ~oint. The known
arrangement requires a considerable amount of vertical
space which is reduced by means of the arrangement
according to the invention.
Mo~eove~, the invention achieves a simplification if the
third rotary ring carries a middle shackle which is
arranged above it and which is connected to the rotary
platform and, where necessary, to a middle frame for
~ ~ ~ 7
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supporting a concertina, the middle shackle expediently
being transversely movable relative to the rotary mount.
So that the crossover platform and/or the concertina can
follow the L~ -ining relative -v~ nts of the vehicle
S parts about the common longitudinal axis, it can be
expedient to provide flexibility between the rotary mount
and the middle shackle and/or between the middle ~hackle
and the crossover platform and/or between the middle
shackle and the middle frame of the concertina. It is
Pxpe~ient, furthermore, to provide transverse movability
in such a way that the crossover platform and/or the
middle frame of the concertina can, during cornering,
ad~ust themselveR to a mid-po~ition other than that
det~ ined by the centre of the ~oint.
The invention is explained in detail below by reference
to the drawing which illustrates dia~L- -tically advan-
tageous exemplary embodiments. In this 5
Figs.1 and 2 show respectively a diagrammatic side view
and a top view of a rotary mount,
Fig. 3 shows a half cross-section through -the
rotary mount according to Fig. 2, namely
the lower half,
Fig. 4 shows a half cross-section through an
alternative embodiment of the rotary
mount,
Fig. 5 shows a part section from Fig. 1 t
Fig. 6 shows a diagrammatic side view of the
connecting region of two vehicle parts,
Fig. 7 ~hows a part cross-section through a
rotary mount for use in the arrangement
according to Fig. 6,
Fig. 8 show~ a cross-section through the version
according to Fig. 6, and
Fig. 9 shows a horizontal section through the
verslon according to Fig. 8.
The vehicle parts 21 and 22, which can be the front wagon
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and trailer of an articulated bus, are connected to one
another by means of a rotary joint which, in the version
according to Figs. 1 to 5, comprises a rotary mount 24
con~isting of an outer ring 1 and vf an inner ring 3.
The inner ring 3 rest~ on the frame part 29 as a cross-
piece connected rigidly to the vehicle part 21. Since
the frame part 29 has sufficient transverse rigidity, the
inner ring 3 need not have any appreciable inherent
rigidity, as is customary.
The outer ring 1 is connected to tranfiverse-axis articu-
lation parts 4, different ver~ions of which are shown in
the upper and lower halves of Fig. 2. Of course, in
practice, identical transverse-axis articulation parts
are u~ed, as a rule, on both ~ide~ of the rotary mount.
The transverse-axis ~oint in the exemplary embodiment of
the lower half of Fi~. 2 comprises an axle stub 7 termin-
ating in a ~oint ball and connected firmly to the outer
ring 1. The ~oint ball is surrounded by a ~oint shell 8
which is arranged riqidly on a frame part 27 of the
vehicle part 22. These parts, together with the corres-
ponding articulation parts to be provided on the other
side of the rotary mount, constitute a transverse-axis
joint pivotable about the horizontal transverse axi~ 9.
For the detailed design, reference can be made to conven-
tional articulated ~tructures, as shown, for example, in
Fig. 5 where different gasket versions 10 and 11 are
illustrated on both sides of the axis 9.
The upper half of Fig. 2 shows an alternative version of
the tran~verse-axis ~oint, in which flanged to the outer
ring 1 is a screw-on flange 12, to which i~ screwed a
trailer ~oint 13 which is to be found in the trade and
which is i~self connected firmly, in turn, to the rigid
frame parts 27 of the vehicle part 22.
Two alternative ver~ions of the rotary mount for use in
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- 7 -
the arrangement according to Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 emerge
from Figs. 3 and 4. In a ver~ion according to Fig. 3,
the outer ring 1, containing a bearing ring 2 for forming
the ball track, is guided radially inward~ in the form of
a plate to provide a horizontal leg 14 which can serve a~
an assembly surface for further ~ttachment par~ and
which gives the outer ring such high rigidity that it can
transmit tor~ional forces-acting between the axle stubs
7. The outer ring 1 of the rotary mount thus forms the
part, designated above as a second cros~piece, because it
is of sufficient dimen~ion for absorbing all the forces
which can be transmitted to it via the transverse-axis
~oints or from the inner ring 3 via the bearing ring 2.
For this, there iB no need to have the plate-like inward
widening according to Fig. 3. For example, the outer
ring l according to Fig. 4 is intrinsically designed with
~ufficient rigidity.
The inner ring 3 of the rotary mount is connected in a
conventional way to a radially inward-pro~ecting flange
5 which is provided as a first crosspiece for connection
to the frame part 29 (Figs. 1 and 2). It pro~ects only
a little beyond the outer ring l in the direction~of the
vertical axis 6, 80 that the total constructional height
is small.
In the exemplary embodiment according to Figs. 6 to 9,
the vehicle ~9r9 21 and 22 are connected to one
another by means of a rotary ~oint 23 comprising a rotary
mount 24, of which the outer ring 25 has laterally
formed-on transver~e-axis bearing~ 26 for connection to
the frame part 27 of the vehicle member 22 and of which
the ring 28 located further inwards i9 connected rigidly
to ~he frame part 29 of the vehicle ~-r 21 via a
fastening flange 28' expo~ed on the under~ide of the
rotary mount. The vehi~le parts 21 and 22 thereby have
the possibility of pivoting about the vertical axis 30
and about a transverse axi~ 31. The rotary mount 24 i~
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completed by a third inner rotary ring 34 which carrie~
the middle ~hackle 35 and the rotary platform, consi~ting
of the two halves 36 and 37, by mean~ of a radially
inward-pro~ecting fastening flange 34' exposed on the top
side of the rotary mount. The rotary-platform halve~ 36,
37 are supported pivotably by means of the hinge~ 38
about an axis parallel to the tran~verse axis 31 and on
frame parts which are connected firmly to the vehicle
members 21 and 22.
The middle shackle 35 carries ~he middle frame 40 via
torsion ~oints 39. The concertina 32 bridging the gap
between the end faces 33 of the vehicle ~rs 21, 22 is
divided into two halves which are supported and guided on
the vehicle endfaces 33 on the one hand and on the middle
frame on the other hand.
The crosspiece 35 is expediently screwed firmly to the
third rotary ring 34. The centre region of the rotary
mount thereby ~ ~i n~ free for the suspensien and lead-
through of other component~, and a very low-~lung design
is obtained.
, f
In the ver~ion according to Figs. 8 and 9, it becomes
posQible for the middle frame to execute a transverse
shift by means of a shift bearing 41 which i~ provided at
the two end~ of the middle shackle 35 and which connects
this (via the torsion bearing 39) to the middle frame 40.
Instead, it i~ al~o posQible to choo~e an arrangement in
which a crossguide, on which the middle ~hackle 35 i8
~hiftable as a whole, i8 arranged fixedly on the rotary
mount 24 (more preci~ely, on the inner rotary ring 34).
There can be a device, known and therefore not illu~-
trated and described here, which constantly ad~ust~ the
middle shackle to the bi~ector between the end faces 33
in relation to pivoting movements of the vehicle ~ -rs
about the vertical axis 30.
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g
A guidance of the middle frame i~ al80 nece~sary in terms
of relative ,v~- -nts of the vehicle members about the
transverse axis 31. In simple instances, the vertical
axis of the middle ~hackle is simply maintained parallel
to the end face of one of the two vehicle ~ ~?r~
However, a solution in which a 20sitive guidance takes
place in the following way i~ preferred. Connected in an
articulated ~nner to the front and rear halve~ 16, 17
of the rotary platform are control rods 50, 51, the other
ends of which engage in an articulated -nn~r on the end~
of a double lever 52, the centre of which i8 connected
firmly via bearings 53 to the middle frame 40 or to a
part connected fixedly to this. The effect of the~
arrangement is that, even in the event of relative
v. -nts about the transversa axis of the ~oint, the
middle frame 40 is always maintained in the direction of
the bisector between the end faces 33.
It can be seen i ~ tely that the position of the pivot
axis 53 is not important. It need not be arranged
horizontally, as assumed in Fig. 6, but can also be
arranged vertically according to Figs. 8 a~d 9.
