BODY FOR A LARGE VOLUME VEHICLE, ESPECIALLY A RAIL VEHICLE

CAISSE D'UN VEHICULE A GRANDE CAPACITE, EN PARTICULIER D'UN VEHICULE FERROVIAIRE

English Abstract

The body of a large volume vehicle, especially a rail vehicle, essentially
comprises an undercarriage (1), sidewalls (2) and a roof (3). The sidewalls
(2) include columns (2') arranged between the undercarriage (1) and the roof
(3). The sidewall columns (2') formed by a profile have a ribbing (2a)
enabling threaded holes (2b) to be made. The sidewall columns (2') are in
working connection with the undercarriage (1) and/or the roof (3) by means of
screws (4) that engage in the threaded holes made in the sidewall columns.

French Abstract

Caisse d'un véhicule à grande capacité, en particulier d'un véhicule ferroviaire, comprenant essentiellement un châssis (1), des parois latérales (2) et un toit (3), les parois latérales (2) présentant des colonnes (2') agencées entre le châssis (1) et le toit (3). Les colonnes (2') des parois latérales constituées par un profilé présentent un nervurage (2a) permettant l'agencement de trous taraudés (2b), les colonnes (2') étant assemblées, par transmission de force, avec le châssis (1) et/ou le toit (3) au moyen de boulons (4) s'engageant dans ces trous taraudés (2b).

Claims

claims
1. Body for a large-volume vehicle, in particular a-rail
vehicle, with an undercarriage (1), side walls (2), and a
roof (3), the side walls (2) incorporating columns (2') that
are arranged between the undercarriage (1) and the roof (3),
characterized in that the side-wall columns (2') that are
formed from a profile have ribbing (2a) that permits the
incorporation of threaded bores (2b), the side-wall columns
being joined to the undercarriage (1) and/or the roof (3) by
bolts (4) that fit into theses threaded bores (2b) so as to
form a working connection.
2. Body as defined in Claim 1, characterized in that the side
wall columns (2') can be formed from a large aluminum
extrusion, a glass-fibre pulltrusion, or a rolled-steel
profile.
3. Body as defined in Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterized in that
smooth-walled pins (5) that transfer the shear forces
between the side-wall columns (2') and/or the undercarriage
(1) or the roof (3) are inserted into the the ribbing (2a)
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of the side-wall columns (2'), parallel to the screws (4).
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4. Body as defined in Claim 1 to Claim 3, characterized in that
the ribbing (2a) of the side-wall columns (2') incorporates
tubular elements (2c).
5. Body as defined in Claim 1 to Claim 4, characterized in that
the ribbing of the side-wall columns (2') is arranged so
that it cannot be seen from the outside.

Description

CA 02317672 2000-07-04
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Body for a Large Volume Vehicle Especially a Rail Vehicle
The present invention relates to a body for a large volume
vehicle, in particular, a rail vehicle, this comprising an
undercarriage, side walls, and a roof, the side walls '.
incorporating columns that are arranged between the undercarriage
and the roof. -
1C) It is generally known that a body with the above-cited features
can be made either as a welded-steel construction using rolled,
bent, and hollow profiles, with sheeting that is welded directly
onto the framing, or can be made as a welded self-supporting
structure using large, extruded-aluminum profiles. Because of
15 the fact that welding is used as the connecting method, as a
rule, it is not possible for the chassis, the side walls, and a
roof to be of different materials. For the remainder, it is
frequently necessary to use costly production machinery and tools
in order to carry out the welding operations, when distortion
20 caused by the heat involved therein makes it necessary to perform
additional alignment and smoothing operations on the body.
It is the objective of the present invention to make assembly of
the wagon body considerably simpler by using suitable joining
25 technologies and eliminate alignment and smoothing operations
and, at the same time, make it possible to use various
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combinations of materials-- primarily steel, aluminum, and
plastics--in the sense of a building-block system.
According to the present invention, this objective has been
'i achieved in that the side-wall columns that are formed-from a
profile incorporate ribbing that enables them to incorporate
threaded bores, the side wall columns being connected to the
chassis and/or the roof by screws that engage in these threaded
bores so as to form a working connection.
In a body according to the present invention, a rigid connection
between the side-wall columns and the chassis and the roof is
formed in a particularly simple and cost-effective manner by
cold-joining technology. Materials that are matched to the
particular use for which the body will be put can be used for the
chassis, the side walls, and the roof, when the joining technique
that is used is always the same. Similarly, special production
machinery and tools, as well as alignment and smoothing
operations on the wagon body are also made unnecessary.
Advantageous versions of the present invention are set out in the
secondary claims.
The present invention will be described in greater detail below
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on the basis of one embodiment shown in the drawings appended
hereto. These drawings are as follows:
Figure 1: a side view of the body of a large-volume vehicle
Figure 2: a cross section on the line II-II in Figure 1; at
larger scale.
Essentially, the body comprises an undercarriage 1, a roof 3, and
side walls 2 that incorporate columns 2' that are arranged
between the undercarriage 1 and the roof 3. The side walls 2
incorporate window openings 6 and at least one door opening 7 on
at least one long side of the body, although it is also possible
to have a wagon body that has no door openings 7 in its side
walls 2. Between the side wall columns 2' (window columns in
Figure 1, left-hand side, and wider door columns, Figure 1,
right-hand side) there are side-wall fields 8 that can each be
formed, for example, from a sandwich-type panel with outside
covering layers, a foam core, and metal edging profiles 8a.
Independent side wall elements can be built up from a suitable
arrangement of side-wall columns 2' in connection with the side-
wall fields 8 that are interposed between them.
In the embodiment shown, the side-wall columns 2' are formed from
an extruded aluminum profile and are cut to length by mechanical
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processing, optionally by means of a simple separating cut. They
incorporate ribbing 2a (see Figure 2), that has tubular elements
2c that permit the incorporation of threaded bores 2b. In the
embodiment shown, the ribbing 2a is arranged so as to be
completely invisible from the outside; as an alternative, it is
possible to provide suitable ribbing 2a for the threaded bores 2b
on the outsides of the column profiles.
The side-wall columns 2' are joined to the undercarriage, which
is built, for example, from steel profiles, and with the side
upper member of the roof 3 by screws 4 that fit in the threaded
bores 2b so as to form a working connection, when, for example,
the upper head rail of the roof 3 can be of aluminum, and its
roof panel of plastic. All tensile and compressive forces are
transferred with the help of the screws 4. In order to transfer
shearing forces, it is recommended that a smooth-walled pin 5 be
inserted into at least one tubular element 2c of the side-wall
column 2' wall fields 8, this matching the bores in the
undercarriage 1 and the roof 3. For the remainder, the side-wall
fields 8 contribute to the shear strength of the body.
As can be seen from Figure 2, the side wall columns 2'
incorporate a step 2d, the depth of which is matched to the
technical and geometrical demands for the thickness of the side-
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wall fields 8, so that a flush outside wall surface of the side
wall to is achieved. In addition, the side wall column 2'
incorporates a C-shaped groove 2e, in which tenon blocks can be
inserted; these are used to screw down corner profiles or'corner
pieces to the side-wall fields 8. This stable connection is used
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to transfer shear forces and as an alternative to or to
supplement the above-described use of at least one smooth-walled
pin 5.
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Key to Drawings
1 - undercarriage
2 - side wall
2' - side-wall column _
2a - ribbing
2b - threaded bore
2c - tubular element
2d - step
2e - C-shaped groove
3 - roof
4 - bolt
- smooth-walled pin
6 - window opening
7 - door opening
8 - side-wall field
8a - metal edging profile
7

Representative Drawing