ARTICULATED TRAIN-TYPE RAIL VEHICLE

Abstract

A rail vehicle for transporting people, which is in the form of an articulated train-type multiple unit, includes at least two car bodies. Adjoining car bodies are supported on a common central running gear and end car bodies are additionally supported on end running gears. All of the running gears have a distance between the centers of the bogies of two adjoining running gears of from 18 to 21 m, and the end car bodies have a length of from 24 to 27 m.

Description

The invention relates to a rail vehicle for transporting people, which is in the form of an articulated train-type multiple unit and has at least two car bodies, wherein adjacent car bodies are supported on a common central running gear and end car bodies are additionally supported on end running gears.

Rail vehicles of this kind are often used as regional vehicles, wherein supporting adjacent car bodies on common central running gears saves on running gears in comparison to a rail vehicle in which each car body has a running gear at each of its ends. A “standard articulated train” typically has a distance between the centers of the bogies of 16 m. Adjacent car bodies share a central running gear and the two car bodies at the rail vehicle ends are additionally supported on dedicated running gears which can be called end running gears. For example, in the case of a 70 m-long vehicle, a standard articulated train consists of four car bodies, wherein the two end car bodies are approximately 19 m long and the two central car bodies are approximately 16 m long. A rail vehicle of this kind has a total of 5 running gears.

A general requirement of a rail vehicle of this kind is to enable a combination of minimizing the number of all components of the rail vehicle and at the same time reducing procurement, energy and/or servicing costs.

Proceeding from the above, the object of the invention is to further develop the rail vehicle mentioned in the introductory part in such a way that the number of all components, in particular the car bodies and running gears used, is reduced while approximately maintaining a people-transporting capacity and the vehicle length.

In the case of the rail vehicle mentioned in the introductory part, this object is achieved by the characterizing features of claim 1.

According to said claim, it is provided that all of the running gears have a distance between the center of the bogies from an adjacent running gear of from 19 to 21 m and the end car bodies have a length in the range of from 24 to 28 m.

In the simplest case, the rail vehicle can therefore be constructed from two end car bodies which are supported on a common central running gear. The weight of a central car body or of the central car bodies, including the additional load and components thereof, is preferably calculated such that two central car bodies which are directly adjacent to one another and share a central running gear do not exceed a maximum permissible axle load either. In this case, the rail vehicle can be extended by further central car bodies as desired.

In comparison to the prior art, it is therefore possible to construct, for example, a 70 m-long rail vehicle from only three car bodies. The reason for this is that the car bodies provided are considerably longer than those known from the prior art. Longer rail vehicles can be realized by adding at least one further central car body and at least one further central running gear.

All of the running gears can be equipped with internally mounted bogie frames in such a way that, in the transverse direction of the running gear, wheels of the running gear are situated further on the outside than longitudinal supports of a frame of the running gear. This has the effect that the total weight of the rail vehicle is considerably reduced owing to the use of internally mounted bogie frames, so that permissible maximum axle loads of, for example, 20 t are not exceeded.

In this way, the number of components, such as air-conditioning systems, car transition points, joints or couplings, can be kept lower than in a known rail vehicle, as is explained above.

Overhangs of the end car bodies preferably extend from a center of the end running gears to the associated rail vehicle end over a length of at least 5 m. The overhangs can preferably have a length of at least 5.5 m, particularly preferably of 6 m. Overhangs of this length of the end car bodies result in the end running gears being subjected to greater loading in favor of the central running gears. This in turn allows the central running gears to be provided with less weight.

Heavy vehicle components, such as transformers, auxiliary systems and/or batteries, components in traction technology, the brake or the compressed air, of the rail vehicle can advantageously be at least partially arranged in the region of the overhangs of the end car bodies. This also leads to the central running gears being relieved of weight.

The central running gears can preferably have more than two axles. This results in the car bodies which are supported by a central running gear being distributed between at least three axles.

In a configuration with more than two, in particular three, axles, the wheel diameter of the central running gears can be smaller than the wheel diameter of the end running gears. This allows step-free passage through the rail vehicle to be achieved overall.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention will be explained in greater detail below with reference to the drawings, with functionally identical components being identified by the same reference numerals. In the drawing:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view of an articulated train-type multiple unit according to a first embodiment,

FIG. 2 shows a schematic side view of an articulated train-type multiple unit according to a second embodiment,

FIG. 3 shows a schematic side view of an articulated train-type multiple unit according to a third embodiment, and

FIG. 4 shows a schematic side view of an articulated train-type multiple unit according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 1 shows a three-part multiple unit which is suitable for realizing a regional train with a length of approximately 70 m. The multiple unit is constructed from two end car bodies 1 and one central car body 2 which is arranged between said end car bodies. The multiple unit comprises a total of four bogies 3, 4, wherein the end car bodies 1 are supported on an end running gear 3 and a central running gear 4. The end running gears 3 of the end car bodies 1 exhibit overhangs 5 which are longer than in the prior art. The overhangs 5 have, calculated from the center of a bogie of the end running gears 3, a length in the range of from at least 5 m, preferably at least 5.5 m, particularly preferably at least 6 m.

The central car body 2 rests on the central running gears 4 which are configured as Jacobs bogies with an external running gear frame. The central running gears 4 additionally support the inner ends of the end car bodies 1. In this case, the respective car bodies 1, 2 do not necessarily have to be directly supported on the central running gears 4. It is also possible for vertical forces which occur at the end of one of the car bodies to first be transmitted to the adjacent car body and from there to the relevant central running gear 4. Similarly, a vertical fulcrum between adjacent car bodies does not have to be either physically present or precisely in the center of a running gear.

Distances between the center of bogies between adjacent running gears all lie between 19 and 20 m, while the two end car bodies 1 plus half a car transition point to the central car body 2 have a length of from 25 to 26 m, and the central car body plus a car transition point is 19 to 20 m long. In this case, a length of the end car bodies 1 is at least 24 m, preferably at least 25 m, particularly preferably at least 26 m.

The multiple unit according to FIG. 1 is illustrated, by way of example, with roof components, here an air-conditioning system 6, and underfloor components, here a transformer 7, for each car body 1, 2 of the rail vehicle. These components are examples of heavy components of the multiple unit which make a significant contribution to the total weight of said multiple unit and are included in the calculation of the permissible axle load of the running gears 3, 4. In the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1, the air-conditioning systems 6 are located on the roofs of the car bodies 1, 2, whereas the transformers 7 are arranged underfloor. Both the air-conditioning systems 6 and the transformers 7 are arranged in the middle between two adjacent running gears 3, 4.

FIG. 2 shows a further embodiment of a multiple unit which largely corresponds to the design of the multiple unit from FIG. 1. The only difference is the design of the running gears provided. Both end running gears 8 and central running gears 9 are designed as running gears with an internally mounted bogie frame, which means that, in the transverse direction of the respective running gear 8, 9, wheels of the running gear are situated further on the outside than longitudinal supports of a frame of the running gear. Said internally mounted running gear frames exhibit a lower weight than running gear frames which are mounted on the outside and as are used, for example, in the multiple unit according to FIG. 1. Therefore, the total weight of the multiple unit drops overall, so that it is possible to construct a train with a length of approximately 70 m from three car bodies 1, 2.

A further embodiment of an articulated train-type multiple unit is illustrated in FIG. 3. Said figure shows that heavy components, such as the air-conditioning systems 6, are arranged in the immediate vicinity of the end running gears 3, wherein at least one heavy component, here a battery 10, as an alternative, for example, transformer, battery, auxiliary systems, is also located in the region of one of the overhangs 5. The central running gears 4 are relieved of weight owing to the concentration of the heavy components in the region of the free ends of the multiple unit.

As an alternative to this, it is possible, according to the embodiment according to FIG. 4, to provide central running gears 11 with more than two axles, here three axles, wherein the heavy components of the multiple unit then no longer have to be concentrated in the region of the end running gears. In addition, the central running gears 11 with more than two axles can be designed with smaller wheel diameters than those of the end running gears 3. This allows step-free car transition points between the end car bodies 1 and the central car bodies 2 to be provided.

If required, further measures can be taken in order to reduce the total weight of the rail vehicle, in particular to comply with the axle load limit. For example, a three-point support of the car bodies 1, 2 (not illustrated) can be provided, so that a single spring and damper arrangement suffices. This can also lead to a reduction in an axle base of the central running gears 4, 9 with respect to the end running gears 3, 8. Curve-dependent lateral play limiting for the car bodies 1, 2 can contribute to achieving suitable widths of the car bodies 1, 2. Crowning the car bodies 1, 2 also makes a contribution in this respect. Reducing the design coefficient of friction, that is to say the quotient between a starting traction force which is established in an engine controller of the rail vehicle and the static load on the rail vehicle, to values of up to 0.19 is also beneficial here.

Claims

1-6. (canceled)

7. A rail vehicle in the form of an articulated train-type multiple unit for transporting people, the rail vehicle comprising:

at least two car bodies including adjacent car bodies and end car bodies, said end car bodies each having a length in a range of from 24 to 28 m;

common central running gears each supporting a respective two of said adjacent car bodies, and end running gears each additionally supporting a respective one of said end car bodies;

said running gears including bogies having centers, and all of said running gears defining a distance between said centers of said bogies of adjacent running gears of from 19 to 21 m.

8. The rail vehicle according to claim 7, wherein:

all of said running gears are equipped with internally mounted bogie frames having longitudinal supports, wheels and a transverse direction; and

said wheels of said running gears are situated further outside than said longitudinal supports in said transverse direction.

9. The rail vehicle according to claim 7, wherein said end car bodies have overhangs each extending from a center of a respective one of said end running gears to an end of the rail vehicle over a length of at least 5 m.

10. The rail vehicle according to claim 9, which further comprises heavy components including at least one of transformers, auxiliary systems or batteries being disposed at least partially in a vicinity of said overhangs of said end car bodies.

11. The rail vehicle according to claim 7, wherein said central running gears (11) each have more than two axles.

12. The rail vehicle according to claim 11, wherein said running gears have wheels with wheel diameters, and said wheel diameters of said central running gears are smaller than said wheel diameters of said end running gears.