An architecture for railway trains

Abstract

 Each of the single vehicles (1) making up a railway train runs on a pair of bogies (2, 3) supporting the opposite ends of a frame (4) that consists in a one-piece body shell (8) uppermost, comprising an internal deck (5) and an integral roof (6) united by side walls (7); the body shell (8) is enclosed on the underside by a shroud structure (9) divided into a plurality of modules, each deriving from a basic module of standard dimensions (L1, L2), which can be anchored securely to the body shell (8) at the level of the deck (5). The bogies (2, 3) are incorporated into the shroud (9), each accommodated by at least two adjacent modules with parts of the outer walls (10) removed or cut away, as also are sundry components (11) of the vehicle's auxiliary systems, several of which accommodated without any modification of the standard module.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an architecture for the construction of railway trains, and more exactly a system of modular structures from which to assemble carriages or electric locomotives for passenger transport.

[0002] The engineering and construction of rail transport vehicles hitherto has always reflected a certain tradition concerned more with achieving long term reliability of the end product, rather than with the research and development of simpler structures exhibiting greater innovation in design combined with general features responding more to the newer requirements of the sector, in particular a current demand for quicker transport, and ultimately the adoption of high speed rail networks. In the latter instance, there are indeed existing projects which aim at matching a train to the specifications of a purpose-built line, though the problems continue to be greater when adapting trains to operate at speed on what may be termed conventional types of track, that is to say, track designed and built to handle an average volume of traffic running at medium-high speeds (no greater than 200 km/h). Experience has shown, in effect, that speed is limited in general terms (and on conventional track in particular) by weight, and more exactly by the extent to which the mass of the train impacts directly on forces of a dynamic nature; consequently, any increase in speed must be accompanied by a reduction in weight of the single cars, or in weight per axle.

[0003] Given that rolling stock, traditionally, is built utilizing body structures matched to a permissible shape as prescribed by international standards, and that the relative construction methods are based on the fabrication of an outer skeleton, the addition of a roof and the enclosure of spaces by means of structures fabricated in situ, it may be asserted that the art field of rail transport currently does not embrace the construction of high speed trains (designed to run at more than 200 km/h) capable of being operated, in particular, on existing track. It has been thought appropriate in recent times to import aircraft construction techniques into the rail sector, for example by building trains with body shells fashioned from lightweight materials and supported, with freedom of oscillation, by an undercarriage structure comprising the bogies and other elements of the chassis, though here again the construction techniques are mixed in character inasmuch as the bogies utilized would be standard components in terms of shape, dimensions, weights and specifications, likewise the propulsion systems (in the case of electric locomotives).

[0004] In an attempt to resolve at least those problems connected with the bogie assembly, the applicant has already proposed a bogie structure, disclosed in EP publication n° 547 010, suitable for use to equally good effect on pulled and pulling vehicles alike; in effect, the bogie comprises a number of components and devices which, by virtue of their constructional features and mutual positioning, combine to secure not only a significant reduction in the weight of the assembled structure, but also a multifunctional capability whereby the same bogie can be used both for coaches and for locomotives of whatever specified traction and weight, operating at the lowest and the highest of running speeds. Departing from this same concept of a multi-purpose bogie, hence from the evolution of a construction philosophy for railway vehicles based on the design and development of independent elements featuring minimized dimensions and weights, the applicant now proposes the solution of a vehicle constructed from modular elements, that is to say universal modules that can be used to assemble any type of rolling stock (ordinary cars or locomotives) by virtue both of their particular architectural structure and of the layout of the vehicle's auxiliary systems and enclosures (designed to fulfil a variety of uses). The resulting vehicle is comparatively lightweight in relation to its overall dimensions, a feature tending to enhance the quality of a train made up of such vehicles and its performance on the track, besides being adaptable to different requirements as regards the ultimate composition of the train, and displaying general features of assembly such as will allow a notable reduction in the time needed for its construction, and therefore in the relative costs.

[0005] A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which:

• fig 1 illustrates a vehicle forming part of a railway train, incorporating the constructional architecture according to the present invention, viewed schematically in a side elevation with certain parts omitted better to reveal others;
• fig 2 illustrates the vehicle of fig 1 in plan from above, with certain parts omitted better to reveal others, in particular the lower;
• fig 3 illustrates the vehicle of figs 1 and 2 in a frontal evelation, with certain parts omitted and others in section;
• fig 4 shows a detail, enlarged, of the lower part of the vehicle as illustrated in fig 3.

[0006] With reference in particular to figs 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings, 1 denotes a railway vehicle, in its entirety, embodied in accordance with the architecture disclosed and intended particularly for use as a means of passenger transport; two or more such vehicles 1 coupled together constitute a typical railway train.

[0007] The single vehicle 1 comprises certain essential components including a pair of rail bogies 2 and 3, indicated schematically in the drawings, which are positioned respectively at the two ends and run on a permanent way P (in direct contact with rails R). These bogies 2 and 3, which form the subject matter of EP 547 010 filed by the same applicant, support the two ends of an enclosed frame 4 incorporating an internal deck 5 in the bottom part and a roof 6 uppermost, the entire structure being united by side walls 7.

[0008] The frame 4 is also equipped with a plurality of auxiliary components 11 associated with pneumatic, electrical and water systems; these are distributed along the length of the vehicle 1 and constitute means essential to its correct operation, certain of which are illustrated schematically in fig 2: indeed in addition to the bogies 2 and 3 and their relative propulsion units 25 and 26, the drawings indicate compressed air receivers 29 on the one side, serving the braking system, and a condenser unit 30 on the opposite side, adjacent to which is a compressor set 31 serving to elevate a current collecting pantograph, with a relative receiver 32, and near to these, the compressor 33 operating the air conditioning system (not illustrated) with the relative dehumidification tank 34.

[0009] Also mounted to the frame 4 in a substantially central area are a rotary compressor 35 and a set of batteries 36 connected to an electrical system (denoted 37 and 38 in its entirety) equipped with suitable protection and control devices allowing the regular operation of the vehicle 1.

[0010] As illustrated in fig 3, the frame 4 is composed essentially of two main parts: a first element 8 uppermost constituting an enclosed body shell, and a second element 9 or shroud beneath.

[0011] More exactly, the upper element 8 is described as a body shell since it comprises the internal deck 5 and the roof 6 of the vehicle 1, which are united by way of the side walls 7 as already intimated. The body shell 8 thus provides the occupied part of the vehicle 1, which will be fitted out ultimately with standard interiors for the accommodation of passengers; as discernible clearly from fig 1, the body shell 8 also encompasses vestibules 18 through which the passengers enter and leave the vehicle 1, boarding and alighting by way of relative steps 19 of which more will be said in due course. In the context of the constructional philosophy to which the invention relates, the units or elements of complementary equipment (certain of which, such as windows, seating, infill and partition walls, are denoted 101 and indicated by phantom lines, whereas items such as the pipelines for the heating and air conditioning systems, etc., are referred to more specifically) will likewise be modular in design and standardized, to the end of reducing the time needed for completion of the vehicle as a whole. Fig 4 illustrates a constructional detail of the body shell 8, which contributes to the simplicity of the solution: the surface 8a of the body shell 8 offered to the second or shroud element 9, that is to say the underside of the deck, supports a pair of upturned L sections 12 disposed with the wider members in mutual opposition and extending the full length of the body shell 8; the two L sections 12 thus function as the walls of a channel supporting and affording a passage to the aforesaid auxiliary components 11, in this instance electrical cables 21 extending longitudinally along the vehicle 1, by which the interior of the body shell 8 is connected to the aforementioned electrical systems 37 and 38 contained in the shroud element 9 beneath, as will shortly become evident. To this end, one of the two L sections 12 can be provided with lateral openings to admit power cables 21 connecting, for example, with the batteries 36 or with the compressors 33 of the air conditioning system, etc., housed in the second or shroud element 9 beneath; the cables 21 are suitably supported within the channel created between the two L sections 12 (which are anchored to the deck utilizing releasable means 100 such as bolts), resting on horizontal bearers 22 by which the mutually opposed members of the L sections are bridged at different heights, and only where the need effectively exists, depending on the section of the cables, which in turn will be dictated by the number of propulsion units installed, if any. In addition, one of the two L sections 12 carries means 13, located externally of the channel, by which to support further auxiliary components 11. Such means 13 appear in practice as a plurality of clips 15, semicircular in profile, which serve to secure pipelines 20 forming part of the pneumatic system, hence of the auxiliary components 11; the clips 15 are clamped against the outer surface of the L section 12 with screws 16.

[0012] As already intimated, the body shell 8 is enclosed on the underside by the second or shroud element 9, which appears as a natural extension of the shell and can function either as a simple aerodynamically contoured body panel or, and besides, as a genuine container in which to house the sundry accessories typically required for a rail vehicle, locomotive or otherwise. More precisely, the second element 9 exhibits a gondola-like profile when seen in cross section and is divided into a plurality of spaces deriving from a single basic module, quadrangular in plan, denoted MB; each module presents standard dimensions in both the width L1 and the length L2 direction, and can be secured stably to the deck 5 of the body shell 8, thereby allowing the assembly of a vehicle 1 consisting essentially in a single body shell 8 above the deck and a plurality of the shroud modules below (denoted 9 both individually and collectively). Each module 9 is associated with the body shell 8 by way of fastening means 40 that might be composed of a horizontal bead 41 formed on the outermost sides of the module, such as can be accommodated within a matching seat 42 afforded by the body shell 8. The connection between these two elements can be made secure by means of screws or bolts 43 inserted through sockets formed both in the body shell 8 and in the modules 9.

[0013] It is a feature of the single module 9 that each of the walls disposed transversely to the body shell 8 exhibits a respective Y-shaped recess 14 serving to accommodate the two mutually opposed L sections 12, whilst the peripheral outer walls 10 are designed and moulded in such a way as to house the bogies 2 and 3 in part, and certain of the various auxiliary components 11 in their entirety.

[0014] In more detail, the single basic module MB, which might be constructed from a lightweight material such as aluminium, or a composite, or a combination of both, exhibits a rigid internal framework 17 by which the basic module MB is compassed peripherally and spanned in a crossed formation, viewed in plan, thus dividing the modular space into a plurality of portions or compartments (total four) dissimilar in size and volume. The aforementioned moulding of the peripheral outer walls 10 of each basic module MB consists essentially in reducing the thickness of selected portions of the surface from that of the remainder of the wall 10, so as to create weakened areas (visible preferably from the exterior) that can be used to fashion openings, where appropriate, for the purpose of housing or inspecting a part of the auxiliary components 11. This type of operation will be performed preferably during the process of manufacturing the module 9. The divided portions of each module 9 are designed moreover to accommodate those auxiliary components 11 which often must be removed momentarily for the purpose of replacement, or simply of inspection (for example, the rotary compressor 35 and the batteries 36), in such a way that these procedures can be effected swiftly and without any need to unmake connections with other operational parts of the auxiliary components 11. In practice, the vehicle 1 is constructed simply by assembling a body shell 8 and a set of modules 9, fitted to the underside of the shell, which will vary in number according to the overall length of the vehicle: the example illustrated has fourteen such modules, denoted M1, M2, M3 ... M14 in fig 1. As discernible in figs 1 and 2, the modules 9 can accommodate any given auxiliary component 11 that may be required to enable the correct operation of the vehicle, whether as a single enclosure able to house smaller components (such as the compressed air receivers 29 in module M5, the compressors 31 in module M4, the batteries in module M10, etc.), or in tandem, where the dimensions of the basic module MB may be insuffucient. This latter solution is adopted to allow partial accommodation of the rail bogies 2 and 3, of which the moving parts are compassed by a pair of modules 9 cut away along the two transverse walls 10 breasted in mutual contact, and affording openings on the underside from which only the wheels 2r and 3r emerge to make contact with the rails R. In the event that the two bogies are coupled to double propulsion units 25 and 26 in a vehicle 1 with full traction (as in the example of fig 2), further space will be afforded by the modules 9 preceding or following those which house the bogies 2 and 3: in the drawings, for example, the bogie denoted 2 is accommodated by the modules denoted M2 and M3, whilst the adjoining modules M1 and M4 contain the propulsion units 25 and 26 and the relative auxiliary components. The two endmost modules M1 and M14 of the vehicle 1 afford openings on each side to accommodate the steps 19.

[0015] Thanks to this type of modular system, construction companies are able also to supply auxiliary items of equipment for open topped vehicles: this was not possible hitherto, since auxiliary equipment had necessarily to be installed in protective housings of more or less enclosed design, but is enabled in accordance with the invention by virtue of the fact that the modular shroud element 9 itself functions as a protective housing.

[0016] A further possibility in engineering terms offered by the modular construction of the vehicle, which in practice is an overt feature, derives from the association of the various components and the fact that internal interconnections between the various parts are intrinsically safe: that is to say, the system of assembly establishes mandatory pathways causing the components automatically to be coupled correctly with their relative inlet and outlet connections.

[0017] The architecture thus broadly described allows the construction of ultra-lightweight rolling stock for rail transport systems, featuring a multi-purpose capability in terms of use by virtue of the modular design of those elements making up the single car. Indeed the basic structural element, i.e. the body shell, is designed to specifications that remain constant and will always afford a channel on the underside to accommodate auxiliary systems; these systems, that is to say the assemblage of auxiliary components enabling the car as a whole to operate (systems in the widest sense, including propulsion units), are housed to advantage within the modular shroud elements 9, of which the final configuration (in terms of internal geometry and content, though not of external dimensions, which remain unchanged) will be dictated by the design of the vehicle. The impact of such features is to introduce extreme flexibility into the design and construction of rail vehicles, allowing an easy "conversion" from simple pulled vehicles to self-propelled vehicles and locomotives with partial or full traction, as appropriate for the track and the projected speed: in the example of fig 2, two propulsion units are illustrated in bold lines whilst the option remains of adding two further units (indicated by phantom lines), such that the bogies can be operated with partial or full traction, respectively. Here too the concept of modularity is retained, in that a single propulsion unit (rated 200 kW, for example) installed as a standard item of equipment can be duplicated to the point of obtaining full traction, with a rated power of 800 kW per car.

Claims

1) An architecture for the construction of railway trains, in particular passenger transport trains consisting in a plurality of vehicles (1), each comprising at least one pair of rail bogies (2, 3) positioned respectively at the opposite ends of the vehicle (1) and bearing on a permanent way (P), also an enclosed frame (4) supported by the bogies (2, 3), incorporating at least an internal deck (5) and a roof (6) united by side walls (7), which is furnished internally with units of complementary equipment (101) and equipped also with auxiliary pneumatic, electrical and water system components (11) supplying power to and enabling the operation of the vehicle (1),
characterized

- in that the frame (4) is composed of a first element (8) uppermost, consisting in an enclosed body shell comprising at least the internal deck (5), the roof (6) and the interconnecting side walls (7), and a second shroud element (9) by which the body shell is enclosed on the underside;

- in that the second shroud element (9) is divided into a plurality of discrete modules, all deriving from a common basic module (MB), exhibiting unified dimensions and capable of stable association with the body shell (8) at the level of the deck (5), of which the peripheral outer walls (10) are embodied in such a way as to accommodate the bogies (2, 3) in part and certain of the auxiliary components (11) in their entirety.

2) An architecture as in claim 1, further comprising a pair of upturned L sections (12) associated with the surface (8a) of the body shell (8) directed toward the second shroud element (9), disposed in mutual opposition and extending the full length of the body shell (8) in such a way as to create a channel supporting and affording passage to certain of the auxiliary components (11), wherein at least one of the two L sections (12) is fitted with means (13) located externally of the channel by which to support further auxiliary components (11), and each module of the shroud element (9) exhibits a pair of Y-shaped recesses (14) transversely disposed and affording a passage to the pair of L sections (12).

3) An architecture as in claim 1, wherein means (13) of support consist in a plurality of semicircular profile clips (15), secured to the outermost face of at least one L section (12) by way of screw means (16), through which certain of the auxiliary components (11) are routed.

4) An architecture as in claim 1, wherein the basic module (MB) exhibits a rigid internal framework (17) encompassing the selfsame basic module (MB) peripherally and presenting a crossed formation, when viewed in plan, by which the encompassed spaced is divided into a plurality of internal portions dissimilar in size.

5) An architecture as in claim 1, wherein the peripheral walls (10) of each basic module (MB) exhibit selected portions of their surface area reduced in thickness with respect to the remainder, thereby establishing weakened areas from which to create openings for the accommodation of certain of the auxiliary components (11).

6) An architecture as in claim 1, wherein the first upper element (8) constituting the enclosed body shell is furnished with units of complementary equipment (101), compassed by the roof (6) and the side walls (7) and providing the fitted interior of the vehicle (1), which are modular in design, exhibiting standard measurements and dimensions.

Drawing