Composite material structure for railroad car chassis

Abstract

A structure, made from composite materials for a vehicle chassis, being configured to receive an undercarriage at its ends and includes at least one central beam that includes a median box having a central part and two ends with a reinforced structure, and the central part includes a reinforced part increasing the strength of the beam with respect to the bending stresses imposed by the transported load. The median box is reinforced by two lateral boxes extending over the entire length of the median box), assembled to the median box, the upper faces of which, together with the upper face of the median box, form the upper face of the beam. The structure includes a floor that covers the upper faces of the median box and the lateral boxes. The elements making up the structure have shapes that are simple, easy to make from composite materials and easy to assemble.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is the National Stage of International Application No. PCT / EP2014 / 066236, having an international Filing Date of 29 Jul. 2014, which designates the United States of America, and which International Application was published under PCT Article 21(2) as WO Publication No. 2015 / 014819 A1, and which claims priority from and the benefit of French Application No. 13576.88, filed 2 Aug. 2013, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.BACKGROUND[0002]1. Field[0003]The disclosed embodiment relates to the general field of rolling stock structures. The disclosed embodiment relates more particularly to a composite beam design intended, by using composite materials, to reduce the weight of the structure of a rail transport vehicle (railroad car), notably for transportation of freight by rail.[0004]2. Brief Description of Related Developments[0005]As is the case in all transport fields, the railro...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent text describes a new design for a railcar structure that reduces weight and optimizes manufacturing costs while still providing strong and durable performance. The structure includes a middle box with reinforcements to handle bending forces from the vehicle's running gear and shock absorbers. Lateral boxes are added to reinforce resistance to bending forces in both directions. Additionally, a composite material partition is used to reinforce stiffness and resistance to buckling. Overall, this design offers a lighter, stronger, and more cost-effective option for railcar structures.

Problems solved by technology

However, it is also known that it is not possible, through simple substitution of materials, to replace a metal structure with a composite material structure of identical shape.

Because of these particular features, the use of composite material structures to produce rolling stock capable of transporting heavy loads has at present not been developed much or at all, in particular where the manufacture of railroad cars, notably freight cars, is concerned.

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