Gearbox arrangement for a rail vehicle

Abstract

Gear arrangement for a rail vehicle with at least one gear stage (1) comprising at least a first gear (3) as a drive gear and at least a second gear (4) as a driven gear in a gear housing (2), wherein at least one of the meshing gears (3, 4) of the gear stage (1) is assigned to at least one lubricant inlet (10) as the suction side and at least one lubricant outlet (11) as the pressure side of a lubricant supply for lubricant delivery via the toothing, wherein at least one of the gears (3, 4) has at least a sectionally fixed casing (12) along the toothing of the gear (3, 4) to increase the lubricant delivery in the circumferential direction from the lubricant inlet (10) to the lubricant outlet (11), wherein the casing (12) extends from a lubricant inlet (10) arranged in the lower region of the gear stage along the toothing of one of the two gears (3, 4)4) extends at least beyond a tooth engagement area (6) arranged between the two gears (3, 4), characterized in that the gear housing (2) is composed of two housing halves, wherein the two housing halves are substantially vertically separated, such that a parting line between the two housing halves lies substantially in a vertical plane that is arranged perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the encased gear (4), and that the encasement (12) is formed from parts of the two housing halves.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a transmission arrangement for a rail vehicle with at least one transmission stage according to the type defined in more detail in the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] Gear arrangements for rail vehicles with circulating lubrication are known, in which the lubricant or oil is conveyed by the teeth of a gear in the gear stage from a lubricant sump into a so-called high sump in the upper part of the gearbox housing. From the high sump, the oil flows by gravity through corresponding channels to the rolling bearings.

[0003] For example, a gearbox, in particular a wheelset gearbox for use in railway vehicles, is known from German patent application DE 203 12 235 U1. The known gearbox comprises a spur gear stage in a gearbox housing as a torque conversion device, wherein the spur gear stage has a spur gear coupled to an axle as the output of the torque conversion device. The spur gear is associated with an oil pan provided in the lower part of the housing. During operation, lubrication occurs via the teeth of the spur gear as they are at least partially immersed in the oil pan. However, it has been shown that in the known gearbox, lubricant is lost through the meshing of the teeth between the two spur gears of the spur gear stage.Oil is squeezed out and therefore unavailable for targeted lubrication, meaning that the lubrication of the rolling bearings occurs randomly unless an additional lubricant pump is used, which is particularly relevant in applications with higher lubricant requirements. However, an additional lubricant pump is maintenance-intensive and costly and represents an increased risk of failure.

[0004] From GB 292 540 A, a transmission with two meshing gears is also known, in which one of the two gears has a housing-fixed covering along the toothing of the gear to increase the lubricant delivery in the circumferential direction from a lubricant inlet to a lubricant outlet.

[0005] The present invention is based on the objective of proposing a gear arrangement of the type described above in which an adequate supply of lubricant is ensured regardless of the applications without the use of an additional lubricant pump.

[0006] This problem is solved according to the invention by the features of claim 1. Further advantageous embodiments are described in the dependent claims and the drawings.

[0007] Accordingly, a gear arrangement is proposed, for example in a rail vehicle, comprising at least one gear stage, which includes at least a first gear as a drive gear and at least a second gear as an output gear in a gear housing. At least one of the meshing gears of the gear stage can be assigned to at least one lubricant inlet as the suction side and at least one lubricant outlet as the pressure side of a lubricant supply for lubricant delivery via the gear teeth. According to the invention, at least one of the gears is provided with a housing-mounted casing, at least partially, along the gear teeth, at least partially on the axial and / or radial outer circumferential region of the gear. This significantly increases the lubricant delivery in the circumferential direction from the lubricant inlet to the lubricant outlet.

[0008] The gear casing provided according to the invention along the outer circumference of the gear enables targeted lubricant guidance between the gear housing and the outer circumference of the gear in the area of ​​the teeth. For example, the lubricant or oil squeezed out by the tooth engagement is also conveyed upwards to the lubricant drain or pressure side due to the rotation of the gear and the resulting pumping effect in the gap between the gear and the casing, thus supplying the lubricant to the lubrication circuit. Regardless of the direction of rotation, the lubricant delivery rate of the gear arrangement according to the invention can be increased to such an extent that sufficient oil transport or lubricant supply is ensured even in applications with high lubricant requirements.

[0009] According to the invention, the casing extends at least from a lubricant sump located in the lower region of the gear stage, with its lubricant inlet, to beyond a tooth engagement area between the two gears. In the tooth engagement area, the casing is only partially recessed to allow the two gears to mesh. In this simpler and more cost-effective embodiment of the invention, the lubricant is conveyed from the lubricant sump in the lower region of the gearbox, which represents the suction side, to above the tooth engagement area. The pressure side, or lubricant outlet, is thus located, for example, directly above the tooth engagement, where the lubricant flows out of the gap between the gear and the casing and is then directed to the lubrication points.The lubricant can be guided from the lubricant drain to individual lubrication points, for example, by lubricant channels, guide plates or contours attached to the inner wall of the gearbox housing.

[0010] Preferably, the coating according to the invention can be provided on the second gear, which has a larger diameter. However, it is also conceivable that the other gear, or both gears, are provided with a complete or partial coating.

[0011] It is possible that an oil pan or lubricant pan already provided on the suction side in the area of ​​the lubricant sump in the gearbox housing is extended or widened in the direction of the lubricant drain to serve as a casing. According to the invention, a two-part gearbox housing is provided, which is composed of two housing halves, wherein the two housing halves are essentially vertically separated, such that a parting line between the two housing halves lies essentially in a vertical plane that is arranged perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the larger gear. The casing is composed of parts from both housing halves of the gearbox housing and is joined together by assembling the two housing halves. Such housing halves with integrated casing are advantageously manufactured as castings.This enables a relatively simple and cost-effective manufacturing and assembly of the housing halves with integrated sheathing.

[0012] According to a preferred, cost-effective embodiment, the teeth of the first and second gears have the same tooth widths, so that existing gear arrangements can advantageously be provided with the coating according to the invention without the need for further modifications. This allows the lubricant delivery in existing gear arrangements to be improved with relatively little effort.

[0013] Another preferred measure for increasing lubricant flow from the lubricant sump to the lubricant drain can be achieved by making the encased gear of the gear stage axially wider than the other gear. For example, this can be achieved by making the toothing wider. It is also conceivable to make the gear axially wider at its circumference without widening the toothing. Regardless of the specific design, this increases the lubricant flow between the outer circumference of the gear and the housing-side encasement in the circumferential direction.

[0014] Another possible measure to increase the lubricant flow rate from the lubricant sump beyond the tooth engagement area to the lubricant outlet results from a specially shaped inner wall of the casing. Specifically, recesses are provided on the inner wall of the casing in the tooth engagement area to accommodate the lubricant carried along and squeezed out of the tooth gaps. These recesses can, for example, be grooves arranged on the radial and / or axial surface of the inner wall of the casing, extending in the direction of the rotating gear, so that lubricant is carried along in these grooves by the rotating gear.

[0015] A further increase in lubricant delivery can be achieved by preferably providing additional lubricant delivery elements, for example, on the radial circumferential region of one of the gears, in addition to the gear teeth. This allows more lubricant to be conveyed from the lubricant sump into the lubricant circuit using these, for example, scoop-shaped lubricant delivery elements.

[0016] To also reduce the thermal stress on the lubricant and the transmission components, a heat exchanger and / or cooling fins can preferably be provided in the area of ​​the lubricant circuit for lubricant cooling.

[0017] The present invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the drawings. The drawings show: Fig. 1 a schematic view of a transmission arrangement according to the invention for a rail vehicle; Fig. 2 a sectioned partial view along a section line AA of a possible embodiment of a gear arrangement with a casing of the gear according to Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a sectioned partial view along a section line BB according to Fig. 2; and Fig. 4. a partial cut along the cutting line CC according to Fig. 3.

[0018] The figures show an exemplary embodiment of a gear arrangement according to the invention for a rail vehicle not shown in further detail.

[0019] According to Fig. Figure 1 shows a schematic view illustrating that the transmission arrangement comprises a gear stage 1 in a gear housing 2, which is coupled via a first, smaller gear 3, designed as a spur gear or drive gear, to a drive motor (not shown) and via a second, larger gear 4, designed as a spur gear or output gear, to a wheelset axle 5 for driving a wheel of the rail vehicle. The first gear 3 and the second gear 4 mesh via a tooth engagement area 6, with the diameter of the second gear 4 being significantly larger than the diameter of the first gear 3. This ensures that the circumferential area of ​​the second gear 4, with its teeth, is guided, at least partially, during rotation by lubricant or oil from an oil pan 7 provided in the lower base of the gear housing 2, which serves as a lubricant inlet 10.The lubricant inlet 10 is located in the lower bottom area of ​​the gearbox housing 2 in a lubricant sump, so that lubricant from the lubricant circuit continuously flows back into the area of ​​the lubricant inlet 10 or is supplied to the lubricant inlet 10.

[0020] In Fig. In Figure 1, arrow 8 indicates the "short" direction of rotation and arrow 9 indicates the "long" direction of rotation of gear 4. The "short" direction of rotation means that after leaving the oil pan 7 of the lubricant inlet 10, the teeth of gear 4 pass through the tooth engagement area 6 before the teeth, for example, in the Fig. The lubricant flow shown in section 2 is reached.

[0021] The Fig. 2 and the Fig. Figure 3 shows an embodiment in which the casing 12 extends over the entire circumference of the gear 4, such that the pressure side with the lubricant outlet 11 is arranged on the circumference of the gear 4 at an angle of approximately 180 degrees to the lubricant inlet. The lubricant outlet 11, or pressure side, is connected to a lubricant channel 13, which carries the lubricant to the components requiring lubrication, such as the rolling bearings 15. Preferably, a lubricant channel 13 with a double-sided guide can be provided on the pressure side.

[0022] To reduce the thermal stress on the lubricant and the transmission components, each lubricant channel 13 can include a heat exchanger 14 and / or cooling fins, which help to cool the lubricant accordingly. In this embodiment, a heat exchanger 14 and cooling fins (not shown) are provided on the outer circumference of the transmission housing 2.

[0023] According to the invention, at least in one of the gears 3, 4, a housing-fixed casing 12 is provided, at least partially, in the area of ​​the teeth for guiding lubricant in the circumferential direction. In the Fig. 2 and Fig. In the illustrated embodiment 3, the casing 12 is essentially molded onto or attached to the oil pan 7 and forms a shape adapted to the circumference of the gear 4. It is evident that the casing 12 is locally recessed in the area of ​​the tooth engagement 6 between the gear 3 and the gear 4, allowing the tooth engagement to occur unimpeded. Laterally along the tooth engagement area 6, however, the casing 12 is closed, leaving only a narrow gap between the gear 4 and the casing 12 for lubricant supply.

[0024] With the aid of the casing 12, more lubricant can be conveyed from the lubricant inlet 10 around the circumference of the gear 4 to the lubricant outlet during rotation, even in a short direction of rotation. This is because the lubricant squeezed out by the gear mesh is also conveyed from the suction side towards the pressure side due to the pumping action in the gap between the rotating gear 4 and the casing 12. Furthermore, the casing 12 also improves lubricant flow by reducing churning losses.

[0025] In Fig. Figure 4 shows an embodiment of the gear arrangement in which the gear 4, which is provided with the casing 12, has a larger axial width than the gear 3. In this way, more lubricant can be conveyed circumferentially by the gear 4. Reference sign 1 gear stage 2 gearbox housings 3 first gear or drive gear 4 second gear or output gear 5 Wheelset axle 6 Tooth engagement area 7 Oil pan 8 Direction of rotation short 9 Direction of rotation long 10 Lubricant inlet or suction side 11 Lubricant drain or pressure side 12 Sheathing 13 Lubricant channel 14 heat exchangers 15 rolling bearings

Claims

Gear arrangement for a rail vehicle with at least one gear stage (1) comprising at least a first gear (3) as a drive gear and at least a second gear (4) as a driven gear in a gear housing (2), wherein at least one of the meshing gears (3, 4) of the gear stage (1) is assigned to at least one lubricant inlet (10) as the suction side and at least one lubricant outlet (11) as the pressure side of a lubricant supply for lubricant delivery via the toothing, wherein at least one of the gears (3, 4) has at least a sectionally fixed casing (12) along the toothing of the gear (3, 4) to increase the lubricant delivery in the circumferential direction from the lubricant inlet (10) to the lubricant outlet (11), wherein the casing (12) extends from a lubricant inlet (10) arranged in the lower region of the gear stage along the toothing of one of the two gears (3, 4)4) extending at least beyond a tooth engagement area (6) arranged between the two gears (3, 4), characterized in that the gear housing (2) is composed of two housing halves, wherein the two housing halves are substantially vertically separated, such that a parting line between the two housing halves lies substantially in a vertical plane that is arranged perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the encased gear (4), and that the encasement (12) is formed from parts of the two housing halves. Gear arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the casing (12) is provided for the second gear (4) which is designed as the output gear and has a larger diameter in relation to the diameter. Gear arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the casing (12) is formed on a lubricant tray (7) provided in the area of ​​the lubricant supply (10). Gear arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the axial width of the covered gear (4) is wider than the axial width of the other gear (3) to increase the lubricant delivery. Gear arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one of the gears (3, 4) has at least one lubricant delivery element for additional lubricant delivery. Gear arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lubricant drain (11) is connected to at least one lubricant channel (13) for supplying lubricant to rolling bearings (15), wherein the lubricant channel (13) is guided in the gear housing (2) in such a way that a heat exchanger (14) integrated in the gear housing is formed for lubricant cooling.

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