Lower longitudinal beam as a component of a supporting structure of a car body for a rail vehicle for passenger transport

Abstract

Lower longitudinal beam (602) as a component of a supporting structure of a car body (1) for a rail vehicle, wherein the lower longitudinal beam (602) is designed as a multi-chamber hollow profile extending over the entire length of the car body with at least two chambers (604) and is made entirely of fiber-reinforced plastic composite, wherein the chambers (604) of the multi-chamber hollow profile are separated from each other by webs (605) and surrounded by at least one outer wall (606), wherein the webs (605) and outer wall (606) each consist of one or more layers of fiber-reinforced plastic composite and the chambers are designed with a polygonal cross-section and are rounded at the corners, characterized in that the lower longitudinal beam (602) has a local reinforcement at least in one area of ​​the outer wall (606) and / or the web (605),wherein in the area of ​​local reinforcement of the lower longitudinal beam (602) filling areas (609) between individual layers of the fiber-reinforced plastic composite and / or filling gaps (610) are filled with continuous fibers.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a lower longitudinal member as a component of a supporting structure of a car body for a rail vehicle for passenger transport, in particular for use in short-distance operation, such as in underground and suburban railways, where the rail vehicles or the train units formed from them must be accelerated and braked at short intervals.

[0002] Conventional rail vehicle bodies consist of a tubular structure with two end walls, which are usually designed as a transition to an adjacent car body. Alternatively, the end wall can also be designed as a driver's cab.

[0003] In conventional construction, the car body consists of a chassis (also called the underbody), two side walls, and a roof. The assemblies, especially the side walls and roof, comprise a load-bearing, skeletal structure in which lightweight steel profiles are connected to each other or to a thin sheet metal panel that forms the outer cladding using conventional welding processes.

[0004] In addition to steel and lightweight steel profiles and thin sheets, lightweight and corrosion-resistant materials made of aluminum or aluminum alloys are increasingly being used for the supporting structure and cladding. The aluminum is installed as a chamber profile to achieve greater stability. However, even aluminum components are susceptible to corrosion if installed incorrectly.

[0005] Disadvantages of this differential construction method include the high cost of manufacturing the supporting structure and cladding elements, and the high susceptibility to corrosion due to the form-fitting or material-locking connection of the steel or lightweight steel components to each other or to other materials. Condensation, particularly in the area of ​​the window and door openings in the side walls, leads to severe corrosion, so that the load-bearing components in the area of ​​the side walls or in the transition area between the roof and the side wall must be replaced regularly after approximately 15 to 17 years.

[0006] In addition to the classic skeleton construction, especially for the roof and side wall components, there have been efforts for years to put alternative construction principles into practice.

[0007] For example, DE 196 19 212 A1 discloses the car body of a rail vehicle, which essentially consists of horizontal and vertical walls, wherein the horizontal walls serve to form a floor and a roof and the vertical walls, in particular those forming side walls, enable the installation of at least one window and an entrance door through corresponding cutouts.

[0008] For the production of the car body, modules are used which are made of fibre-reinforced plastic and which, in section perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the car body, form half modules.

[0009] The roof and floor walls have cavities and grooves that accommodate a continuous chord that can withstand tensile, compressive, and bending forces. The chord can be made of a metal profile, preferably fiber-reinforced plastic.

[0010] The fiber-reinforced plastics particularly preferably comprise glass, carbon, aramid, and / or natural fibers. The plastics intended as the matrix particularly preferably comprise epoxy resins, unsaturated polyester resins, vinyl ester resins, or phenolic resins.

[0011] From GB 2 030 934 A a body for a vehicle and a vehicle equipped with this body are known.

[0012] The body consists of modular sub-segments that are connected to each other in such a way that the segment modules also form part of the body roof. For this purpose, the sub-segments feature an angled extension.

[0013] To give the body the necessary strength, the individual modules are assembled in a stacked manner. The use of traditional construction materials, such as steel, leads to severe corrosion in the overlapping or joint areas of the adjacent sub-segments or segment modules. The prefabrication of the three-dimensionally shaped sub-segments and the profiles connecting them also requires a high level of manufacturing precision.

[0014] The individual modules are connected by vertically arranged columns, which, together with longitudinal beams in the floor area of ​​the car body, form the frame of the car body. To increase the rigidity of the entire structure, longitudinal beams are also arranged in the corners of the upper part of the car body.

[0015] DE 10 2009 045 202 B4 discloses a modular car body with a lightweight construction, which is also designed specifically for use in high-speed rail vehicles.

[0016] For this purpose, the car body for a passenger rail vehicle comprises several car body modules that are closed circumferentially around a longitudinal axis, with adjacent car body modules being connected to each other via circumferentially closed, ring-like coupling modules. Preferably, longitudinal beams are integrated in the lower area of ​​the car body to absorb the longitudinal forces.

[0017] This design principle has also been used for many years in the manufacture of aircraft fuselages, particularly for passenger transport.

[0018] DE 101 54 215 B4 discloses longitudinal members as part of a vehicle's supporting structure. These are formed by at least two parallel hollow profiles, thus offering lower weight and increased energy absorption capacity in the event of a crash compared to conventional design principles. The individual hollow profiles are made of sheet steel and arranged at a distance from each other, forming a free space, and are rigidly connected to each other at their ends.

[0019] EP 0 489 294 B1 describes a self-supporting car body for rail vehicles, constructed from modular components. To increase the car body's rigidity, upper and lower longitudinal members made of fiber-reinforced plastic profiles with a tubular cross-section are arranged in the four corner zones of the car body.

[0020] EP 2 660 119 A1 discloses a side wall of a rail vehicle body having both windows and access points, as well as at least one longitudinal member in a multi-chamber design extending across the length of the side wall. It is shown that the cross-sections of the chambers have sharp edges on the inside. The disadvantage of this design is that it results in excessive stress due to loading in these corner areas, thus damaging the material. As a result of this damage, failure of the component cannot be ruled out.

[0021] EP 0 577 940 A1 relates to a method for the integral production of an interior fitting for a car body with a self-supporting box structure, in which, in a first process step, an inner winding layer is wound onto a shaping, car body-sized winding core, in a second process step, channels in the ceiling area, shaping insulation bodies in corner areas and longitudinal metal rails in the floor area and in the side wall areas are connected to the inner winding layer, in a third process step, the space between the metal rails is filled with insulating foam, in a fourth process step, the composite produced in the previous process steps is wrapped with an outer winding layer,In a fifth process step, the interior fitting produced in the previous process steps is demolded from the forming winding core and, in a sixth process step, openings are made in the channels and holes are drilled in the side walls.

[0022] The object of the invention is to provide at least one lower longitudinal member for a car body which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.

[0023] According to the invention, the object is achieved by at least one lower longitudinal member for a car body according to independent claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

[0024] According to the invention, the lower longitudinal member is designed as a component of a supporting structure of a car body for a rail vehicle.

[0025] The lower longitudinal member is designed as a continuous multi-chamber hollow profile with at least two chambers across the entire length of the car body. This design of the lower longitudinal member advantageously achieves particularly high rigidity. The lower longitudinal member is made entirely of fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP). This significantly reduces the weight of the car body while maintaining stability, which in turn enables an increase in the payload of the rail vehicle. In particular, in subway trains, the specified train lengths and headway times allow significantly more people to be transported in the same amount of time. The chambers of the multi-chamber hollow profile of the lower longitudinal member are separated from one another by webs and surrounded by at least one outer wall. This advantageously allows individual chambers of the multi-chamber hollow profile of the lower longitudinal member to be manufactured separately using simple tools and methods.Alternatively, a more complex manufacturing process, such as pultrusion, can be used to achieve greater strength for the lower longitudinal member. The outer wall of the lower longitudinal member consists of one or more layers of fiber-reinforced plastic composite. This also advantageously reduces the weight of the car body while maintaining the same level of stability, which in turn enables an increase in the payload of the rail vehicle. The chambers of the lower longitudinal member are designed as polygonal hollow profiles with rounded corners. The polygonal hollow profiles advantageously give the lower longitudinal member increased stability and allow for easy production planning. The rounded corners of the lower longitudinal member prevent unnecessary stress on the fiber-reinforced plastic composite and make it less susceptible to breakage.At least one area (outer wall and / or web) of the multi-chamber hollow profile of the lower longitudinal member has local reinforcement. The local reinforcement is achieved by widening the space between the individual layers of the outer wall and / or webs, thus creating filling areas. The filling areas are filled with continuous fibers aligned along the longitudinal axis of the member. The cavities created by rounding the corners of the individual chambers, hereinafter referred to as filling gussets, are additionally filled with continuous fibers aligned along the longitudinal axis of the member. The filling gussets are particularly preferably filled with unidirectional ultra-high modulus fibers (UHM fibers). The car body preferably has two lower longitudinal members, which are arranged parallel and spaced from one another and each over the entire length of the car body.

[0026] The design of the lower longitudinal members as multi-chamber hollow sections made of a fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) material results in significantly reduced mass compared to conventional steel or aluminum profiles. Furthermore, the multi-chamber hollow sections of the lower longitudinal members advantageously absorb the longitudinal forces introduced into the car body.

[0027] The lower longitudinal members have at least two chambers, particularly preferably three or more chambers, which run continuously parallel to one another along the longitudinal axis of the longitudinal members.

[0028] Particularly preferably, the lower longitudinal members have no separation or joining points perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the member. Particularly preferably, the longitudinal members are arranged as one-piece components over the entire length of the car body.

[0029] Alternatively, the lower longitudinal members are formed from several individual areas, each of which is designed as independent sections along the longitudinal axis of the member, which are connected to one another at their end faces in a force-fitting and / or form-fitting and / or material-fitting manner using common joining methods.

[0030] Particularly preferably, the chambers of the multi-chamber hollow profiles are surrounded by an outer wall. Particularly preferably, the outer wall consists of one or more layers of at least one FRP material. Particularly preferably, the chambers of the multi-chamber hollow profiles are separated from one another by webs, with the longitudinal axes of the webs aligned along the longitudinal axis of the longitudinal members.

[0031] Preferably, both the outer wall of the multi-chamber hollow profile and the webs between the individual chambers of the multi-chamber hollow profiles are formed in one or more layers.

[0032] Particularly preferably, the filler areas are filled with ultra-high-modulus fibers (UHM fibers). Intermediate layers can preferably be inserted in the area of ​​local reinforcement of the lower longitudinal member.

[0033] Particularly preferably, the fibers within the individual layers that form the outer wall of the multi-chamber hollow profile and the webs between the individual chambers of the multi-chamber hollow profiles are unidirectionally and / or multiaxially aligned, particularly preferably with unidirectional and / or quadraxial alignment.

[0034] Preferably, both the layer structure of the outer wall of the multi-chamber hollow profile and the webs between the individual chambers of the multi-chamber hollow profiles are produced alternately from individual layers with unidirectional and multi-axial, particularly preferably quadraxial, fiber orientation, wherein the individual layers with multi-axial fiber orientation particularly preferably comprise fabric.

[0035] Particularly preferably, the longitudinal members are manufactured using the known pultrusion process.

[0036] Preferably, the lower longitudinal members can be connected to the floor and / or the side wall and / or the end cross members of a car body for a rail vehicle.

[0037] The lower longitudinal members are preferably designed as multi-chamber hollow profiles with an optionally varying number of chambers along the length, with at least two chambers, particularly preferably three chambers, extending continuously along the longitudinal axis of the longitudinal members. Particularly preferably, the multi-chamber hollow profile of a lower longitudinal member has two chambers at least in a region of the length of the lower longitudinal member.

[0038] Particularly preferably, at least one of the chambers of the multi-chamber hollow profile of the lower longitudinal member is formed as a rectangular polygon in cross-section. Particularly preferably, the individual chambers of the lower longitudinal member have polygonal cross-sections, particularly preferably triangular and / or quadrangular cross-sections. Particularly preferably, the cross-section of a chamber has rounded corners. The rounding of the corners corresponds to the permissible bending radius of the reinforcing fibers used in the FRP material. Alternatively, the cross-section of a chamber has non-rounded corners. The juxtaposition of the individual chambers results in the profile of the lower longitudinal member.

[0039] The fiber-reinforced plastics particularly preferably comprise glass, carbon, aramid, and / or natural fibers. The plastics intended as the matrix particularly preferably comprise epoxy resins, unsaturated polyester resins, vinyl ester resins, or phenolic resins.

[0040] Preferably, a lower longitudinal member has a smaller number of chambers in at least one portion of the length of the member than in another portion of the length of the member. The recesses created by reducing the number of chambers can advantageously serve for the positive connection of the two lower longitudinal members to a cross member or a structural element suitable for accommodating a bogie.

[0041] Preferably, the reduction in the number of chambers of the lower longitudinal member is achieved in a downstream process step by means of exciting manufacturing processes, e.g., milling.

[0042] Preferably, the variation in the number of chambers of the lower longitudinal member results from a series of multi-chamber hollow profiles with different numbers of chambers along the longitudinal axis of the member.

[0043] For the realization of the invention, it is also expedient to combine the above-described inventive embodiments, embodiments and features of the claims in each arrangement. Examples of implementation

[0044] The invention will be explained in more detail below using an exemplary embodiment. This exemplary embodiment is intended to describe the invention without limiting it.

[0045] The invention is explained in more detail with the aid of drawings. These show: Fig. 1 Exploded view of a car body with the lower longitudinal members according to the invention, Fig. 2 Section of a lower longitudinal member and cross sections at various points of the lower longitudinal member, Fig. 3 Detailed view of a lower longitudinal member in cross section.

[0046] Fig. Figure 1 shows an exploded view of a car body 1 in which the lower longitudinal members 602 according to the invention are installed. Furthermore, the following components of the car body are shown: the upper longitudinal members 601, the side wall segments 301, the vertical columns 304, the end wall 501, the individual roof segments 201, and the floor segments 401.

[0047] Fig. 2 shows a section of a lower longitudinal member 602 as a component of a supporting structure of a car body for a rail vehicle ( Fig. 2A) and the corresponding cross-section looking along the longitudinal axis of the beam ( Fig. 2B) and a cross-section through a partial area of ​​the length of the lower longitudinal member 602 with a reduced number of chambers ( Fig. 2C). Fig. 2C shown number of chambers in the cross-section of the lower longitudinal member 602 is compared to the Fig. The number of chambers shown in Figure 2B in the cross-section of the lower longitudinal member 602 was reduced by removing the hollow chamber 604 designated by number II by machining, e.g., by milling. Webs 605 are arranged between the hollow chambers 604. The hollow chambers 604 of the lower longitudinal member 602 have rounded corners 603.

[0048] Fig. 3 shows a cross section of a lower longitudinal member 602 analogous to that in Fig.2B, in particular a detailed view of the fiber layer structure. The lower longitudinal members 602 are manufactured in a continuous hybrid pultrusion process (e.g., pullwinding or pullbraiding process) with three cores and a constant number of chambers over the length of 21 m. The lower longitudinal member 602 has three hollow chambers 604, identified by Roman numerals I to III, with polygonal cross-sections, one chamber (III) having a triangular cross-section and two chambers (I, II) having a quadrangular cross-section, each with rounded corners 603. The outer wall 606 and the webs 605 between the individual chambers 604 are each formed from 4 layers of quadraxial fabric with an individual thickness of 1.8 mm and a fiber orientation of 0°, -45°, +45°, and 90°. Load-bearing areas of the lower longitudinal member 602, the upper chord 607 and the lower chord 608, have a differentiated layer structure.Here, in addition to the four layers of the outer wall 606, two intermediate layers 611 of quadraxial fabric with a thickness of 1.8 mm are inserted. In the filling areas 609 between the individual layers, 3 mm thick layers of unidirectional UHM fibers are inserted. Due to the intermediate layers 611 and the filling areas 609 filled with UHM fibers, the lower longitudinal beam 602 has local reinforcement in the upper chord 607 and the lower chord 608. The filling gussets 610, which result from the rounding of the corners 603, are filled with UHM fibers.

[0049] In this embodiment, a lower longitudinal member 602 has dimensions of 21030 mm x 215 mm x 232 mm (length x width x height) and a mass of approximately 370 kg. Reference symbol 1 car body 201 roof segment 301 side wall segment 304 Vertical Column 401 ground segment 501 front wall 601 Upper longitudinal member 602 Lower longitudinal member 603 rounded corner 604 hollow chamber 605 Bridge 606 Outer wall of the lower longitudinal member 607 Upper chord 608 lower chord 609 Filling area 610 filling gussets 611 intermediate layers

Claims

[1] Lower longitudinal member (602) as a component of a supporting structure of a car body (1) for a rail vehicle, wherein the lower longitudinal member (602) is designed as a multi-chamber hollow profile with at least two chambers (604) extending over the entire car body length and consists entirely of fiber-reinforced plastic composite, wherein the chambers (604) of the multi-chamber hollow profile are separated from one another by webs (605) and surrounded by at least one outer wall (606), wherein the webs (605) and outer wall (606) each consist of one or more layers of fiber-reinforced plastic composite and the chambers are designed with a polygonal cross-section and are rounded at the corners, characterized bythat the lower longitudinal member (602) has a local reinforcement at least in one region of the outer wall (606) and / or the web (605), wherein in the region of the local reinforcement of the lower longitudinal member (602) filling regions (609) between individual layers of the fiber-reinforced plastic composite and / or filling gussets (610) are filled with continuous fibers. [2] Lower longitudinal member (602) according to claim 1, characterized by that the multi-chamber hollow profile of a lower longitudinal member has two chambers (604) at least in a partial area of the length of the longitudinal member. [3] Lower longitudinal member (602) according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized by that the chambers (604) of the lower longitudinal member (602) are formed with a triangular and / or quadrangular cross-section. [4] Lower longitudinal member (602) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized bythat at least one chamber (604) of the lower longitudinal member (602) is formed in cross-section as a rectangular polygon. [5] Lower longitudinal member (602) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by that at least one intermediate layer (611) is arranged in the region of the local reinforcement of the lower longitudinal member (602). [6] Lower longitudinal member (602) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized by that the fiber-reinforced plastic composite comprises glass, carbon, aramid, basalt, textile and / or natural fibers in a matrix of thermoplastic or thermosetting plastics. [7] Lower longitudinal member (602) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized by that the thermosetting plastics include epoxy resins, unsaturated polyester resins, PU resins, vinyl ester resins or phenolic resins. [8] Lower longitudinal member (602) according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized bythat the fibers of the fiber-reinforced plastic composite are unidirectionally and / or multiaxially aligned. [9] Lower longitudinal member (602) according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by that the outer wall (606) and the webs (605) are formed from a fiber-reinforced plastic composite with alternating individual layers with unidirectional and multiaxial, in particular quadraxial, fiber orientation. [10] Lower longitudinal member (602) according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized by that the fibers of the fiber-reinforced plastic composite are introduced as rovings, nonwovens, scrims, woven fabrics and / or braids. [11] Use of at least one lower longitudinal member (602) according to one of the preceding claims as a component of a supporting structure of a car body (1) for a rail vehicle for passenger transport for use in short-distance operation, such as in underground and suburban railways, in which the rail vehicles or the train units formed from them are accelerated and braked at short intervals.

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