CAR BODY FOR A RAIL VEHICLE

Description

Technical area

[0001] The invention relates to a car body for a rail vehicle. State of the art

[0002] The wiring of rail vehicles is often carried out using prefabricated cable harnesses that are attached to the car body. The aim is to prefabricate the cable harness as completely as possible so that only a minimal amount of connection work needs to be carried out in the vehicle. Ideally, the cable harness is already equipped with all the necessary connectors. In practice, this is not feasible, as the cables often have to be routed through recesses that are smaller than the connector provided on the cable in question. This makes it necessary to mount this connector on the already installed cable, which leads to significantly increased labor costs. Another problem when fitting a cable harness to a car body is the installation position, which is typically below the car body floor.The cable harness is routed from below to the car body and is usually threaded through several recesses in the car body structure, for example, through the main cross members. The high strength requirements of the main cross members only allow small openings in them, so that cables to the car ends cannot usually be routed using pre-attached plug connectors. This entire assembly and connection process of a cable harness is therefore a time-consuming and labor-intensive operation, which usually has to be performed overhead. Another disadvantage is that the subsequent installation of connectors prevents a complete preliminary electrical test of the cable harness, and the error rate is increased due to the subsequent installation.

[0003] The document CN103935372B discloses an underframe of a car body comprising several interconnected hollow profiles, with cables running in the cavities.

[0004] DE102015209807A discloses extruded profile parts with cavities and openings of different sizes on both sides.

[0005] EP2093121A1 discloses an undercarriage of a rail vehicle in which a closable assembly opening is provided, whereby components and assemblies can be brought into the interior of the car body through the assembly opening. Description of the invention

[0006] The invention is therefore based on the object of providing a car body for a rail vehicle which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art and facilitates the assembly of a cable harness.

[0007] The object is achieved by a car body for a rail vehicle having the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments are the subject of subordinate claims.

[0008] According to the basic idea of ​​the invention, a car body for a rail vehicle is described, comprising an underframe, which is constructed from a plurality of light metal hollow profiles which are permanently connected to one another, wherein in the underframe over a certain longitudinal section of the car body a cover layer of a hollow profile facing the interior of the car is removed so that electrical lines can be introduced into the cavity thus exposed, and wherein on the cover layer of this hollow profile facing away from the interior of the car, recesses are arranged at certain points through which electrical lines can be passed.

[0009] This provides the advantage of being able to very easily arrange a cable harness on a car body, particularly avoiding the need to thread cables through light metal profiles. Furthermore, assembly work can be carried out largely from above, i.e., without overhead work.

[0010] According to the invention, a car body for a rail vehicle is equipped with an underframe of so-called integral construction, which is made up of a plurality of hollow profiles made of light metal that are permanently connected to one another. This construction method allows for rapid and largely automated production. The necessary machining steps, e.g., drilling or milling openings, can also be carried out automatically. The floor, as part of the underframe, is typically constructed of hollow profiles with a high width-to-thickness ratio, with several chambers provided between two cover layers, which are separated from the adjacent chamber by webs.

[0011] According to the invention, the cover layer of a hollow profile facing the interior of the rail vehicle is opened over a specific longitudinal section, for example by milling. The cavity beneath this cover layer becomes accessible, allowing a cable harness to be inserted into it.

[0012] It is particularly advantageous that other structural elements of the car body located below this open hollow profile, in particular the main cross members, do not hinder the installation of a cable harness. No recesses for cable routing are required in these structural elements.

[0013] In general, a wiring harness on a rail vehicle also serves to electrically connect underfloor devices, such as the air conditioning system, the auxiliary power converter, the vehicle battery, etc. All of these devices require electrical leads, so that openings must also be provided in the chamber of the hollow profile opened up for the installation of the wiring harness, pointing downwards, i.e. towards the underfloor devices. It is advantageous to design these openings so that the corresponding cable ends with pre-attached connectors can be passed through them. This eliminates the need for subsequent assembly work for these connectors. This is particularly advantageous because wiring harnesses are usually purchased as pre-tested parts, which makes electrical testing after installation of the wiring harness much easier.

[0014] The openings in the cover layers of one of the hollow profiles naturally weaken the structural integrity of this component. This can be counteracted, for example, by closing the openings with covers. The fastening elements must be suitable for permanently transmitting the expected forces. For this purpose, a cover can be welded to the hollow profile, but this makes subsequent modifications or repairs more difficult. Attaching the covers using screw connections or heavy-duty rivets is more complex during production but facilitates later access to the wiring harness.

[0015] In a further development of the invention, it is recommended to arrange the cable harness in a cable duct and to insert it together with the duct into the open cavity of the hollow profile. This simplifies the handling of the cable harness, as it can be inserted into the car body already in its installed position, i.e., with the cable ends correctly aligned, and handling of the electrical cables themselves can be reduced to a minimum.

[0016] A further advantage of a cable duct is that it can be used to restore the rigidity of the opened hollow profile. To do this, the cable duct must be made of a suitable material and strength and connected to the opened hollow profile. It is particularly advantageous that the cable duct can be made of stronger materials, for example, as a bent component made of sheet steel, and the weakening of the hollow profile made of light metal.

[0017] In addition to simplifying assembly, the present invention also saves space in the installation space below the base frame. Eliminating the wiring harness at this location frees up space for additional equipment, such as compressed air piping. Likewise, all fastening devices that would otherwise be required with conventional cable routing are eliminated. Brief description of the drawings

[0018] Examples include: Fig.1 Car body cross section. Fig.2 Hollow profile longitudinal section. Fig.3 Base frame. Fig.4 Base frame closed. Implementation of the invention

[0019] Fig.1shows, by way of example and schematically, a cross-section through a car body. It is a highly abstracted representation of a section through a car body transverse to the longitudinal axis. The car body 1 is of integral construction and comprises two longitudinal members 10, a main cross member 12 and hollow profiles 3, which form the floor of the car body 1. A side wall 11 is connected to each of the longitudinal members 10. Further components are not shown in this schematic representation, and the floor is only formed from two hollow profiles 3, whereas in practical applications several hollow profiles are common. In one of the hollow profiles 3, which each have several chambers with a closed cross-section, one of the cavities 4 is open towards the interior of the car so that electrical cables 5 can be introduced into this cavity 4.These electrical cables 5 run in the longitudinal direction of the car body 1 and are led out of this cavity 4 at certain positions.

[0020] Fig.2 shows an example and schematically a hollow profile in a longitudinal section. It shows a hollow profile 3 as in a car body 1 from Fig.1can be used. To clarify the installation position, the main cross members 12 of the car body 1 are shown. The hollow profile 3 comprises a cover layer 7 facing the car interior and a cover layer 8 facing away from the car interior. The cover layer 7 facing the car interior is open over a certain longitudinal section and the cavity 4 located underneath is exposed so that electrical cables can be introduced into this cavity 4 from above. To route these electrical cables to the underfloor containers arranged below the car body 1, recesses 6 are provided in the cover layer 8 facing away from the car interior, which recesses lead into the open cavity 4. Fig.2 shows that the routing of electrical cables in the cavity 4 significantly simplifies their installation and, in particular, completely avoids the complex routing through the main cross members 12.

[0021] Fig.3shows an example and schematically an underframe. It shows a practical embodiment of an underframe 2 in an oblique view from above. The underframe comprises two external longitudinal members 10 and a plurality of hollow profiles 3, which form the floor of the vehicle. In two of the hollow profiles 3, a cavity 4 is opened each and several recesses 6 are provided for guiding the electrical cables under the underframe 2. The embodiment shown shows that the cables are routed above the main cross member 12, so that cables can also be easily routed into the front areas of the car body without having to penetrate the main cross member 12. The recesses 6 can be closed after the electrical cables have been inserted, in particular with watertight cable glands.

[0022] Fig.4shows an example and schematically a closed base frame. It is the embodiment from Fig.3 shown, wherein the cavities 4 are closed by means of covers 9. The covers 9 are advantageously connected to the hollow profiles 3 of the base frame 2 in such a way that the strength, which was weakened by the opening of the cavity 4, is restored. List of designations

[0023] 1Car body 2Underframe 3Hollow profile 4Cavity 5Electrical cables 6Recess 7Cover layer, facing the interior of the car 8Cover layer, facing away from the interior of the car 9Cover 10Longitudinal member 11Side wall 12Main cross member

Claims

1. Car body (1) for a rail vehicle, comprising an underframe (2) constructed from a plurality of light metal hollow profiles (3) that are connected to one another in a non-detachable manner, characterised in that a top layer (7), which faces towards the car interior, of a hollow profile (3) is removed in the underframe (2) over a particular longitudinal section of the car body (1), so that electrical lines (5) can be introduced into the cavity (4) exposed as a result, and wherein recesses (6) are arranged on the top layer (8), which faces away from the car interior, of said hollow profile (3) at particular points, through which recesses it is possible to feed electrical lines (5), and wherein the cavity (4) exposed by removing the top layer (7), which faces towards the car interior, of a hollow profile (3) can be closed off by means of a cover (9) of the car body (1) after electrical cables (5) have been introduced, wherein the cover (9) can be connected to the underframe (2) in a non-detachable manner.

2. Car body (1) for a rail vehicle according to claim 1, characterised in that the cover (9) and the hollow profile (3) can be connected by means of a welded connection.

3. Car body for a rail vehicle (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that the cover (9) and the hollow profile (3) can be connected by means of a riveted connection.

4. Car body (1) for a rail vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the car body comprises electrical lines (5), characterised in that the electrical lines (5) are arranged on a cable duct and can be introduced into the exposed cavity (4) of the hollow profile (3) using said cable duct.

5. Car body (1) for a rail vehicle according to claim 4, characterised in that the cable duct is designed such that it can be connected to the hollow profile (3) in a permanent manner.