Pallet for receiving at least one wheel set of a rail vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a pallet (10, 20) for receiving at least one wheel set (1, 2) of a rail vehicle, comprising a respective centring receiving means for each wheel of the at least one wheel set (1, 2). This allows for economical storage of wheel sets of rail vehicles. According to the invention, this is achieved in that each centring receiving means is in a paired arrangement of two rollers (14) rotationally moveably mounted about a respective axis of rotation relative to the pallet (10), wherein both axes of rotation are orientated in parallel to one another and spaced apart in a direction perpendicular to both axes of rotation, forming a free receiving space between the two rollers (14), and wherein both rollers (14) are orientated relative to one another in the longitudinal direction of the axes of rotation in such a way that their surfaces are in contact with the running surface of a wheel mounted in the receiving space.

Description

[0001] Pallet for holding at least one wheelset of a rail vehicle

[0002] The invention relates to a pallet for receiving at least one wheelset of a rail vehicle, comprising a centering receiving means for each wheel of the at least one wheelset.

[0003] The wheelsets of rail vehicles are regularly replaced when they reach their service life. For this reason, rail vehicle operators keep a significant amount of these wheelsets in stock at their respective operations and maintenance depots to minimize the downtime of rail vehicles associated with wheelset replacement. Pallets are used to store wheelsets in specially equipped wheelset warehouses, such as those known from DE 102008 014 803 U1 or DE 202005016 658 U1. These pallets, known from the prior art, each comprise a paired arrangement of two centering support devices mounted on a frame movable by means of mechanical lifting or gripping devices, in which the two wheels of a wheelset can be held stably under the effect of gravity.The support means are designed as inclined support surfaces arranged essentially in a V-shape to one another, the surfaces of which are covered with plastic to prevent damage to the running surfaces and profiles of the mounted wheel sets.

[0004] Nevertheless, the wheelsets stored in this way must be removed from the pallets at regular intervals and subjected to dynamic loading by rolling on a rail track. This serves to prevent internal damage to the wheelset bearings, which can otherwise be caused by prolonged static loading. However, this requires a high level of personnel effort for removing and reloading the wheelsets to be stored.

[0005] The invention is therefore based on the technical object of providing a pallet for receiving at least one wheel set of a rail vehicle, comprising a centering receiving means for each wheel of the at least one wheel set, which overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages and in particular

[0006] Confirmation copy enables more cost-effective stocking of wheel sets for rail vehicles.

[0007] This is achieved according to the invention in that each centering receiving means is designed as a paired arrangement of two rollers, each mounted rotatably about a rotational axis with respect to the pallet, wherein both axes of rotation are aligned parallel to one another and spaced apart in a direction perpendicular to both axes of rotation, forming a free receiving space between the two rollers, and wherein both rollers are aligned relative to one another in the longitudinal direction of the axes of rotation such that their surfaces are in contact with the running surface of a wheel mounted in the receiving space. In this way, a wheelset mounted on the pallet can be rotated to avoid storage damage without having to be removed from the pallet.

[0008] According to a particularly preferred further development of the inventive concept, at least one roller is drivable. For this purpose, the roller can either have its own motor drive (e.g., an electric motor integrated into the roller) or be drivable by means of an external motor via a suitable adapter (e.g., by manually coupling a conventional motor-driven handheld screwdriver). The latter embodiment is particularly preferred because it does not require a power supply for the pallet, thereby significantly reducing the manufacturing and operating costs for the pallet.

[0009] The present invention is explained in more detail below using an exemplary embodiment and the accompanying drawing. It shows:

[0010] Figure 1: Side view of two pallets according to the invention stacked on top of each other

[0011] Figure 1 shows two pallets (10, 20) stacked vertically on top of each other, each loaded with a wheelset (1, 2) of a rail vehicle. Both pallets (10, 20) are structurally identical, which is why the invention is only explained with reference to one of the two pallets (10). The pallet (10) consists of longitudinal and transverse beams (11, 12) arranged at right angles to one another. Longitudinal beams are those beams whose longitudinal extent is aligned parallel to the longitudinal axis of the wheelset axle of the wheelset loaded on the pallet. In the context of this exemplary embodiment, this direction is also referred to as the “longitudinal direction of the pallet”. The orientation of the transverse beams perpendicular to this is referred to below as the “transverse direction of the pallet”. Two longitudinal beams are designed as hollow box profiles (12) into which the lifting device of a forklift truck can be inserted.Furthermore, the pallet comprises four vertical supports (13) at each of its corners, the upper ends of which are designed as support points for another pallet (20), so that the pallets can also be stacked vertically. Furthermore, the pallet (10) has two support means, with a separate support means being provided for each wheel of the wheelset (1). Each support means is formed from a paired arrangement of two rollers (14), which are each rotatably mounted in a bearing block (15) and spaced from one another in the transverse direction of the pallet. This intermediate space between the two rollers (14) forms the support space for the wheel of the wheelset (1). The bearing blocks (15) can be detachably fastened to a rail (16) so that their positioning and spacing from one another can be changed in the transverse direction of the pallet. However, with a simpler and more robust pallet design, such adjustability of the bearing blocks can also be omitted.Furthermore, both support means are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the pallet such that the distance between the two rollers (14) corresponds to the track width of the wheelset (1). Adjustability of the support means in the longitudinal direction of the pallet is conceivable, but in most cases unnecessary, provided the respective pallet is designed exclusively to accommodate wheelsets of a fixed track width. Additionally, the wheelset can be secured in the frame by means of tensioning straps or similar means (not shown in Figure 1).

[0012] List of reference symbols:

[0013] 1, 2 wheel sets 10, 20 pallets

[0014] 11 cross members

[0015] 12 hollow box longitudinal beams

[0016] 13 vertical beams

[0017] 14 Roller 15 Bearing block

[0018] 16 rail

Claims

Patent claims 1. Pallet (10, 20) for receiving at least one wheelset (1, 2) of a rail vehicle, comprising a centering receiving means for each wheel of the at least one wheelset (1, 2), characterized in that each centering receiving means is designed as a paired arrangement of two rollers (14) mounted in relation to the pallet (10) so as to be rotatable about a respective rotational axis, wherein both axes of rotation are aligned parallel to one another and are spaced apart in a direction perpendicular to both axes of rotation to form a free receiving space between the two rollers (14), and wherein both rollers (14) are aligned relative to one another in the longitudinal direction of the axes of rotation such that their surfaces are in contact with the running surface of a wheel mounted in the receiving space.

2. Pallet for receiving at least one wheel set of a rail vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one roller (14) is drivable

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