WO1995000377A1

WO1995000377A1 - Ground effect railway

Info

Publication number: WO1995000377A1
Application number: PCT/EP1994/002090
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jörgen BROSOW
Original assignee: Geoconsult G.M.B.H.
Priority date: 1993-06-28
Filing date: 1994-06-28
Publication date: 1995-01-05
Also published as: AU7124794A

Abstract

A ground effect railway has a track (10), at least a vehicle (12) and an air cushion (14) arranged between the track (10) and the vehicle (12). The air cushion (14) extends over substantially the whole width of the vehicle and is laterally delimited by walls (16, 18) which extend above the top surface (20) of the track (10).

Description

Floor effect track

The invention relates to a floor effect track.

Ground effect vehicles are known. An example is the so-called hovercraft (British Patent 1 221 729 from 1968/69). There are also track-bound floor effect vehicles, ie floor effect trains, known (published patent application DE 3406013 AI from 1984, US Patent 3,233,559).

In the known railways, rails are used for tracking. The air cushion is usually generated between the respective rail and a corresponding counter surface on the vehicle or wagon. This means that only a relatively small area is available for the air cushion. With a small effective area, however, the pressure in the Air cushions to be very high to generate the force required to lift the cart. Furthermore, rails require a relatively high amount of material and construction.

If the majority of the underside of the vehicle is used as a support surface for the supporting air cushion and at the same time uses a lightweight vehicle construction, one only needs an excess pressure of 2-3% of the atmospheric pressure in order to keep the vehicle in suspension. Since the vehicle is in a lane, the pressure in the lane is the same as in the air cushion under the vehicle. As long as the vehicle is in a straight lane, the lateral forces are very low. If the air cushion has a width of 2 m and the depth of the track is 10 cm, the greatest possible lateral forces in both tracks are only approx. 5% of the total weight of the vehicle.

These small side forces are sufficient to stabilize the vehicle in the lane at low speed. At medium speeds, larger lateral forces can arise transversely to the direction of travel, which are triggered by the fact that the lane in which the vehicle is being guided can never be perfectly straight. These lateral forces can then become so great that there is mechanical contact in the track. Depending on the curve radius and speed, and whether the curve is metered or not, lateral forces can arise in an interval of 10 to 30% of the vehicle weight.

If these side forces are to be absorbed by an air cushion, it is therefore of great importance that the air cushion extends over the entire length of the vehicle, but this is generally not the case and certainly not when entering a curve. If the side walls of the vehicle are designed as straight segments, mechanical contact with the track from the above can be achieved Reasons can never be completely avoided. It is therefore very important to keep this contact and the side forces that result from it to a minimum. By filling the lane with a liquid that is heavier than air, some of the lateral forces in the lane can be dampened, and with it the impact load on the side walls.

In curves, these lateral forces, which are further increased by the centrifugal force, can be kept within controllable limits by an automatic inclination of the vehicle (FIG. 10). Here an automatic air chamber change, which is triggered by the centrifugal force in the curves and is directly dependent on the speed, can keep the lateral forces within normal limits.

The invention is therefore based on the object of creating a floor effect track which can also run on railway tracks, in which the pressure to be generated in the supporting air cushion for lifting the wagon is as low as possible and also - if necessary - for locomotion of the Vehicles can be used, and in which the route can be built or adapted without great expenditure of material and labor.

According to the invention, the object is achieved by a floor effect track with a route, at least one car and an air cushion between the route and the car, the air cushion essentially extending over the entire width of the car and being laterally delimited by walls which extend beyond the top of the route. The car can also be a so-called boggy (car bogie).

Because the air cushion extends essentially over the entire width of the vehicle, its area can be maximized, as a result of which the air cushion pressure required for lifting the vehicle is minimized, and the air flowing out provides the vehicles with a suitable air flow control. direction and the air noise is kept to a minimum. The walls extending over the top of the route allow the carriage to be guided on the route without the need for rails or the like. In other words, the walls themselves serve as guides along a predetermined path.

Consequently, only a small amount of power is required to produce the air cushion between the car and the route and, if provided on the route, to move the car in a predetermined direction of travel. Furthermore, normal road surfaces can serve as a route. It is not necessary to provide rails standing on the route.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the walls are attached to the carriage. Longitudinal slots can be provided in the route at a distance from the walls. This results in a further simplification in the formation of the route. Namely, only an existing route, such as a road, has to be provided with longitudinal slots in order to form the route. The route can also be created by providing corresponding slots in any area, for example in a port or other container transshipment point. Movement of the wagons can be achieved by providing the route with a suitable surface structure. It is not necessary to lay rails or the like.

In addition, it is possible to convert existing conventional rail routes into a route according to the invention by, for example, filling a filling made of concrete within the rail track. The grooves on the right and left of the rail track, which then serve as slots, are used not only in a conventional manner, but also as a route for the floor effect track according to the invention. With regard to cornering, it is preferred according to the invention that at least one wall can be pivoted about a vertical axis in order to obtain the largest possible air cushion.

It can be provided that at least one wall is divided into segments which are connected to one another by flexible, airtight intermediate pieces. This configuration also enables tighter curves to be negotiated without the risk of the car tilting horizontally.

In order to be able to absorb the lateral forces in the lane better when cornering, the track grooves can be angled slightly inwards and outwards, in order to avoid vertical tilting of the vehicle and thus excessive stress on the side walls when cornering.

In addition, any conventional drive type can be used to drive the car, e.g. a drive wheel in the middle of the air cushion route.

However, it can also be provided that the car or cars is / are pulled and / or pushed by at least one conventional rail car with conventional traction. The advantage is again used that no rails are required for tracking.

In particular with a view to operating the ground effect track according to the invention in tunnels, it is preferred according to the invention that the drive is electric. A microwave link can be provided for the energy supply.

The air cushion can be generated or maintained by a single fan. However, are preferred several fans distributed over the air cushion surface to generate or maintain the air cushion. Naturally, several (smaller) fans have to rotate faster than a single fan in order to produce the same air cushion. There is also the advantage that one or more fans can be used to move the wagon if a suitable surface structure of the route is provided.

With the increase in speed, however, there is also an increase in the frequency of the noise generated by the fans at the air separation edges. A substantial proportion of the noise generated by the fans can thus have a frequency which is above the human hearing threshold, as a result of which a further reduction in noise pollution from the floor effect path can be achieved.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the floor effect web according to the invention, a device is provided for maintaining the alignment of the carriage. Particularly when the car is loaded unevenly, such a "load balancing" may be necessary, which restores the horizontal alignment of the car. Such load balancing can be achieved, for example, by appropriately designed actuation of a plurality of fans distributed over the air cushion surface.

With regard to the possibility of using a conventional railcar with conventional traction, the route according to the invention is preferably essentially flat. By essentially flat here it is meant that the surface should enable a motor car to travel along. In this sense, for example, routes are also considered to be essentially level, which have a curvature so that rainwater can run off. A conventional road route with a concrete or asphalt surface or the like is preferred as the route. One or more metal rails can be provided in the route. Such a metal rail need not have a complicated shape. This is because it serves essentially only two purposes: on the one hand, it serves as a friction surface when braking. For this purpose, a corresponding counter surface is then provided on the carriage, which comes into frictional engagement with the rail when the air cushion is reduced by lowering the pressure. This enables safe braking. On the other hand, the metal rail can serve as an electrical reference pole if the drive and / or the unit for generating the air cushion pressure are electrically implemented.

In the station area and in the area of stop signals, it may be necessary for safety reasons to provide for emergency braking or emergency braking. A controllable air discharge device can therefore be provided in the route in such a holding area. By activating the air discharge device, it is possible for the air cushion carrying the carriage to collapse, as a result of which the carriage (on the rail) touches down and is braked.

The air discharge device can have at least one air inlet opening in the top of the route and at least one controllable air outlet opening connected therewith.

The top view of the route of the air inlet opening can have a cross section that increases in the direction of travel. As a result, a non-linear relationship is achieved between the movement of the car and the dismantling of the air cushion, which allows the air cushion to be dismantled very slowly at the beginning (measured in terms of the driving speed). However, there may also be small slits made in the route at right angles to the direction of travel. These slots can also be used for speed speed reduction in front of bends, in order to achieve a too high cornering speed and thus a reduction in the centrifugal force generated in the bends. It goes without saying that the slots can be controlled in order to avoid an excessive pressure drop at low speeds.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, at least one switch is provided. The switch can be formed by adjustable tongues.

It can also be formed by one or two engagement elements which optionally engage in two or one recess (s), the engagement element (s) on the carriage or the route and the recess (s) on the route or is attached to the car.

According to the invention, an intersection can also be provided.

As a result of air escaping into the unused branch of a switch or an intersection, the pressure in the air cushion can drop as the car passes by. Therefore, according to the invention, a device for protection against pressure drop in the air cushion in the switch and crossing area can be provided. This ensures that the air cushion carries the carriage reliably even in the area of points and crossings and that there is no risk of it coming down.

It is particularly preferred to provide a device for controlling the device for protection against pressure drop. In other words, it can be provided, for example, that a wall or the like is raised from a recess in the route when the switch is set. This wall would have to be arranged in such a way that it seals the air cushion of a car traveling over the switch against the unused branch of the switch. In the case of an intersection where there is a and there is no connection between two branches, the corresponding wall for sealing the air cushion of a car crossing the intersection against the unused branches of the intersection can be activated by a sensor which detects the approaching of a cart.

It is further preferred according to the invention that two or more fans are used to generate the air cushion, which are arranged in such a way that the reaction torques acting on the carriage essentially compensate each other. This prevents - similar to a helicopter - the car from rotating against the direction of rotation of the fan.

Finally, it can be provided according to the invention that the ventilator (s) of a carriage also feeds the air cushion of one or more neighboring carriages.

The invention is explained in more detail below with the aid of preferred exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawing. Show

1 schematically shows an exemplary embodiment of the floor effect track according to the invention in the design of a tunnel track, different versions of switch elements being shown on the left and right;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic sectional view of the "driving" frame of a carriage according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, different configurations of securing devices being shown on the left and right;

3 shows a schematic horizontal section of a wagon when cornering; 4 shows an axonometric representation of two exemplary embodiments of a switch;

5 shows the two switches according to FIG. 4 in plan view;

6 shows a further embodiment of a switch in plan view;

Fig. 7 is a schematic perspective view of a

Stopping area; and

FIG. 8 is a schematic horizontal sectional view of the holding area according to FIG. 7;

9 shows a schematic illustration of the track for cornering;

10 is a schematic representation of cornering,

11 shows a combined route for mixed traffic of conventional railways and a floor effect railway; and

12 shows a railway line with an air cushion travel bed for mixed operation.

1 schematically shows a version of the floor effect track according to the invention, which is designed as a tunnel track. The floor effect track according to the invention is particularly suitable for tunnel tracks because it does not require rails which increase the overall height. A tunnel is naturally the more expensive the larger its cross-section.

1 shows a carriage 12 on both sides. The carriage 12 slides on an air cushion 14 between the carriage 12 and a route 10. The air cushion is delimited by side walls 16 and 18. Of course, a front and a rear wall are also provided, but are not shown for reasons of simplification.

It is expressly pointed out that FIG. 1 in particular does not represent a true-to-scale reproduction. In particular, the air cushion 14 is actually much wider relative to the carriage 12. It is only shown so narrowly for demonstration reasons, because otherwise the other details, which will be referred to later, could not have been shown in sufficient size.

The side walls 16 and 18 engage slots 22 and 24, respectively. The slots 22 and 24 can have a U-shaped cross section. However, they can also have an L-shaped cross section (right side) or a beveled cross section (left side) as shown in FIG. 2. The cross sections shown in FIG. 2 are suitable for providing safety devices in the form of impellers 17 or 19a and 19b. The safety devices 17 and 19a and 19b serve to keep the car in the lane in any case. In normal operation, however, the system operates in a self-regulating manner, which means that, on the one hand, the clear height of the carriage 12 above the top 20 of the route and the respective distance between the side walls 16 and 18 from the slotted walls are automatically adjusted to a respective normal value and keep this normal value. If the carriage 12 lifts too far from the top 20 of the route, a great deal of air can escape from the air cushion 14 through the correspondingly opening slots 22 and 24 and on the front and rear walls of the air cushion already mentioned, which leads to a corresponding pressure drop in the air cushion 14. The carriage 12 will therefore lower again until a balance is reached. The same applies to the lateral spacing of the walls 16 and 18 from the respective lateral boundaries of the slots 22 and 24: the narrower the stated spacing, the greater the pressure in this area, so that an equilibrium is also established here. For this reason - as mentioned above - the wheels 17 and 19a and 19b are not required for the actual operation of the train. They only serve as security against "derailment".

The element designated by reference number 13 in FIG. 2 is a fan which conveys air from outside the car down into the air cushion 14.

For the sake of completeness, it should also be pointed out that no outer side walls of the slots 22 and 24 are shown in FIG. 2 in order not to overload the illustration unnecessarily with details.

3, the side walls 16 and 18 can each be divided into segments 16a, 16b and 18a, 18b. The segments can be pivoted about axes 26, 28, 30 or 32. They are connected to one another via flexible, airtight intermediate pieces 34, 36. As a result, the air cushion limitation can approximately adapt to the contour of the route 10 when cornering. As shown in FIG. 3, the individual side wall segments 16a 16b 18a and 18b are approximately tangential to the route by pivoting accordingly about their respective pivot axes 26, 28, 30 and 32, respectively. The flexible, airtight intermediate pieces 34 and 36 serve to bridge the mutual distance between adjacent wall segments which changes as a result of the pivoting of adjacent wall segments. Of course, not only two, but also three or more wall segments can be provided on a carriage. The number of wall segments and their length result from the slot width and the minimally occurring curve radius.

4 to 6, configurations of switches are shown. 4 and 5 correspond to the right and left side in Fig. 1. With a switch the route 10 is divided into a route 10a and a route 10b.

According to FIGS. 4 and 5, a guide bar 46 is provided for guiding a carriage traveling on the route 10 in the direction of the route 10a, which is vertically movable and, when actuated, that is to say in the upwardly extended position, into a (in 1) recess 47 engages the carriage 12, whereby the carriage 12 is guided in the direction of the route 10a. The strip 46 can be provided with rollers or the like to reduce friction. This version is preferred in the case of external control of the web.

Alternatively, a guide element 42 or 44 (shown on the left in FIG. 1) can optionally engage in a corresponding recess 50 (FIG. 5), as a result of which the carriage is guided in the direction of the route 10b. The guide element 42 or 44 is then also provided with a roller to reduce the friction. This version therefore represents the exact reverse of the version described above. It is preferred when the car 12 is self-controlled.

According to the exemplary embodiment of a switch according to FIG. 6, tongues 38 and 40 are provided, which optionally connect the slots 22 and 24 to the slots 22a or 24a or to the slots 22b or 24b. In this version, the track guidance takes place exclusively through the side walls 16 and 18.

All three switch versions can be combined with one another as required.

A holding area of the web is shown schematically in FIGS. 7 and 8. Such a stopping area may be required in train stations or in the vicinity of signaling systems to ensure that the wagon stops safely on the route.

In the version of the holding area shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, an air discharge device, generally designated 52, is provided. The air discharge device 52 has an air inlet opening 54 with a triangular cross section in the upper side 20 of the route 10. The air inlet opening 54 is connected to air outlet openings 56, 58 and 60 via channels 62, 64 and 66 shown schematically in FIG. 8. The air outlet openings 56, 58 and 60 can be controlled, opened and closed. The air discharge openings can also be slots lying transversely to the roadway, which are opened or closed individually as required and depending on the speed reduction. If the car is to be stopped safely, for example in the area of a signal prohibiting further travel or in the station, the air outlet openings 56, 58 and 60 are opened. As a result, the air cushion 14 collapses as soon as the carriage passes over the stopping area. The car touches down and is braked.

The triangular shape of the air inlet opening 54, the cross section of which increases in the direction of travel, offers the possibility of creating a non-linear relationship between the forward movement of the car and the removal of the air cushion. As a result, the car can first be braked less and then increasingly more. Such a non-linear control can also be achieved by correspondingly different opening of the air outlet openings 56, 58 and 60.

Fig. 9 shows a line cross section with angled slots, which are open in a trapezoidal shape, and a carriage in a straight track.

Fig. 10 shows a line cross section as in Fig. 9 and a car in a curve. Fig. 11 shows a line cross section with inwardly angled track slots.

12 shows a railway line with an air cushion travel bed for mixed operation.

Not shown in the drawings is a metal rail embedded in or next to the route, which on the one hand serves for reliable braking, in particular in the stopping area, and on the other hand serves as a reference pole for a possible electrical drive of the fan 13 and / or the carriage itself. Accordingly, a corresponding device on the carriage 12 is preferably provided above the metal rail, which, for the purpose of braking, can either be lowered relative to the carriage 12 or by air cushion removal with the carriage 12 onto the rail in the route 10.

The car (s) 12 can be pulled and / or pushed by a railcar. In this case, no separate drive must be provided on the carriage 12.

To supply power to the fan 13 for building the air cushion 14, a current-carrying line (for example contact wire) can be provided above or next to the route 10 in addition to the rail for the reference pole. However, all other types of energy supply are also conceivable, such as a microwave link or the like.

The carriages 12 can be passenger carriages as shown in FIG. 1. Of course, the wagons can also be designed as "chassis" that carry passenger cells or containers. Also one

Designing the wagons as pure freight wagons is conceivable.

The features of the invention disclosed in the above description, the claims and the drawings can both individually and in any combination for the implementation of the invention in its various embodiments may be essential.

Claims

Expectations :

1. Bodeneffektbahn, with a route (10), at least one carriage (12) and an air cushion (14) between the route (10) and the carriage (12), the air cushion (14) extending substantially over the entire width of the carriage and is laterally delimited by walls (16, 18) which extend beyond the top (20) of the route (10).

2. Floor effect web according to claim 1, characterized gekenn¬ characterized in that the walls (16, 18) on the carriage (12) are attached.

3. Floor effect web according to claim 2, characterized by longitudinal slots (22, 24) in the route (10) at a distance from the walls (16, 18).

4. Floor effect track according to claim 2, characterized da¬ in that the longitudinal slots are arranged at an angle to the center of the route.

5. floor effect web according to claim 2 or 3, characterized ge indicates that at least one wall (16, 18) about a vertical axis (26, 28, 30, 32) is pivotable.

6. Floor effect web according to claim 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that at least one wall (16, 18) is divided into segments (16a, 16b; 18a, 18b), which are interconnected by a flexible, airtight intermediate piece (34, 36) are connected.

7. Floor effect track according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a route construction that enables individual movement of the car or cars.

8. Floor effect train according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the car or cars (12) are pulled and / or pushed / are pushed by at least one conventional rail car with conventional traction.

9. Floor effect track according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the drive is electric.

10. Floor effect web according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a microwave path for energy supply.

11. Floor effect web according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a plurality of fans distributed over the air cushion surface for producing the air cushion (14).

12. Floor effect web according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a device for maintaining the alignment of the carriage (12).

13. Floor effect web according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the route (10) is essentially flat.

14. Floor effect train according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the route (10) is a conventional road route with a concrete or asphalt surface or the like.

15. Soil effect track according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the route (10) is an ice sheet on a lake or river or the like.

16. Floor effect web according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by at least one metal rail in the route (10).

17. Floor effect web according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a controllable air outlet device (52) in the holding area in the route (10).

18. Floor effect web according to claim 17, characterized in that the air discharge device (52) has at least one air inlet opening (54) in the top (20) of the route (10) and at least one controllable air outlet opening (56, 58, 60) connected thereto ) having.

19. Floor effect web according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that the air inlet opening (54) in the top view of the route (10) has an increasing cross-section in the direction of travel.

20. Floor effect web according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by at least one switch.

21. Floor effect web according to claim 20, characterized gekenn¬ characterized in that the switch has at least one adjustable tongue (38, 40).

22. Floor effect web according to claim 20 or 21, gekenn¬ characterized by one or two engagement element (s) (42, 44, 46), which / which engages / engage in two or one recess (s) (47, 50), wherein the engaging element (s) (42, 44, 46) on the carriage (12) or the route (10) and the recess (s) (47, 50) on the route (10) or the carriage (12) are.

23. Floor effect web according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by an intersection.

24. Floor effect web according to one of claims 20 to 23, characterized by a device for protection against pressure drop in the air cushion in the switch and crossing area.

25. Floor effect web according to claim 24, characterized by a device for controlling the device for protection against pressure drop.

26. Floor effect track according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that two or more fans are used to produce the air cushion, which are arranged in such a way that the reaction torques acting on the carriage essentially compensate each other.

27. Floor effect web according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the ventilator (s) of a carriage also feeds the air cushion of one or more neighboring carriages.