Suspended railway car fluidicly supported

Abstract

Abstract 1,224,334. Transporter systems; tracked hovercars. M. BARTHALON. 20 May, 1968 [7 June, 1967], No. 23831/68. Addition to 1,167,621 and 1,198,268. Headings B7K and B7L. The transporter system of parent Specifications comprising a powered car suspended from an overhead track beam by creating a subatmospheric pressure in lifting chambers formed between the car and the beam, is improved or modified in the following respects. The track beam 1 comprises adjustable wings 7 having projecting flanges 403 and the slide block 55 dovetails therein. The air extractor fans 427 extract air from a lifting chamber 420 and guide chambers 426 and discharge it through longitudinal nozzles 433 so as to impede the flow of air into the chambers 426. Lips are provided for sealing on each surface 411 of the slide block 55 and are equipped with friction shoes to engage the upper surface of each flange 403. The airconditioned car 9 is suspended from the slide block 55 by an evacuated springing chamber 408 communicating with the lifting chamber 420, and by hydropneumatic spring links 409. Successive slide blocks 55 are interconnected by flexible joints and successive cabins 9 by flexible bellows. The fans 427 may alternatively extract air directly from the guide chambers 426 (Fig. 10), and may be four in number, mounted on a frame 495 together with the windings 422 of the linear electric traction motor, the frame being spring-damper-mounted on the slide block. A points system (Fig. 13) joins a branch line 523 to a main line 522, 521, and comprises laterally pivotable side sections 526, 527 of the wings 524 and flanges 525, and a movable wing 537 rotatable about axis O by a pinion 544 meshing with a toothed section 545 movably housed in the beam 1, and guided by T-section slides 538, 539 sliding in grooves in the beam 1. In another embodiment, the points system comprises two wing sections (with flanges) connected to opposite ends of centrallypivoted cross-members which are oscillated by cranks on a shaft driven by a motor, so that the wing sections are retractable vertically and oppositely into slots in the beam 1 to set the points system in the two conditions. One of the wing sections is laterally pivotable as before. Each wing section is locked in working position by latches which engage in grooves in the interior of the beam 1 and which are on the end of a link joining the end of the cross-member to the wing section.

Inventors

• 👤 Maurice Barthalon

Bibliographic Details