DE20210808U1 - Rail, for magnetic rail vehicle, has modules assembled onto support frame to form operational surfaces - Google Patents

Abstract

The rail for a magnetic rail vehicle has a support and multiple pathway modular sections (10) attached to the support. It has a first functional surface (17,18) formed with side guidance and sliding surfaces, and a second functional surface (19) formed as a stator assembly face. The two functional surfaces are formed by chip forming machining and the support components are attached. An independent claim is also included for a module for making the railway.

Description

DE 8330 Patent Attorney

Graduate Physicist

Reinfried Frhr. v. Schorlemer

Karthäuserstr. 5A 34117 Kassel Allemagne

Telephone/Telephone (0561) 15335

(0561)780031 Fax/Telecopier (0561)780032

ThyssenKrupp Technologies AG, 45128 Essen

Track and track module for magnetic levitation vehicles

The invention relates to a track and a track module for magnetic levitation vehicles according to the preambles of claims 1 and 19.

For the drive and guidance of magnetic levitation vehicles with long stator linear motors, tracks with two types of functional surfaces are required. At least one first functional surface in the form of a side guide surface, which is attached to a first piece of equipment in the form of a side guide rail, serves for track guidance. At least one further first functional surface in the form of a sliding surface is required when the magnetic levitation vehicles are stopped normally or in the event of an emergency stop and is formed on a further first piece of equipment in the form of a sliding strip. Finally, second functional surfaces in the form of mounting surfaces, which are used for the subsequent assembly of stator packages of the long stator linear motors, are formed on second pieces of equipment in the form of stator supports. The undersides of these stator packages with the support and excitation magnets mounted on the magnetic levitation vehicles form a gap of approx. 10 mm when the vehicles are levitating and driving.

The routes known so far for magnetic levitation systems of this type mainly consist of one after the other in the direction of a preselected route.

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arranged, e.g. 24 m to 62 m long track sections. Each track section consists of a beam supported on two or three supports and the equipment parts attached to it. The first functional surfaces, i.e. the side guide and sliding surfaces, should extend over the entire length of the beam and be provided with all the necessary curves that result from the curves, crests, valleys, etc. of the selected route that have to be traveled through. In contrast, the second functional surfaces, i.e. the assembly surfaces, usually consist of flat surface sections spaced apart in the direction of the route, since the stator packages attached to them are only connected to the beam at selected points and are arranged in such a way that their flat undersides run along a polygonal line that approximates a preselected spatial curve (DE 199 34 912A1).

The functional surfaces mentioned must be manufactured and/or assembled with high precision to ensure that the guide and drive system functions perfectly even at speeds of up to 500 km/h and more. For the track width determined by the distance between usually two side guide rails and the clamp dimension determined by the distance between the sliding surfaces and the undersides of the stator packages, for example, dimensional tolerances of no more than 2 mm, preferably less than 1 mm, are required - viewed over the length of a beam. For the lateral and vertical offset at the joints of adjacent beams and stator packages, tolerances of no more than 0.2 mm are even permitted.

Numerous proposals have been made for the production of functional surfaces and for the assembly of equipment parts on the supports.

The assembly surfaces for the stator packages are always manufactured by attaching the stator supports to steel supports by welding or screwing them or to concrete supports by grout in a first step. The assembly surfaces are then manufactured in a second step by providing the stator supports with holes for fastening screws and either with recesses suitable for receiving spacer sleeves or by first filling them with

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Oversize and then machined to a preselected nominal size. In both cases, the use of computer-controlled tools and taking into account all relevant route data ensures that the undersides of the stator packages are automatically arranged and aligned with the required tolerances after assembly (e.g. DE 34 04 061 Cl, DE 39 28 277 Cl).

The use of such a procedure only makes sense when assembling the relatively short, straight stator packages, which are a maximum of around 2 m long and can be manufactured in large numbers, with identical dimensions and with very small tolerance deviations. Transferring this procedure to the assembly of the relatively long side guide rails and slide rails, which are curved differently depending on the route, would, however, result in an unacceptably high level of effort. Apart from that, assembling the first pieces of equipment in this way would not automatically ensure that the functional surfaces provided on them lie within the required tolerances over the entire length of the beam.

The assembly of the side guide rails and sliding strips, which are usually made of steel, is therefore mainly carried out on steel girders by attaching these pieces of equipment to the girders by welding or using adjustable screws, in the same way as the stator girders. In order to comply with the required tolerances over the entire length of the girder, complex adjustment work is then carried out in order to align the side guide and sliding surfaces already present on the first pieces of equipment in line with the route and to compensate for any undulations that may be present. The same applies when attaching these pieces of equipment to concrete girders using connectors cast into them for fastening screws or anchors attached to the first pieces of equipment, which are attached to the recesses provided for this purpose in the concrete girders after precise alignment with grouting mortar (e.g. ZEV-Glas. Ann. 105, 1981, pp. 205 to 215; "Bauingenieur" 63, 1988, pp. 463 to 469). In addition, it is also known that the sliding strips when using concrete beams

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made from concrete in one piece with them and then ground to a pre-selected height based on the undersides of the stator packages. However, this assumes that the stator packages have already been installed. The grinding process therefore takes place on supports that have already been erected using a special milling vehicle, which does not exactly simplify the manufacture of the slide rails ("Magnetbahn Transrapid - The new dimension of travel" by Dr.-Ing. Klaus Heinrich and Dipl.-Ing. Rolf Kretschmar, Hestra Verlag Darmstadt 1989, p. 23).

It is also known to manufacture the beams from composite concrete and to provide them with the three steel equipment parts during their manufacture. To improve stability, these equipment parts can be welded together to form a rigid framework that is at least partially embedded in the concrete and/or to form a formwork that can be used when pouring the concrete (DE 42 19 200 A1, EP 0 381 136 B1). However, such methods require equipment parts and functional surfaces that are manufactured with high precision and have therefore not yet been used in practice.

The same applies to numerous other known methods for manufacturing and assembling equipment parts, which make use of the idea of producing completely prefabricated structural units with all the necessary functional surfaces, separate from the supports. These structural units are attached to the associated supports on site using adjustable screws or similar (DE 41 15 935 Al, DE 41 15 936 Al, DE 196 19 866 Al, DE 196 19 867 Al). Here too, compliance with tight tolerances is only possible if the prefabricated structural units are already manufactured with the required accuracy. This does not result in any advantages over the other methods specified, since the alignment problem is simply shifted from the supports to the structural units.

In order to reduce the problems described, it is already known that instead of the structural units extending over the entire length of the beam, only short, e.g. 6 m long, track plates of the type described above, i.e. plate-shaped modules

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These modules are made, for example, entirely from steel by welding or in a composite construction by precisely fitting side guide rails, slide rails and stator supports into a steel formwork before concreting. On the one hand, such modules are intended to avoid subsequent adjustment of the relative positions of the various functional surfaces to one another. On the other hand, the production of short, plate-shaped and identically designed modules is intended to ensure that these can be laid along polygons in the same way as the stator packages and thus approximate a given spatial curve (DE 198 08 622 C2, DE 298 09 580 Ul, EP 1 048 784 A2). To attach the plate modules to the supports, it is proposed, among other things, to provide retaining devices or spacers attached to the undersides of the modules, which protrude into openings in the supports and are designed in such a way that they either form a fixed bearing or allow the module a degree of freedom. Furthermore, it is planned to realize the required curve elevations or transverse inclinations of the track by inserting suitable wedges and spacers between the modules and the supports.

One problem with this type of modular construction is that the required tight tolerances can only be achieved when producing straight track sections or track sections that are curved in all three spatial directions with very large radii. The smaller the curve radii, the more noticeable the consequences of polygonal laying of individual modules become, particularly with regard to precise track guidance and the driving comfort that is sought.

Despite the state of the art described above, the guideways, guideway modules and processes for their production known to date are not yet satisfactory in all respects.

Based on this, the invention is based on the technical problem of designing the track of the type described at the beginning in such a way that it has the required dimensional accuracy over its entire length, without the equipment parts having to be fitted with complex

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measures must be aligned. In addition, a track module is to be proposed, by means of which the construction of a track for magnetic levitation vehicles can be made much easier and yet still be carried out in compliance with the tolerances explained.
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The characterising features of claims 1 and 19 serve to solve this problem.

Further advantageous features of the invention emerge from the subclaims. 10

The invention is explained in more detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings using exemplary embodiments. They show:

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of an idealized guideway module with the usual side guide, sliding and stator package mounting surfaces in the area of a guideway section that runs through a curve;

Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of a track module manufactured according to the invention;
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Fig. 3 shows a greatly enlarged schematic representation of the fastening of a stator package to a mounting surface of the module according to Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a schematic plan view of a track according to the invention made from modules according to Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 and 6 sections along the lines V-V and VI - VI of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a perspective top view of another embodiment of a module according to the invention in a non-load-bearing construction;

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Fig. 8 is a perspective bottom view of the module according to Fig. 7; Fig. 9 shows schematically the mounting of the module according to Figs. 7 and 8 on a concrete support;

Fig. 10 is a schematic representation of a storage scheme for the module according to Figs. 7 to 9;

Fig. 11 schematically shows another embodiment for the assembly of a module according to the invention in a non-load-bearing construction;
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Fig. 12 is a cross-section along the line XII - XII of Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 schematically shows a third embodiment for the assembly of a module according to the invention in a non-load-bearing construction;

Fig. 14 to 16 schematically show a section of a fourth embodiment for the assembly of a module according to the invention in a non-load-bearing construction in a perspective view and in a cross-section and a longitudinal section through a bearing; and

Fig. 17 shows schematically a bottom view corresponding to Fig. 8 of a module according to the invention with a load-bearing construction.

Fig. 1 shows an idealized track module 1 made of steel, which is suitable for constructing a track for a magnetic levitation train with a long stator linear motor. In the exemplary embodiment, this is a module 1 that is curved as a whole along a predetermined route, as indicated by a spatial curve 2 shown in its center plane. In addition, a Cartesian coordinate system with mutually perpendicular axes x, y and ζ is indicated schematically. A curvature around the x-axis means a transverse slope in the sense of a curve elevation, a curvature around the y-axis means a crest or a valley.

continuous track section and a curvature around the z-axis a curve.

The module 1 has on its top two parallel, essentially horizontally arranged sections serving as sliding surfaces 3 and on its long sides two essentially vertical side guide rails 4, which are provided on their outer sides with side guide surfaces 5. On the underside of the module 1 there are also two essentially horizontal stator supports 6, which are provided on their undersides with mounting surfaces 7, indicated in the left part of Fig. 1, for stator packages 8, indicated in the right part of Fig. 1. The module 1 is otherwise mounted on a support, not shown.

The module 1 shown in Fig. 1, which is adapted to the course of the route everywhere, would have the advantage of providing almost ideal driving characteristics. The disadvantage, however, would be that each individual module 1 would have to be adapted to the existing curves depending on the location where it is installed in the track, which would be very complex in terms of manufacturing technology. A track made with such modules 1 has therefore not yet been known. Instead, it is usual to design all modules 1 identically and to provide them with flat sliding, lateral guide and assembly surfaces 3, 5 and 7 within the scope of the manufacturing tolerances (e.g. DE 198 08 622 C2, EP 1 048 784 A2). In the area of curves or the like, these modules 1 are laid in the manner of a polygonal line approximating the spatial curve 2. If the length of a module 1 is approximately 6 m, then five such modules 1 can be arranged polygonally one behind the other on a support approximately 30 m long. However, a polygonal arrangement of modules 1 for magnetic levitation vehicles operating at speeds of 500 km/h and more is only justifiable for straight track sections or those with very large curvature radii. On the other hand, with smaller curvature radii from approximately 2000 m and less, there are noticeable deteriorations that impair driving comfort and have so far been accepted.

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According to the invention, it is proposed to provide guideway modules 10 according to Fig. 2. Such a plate-shaped guideway module 10 essentially consists of a comparatively thin, plane-parallel cover plate 11 made of sheet steel, to the underside of which vertically projecting webs 12 serving as reinforcement are attached, preferably by welding. Conventional side guide rails 14 extending in the x-direction are mounted on the lateral longitudinal edges of the cover plate 11. Two slide strips 15 also running in the x-direction are attached to the top of the cover plate 11. Finally, strip-shaped stator supports 16 running transversely thereto are attached to the undersides of two webs 12.

The components described preferably all consist of steel and are connected to one another by welding to form a coherent structural unit. In addition, all guideway modules 10 are preferably manufactured identically, with the side guide rails 14 and slide strips 15, generally referred to as first equipment parts, and the stator supports 16, referred to as second equipment parts, all being continuously straight and consisting, for example, of essentially plane-parallel profiles.

In the finished state, the equipment parts 14, 15 and 16 have on their outer, upper and lower sides the first functional surfaces in the form of side guide surfaces 17 and sliding surfaces 18 and/or second functional surfaces in the form of mounting surfaces 19 as explained with reference to Fig. 1. These functional surfaces 17, 18 and 19 are produced according to the invention in that the equipment parts 14, 15 and 16 are all produced with a sufficient excess and then machined to a predetermined nominal size. This is indicated in Fig. 2 by the hatched areas of the equipment parts, which represent an addition of material. As indicated in Fig. 2, the side guide rails 14 are machined to a final dimension d, the sliding strips 15 to a final dimension hl and the stator supports 16 to a final dimension h2. To make this possible, the oversize or the original thickness of the side guide rails 14 is selected so that the outer surfaces of the side guide rails 14 after the module 10 has been manufactured are spaced apart from each other by a greater distance than the required track width. Accordingly

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the oversizes or the heights of the slide strips 15 and stator supports 16 are selected to be so large that the upper sides of the slide strips 15 or the lower sides of the stator supports after the module 10 has been manufactured are everywhere at a greater distance from one another than corresponds to the required clamp dimension.

The final completion of module 10 is carried out in a work step following the welding work by machining the oversized surfaces. This machining is preferably carried out by milling, but could also be replaced by planing or any other suitable machining. The procedure is, for example, as follows:

For the modules 10 coming out of production, a fictitious central or symmetry axis running parallel to the x-axis is first defined, taking into account the individual measurements. In extreme cases, this fictitious central axis can deviate from the actual (geometric) component axis by a few millimeters on both sides, e.g. because the side guide rails 14 or the slide rails 15 were not attached precisely.

The side guide rails 14 are now machined on their outer sides in the y-direction and the slide rails 15 on their upper sides in the z-direction in order to obtain the side guide surfaces 17 and the slide surfaces 18 according to Fig. 2. It is noteworthy that the side guide surfaces 17 in the z-direction and the slide surfaces 18 in the y-direction do not require exact alignment and therefore their position is not critical in this respect.
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An advantage of the described procedure is that the side guide and sliding surfaces 17, 18 can be machined with the same workpiece clamping, e.g. in a gantry milling machine, by using a face milling cutter first in a vertical position to produce the side guide surfaces 17 and then in a horizontal position pivoted by 90° to produce the sliding surfaces 18 and moving it once to the left and once to the right of the fictitious central axis.

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The individual processing of the side guide rails 14 and slide rails

15 depends on whether it is a module 10 intended for straight travel or for curves, uphill or downhill travel, or the like. In the case of a module 10 intended for a straight section of track, the finished side guide and sliding surfaces 14, 15 are each manufactured as planes running parallel to the xz or xy plane. If, on the other hand, the modules 10 are intended for a curved section of track analogous to Fig. 1, the side guide rails 14 and sliding surfaces 15 are machined in such a way that the side guide surfaces 17 and the sliding surfaces 18 assume a curvature which exactly corresponds to the corresponding section of the spatial curve (e.g. 2 in Fig. 1). In this case, the milling process is carried out with a computer-controlled tool using all the necessary data of the route. It follows that the side guide and sliding surfaces 17, 18 according to Fig. 2, despite the originally straight modules 10 and equipment parts 14, 15 and

16 after machining have exactly the same curvatures that were described as ideal in Fig. 1 for the side guide surfaces 5 and sliding surfaces 3 shown there, since they follow the route exactly. The invention therefore has the advantage that the side guide and sliding surfaces 17, 18 can not only be formed exactly parallel to one another with the aid of a comparatively simple milling process, but can also be optimally adapted to the route over the entire length of the beam due to the selected oversizes. The resulting tolerance deviations are far smaller than those that would arise with polygonal laying of identically designed straight modules. In addition, the effort required to manufacture the modules 10 is considerably less than if the side guide rails 14 and sliding strips 15 had to be adapted as before by aligning them to the associated spatial curve sections or if the modules had to be individually curved as a whole, analogous to Fig. 1.

The stator packs 8 can be attached to the stator supports 16 in various ways that are known per se (e.g. DE 34 04 061 C2, DE 39 28 278 C2). In the exemplary embodiment, the fastening means shown in Fig. 3 are provided in analogy to DE 39 28 278 C2. For this purpose, the mounting surfaces 19 on the bases

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sides of the stator supports 16 (Fig. 2) as first stop surfaces 20 (Fig. 3). These stop surfaces 20 must not only be manufactured precisely and arranged as parallel as possible to the sliding surfaces 18 (Fig. 2), since they determine the exact position of the stator packages 8 on the modules 10. Rather, they must also have a preselected distance from the sliding surfaces 18 in the z direction, which serves to determine a preselected clamp dimension which, when installed, corresponds to the distance of the sliding surfaces 18 from the undersides 21 of the stator packages 8 and, among other things, determines the dimension by which the vehicles must be lifted from a standstill into the floating state when starting. In addition, the undersides 21 interact in a known manner with the support and excitation magnets of the vehicles to form a gap.

The stator packs 8 are firmly connected at their top sides to cross members 22 extending transversely to their longitudinal directions or in the y-direction, which have projections 22a with dovetail or T-shaped cross sections that protrude over the stator packs 8 and also run in the y-direction. The top sides of these projections 22a are designed as second stop surfaces 23 (Fig. 3), which run exactly parallel and at constant distances from the bottom sides 21.

To create a redundant, detachable connection with the modules 10, the projections 22a are inserted into grooves 24 (Fig. 3) which are formed on the undersides of the stator carrier 16, have dovetail or T-shaped cross sections that essentially correspond to the cross sections of the projections 22a and are arranged essentially parallel to the y-direction of the modules 10. The bottoms of these grooves 24 form the stop surfaces 20, which interact with the stop surfaces 23 and determine the position and alignment of the stator packages 8 and the undersides 21.

After the above-described production of the lateral guide and sliding surfaces 17, 18, the guideway modules 10 are clamped in a drilling and/or groove milling machine depending on the design of the stop surfaces 20, 23 in order to produce the grooves 24, the stop surfaces 20 and the holes for the fastening screws in a manner known per se.

in the stator supports 16. The extent of the stop surfaces 20 in the y-direction is not critical, and in the x-direction there are as many first stop surfaces 20 at preselected distances as there are cross members 22 attached to the stator packs 8. The stator supports 16 can have lengths corresponding to the stator packs 8 or the modules 10 or consist of individual components spaced apart according to the grooves 24.

In contrast to the side guide and sliding surfaces 17, 18, all stop surfaces 20 assigned to a specific stator package 8 are each located in one plane.

As long as the travel path sections are straight, the stop surfaces 20 of all associated stator packages 8 lie in the same (xy) plane. If, however, the travel path sections are curved, the stop surfaces 20 lie in such different planes that, after the stator packages 8 have been assembled, their polygonal arrangement as explained above automatically results.

The stator packs 8 are fastened to the stator supports 16 after the lugs 22a have been inserted into the grooves 24 using fastening screws (shown only schematically) that pass through the cross members 22, the cross sections of the lugs 22a and the grooves 24 described ensuring that the stator pack 8 in question does not fall down in the event of a possible subsequent fatigue fracture of any of these fastening screws. For this purpose, the lugs 22a can also be arranged in the grooves 24 with a small amount of play, as shown in particular in Fig. 3. The stop surfaces 20, 23 are then only in contact with one another when the stator packs 8 are assembled using the fastening screws, while if there are no fastening screws, a small gap is created between the stop surfaces 20, 23, which can be detected by sensors carried on the vehicles and used to detect a screw break.

Fig. 4 to 6 show a longer section of a track constructed with the track modules 10 according to the invention. A straight track section 25 with a plurality of straight modules 10a intended for straight travel is followed by

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a transition section 26 with two modules 10b, 10c, which form a transition from the straight track section 25 to a curved section 27, which is curved with a comparatively small radius of curvature and contains a plurality of modules 1Od, 1Oe and 1Of, etc. To produce this track, the track modules 10a are manufactured in a completely straight design and provided with flat side guide and sliding surfaces 17a, 18a. The modules 1Od, 1Oe and 1Of, etc. are also manufactured in a completely straight design in the manner explained with reference to Figs. 2 and 3, but are then provided with side guide and sliding surfaces 17b, 18b, which are curved in all three directions (Fig. 1).

The guideway modules 10b, 10c in the transition section 26 could in principle be designed analogously to those in the curve section 27. According to the invention, however, a manufacturing technique modified from that in Fig. 2 is used for these modules 10b, 10c. It is assumed that in the transition section 26 the curves still run along such large radii that a polygonal laying of completely straight modules 10b, 10c corresponding to the modules 10a would in principle be sufficient. However, since a comparatively large transverse inclination of the modules 1Od, 10c, 1Of etc. is required in the curve section 27 (maximum approx. 16°), this could lead to an undesirably large lateral or vertical offset at the joints of the right or left side guide and sliding surfaces 17, 18, even with polygonal laying, as the different transverse inclinations in Fig. 5 and 6 show. In order to avoid this, the invention proposes to gradually and progressively elastically twist the modules 10b, 10c around their longitudinal axis or the x-axis in the x-direction (direction of travel) and to fasten them in this twisted form to the associated support 28 indicated in Fig. 6. The degree of twisting is preferably selected so that the left-hand abutment surface of the module 10b in Fig. 4 is exactly flush with the right-hand abutment surface of the adjacent module 10a and, correspondingly, the right-hand abutment surface of the module 10c is exactly flush with the adjacent abutment surface of the module 10d, i.e. within each module 10b, 10c a corresponding gradual change in the transverse inclination is obtained. The same applies to the abutment between the modules 10b and 10c, so that in the entire transition

Section 26 no disturbing lateral or vertical offset occurs.

The twisting of the modules 10b, 10c can be carried out, for example, before they are attached to the relevant support using grout or the like, using an assembly frame carried on a laying train, or simply by attaching them to the relevant support in the area of their front faces using screw connections that can be adjusted in the z-direction. To enable such twisting, the modules 10b, 10c are either designed to be sufficiently flexible, for example by omitting stiffening bulkheads and other cross connections, or by manufacturing them entirely from a comparatively soft material. Since the twisting is only required to a degree of a few millimeters, it does not cause any problems even with modules with a length of up to approx. 6 m. Apart from that, it is clear that the curves in Fig. 4 are exaggeratedly large and the parts of the modules that are not visible are essentially straight and identical.

Fig. 7 and 8 show details of a module 10g according to the invention from above and below, analogous to Fig. 2, but in the still unprocessed state of the various equipment parts. In particular, it can be seen from Fig. 8 that the webs 12 can be connected by bulkheads 29 in order to obtain a rigid overall construction with the cover plates 11. The cover plates 11, webs 12 and bulkheads 29 are expediently connected by welding.

The module 10g according to Fig. 7 and 8 is designed as a so-called "non-load-bearing" component and is provided with an integral bearing according to the invention. This means that the forces exerted on the module 10g are introduced directly into the support located underneath, but adjacent modules 10g are not connected to one another in a shear-resistant manner in the x-direction. Rod- or band-shaped bearing elements that are flexible in at least one predetermined direction are preferably used as integral bearings here. As shown in particular in Fig. 8, band-shaped bearing elements 30 are provided in the area of the front and rear end faces, for example, which are flexible in the x-direction (Fig. 1).

flexible, but essentially rigid in the y-direction. In contrast, band-shaped bearing elements 31 are attached in the area of the side edges, which are only flexible in the y-direction, but not in the x-direction. The bearing elements 30, 31 thus each fulfil the function of a floating bearing that is flexible in one direction. Finally, a fixed bearing can expediently be provided in a central area of the module 10g by assembling a bearing element with a cross-shaped cross-section from each of the bearing elements 30, 31 (see also Fig. 9). Suitable materials for the bearing elements 30, 31 and 32 are bearing plates with correspondingly reduced flexural rigidity or, with particular advantage, spring plates, i.e.

Sheet metal strips made of spring steel.

The assembly of the module 10g on a primary support 33 made of concrete can be carried out according to Fig. 9 by providing the latter with corresponding recesses 34 on its upper side and at those points where the bearing elements 30, 31 and 32 are to be located, which partially accommodate the bearing elements 30, 31 and 32 and are cast with (secondary) mortar 35 after the alignment of the module 10g on the support 33. The entire module 10g is then arranged by means of the bearing elements 30, 31 and 32 at a preselected distance of, for example, approximately 200 mm above the support surface, with the bearing elements 30 acting as fixed bearings in the transverse direction (y), the bearing elements 31 as fixed bearings in the longitudinal direction (x) and the bearing elements 32 as fixed bearings in the longitudinal and transverse directions. An example arrangement of the bearing elements on the module 10g is shown in Fig. 10, where the effect of the various bearing elements is indicated by thick lines. The circles mean that there are flexible, i.e. free, bearing elements in all directions.

An alternative embodiment of the invention for the bearing elements is shown in Fig. 12 and 13. Instead of band-shaped bearing elements, rod-shaped bearing elements 36 in the form of bars with a square cross-section are provided here. The bearing elements 36 are attached to the undersides of modules 10a in a cross-shaped pattern indicated in Fig. 12 and in a manner not shown in detail (e.g.

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analogous to Fig. 9) to a support 37. The bearing elements 36 consist, for example, of bending rods which are flexible at least in the x and y directions and, when circular cross sections are used, practically in all directions transverse to their longitudinal axes. They therefore essentially fulfill the task of free bearings which can absorb forces in several directions, such as those which occur, for example, in the case of temperature fluctuations. Such free bearings can be provided, for example, in Fig. 10 at the points marked with circles. The number of bearing elements 36 used per bearing point depends in particular on the materials selected and the desired distance of the modules 10h from the supports 37.

Fig. 13 shows a further embodiment according to the invention for fastening modules 10i to a support 38. In this variant, bearing elements 39 corresponding to Figs. 7 to 12 are firmly fastened to the upper sides of the support 38 and are provided with connecting flanges 40 at their upper ends. In contrast, corresponding connecting flanges 41 arranged at the respective fastening points are fastened to the undersides of the modules 10i, e.g. by welding. It is then only necessary to place the modules 10i with their flanges 41 on the flanges 40 and then connect both using fastening screws 42 projecting through the flanges 40, 41. This has the advantage that the modules 10i are detachably connected to the supports 38 and can be easily dismantled and replaced if necessary. In addition, this variant offers the advantage over Fig. 9 and 11 that by introducing shims between the flanges 40, 41 it is easy to align the individual modules 10i on the supports 38 in line with the route and in the area of the joints without offset. The bearing elements 39 can be arranged analogously to Fig.

to 12 years of age.

Another embodiment for a non-load-bearing component, which has so far been considered the best, is shown in Fig. 14 to 16. The bearing elements 30 according to Fig. 7 and 8 are replaced here by pairs 43 each consisting of two band-shaped bearing elements 43a, 43b arranged parallel to one another in the manner of leaf springs. Similar to the embodiments according to Fig. 11 and 13, the bearing elements 43a, 43b of

Modules IQj represent separate components that are flexible in the x-direction (see also Fig. 1). As shown in particular in Figs. 14 to 16, the underside of the module 1Oj is provided on the front and rear end faces with short mounting strips 44 in the form of plane-parallel projections or webs, the flat surfaces of which are perpendicular to the x-direction. The upper ends of the two bearing elements 43a, 43b of the pairs 43 rest against the two flat surfaces of the mounting strips 44, so that the broad sides of the bearing elements 43a, 43b are also perpendicular to the x-direction. The lower ends of the bearing elements 43a, 43b are held together by spacers 45 arranged between them. The bearing elements 43a, 43b are fastened by fastening screws 46 and 47, which pass through coaxially aligned holes in the mounting strips 44, spacers 45 and bearing elements 43a, 43b, and nuts screwed onto the fastening screws 46, 47. Alternatively, other fastening elements can also be used.

As shown in Fig. 15 and 16, the modules 10j are mounted on the supports 33 after the mounting of the bearing elements 43a, 43b and spacers 45, analogously to Fig. 9, e.g. by means of secondary mortar 48.

Preferably, additional plate-shaped spacers or spacer plates are arranged between the mounting strips 44 and the bearing elements 43a, 43b. On the one hand, these serve the purpose of allowing spring-loaded movements of the bearing elements 43a, 43b without striking the mounting strips 44 or without bending around their lower ends. On the other hand, comparatively short spacers can increase the lever arms of the bearing elements 43a, 43b, which improves the spring properties.

In the embodiment according to Fig. 14 to 16, as shown in Fig. 14 in particular, two pairs 43 of bearing elements 43a, 43b are provided in the front and rear areas of the module 10j, which are flexible in the x-direction but not in the y-direction and, like the bearing elements 30, fulfill the function of floating bearings. Two or more further bearing elements 49 provided in a central area of the module 10j preferably also represent separate bearings which are connected to the module 10j by screws.

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connectable components, but are designed as fixed bearings which, for example, fulfil the function of the fixed bearings 32 in Fig. 8 to 10.

A significant advantage of the embodiment according to Fig. 14 to 16 is that the modules 10j and the bearing elements 49 can be made from a material that is sufficiently rigid for static purposes, while the spring elements 43a, 43b can be made from a material such as spring steel that allows for thermal expansion or compression. A resulting further advantage over the embodiment according to Fig. 7 to 10 is that shorter bearing elements can be realized in the z direction and thus lower mounting heights of the modules 10j above the supports 33. Finally, a significant advantage is that a high level of redundancy is achieved due to the use of the bearing elements 43a, 43b in pairs. Even if one bearing element in a pair breaks, there is still sufficient load-bearing capacity for emergency operation.

Floating bearings effective in the y-direction are not provided in the embodiment according to Fig. 14 to 16. They can be omitted if the expected thermal expansions or compressions are comparatively small, for example due to small module widths of e.g. 1 m. It is also clear that instead of using the bearing elements or leaf springs 43a, 43b in pairs, the use of only one bearing element or more than two bearing elements per bearing point could also be provided.

Fig. 17 finally shows an embodiment of the invention for a module 10k in the form of a "supporting" component, i.e. a component that is connected in a shear-resistant manner both to the associated support and to corresponding modules 10k of the same support lying in front of or behind it in the x-direction. The bearing elements 30, 31, 32, 36, 39 and 43 are replaced here by relatively rigid strips or webs 50 and 51 that protrude downwards from the underside of the modules 10k and run in the transverse and longitudinal directions, in which holes 52, 53 are formed. These holes 52, 53 can, depending on the type of support used, be used to accommodate screws.

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or dowels to fasten abutting modules 10k to each other or to the relevant beams, or serve as through-openings for concrete or reinforcing bars and protrude into corresponding recesses in a concrete beam. In the latter case, the modules 10k are also preferably provided with through-holes 54 formed in the cover plates 11, which can be used as concreting openings and enable secondary mortar to flow into the recesses in the beams. Instead of the webs 50, 51, other shear connection means in the form of head dowels or the like can also be provided.

The described embodiments all allow the modules 10 to be prefabricated by welding or otherwise and then the individual functional surfaces 17, 18 and 19 to be formed in precise positions by machining, particularly milling. This prevents the functional surfaces 17, 18 and 19 from becoming distorted due to subsequent welding or straightening work, which would then require further machining or fine adjustment. Another advantage is that the modules 10 can be manufactured in series and identically, since the final shaping of the side guide, sliding and mounting surfaces 17, 18 and 19 only takes place afterwards. It is clear that the respective excess on the associated functional components 14, 15 and 16 is expediently chosen to be larger than the largest material thickness required within a planned travel path and to be removed by machining. Up to now, values of approximately 8 to 10 mm for the oversize of the side guide rails 14 with a thickness of the side guide rails 14 of approximately 30 mm and values of approximately 5 mm for the oversize of the slide rails 15 and stator carriers 16 have proven to be sufficient. It is also clear that more rigid modules can be provided for the guideway section 25 in Fig. 4 than for the guideway section 26. Furthermore, a significant difference in the manufacture of the first and second functional surfaces 17, 18 and 19 is that the second functional surfaces 19 only serve to assemble the stator packages 8, which are important for the driving behavior, while the first functional surfaces 17, 18 themselves directly influence the driving comfort.

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According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the slide rails 15 are made of stainless steel or weatherproof steel. This has the advantage that in the event of any emergency stopping of the vehicles, when the skids of the vehicles are set down on the slide rails 15 for other reasons or, for example, when clearing snow with a snow clearing vehicle that has a blade resting on the slide rails 15, there is no risk of an insulation layer provided on the slide rails 15 being damaged or completely scraped off. Such an insulation layer is usually additionally applied to all three functional surfaces 17, 18 and 19 as well as the stop surfaces 20, in particular for corrosion protection, and is normally comparatively thin with a thickness of e.g. 0.5 mm. When using slide rails 15 made of stainless steel or weatherproof steel, their insulation layer can be omitted.

The invention is not limited to the described embodiments, which could be modified in many ways. This applies in particular to the number and arrangement of the side guide rails 14 and slide rails 15 used in individual cases. Depending on the type of magnetic levitation vehicle, it may be sufficient, for example, to provide only a single slide rail 15 and side guide rail 14 in a central area of the modules 10, whereby this side guide rail 14 could be provided with side guide surfaces on both sides of an imaginary central axis. Accordingly, only a single linear motor could be used for the drive, in which case it would be sufficient to provide the modules with only one row of stator supports 16 running in the longitudinal direction and grooves 24 or stop surfaces 20 formed on them. Furthermore, the length of the modules 10 can be varied and, for example, only be approx. 2 m instead of approx. 6 m. The various bearing elements described in Fig. 7 to 16 are only examples, which can be replaced by other bearing elements as required and appropriate. The shape and design of the modules 10 as a whole are also only given as examples. For example, it would be possible to connect the equipment parts 14, 15 and 16 by welding to form a rigid frame and then to cast them with concrete in a conventional manner. Subsequently, the machining of the

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different pieces of equipment. Furthermore, it is clear that the different bearings (Fig. 7 to 17) can also be used advantageously independently of the special modules according to Fig. 1 to 6. Finally, it is clear that the different features can also be used in combinations other than those described and shown.

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Claims (22)

1. Guideway for magnetic levitation vehicles with at least one support and a plurality of guideway modules ( 10 ) fastened to the support and aligned along a route, which have first functional surfaces ( 17 , 18 ) in the form of at least one lateral guide and sliding surface and second functional surfaces ( 19 ) in the form of stator package mounting surfaces, characterized in that the first and second functional surfaces ( 17 , 18 , 19 ) are formed on equipment parts ( 14 , 15 , 16 ) which are manufactured with an oversize, machined to a preselected nominal dimension (d, h1, h2) and located on the modules ( 10 ). 2. Guideway according to claim 1, characterized in that the modules ( 10 ) and equipment parts ( 14 , 15 , 16 ) consist of steel and are connected to one another by welding. 3. Guideway according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the equipment parts ( 14 ) for the lateral guide surfaces ( 17 ) consist of lateral guide rails. 4. Guideway according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the equipment parts ( 15 ) for the sliding surfaces ( 18 ) consist of sliding strips fastened to the upper sides of the modules ( 10 ). 5. Guideway according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the sliding strips ( 15 ) consist of stainless steel or weatherproof steel. 6. Guideway according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the modules ( 10 ) are plate-shaped. 7. Guideway according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the equipment parts ( 16 ) for the mounting surfaces ( 19 ) consist of stator supports fastened to the undersides of the modules ( 10 ). 8. Guideway according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the lateral guide and/or sliding surfaces ( 17 , 18 ) are curved in the region of curves along spatial curves ( 2 ) predetermined by the route. 9. Guideway according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the modules ( 10k ) are designed as load-bearing components. 10. Guideway according to claim 9, characterized in that the supports are made of concrete and modules ( 10k ) are attached to the supports by casting. 11. Guideway according to claim 10, characterized in that the modules ( 10j ) are provided with concreting openings ( 54 ) in the region of cover plates ( 11 ). 12. Guideway according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the modules ( 10k ) are provided with downwardly arranged shear connecting means ( 50 , 51 ) to the concrete. 13. Guideway according to claim 9, characterized in that the supports are made of steel and the modules ( 10k ) are attached to the supports by screwing or welding. 14. Guideway according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the modules ( 10 g to 10 j) are designed as non-load-bearing components. 15. Guideway according to claim 14, characterized in that the supports ( 33 ) are made of concrete and the modules ( 10g ) are provided on their undersides with internal bearing elements ( 30 , 31 , 32 ) which are bendable in the longitudinal and/or transverse direction and fastened to the supports ( 33 ) by casting. 16. Guideway according to claim 15, characterized in that the modules ( 10g ) are provided with at least one bearing element ( 32 ) intended to form a fixed bearing. 17. Guideway according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that the bearing elements ( 36 , 39 , 43a , 43b , 49 ) are detachably connected to the modules ( 10h to 10j ). 18. Guideway according to one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that the modules ( 10b , 10c ) are elastically twisted in transition areas from straight lines to curves or vice versa to take account of changes in transverse inclination and are fastened to the supports ( 28 ) in the twisted state. 19. Guideway module for a guideway for magnetic levitation vehicles with functional surfaces ( 17 , 18 , 19 ) in the form of at least one side guide, sliding and stator package mounting surface, characterized in that all functional surfaces ( 17 , 18 , 19 ) are formed on equipment parts ( 14 , 15 , 16 ) which are firmly connected to it, are made of oversized steel and are machined to a preselected nominal dimension (d, h1, h2). 20. Guideway module according to claim 18, characterized in that it is additionally designed according to at least one of claims 2 to 18. 21. Guideway module according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that it is designed to be elastically twistable in order to produce changes in transverse inclination. 22. Guideway module for a guideway for magnetic levitation vehicles with functional surfaces ( 17 , 18 , 19 ) in the form of at least one side guide, sliding and stator package mounting surface, characterized in that it is mounted on a carrier ( 33 , 37 ) with the aid of a bearing according to one or more of claims 10 to 17.