HK1125351B - Chassis for a cable or pipeline trolley - Google Patents

Description

Running gear for pipeline transport vehicle

Technical Field

The invention relates to a chassis for a pipeline/cable transport vehicle travelling along a support rail, having at least one pair of support rollers with a horizontal axis of rotation and at least one pair of guide rollers with a vertical axis of rotation, and to a pipeline transport vehicle equipped with such a chassis.

Background

Pipeline carriages comprising such a chassis are the subject of DE 4436520C 1 and DE 4436519C 2 and DE 2628112C 2. Corresponding pipeline carriages are used, for example, in pipeline tractors or crane booms, i.e. in all applications in which a pipeline carrying current and/or gas must be guided along a rail to a movable user, such as a crane block. These documents describe both passive (past) line transporters, i.e. line transporters without their own drive, and active (aktiv) line transporters, i.e. line transporters with their own drive.

Pipeline carriages usually comprise three main elements, namely one or more running gear, intermediate pieces or intermediate plates and the actual suspension device for the pipeline to be conveyed. The running gear is suspended on a running rail (also referred to as an i-bracket), which is usually double-T-shaped. On the underside of the chassis, a support plate is fastened, on the underside of which the actual suspension device for the line to be transported is fastened in turn. Usually, pipeline trolleys are equipped with two or one running gear consisting of four side plates. Wherein each running gear has a pair of supporting rollers which run opposite one another and with a substantially horizontal axis of rotation on a supporting rail and are subject to the force of gravity. Furthermore, each chassis has a pair of guide rollers, which are opposite each other and have a substantially vertical axis of rotation, which are dimensioned smaller than the support rollers, since they do not have to bear the weight of the pipeline carrier, but merely serve for guiding along the vertical middle branch of the i-shaped support rail. In all known chassis for pipeline carriages, a support roller and a guide roller are respectively arranged on each support plate, and the two support plates are connected together by screws. For symmetry reasons, each support plate must be designed as a mirror image of the other, so that two different support plates must be manufactured and fixed on the support, i.e. one left and one right.

In addition, the chassis for pipeline carriages known from the prior art have the disadvantage that, in the event of uneven support rails, these chassis travel over bumps because both support rollers simultaneously pass over the uneven ground. Furthermore, the guidance of the known chassis on the support rail is not optimal, since the guide rollers must be offset relative to the support rollers.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is therefore to improve a chassis for a pipeline carrier and a pipeline carrier equipped with such a chassis in such a way that better driving performance is achieved, wherein at the same time the production costs and storage costs are to be reduced.

The object is achieved by a running gear for a pipeline carrier travelling along a support rail, having at least one pair of support rollers with a horizontal axis of rotation and at least one pair of guide rollers with a vertical axis of rotation, wherein the support rollers and the guide rollers are arranged substantially axisymmetrically with respect to a vertical axis, wherein each support roller is arranged opposite a respective guide roller.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the chassis has two interconnected support plates, wherein each support plate supports a support roller and a guide roller, and the two support plates are of identical design.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the chassis has a pair of support rollers arranged below the support rail and having a horizontal axis of rotation.

The object of the invention is also achieved by a pipeline carrier vehicle equipped with a running gear according to the invention.

Drawings

Embodiments of the present invention are described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The figures show:

FIG. 1 shows a side view of a pipeline carrier with two running gears according to the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a front view of the pipeline transporter shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a top view of the pipeline transporter shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

fig. 4 shows a running gear for use in the pipeline carrier vehicle shown in fig. 1 to 3;

FIG. 5 shows a front view of the chassis according to FIG. 4;

fig. 6 shows a top view of the chassis according to fig. 4 and 5.

Detailed Description

The pipeline transporter (2) shown in fig. 1 to 3 comprises an intermediate piece or intermediate plate (9) which connects the two chassis (1) to the support device (10) for the power and/or gas lines (not shown) to be transported. At the opposite end in the direction of travel, the intermediate plate (9) has cell dampers (zellbuffer) (11) which act and form dampers in the event of a collision of adjacent pipeline carriages. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the intermediate plate (9) has running gears (1) arranged one behind the other in the direction of travel on its upper side. These chassis (1) are identical in design and are shown in detail in fig. 4 to 6.

Each chassis (1) has two mutually opposite support plates (6) and (7) made of steel or possibly suitable plastics, which are tapered downwards when viewed from above and have a plurality of connecting openings (12) in their lower region, through which connecting screws (13) are guided in order to connect the two support plates (6) and (7) to one another, as is shown most clearly in fig. 5. The two support plates (6) and (7) each support, in the region of their top, a support roller (3) with a substantially horizontal axis of rotation and a guide roller (4) with a substantially vertical axis of rotation.

However, in a state where the two support plates (6) and (7) are screwed together, the two support rollers (3) are not disposed opposite to each other, as is the guide roller (4). Instead, the left support roller (3) is located opposite the right guide roller (4), while the right support roller (3) is located opposite the left support roller (4), as shown in fig. 4 to 6, in particular fig. 6. In contrast to the chassis known from the prior art, the arrangement of the support rollers (3) and guide rollers (4) is not mirror-symmetrical with respect to a plane along the support rail (not shown), but is axisymmetric with respect to a vertical axis (5) located approximately in the center of the chassis (1).

As can be seen from fig. 4 to 6, the two support plates (6) and (7) can therefore be of identical design. In other words, there is no longer a distinction between the left support plate (6) and the right support plate (7), which are completely interchangeable, only a single part that has to be kept as one part in the warehouse.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, the chassis (1) also has additional support rollers (8) or pressure rollers, which have a substantially horizontal axis of rotation and are arranged on the bearing plates (6) and (7). The support rollers (8) or the pressure rollers are used to prevent the lifting of the chassis (1) from the support rail.

The inventive chassis has, however, considerable advantages in operation compared to chassis known from the prior art. Since the support rollers (3) are not arranged opposite one another, but are offset from one another in the direction of travel, irregularities of the support contour are absorbed and compensated more easily, since usually one support roller (3) always bears securely against the support contour. In addition, a better guidance of the chassis (1) and thus of the pipeline carrier (2) is achieved by the arrangement of the support rollers (3) and the guide rollers (4) directly opposite one another. Furthermore, an improved force flow is obtained between the guide rollers (4) and the intermediate plate (9) due to the introduction of forces into the intermediate plate with a small lateral offset. Finally, advantages should also include a reduction in weight due to a corresponding reduction in parts, and thus lower manufacturing costs and less operating noise. Furthermore, the number of parts required is reduced, so that assembly and disassembly are simplified and errors in assembly are avoided, since the two support plates (6) and (7) are designed identically.

Claims (4)

1. A running gear (1) for a pipeline carrier (2) running along a support track, having at least one pair of support rollers (3) with a horizontal axis of rotation and at least one pair of guide rollers (4) with a vertical axis of rotation, characterized in that the support rollers (3) and the guide rollers (4) are arranged substantially axisymmetrically with respect to a vertical axis (5), wherein each support roller is arranged opposite one guide roller in each case.

2. The chassis (1) according to claim 1, characterised in that it has two supporting plates (6, 7) which are connected to one another, wherein each supporting plate supports a supporting roller (3) and a guide roller (4), and the two supporting plates (6, 7) are of identical design.

3. The running gear according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has a pair of support rollers (8) with a horizontal axis of rotation arranged below the bearing rail.

4. A pipeline carrier (2) for travelling along a support track, characterised in that at least one travelling mechanism (1) according to any one of the preceding claims is provided.