U.S. patent application number 10/469491 was filed with the patent office on 2004-06-24 for guideway girder.
Invention is credited to rgen Feix, J?uuml, Lindner, Erich, Reichel, Dieter, Waidhauser, Ralf.
Application Number | 20040118315 10/469491 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 7677209 |
Filed Date | 2004-06-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040118315 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Reichel, Dieter ; et
al. |
June 24, 2004 |
Guideway girder
Abstract
A guideway girder is provided for a vehicle transport system
wherein a plurality of the girders are assembled in succession in a
direction of travel of a vehicle to form a guideway for the
vehicle. The girder is formed by a combination of concrete
structural elements, and includes at least one sound isolation
element disposed on a surface of at least one of the structural
elements.
Inventors: |
Reichel, Dieter; (Neumarkt,
DE) ; Feix, J?uuml;rgen; (Germering, DE) ;
Lindner, Erich; (Auerbach-Nasnitz, DE) ; Waidhauser,
Ralf; (Neumarkt, DE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Stephen E Bondura
Dority & Manning
PO Box 1449
Greenville
SC
29602-1449
US
|
Family ID: |
7677209 |
Appl. No.: |
10/469491 |
Filed: |
February 17, 2004 |
PCT Filed: |
February 22, 2002 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP02/01888 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
104/118 |
Current CPC
Class: |
E01B 25/305 20130101;
E01B 19/003 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
104/118 |
International
Class: |
B61B 013/04 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 13, 2001 |
DE |
101-11-919.4 |
Claims
1. Guideway girder, in particular for a magnetic levitation
transport system (100), for forming a guideway with a number of
girders (2) that are successively assembled in the direction of
travel, with an upper girder section (12), in particular a top
chord (12), possibly with a lower girder section (15), in
particular a bottom chord (15) and at least one supporting section
(13, 14), in particular a web (13, 14) below the upper girder
section (12), characterized by at least one sound insulation
element (7, 8) located in the area of the upper girder section (12)
and/or of the lower girder section (15) and/or of the (at least
one) supporting section (13, 14).
2. Guideway girder as in claim 1, characterized by a hollow
cross-sectional configuration, whereby the cavity (16) is delimited
toward the top by the upper girder section (12), laterally by a
supporting section (13, 14) on either side and toward the bottom by
a lower girder section (15).
3. Guideway girder as in claim 1 or 2, characterized by an
installation on one or several pillars (5) imbedded in the
ground.
4. Guideway girder as in one of the preceding claims, characterized
in that the faces of the supporting sections (13, 14) of girders
(2) following each other successively in the direction of the
guideway and which are across from each other are essentially
connected to each other.
5. Guideway girder as in one of the preceding claims, characterized
in that sound insulation elements (7, 8) are installed on the
inside and/or outside of the supporting sections (13, 14), on the
bottom and/or top of the upper girder section (12) and/or on the
top of a lower girder section (15).
6. Guideway girder as in one of the preceding claims, characterized
in that the (at least one) sound insulation element (7, 8) is
essentially flat in shape and at least partially covers in the
manner of a lining the (at least one) upper girder section (12)
and/or the lower girder section (15).
7. Guideway girderas in one of the preceding claims, characterized
in that at least one sound insulation element (8) is provided with
two flat segments (8a, 8b) that are at an angle to each other.
8. Guideway as in one of the preceding claims, characterized in
that several sound insulation elements (7, 8) are installed one
next to the other in the direction of travel.
9. Guideway girder as in one of the preceding claims, characterized
by a design as a bivalent guideway, e.g. for magnetic levitation
transport trains as well as for conventional trains.
10. Utilization of a tabular sound insulation element for
installation on a guideway girder (2) installed or that can be
installed essentially above ground, with an upper girder section
(12), possibly a lower girder section (15) and with at least one
supporting section (13, 14), in particular a guideway girder (2) as
in one of the previous claims.
11. Utilization of a sound insulation element as in claim 10,
characterized in that it is used to line free surfaces of the (at
least one) supporting section (13, 14) of the upper girder section
(12) and/or of the lower supporting section (15).
12. Utilization of a sound insulation element as in claim 10 or 11,
characterized in that in addition advertising elements are attached
to the sound insulation elements (7, 8), in particular billboards
and/or illuminated publicity.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The invention relates to a guideway girder, in particular
for a magnetic levitation transport system, for the realization of
a guideway by several girders following each other in the direction
of travel of a vehicle. The guideway girder has at least one upper
girder section, in particular a top chord, possibly with a lower
girder section, in particular a bottom chord, and with at least one
supporting section located below the upper girder section, in
particular a web.
[0002] Sounds and noise of all kind are known to affect the
well-being of persons exposed to these sounds in a negative manner.
Vehicle noises may represent a major problem in this regard. The
blocking of noise produced by the vehicle on the guideway
girders--in addition to the travel sounds produced directly by the
vehicle on the guideway girders, in particular engine noises--by
means of sound insulation walls installed next to the tracks in
order to protect, e.g., dwellings or nature areas located behind
them, is known. These sound insulation walls are however relatively
expensive and space consuming in their installation. Furthermore
they often do not contribute to the beautification of the rail
line. Sound insulation devices are not provided as standard
equipment on guideway girders having the characteristics mentioned
above. The problem of high noise emission from such girders has not
been recognized until now.
SUMMARY
[0003] It is an object of the present invention to further develop
a guideway girder of the type mentioned above in such a manner that
an effective sound insulation is achieved under favorable
space-saving conditions. Additional objects and advantages of the
invention will be set forth in part in the following description,
or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through
practice of the invention.
[0004] This object is attained with the guideway girder of the type
mentioned initially by means of at least one sound insulating
element installed on the upper girder section and/or the lower
girder section and/or the (at least one) supporting section.
[0005] The invention proposes for this a tabular sound insulation
element for installation on a guideway girder that may be located
essentially above ground.
[0006] The advantages of the invention consist in particular in the
fact that the sound emitted by the vehicle on the guideway girders
can be substantially reduced by installing one or several sound
insulation elements on the upper girder section, on a possibly
present lower girder section, and/or on the (at least one)
supporting section. For this purpose, in particular tabular sound
insulating elements lining the girder section(s) and/or supporting
sections. Preferably, the elements may be in the form of porous or
open-pore absorbers or plate resonators. In the latter case, the
plates, foils, etc. are installed with clearance in front of the
section involved. The resonance occurring in the cavities result in
increased air oscillations and thereby to sound-absorbing friction.
Cavity resonators can also be used, with a narrow access opening
leading to a cavity between the girder section/supporting section
and the sound insulation element. The flow resistance necessary for
sound absorption can be located in the opening and/or in the
cavity.
[0007] Sound insulation elements can be made in single layers or in
several layers or structures. All of the known configurations and
materials can be considered if suitable.
[0008] It is a further advantage of the sound insulating elements
according to the invention that also sounds can be prevented from
reaching the vehicle itself, or can be attenuated, and that the
inconveniencing of travelers through noise can be avoided thereby.
In the case of a magnetic levitation transport system, these noises
are in particular the result of air eddies produced between the
vehicle and the guideway girder. With a conventional train, engine
noise as well as the rolling noises produced by the contact of
wheel against rail are added to this.
[0009] The guideway can also be designed as a bivalent guideway on
which a magnetic levitation transport system as well as--with
considerably narrower gauge--conventional trains can travel.
[0010] It has been shown to be advantageous statically as well as
from the point of view of manufacturing technology in certain
cases, if the guideway girder--in particular when used for a
magnetic levitation transport system--is given a hollow
configuration in cross-section. For this, preferably two supporting
sections or webs across from each other are provided and are
connected to each other through the upper girder section or top
chord. Towards the bottom, a lower-girder section or bottom web
closes off the cavity advantageously. With this design, it is
possible to achieve advantageous acoustic effects, in that, e.g.,
part of the noises produced are radiated off into the cavity, and
are in part absorbed therein, without affecting the outside
environment with noise.
[0011] In case of, e.g. relatively small curve radii, it is
advantageous if the guideway girder cross-section is full, so that
only a supporting section under the upper girder section is
present. Sound insulation elements are then installed, e.g. on one
or on both sides on the supporting section.
[0012] The guideway girder is preferably supported on one or
several pillars imbedded in the ground. This solution also allows
for a constructively advantageous machining of the girder during
manufacture, as well as a relatively easy erection at the building
site. In addition, the space underneath the guideway girder can be
used. The sound-insulating elements installed high above ground on
the guideway girder are in this case relatively protected from
unauthorized access, e.g. vandalism, by third parties.
[0013] The individual guideway girders are preferably successively
assembled one after the other so that the distance between the
supporting sections following each other is small or negligible. In
an extreme case, a continuous sequence of successive girder
sections results, forming a kind of wall in the direction of travel
on which sound insulation elements of large surface can be
installed.
[0014] Preferably one or several sound insulation elements are
provided outside and/or, in the case of a cavity as described
above, inside on the supporting sections, depending on the
efficiency of the sound absorption. The sound emitted, e.g. in the
cavity, is still radiated off in part by the delimiting walls into
the outside environment. It may therefore be useful to provide the
cavity on the inside with sound insulating elements and/or to mount
these elements on the outside of the cavity walls. These designs
apply to the supporting sections as well as to the upper girder
section and the lower girder section of the guideway girder.
[0015] For the most effective sound absorption possible, it is good
if the (at least one) sound insulation element is essentially
tabular in form, since the absorption surface for sound energy can
be sufficiently large in that case. The sound insulation elements
are advantageously mounted on free surfaces of the guideway girder
sections. The sound insulation elements are not imbedded in the
girder in this case, but are mounted in tabular form on the
guideway girder (or one layer on the guideway girder).
[0016] Depending on the configuration of the guideway girder
sections to be covered, the (at least one) sound insulation element
can be provided with several surface segments forming an angle with
each other. Such a design of the sound insulation elements can thus
be adapted to the form of any of the sections of the guideway
girder to be covered, and can be installed on especially critical
locations emitting high sound energy.
[0017] Since a guideway girder may have relatively large
dimensions, it is advantageous for reasons of easier handling, to
install several smaller sound insulation elements next to each
other in the travel direction of the guideway.
[0018] In addition to their original purpose, the sound insulation
elements can advantageously be used for yet another purpose, e.g.
by attaching advertising elements, in particular advertising
posters and/or lighted advertising.
[0019] Advantageous further developments of the invention are
characterized by the features of the sub-claims:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] The invention is explained in detail in the following with
reference to the drawings, in which:
[0021] FIG. 1 shows a guideway with a magnetic levitation transport
system
[0022] FIG. 2 shows an alternative embodiment of a guideway girder
in cross-section, with sound insulation elements, and
[0023] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the guideway girder
according to FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0024] Reference will now be made to embodiments of the invention,
one or more examples of which are shown in the drawings. Each
embodiment is provided by way of explanation of the invention, and
not meant as a limitation of the invention. It is intended that the
invention include modifications and variations to the embodiments
described or illustrated herein.
[0025] The invention is described by way of example using a hybrid
carrier system for rail-bound vehicles. Such a carrier system is
described in detail in EP 0 987 370 A1, the disclosed content of
which is incorporated herein.
[0026] FIG. 1 shows a guideway for a magnetic levitation transport
system 100 in cross-section. Girders 2, preferably made of
prestressed concrete, are attached on pillars 5 at the construction
site. Here, several girders 2 are successively assembled in the
direction of the guideway wherein the faces of the girders 2 adjoin
each other directly. Laterally, on every girder 2, connecting
consoles 1 preferably made of steel are installed at equal
distances. Each connecting console 1 is welded or screwed together
with tie rods 6 that are imbedded in the prestressed concrete of
the girder 2. Each connecting console 1 has a head plate 4 at which
functional level supports 3 are attached to receive, e.g. stator
packages 9.
[0027] FIGS. 2 and 3 show an alternative embodiment of a girder 2
which is provided with an upper girder section 12 in the form of a
top chord 12, two lateral sections 13 designed as supporting
sections 13, 14 horizontally at a distance from each other, as well
as a lower girder section designed as lower chord 15. The chords
12, 15 and supporting sections 13, 14 delimit a cavity 16 with
nearly rectangular cross-section. The installation of functional
level supports 3 on connecting consoles 1 is essentially as shown
in the embodiment of FIG. 1.
[0028] According to the invention, tabular sound insulation
elements 8, which may be designed in the form of known sound
absorbers (such as e.g. porous absorbers, plate resonators or
cavity resonators), are installed outside on the chords 13, 14 to
reduce the noise produced by traffic. The sound insulation elements
8 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 on the chords 13, 14 are provided with two
segments 8a, 8b designed so as to form an angle with each other
that is adapted to the downward widening form of the chords 13, 14.
Several sound insulation elements 8 are installed so as to be
directly connected to each other in the direction of the
guideway.
[0029] As can be seen in FIG. 1, the magnetic levitation transport
system 100 reaches around the connecting consoles 1 and the
functional level supports 3 to within close proximity of the chords
13, 14. For this reason the sound insulation elements 8 are not
continued up to the upper girder section 12, but end in an upper
edge below the magnetic levitation transport system 100. Tabular
sound insulation elements, possibly with a smaller diameter
(thickness) because of lack of space, can of course also be
installed on the chord segments directly across from the magnetic
levitation transport system 100.
[0030] On the side of the upper girder section 12 facing up, sound
insulation elements 7 are installed (not shown in FIG. 3) and
preferably are successively assembled in the direction of travel,
and may occupy nearly the entire width of the upper top chord 12.
The sound insulation elements 7 reach to such height as not to
interfere with the functions and travel operations of the magnetic
levitation transport system 100.
[0031] In an embodiment of the invention not shown here, the inner
walls of the chords 13, 14 of the top chord 12 and/or of the bottom
chord 15 are alternatively or additionally also lined with sound
insulation elements. The advantage of such a measure depends in
particular on the sound energy radiated from the cavity 16.
Especially with a lining of a cavity 16 as mentioned above, the
possibility exists to use sound insulation elements with large
surfaces so that they cover part of the chords 12, 16 as well as
the webs 13, 14.
[0032] For the sake of clarity, no sound insulation elements 7, 8
are shown in FIG. 1. The preceding descriptions can however be
applied without any restrictions to these embodiments of the
guideway.
[0033] The sound insulation elements 7, 8 according to the
invention, in particular those located on the top of girder 2, have
the additional advantage that the girder 2 is protected from direct
sun rays and that as a result uneven warming and thereby
deformation of the girder is reduced.
[0034] It is also possible to install sound insulation elements
alternatively or additionally on the pillars 5 which are considered
in that case to be supporting sections in the sense of the claims
of the present invention.
[0035] The external surfaces of the sound insulation elements 7, 8
can be used as advertising space, thus performing a double
function.
[0036] It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that
modifications and variations can be made to the embodiments
described and illustrated herein without departing from the scope
and spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims and
their equivalents.
* * * * *