AU2005254577A1

AU2005254577A1 - Ladder sleeper track

Info

Publication number: AU2005254577A1
Application number: AU2005254577A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Bernhard Neumann
Original assignee: Gmundner Fertigteile GmbH and Co KG
Current assignee: Gmundner Fertigteile GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 2004-06-22
Filing date: 2005-06-06
Publication date: 2005-12-29
Anticipated expiration: 2025-06-06
Also published as: WO2005124027A1; EP1774102A1; WO2005124027A8; CA2572224A1; TNSN06400A1; AT500911B1; AT500911A1; TW200602535A; AU2005254577B2; CA2572224C; JP2008503666A; TWI445869B

Description

VERIFICATION OF TRANSLATION I, Felicia Marchardt, of Riemergasse 14, A-1010 Vienna, Austria state the following: 1. That I am fluent in both the English and German languages and capable of translating documents from one into the other of these languages. 2. That the attached document is a true and accurate translation made by me to the best of my knowledge and belief of: a) The description and claims of b) The Amendments made to the specification of International Application No. PCTIAT2005/000192 I state that all statements made herein of my own knowledge are true and that all statements made on information and belief are believed to be true. Signature: c Date: 12 December 2006 - 1 The invention relates to a track whose rails are attached on ladder sleepers formed of longitudinal beams arranged below the rails, extending in the longitudinal direction of the track and carrying the rails, and of crossrods extending transversely thereto and interconnecting the two longitudinal beams of the ladder sleepers. Tracks whose rails are attached on ladder sleepers, as men tioned above, offer clear advantages over other forms of track systems, both with a view to their construction and with a view to their functioning. The ladder sleepers are pre-fabricated stable bodies which, as a unit, are laid on a base that may be a ballast of gravel or may be formed by another substructure, such as, e.g., a bridge girder. The longitudinal beams not only serve the function of carrying the rails of the track, they may also contribute to take over the bending stresses of the rails, this not only in the direction of height, but also in transverse di rection, where this is an advantage as compared to tracks con structed with transverse sleepers. The crossrods of the ladder sleepers ensure that also under various loads, which may be caused both by vehicles passing the tracks and also by influ ences originating from the environment, the track gauge will not be adversely affected. There is also a good access to the bed ding of the longitudinal beams, which is of advantage for carry ing out maintenance work, in particular for a repacking of a ballast. It is an object of the present invention to provide a track covering in a track of the aforementioned type, such a track covering possibly having the purpose of providing a traffic area at the level of the rails which can be walked on or driven over or which shall also serve other purposes, such as to reduce the noise occurring when vehicles pass over such tracks, or to pro tect the tracks or the substructure, respectively, from unde sired foreign matter, be it in liquid or in solid form. The track covering shall be easy to install, it shall have a simple structure, and it shall not have any detrimental effects on the rails of the track or on the substructure thereof, but much rather protect the latter as far as possible. The track designed according to the invention and of the initially defined type is characterised in that the track is provided with a track covering formed by slab-shaped cover ele- - 2 ments resting on the rim zones of the longitudinal beams of the ladder sleepers carrying the rails, which rim zones are located adjacent the rails, wherein cover elements arranged between the rails of the track self-supportingly bridge the space between the longitudinal beams of the respective ladder sleeper from longitudinal beam to longitudinal beam. By this design, the aforementioned object can well be met. The cover elements which, in case traffic areas are formed, may have quite a considerable dead weight and are also subjected to heavy loads, transmit these loads directly to the longitudinal beams without adversely affecting the rails and without any detrimental influence on the substructure either, which substructure carries the longitudinal beams and may, e.g., have the form of a ballast, so that there will be no influence on the elastic properties of the track which might adversely change the dynamic behaviour of the track. Cover elements arranged between the rails of the track rest on the longitudinal beams on both sides of the track, cover ele ments arranged on the outer sides of the track rest on the lon gitudinal beams with one of their sides, and on other bases lo cated externally of the track, with their other side. The cover elements may advantageously be made of a composite material formed of a particulate aggregate and a binder. The particles forming the aggregate may, e.g., be natural, granular rock material, such as small-particle gravel, grit or sand, or also particles formed by technological processes, such as, e.g., particles of burnt clay or particulate products of chemical processes, also glass or similar materials. As the binder, e.g. common cement, synthetic resin-modified cement, or also a syn thetic resin which optionally may also be admixed with modifying additives are considered. Within the cover elements, also a re inforcement may be provided, which may be formed of metal rods or of fibres. Quite generally, also shaped parts of other mate rials, e.g. metal or synthetic materials, are considered. If de sired, the cover elements may also be provided with a stabiliz ing frame which may, e.g., be formed of metal sections or metal strips or of sections or strips of another type, e.g. of fibre reinforced plastics. An embodiment of simple construction in which the cover ele ments can easily be laid and, if required, removed from the track again so as to make the substructure of the track accessi- - 3 ble, is characterised in that the track covering is formed with cover elements which, by means of resting zones located on their lower side and adjacent the rail-side rims of these cover ele ments, rest on the upper sides of the longitudinal beams. In this case, the cover elements can easily be secured against un desired lateral displacement if it is provided for the cover elements on their lower side to have abutment faces extending downwards from the resting zones, which abutment faces come to abut on the side faces of the longitudinal beams, thereby re taining the cover elements against transverse displacement. An advantageous further development results if it is provided for the abutment faces extending downwards from the resting zones of the cover elements, viewed in the longitudinal direction of the track, to be arcuate, the convex side of the respective arc pointing to the respective neighbouring longitudinal beam. This further development is particularly advantageous for making cov erings which are to be arranged on arcuately extending tracks in which, as a rule, ladder sleepers of straight design are laid in the form of a polygonal line which follows the arc of the track, wherein the rails are fixed to these ladder sleepers in an arcu ate continuous course. By the arcuate shape of the abutment faces of the cover elements, these cover elements can easily be positioned in a position corresponding to the arc shape of the track. A further embodiment which makes it possible to make cover ings which can meet various requirements without having to em ploy cover elements corresponding to each respective case in terms of strength is characterised in that the track covering is formed by cover elements which rest on auxiliary carriers which, in turn, rest on the longitudinal beams, cover elements arranged between the rails of the track resting on auxiliary carriers which self-supportingly bridge the space present between the longitudinal beams of the respective ladder sleeper from longi tudinal beam to longitudinal beam. With this embodiment of the track according to the invention, the respective desired load bearing capacity of the covering may be achieved by choosing the intervals at which the auxiliary carriers are arranged. Like wise, it is possible in this manner to employ particularly light-weight cover elements, if the coverings are such coverings which are not provided for forming traffic areas, but which are - 4 provided to form a sound absorption or to form a protective cov ering. With this embodiment, installation of the cover elements is easy in terms of manipulations if it is provided for the aux iliary carriers to rest on the upper sides of the longitudinal beams. A variant which is suitable in some cases with a view to se curing the cover elements against transverse displacement is characterised in that the cover elements abut, by their rail side rims, on the rails of the track with elastic sections in terposed, and thereby are retained against transverse displace ment. To improve the sound-absorbing properties of the coverings and also to equalize any possible shape tolerances present on the cover elements and on the longitudinal beams it is suitable if it is provided for the cover elements to abut on the longitu dinal beams with elastic sections interposed. In embodiments with auxiliary carriers, it is advantageous in this respect if it is provided for the cover elements to rest on the auxiliary carriers with elastic sections interposed. Likewise, it is ad vantageous to provide for the auxiliary carriers to rest on the longitudinal beams with elastic sections interposed. Installation and removal of the cover elements can be greatly facilitated if according to an advantageous variant of the subject matter of the invention it is provided that the cover elements arranged between the rails of the track are de signed in the form of element pairs of partial cover elements assembled in hinge-like manner, the geometric hinge axis extend ing in parallel to the rails. Herein, it is suitable to provide for the partial cover elements of each element pair to be sup ported on each other at their rims which face each other, wherein, with each partial cover element along the rim facing the other partial cover element of the respective element pair, carrying sections and resting sections are provided in meander like alternating succession, the resting sections of the one partial cover element resting on the carrying sections of the other partial cover element, and the resting sections of the other partial cover element resting on the carrying sections of the one partial cover element. A suitable embodiment results if the carrying sections are formed by sunk-in portions starting from the element upper side and extending as far as to the rim - 5 facing the respective other partial cover element, and below the resting sections, sunk-in portions starting from the element lower side and directed upwards are formed, which are shaped complementary to the sunk-in portions of the carrying sections. An embodiment which, as regards the cover elements them selves, is of very simple construction and which is advantageous during an installation of the cover elements into the track and during a possible removal of the cover elements from the track is characterised in that the cover elements have the shape of a U-section extending transversely to the rail longitudinal direc tion, which U-section is formed of a substantially plane bottom plate and of flange ribs which project from the bottom plate at its rims that extend transversely to the rail longitudinal di rection, supporting of these cover elements being effected by supporting noses formed by those ends of the flange ribs which face the longitudinal beams. A further embodiment is characterised in that the cover ele ments have a slab-like base and, on their upper side, a layer provided for plants to take root therein. With this embodiment, the disturbing sound occurring during running traffic on the track can be well reduced by the plant growth formed on the cover elements. The sound-reducing effect also remains over an extended period of time under the rough conditions of operation as they mostly occur in the region of railways, with little ex penditures for care. With the layer provided on the cover ele ments for plants to take root therein, a dense growth of plants covering the entire area can be obtained, and it has been shown that cover elements provided with such a growth have good sound absorbing properties. The sound-absorbing effect is further as sisted in that the cover elements are supported on the longitu dinal beams and in that the solid-borne sound occurring in the rails is reduced when it is conveyed to the longitudinal beams. Such a growth can be formed in a relatively simple way by sowing or by planting or, under favourable conditions, it may even form by itself. In order to meet the requirements of rail-borne traf fic, such a growth must be cut many a time, wherein respective machines may e.g. move on the track. Various materials can be used for forming the layer provided for plants to take root therein. Besides, e.g., soil, humus and sand, also granular ma terials, such as, e.g., clay or rock particles or synthetic - 6 granules may be used, or also foamed material in slab or parti cle form. There, the base of the cover elements provides for a clear separation between this layer provided for plants to take root therein and the bedding of the track, and neither the growth nor the fine material forming the layer provided for the plants to take root therein can negatively affect the bedding of the track. The material forming the layer provided for plants to take root therein can be applied to base parts of the cover ele ments that have already been laid, which simplifies laying, since there is no weight load resulting from the layer provided for plants to take root therein when laying the cover elements. Optionally, the layer provided for plants to take root therein can also be removed again from the track cover, if this seems appropriate. By the continuous growth of the plants, a regenera tion of the sound-absorbing properties will occur even after negative influences. An advantageous further development of the last-mentioned embodiment is characterised in that the base of the cover ele ments has the form of at least one trough and these troughs are filled with the layer provided for roots to grow therein. This has the advantage that the material which forms the layer pro vided for the growth of roots is well secured against undesired displacement on the upper side of the base of the cover elements in a simple manner and that additional advantages are obtained as regards a good dimensional stability of the cover elements with little material expenditures and weight; a low weight is also beneficial for the manipulations during laying of such cover elements, such laying being possibly effected before fill ing the troughs with the material which forms the layer for the growth of roots therein. Furthermore, it is very suitable if it is provided for the layer provided for plants to take root therein to be covered by a non-woven fabric. By this measure, both the layer provided for the growth of roots therein and the plants being rooted in this layer which penetrate the non-woven fabric can be protected in a simple manner, and it can particularly be achieved that the ma terial of the layer provided for the growth of roots as well as the plants which are rooted in this layer are protected against the suction effect of rapidly moving rail-borne vehicles, and furthermore, it is ensured in this manner that the cover ele- - 7 ments can be walked on or moved over by light-weight vehicles, such as lawn mowers, without any disadvantages already shortly after the layer provided for the growth of roots has been depos ited thereon. In the following, the invention will be explained in more detail by way of examples and with reference to the drawings in which exemplary embodiments of the subject matter of the inven tion are schematically illustrated. In the drawings, Fig. 1 shows a first exemplary embodiment of a track designed according to the invention in top view, and Fig. 2 shows this track in a section according to line II-II of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 shows a vari ant of such a track in a section led analogous to Fig. 2 in transverse direction of the track, and Fig. 4 shows an exemplary embodiment of a track designed according to the invention, in which the cover elements rest on auxiliary carriers, in a sec tion led analogous to Fig. 2 in transverse direction of the track; Fig. 5 shows a variant to the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 4, again in section; Fig. 6 shows an embodiment of a track designed according to the invention with an arcuate course of the track, seen in top view, Fig. 7 shows this track in a sec tion according to line VII-VII of Fig. 6, and Fig. 8 shows a cover element provided at this track, viewed from below; Fig. 9 shows an embodiment of a track designed according to the inven tion, in which the cover elements on their upper side are pro vided with a layer for plants to take root therein, in a section extending in the transverse direction of the track, and Fig. 10 shows a further embodiment of a track designed according to the invention, in which the cover elements have the form of a trough containing a layer provided for plants to take root therein, in a section led in transverse direction of the track; Figs. 11 and 12 show an embodiment of a track designed according to the in vention, in which the cover elements have the shape of a U section extending transversely to the track longitudinal direc tion, Fig. 11 showing this embodiment in a section extending in the transverse direction of the track, and Fig. 12 showing this embodiment in a section extending in the track longitudinal di rection; Figs. 13 and 14 show an embodiment of a track designed according to the invention, in which the cover elements arranged between the rails of the track have the form of element pairs formed of partial cover elements assembled in hinge-type manner, - 8 Fig. 13 showing this track in its finished state in a section led in transverse direction; and Fig. 14 shows a perspective view of this track in a folded-up state of the partial cover elements occurring during mounting of the latter. The embodiment of a track 1 designed according to the inven tion and illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 is a track whose rails 2, 3 are attached to ladder sleepers 4. The ladder sleepers 4 are formed of longitudinal beams 5, 6 extending in the track longi tudinal direction 7, and crossrods 8 extending in transverse di rection thereto, which crossrods interconnect the two longitudi nal beams of the ladder sleepers. The longitudinal beams 5, 6 of the ladder sleepers 4 are mounted on a ballast 9 which forms the base of the track. If desired, the base of the track may also be designed differently, e.g. in the form of supporting beams which are components of a bridge or of a viaduct or of a permanent roadway. The rails 2, 3 are mounted on the longitudinal beams 5, 6 of the ladder sleepers 4 by rail fastening elements 2a, 3a. The track 1 is provided with a track covering which is formed by slab-shaped cover elements 10, 11, the cover elements 10 being arranged between the rails 2, 3 of the track, and the cover elements 11 being arranged to outwardly adjoin the rails 2, 3 of the track. The cover elements 10, 11 rest on the rim zones 12 of the longitudinal beams 5, 6 of the ladder sleepers 4, which longitudinal beams support the rails 2, 3, and which rim zones are located adjacent the rails 2, 3. The cover ele ments 10 arranged between the rails 2, 3 of the track 1 bridge the space 13, present between the longitudinal beams 5, 6 of the respective ladder sleeper 4, self-supportingly from longitudinal beam to longitudinal beam. In this manner, practically any con tact between the cover elements 10 and the ballast 9 is avoided, making it impossible for the dynamic properties of the track given by the cooperation of ladder sleepers and ballast to be adversely affected by the cover elements 10. The cover elements 11 outwardly adjoining the rails 2, 3 rest on their rail-side on the longitudinal beams 5, 6, and on their side which faces away from the rails, they rest on bases 14 arranged adjacent the track 1. Depending on the respective aim to be reached by the provision of cover elements on the track, cover elements arranged between the rails of the track and also cover elements outwardly adjoining the rails of the - 9 track may be provided as illustrated in Fig. 1, or cover ele ments may be arranged only between the rails of the track, e.g. if the provision of a covering shall only allow for walking or moving on the track with small vehicles without any problems. In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the cover elements 10 arranged between the rails 2, 3 rest, by means of resting zones 16 provided on their lower side 15 and adjacent the rail-side rims 17 of these cover elements, on the rim zones 12 on the upper sides 18 of the longitudinal beams 5, 6. For damping vibrations, elastic sections 23 are inserted between the resting zones 16 and the upper side 18 of the longitudinal beams 5, 6. To position the cover elements 10, 11 in transverse direc tion and retain them against a transverse displacement, in the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, these cover elements abut the rails 2, 3 of the track by their rail-side rims 17, with elastic sections 24 interposed. In the variant illustrated in Fig. 3, the side faces 20 of the longitudinal beams 5, 6 serve to position the cover elements 10 in the transverse direction of the track and to retain them against a transverse displacement. The weight loads caused by the cover elements 10 themselves and from loads acting on these cover elements are transmitted by the resting zones 16 to the rim zones 12 of the longitudinal beams 5, 6. For a positioning in transverse direction and for securing against transverse dis placement, abutment faces 19 extending downwards from the rest ing zones 16 are provided on the lower side 15 of the cover ele ments 10 which come to abut on the side faces 20 of the longitu dinal beams 5, 6, thereby retaining the cover elements 10 against transverse displacement. In order to achieve a vibra tion-damping mounting of the cover elements 10 on the longitudi nal beams 5, 6, elastic sections are inserted both between the resting zones 16 of the cover elements 10 and the rim zones 12 of the longitudinal beams 5, 6, and also between the abutment faces 19 of the cover elements 10 and the side faces 20 of the longitudinal beams 5, 6 which, as illustrated in Fig. 3, may ad vantageously be united in the form of angle sections 25. It is, however, also possible to separate the vibration damping at the transmission of vertical weight loads from the vibration damping at the transverse positioning and to insert two elastic sections each instead of the angle sections 25 illustrated in Fig. 3.

- 10 In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 4, the cover elements 10 are supported on auxiliary carriers 22 which in turn rest on the longitudinal beams 5, 6 of the ladder sleepers. Here, sup porting is effected on the upper side 18 of the longitudinal beams 5, 6; in transverse direction, the auxiliary carriers 22 are positioned on the side faces 20 of the longitudinal beams 5, 6. Between the auxiliary carriers 22 and the longitudinal beams 5, 6, elastic sections 26 are inserted which, as shown in Fig. 4, may have an angular shape; yet, instead of providing such an gle sections, also pairs of elastic sections may each be pro vided which are arranged on the upper side of the longitudinal beams 5, 6, on the one hand, and at the side faces 20 of these longitudinal beams, on the other hand. The auxiliary carriers 22 traverse the space 13 present between the longitudinal beams 5, 6 self-supportingly from longitudinal beam to longitudinal beam. In this embodiment, the cover elements 10 rest on the auxiliary carriers 22 with elastic sections 27 interposed and are posi tioned in transverse direction and secured against displacement in that the rail-side rims 17 of the cover elements 10 abut on the rails 2, 3 of the track with elastic sections 24 interposed. In the variant illustrated in Fig. 5, the cover elements 10 rest on auxiliary carriers 22 analogous to the embodiment ac cording to Fig. 4 with elastic sections 27 interposed and are positioned in transverse direction with their rail-side rims 17 on the rails 2, 3 with elastic sections 24 interposed. In this case, the auxiliary carriers 22 rest on cantilever pins or can tilever noses 28 provided on the facing side faces 20 of the longitudinal beams 5, 6, the auxiliary carriers 22 also being positioned in transverse direction on these side faces 20. Figs. 6 and 7 show in a top view and in a section an arcu ately extending track assembled with ladder sleepers 4. The lad der sleepers 4 have longitudinal beams 5, 6 extending along a straight line, on which the rails 2, 3 of the track are fixed by means of rail fastening elements 2a, 3a so as to extend arcu ately. This is possible on account of the length of the longitu dinal beams 5, 6 which is short as compared to the radius of the arc of the track. In this embodiment, the cover elements 10 rest on the upper side 18 of the longitudinal beams 5, 6 by means of their resting zones 16 provided on the lower side 15 of the cover elements 10, and they are positioned in transverse direc- - 11 tion with abutment faces 19 relative to the side faces 20 of the longitudinal beams 5, 6. Elastic sections 25 designed as angle sections are interposed between the cover elements 10 and the longitudinal beams 5, 6. These angle sections may be replaced by pairs of flat sections. The abutment faces 19 which extend down wards from the resting zones 16 of the cover elements 10 are ar cuately shaped in this case, viewed in the track longitudinal direction 7, the convex side 21 of the respective arc pointing to the respective neighbouring longitudinal beam. In this re spect, mention may also be made of Fig. 8 which shows a cover element 10 as is provided in the embodiment according to Figs. 6 and 7 in a view from below. By this arcuate design of the down wardly extending abutment faces of the cover elements 10, these cover elements can be rotated easily into a position correspond ing to the arcuate course of the track and the straight-line de sign of the longitudinal beams 5, 6 of the ladder sleepers by a corresponding rotation. In Fig. 6, a position of the cover ele ments 10 radially oriented towards the arc of the track is shown. In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 9, cover elements 10 are provided which have a slab-like base 29 and, on their upper side 30, a layer 32 provided for plants 31 to take root therein. By this design, an undesired sound emitted when the track is driven over can be clearly reduced. The layer 32 provided for the plants 31 to take root therein is covered by a non-woven fabric 33, the plants 31 being capable of growing through the latter. By this non-woven fabric 33, the layer 32 and also the plants 31 growing therein are well protected against mechanical influences as they occur when walking or moving on the cover elements 10, and against suction actions which result when the track is moved over at high speeds. In this embodiment, the cover elements 10 rest on the longitudinal beams 5, 6 of the ladder sleepers of the track, elastic sections 23 being inserted between the resting zones 16 provided on the lower side 15 of the cover elements 10 and the rim zones 12 on the upper side 18 of the longitudinal beams 5, 6. For a positioning of the cover elements 10 in transverse direction, the rail-side rims 17 abut on the rails 2, 3 with elastic sections 24 interposed. Also in the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 10, the cover elements 10 have a layer 32 provided for plants 31 to take root - 12 therein. The base of these cover elements 10 has the form of a trough 34 which is filled with the layer 32 provided for roots to grow therein. This trough-shaped design facilitates handling, and a comparatively large volume for the growing of roots as well as a good water supply which promotes plant growth can be achieved. In this case, the cover elements 10 are mounted on auxiliary carriers 22 which in turn rest on the longitudinal beams 5, 6 with elastic sections 26 interposed. In transverse direction, these auxiliary carriers 22 are positioned by the side faces 20 of the longitudinal beams 5, 6 and retained against transverse displacement. The cover elements 10 are posi tioned on the auxiliary carriers 22 in transverse direction and retained by drain tubes 35 which pass through the auxiliary car riers. Figs. 11 and 12 show an embodiment in which the cover ele ments 10 have the shape of a U-section extending transversely to the track longitudinal direction 7, which U-section is formed of a substantially plane bottom plate 36 and of flange ribs 37 which project from the bottom plate 36 at its rims 38 that ex tend transversely to the track longitudinal direction 7. Here, the cover elements 10, by means of resting zones 16 located on their lower side 15 rest on the rim zones 12 located on the up per side 18 of the longitudinal beams 5, 6, with elastic sec tions 23 interposed. In this case, lateral positioning of the cover elements 10 is effected by supporting noses 39 formed by the ends of the flange ribs 37 that face the longitudinal beams 5, 6. This results in a configuration of the cover elements which has a simple structure and is easy to handle. As shown in Figs. 11 and 12, these cover elements may be provided with a layer 32 for plants 31 to take root therein, whereby advantages as discussed above can be achieved. Figs. 13 and 14 show an embodiment by means of which manipu lations during installation and removal of the cover elements arranged between the rails of the track can largely be facili tated. In this instance, the cover elements arranged between the rails 2, 3 of the track are assembled in the form of element pairs 40 of partial cover elements 40a, 40b assembled in hinge like manner, the geometric hinge axis 41 extending in parallel to the rails 2, 3. In the installed state illustrated in Fig. 13 in section, the partial cover elements 40a, 40b of each element - 13 pair 40 are supported on each other at their rims 42a, 42b which face each other, a stable coherence of these two partial cover elements to a slab-type unit being achieved. To realize the hinge-type assembly of the partial cover elements which allows for a folding up, as illustrated in Fig. 14, and for a stable assembly of these partial cover elements to a unit as can be seen from Fig. 13, carrying sections 43a, 43b and resting sec tions 44a, 44b are provided in meander-like alternating succes sion, with each partial cover element 40a, 40b along the rim 42a, 42b facing the other partial cover element of the respec tive element pair, the resting sections 44a of the one partial element 40a resting on the carrying sections 43b of the other partial cover element 40b, and the resting sections 44b of the other partial cover element 40b resting on the carrying sections 43a of the one partial cover element 40a. To obtain a substan tially plane and smooth shape on the lower side and on the upper side of the partial cover elements, the carrying sections 43a, 43b are formed by sunk-in portions starting from the element up per side 45a, 45b and extending as far as to the rim facing the respective other partial cover element, and below the resting sections 44a, 44b, sunk-in portions starting from the element lower side 46a, 46b and directed upwards are formed, which are shaped complementary to the sunk-in portions of the carrying sections. As a variant to the aforementioned assembly of the partial cover elements formed with carrying sections and resting sec tions, it is possible to connect the partial cover elements in the manner of conventional hinges by means of an axle or by piv ots. The cover elements 10 which, in the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 13 and 14, are assembled of pairs of partial cover ele ments rest on the upper sides 18 of the longitudinal beams 5, 6 by means of supporting zones 16 located on their lower side, with elastic sections 23 interposed. For a lateral positioning, the cover elements 10 abut on the rails 2, 3 with their rail side rims 17, elastic sections 24 being interposed. In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 13, 14, the partial cover elements are shaped as troughs which are filled with a layer 32 provided for plants 31 to take root therein. The layer 32 is covered by a non-woven fabric 33 which may be penetrated - 14 by the plants 31. For the sake of simplicity, in Fig. 14 the plant growth has been outlined by a geometric pattern. In an embodiment of the cover elements having the form of element pairs, the partial cover elements may, if desired, also be realized in the form of common slabs which do have the afore mentioned elements which serve for their assembly, which, how ever, do not have any layer that serves for plants to take root therein. Likewise, it is possible to realize the partial cover elements in the form of thick-walled slabs which have a depres sion on their upper side for receiving a layer allowing plants to take root therein, analogous to what is shown in Fig. 9. To simplify matters, cover elements 11 arranged outwardly adjoining the rails of the track have only been shown in the em bodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. It goes without saying that also in all the aforementioned embodiments such cover ele ments 11 arranged to outwardly adjoin the rails of the track can be provided which, on their one side that faces the rails, are supported on the longitudinal beams 5, 6 of the ladder sleepers and, on their side facing away from the rails of the track, rest on separate bases.

Claims

1. A track whose rails are attached to ladder sleepers formed of longitudinal beams arranged below the rails, extending in the longitudinal direction of the track and carrying the rails, and of crossrods extending transversely thereto and interconnecting the two longitudinal beams of the ladder sleepers, characterised in that the track (1) is provided with a track covering formed by slab-shaped cover elements (10, 11) resting on the rim zones (12) of the longitudinal beams (5, 6) of the ladder sleepers (4) carrying the rails (2, 3), which rim zones are located adjacent the rails (2, 3), wherein cover elements (10) arranged between the rails (2, 3) of the track (1) self-supportingly bridge the space (13) between the longitudinal beams (5, 6) of the respec tive ladder sleeper from longitudinal beam (5) to longitudinal beam (6).

2. A track according to claim 1, characterised in that the track covering is formed with cover elements (10, 11) which, by means of resting zones (16) located on their lower side (15) and adjacent the rail-side rims (17) of these cover elements (10, 11), rest on the upper sides (18) of the longitudinal beams (5, 6).

3. A track according to claim 2, characterised in that the cover elements (10, 11) on their lower side (15) have abutment faces (19) extending downwards from the resting zones (16), which abutment faces come to abut on the side faces (20) of the longitudinal beams (5, 6), thereby retaining the cover elements (10, 11) against transverse displacement.

4. A track according to claim 3, characterised in that the abutment faces (19) extending downwards from the resting zones (16) of the cover elements (10, 11), viewed in the longitudinal direction (7) of the track, are arcuate, the convex side (21) of the respective arc pointing to the respective neighbouring lon gitudinal beam (5, 6).

5. A track according to claim 1, characterised in that the - 16 track covering is formed by cover elements (10, 11) which rest on auxiliary carriers (22) which, in turn, rest on the longitu dinal beams (5, 6), cover elements (10) arranged between the rails (2, 3) of the track resting on auxiliary carriers (22) which self-supportingly bridge the space (13) present between the longitudinal beams (5, 6) of the respective ladder sleeper from longitudinal beam (5) to longitudinal beam (6).

6. A track according to claim 5, characterised in that the auxiliary carriers (22) rest on the upper sides (18) of the lon gitudinal beams (5, 6).

7. A track according to claim 2 or 5, characterised in that the cover elements (10, 11) abut, by their rail-side rims (17), on the rails (2, 3) of the track with elastic sections (24) in terposed, and thereby are retained against transverse displace ment.

8. A track according to claim 2 or 3, characterised in that the cover elements (10, 11) abut on the longitudinal beams with elastic sections (23, 25) interposed.

9. A track according to claim 5 or 6, characterised in that the cover elements (10, 11) rest on the auxiliary carriers (22) with elastic sections (27) interposed.

10. A track according to claim 5 or 6, characterised in that the auxiliary carriers (22) rest on the longitudinal beams (5, 6) with elastic sections (26) interposed.

11. A track according to any one of claims 1 to 10, character ised in that the cover elements arranged between the rails (2, 3) of the track are designed in the form of element pairs (40) of partial cover elements (40a, 40b) assembled in hinge-like manner, the geometric hinge axis (41) extending in parallel to the rails (2, 3).

12. A track according to claim 11, characterised in that the partial cover elements (40a, 40b) of each element pair (40) are supported on each other at their rims (42a, 42b) which face each - 17 other, wherein, with each partial cover element (40a, 40b) along the rim facing the other partial cover element of the respective element pair (40), carrying sections (43a, 43b) and resting sec tions (44a, 44b) are provided in meander-like alternating suc cession, the resting sections (44a) of the one partial cover element (40a) resting on the carrying sections (43b) of the other partial cover element (40b), and the resting sections (44b) of the other partial cover element (40b) resting on the carrying sections (43a) of the one partial cover element (40a).

13. A track according to claim 12, characterised in that the carrying sections (43a, 43b) are formed by sunk-in portions starting from the element upper side (45a, 45b) and extending as far as to the rim (42a, 42b) facing the respective other partial cover element, and below the resting sections (44a, 44b), sunk in portions starting from the element lower side (46a, 46b) and directed upwards are formed, which are shaped complementary to the sunk-in portions of the carrying sections.

14. A track according to any one of claims 1 to 10, character ised in that the cover elements (10) have the shape of a U section extending transversely to the track longitudinal direc tion (7), which U-section is formed of a substantially plane bottom plate (36) and of flange ribs (37) which project from the bottom plate (36) at its rims (38) that extend transversely to the track longitudinal direction, lateral positioning of these cover elements (10) being effected by supporting noses (39) formed by those ends of the flange ribs (37) which face the lon gitudinal beams (5, 6).

15. A track according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the cover elements (10, 11) have a slab like base (29) and, on their upper side (30), a layer (32) pro vided for plants (31) to take root therein.

16. A track according to claim 15, characterised in that the base of the cover elements (10) has the form of at least one trough (34) and these troughs are filled with the layer (32) provided for roots to grow therein. - 18

17. A track according to claim 15 or 16, characterised in that the layer (32) provided for roots to grow therein is covered by a non-woven fabric (33).

18. A track according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the cover elements form an area located at the level of the rails. Substitute Page - 15 - PCT/AT2005/000192 Claims: 1. A track (1) whose rails (2, 3) are attached to ladder sleepers (4) formed of longitudinal beams (5, 6) arranged below the rails on a ballast (9), extending in the longitudinal direc tion of the track and carrying the rails, and of crossrods (8) extending transversely thereto and interconnecting the two lon gitudinal beams of the ladder sleepers, characterised in that the track (1) is provided with a track covering which serves for forming a traffic area which can be driven on and is formed by slab-shaped cover elements (10, 11) resting on the rim zones (12) of the longitudinal beams (5, 6) of the ladder sleepers (4) carrying the rails (2, 3), which rim zones are located adjacent the rails (2, 3), wherein cover elements (10) arranged between the rails (2, 3) of the track (1) self-supportingly bridge the space (13) between the longitudinal beams (5, 6) of the respec tive ladder sleeper from longitudinal beam (5) to longitudinal beam (6). 2. A track according to claim 1, characterised in that the track covering is formed with cover elements (10, 11) which, by means of resting zones (16) located on their lower side (15) and adjacent the rail-side rims (17) of these cover elements (10, 11), rest on the upper sides (18) of the longitudinal beams (5,6) 3. A track according to claim 2, characterised in that the cover elements (10, 11) on their lower side (15) have abutment faces (19) extending downwards from the resting zones (16), which abutment faces come to abut on the side faces (20) of the longitudinal beams (5, 6), thereby retaining the cover elements (10, 11) against transverse displacement. 4. A track according to claim 3, characterised in that the abutment faces (19) extending downwards from the resting zones (16) of the cover elements (10, 11), viewed in the longitudinal direction (7) of the track, are arcuate, the convex side (21) of the respective arc pointing to the respective neighbouring lon gitudinal beam (5, 6). 5. A track according to claim 1, characterised in that the Amended Page