FR2616718A1 - DEVICE FOR TENDING A CATENARY SYSTEM IN A TUNNEL - Google Patents

Abstract

One end of an elementary catenary system, comprising a supporting catenary 9 and a contact wire 8, is connected by means of a force amplifying device 6 to a cable 4 from which a counterweight 3 is suspended. The amplifying device force is a reeving device 6 connected to a support 22 fixed to the upper wall of the rail tunnel, above the traffic space. The cable 4 is guided by return pulleys 26 along the transverse profile of the inner wall of the tunnel. The counterweight is a flattened body guided between guides 33 on the side of the circulation space. Use to avoid the need for local tunnel widening.

Description

The present invention relates to a device for mechanically tensioning a

catenary system in a

  tunnel, in particular to a railway tunnel.

  A catenary system comprises a carrier catenary and a contact wire suspended from the carrier catenary by means of slings - or "pendulums" whose length compensates for the arrow of the carrier catenary between

two poles.

  To prevent deformation of the catenary, in particular the deflection of the contact wire due to temperature variations resulting from either the meteorology or the Joule effect, the catenary system consists of elementary catenary systems having a length of the order for example i km. Each elementary catenary system is mechanically tensioned by means of tensioning devices ensuring automatically the respect of the required mechanical tension. The ends of the successive elementary catenary systems extend parallel to each other over a certain distance so as to ensure the continuity of the power supply.

running along the railway.

  The tensioning devices are fixed to poles supporting the ends of the elementary catenary systems, and comprise a counterweight which tends the carrier catenary and the contact wire via a force amplification means so as to limit the value required counterweight. The amplification ratio of the force amplifier device, for example a muffle device, is

usually from i to 5.

  The counterweights are made in the form of a pile of cast iron weights generally having a mass of 40 kilos each. The lower weight has a guide eyelet that slides on a tube extending along the

  post to prevent the counterweight from swinging.

  Catenary systems for railway tunnels, in which the available space is generally limited, are different. In particular, the carrier catenary is often replaced by supports fixed directly in the vault of the tunnel and it is difficult to find the place for tensioning devices. When the space available is particularly small, it is necessary to provide niches for housing the counterweights. This is very expensive, or even

technically difficult.

  The object of the invention is to provide a device for mechanically tensioning a catenary system in a tunnel, which device by its configuration and mounting method allows to mechanically tension the catenary without civil works while respecting within the tunnel the jig circulation and the jig obstacles. The circulation gauge represents,

  when the tunnel is seen in section, the outline at

  which the rolling stock must remain, and the obstacle gauge is the one outside

  locate equipment other than rolling stock.

  The obstacle gauge is therefore outside the circulation gauge. According to the invention, the device for mechanically tensioning a catenary system in a tunnel, comprising a counterweight guided in vertical translation of a side of a space left free for the circulation of the vehicles, and a cable connecting the counterweight to one end of the catenary system by means of force amplification means connected to a fixed support,

  characterized in that the support is attached to the tunnel

  above the space left free for the circulation of the vehicles in the tunnel, and in that the device comprises means for guiding the cable along a path substantially along the transverse profile of the tunnel between the amplification mechanism. effort and counterweight. By "space left free for the circulation of the vehicles", or still, in the following, "space of circulation", one understands the space surrounded by the traffic template or the obstacle template, these two templates being most often confused with the sense of the invention. Thus according to the invention, the end of each elementary catenary is no longer offset laterally by

  relative to the traffic area, but is located

  above it. In addition, the counterweight cable substantially follows the transverse profile of the tunnel between the force amplification means disposed above the circulation space and the counterweight disposed on the side of this space. The tensioning device according to the invention is therefore very compact and does not require to provide for local expansion of the tunnel even if the tunnel

is very small.

  Other peculiarities and advantages of

  the invention will become apparent from the following description

  of an exemplary non-limiting embodiment.

  In the accompanying drawings: - Figure I is a schematic plan view of the adjacent ends of two elementary catenary systems; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a tunnel using the invention; - Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view along the plane III-III of Figure 2; - Figure 4 is a schematic plan view of the tensioning device according to the invention; - Figure 5 is an elevational view of the counterweight; - Figure 6 is an elevational view of the counterweight in its guides; and FIGS. 7 and 8 are a front view and a side view, respectively, of a rolling element intended to be fixed to the counterweight for its displacement.

in one of the guides.

  As shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1, a catenary system comprises successive elementary catenary systems 1, 2. FIG. 1 shows more particularly that the adjacent ends of these successive elementary systems coexist for a certain length so as to be simultaneously in contact with a bow of a vehicle, so as to ensure with certainty the continuity of the power supply of the vehicle during the passage of a system

  elemental to the next elementary system.

  At each end of an elementary catenary system 1 or 2, a counterweight 3 is connected by a cable 4 (shown schematically as horizontal, but in fact extending vertically) to a force-amplifying mechanism 6 which is in turn connected to a lifter 7. The contact wire 8 is connected to one end of the spreader 7, and the carrier catenary 9 is connected to the other end of the lifter 7. The lifter 7 therefore distributes to the carrier catenary and the contact wire the voltage mechanical provided by the amplifier mechanism

effort.

  Figure 2 is a cross sectional view of the tunnel. There is a circulation template 11 within which the rolling stock evolves, and the obstacle template 12 in relation to which the non-standard equipment

  rolling shall not extend towards axis 29 of the tunnel.

  The obstacle template 12 leaves free next to the clearance template 11 a free space 13 for the passage on foot. It is planned on the other side of the tunnel between the obstacle gauge 12 and the tunnel wall a compartment

15 for static equipment.

  The means supporting the catenary system

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  comprise, at equal intervals along the tunnel, a pair of arms comprising an upper arm 14 for the carrier catenary 9 and a lower arm 16 for the wire

contact 8.

  Each pair comprising an upper arm 1 and a lower arm 16 is fixed to the tunnel above the circulation template 11 by means of an insulator 17. In the usual way, the pair of arms 14, 16 which is at equal distances from the two ends an elementary catenary system can be prevented from rotating around a vertical axis. The other pairs of arms can pivot about a vertical axis adjacent to the insulator 17 to allow movement of the carrier and the contact wire under the effect of thermal origin length variations. It is also represented the position of a feed wire 18 for feeding the successive elementary catenary systems, and two earth wires

19, 21.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the force amplifying means 6 consist of a muffle device which is mounted between the crossbar 7 and a support 22 fixed to the tunnel above the circulation jig 11

(Figure 2).

  More particularly, the muffle system comprises a set of pulleys 23 which is connected to the spreader bar 7 and a set of pulleys 24 which is connected to the support 22, the distance between the two sets 23, 24 being variable so as to maintain constant tension in the elementary catenary system despite its variations in length

  due to temperature variations.

  The pulleys of the muffle device 6 extend in a substantially horizontal plane. In a well known manner, the target 4 has an end attached to a frame of one of the sets of pulleys 23 and 24, and surrounds

  successively the pulleys of the muffle device 6.

  Then, the cable extends to the counterweight 3, which is shown in solid line in its lower position (maximum thermal expansion of the elementary catenary system) and in phantom in its upper position (minimum thermal expansion of the elementary catenary system). According to an important feature of the invention, between the muffle device 6 and the counterweight 3, the cable 4 is guided along the transverse curvature of the tunnel vault by return pulleys 26 which are supported by fixed yokes 27 In the tunnel 20. Thus, the cable 4 connects the muffle device 6 located above the circulation template 11 to the counterweight 3 located next to the circulation template 11, beyond the

obstruction template 12.

  Between the device with, mittens 6 and the counterweight 3, the cable 4 preferably extends in a

plane normal to tunnel axis 29.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in one of the tensioning devices of two adjacent ends of two successive elementary catenary systems, the path of the counterweight 3 can extend between the compartment 15 reserved for the equipment and the circulation space, such

  it is defined laterally by the obstacle template 12.

  The path of the counterweight 3 of the other tensioning device (not shown) of said two adjacent ends may extend on the other side of the circulation space, beyond the space 13 for the foot passage,

  as represented by the mixed line 31.

  As represented in FIGS. 2 and 5 considered together, the counterweight 3 is flattened in a plane substantially parallel to the median vertical plane 32 (FIG.

2) tunnel.

  The counterweight 3 is guided in vertical translation between two guides 33 (FIGS. 2 and 6) which are spaced apart from one another in a direction parallel to

the axis 29 of the tunnel.

2,616? 1

  Each guide 33, connected to the tunnel wall by struts 51 (FIG. 4), is constituted by an H profile whose lateral wings extend

  parallel to the median plane 32 of the tunnel.

  A rolling device 34 is fixed to each narrow vertical face of the counterweight 3. The rolling device 34 (see FIGS. 6 to 8) comprises a mount 36 carrying two rollers 37 spaced vertically, having an axis parallel to the axis 29 of the tunnel , and a roller 38 mounted between the rollers 37 and whose axis is horizontal and normal to the axis 29 of the tunnel. The periphery of rollers 37 and 38 is

  defined by rubber rings 39.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the roller 38 of each rolling device 34 is intended to roll on the central core of one of the guides 33. The rollers 37 are intended to roll on the internal face of one or the other. 'other

side wings of a guide 33.

  As shown in Figure 5, the counterweight 3 comprises a flat cage made of a frame 41 and connecting flat bars 42 which could be replaced by a panel. The cage contains parallelepiped cast iron blocks whose unit mass is for example 40 kg

(lower blocks) or 20 kg.

  Reinforcing plates 43, 44 (FIG. 5) are provided on the frame to make it possible to securely fasten the rolling devices 34 and, as a result, a suspension device 46 provided between

  the counterweight 3 and the cable 4 (Figure 6).

  The device operates as follows: The counterweight 3 tends the cable 4 under a relatively limited force which is transmitted by the cable 4 along the tunnel vault to the muffle device 6 which amplifies this force and transmits it to the rudder 7 which, at in turn, distributes it also to the carrier catenary 9 and the contact wire 8. The device does not require any local expansion of the tunnel. As the pulleys of the muffle device extend in a horizontal plane, on the one hand the overall height is reduced to a minimum and on the other hand the cable 4 starts from the muffle device 6 in a direction parallel to the face. tunnel, direction which is appropriate to guide, as provided by the invention, the cable along the transverse profile of the tunnel towards the

counterweight 3.

  Example: Application to the Channel Tunnel: For the Channel Tunnel, whose catenary equipment has particular characteristics related to the specificity of the structure, the counterweights and the equipment of return pulleys will have the following characteristics: Expected temperature range: 100C to 600C Catenary voltage: 4500 daN Coefficient of expansion of copper: 1.7 x 10-6 Distance between the immobilized arms with regard to vertical axis rotations and tensioning device: 600 m Force amplification factor: 5 Counterweight mass: 45,000 N 900 kg x 9,81 Counterweight length: 2 m 25. Counterweight width: 0,1 m Counterweight height: 0,65 m Maximum stroke counterweight: x 1.7 x 10-6 x 600 x (60-10). = 2.55 m

Claims (6)

  1. Device for tensioning a catenary system in a tunnel, comprising a counterweight (3) guided in vertical translation, and a cable (4) connecting the counterweight (3) to one end of the catenary system (1, 2) via force amplifying means (6) connected to a fixed support (22), characterized in that the support (22) is fixed to the inner wall of the tunnel above the circulation space (11, 12) and in that the device comprises means (26, 27) for guiding the cable (4) in a path substantially matching the transverse profile of the tunnel (20) between the amplifying means of effort (6) and the counterweight (3).   2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the force amplifying means (6) comprise a hauling device whose pulleys extend in a substantially horizontal service plane.   3. Device according to one of claims 1   or 2, characterized in that the means (26, 27) for guiding the cable (4) comprise at least one return pulley (26) associated with a yoke (27) fixed to the wall inside the tunnel (20).   4. Device according to one of claims 1   at 3, characterized in that the counterweight (3) has a flattened shape parallel to a median longitudinal plane (32) tunnel (20).   5. Device according to one of claims 1 to   4, characterized in that the counterweight (3) is guided in translation between two guides (33) spaced according to a   direction parallel to the axis (29) of the tunnel (20).   6. Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the guides (33) extend between the circulation space (11, 12) and a lateral equipment compartment (15) extending all along the tunnel (20).