Railway car

Abstract

In a railway car body formed of hollow shape members 40 , a hollow shape member 51 having a shock absorbing function is provided to the ends of a hollow shape member 40 constituting an underframe 30 , where impact load is most likely to be received. The hollow shape member 40 is positioned so that the longitudinal direction thereof is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the car body. When impact load is received, the hollow shape member 51 formed at the ends of the member 40 deforms and collapses, thereby relieving the impact force. The present invention simply provides treatment to some areas of the hollow shape members that form the car body without changing the conventional railway car structure greatly, thus minimizing the impact load provided to the passengers upon collision, and improves the safety of the railway car.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A railway car comprising an underframe, side structures, and a roof structure, characterized in that 
 in the underframe, material used to form both longitudinal ends of the railway car is softer than material used to form a longitudinal center portion thereof, the material of said both longitudinal ends being formed by annealing.    
     
     
         2 . A railway car according to  claim 1 , wherein 
 members constituting a floor portion of said underframe are selected such that the material used to form both longitudinal ends of the members is softer than the material used to form a longitudinal center portion thereof.    
     
     
         3 . A railway car according to  claim 2 , wherein 
 members constituting the floor portion of said underframe and side sills of said underframe, said side sills being disposed at both width-direction-sides of said floor portion, are selected such that the material used to form both longitudinal ends of the members constituting the floor portion of said underframe and side sills of said underframe are softer than the material used to form the longitudinal center portion thereof.    
     
     
         4 . A railway car according to  claim 3 , wherein the side sills are provided with elongated holes.  
     
     
         5 . A railway car according to  claim 1 , wherein 
 one or more center sills are disposed on a lower side of said underframe along a longitudinal direction of the railway car for joining a coupler thereto and are selected such that the material used to form both longitudinal ends of the center sills is softer than the material used to form the longitudinal center portion of the center sills.    
     
     
         6 . A railway car according to  claim 5 , wherein the one or more center sills are provided with elongated holes.  
     
     
         7 . A railway car according to  claim 1 , wherein each of said both longitudinal ends of the railway car extends 100 to 500 mm.  
     
     
         8 . A railway car according to  claim 1 , wherein 
 said side structures and said roof structure are selected such that the material used to form both longitudinal end areas of the side structures and the roof structure are softer than the material used to form the longitudinal center areas thereof.    
     
     
         9 . A railway car according to  claim 1 , wherein the material used in forming the longitudinal center portion and the longitudinal ends have a same composition, with the material of the longitudinal ends having been made softer by said annealing.  
     
     
         10 . A railway car formation comprising plural car bodies being connected, characterized in that 
 both ends of a respective car body of the railway car formation, constituting a portion of a passenger room, are equipped with parts that shrink in the longitudinal direction of said respective car body when said respective car body collides against another car body being adjacent thereto.    
     
     
         11 . A railway car formation according to  claim 10 , characterized in that 
 said portion of a passenger room is an underframe of each car body, and the material for forming said both ends of said underframe of said respective car body is softer than the material for forming a longitudinal center area thereof, the material for forming said both ends being formed by annealing.    
     
     
         12 . A railway car formation according to  claim 11 , wherein the material used in forming said both ends of said underframe of each car body and the material used in forming said longitudinal center area thereof have a same composition, with the material of said both ends having been made softer by said annealing.