Membrane system for connecting railway vehicles or the like

A method for connecting a first vehicle to a second vehicle comprising the steps of:

• providing an elastically deformable membrane, said membrane being connected to the first vehicle and the second vehicle, said membrane having a wall comprising a plurality of connecting portions and a plurality of arcuate portions, each said arcuate portion connecting two said connecting portions to form a plurality of corrugations, said corrugations of said membrane being at least partially compressed when said membrane is connected to the first vehicle and the second vehicle while the first vehicle and the second vehicle are stationary and when the first vehicle is connected to the second vehicle;
• aligning the first vehicle with the second vehicle;
• connecting said membrane to the first vehicle;
• connecting said membrane to the second vehicle;
• and
• connecting the first vehicle to the second vehicle while both vehicles are stationary thereby at least partially compressing said corrugations of said membrane
• said membrane defining a first distance between said opposite ends of said membrane before said membrane is connected to the first vehicle and the second vehicle and said corrugations are at least partially compressed;
• said membrane defining a second distance between said opposite ends of said membrane after said membrane is connected to the first vehicle and the second vehicle and said corrugations are at least partially compressed and wherein said second distance is less than said first distance.

A system for connecting railway vehicles or the like, each of the vehicles having longitudinal wall means extending along a direction of movement of the vehicles and each of the vehicles having ends extending substantially transverse to the longitudinal wall means, said system comprising:

• an elastically deformable membrane;
• said membrane having at least a partial tubular form for substantial alignment with the longitudinal wall means when said membrane is positioned between the ends of adjacent vehicles;
• said membrane having opposite ends for being respectively connected to the ends of adjacent vehicles;
• said membrane having a wall, said wall having a plurality of connecting portions and a plurality of arcuate portions, each said arcuate portion connecting two connecting portions to form a plurality of corrugations, each of said corrugations extending at least partially around said tubular form;
• said corrugations of said membrane being at least partially compressed when said membrane is connected to the vehicles while
• said membrane defining a first distance between said opposite ends of said membrane before said membrane is connected to the first vehicle and the second vehicle and said corrugations are at least partially compressed;
• said membrane defining a second distance between said opposite ends of said membrane after said membrane is connected to the first vehicle and the second vehicle and said corrugations are at least partially compressed and wherein said second distance is less than said first distance and
• the vehicles being further mechanically connected to one another to position the longitudinal wall means of the vehicles in alignment with one another;
• said membrane including a plurality of longitudinal sections;
• at least some of said longitudinal sections being generally curved about at least one longitudinally extending axis extending along the direction of movement of the vehicles;
• and
• at least others of said longitudinal sections being generally planar and being substantially parallel to said at least one longitudinally extending axis.