Undercarriage for railway car

Railroad bogie arrangement for being mounted on a railroad car, such a railroad car having a frame and defining a longitudinal direction parallel to a direction of travel and a lateral direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, such a railroad car for being displaced on a railroad track, said railroad bogie arrangement comprising:

• a first bogie, said first bogie comprising:
• a first frame element;
• means for pivotally connecting said first frame element to a railroad car frame;
• a first plurality of wheelsets being mounted on said first frame element;
• each wheelset of said first plurality of wheelsets comprising:
• an axle, said axle comprising opposite ends;
• and
• a pair of wheels being mounted at said opposite ends of said first axle;
• said first plurality of wheelsets comprising:
• a first wheelset being mounted on said first frame element;
• a second wheelset being mounted on said first frame element;
• and
• a third wheelset being mounted on said first frame element;
• said third wheelset being mounted on said first frame element between said first wheelset and said second wheelset;
• first means for adjusting a position, in a direction parallel to the lateral direction of a railroad car, of said axle of said third wheelset with respect to said first frame element during travel;
• and
• means for sensing an angular position of said first frame element with respect to a railroad car;
• a second bogie, said second bogie comprising:
• a second frame element;
• means for pivotally connecting said second frame element to a railroad car frame;
• a second plurality of wheelsets being mounted on said second frame element;
• each wheelset of said second plurality of wheelsets comprising:
• an axle, said axle comprising opposite ends;
• and
• a pair of wheels being mounted at said opposite ends of said first axle;
• said second plurality of wheelsets comprising:
• a fourth wheelset being mounted on said second frame element;
• a fifth wheelset being mounted on said second frame element;
• and
• a sixth wheelset being mounted on said second frame element;
• said sixth wheelset being mounted on said second frame element between said fourth wheelset and said fifth wheelset;
• second means for adjusting a position, in a direction parallel to the lateral direction of a railroad car, of said axle of said third wheelset with respect to said frame element during travel;
• said second lateral displacing means comprises force-controlled actuator means, said force-controlled actuator means being configured for providing a laterally directed force to laterally displace said axle of said sixth wheelset;
• and
• means for sensing an angular position of said second frame element with respect to a railroad car;
• said first lateral adjusting means comprising means for laterally displacing said axle of said third wheelset into a revised lateral position based on the sensed angular positions of said first and second frame elements;
• and
• said second lateral adjusting means comprising means for laterally displacing said axle of said sixth wheelset into a revised lateral position based on the sensed angular positions of said first and second frame elements.

Method of operating a railroad bogie on a railroad car, the railroad car having a frame and defining a longitudinal direction parallel to a direction of travel of the railroad car and a lateral direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the railroad car for being displaced on a railroad track, said method comprising the steps of:

• providing a frame element;
• providing means for pivotally connecting the frame element to the frame of the railroad car;
• providing at least one wheelset and mounting the at least one wheelset on the frame element, each of the at least one wheelset comprising an axle, the axle comprising opposite ends, each of the at least one wheelset comprising a pair of wheels being mounted at the opposite ends of the axle;
• providing means for adjusting, in a direction parallel to the lateral direction of the railroad car, a position of at least one of the at least one wheelset with respect to the frame element during travel;
• providing means for sensing an angular position of the frame element with respect to the frame of the railroad car;
• providing means for determining a revised lateral position of the at least one of the at least one wheelset with respect to the frame element based on the angular position of the frame element with respect to the frame of the railroad car;
• sensing an angular position of the frame element with respect to the frame of the railroad car;
• determining a revised lateral position of the at least one of the at least one wheelset with respect to the frame element based on the angular position of the frame element with respect to the frame of the railroad car;
• adjusting, in a direction parallel to the lateral direction of the railroad car, the position of the axle of each of the at least one of the at least one wheelset during travel.