The invention relates to a vehicle superstructure, in particular for railway carriages for passenger transport, comprising floor, side and end walls and a roof, such that the sidewalls, end walls and roof form a structural frame.
Usually vehicle superstructures are made up of sheet and extruded aluminum or steel sections which amongst other things also determine the outer contour of the carriage. On the other hand insulation, which is usually necessary to equilibrate temperature fluctuations, is subsequently mounted on to the sections inside the carriage. With such a carriage the structural frame remains visible from outside, which means that the outer surface must be straightened and the weld seams dressed. These measures which are applied to the outer surface of the carriage to satisfy visual appearance requirements are usually very labor intensive and result in higher manufacturing costs.
As the extruded aluminum or steel sections at the same time form the load-bearing structure of the whole vehicle superstructure, this is directly damaged if a collision or other impact occurs, and requires careful repair. These repairs must, of course, be of such a standard that a satisfactory appearance is again obtained.
Furthermore, very often the insulation in the interior of the carriage has to be broken open as the extrusions on the outside serve at the same time for securing interior fittings such as, for example, seals, ash trays, fold-away tables or the like. This introduces the risk of creating at these places thermal bridges i.e. cold spots which can be eliminated only by means of difficult insulation measures.
The object of the invention is therefore to develop a carriage superstructure of the above mentioned kind but in which the described disadvantages do not arise. In particular the weight of the carriage superstructure should be as little as possible but its insulation towards the exterior especially effective. Particular value is also placed on simple assembly of the whole superstructure.