Replaceable Bottom for Articulated Bus Concertina Wear

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Solution Overview

Problem

Articulated bus concertinas experience rapid wear and damage, particularly at the lower portion, leading to lengthy vehicle downtime and high replacement costs when uneven road surfaces cause impacts, necessitating a quick and cost-effective repair solution.

Innovation Solution

The concertina device features a replaceable bottom portion with flexible bands and metallic stiffening frames, allowing for easy disassembly and replacement without affecting the upper tunnel structure, utilizing fastening means like screw fasteners or automatic clips for quick assembly and disassembly, ensuring structural integrity and easy maintenance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the entire concertina is replaced when the lower portion is damaged, then the structural integrity is restored, but the vehicle downtime and replacement costs increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural integrityVSAvoidvehicle downtime
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The concertina is divided into distinct segments: the upper portion (tunnel structure) and the lower portion (closing bottom). This segmentation allows the lower portion to be replaced independently when damaged, avoiding the need to replace the entire concertina assembly and thereby reducing vehicle downtime and replacement costs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If the entire concertina is replaced when the lower portion is damaged, then the structural integrity is restored, but the replacement costs increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural integrityVSAvoidreplacement costs
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The concertina is divided into distinct segments: the upper portion (tunnel structure) and the lower portion (closing bottom). This segmentation allows the lower portion to be replaced independently when damaged, avoiding the need to replace the entire concertina assembly and thereby reducing vehicle downtime and replacement costs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Reliability

If the concertina is designed as a single integrated structure, then the structural integrity is maintained, but the ease of repair decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural integrityVSAvoidrepairability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of repair

Solution Approach 1:

The concertina is divided into distinct segments: the upper portion (tunnel structure) and the lower portion (closing bottom). This segmentation allows the lower portion to be replaced independently when damaged, avoiding the need to replace the entire concertina assembly and thereby reducing vehicle downtime and replacement costs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The lower portion (closing bottom) is extracted as a separate, removable component from the upper tunnel structure. This extraction enables the damaged lower portion to be quickly removed and replaced without affecting the upper structure, significantly improving repairability while maintaining overall structural integrity through proper connection interfaces.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

4Ease of repair

If the lower portion is made replaceable, then the repair time and costs are reduced, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverepair timeVSAvoidstructural complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of repairVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The lower portion (closing bottom) is extracted as a separate, removable component from the upper tunnel structure. This extraction enables the damaged lower portion to be quickly removed and replaced without affecting the upper structure, significantly improving repairability while maintaining overall structural integrity through proper connection interfaces.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The connection between the upper and lower portions is designed to be dynamically changeable - fixed during operation to maintain structural integrity, but easily disassemblable when repair is needed. This dynamic characteristic allows the system to transition between operational and maintenance states, reducing repair time without permanently increasing structural complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP3323645B1Concertina device for connecting and closing articulated buses
Publication Date: 2021.04.28 P E I PROTEZIONI ELABORAZIONI IND SRL
  • EP3323645B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3323645B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3323645B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a concertina device for connecting and closing articulated buses, which comprises a plurality of first bands (7) made of flexible material, joined together one alongside the other, equipped with a plurality of first stiffening frames (8) and forming a tunnel (4) having an upper wall (10) and two side walls (11) for connecting together two carriages (3) of a vehicle (2), and a plurality of second bands (13) made of flexible material, joined together one alongside the other, equipped with a plurality of second stiffening frames (14) and forming a bottom (12) for closing the tunnel (4); and wherein the closing bottom (12) comprises a lower wall (15), which is opposite the upper wall (10) of the tunnel (4) and two side walls (16), which are laterally alongside the side walls (11) of the tunnel (4) inside the tunnel (4) itself.