Composite Rail Vehicle Body Structure for Lightweight Rigidity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rail vehicle body structures face issues of high weight, numerous parts, and complex assembly, leading to increased resistance, energy consumption, vibration, and noise, while traditional metal materials limit space and introduce weight and leakage risks.
Innovation Solution
A rail vehicle body structure utilizing carbon fiber composite materials with a cylindrical overall design, featuring a corrugated plate, annular beam, underframe beams, and a skin, connected by rivets or bolts, with a sealant for air tightness, and automated manufacturing for high efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If traditional metal material vehicle body structure is used, then structural strength is maintained, but weight is increased and lifting space is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining a metal skeleton framework with outer and inner skin panels, creating a sandwich structure that achieves both weight reduction and high strength. The metal skeleton provides structural rigidity while the skin panels distribute loads, resolving the contradiction between lightweight design and structural strength requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The vehicle body is segmented into distinct functional components: a metal skeleton framework for structural support, outer skin panels for aerodynamic coverage, and inner skin panels for additional strength and insulation. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, achieving overall weight reduction while maintaining structural integrity.
2Ease of manufacture
If many modules are connected by rivets, then assembly flexibility is improved, but assembly amount increases and leakage risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple modules into integrated assemblies where the metal skeleton framework is pre-assembled with skin panels as complete units. This reduces the number of separate riveting operations required and minimizes the total assembly amount while maintaining manufacturing flexibility through modular design of the integrated units.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces sealing elements as intermediaries between connected modules to prevent leakage. These sealing components are integrated into the joint design, allowing modular assembly while eliminating the leakage problems associated with traditional riveted connections.
3Strength
If a large number of metal connectors are used, then connection strength is improved, but weight is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using the metal skeleton framework with strategically positioned nodes and members only where structural strength is required, rather than using heavy metal connectors throughout the entire vehicle body. The skeleton structure provides localized reinforcement at critical joints while keeping overall weight low.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical connection systems (multiple metal connectors and rivets) with an integrated skeleton-skin structure where connections are built into the framework design itself. This substitution eliminates the need for numerous separate metal connectors, reducing weight while maintaining connection strength through the inherent structural design.
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A rail vehicle body structure, comprising: a tubular corrugated plate (1); an annular beam (2) and an underframe cross beam (3) sleeved within the corrugated plate (1); and underframe side beams (4) provided between the annular beam (2) and the underframe cross beam (3). The two sides of the bottom of the corrugated plate (1) are symmetrically provided with connection parts (12), and the underframe side beam (4) is disposed on the outside of the connection part (12).