Connecting Element for Vehicle Retention System Rigidity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle restraint systems experience reduced system rigidity in the transition area between concrete protective walls and protective barrier constructions, which compromises the ability to absorb and redirect impact forces effectively.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a connecting element with an elongate tensile load section attached to the side of the wall section facing the roadway, allowing for direct transmission of impact forces and enabling the absorption of both tensile and compressive stresses, thereby enhancing system rigidity and preventing undesirable deformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a protective barrier construction is attached to a wall section with a recess and tensioning strap, then the transition from wall to barrier is achieved, but the system rigidity in the transition area is greatly reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting element is divided into distinct functional sections: an elongate tensile load section for attachment to the wall section, a receiving section for the protective barrier construction, and an angled abutment section for force transmission. This segmentation allows each part to optimize its specific function while maintaining overall structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The connecting element serves as an intermediary component between the wall section and the protective barrier construction. It directly transmits impact forces from the barrier to the wall section, eliminating the need for reduced-rigidity transition constructions and preventing undesirable deformation in the critical transition area.
2Adaptability or versatility
If impact dampers are arranged in the transition area, then the transition from concrete wall to protective barrier is achieved, but the system rigidity is greatly reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The impact dampers are extracted from the transition area and relocated to the protective barrier construction itself. The connecting element provides the rigid transition without requiring energy-absorbing materials in the critical transition zone, thereby maintaining system rigidity while still enabling impact absorption through the barrier's deformation.
3Ease of operation
If conventional tension belts are used, then the protective barrier construction can be secured, but the tensile stress is only applied after significant deformation occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The elongate tensile load section is pre-configured and attached to the wall section before impact occurs. This preliminary arrangement ensures that tensile stress is applied immediately in the early collision phase, providing reliable and optimized behavior from the outset rather than after significant deformation has already occurred.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution significantly increases system rigidity in the critical transition area, ensuring that impacting vehicles are safely steered back onto the roadway without colliding with the wall section, and allows for the continued use of tension belts by applying tensile stress early in the collision phase.
Implementation Method 1
the elongate tensile load section is used in an early phase of the collision a tensile stress is exerted
Implementation Method 2
forces occurring in an impact situation can be transmitted directly to the wall section
Implementation Method 3
the forces arising in the event of a vehicle impact can only be absorbed by the protective barrier construction and the bracing
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
The invention relates to a vehicle restraint system (10) for securing traffic routes, comprising a stationary wall section (12) and a guardrail structure (14) that overlaps the wall section (12) in an overlap area (22) and is attached to it, wherein the guardrail structure (14) extends along the traffic route from the overlap area (22). The system stiffness of this vehicle restraint system (10) is increased by the fact that the guardrail structure (14) includes at least one connecting element (24) which has an elongated tensile load section (38) for attachment to the side of the wall section (12) facing the roadway in the overlap area (22) and a receiving section (44) for receiving a component of the guardrail structure (14) extending along the traffic route.