Deformation Guiding System for Road Safety Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing deformation guiding systems for road safety devices are ineffective in non-frontal impacts due to strong friction between the coupling element and guide rail, which hinders the sliding of the head along the rail, increasing the risk of injury to vehicle occupants.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of stabilizing means to prevent oscillations of the head about the guide rail, allowing the head to slide smoothly along the rail during both frontal and non-frontal impacts, thereby guiding the deformation of the deformable body effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the coupling element is designed to allow sliding along the guide rail for frontal impacts, then the deformation guiding function is effective for frontal impacts, but strong friction occurs during non-frontal impacts which hinders sliding and reduces effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling element is divided into multiple contact surfaces that can independently interact with the guide rail. This segmentation allows the coupling element to maintain contact with the guide rail through multiple points, distributing the friction force and preventing the single-point pressing that causes strong friction during non-frontal impacts.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling element is designed with a complex three-dimensional geometry that includes surfaces oriented in multiple directions relative to the guide rail. This dimensional complexity allows the coupling element to engage the guide rail in a way that permits sliding while preventing oscillations, effectively adding rotational degree-of-freedom control to the primarily linear sliding mechanism.
2Ease of operation
If the coupling element allows free sliding for frontal impacts, then the head can move smoothly along the guide rail, but oscillations occur during non-frontal impacts causing the coupling element to press against the guide rail
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling element's geometry is designed to provide a counterbalancing effect that opposes oscillatory movements. The distributed contact surfaces create restoring forces that counteract the tendency of the head to oscillate during non-frontal impacts, maintaining stability while preserving sliding capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling element is designed with dynamic characteristics that adapt to different impact conditions. The geometry allows free sliding during frontal impacts while automatically providing stabilizing resistance during non-frontal impacts, effectively changing its mechanical behavior based on the direction and nature of the applied force.
Data Source
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AI summary
A deformation guiding system (1) for a road safety device and a road safety device group (100). The device (10) comprises a frame (11) and a deformable longitudinal body (12) which comprises a first end (12a) fixed to the frame (11) and a second end (12b). The system (1) comprises: a head (2) fixable to the second end (12b) of the body (12); a guide rail (3), which is reciprocally arranged with respect to the deformable body (12) for identifying a deforming direction (X) of the deformable body (12) which is parallel to the guide rail (3); coupling means (4) fixed to the head (2) for coupling the head (2) to the guide rail (3) so that the head (2) can slide along the guide rail (3); stabilising means (5) fixed to the head (2) for stabilising the head (2) so as to prevent oscillations of the head (2) about the guide rail (3). The coupling means (4) and the stabilising means (5) are reciprocally arranged and conformed so that, in a case of an impact of a vehicle against the head (2), the head (2) can slide along the guide rail (3) without oscillating about the guide rail (3) so as to guide the deformation of the deformable body (12) along the relative deforming direction (X).