Grooved Rail Filler Profile for Wheel Entrapment Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing grooved rails pose a significant risk of accidents for bicycles and other road users due to wheel entrapment, leading to loss of balance and potential collisions, and existing solutions suffer from wear and tear issues, necessitating frequent replacement.
Innovation Solution
A grooved rail design featuring projections along the longitudinal direction of the groove, with a filler profile that partially fills the groove and is secured by these projections, allowing for easy removal and replacement, using materials like thermoplastics, thermosets, or bitumen, and a two-component casting compound.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the groove is completely filled with a profile to prevent wheel entrapment, then safety for cyclists and pedestrians is improved, but the profile undergoes considerable stress and wears quickly requiring frequent replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The filler profile is divided into multiple segments or sections that can move independently relative to each other. This segmentation allows the profile to deform and accommodate wheel flanges without transmitting excessive stress to any single section, thereby reducing wear and extending service life while maintaining safety function
Solution Approach 2:
The filler profile transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic structure capable of deformation. The profile can elastically deform when subjected to wheel flange forces and return to its original position, allowing it to absorb stress cycles without permanent damage or excessive wear
2Adaptability or versatility
If an elastomeric body is used to fill the groove for flexibility and wear resistance, then adaptability to wheel flanges is improved, but the elastomeric material still suffers from recurring contact wear
Solution Approach 1:
The filler profile is constructed from composite materials combining different properties - potentially combining elastomeric materials for deformation capability with reinforcing fibers or layers for enhanced wear resistance. This composite structure maintains the flexibility needed to accommodate wheel flanges while significantly improving resistance to recurring contact wear
3Reliability
If the groove is partially filled with a profile to reduce wear, then profile durability is improved, but the protective effect against wheel entrapment is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The filler profile concentrates its protective function at critical locations where wheel entrapment is most likely to occur, such as at the edges and entry points of the groove. The profile may have varying height, density, or material properties at different locations, providing enhanced protection where needed while using less material overall, thus maintaining durability
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
The invention relates to a grooved rail for a rail vehicle, comprising a rail head (1) with a running surface (2) for a wheel of the rail vehicle and an adjoining groove (3) for receiving a wheel flange, a plurality of projections (4) arranged at intervals in the groove (3) along a longitudinal direction (I) of the rail, and a filler profile (7) that partially fills the groove (3), receives the projections (4) on a lower profile section, and extends beyond the projections (4) along a height of the groove (3). The lower profile section has an insert (9) extending along the longitudinal direction (I) of the rail. The invention also relates to a method for disassembling a grooved rail, wherein, starting from a point of attachment, the filler profile (7) is lifted out of the groove (3), separates from the projections (4), and is removed as a single, continuous body.