Low Profile Portable Derail Segmentation and Nesting
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing derails in the railroad industry require special tools for installation and are not lightweight enough to be easily handled and installed by a single workman, and they often fail to prevent locomotives from engaging and pushing them along the rail, necessitating a low-profile design that securely attaches to the rail head and tie.
Innovation Solution
A low-profile, lightweight portable derail with a monolithic body featuring a flat rider plate and curved holding channel, secured by thumbscrews, a straight rub bar for wheel engagement, a locking pad, swing arm, and comb assembly to prevent movement along the rail, allowing secure attachment and removal by a single workman without special tools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional derail is used, then it can prevent railroad equipment from passing a certain point, but it requires special tools for installation and cannot be easily handled by a single workman
Solution Approach 1:
The derail is divided into separate components: a body portion, a bar assembly, and a comb assembly. These segments can be individually handled and assembled, making the overall device easier for a single workman to manage during installation and removal operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The bar assembly is extracted as a separate removable component from the body portion. This allows the bar to be independently installed and adjusted without requiring special tools for the entire derail assembly, simplifying the installation process for a single workman.
2Ease of operation
If a traditional derail is used, then it can derailing railroad equipment, but it is not lightweight enough to be easily handled and installed by a single workman
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the derail into lighter components (body, bar assembly, comb assembly), each piece becomes manageable for a single workman to handle and position, reducing the overall difficulty of installation despite the total weight remaining sufficient for functional durability.
3Reliability
If a derail is positioned on the track, then it can prevent movement of a car being repaired, but it may be engaged by track clearing equipment on a locomotive and pushed along the rail
Solution Approach 1:
The bar assembly is nested within the body portion, allowing the bar to be positioned low against the rail head while remaining protected by the body structure. This nested configuration reduces the profile height, preventing engagement by track clearing equipment while maintaining reliable derailing function.
Solution Approach 2:
The derail design transitions from a high-profile configuration to a low-profile configuration by repositioning the bar assembly vertically against the rail head and using the body portion to cover the upper structure. This dimensional change in profile height eliminates the harmful interaction with locomotive clearing equipment.
4Ease of operation
If a derail is made lightweight for easy handling, then it can be moved by a single workman, but it may lack the structural strength to securely attach to the rail head and resist movement
Solution Approach 1:
The segmented design allows strategic placement of attachment points on the body portion while keeping overall weight low. The body can be made from lightweight yet strong material, and the separate bar assembly can be secured with simple fasteners, achieving both ease of movement and sufficient attachment strength.
Data Source
AI summary
This invention relates to a portable low profile derail which is releasably securable to a railroad rail for derailing from the rail a flanged wheel of railroad equipment. The derail has a monolithic body including a flat rider plate and an integral elongated holding channel. At least three field side fasteners are mounted on the holding channel and connectable with the rail. A substantially straight rub bar is fixed to the derail body and is set at an angle to the rail when the derail is secured to the rail. The derail includes a securing assembly which is selectively connectable to the rail for securing the derail onto the rail.