Pivotable Railway Transition Bellows Frame for Transverse Force Absorption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transition bellows in railcar trains face excessive stress during operation due to rolling, pitching, and buckling movements, leading to durability issues and difficulties in automatic coupling of bellows halves, especially when the bellows extends at an angle due to a sloping end face, which complicates horizontal extension and absorption of transverse forces.
Innovation Solution
A transition bellows system with a deployment bellows attached to the front side of the vehicle, featuring a pivotally mounted bellows frame connected to a transverse force-absorbing traverse and a spreading device, allowing horizontal extension and absorption of transverse forces, ensuring the bellows can yield to all driving movements and maintain contact between frames during coupling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the bellows is lengthened to provide enough space in the roof area for maximum deflection, then the bellows can accommodate rolling, pitching and buckling movements, but the bellows is pushed together even further in the bottom area, reducing durability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a pivotable bellows frame that changes the dimensional orientation of the bellows extension. Instead of extending vertically upward which compresses the bottom area, the bellows frame pivots to extend horizontally outward from the vehicle front, allowing the roof area to provide deflection space without further compressing the bottom area.
2Shape
If the support frame is flush with the front of the vehicle and the bellows extends parallel to the end face, then the transition can be accommodated, but the bellows does not extend horizontally, making automatic coupling of two bellows halves difficult or impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a pivotable bellows frame that can dynamically change its orientation. The frame pivots about a vertical axis to extend horizontally outward from the vehicle front, enabling automatic coupling between bellows halves of adjacent vehicles while still accommodating the sloping end face geometry.
3Ease of operation
If the bellows frame is pivotally mounted to allow horizontal extension, then automatic coupling is enabled, but the bellows must yield to rolling, pitching and buckling movements, requiring additional flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple movement accommodation capabilities into a single integrated bellows frame structure. The frame simultaneously provides horizontal extension for coupling and yields to rolling, pitching and buckling movements through its pivotable mounting and flexible bellows construction, eliminating the need for separate mechanisms for each function.
Data Source
Figure 1~1a
Figure 1b
Figure 2~3
AI summary
Transition bellows (20) comprises a bellows frame (12) joined in the region of its upper end to the front side (2) of a vehicle by a cross-piece which absorbs transversal forces. Preferred Features: The transition bellows has a front frame (25) which pivots on a clutch of the vehicle receiving the bellows. A bearing block arranged on the front side of the vehicle is arranged to pivot the bellows frame.