Planar Web Corrugation Bellows for Articulated Vehicle Air Resistance Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional corrugation bellows between articulated vehicles experience significant turbulence due to the arched shape of their web elements, leading to increased air resistance during rapid travel, as they are not seamlessly integrated with the vehicle's outer contour.
Innovation Solution
The web between the limbs of the corrugation bellows is designed to be planar, with the limbs and web extending at right angles in a neutral state, and can be made thicker or stiffer than the limbs, maintaining a rigid planar form to reduce turbulence, allowing the bellows to flex primarily through limb spreading during vehicle movements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the web of the corrugation bellows is made with an arched shape, then the bellows can accommodate pressure differences between vehicles, but significant turbulence is formed on the outer surface increasing air resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the web from an arched shape to a planar shape. This parameter change eliminates the turbulence-generating curved surface while maintaining the bellows' ability to accommodate pressure differences through the corrugation structure itself rather than web arching.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention removes the curvature from the web surface by making it planar. The outer circumferential surface of the bellows is designed to be substantially free of curvature, creating a streamlined surface that reduces air resistance during rapid travel while the corrugations provide the necessary flexibility.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the web is made planar to reduce turbulence, then air resistance is reduced, but the web must be made thicker or stiffer to maintain structural integrity
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the material parameters of the web by using thicker or stiffer material compared to the limbs. This compensates for the reduced structural efficiency of a planar web compared to an arched web, maintaining structural integrity while achieving the aerodynamic benefits of a planar surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite construction where the web and limbs may have different material properties. The web is specifically designed with enhanced material characteristics (greater thickness or stiffness) to maintain structural integrity in its planar configuration, while the limbs remain more flexible for articulation movements.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the bellows is positioned closer to the vehicle wall to reduce spacing, then turbulence is reduced, but the bellows must flex more during articulation movements
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the bellows structure into distinct corrugations with planar webs and limbs. This segmentation allows the bellows to flex through articulation of individual corrugation elements rather than relying on web deformation, maintaining a planar outer surface while accommodating articulation movements.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a dynamic structure where the bellows can change its configuration during articulation. The planar webs remain substantially planar during normal operation, but the corrugation structure allows for controlled deformation during pivotable movements between vehicles, adapting to different operational states.
Data Source
AI summary
A corrugation bellows for a transfer between two articulated vehicles has a plurality of corrugations which are generally U-shaped in cross-section. Two adjacent corrugations are connected together by a frame. The corrugations may have a web interconnecting two limbs, with the web being substantially planar in a substantially neutral state of the bellows. The limbs extend at right angles to the web in a substantially neutral state of the bellows.