Rail Vehicle Buffer With Concave Projections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing anti-climbing devices in rail vehicles are ineffective when colliding with vehicles that lack corresponding anti-climbing protection, leading to vertical forces that can cause one vehicle to climb over the other, potentially destroying the vehicle structure.
Innovation Solution
A rail vehicle with a concave impact surface formed by horizontally extending projections that interlock with other anti-climbing devices, ensuring vertical forces are absorbed and distributed across a large area, even when colliding with vehicles without anti-climbing protection, by arranging projections on a concave line or surface that can accommodate various buffer curvatures and sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional anti-climbing device with flat or convex buffer surface is used, then the device structure is simple, but it fails to prevent climbing when colliding with vehicles lacking anti-climbing protection
Solution Approach 1:
The impact surface is designed with a concave curvature instead of a flat or convex surface. This concave shape allows the buffer to conform to and interlock with the convex buffer surfaces of colliding vehicles, creating mechanical engagement that prevents vertical climbing forces. The curved geometry transforms the interaction from simple contact to positive interlocking, resolving the contradiction between simplicity and effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The impact surface is segmented into multiple horizontal projections or ribs extending from the buffer face. These segmented elements create multiple contact points and interlocking surfaces with the opposing vehicle's buffer, distributing the anti-climbing function across several discrete features rather than a single continuous surface, thereby enhancing reliability while maintaining reasonable structural complexity.
2Reliability
If the impact surface is designed with a concave shape and multiple projections, then climbing prevention is effective even against vehicles without anti-climbing protection, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The concave impact surface is formed as a rotationally symmetric or axially symmetric curved surface, which can be manufactured using standard rotational forming or molding processes. This symmetry reduces manufacturing complexity compared to arbitrary complex curves, allowing the concave shape to be produced efficiently while maintaining the interlocking functionality against vehicles without anti-climbing protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The geometric parameters of the concave surface (radius of curvature, depth, profile) and the projections (height, spacing, cross-sectional shape) are optimized to achieve effective interlocking with typical buffer dimensions. By selecting specific parameter ranges, the design balances manufacturing feasibility with enhanced anti-climbing performance, avoiding overly complex geometries while maintaining reliability.
3Strength
If horizontally extending projections are added to the impact surface, then the contact area for force absorption is increased, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The impact surface features multiple horizontal projections or ribs that segment the contact area into distinct zones. Each projection acts as an independent force-absorbing element that can deform or deflect, distributing the absorbed energy across multiple locations. This segmentation increases the effective contact area and force absorption capacity while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure based on repetitive geometric features.
Solution Approach 2:
The projections are formed with curved or rounded surfaces rather than sharp edges, and the overall impact surface has a concave curvature that conforms to the opposing buffer. This curved geometry increases the actual contact area during collision compared to flat surfaces, enhancing force absorption capacity while the smooth curved forms remain manufacturable and do not significantly increase structural complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2b
AI summary
The device (1) has a bluff body (4) provided with a bluff surface (5) that is turned away from a rail-mounted vehicle (2). The bluff body comprises an override protection device (3) and a support structure (6) that connects the bluff body with a front-side end (2') of the rail-mounted vehicle. The bluff surface is formed from multiple projections (7a-7f) whose front ends are arranged on a concave line (X) and/or area and turned away from the rail-mounted vehicle. The projections are arranged on a flat base plate (8) that is vertically arranged.