Fiber-Reinforced Rail Drive Coupling for Tunable Radial Stiffness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing coupling devices for rail vehicles, such as wedge pack couplings, are expensive, complex, and require significant maintenance, while also being difficult to assemble, and they struggle to effectively compensate for relative movements between the motor-gear unit and the wheelset.
Innovation Solution
A clutch device with a thread-reinforced joint that provides adjustable radial stiffness, using a combination of bushings, thread bundles, and an elastic body to absorb radial, axial, and bending forces, allowing for elastic deformation and reduced unsprung masses, thus simplifying assembly and maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If wedge pack coupling is used to compensate for relative movements, then the coupling device can handle complex relative movements, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling device is divided into modular components: coupling flanges, connecting devices, and thread-reinforced joint devices. Each module performs a specific function and can be independently manufactured and assembled, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining the ability to compensate for relative movements through controlled elastic deformation of the thread bundles.
Solution Approach 2:
The radial stiffness of the coupling device is adjusted by changing parameters of the thread-reinforced joint device, specifically the number, arrangement, and pre-tensioning force of the thread bundles. This allows optimization of the coupling device's adaptability to relative movements without increasing structural complexity, as the same basic structure can be tuned by parameter adjustment rather than redesign.
2Strength
If traditional coupling devices are used, then they can provide structural support, but maintenance requirements and assembly difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The thread-reinforced joint device incorporates self-adjusting elements where the elastic thread bundles automatically compensate for wear and dimensional changes through their elastic deformation. The controlled elasticity allows the joint to self-accommodate to relative movements and maintain connection integrity without requiring frequent manual adjustment or maintenance intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The joint device combines rigid components (coupling flanges, connecting devices, bushings) with elastic elements (thread bundles). This composite structure provides both the necessary radial support strength from the rigid parts and the flexibility/maintenance reduction from the elastic thread bundles that can deform and recover without permanent damage.
3Strength
If rigid coupling is used to provide radial support, then structural strength is maintained, but the ability to absorb radial forces and reduce unsprung masses decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The radial stiffness is optimized by adjusting parameters of the thread-reinforced joint device, specifically the number, arrangement, and pre-tensioning force of the thread bundles. This allows the coupling device to provide sufficient radial support while being lighter than traditional rigid coupling structures, as the elastic thread bundles provide strength through tension rather than requiring massive rigid components.
Solution Approach 2:
The traditional rigid mechanical support structure is replaced with an elastic thread bundle system that provides radial support through controlled elastic deformation. This substitution reduces the mass of unsprung components while maintaining the necessary radial stiffness, as the thread bundles can deform elastically to absorb radial forces without requiring heavy damping or support structures.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The clutch device effectively compensates for relative movements, reduces maintenance needs, and acts as a bearing, providing radial support and reducing unsprung masses, while being more cost-effective and easier to assemble compared to traditional coupling devices.
Implementation Method 1
the thread-reinforced joint device having a plurality of bushings, at least one thread bundle and at least one elastic body, the predetermined radial stiffness being due to the formation of the at least one thread bundle and the arrangement of the at least one thread bundle in the at least one elastic body is adjustable
Implementation Method 2
the at least one flange, the at least one connecting device and the at least one thread-reinforced joint device are designed in such a way that the coupling device has a predetermined radial stiffness
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a coupling device (20) for a vehicle drive, in particular for the drive of a rail vehicle, having - at least one flange (22), wherein the at least one flange (22) has a fastening section (42), via which the at least one flange (22) can be coupled to a transmission (14), - at least one connecting device (VE), wherein the at least one connecting device (VE) has at least one fastening section (60), via which the at least one connecting device (VE) can be coupled to at least one driven element (18), - at least one fibre-reinforced joint device (32) which connects the flange (22) and the connecting device (VE) to one another, wherein the at least one flange (22) and the at least one connecting device (VE) in each case have at least one fastening surface (54, 62, 68, 70), to which the at least one fibre-reinforced joint device (32) is fastened, wherein the at least one flange (22), the at least one connecting device (VE) and the at least one fibre-reinforced joint device (32) are configured in such a way that the coupling device (20) has a predefined radial rigidity.