Rail Vehicle Floor Interlocking Profile Rails
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Solution Overview
Problem
The production of rail vehicle floors is time-consuming due to the need for adhesive or screw connections, which require waiting for adhesives to harden and reworking of side surfaces, and existing methods do not allow for rapid assembly or immediate accessibility after installation.
Innovation Solution
A floor system using interlocking connection profile rails with a tongue and groove click connection, where the profile rails form a self-locking form-fitting connection with vertical stop surfaces, allowing for quick assembly without additional tools and ensuring a secure, vibration-resistant joint without the need for adhesives.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If adhesive connections are used to join floor panels, then the floor panels can be connected, but the assembly process becomes time-consuming due to waiting for adhesive hardening
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces adhesive connections with a mechanical interlocking system consisting of grooves and protrusions that engage to join floor panels. This mechanical system eliminates the need for adhesive hardening time while maintaining connection strength, directly resolving the time-consuming aspect of adhesive-based assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection system is segmented into separate components: grooves in one panel and protrusions in adjacent panels. These segmented elements interlock mechanically, allowing rapid assembly without requiring the continuous adhesive application and waiting process, thus reducing assembly time while preserving connection integrity.
2Strength
If screw connections are used to join floor panels, then the floor panels can be connected, but additional tools and time are required for assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes screw connections with a tool-free mechanical interlocking system using grooves and protrusions. This eliminates the need for screwdrivers or other fastening tools, reducing assembly complexity while maintaining secure connections through the interlocking geometry of the joining elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The grooves and protrusions are designed to self-align and self-lock when panels are brought together, eliminating the need for external tools or complex assembly procedures. The system serves itself by using the inherent geometry of the connecting elements to achieve secure joining without additional equipment.
3Strength
If floor panels are connected with adhesive, then connections can be formed, but reworking of side surfaces is required during production
Solution Approach 1:
The connection functionality is segmented into dedicated grooves and protrusions that are integrated into the panel design. This segmentation eliminates the need for post-assembly reworking of side surfaces, as the connecting elements are pre-formed and require no additional manufacturing steps after panel production.
Solution Approach 2:
The grooves and protrusions are preliminarily formed during panel manufacturing, preparing the side surfaces in advance for connection. This preliminary action eliminates the need for reworking side surfaces after panels are produced, simplifying the overall manufacturing process while ensuring proper connection geometry is already in place.
4Strength
If tongue and groove connections are machined directly from floor panel material, then connections can be formed, but the edges are vulnerable to impacts and breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces connection profile rails as intermediary elements that bridge adjacent floor panels. These rails absorb and distribute impact forces, protecting the vulnerable groove-protrusion interfaces from direct impact. The rails serve as a protective mediator between the fragile connecting elements and external mechanical stresses.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection system combines different material properties: the grooves and protrusions are integrated into the panel material, while the connection profile rails provide additional structural protection. This composite approach creates a multi-layered connection system that maintains integrity while resisting impact and vibration loads.
Data Source
Figure 1A~2B
Figure 3A~4B
AI summary
The assembly has a connecting profile rail (4) including a horizontally projected spring (10) that is engaged in a groove (9) of another connecting profile rail (3). The spring and groove include a tongue-and-click connection and locking surfaces, such that a form fit of the locking surfaces of a relative motion of base plates (1, 2) opposite to horizontal and vertical direction. Projections are provided in an upper edge of sides of the rails, and extend in a section of a gap between the base plates, and include vertical bearing surfaces that lie opposite to each other in a connected state. The base plates include multiplex plywood, plastic plates or composite panels.