Rail Guide Plate Wear Reduction via Composite Inserts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing guide plates made of fiber-reinforced polyamide for securing and guiding rails suffer from poor wear resistance due to rapid wear at points of contact with the rail foot, especially under frequent load changes from train axles.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating inserts made of slippery, low-abrasion, and elastically flexible materials, such as polyoxymethylene, into the guide plate surface areas where friction occurs, which can be mechanically inserted or molded using a multi-component injection molding process, to absorb alternating loads and reduce wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If guide plates are made of fiber-reinforced polyamide for high strength and dimensional stability, then strength and stability are improved, but wear resistance deteriorates due to rapid wear at contact points with rail foot
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by equipping the guide plate with inserts made of different material at the contact surfaces where the rail foot bears laterally. These inserts are made of slippery, low-abrasion, and elastically flexible material, contrasting with the main guide plate body made of fiber-reinforced polyamide. This local material differentiation resolves the contradiction by providing wear-resistant properties exactly where needed (at contact points) while maintaining the overall structural strength and dimensional stability of the guide plate body.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials by combining fiber-reinforced polyamide (for the guide plate body) with inserts made of slippery, low-abrasion, and elastically flexible material. This composite approach allows the guide plate to simultaneously achieve high strength from the polyamide matrix and superior wear resistance from the specialized insert materials, directly resolving the contradiction between strength and wear resistance.
2Stability of the object's composition
If guide plates use fiber-reinforced polyamide material, then dimensional stability is improved, but wear resistance deteriorates due to poor abrasion resistance at contact points
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by equipping the guide plate with inserts made of different material at the contact surfaces where the rail foot bears laterally. These inserts are made of slippery, low-abrasion, and elastically flexible material, contrasting with the main guide plate body made of fiber-reinforced polyamide. This local material differentiation resolves the contradiction by providing wear-resistant properties exactly where needed (at contact points) while maintaining the overall structural strength and dimensional stability of the guide plate body.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials by combining fiber-reinforced polyamide (for the guide plate body) with inserts made of slippery, low-abrasion, and elastically flexible material. This composite approach allows the guide plate to simultaneously achieve high strength from the polyamide matrix and superior wear resistance from the specialized insert materials, directly resolving the contradiction between strength and wear resistance.
3Reliability
If inserts are made of elastically flexible material to absorb alternating load, then wear resistance is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases due to multi-component injection molding process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies merging by integrating the inserts into the guide plate body through a multi-component injection molding process. This manufacturing technique combines multiple materials (fiber-reinforced polyamide and slippery, low-abrasion material) into a single integrated component, eliminating the need for separate assembly steps. The inserts are molded directly into the guide plate, creating a unified structure that simplifies assembly while maintaining the wear-resistant properties of the insert materials.
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 use of these inserts significantly reduces wear on the guide plates, leading to a longer service life by resiliently absorbing load changes and minimizing frictional wear at contact points.
Implementation Method 1
the inserts being made of slippery, low-abrasion or abrasion-resistant, low-wear or wear-resistant and elastically flexible material
Implementation Method 2
the inserts being made of slippery, low-abrasion or abrasion-resistant, low-wear or wear-resistant and elastically flexible material
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
The present invention relates to a device for positionally securing and guiding rails for track installations for trains, in particular high-speed trains, wherein the rails are laid on fixed concrete foundations directly or indirectly with the interposition of intermediate plates, and guide plates against which the rail foot and, if appropriate, the intermediate plates bear laterally are anchored on or in the concrete foundations, wherein the guide plates consist of high-strength, dimensionally stable material, preferably of filled plastic material, such as, for example, glass-fibre-reinforced plastic, in particular polyamide. The device according to the invention makes it possible to provide guide plates which are more wear-resistant overall. This is achieved according to the invention in that the guide plate has an inlay, or regions provided with inlays, in the surface region on which the rail foot is supported, wherein the inlay consists of slide-promoting, low-abrasion or abrasion-resistant, low-wear or wear-resistant and elastically resilient material.