Rail Vehicle Transport Sandwich Structure Gap Bridging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for transporting and loading rail-supported vehicles, such as mobile testing and maintenance machines, face challenges in efficiently and safely loading and unloading these vehicles onto track systems at remote locations without specialized vehicles or external lifting gear, and lack protection against environmental influences.
Innovation Solution
A transport and loading system featuring a sandwich structure with a base plate and two connected floor groups, equipped with a linear extension device and foldable ramp, allowing for automated movement and height adjustment to bridge the gap between the vehicle and the track, and incorporating standardized ISO container dimensions for easy handling and protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If specialized track-supported vehicles or adapted carrier vehicles are used to transport rail-supported vehicles, then the vehicles can be transported to different locations, but the technical effort for adapting to different track networks increases and requires specialized vehicles
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the transport and loading function into separate modular components: a transport vehicle with ISO container loading platform and a standalone sandwich structure with loading/unloading unit. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and eliminates the need for specialized adapted carrier vehicles, reducing technical adaptation effort while maintaining versatility across different track networks.
Solution Approach 2:
The sandwich structure with rails and extendable loading unit serves multiple functions: it provides structural support, enables loading/unloading of rail-supported vehicles, and adapts to different track gauges. This multi-functional design replaces the need for specialized track-supported vehicles, reducing device complexity while improving adaptability to various track networks.
2Productivity
If rail-supported vehicles are transported using adapted carrier vehicles, then they can reach remote locations, but specialized vehicles and external lifting gear are required for loading and unloading
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the loading platform function directly into the sandwich structure by integrating rails and an extendable loading unit that can bridge the gap between the transport vehicle and the track. This combination eliminates the need for separate external lifting gear and specialized vehicles, maintaining transport efficiency to remote locations while reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The extendable loading unit acts as an intermediary mechanism between the transport vehicle and the rail-supported vehicle. It bridges the height and gap differences, enabling direct loading and unloading without requiring external lifting gear or specialized track-supported vehicles, thus improving productivity while reducing device complexity.
3Ease of manufacture
If standard transport methods are used without protection, then transportation is simpler, but protection against environmental influences is inadequate
Solution Approach 1:
The rail-supported vehicle is nested within the sandwich structure during transport, which itself is positioned on the transport vehicle. This nested arrangement provides inherent protection against environmental influences while maintaining a relatively simple transportation system. The sandwich structure acts as a protective enclosure without requiring complex specialized vehicles.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
The invention relates to a transport and loading system for rail-based vehicles when transport vehicles are used with a loading platform which is standardised for ISO containers, in particular for testing and maintenance machines of track systems. The aim of the invention is to find a new possibility for transporting and loading rail-based vehicles which enables rail-based vehicles to be reliably transported without special vehicles to operating locations at any distance and to be set down and picked up on a track system without extraneous lifting gear. According to the invention this aim is achieved in that the transporting and loading system has a sandwich structure composed of two base groups (11) in the ISO container format, an intermediate space (15) is provided between the base groups (11) for driving, transmission and control units for automated movement of the loading and unloading unit (2, 3; 8; 91, 92, 93, 99) and rails (6) for holding and guiding the rail-based vehicles (47) are provided on the sandwich structure (1).