Rail Vehicle Snow Plough with Adjustable Height and Buffering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rail vehicle snow clearers face challenges in maintaining a safe distance from rail edges to prevent derailment while effectively clearing snow and protecting components like antennas and sanding systems, especially when encountering obstacles like wooden sleepers, and require complex and accurate installation processes.
Innovation Solution
A rail vehicle with a height-adjustable snow clearer featuring C-shaped profiled tines and a cutting edge floor plate, combined with energy-absorbing buffer elements and a design that keeps the snow clearer out of energy absorption paths, allows for adjustable overhang to maintain a safety distance and protect components, while using a deflection web to prevent snow from reaching the driver's cab and an obtuse point angle to facilitate lifting without disassembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the snow clearer is positioned close to the rails to effectively clear snow and protect components, then the clearing effectiveness and component protection improve, but the risk of derailment increases due to potential collision with rails
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies beforehand cushioning by positioning buffer elements at the front of the underframe before the snow clearer. These buffers absorb impact energy from obstacles like sleepers and stones, preventing direct transmission of forces to the snow clearer and rails. This allows the snow clearer to be positioned closer to the rails for better clearing effectiveness while maintaining safety through pre-positioned protective elements that cushion potential collisions.
2Stability of the object's composition
If attachment points for the snow clearer are positioned far apart to ensure stability, then the stability and strength improve, but the manufacturing accuracy and installation effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the snow clearer into modular components with standardized attachment interfaces. The support frame and clearing elements are designed as separate modules that can be assembled at less stringent tolerance levels. This modular approach maintains overall stability while reducing the precision requirements for individual attachment points and simplifying installation procedures.
3Reliability
If the snow clearer design includes energy-absorbing elements to protect against collisions, then the collision resistance improves, but the complexity of the structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the energy-absorbing function with the existing support frame structure of the snow clearer. The support frame is designed to serve both as the structural mounting element and as an energy-absorbing component during collisions. This integration approach provides collision resistance without adding separate complex energy-absorbing mechanisms, thereby maintaining structural simplicity while improving reliability.
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 solution effectively clears snow and obstacles without risking derailment, protects components from damage, and allows for easy adjustment and installation, ensuring reliable operation and safety during collisions and snow removal.
Implementation Method 1
buffer elements (18) arranged at the front of the underframe (16) which are designed to absorb impact energy by elastic compression of a buffer spring (not shown) along a reversible, first energy absorbing path (19)
Implementation Method 2
deformation elements (20) which are designed to absorb impact energy through plastic deformation of a deformation structure (not shown) along an irreversible, second energy absorption path (21)
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The invention relates to a rail vehicle (14) comprising a vehicle body which is supported in a sprung fashion on bogies, and a snow plough (1) which has two blade plates (3) which run to a point (2) in a ploughed shape and have a C-shaped profile, and a plough blade (5) which is arranged in a vertically adjustable fashion behind the blade plates (3) in the direction of travel (4) and whose projecting portion (7), which projects downwards beyond a lower edge (6) of the blade plates (3), is adjustable. The blade plates (3) rest with their lower edge (6) on a base plate (8) which forms a cutting edge (9) which protrudes from the lower edge (6) in the direction of travel (4). According to the invention, the snow plough (1) is attached to an underframe (16) of the vehicle body in such a way that the base plate (8) of the snow plough (1) maintains a safety distance from the travel rails (15), which safety distance is predefined by maximum spring compression of the vehicle body, wherein the protruding portion (7) of the plough blade (5) is set as a function of the safety distance and of wear of the wheel tyres of rail wheels of the bogies.