Prefabricated Rail Support Block with Resilient Intermediate Structure

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing railway support block assemblies face challenges in maintaining reliable adherence between concrete blocks, concrete trays, and resilient materials, leading to potential detachment and increased noise, vibration, and maintenance issues due to cyclic compression and relaxation, as well as water ingress.

Innovation Solution

A prefabricated resilient member with an outer and inner tray, featuring a resilient intermediate structure between them, allows for controlled manufacturing and adherence, ensuring high-quality assemblies with improved bonding and reduced sensitivity in the manufacturing process, enabling better durability and noise/vibration attenuation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a resilient material is poured between the concrete tray and block during manufacture, then the assembly is ready to be mounted and adherence is improved, but extensive pre-treatment steps are required and manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadherence qualityVSAvoidmanufacturing process simplicity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The resilient member is pre-formed with the resilient material already positioned in the correct location within the tray, eliminating the need for pouring and pre-treatment during assembly. This preliminary preparation resolves the contradiction by ensuring reliable adherence through factory-controlled placement while simplifying the on-site manufacturing process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The resilient member acts as an intermediary component that is pre-assembled between the tray and block, providing a controlled interface that ensures proper adherence without requiring complex pre-treatment steps during final assembly.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If the resilient material adheres strongly to the concrete block and tray, then the assembly remains connected during service, but manufacturing precision requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebond durabilityVSAvoidadherence control precision

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The resilient material is pre-positioned and pre-compressed within the resilient member during factory manufacture, allowing precise control of adherence properties under controlled conditions. This preliminary action ensures durable bonding while reducing the precision requirements during field installation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The resilient material's physical parameters (compression, density) are optimized during factory production to achieve the desired adherence strength. By controlling these parameters during manufacture rather than during assembly, the system achieves reliable bonding with reduced precision requirements at installation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Object-affected harmful factors

If the block is securely bonded to the tray, then noise and vibration are attenuated, but the assembly cannot be easily disassembled for maintenance

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenoise and vibrationVSAvoidblock replacement ease

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of repair

Solution Approach 1:

The resilient member acts as a flexible bonding element that provides secure attachment for noise and vibration attenuation while allowing for controlled separation when needed. The flexible nature of the resilient material enables both strong bonding during service and manageable disassembly for maintenance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

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 enhances the manufacturing process by ensuring perfect quality and adherence of the resilient member, reducing maintenance needs and noise/vibration disturbances by maintaining effective bonding throughout the service life, even under cyclic loads.

Implementation Method 1

the resilient material of the assembly is subjected to cyclic compression and relaxation

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectViscoelasticity: Viscoelasticity

Implementation Method 2

the resilient material adheres to the concrete block and concrete tray and thus bonds said tray to the block

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectAdhesion: Adhesive

Data Source

PatentEP2074261B1Resilient rail support block assembly

Publication Date: 2010.12.15 EDILONSEDRA

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AI summary

A prefabricated resilient member for in a rail support block assembly, which assembly is adapted to be mounted embedded in or mounted on a railway substructure. The assembly comprises said resilient member (1) as well as a block having a top (10), a bottom and peripheral wall, said block being adapted for fastening one or more rails on the top of said block. The prefabricated resilient member is adapted to be fixed to said block so as to extend under said bottom of the block as well as around at least a lower region of the peripheral wall of the block. The prefabricated resilient member (1) has an outer tray (2) and inner tray (3) arranged within said outer tray, and said prefabricated resilient member comprises a resilient intermediate structure (5) being arranged between said outer and inner trays.