Railway Coupling Adapter Clamping Design for Thin-Walled Car Bodies

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional coupling adapters for railway car bodies, especially those with small wall thicknesses, require additional drilling and welding, increasing assembly effort and violating safety regulations, and rely on friction-enhancing films or coatings for secure connection.

Innovation Solution

A coupling adapter design featuring a buffer flange, longitudinally extending slide-in beam, and support beam with a connecting part that distributes forces effectively, allowing clamping without welding or additional holes, using clamping devices and a feather key connection to secure the adapter to the car body.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional coupling adapters are used with thin-walled car bodies, then secure connection is achieved, but additional drilling and welding are required, increasing assembly effort and violating safety regulations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconnection securityVSAvoidassembly effort
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts and eliminates the welding process from the coupling adapter installation. The coupling adapter is designed to be mechanically fastened using only two screws through the buffer beam, completely removing the need for welding operations that were previously required to secure the adapter to thin-walled car bodies.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The coupling adapter is divided into separate functional components: the buffer beam interface section, the coupling body, and the mounting elements. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, with the buffer beam interface designed specifically to distribute loads effectively without requiring modifications to the car body beyond two screw holes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If conventional coupling adapters are used with thin-walled car bodies, then secure connection is achieved, but friction-enhancing films or coatings are required, complicating the design

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconnection securityVSAvoiddesign complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention removes the dependency on friction-enhancing films or coatings from the coupling adapter design. Instead of relying on surface treatments to achieve secure connection, the design uses a mechanically robust fastening system with two screws that directly secure the adapter to the buffer beam through precise geometric engagement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Force

If weld-on brackets are used to transmit vertical forces, then force transmission is improved, but additional holes must be drilled into the buffer beam and welding work is required

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevertical force transmissionVSAvoidassembly effort
Core Design Contradiction:
ForceVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The invention merges the functions of force transmission and structural support into the integrated coupling adapter design. The buffer beam interface is designed to handle vertical forces directly through its geometry and the two-screw fastening system, eliminating the need for separate weld-on brackets and their associated drilling and welding operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Reliability

If dowel pin is welded into the coupling adapter, then secure positioning is achieved, but welding work significantly increases assembly effort and requires inspection and repainting

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepositioning accuracyVSAvoidassembly speed
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts and eliminates the dowel pin welding operation from the assembly process. Positioning accuracy is achieved through precision-machined mechanical features and the two-screw fastening system, completely removing the need for welding, inspection, and repainting operations that were previously required.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP3725639B1Coupling adapter for a car body of a railway vehicle
Publication Date: 2023.06.07 GABRIEL KONSTRUKTIONEN GMBH
  • EP3725639B1 patent drawingFigure 1a
  • EP3725639B1 patent drawingFigure 1b
  • EP3725639B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3c

AI summary

The invention relates in particular to a car body (1) of a railway carriage, in particular a passenger carriage, comprising a coupling adapter (2) extending longitudinally in the car body (1) for variable coupling of the car body (1) with a towing device, wherein the coupling adapter (2) comprises a buffer flange (3), a longitudinally extending insertion support (4) and a longitudinally extending support support (5) at an angle to the insertion support (4), the buffer-side ends (4', 5') of which are spaced further apart than their carriage-side ends (4", 5"), wherein a connecting part (6) is provided which connects the carriage-side ends (4", 5") of the insertion support (4) and the support support (5) to the car body (1), and wherein the connecting part (6) is located above a wheelset axle, in particular above a pivot axle (7) of a bogie (8),of the car body (1) and extends in the longitudinal direction (13) of the car body (1) at least to the wheelset axle, in particular to the pivot axis (7).