Switch Tongue Device With Eccentric Bushing For Wear Adaptation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing switch devices face high maintenance and production costs due to frequent replacement of worn switch tongues, which require precise adjustments and cannot be easily adapted to varying wear patterns, limiting their use as mass-produced items.
Innovation Solution
The tongue device features projections on both sides of the tongue root for secure fixation on a sliding plate, allowing lateral displacement and easy replacement, with a three-point attachment system using screws and an eccentric bushing for adjustable alignment, enabling use with non-straight transition joints and reducing measurement and production efforts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the tongue is welded or clamped to the tongue connecting piece, then the tongue is securely fixed, but the replacement requires considerable measurement effort and exact adjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The tongue device is segmented into a tongue root, projections, and a sliding plate that can be independently assembled and disassembled. The projections detachably connect the tongue root to the sliding plate, allowing the tongue to be replaced without replacing the entire assembly, thus reducing replacement time while maintaining secure fixation.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection between the tongue root and sliding plate is made dynamic through detachable projections that allow lateral displacement during installation/adjustment but provide secure fixation during operation. This dynamic connection enables quick replacement while ensuring reliability when the tongue is in place.
2Reliability
If the tongue is fixed in position on the sliding plate, then the position is secured, but the tongue cannot be adapted to wear on the switch connecting piece
Solution Approach 1:
The projection-s sliding plate connection is designed to be dynamic during installation, allowing lateral displacement of the tongue root to adapt to wear on the switch connecting piece. Once positioned, the connection becomes stable for reliable operation. This dynamic-adjustable-stable sequence resolves the contradiction between position stability and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The sliding plate acts as an intermediary between the tongue root and the switch connecting piece. It provides a stable mounting surface while allowing the tongue root to be laterally displaced during installation to compensate for wear, thus mediating between the need for stable fixation and the need for adaptability to wear.
3Ease of manufacture
If standard replacement tongues are used, then production costs are reduced, but they require exact adjustment to the special tongue device
Solution Approach 1:
The sliding plate with standardized projection connections creates a universal interface that can accommodate standard replacement tongues. The detachable projections allow these standard tongues to be easily adjusted and secured without requiring custom fabrication, thus reducing production costs while maintaining the precision needed for proper fit through the adjustable connection mechanism.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the tongue root is laterally displaceable, then adaptation to wear is improved, but the fixation stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The projection connection provides a dynamic system that is displaceable during installation/adjustment phases but becomes stable during operation. The detachable nature allows lateral displacement for wear adaptation, while the secure engagement of projections in the bore provides fixation stability when the tongue is properly positioned, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and stability.
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
This solution allows for quick and secure replacement of switch tongues under construction site conditions, maintaining driving comfort and reducing maintenance and production costs by enabling precise alignment without extensive measurement or reworking, facilitating adaptable adjustments for various geometries.
Implementation Method 1
For example, the displaceability is made possible by the bore having an eccentric bushing. Such an eccentric bushing fits within the bore and in turn has a smaller diameter bore eccentrically disposed on a disc within the larger bore, the disc being rotatable in the larger bore.
Data Source
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AI summary
The device comprises a double-sided guide, which has patterns on a projection at its lower surface, in which bores are arranged. The three bores are provided, through which the fixing screws are guided, which is connected with supplementing mounting parts. The guide is fixed directly or indirectly on the folding plate. The guide is made of a suitable rolled section or a cast primary material. An independent claim is also included for guides for switching device.