Rail Vehicle Track Clearer Aerodynamic Guide Plates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rail vehicle clearing devices experience significant pressure fluctuations, known as pileup, when traveling at high speeds, which is not effectively mitigated by providing passages or apertures in the clearing blades.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of vertical guide plates at the free end of the clearing blades, which are arranged transversely to the travel path, deflects the air stream laterally, reducing the aerodynamic separation region and minimizing pressure fluctuations without the need for passages or apertures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If passages or apertures are provided in the clearing blades to reduce pressure fluctuations, then the aerodynamic performance is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the aerodynamic flow control function from the clearing blades themselves and relocates it to separate vertical guide plates positioned at the free ends of the clearing blades. This separation allows the clearing blades to maintain their simple, solid structure without passages or apertures, while the guide plates independently manage the air stream deflection and pressure fluctuation reduction.
Solution Approach 2:
The vertical guide plates act as intermediary elements between the clearing blades and the oncoming air stream. These guide plates mediate the interaction by deflecting the air stream laterally, reducing the aerodynamic separation region, and minimizing pressure fluctuations without requiring modifications to the clearing blade structure itself.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the clearing blades are provided with passages and guide vanes to deflect air, then the pileup is reduced, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the air deflection function from the clearing blades and implements it in separate vertical guide plates. This allows the clearing blades to be manufactured as simple, solid structures without complex passages or internal guide vanes, significantly improving ease of manufacture while maintaining pileup reduction capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention segments the aerodynamic flow control function into a separate component (vertical guide plates) that can be manufactured independently and attached to the clearing blades. This segmentation simplifies the manufacturing of each individual component while achieving the combined effect of pileup reduction.
3Productivity
If vertical guide plates are arranged laterally offset from the clearing blade free ends, then the air stream interaction is optimized, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces a lateral offset dimension in the arrangement of vertical guide plates relative to the clearing blade free ends. By positioning the guide plates laterally offset rather than directly aligned, the air stream generated by the clearing blades interacts more effectively with the guide plates, optimizing aerodynamic performance while maintaining relatively simple device structure.
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 configuration reduces the maximum pressure fluctuations and enhances the aerodynamic performance by ensuring the air stream interacts with the vertical guide plates, thereby minimizing pileup and improving the clearing behavior of the device.
Implementation Method 1
the air displaced laterally by the wedge-shaped clearing blades flows past the vertical guide plate... the air stream generated by the clearing blade interacts with the vertical guide plate... generates a smaller aerodynamic separation region
Data Source
AI summary
A device for removing obstacles from a travel path of a vehicle includes clearing blades being mutually aligned in the form of a wedge and each having a wedge tip end facing the other clearing blade and a free end facing away from the wedge tip end. A fastening device or fastener fastens the device to the vehicle and a device for reducing a pileup generated by the clearing blades reduces pressure fluctuations at the vehicle tip without the need for providing the clearing blades with passages, apertures, or the like. The device for reducing the pileup has at least one vertical guide plate disposed in the vicinity or region of the free end of a clearing blade so that an air stream generated by the clearing blade flows past the vertical guide plate.