Traffic Separation Element Hook-Shaped Connecting Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing separating elements for traffic areas lack sufficient security against being torn apart during vehicle collisions due to the design of connecting devices that allow legs to be pushed apart by tensile forces, leading to inadequate resistance and material inefficiency.
Innovation Solution
A connecting device with hook-shaped projections that are angled to resist separation, distributing forces to reduce bending moments on legs and absorb deformation energy through shearing forces, allowing for shorter, more solid legs with higher resistance to separation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional connecting devices with wedge surfaces are used, then the structure is simple, but the resistance to separation during vehicle collision is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting element features asymmetric projections with contact surfaces inclined at angle α (60°-90°) relative to the central plane. This asymmetric geometry ensures that during separation, the projections engage in a hook-like manner, converting tensile forces into bending moments that the solid legs can resist effectively, thereby preventing the connecting elements from being pulled apart.
Solution Approach 2:
The legs and projections are designed with strongly rounded edges and corners rather than sharp angles. This curvature reduces stress concentration points, facilitates easier insertion of connecting elements, and enhances the overall ductility and energy absorption capacity during collision events.
2Strength
If legs are made solid to prevent bending, then separation resistance improves, but material expenditure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The strongly rounded edges and corners of the legs reduce stress concentration and facilitate plastic deformation, allowing the legs to be shorter and more solid without requiring excessive material. The curved geometry distributes stresses more evenly, enabling efficient material usage while maintaining high bending resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention optimizes the length ratios of legs to projections (X/Y between 0.5 and 2.0) and the inclination angle α of contact surfaces. These parameter optimizations allow the legs to be made shorter and more solid, reducing material expenditure while maintaining or enhancing bending resistance and overall structural performance.
3Ease of manufacture
If projections are short to reduce material, then manufacturing is easier, but bending moments on legs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric design with inclined contact surfaces at angle α creates a mechanical advantage where shorter projections can effectively engage with the opposing connecting element. The inclination angle transforms the force distribution, allowing shorter projections to generate sufficient bending moments on the legs without requiring excessive projection length, thus simplifying manufacturing while maintaining strength.
4Quantity of substance
If legs are made shorter to reduce material, then production is easier, but resistance to tensile forces decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric projections with inclined contact surfaces create a hook-like engagement mechanism. When tensile forces act on the connecting elements, the inclined surfaces cause the projections to catch into one another, converting the tensile load into bending moments on the solid, short legs. This mechanism allows shorter legs to resist tensile forces effectively without requiring increased material usage.
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 significantly enhances the resistance to separation of connecting elements during vehicle impacts, enabling the use of less material while maintaining high structural integrity and absorbing deformation forces effectively.
Implementation Method 1
A connecting device 2 with two identical connecting elements 3, each having two legs 5, 6 which are connected to a plate-shaped holder 8 via a web 7
Implementation Method 2
In addition, shearing forces occur in the area of the projections, which are also much easier to control than the large bending moments acting on the legs in the prior art
Data Source
AI summary
A connecting device (2) for connecting separating elements (1) for traffic areas comprises two connecting elements (3), each having two limbs (5, 6) arranged next to each other. Each limb (5) of a connecting element (3) is positively received between the limbs (5, 6) of the other connecting element (3) in that a limb (5) of the other connecting element (3) received between the limbs (5, 6) of the one connecting element (3) has protrusions (9, 10) on both sides, which engage protrusions (9, 10, 11) arranged on the limbs (5, 6) of the one connecting element (3). The limbs (5, 6) of the two connecting elements (3) engage in each other in a hook-shaped manner with the protrusions (9, 10, 11) thereof. In this way, the limbs (5, 6) are not pushed apart when a tractive force acts on the connecting elements (3), but instead are held together or pulled together.