Vehicle Restraint Transition Construction for Controlled Impact Movement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle restraint systems with transitional constructions between softer and stiffer components face high risk potential due to unpredictable movement of wall parts during impacts, which can lead to vehicles getting caught in the transition structure, increasing the risk of injury.
Innovation Solution
The transition construction is designed with the crash barrier and stiffening part fastened to the same longitudinal side of the front wall part, allowing for a non-critical movement sequence during impacts, and utilizing a stiffening part to apply leverage and prevent undesired pivoting, ensuring loads are transferred to the front wall part, thus enhancing safety and containment capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If wall parts are pivotably mounted to allow movement during impact, then the restraint system can absorb impact energy through movement, but the wall parts may move unpredictably and project into the roadway, creating safety hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The crash barrier and stiffening part are pre-fastened to the same longitudinal side of the front wall part, establishing a predetermined movement sequence that ensures the wall part moves in a controlled manner during impact, preventing unpredictable movements while maintaining energy absorption capability
Solution Approach 2:
The transition construction is divided into functionally independent components (crash barrier, stiffening part, wall parts) that can move independently according to their specific functions, allowing the crash barrier to deform and absorb energy while the stiffening part maintains structural integrity and controls wall part movement
2Reliability
If the crash barrier and stiffening part are fastened to the same longitudinal side of the front wall part, then the transition construction is tightened and leverage is applied to prevent evasive pivoting, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The crash barrier and stiffening part are merged by fastening them to the same longitudinal side of the front wall part, creating a unified structural unit that acts together to tighten the transition construction and apply leverage against evasive pivoting movements, simplifying the overall fastening arrangement while maintaining high containment capacity
3Strength
If the stiffening part extends over the full length of the transition construction, then structural rigidity is maximized, but the deformation properties of the crash barrier are significantly impaired
Solution Approach 1:
The stiffening part is strategically positioned to extend only partially over the length of the transition construction, providing localized rigidity support where needed while leaving other areas free to deform, thus maintaining both structural strength and deformation properties of the crash barrier
4Object-affected harmful factors
If mounting areas are offset in the longitudinal direction, then lever deflection is increased to reduce snagging risk, but the alignment precision of pull axes becomes more difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting areas are pre-offset in the longitudinal direction during design and manufacturing, establishing a predetermined lever deflection that reduces snagging risk, while the fastening arrangement is designed to automatically align the pull axes of the two vehicle restraint systems through the tightening effect during assembly
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 design achieves high retention capacity and occupant safety by preventing evasive movements and aligning pull axes, reducing the risk of vehicles getting caught and improving energy absorption, while maintaining structural simplicity and reducing material costs.
Implementation Method 1
The entire transitional construction can be tightened by the tension band effect of the crash barrier on the front or first wall part
Implementation Method 2
the leverage of the stiffening part can be applied to the entire transitional construction and thus undesired evasive pivoting movements of parts of the transitional construction can be avoided
Implementation Method 3
the protective barrier can thus absorb the kinetic energy of the impacting vehicle comparatively well, even in the transition area between the two vehicle restraint systems
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a restraint system and to a transition construction () between two vehicle restraint systems (2, 3) having different lateral rigidity, of which the one vehicle restraint system comprises at least one crash barrier (4) and the other comprises at least one protective wall (7), having a guide wall (8) comprising at least one wall part (11), which guide wall is movably connected to the protective wall (7) of the one vehicle restraint system (3) via a pivot bearing (9) and rigidly connected to the crash barrier (4) of the other vehicle restraint system (2), and having a reinforcing part (14) that extends both at least in some sections along the crash barrier (4) and also at least in some sections between the wall part (11) and the crash barrier (4) and is rigidly connected to the guide wall (8). In order to afford the greatest possible safety, according to the invention the crash barrier (4) and the reinforcing part (14) are fastened, especially end-fastened, to the front wall part (11) of the guide wall (8).