Energy dissipating device suitable to be used as part of a connection device that connects a first car of a multi-car vehicle with a second car of a multi-car vehicle and method for dissipating energy in a connection device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11459004-B2
Application number	US-201816491847-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 1, 2018
Priority date	Mar 6, 2017
Publication date	Oct 4, 2022
Grant date	Oct 4, 2022

Abstract

The invention relates to an energy dissipating device suitable to be used as part of a connection device that connects a first car of a multi-car vehicle with a second car of the multi-car vehicle, comprising a plug that has a longitudinal axis and a mandrel that has an opening, whereby the plug is arranged to be moved at least partially through the opening, if a force pointing in the longitudinal axis is applied to the plug, and whereby at least a part of the plug—especially its hull—is deformed, when the plug is at least partially moved through the opening, whereby said hull being at least partially deformed, when the plug is at least partially moved through the opening. The hull is attached to the rod by clamping or fixing with fasteners, preferably with protrusions around the rod and/or at least one plug or nut. The hull is a relatively independent element which can be put over a rod and therefore the hull can be mounted or unmounted subsequently to a rod without influencing the stability or main function of the connection device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Energy dissipating device suitable to be used as part of a connection device that connects a first car of a multi-car vehicle with a second car of the multi-car vehicle, comprising:
a plug that has a longitudinal axis (A); and
a mandrel having an opening whereby the plug is arranged to be moved at least partially through the opening if a force of a predetermined magnitude pointing in the direction of or parallel to the direction of the longitudinal axis (A) is applied to the plug, and whereby at least a part of the plug is deformed when the plug is at least partially moved through the opening,

wherein
an outer element of the plug is a hull, and wherein a rod of the plug is arranged at least partially inside the hull and establishes a mechanical connection for transferring pulling forces between the first car and the second car of the multi-car vehicle, whereby the hull at the hull's widest part has a diameter greater than the smallest diameter of the opening of the mandrel, wherein the hull is deformed when the plug is at least partially moved through the opening beyond the point, when at least a part of the hull comes into contact with a surface of the mandrel surrounding the opening.

2. Energy dissipating device according to claim 1 , wherein the hull is attached to the rod by clamping or fixing with fasteners attached to or held against a protrusion on the rod and/or attached to or held against a protrusion on a nut attached to the rod.

3. Energy dissipating device according to claim 1 , wherein the hull is configured to be put over the rod and/or mounted and/or unmounted subsequently to the rod.

4. Energy dissipating device according to claim 1 , wherein the hull is an independent element, independent from the technical functionality of the rod for adding energy dissipating functionality.

5. Energy dissipating device according to claim 1 , wherein the mandrel has an inclined surface facing the hull, wherein said inclined surface inclines towards the longitudinal axis (A).

6. Energy dissipating device according to claim 1 , wherein the hull has an inclined surface facing the mandrel, and wherein said inclined surface inclines away from the longitudinal axis (A).

7. Energy dissipating device according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the hull's diameter is reduced by the deformation during energy dissipation.

8. Energy dissipating device according to claim 1 , wherein the rod comprises a damping element.

9. Energy dissipating device according to claim 1 , wherein the rod comprises a mechanical connecting element to connect to another car.

10. Energy dissipating device according to claim 1 , wherein the hull is a deformation tube.

11. Energy dissipating device according to claim 1 , wherein the hull is made of a medium strength steel or a high strength steel.

12. Energy dissipating device according to claim 1 , wherein the mandrel is made of an ultra-high strength steel.

13. Energy dissipating device according to claim 9 , wherein the rod comprises a reversible coupler, a hook, or a capture mechanism.

14. Energy dissipating device according to claim 1 , wherein the rod is hollow.

15. Connection device suitable to connect a first car of a multi-car vehicle with a second car of the multi-car vehicle, comprising an energy dissipating device having a plug having a longitudinal axis (A); and a mandrel having an opening, the plug arranged to be moved at least partially through the opening in response to a force of a predetermined magnitude pointing in the direction of, or parallel to, the direction of the longitudinal axis (A) being applied to the plug,
wherein at least a part of the plug is deformed when the plug is at least partially moved through the opening, and wherein an outer element of the plug defines a hull having a rod arranged at least partially inside the hull and establishing a mechanical connection for transferring pulling forces between the first car and the second car of the multi-car vehicle, wherein the hull at the hull's widest part has a diameter greater than the smallest diameter of the opening of the mandrel,
wherein the hull is deformed when the plug is at least partially moved through the opening beyond the point when at least a part of the hull comes into contact with a surface of the mandrel surrounding the opening.

16. Method for dissipating energy in a connection device, the method comprising:
providing an energy dissipating device including a plug and a mandrel, wherein the plug has a longitudinal axis (A), and wherein the mandrel has an opening therein, an outer element of the plug defining a hull having a rod arranged at least partially inside the hull and establishing a mechanical connection for transferring pulling forces between a first car and a second car of a multi-car vehicle, the hull configured such that at the hull's widest part, the hull has a diameter greater than the smallest diameter of the opening of the mandrel; and
arranging the plug in front of the mandrel so as to allow the plug with the plug's hull to be moved at least partially through the opening, in response to applying to the plug a force pointing in the direction of the longitudinal axis,
wherein at least a part of the plug is deformed when the plug is at least partially moved through the opening, whereby energy is dissipated by deformation of the hull beyond the point when at least a part of the hull comes into contact with a surface of the mandrel surrounding the opening.

Assignees

• Dellner Couplers Ab

Inventors

• Grahn Arvid

Classifications

• B60Y2200/30

  Railway vehicles · CPC title

• F16F7/12

  using plastic deformation of members {(F16F9/30 takes precedence; yieldable means for mounting bumpers on vehicles B60R19/26; yieldable or collapsible steering columns B62D1/192)} · CPC title

• B61G9/04

  Draw-gear combined with buffing appliances (continuous B61G9/12) · CPC title

• B61G11/16 Primary

  absorbing shocks by permanent deformation of buffer element · CPC title

• B61G9/10

  with separate mechanical friction shock-absorbers · CPC title