An energy absorption material for covering a rigid vehicle support surface provide impact protection for a vehicle occupant's head is a sheet of material formed into a waveform comprising a plurality of regular corrugations which have identical crests and valleys connected by inclined sidewalls. The material thickness of the crests and valleys is the same and thicker than that of the sidewall material. The crests and valleys are curved such that the inside radius of each of the crests is smaller than the inside radius of each of the valleys, so that the sidewalls adjacent a valley are laterally closer than the sidewalls adjacent a crest. The corrugations have a pitch equal to their height. This construction provides a deformation mode of the material in which the crests and valleys deform by bending and the sidewalls deform by buckling. The material can contain a plurality of perforations, covering 7%-15% of the area for sound absorption.

Vehicle headliner with impact protection

A steering system for use in a towing vehicle-trailer combination, wherein all trailer axles are load-bearing and fixed. The rearmost axle on the trailer has directional wheels that automatically adjust to the direction of motion of the rear wheels of the towing vehicle. The motive force for steering the directional wheels emanates from a sensor nested in the V-slot of the fifth wheel of the towing vehicle. The steering system is designed to be installed as a retrofit to existing trailers, or as optional equipment for trailers not yet manufactured. Abling and disabling the system is automatic. Abling takes place when the fifth wheel is moved into position to couple the king pin under the trailer. The system is disabled when locking lugs for the fifth wheel are released, and the fifth wheel moves away from the king pin.

Remote-steering trailer

Elastically deformable membrane (3) for interconnecting railway carriages, with a maximum passage cross-section in the extension of the walls, consisting of a corrugated surface (9, 15) formed from parallel rings with a substantially sinusoidal cross-section when at rest, the wall of which consists, in the vertical straight-line elements (10) of at least two strengthening folds joined to an elastomeric composition and, in the curved parts (11, 12), of at least two layers of elastomeric compositions without any reinforcement, mounted under partial compression between vehicles which it connects elastically both during rolling and pitching.

Deformable skin for the interconnection passage between two rail or road vehicles

A deformable floor in an interconnecting compartment between two adjacent rail or road vehicles is capable of allowing relative movement between the adjacent vehicles and is capable of accommodating for differences in relative angular positioning of and linear distance between the adjacent vehicles. The deformable floor includes a pair of support shafts respectively located at opposite sides of the vehicles with each extending in a longitudinal direction generally between the adjacent vehicles. Each extended end of the support shaft is resiliently mounted relative to its respective vehicle for relative angular movement therebetween. A plurality of generally evenly spaced rigid transverse bars extends in a transverse direction between the support shafts. There is included a friction bearing at each end of each of the rigid transverse bars on the support shaft for relative longitudinal movement therebetween. Reinforcing material is folded about and adhering to each of the rigid transverse bars. An upper covering of elastomer material is bonded to the rigid transverse bars and the reinforcing material to provide a generally planar surface thereabove which is generally aligned between the floors of the adjacent vehicles. A lower covering of elastomer material is bonded to the reinforcing material at the lower region of the deformable floor.

Deformable floor between adjacent rail or road vehicles

The connecting passage has two half sections linked by two central frames (27) which clamp together. The floor panels (3) have side frames weakened by slots (4) and linked by crossbars with flexible connections. An elastic covering enables the panels to flex with the movement of the two vehicles. The surrounding bellows totally enclose the passage and floor panels. The central frames are linked to the two vehicles by scissors linked levers.

Connecting passage for passenger vehicles

The invention relates to an elastic self-carrying bellows-body, in particular for vehicles, having been formed with ribs separated by spacings and interconnected with connecting means. The essence of the invention lies in that the thickness of the connecting means interconnecting the ribs is less on at least two opposite sides of the bellows-body, than that of the ribs and the ribs and connecting means are formed as monolithic units.

Palotas Laszlo

Papers

Elastic self carrying bellows

Elastischer selbsttragender balg

Soufflet elastique autoporteur