Vehicle front-end module for mounting to the front end of a rail-borne vehicle, in particular a railway vehicle

A vehicle front-end module having a vehicle front-end structure for mounting to the front end of a rail-borne vehicle, in particular a railway vehicle, wherein the vehicle front-end structure is wholly composed of structural elements made from fiber composite or fiber composite sandwich material, wherein the structural elements forming the vehicle front-end structure comprise first structural elements which are configured and directly connected to one another so as to form a substantially deformation-resistant, self-supporting front-end structure designed to accommodate a vehicle driver's cab, and wherein the structural elements forming the vehicle front-end structure comprise second structural elements connected to the first structural elements and designed such that at least a portion of an impact energy occurring due to a transmitting of impact force and introduced into the structure upon a collision of the rail-borne vehicle is dissipated by at least partly irreversible deformation or at least partial destruction of the second structural elements,

• wherein an undercarriage structure made from a fiber composite/fiber composite sandwich material is further provided which is connected to at least one part of the first structural elements so as to form the base of the vehicle driver's cab,
• wherein the second structural elements comprise at least one third energy-absorbing element accommodated in the undercarriage structure and designed to respond upon a predefinable critical impact force being exceeded and absorb at least a portion of an impact energy occurring during a transmitting of impact force and introduced into the third energy-absorbing element by the non-ductile destruction of at least a part of the fiber structure of said third energy-absorbing element, and
• wherein at least one of the third or a fourth energy-absorbing element comprises a guide tube made of fiber-reinforced plastic and a pressure tube configured as a plunger or a ram, wherein the pressure tube interacts with the guide tube such that upon an exceeding of a critical impact force introduced into the energy-absorbing element, the pressure tube and the guide tube are moved toward one another while simultaneously absorbing at least a portion of an impact energy introduced into said energy-absorbing element, and wherein the guide tube comprises at least one energy-absorbing section made of fiber-reinforced plastic which at least partly frays in a non-ductile manner upon the movement of the pressure tube relative the guide tube.

A vehicle front-end module having a vehicle front-end structure for mounting to the front end of a rail-borne vehicle, in particular a railway vehicle, wherein the vehicle front-end structure is wholly composed of structural elements made from fiber composite or fiber composite sandwich material, wherein the structural elements forming the vehicle front-end structure comprise first structural elements which are configured and directly connected to one another so as to form a substantially deformation-resistant, self-supporting front-end structure designed to accommodate a vehicle driver's cab, and wherein the structural elements forming the vehicle front-end structure comprise second structural elements connected to the first structural elements and designed such that at least a portion of an impact energy occurring due to a transmitting of impact force and introduced into the structure upon a collision of the rail-borne vehicle is dissipated by at least partly irreversible deformation or at least partial destruction of the second structural elements,

• wherein an undercarriage structure made from a fiber composite/fiber composite sandwich material is further provided which is connected to at least one part of the first structural elements so as to form the base of the vehicle driver's cab,
• wherein an underride guard or rail guard made from fiber composite/fiber composite sandwich material is provided which is connected to the underside of the undercarriage structure via at least one guide rail such that the underride guard or rail guard is displaceable in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle relative the undercarriage structure upon an exceeding of a critical impact force introduced into said underride guard or rail guard, and
• wherein an energy-absorbing element made of fiber-reinforced plastic is further provided which is arranged and designed such that upon the underride guard or rail guard displacing relative the undercarriage structure, the fiber-reinforced plastic of the energy-absorbing element is non-ductilely destroyed with the simultaneous absorbing of at least a portion of an impact energy introduced into said underride guard or rail guard during a transmitting of impact force.