Strength of Materials

7.6 BUFFER SPRINGS

Buffer spring is mostly used in the railway wagons. The shock between two colliding bodies may be softened or cushioned by means of buffers. The purpose of the buffers is to increase the duration of impact, by allowing considerable local deformation of the colliding bodies and thus to reduce the magnitude of the force which acts between the bodies during impact. Energy is absorbed by the buffer spring during the interval of time required for the speeds of the colliding bodies to the equalized, and is returned, either wholly or impact, during the remainder of the period of impact.

7.6.1 Design of Buffer Spring

Let d be the diameter of the spring wire.

Kinetic energy absorbed by the buffer spring

 

 

where m = mass of wagon ...