Patent ID: 8297419

Claim:
A side buffer in combination with an energy-absorbing unit as an additional irreversible shock-absorbing stage, wherein the side buffer is detachably mounted to a connecting plate of the energy-absorbing unit, and wherein the energy-absorbing unit is mountable to a supporting structure as one complete exchangeable module, and wherein the energy-absorbing unit comprises: a base plate, operative to detachably connect the energy-absorbing unit to the supporting structure, including a support frame or undercarriage of a car body of a multi-member vehicle, including a railborne vehicle; the connecting plate to which the side buffer is mounted; and a destructively-configured energy-absorbing element in a form of a deformation tube which is integrated into said energy-absorbing unit such that impact forces can be transmitted in the longitudinal direction of said energy-absorbing unit by a force flow resulting from a transfer of force running at least partly through the energy-absorbing element and which is designed such that the base plate and the connecting plate are substantially rigid relative one another in a longitudinal direction of the energy-absorbing unit up to a definable amount of energy transferred by the force flow through the energy-absorbing element, and that upon the definable amount of energy transferred by the force flow through the energy-absorbing element being exceeded, the base plate and the connecting plate are displaced relative one another in the longitudinal direction of the energy-absorbing unit by a simultaneous plastic deformation of the energy-absorbing element, wherein the deformation tube is braced between the base plate and the connecting plate by a plurality of tensioning elements connecting the base plate with the connecting plate, wherein the deformation tube is in a material fit connection with or positively locked to the base plate at a base plate-side, and exhibits a section on the connecting plate-side end which is of expanded cross-section compared to a section situated closer to the base plate, wherein the energy-absorbing unit further comprises a conical ring configured integrally with a guide element, the guide element having a connecting plate-side end section connected to the connecting plate and a base plate-side end section extending at least partly into the widened section of the deformation tube and resting against an inner surface of said deformation tube section, and wherein the plurality of tensioning elements serve to guide the connecting plate when the connecting plate moves relative to the deformation tube and the base plate toward the base plate upon activation of the energy absorbing unit after an impact.