A self-locking energy absorption structure

Abstract

This invention discloses a self-locking energy-absorbing structure, comprising a self-locking multi-cell energy-absorbing structure formed by an array of multiple self-locking single-cell energy-absorbing structures. Each self-locking single-cell energy-absorbing structure includes at least three bending units. Each bending unit includes a connecting section and a locking section located on both sides of the connecting section with rotational symmetry. Each locking section includes at least three bending plates with the same bending angle, forming a hollow cell. The bending units are uniformly nested within the same hollow cell to form the self-locking single-cell energy-absorbing structure. This invention assembles multiple bending units into a self-locking single-cell energy-absorbing structure through nesting, and these self-locking single-cell energy-absorbing structures are continuously nested into a multi-cell energy-absorbing structure. Adjacent bending units achieve self-locking through deformation coupling and mutual friction. While locking the structure, the energy-absorbing characteristics of the multi-cell structure are maintained. The entire energy-absorbing structure is simple in structure, easy to manufacture, low in manufacturing cost, and easily applicable to engineering projects.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of energy absorption structures for vehicles, and specifically to a self-locking energy absorption structure. Background Technology

[0002] Foreign object impact collisions are one of the abnormal threat loads faced by transportation vehicles to ensure safe operation. Ensuring the safety of occupants and cargo is a core issue in transportation safety protection research. Especially for transportation vehicles with high operating speeds and large equipment weights, collision accidents are prone to structural disintegration, reduced survival space, and high difficulty in safety protection.

[0003] Energy-absorbing structures, as the primary components for dissipating impact kinetic energy during collisions, are widely used in various fields such as automobiles, ships, and aerospace. Due to the irreversible energy conversion characteristics of energy absorption, energy-absorbing structures are typically single-use items and must be replaced once significant deformation occurs. Therefore, the cost of energy-absorbing structures is a crucial consideration in engineering applications. However, existing high-performance energy-absorbing structures struggle to balance performance and cost. For example, the fabrication of monolithic multicellular structures requires techniques such as extrusion molding, electrical discharge machining, and additive manufacturing, which can easily lead to low energy absorption efficiency, low fabrication efficiency, and high costs. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the problems of low energy absorption efficiency, complex manufacturing process, and high cost of existing multicellular energy-absorbing structures, this invention provides a self-locking energy-absorbing structure.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to achieve the above-mentioned objective is: a self-locking energy-absorbing structure, comprising multiple self-locking unit cell energy-absorbing structures 6 arranged in an array, wherein the self-locking unit cell energy-absorbing structure 6 comprises N bending units 1, wherein the bending unit 1 comprises a connecting section 2 and a locking section 3 disposed on both sides of the connecting section 2 in a rotational symmetrical manner, wherein the locking section 3 comprises M bending plates 4, wherein the M bending plates 4 are connected sequentially at the same included angle to form a hollow cell 5, and the locking sections 3 of the N bending units 1 are uniformly nested circumferentially to form a self-locking unit cell energy-absorbing structure 6.

[0006] Preferably, the included angle between the bending plates 4 is 120 degrees.

[0007] Preferably, the bending plate 4 is a straight line segment or a circular arc segment.

[0008] Preferably, the bending units 1 nested in the same self-locking unit cell energy-absorbing structure 6 have the same size.

[0009] Preferably, N is three, and the nesting angle between the bending units 1 is 120 degrees.

[0010] Preferably, N is six, and the nesting angle between the bending units 1 is 60 degrees.

[0011] Preferably, M is five.

[0012] Preferably, the lengths of the five bending plates 4 of the locking segment 3 are L2, L3, L4, L5 and L6 respectively, and the calculation formula is as follows:

[0013] L3 = L2 - d / sin(π - θ)

[0014] L4 = L2

[0015] L5 = L2 - 2d / sin(π - θ)

[0016] L6 = L3

[0017] In the formula, d is the spacing between the nested bending units 1, and θ is the bending angle of the bending plate 4 in the locking segment 3.

[0018] Preferably, the empty cell 5 is filled with a porous material.

[0019] This invention discloses a self-locking energy-absorbing structure, which is composed of multiple bending units nested together to form a self-locking single-cell energy-absorbing structure. The self-locking single-cell energy-absorbing structure is further nested into a multi-cell energy-absorbing structure. Adjacent bending units achieve self-locking through deformation coupling and mutual friction. While locking the structure, the energy-absorbing characteristics of the multi-cell structure are maintained, resulting in high energy absorption efficiency. At the same time, the entire energy-absorbing structure is simple in structure, and the bending units are prepared using a bending machine, making the manufacturing process simple and the preparation cost low. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the self-locking unit cell energy absorption structure of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a self-locking multi-cell energy-absorbing structure composed of self-locking single-cell energy-absorbing structures.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the self-locking cell node of the self-locking energy-absorbing structure of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the bending unit model of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the bending unit structure of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of the assembly process of the self-locking energy-absorbing structure of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 7 yes Figure 6 Enlarged diagram of point A in the middle.

[0027] Figure 8 This is a flowchart of the assembly process of the self-locking energy-absorbing structure of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 9 yes Figure 8 Enlarged diagram of point B in the middle.

[0029] Figure 10 This is a crushing force-displacement curve of a self-locking unit cell energy-absorbing structure according to the present invention.

[0030] In the diagram: 1. Bending unit; 2. Connecting segment; 3. Locking segment; 4. Bending plate; 5. Empty cell; 6. Self-locking single-cell energy absorption structure; 7. Self-locking multi-cell energy absorption structure. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The present invention provides a self-locking energy-absorbing structure, comprising... Figures 1-5 As shown, a self-locking multi-cell energy-absorbing structure 7 is composed of multiple self-locking single-cell energy-absorbing structures 6 arranged in an array. The self-locking single-cell energy-absorbing structure 6 includes at least three bending units 1. The bending unit 1 includes a connecting section 2 and locking sections 3 arranged symmetrically on both sides of the connecting section 2. The locking section 3 includes at least three bending plates 4. The bending plates 4 are connected sequentially at an angle of 120 degrees to form a hollow cell 5. The locking sections 3 of the bending unit 1 are uniformly nested in the circumferential direction to form a self-locking single-cell energy-absorbing structure 6. The bending units 1 nested in the same self-locking single-cell energy-absorbing structure 6 have the same size, and the locking sections 3 at both ends of the same bending unit 1 can form hollow cells and be nested and connected with bending units 1 of the same specification to form an array-arranged self-locking multi-cell energy-absorbing structure 7.

[0032] Bending unit 1 is S-shaped. L2-L6 are locking segments 3, L1 is connecting segment 2, θ is the bending angle (120 degrees), connecting segment 2 is one bending plate 4, locking segment 3 is five bending plates 4, the bending angle of bending plate 4 is 120 degrees, and bending plate 4 can be a straight line or an arc segment. Once the dimension of L2 is determined, the calculation formulas for L3, L4, L5, and L6 are as follows:

[0033] L3 = L2 - d / sin(π - θ)

[0034] L4 = L2

[0035] L5 = L2 - 2d / sin(π - θ)

[0036] L6 = L3

[0037] In the formula, d is the spacing between the nested bending units 1 within the same empty cell, and θ is the bending angle of the bending plate 4 in the locking segment 3.

[0038] When d = 1 mm, L1 = 29.2 mm, L2 = 20.0 mm, and θ = 120°, L3 = 18.8 mm, L4 = 20.0 mm, L5 = 17.7 mm, and L6 = 18.8 mm.

[0039] Depend on Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, the specific nesting process is as follows: First, according to the design requirements, determine the bending distance and angle of each segment of the bending plate on the bending unit 1, and bend it on the bending machine to prepare a number of bending units 1. First, fix one bending unit 1, then embed the second bending unit 1 at an angle of 120 degrees, and embed the third bending unit 1 at a position of 240 degrees. The three bending units 1 are nested together to form a self-locking single-cell energy absorption structure 6. According to the actual energy absorption requirements, continue to nest in an orderly manner on the basis of the existing single cell to expand the cell, so as to obtain an array-type multi-cell energy absorption structure. The nested bending units can automatically achieve self-locking by deformation during impact or by mutual friction without applying additional constraints, thereby achieving structural locking.

[0040] Depend on Figure 8 and Figure 9 As shown, the self-locking single-cell energy-absorbing structure 6 includes six bending units 1. The locking section of each bending unit 1 includes five bending plates 4. Each bending unit 1 is staggered at a 60-degree angle to form a self-locking multi-cell energy-absorbing structure 7, so that adjacent rows of structures achieve a self-locking effect during impact. The specific nesting process is as follows: First, fix one bending unit 1, then embed the second bending unit at a 60-degree angle, the third bending unit 1 at a 120-degree position, and the fourth to sixth bending units 1 are embedded successively at 180 degrees, 240 degrees, 300 degrees and 360 degrees. The six bending units 1 are nested together to form a self-locking single-cell energy-absorbing structure 6. According to the actual energy absorption requirements, nesting can be continued on the basis of the existing single cell to expand the cell, thus obtaining an array-type multi-cell energy-absorbing structure.

[0041] The bent plate 4 is a typical thin-shell structure, made of metal, non-metal, and carbon fiber composite materials, with a thickness of 0.5 mm. The empty cell 5 can be filled with porous materials, including one or more of foam materials, honeycomb materials, or lattice materials, to further enhance the energy absorption structure performance.

[0042] Depend on Figure 10 As shown, during the energy absorption process, after the crushing force reaches the peak load, the self-locking energy absorption structure produces the first progressive folding deformation, and the crushing force decreases accordingly. With the appearance of the second fold, the load fluctuates successively. Corresponding to each folding deformation, from the perspective of load fluctuation, the folding wavelength of each fold is basically the same. It can be seen that the self-locking energy absorption structure of the present invention has a stable crushing force.

[0043] This invention discloses a self-locking energy-absorbing structure, which is composed of multiple bending units nested together to form a self-locking single-cell energy-absorbing structure. The self-locking single-cell energy-absorbing structure is further nested into a multi-cell energy-absorbing structure. Adjacent bending units achieve self-locking through deformation coupling and mutual friction. While locking the structure, the energy-absorbing characteristics of the multi-cell structure are maintained, resulting in high energy absorption efficiency. This achieves cost-performance synergy for the array-type multi-cell structure. The entire energy-absorbing structure is simple in structure, and the bending units are prepared using a bending machine. The manufacturing process is simple, the preparation cost is low, and it is easy to implement in engineering applications.

[0044] This invention has been described through embodiments. Those skilled in the art will understand that various changes or equivalent substitutions can be made to these features and embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Furthermore, under the teachings of this invention, these features and embodiments can be modified to adapt to specific situations and materials without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, this invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, and all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims are protected by this invention.

Claims

1. A self-locking energy-absorbing structure, characterized in that, The structure includes multiple self-locking single-cell energy-absorbing structures (6) arranged in an array. Each self-locking single-cell energy-absorbing structure (6) includes N bending units (1). Each bending unit (1) includes a connecting section (2) and a locking section (3) that is rotationally symmetrical on both sides of the connecting section (2). Each locking section (3) includes M bending plates (4). The M bending plates (4) are connected sequentially at the same included angle to form a hollow cell (5). The locking sections (3) of the N bending units (1) are uniformly nested in the circumferential direction to form a self-locking single-cell energy-absorbing structure (6).

2. The self-locking energy-absorbing structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The included angle between the bending plates (4) is 120 degrees.

3. The self-locking energy-absorbing structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, The bending plate (4) is a straight line segment or a circular arc segment.

4. The self-locking energy-absorbing structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bending units (1) nested in the same self-locking unit cell energy-absorbing structure (6) have the same size.

5. A self-locking energy-absorbing structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, N is three, and the nesting angle between the bending units (1) is 120 degrees.

6. The self-locking energy-absorbing structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, The N is six, and the nesting angle between the bending units (1) is 60 degrees.

7. A self-locking energy-absorbing structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, The value of M is five.

8. A self-locking energy-absorbing structure according to claim 7, characterized in that, The lengths of the five bending plates (4) of the locking segment (3) are L2, L3, L4, L5 and L6 respectively, and the calculation formula is as follows: L3 = L2 - d / sin(π - θ) L4 = L2 L5 = L2 - 2d / sin(π - θ) L6 = L3 In the formula, d is the spacing between the nested bending units (1), and θ is the bending angle of the bending plate (4) in the locking segment (3).

9. A self-locking energy-absorbing structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The empty cell (5) is filled with a porous material.

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