Sacrificial composite material component to absorb energy during a vehicle crash

Abstract

The invention relates to a sacrificial composite part (1, 10, 100) that absorbs energy released when a vehicle collides with an impacting object (2), said part comprising an assembly of a plurality of cells (3, 30, 300), each cell comprising a wall (5, 50, 500) connecting a first end (6, 60, 600) and a second end (7, 70, 700) of said cell, the direction of intrusion (8) of said impacting object into said part being from said first end to said second end. The sacrificial composite part of the invention is characterized in that the peripheral wall of each cell has a thickness (e) that decreases from said first end towards said second end of said cell in the direction of intrusion of the impacting object.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a composite material component designed to serve as a sacrificial element that absorbs the energy released when a vehicle collides with any obstacle. Background Technology

[0002] In the event of a collision or impact between a vehicle and an object, the function of components that allow protection of people and / or objects within the vehicle includes serving as sacrificial elements, which allow the damage caused by the collision to be localized outside the area to be protected, while limiting the dynamic effects experienced by the people and / or objects to be protected.

[0003] The intrusion of the main body into the energy-absorbing sacrificial composite component occurs under the action of an intrusion force generated during the collision-induced damage process.

[0004] The evolution of force during displacement is a fundamental characteristic of composite material components.

[0005] In fact, the force generated when the aforementioned components collapse at the moment of impact is converted into the acceleration of the person who bears the impact, or into the force of the object we wish to protect.

[0006] On the other hand, the depth to which the main body penetrates into the component is always limited by the overall size constraints.

[0007] This is the efficiency η of the impact control system. The efficiency η corresponds to the percentage ratio between E and Ei, where E is the energy absorbed by the sacrificial component during the impact, and Ei corresponds to the energy that can theoretically be ideally absorbed by the sacrificial component.

[0008] The absorbed energy is exactly the integral of the force during the displacement process, i.e., the surface area under the force-displacement curve. Therefore, the efficiency η of the impact control system is exactly the ratio of the surface area under the curve E, which represents the actual absorbed energy, to Ei, where Ei is the energy that can be ideally absorbed.

[0009] For a given maximum force Fmaxi and maximum displacement dmaxi, the theoretical energy that can be ideally absorbed is Ei = Fmaxi * dmaxi.

[0010] In current technology, we know of components that absorb energy during a vehicle collision. These components have a constant collapse cross-section in the form of juxtaposed units, which can be circular or hexagonal. Such devices can also be referred to as "fracture components".

[0011] These components can be made of metallic materials, especially aluminum or steel.

[0012] It is known that aluminum unit components form peripheral protective elements that protect the battery of an electric vehicle in the event of a collision.

[0013] The energy absorption principle of this type of component is the longitudinal folding of the units that make up the component.

[0014] However, a drawback of such components is that the final folded shape they produce has an overall size that results in a reduction of about one-third in travel.

[0015] Another drawback of these components is that, due to the increased contact area between the cylindrical impactor and the impacted structure, the force response of the impactor increases dramatically during impact, which ultimately leads to very low energy efficiency.

[0016] An energy absorption assembly of the above type for a vehicle is also known from patent document US2019 / 263342, which includes a compartment containing a plurality of single energy absorption elements made of polymer and reinforcing fibers.

[0017] Each of these elements of the assembly is formed by an elongated cylindrical hollow structure extending between a first end and a second end, the cross-section of which is circular, thus forming an assembly with truncated conical units.

[0018] In this absorption assembly, the cylindrical hollow structure of each unit of the assembly can be defined by a first diameter at a first end of the structure and a second diameter at a second end of the structure, the second diameter being smaller than the first diameter, and the second end being arranged outside the first end relative to the vehicle.

[0019] In other words, when a collision occurs, the second end of the unit, which has a smaller diameter than the first end, is crushed, and then the first end of the unit is also crushed, so the impact propagates from the second end of the unit toward the first end of the unit.

[0020] It should also be noted that the wall thickness of the truncated conical unit can vary along the longitudinal axis of the unit. In this case, at the level of the first end of the unit, the thickness at the first end is greater than the thickness at the second end, and in the event of a collision, compression begins at the level of the second end. Furthermore, under the assumption of variable thickness (decreasing from the first end toward the second end), the diameter of the unit increases from the first end of the unit toward the second end of the unit where the impact begins.

[0021] However, such solutions carry the risk of element wall fracture, whether at the level of the area in contact with the impactor or at the level of the element's root. Additionally, they improve the element's flexural retention. Summary of the Invention

[0022] One of the many objects of the present invention is to provide a sacrificial composite material component that absorbs energy during impact, thereby improving efficiency compared to existing devices.

[0023] Therefore, the sacrificial composite component according to the invention allows for a significant increase in absorbable impact energy while limiting the intrusion travel and without exceeding the maximum force limit.

[0024] More specifically, the object of the present invention is to provide a solution in the form of a sacrificial composite component that is able to optimize its behavioral efficiency during a collision or impact, particularly in the automotive field, where one of the most detrimental interactions to a person or object during a collision occurs on a fixed column or tree.

[0025] One of the many objectives of this invention is to enable the production of such components for protecting batteries in battery packs in electric vehicles without limiting the objectives of the invention.

[0026] The interaction between the impacted structure (car) and the impactor body (in the form of a fixed axle or fixed column) is as follows: at the moment of impact, when the two elements collide, the common surface area between the cylindrical body and the structure is very limited, and then the common surface area gradually increases as the impactor element sinks into the impacted structure.

[0027] This specific interaction between the two components produces a force evolution law as a function of intrusion, which increases sharply, resulting in very low efficiency η of the impact control system; in other words, very little energy is absorbed by the impacted structure.

[0028] In particular, to improve this efficiency, the present invention proposes an embodiment that allows control over the intrusion force of the impactor body into the sacrificial composite component, which must be maximum while remaining as constant as possible throughout the impact duration, despite the special cylindrical nature of the impactor used for impact testing.

[0029] Therefore, the present invention relates more specifically to a sacrificial composite component that absorbs the energy released when a vehicle collides with an impacting object, the component comprising a plurality of units, each unit including a wall connecting a first end and a second end of the unit, the direction of intrusion of the impacting object into the component extending from the first end toward the second end.

[0030] The component according to the invention is characterized in that the outer wall of each unit has a thickness (e) that decreases from the first end of the unit toward the second end along the intrusion direction of the impacting object.

[0031] According to a specific embodiment:

[0032] - Each of the plurality of units constituting the sacrificial composite material component of the present invention has an internal cross section whose surface area increases from the first end of the unit toward the second end along the direction of impact of the object.

[0033] - The cross-section of these units is generally circular; in this case, it is advantageous that each unit of the component with a circular cross-section is connected to at least one adjacent unit by a connecting element in the form of a partition, the thickness (e') of which decreases along the direction of intrusion of the impacting object.

[0034] - The cross-section of these units is polygonal, preferably square or rectangular, or hexagonal;

[0035] - Taking into account the direction of impact of the object, the composite material component includes a bottom component, and / or the composite material component includes a connecting rod suspended above the unit in the direction of impact of the object. Attached Figure Description

[0036] Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the following description, which relates to embodiments given only as indicative and non-limiting examples.

[0037] This instruction manual will be easier to understand if you refer to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0038] [ Figure 1 The diagram schematically illustrates, in cross-section, the intrusion of a generally cylindrical impact object into a sacrificial composite component according to the invention. The sacrificial composite component comprises multiple units, each unit including a first end and a second end connected together by a wall whose thickness decreases along the intrusion direction of the impact object into the component, indicated by the arrows in the diagram.

[0039] [ Figure 2On the left side of the figure, a specific embodiment of a single unit that can constitute the sacrificial component of the present invention is schematically shown in perspective, the unit having a substantially circular cross-section and an outer wall shown in dashed lines, the thickness of which decreases in the direction of impact of the object, indicated by the arrow; on the other hand, the same unit is shown in the center of the figure, having a portion of a connecting element connected to a second unit, the thickness of which is shown to decrease in the direction of impact of the object; and on the right side of the figure, a module is shown comprising two unit units connected together by the connecting element;

[0040] [ Figure 3 The diagram is shown using cross-sections in two planes of symmetry. Figure 2 The schematic diagram of the module shown on the right includes two units connected together by connecting elements;

[0041] [ Figure 4 A first specific embodiment of a composite material component is schematically shown in a perspective view. The composite material component is formed by the combination of multiple units with a generally circular cross-section. In the first variation, these units are arranged in the form of elongated beams, and two adjacent units are connected together by connecting elements.

[0042] [ Figure 5 (On the left side of the figure) A specific embodiment of a single unit is schematically shown in a perspective view. This single unit can constitute a component of the present invention. The unit includes two parts with connecting elements arranged in an orthogonal direction. The thickness of the outer wall of the unit and the connecting elements always decreases along the intrusion direction of the impacting object. And on the right side of the figure, a module consisting of four such unit units connected together is shown. Each unit is connected to two adjacent units by two connecting elements located in an orthogonal plane.

[0043] [ Figure 6 A second variant of a composite material component, formed by a combination of multiple units with substantially circular cross-sections, is schematically shown in a three-dimensional view and configured to form a rectangular box with variable length and width.

[0044] [ Figure 7 A stereoscopic diagram schematically illustrates something similar to... Figure 4 The sacrificial composite component shown is in the form of a long beam. Taking into account the direction of the impact object's intrusion, a lower base component is added to the sacrificial composite component.

[0045] [ Figure 8 A perspective view schematically illustrates a first example similar to that of an embodiment. Figure 7The sacrificial composite component is a sacrificial composite component, and the sacrificial composite component is further combined with a connecting rod suspended above the unit in the form of multiple linear adjacent rings, with one ring suspended above the unit;

[0046] [ Figure 9 A perspective view schematically illustrates a second example similar to that of the embodiment. Figure 7 The sacrificial composite component is a sacrificial composite component, and the sacrificial composite component is also combined with a connecting rod suspended above the unit, the connecting rod being rectangular in shape;

[0047] [ Figure 10 On the left side of the figure, a single unit with a generally square cross-section is schematically shown in a perspective view. This unit is associated with other similar units to form a second specific embodiment of the sacrificial composite component. A first variant of this unit is shown on the right side of the figure in the form of a straight beam, which is formed by the combination of multiple juxtaposed units with a generally square cross-section, and the outer wall thickness of the unit decreases along the intrusion direction of the impacting object, as shown in the cross-section of the single unit in the center of the figure.

[0048] [ Figure 11 The cross-section of a second variant of a second embodiment of the sacrificial composite component of the present invention is schematically shown. This second variant includes a plurality of straight beams, one of which is located in… Figure 10 As shown, in order to form rectangular boxes, the wall thickness of these units decreases significantly along the direction of the impact object's intrusion.

[0049] [ Figure 12 On the left side of the figure, a single unit with a generally hexagonal cross-section is schematically shown in a perspective view. This unit is intended to be associated with other similar units to form a third specific embodiment of the sacrificial composite component. On the right side of the figure, a first variant of the sacrificial composite component in the form of a straight beam is shown. This first variant is formed by the combination of multiple juxtaposed units with generally hexagonal cross-sections, and the outer wall thickness of these units decreases along the direction of the impact object's intrusion, as shown in the cross-sectional view of the single unit in the center of the figure.

[0050] [ Figure 13 The cross-section of a second variant of a third embodiment of the sacrificial composite component of the present invention is schematically shown. This second variant includes a plurality of straight beams, one of which is located in… Figure 12 As shown, to form boxes that are typically rectangular, the wall thickness of these units decreases significantly along the direction of the impact object's intrusion. Detailed Implementation

[0051] Referring to these figures, the present invention relates to sacrificial composite material components 1, 10, 100, which are more particularly designed to absorb the impact of vehicle and... Figure 1 The optimal proportion of energy released during the collision of the impacting object 2 is shown, and the energy is absorbed as much as possible. The impacting object 2 can typically be cylindrical, such as a tree or column, but it can also be any shape.

[0052] As their names suggest, components 1, 10, and 100 of the present invention are intended as sacrificial elements to provide optimal safety for persons and property inside a vehicle that has experienced a collision with the impacting object 2.

[0053] More specifically, the function of the sacrificial composite components 1, 10, 100 is to allow damage caused by a collision to be located outside the area of ​​the vehicle that needs protection, while limiting the dynamic effects that people or objects in the impacted vehicle may suffer.

[0054] Generally, the sacrificial composite material components 1, 10, 100 of the present invention comprise assemblies of multiple units 3, 30, 300, which are composed of elongated hollow structures defining a longitudinal axis 4, more particularly Figure 3 The longitudinal axis is shown in the figure.

[0055] Very preferably, the units 3, 30, and 300 of the components 1, 10, and 100 of the present invention are made of a composite material comprising reinforcing fibers embedded in a resin.

[0056] In the production of components according to the invention, the implementation of composite materials is of particular interest. The composite material units 3, 30, and 300 are damaged through localized failure of the composite material under compression. On the one hand, this allows for high levels of load, particularly greater than the bending stress used in folded metal walls; on the other hand, it allows for the full utilization of all available intrusion strokes. In this respect, the amount of material decomposed due to intrusion changes during the impact process.

[0057] In this invention, more specifically, we seek to take advantage of these benefits of using composite materials by associating them with a three-dimensional shape (which will be described in more detail below), thereby allowing control over the intrusive force of the impacting object 2, which in particular is in the form of a cylinder.

[0058] Therefore, units 3, 30, and 300 may have variable cross-sections in a direction perpendicular to their longitudinal axis 4, and some preferred examples of embodiments of these units (in particular circular, square, or hexagonal cross-sections) will be described in more detail below this specification.

[0059] Each of these units 3, 30, 300 constituting the assembly for obtaining the sacrificial composite material parts 1, 10, 100 of the present invention includes a peripheral wall 5, 50, 500 extending from a first end 6, 60, 600 of the unit 3, 30, 300 toward a second end 7, 70, 700 opposite to the first end.

[0060] It should be noted that the present invention takes into account the intrusion direction 8 of the impact object 2 entering the vehicle and thus entering the sacrificial composite components 1, 10, 100, which is indicated by an arrow in the drawings, from the first end 6, 60, 600 of the units 3, 30, 300 constituting said components 1, 10, 100 toward the second end 7, 70, 700.

[0061] According to the distinctive features of the sacrificial composite material components 1, 10, 100 of the present invention, the peripheral walls 5, 50, 500 of each of the units 3, 30, 300 (the components of these units allow the formation of said components 1, 10, 100) have a thickness e, which decreases along the longitudinal axis 4 of the hollow structure of each unit 3, 30, 300 from the first end 6, 60, 600 toward the second end 7, 70, 700 in the invasion direction 8.

[0062] The accompanying drawings illustrate this variation in thickness e. In some cases, elements 3, 30, and 300 are shown in a three-dimensional view via dashed lines in the figures. More specifically, this variation in thickness e is shown in… Figure 1 , Figure 3 , Figure 11 and Figure 13 This is even more evident in the middle.

[0063] More specifically, the first thickness e1 of the first ends 6, 60, 600 of the outer perimeter walls 5, 50, 500 of each unit 3, 30, 300, and the second thickness e2 of the second ends 7, 70, 700 of the outer perimeter walls 5, 50, 500 can be defined.

[0064] Therefore, the second thickness e2 is less than the first thickness e1, and the thickness e of the outer walls 5, 50, 500 of each unit 3, 30, 300 advantageously varies linearly along the longitudinal axis 4 of the unit 3, 30, 300.

[0065] In the attached diagram Figure 1 and Figure 3 The image shows more specifically the first thickness e1 and the second thickness e2 of the outer wall of the unit, where e1 is greater than e2.

[0066] Because of the variation in the wall thickness e of units 3, 30, 300 along the longitudinal axis 4 of these units from e1 to e2 in the intrusion direction 8 of the impacting object 2, the intersection of units 3, 30, 300 of the composite material parts 1, 10, 100 under stress (in other words, in the case of a flat impactor (not shown), the surface of the unit wall in contact with object 2) decreases with intrusion.

[0067] like Figure 1 As shown, when such sacrificial composite components 1, 10, and 100 are impacted by an object 2 (e.g., a cylinder), the intersection between the cylindrical surface of the cylinder and component 1 occurs at a contact cross-section S, which hardly changes with intrusion. This can be explained by the fact that the reduction in the cross-section of the component due to the decrease in the thickness e of the outer walls of the units 3, 30, and 300 constituting components 1, 10, and 100 compensates for the increase in impact area when it sinks in direction 8.

[0068] exist Figure 1 In the diagram, the cylindrical impact object 2 is represented by a dashed line, while the intersection between the cylindrical surface of the object 2 and the wall of the unit in the composite material component 1 is represented by a solid black line.

[0069] When the composite material of sacrificial components 1, 10, and 100 collapses under constant compressive stress, the restoring force is then proportional to the contact cross-section and therefore varies very little. This allows for a high efficiency coefficient η, in other words, a particularly high proportion of the energy released at the moment of impact is absorbed by components 1, 10, and 100 of the present invention.

[0070] Very preferably, in addition to the variation in thickness e along the longitudinal axis 4 of the hollow structure of units 3, 30, 300, according to another advantageous feature of the invention, each of these units 3, 30, 300 constituting the sacrificial composite parts 1, 10, 100 has an internal cross-section in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 4 of the units 3, 30, 300, the surface of which increases from the first end of the units 3, 30, 300 to the second end, in other words, increases in the direction 8 of the impact object 2.

[0071] Therefore, the following will refer to Figures 2 to 9 In an example of an embodiment described in more detail (where unit 3 of composite component 1 has a circular cross-section), the diameter of unit 3 increases along the intrusion direction 8 of the impacting object 2 entering component 1.

[0072] In other words, unit 3 can generally be conical, having a base or root corresponding to the second end 7 of unit 3, the diameter of which is larger than the diameter of the head corresponding to the first end 6 of unit 3.

[0073] This type of geometry is very easy to demold, thus allowing for the low-cost manufacture of sacrificial composite parts 1 (e.g., sacrificial composite boxes) with conical units 3.

[0074] In such embodiments, the thickness e of the walls 5, 50, 500 of units 3, 30, 300 decreases from the first end 6, 60, 600 (head) to the second end 7, 70, 700 (root). This change in thickness e causes the cross-section S to decrease with intrusion in direction 8, which can be labeled x. At the second end 7, 70, 700 (root), the reduced thickness e is compensated by a larger surface area, particularly a larger diameter. As a result, the cross-sectional inertia increases with the value x, and this particularity allows for good flexural retention in composite components 1, 10, 100. This prevents fracture at the horizontal level of the second end 7, 70, 700 in the root region, especially when the impact direction is not entirely axial.

[0075] Now refer to Figures 2 to 9 The following describes a first specific embodiment of the sacrificial composite component 1 according to the present invention, which is formed by the union of a plurality of individual units 3. Figure 2 The left side shows one of the multiple single units, which has a generally circular cross-section and its outer wall 5, shown in dashed lines, has a thickness e that decreases from e1 to e2 in the direction of intrusion 8 of the impacting object 2, e1>e2.

[0076] In this embodiment, each circular cross-section unit 3 in the component is connected to at least one similar unit 3 adjacent to it via a connecting element 9 in the form of a partition, a portion of which is in... Figure 2 The center of the figure is shown in cross-section, with two units 3 connected to each other by such a partition 9 to form a module, which is shown on the right side of the figure.

[0077] The assembly of unit 3 can be described as discontinuous because the units with circular cross-sections do not directly contact each other.

[0078] Very preferably, especially as Figure 3 As shown on the right side, the thickness e' of the partition 9 connecting the two adjacent units 3, like the thickness e of the outer wall 5 of the unit 3, decreases along the intrusion direction 8 of the impacting object 2 entering the component 1.

[0079] Now refer to Figure 4The diagram schematically illustrates a first specific embodiment of a composite material component 1 according to the invention, which is formed by the combination of a plurality of single units 3, arranged in the form of an elongated beam in the first variant, the single unit having a substantially circular cross-section.

[0080] In this variant, two adjacent units 3 are connected together by a connecting element comprising a partition 9 having a thickness e' that preferably decreases along direction 8, similar to the thickness e of the outer wall 5 of each unit 3, while advantageously, the diameter of these units 3 increases along direction 8.

[0081] It should be noted that, according to Figure 5 and Figure 6 The diagram shown illustrates a connection pattern that can be formed in the orthogonal direction, similar to the connection pattern described for the conical unit 3. This allows for the manufacture of sacrificial composite parts 1 of different lengths and widths as needed.

[0082] For example, such as Figure 5 As shown on the left side, a single unit 3 may include two parts of connecting elements 9 and 9' arranged in an orthogonal direction. The thickness of the outer wall of the unit and the thickness of each part of the connecting elements always decrease along the intrusion direction 8 of the impacting object.

[0083] Then, a combination of four such individual units 3 can be used to form a module, such as Figure 5 As shown on the right, the module consists of four such units 3 connected together, each unit 3 being connected to two adjacent units 3 by two connecting elements located in an orthogonal plane.

[0084] Therefore, in a second variation of the first embodiment of the present invention, a composite material component 1 formed by a combination of multiple units 3 can be obtained, wherein the cross-section of the multiple units is substantially circular and is configured to form as shown in the figure. Figure 6 The rectangular or square box shown may vary in length and width.

[0085] In this variant, each unit 3 includes at least two, or even three or four portions of connecting elements in the form of partitions, so as to allow the unit to be connected to two, three or four adjacent units to form a rectangular box.

[0086] Advantageously, such shapes remain fully demoldable, which allows for production in simple molds, thus ultimately resulting in economical production.

[0087] Preferably, taking into account the intrusion direction 8 of the impacting object, a bottom component 11 can be added to the lower part of the component 1 to the sacrificial composite component 1. In other words, the bottom component 11 is located at the level of the second end 7 of the unit 3 constituting the composite component 1.

[0088] Figure 7 A sacrificial composite component in the form of an elongated beam, including such a rectangular bottom component 11, is shown.

[0089] However, as Figure 6 The composite material component 1 in the form of a rectangular box shown may also advantageously include such a bottom component 11.

[0090] The presence of the bottom component 11 allows the composite material component 1, including the bottom component, to be joined.

[0091] Preferably, the sacrificial composite component 1 of the present invention may include a connecting rod 12 suspended above the unit 3.

[0092] The presence of such components will advantageously increase the impact resistance to the impacting object 2 with very low intrusion.

[0093] according to Figure 8 As shown in the example, such a connecting rod 12 can take the form of multiple rings arranged linearly side by side, with one ring of the connecting rod suspended above a unit 3, or the connecting rod can take the form of a rectangular wall, such as... Figure 9 As shown.

[0094] According to the invention, the sacrificial composite material components 1, 10, 100, regardless of the chosen embodiment, particularly regarding the arrangement and cross-section of units 3, 30, 300, may include a lower base component 11 and / or a connecting rod 12 suspended above the units 3, 30, 300 constituting the components 1, 10, 100.

[0095] When the composite material components 1, 10, and 100 include both the bottom component 11 and the connecting rod 12 for connecting these units, a considerable bending reinforcement is observed in the components 1, 10, and 100 thus formed.

[0096] like Figure 10 and Figure 11 As shown, a second specific embodiment of the sacrificial composite component 10 according to the invention can be produced by assembling a single unit 30 having a generally square cross-section.

[0097] Therefore, as shown in the figure, each unit 30 can be a parallelepiped with an internal shape that decreases in thickness of the outer wall 50 along the longitudinal direction 8 of the impact object 2, such as... Figure 10 central components and Figure 11 As shown more specifically in the cross-sectional view.

[0098] In the first variant of this second embodiment, Figure 10 The sacrificial composite component 10 shown on the right can take the form of a straight beam continuously juxtaposed by a combination of multiple square-section units 30.

[0099] In a second variation of the second embodiment, such as Figure 11 As shown, the sacrificial composite component 10 includes a plurality of straight beams (one of the plurality of straight beams is in...) Figure 10 (as shown in the figure) to form a rectangular box, the length and width of which can be varied and adjusted according to the purpose of the component 10, the wall thickness of the unit 30 decreasing from the first end 60 toward the second end 70, while advantageously, the internal cross-sectional area of ​​the unit 30 increasing from the first end 60 toward the second end 70.

[0100] In this embodiment, the demoldability of the shape remains unchanged.

[0101] like Figure 12 and Figure 13 As shown, a third specific embodiment of the sacrificial composite component 100 conforming to the present invention can be made from an assembly of units 300 with a hexagonal cross-section.

[0102] Therefore, as shown in the figure, a "honeycomb" type sacrificial composite component can be produced, and this sacrificial composite component has an internal shape such that the thickness of the outer wall 50 decreases longitudinally along the intrusion direction 8 of the impacting object 2, as shown in the figure. Figure 12 central components and Figure 13 As shown more specifically in the cross-sectional view.

[0103] In the first variant of this third embodiment, Figure 10 The sacrificial composite component 100 shown on the right side can take the form of a straight beam, formed by a combination of multiple hexagonal cross-section units 300 arranged in succession.

[0104] like Figure 13 As shown, in the second variant of this third embodiment, the sacrificial composite component 100 includes a plurality of straight beams (one of the plurality of straight beams is in...) Figure 12 (as shown in the diagram) to form a rectangular box, the length and width of which can be varied and adjusted according to the purpose of the component 100. As described in the previous two embodiments, the wall thickness of the unit 300 decreases from the first end 600 toward the second end 700, while advantageously, the surface area of ​​the internal hexagonal cross-section of the unit 300 increases from the first end 600 toward the second end 700.

Claims

1. A sacrificial composite component (1) that absorbs energy released when a vehicle collides with an impact object (2), the component (1) comprising an assembly of a plurality of units (3) having a circular cross-section, each unit (3) comprising a peripheral wall (5) connecting a first end (6) and a second end (7) of the unit (3), the impact object (2) entering the component (1) in an intrusion direction (8) extending from the first end (6) toward the second end (7), the component (1) being characterized in that: the peripheral wall (5) of each unit (3) has a thickness (e) decreasing along the intrusion direction (8) of the impact object (2) from the first end (6) of the unit (3) toward the second end (7) of the unit (3), and each unit (3) of the assembly having a circular cross-section is connected to at least one adjacent unit (3) by a connecting element (9) in the form of a partition, the thickness (e') of the connecting element decreasing along the intrusion direction (8) of the impact object (2).

2. The sacrificial composite material component (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each of the plurality of units constituting the sacrificial composite component has an internal cross section whose surface area increases from the first end (6) of the unit (3) toward the second end (7) of the unit along the intrusion direction (8) of the impacting object (2).

3. The sacrificial composite component (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Taking into account the direction of intrusion of the impacting object (2), the sacrificial composite component includes a bottom component (11).

4. The sacrificial composite component (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The sacrificial composite component includes a connecting rod (12) which, when viewed in the direction of intrusion of the impacting object (2), is suspended above the unit (3).

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