A lightweight side panel for a bus body

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of bus side panel technology, specifically a lightweight side panel for a bus body, comprising a lightweight side panel structure. The lightweight side panel structure includes an outer surround, a side panel frame fixed to the inner wall of the outer surround, and an inner liner fixed to the inner wall of the side panel frame. Mounting plates are provided on the outer surround, side panel frame, and inner liner. The side panel frame includes a support frame, within which multiple conductive skeletons are provided. These conductive skeletons are formed from thermoplastic material using injection molding. When the outer surround is subjected to a frontal collision, the impact force can be effectively transmitted through the support frame, rapidly and evenly dispersing the impact force to the surrounding support structure of the bus side panel. This prevents the bus side panel from deforming or even cracking due to excessive impact force. This structural design improves the stiffness, strength, and modal performance of the bus side panel, enhancing its impact resistance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of bus side panel technology, specifically a lightweight side panel for a bus body. Background Technology

[0002] Lightweight design is a key theme in modern automotive development. To reduce energy consumption, major automakers are increasingly focusing on optimizing vehicle body structures, aiming to minimize weight while maintaining performance. The side panels of buses are a crucial component of the vehicle body, and their structural rigidity and strength have a significant impact on the overall vehicle safety and stability.

[0003] Traditionally, to ensure structural strength and rigidity, bus side panels are often made of pure metal, resulting in complex structures, heavy weight, and an inability to achieve lightweight design, which is detrimental to energy conservation and emission reduction in automobiles. While some automobile manufacturers use new lightweight materials to achieve lighter bus side panels, this often requires sacrificing some structural rigidity and strength. This leads to a decrease in the local rigidity and yield strength of the side panels, resulting in reduced impact resistance, affecting the overall vehicle lifespan, and lowering safety and reliability. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a lightweight side panel for a bus body, solving the aforementioned problems.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0006] A lightweight side panel for a bus body, including a lightweight side panel structure;

[0007] The lightweight side enclosure structure includes an outer enclosure, a side enclosure frame fixed to the inner wall of the outer enclosure, an inner lining plate fixed to the inner wall of the side enclosure frame, and mounting plates provided on the outer enclosure, the side enclosure frame, and the inner lining plate.

[0008] The side frame includes a support frame, and multiple conductive skeletons are provided inside the support frame. The conductive skeletons are made of thermoplastic material and formed by injection molding.

[0009] A conductive ring plate is provided between each pair of adjacent conductive skeletons, and the conductive ring plate is connected to the conductive skeleton by bolting.

[0010] The support frame is made of a mixture of resin matrix and carbon fiber body, which are formed by molding process.

[0011] Preferably, the conductive ring plate is a double-layer structure, consisting of a front frame and a rear frame. The front frame is located on the outside and fits against the outer enclosure. Multiple conductive ring plates are provided inside the front frame. The conductive ring plates are spliced ​​together and integrally formed, and the outer edge of the conductive ring plate is connected to the inner wall of the front frame.

[0012] Preferably, the conductive ring plate is a near-circular ring plate formed by connecting multiple conductive arms.

[0013] Preferably, the rear frame is provided with a support frame inside, which is formed by the intersection of horizontal and vertical supports, and the intersection of the conduction ring plate and the intersection of the support frame coincides. The intersection of the conduction ring plate and the support frame is connected by a connecting column.

[0014] Preferably, mounting plates are provided at the four corners of the front frame and the rear frame, and mounting holes are provided on the mounting plates. The mounting holes overlap each other, and the mounting plates are connected to the transmission frame by bolts.

[0015] This invention provides a lightweight side panel for a bus body, which has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] In this invention, a support frame is constructed by connecting a resin matrix and a carbon fiber body, and the support frame is installed between the outer enclosure and the inner liner. When the outer enclosure is subjected to a frontal impact, the impact force can be effectively transmitted through the support frame, rapidly and evenly dissipating the impact force to the surrounding support structure of the bus side enclosure. This prevents the bus side enclosure from deforming or even cracking due to excessive impact force. This structural design improves the stiffness, strength, and modal performance of the bus side enclosure, and enhances its impact resistance. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the bus in this invention;

[0018] Figure 2 This is an exploded structural diagram of the lightweight sidewall structure in this invention;

[0019] Figure 3 This is a top view of the lightweight side panel structure in this invention.

[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the front frame structure in this invention;

[0021] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the rear frame structure in this invention.

[0022] In the diagram: 10-Lightweight side structure, 11-Inner liner, 12-Side frame, 121-Transmission frame, 122-Transmission skeleton, 1221-Front frame, 1222-Transmission ring plate, 1223-Mounting plate, 1224-Rear frame, 1225-Connecting column, 1226-Support frame, 123-Support frame, 13-Outer enclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0023] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, a more complete description will be given below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings. However, the invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a thorough and complete understanding of the disclosure of the invention.

[0024] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" another element, it can be directly attached to the other element or there may be an intervening element. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intervening element. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "left," "right," and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0025] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used herein in the description of the invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0026] like Figure 1-3 The image shown is a bus body side panel according to an embodiment of this application, including a lightweight side panel structure 10, which is used to connect with the vehicle body frame to obtain a complete vehicle body structure. As an important component of the bus body structure, the weight and structural performance of the bus side panel largely determine the safety and reliability of the bus.

[0027] Specifically, in this embodiment, the lightweight side panel structure 10 includes: an outer surround 13, a side panel frame 12 fixedly connected to the inner wall of the outer surround 13, an inner liner plate 11 fixedly connected to the inner wall of the side panel frame 12, and mounting plates provided on the outer surround 13, the side panel frame 12 and the inner liner plate 11 for mutual assembly of the three and for connection with the vehicle body frame.

[0028] Specifically, the side frame 12 includes a support frame 123, within which a plurality of conductive skeletons 121 are disposed. The conductive skeletons 121 are formed from thermoplastic material using an injection molding process. Preferably, the thermoplastic material used to manufacture the conductive skeletons is long glass fiber reinforced polypropylene plastic. This type of material has advantages such as low density, high specific strength, high specific modulus, strong impact resistance, dimensional stability, and low warpage, resulting in significant lightweighting and simple processing. Of course, in other embodiments, the conductive skeletons 121 can also be made of other types of materials, such as modified polypropylene or hemp fiber.

[0029] Specifically, a conductive ring plate 122 is provided between each pair of adjacent conductive skeletons 121. The conductive ring plate 122 is connected to the conductive skeleton 121 by bolting. In other embodiments, the conductive ring plate 122 and the conductive skeleton 121 can also be connected by other methods, such as welding, riveting, or snap-fit ​​connection.

[0030] Please continue reading. Figure 4 The support frame 123 is composed of a resin matrix and a carbon fiber matrix, which are formed by a molding process. During manufacturing, carbon fiber powder is placed in a molding die, followed by the injection of resin matrix powder, allowing the carbon fiber powder to fully impregnate the resin matrix material. The molding die is then subjected to pressure and heating to solidify the resin matrix, which then firmly bonds to the carbon fiber matrix, resulting in the support frame 123.

[0031] In the aforementioned bus side panel, the support frame 123 is constructed by connecting a resin matrix and a carbon fiber body, and is installed between the outer surround 13 and the inner liner 11. When the outer surround 13 is subjected to a frontal collision, the impact force can be effectively transmitted through the support frame 123, rapidly and evenly dispersing the impact force to the surrounding support structure of the bus side panel. This prevents the bus side panel from deforming or even cracking due to excessive impact force. This structural design improves the stiffness, strength, and modal performance of the bus side panel, enhancing its impact resistance.

[0032] Please continue reading. Figure 3 and Figure 4The conductive ring plate 122 is a double-layer structure, consisting of a front frame 1221 and a rear frame 1224. The front frame 1221 is located on the outside and fits against the outer enclosure 13. Multiple conductive ring plates 1222 are arranged inside the front frame 1221. The conductive ring plates 1222 are spliced ​​together and integrally formed, and the outer edge of the conductive ring plate 1222 is connected to the inner wall of the front frame 1221. The conductive ring plate 1222 is a near-circular ring plate formed by multiple conductive arms connected to each other. When the conductive ring plate 1222 is impacted, the impact force is quickly transmitted to the front frame 1221 through the conductive arms and then to the support frame 121, realizing the rapid transmission and diffusion of the impact force. In this embodiment, the near-circular ring plate can be a regular hexagon, an equilateral polygon, etc.

[0033] Please continue reading. Figure 5 The rear frame 1224 has a support frame 1226 inside. The support frame 1226 is formed by the intersection of horizontal and vertical supports, and the intersection point of the conduction ring plate 1222 and the intersection point of the support frame 1226 coincide. The intersection point of the conduction ring plate 1222 and the support frame 1226 is connected by a connecting column 1225. Preferably, the connecting column 1225 is integrally formed with the conduction ring plate 1222 and the support frame 1226. When the conduction ring plate 1222 is impacted, the impact force on the conduction ring plate 1222 is diffused back to the support frame 1226 through the connecting column 1225, thereby increasing the impact resistance of the conduction ring plate 1222.

[0034] In addition, the bus side panel is generally located on the side of the entire bus. When the bus is impacted, especially when the impact force is too large, the bus side panel is very likely to be damaged. In this case, the entire bus side panel needs to be replaced. If the entire transmission ring plate 122 is replaced at this time, it will greatly increase the cost of bus maintenance.

[0035] Please continue reading. Figure 3-5 Mounting plates 1223 are provided at the four corners of the front frame 1221 and the rear frame 1224. Mounting plates 1223 are provided with mounting holes that overlap each other. Mounting plates 1223 are connected to the conduction frame 121 by bolts. When the corresponding conduction ring plate 122 is replaced, it can be replaced through the mounting plate 1223, while the remaining conduction ring plates 122 do not need to be replaced, reducing maintenance costs. In addition, if the support frame 123 is damaged, only the undamaged conduction ring plate 122 needs to be removed and installed on the replaced support frame 123.

[0036] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any equivalent substitutions or modifications made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present invention, based on the technical solution and inventive concept of the present invention, should be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A lightweight side panel for a bus body, characterized in that: Including lightweight side panel structure; The lightweight side enclosure structure includes an outer enclosure, a side enclosure frame fixed to the inner wall of the outer enclosure, an inner lining plate fixed to the inner wall of the side enclosure frame, and mounting plates provided on the outer enclosure, the side enclosure frame, and the inner lining plate. The side frame includes a support frame, and multiple conductive skeletons are provided inside the support frame. The conductive skeletons are made of thermoplastic material and formed by injection molding. A conductive ring plate is provided between each pair of adjacent conductive skeletons, and the conductive ring plate is connected to the conductive skeleton by bolting. The support frame is made of a mixture of resin matrix and carbon fiber body, which are formed by compression molding. The conductive ring plate is a double-layer structure, consisting of a front frame and a rear frame. The front frame is located on the outside and fits against the outer enclosure. Multiple conductive ring plates are arranged inside the front frame. The conductive ring plates are spliced ​​together and integrally formed, and the outer edge of the conductive ring plate is connected to the inner wall of the front frame. The rear frame is internally provided with a support frame, which is formed by the intersection of horizontal and vertical supports. The intersection of the conduction ring plate and the intersection of the support frame coincide. The intersection of the conduction ring plate and the support frame is connected by a connecting column.

2. The lightweight side panel of a bus body as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The conductive ring plate is a near-circular ring plate formed by connecting multiple conductive arms.

3. The lightweight side panel of a bus body as described in claim 1, characterized in that: Mounting plates are provided at the four corners of the front and rear frames. The mounting plates are provided with mounting holes that overlap each other. The mounting plates are connected to the transmission frame by bolts.

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