Automobile front anti-collision beam assembly manufactured by combining hot gas expansion and liquid expansion forming processes

Abstract

According to the automobile front anti-collision beam assembly manufactured by combining the hot air expansion forming process and the liquid expansion forming process, a front anti-collision beam body adopts the hot air expansion process to be matched with a front vertical face design and a rear vertical face design which are provided with reinforcing ribs, double improvement of material characteristics and structural performance can be achieved, and therefore the deformation resistance capacity of the front face of an automobile can be fully guaranteed. The design of the energy-absorbing box sub-assembly can realize better collision initial-stage protection and later-stage energy-absorbing collapsing functions, and the production efficiency and the cost can be effectively improved by combining with a liquid expansion forming process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of automotive front collision protection component processing and manufacturing technology, specifically relating to an automotive front anti-collision beam assembly manufactured by combining hot air expansion and liquid expansion forming processes. Background Technology

[0002] The front bumper beam assembly is a crucial component for frontal collision protection, and its core structure mainly consists of two parts: the front bumper beam and the energy-absorbing box. Current technologies mostly employ stamping or high-strength roll forming processes to manufacture the front bumper beam, and stamping to manufacture the energy-absorbing box, then welding the two together. This results in problems such as excessive product weight, cumbersome welding processes, and low production efficiency and economy. While some bumper beam and energy-absorbing box structures manufactured using extruded aluminum processes offer better lightweighting, their performance and strength are often weaker than the former two types of products, and the production costs and carbon emissions resulting from their manufacturing process are difficult to reduce. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, and in response to the technical problems existing in this field, the present invention provides an automotive front bumper beam assembly manufactured by combining hot air expansion and liquid expansion forming processes, which consists of a front bumper beam body, left and right energy-absorbing box sub-assemblies, and left and right mounting end plates.

[0004] The front anti-collision beam body is a tubular beam manufactured using a hot air expansion process, consisting of a front panel and a rear panel. The front panel has a front panel reinforcement groove that is recessed to the rear and extends to both ends laterally in the center. The rear panel has a U-shaped cross section that opens to the rear, and two rear panel reinforcement ribs that protrude to the rear and extend to both ends laterally are provided on its rear wall surface, symmetrically distributed above and below the corresponding positions of the rear panel and the front panel reinforcement groove.

[0005] The left and right energy-absorbing box sub-assemblies are tubular beams manufactured using a hydraulic expansion process, respectively located at the left and right ends of the front bumper beam body. Each energy-absorbing box sub-assembly includes a main energy-absorbing box and a secondary energy-absorbing box; the secondary energy-absorbing box is located outside the corresponding main energy-absorbing box; the main energy-absorbing box and the secondary energy-absorbing box adopt the same structure, and the main energy-absorbing box is slightly larger in volume than the secondary energy-absorbing box; each energy-absorbing box adopts a tubular structure with a convex octagonal cross-section, with its front opening end connected to the front bumper beam body, and its rear opening connected to the corresponding left and right mounting end plates; the upper and lower sides of the energy-absorbing box are flat walls, and the left and right sides each consist of two inclined surfaces and a vertical surface between these two inclined surfaces; a concave rib extending in the front-rear direction is provided on the upper and lower walls and the left and right vertical surfaces to improve the ability to resist deformation in the initial stage of a collision; several crumple ribs are provided on the boundary lines of each inclined surface and the vertical surface on the left and right sides.

[0006] Furthermore, the edges connecting the front and rear vertical panels on the front bumper beam are flattened to further enhance the structural strength at both ends.

[0007] Furthermore, the front reinforcement groove on the front bumper beam body has a specific depth of 20mm, and the angle between the two sides of the groove and the bottom of the groove is 10°.

[0008] Furthermore, two rear vertical reinforcing ribs are provided on the rear wall of the front bumper beam body, which are 15mm away from the upper and lower edges and 5mm deep.

[0009] Furthermore, the concave ribs on the upper and lower walls and vertical surfaces of each energy-absorbing box are rectangular with a depth of 3mm; three collapse ribs are respectively set on the boundary line between each left and right inclined surface and the vertical surface.

[0010] Accordingly, the present invention also provides a method for manufacturing the above-mentioned automotive front bumper beam assembly, specifically including the following steps:

[0011] S1. Based on the design dimensions of the front anti-collision beam, select a suitable tube blank and pre-bend it according to the design curvature to obtain a bent tube blank.

[0012] S2. Place the bent tube blank into the pre-pressing forming mold, press out the groove on the front surface of the anti-collision beam body, and flatten the upper and lower edges of the bent tube blank.

[0013] S3. Heat the bent tube blank to a thermoplastic state;

[0014] S4. Place the heated bent tube blank into the final forming mold, fill the tube blank with high-pressure gas to make it expand and conform to the shape of the mold, and then perform in-mold quenching and cooling.

[0015] S5. Remove the component from the mold and allow it to cool naturally in a room temperature environment;

[0016] S6. The cooled components are cut with laser cutting to create holes and remove waste material, resulting in the thermally expanded front bumper beam body.

[0017] S7. Select appropriate tube blanks according to the design dimensions of the left and right main and auxiliary energy-absorbing boxes;

[0018] S8. High-pressure liquid is filled into the tube blank mold to make it expand and conform to the shape of the mold. The processed component contains both left and right main energy-absorbing boxes or auxiliary energy-absorbing boxes.

[0019] S9. Remove the component from the mold, and according to the design, perform laser cutting on the component to make holes, cut off and remove waste material to obtain a liquid expansion type energy absorption box.

[0020] S10. The left main energy-absorbing box and the left auxiliary energy-absorbing box are respectively connected to the left mounting end plate by MIG welding to form the left energy-absorbing box sub-assembly.

[0021] S11. The right main energy-absorbing box and the right auxiliary energy-absorbing box are respectively connected to the right mounting end plate by MIG welding to form the right energy-absorbing box sub-assembly.

[0022] S12. The left energy-absorbing box sub-assembly and the right energy-absorbing box sub-assembly are welded to the front bumper beam body using MIG welding to finally form the automotive front bumper beam assembly.

[0023] The automotive front bumper beam assembly manufactured using a combination of hot air expansion and liquid expansion molding processes provided by this invention features a front bumper beam body that utilizes hot air expansion combined with a front and rear facade design featuring reinforcing ribs. This achieves a dual improvement in material properties and structural performance, thereby fully ensuring the vehicle's frontal deformation resistance. The energy-absorbing box sub-assembly design provides good initial collision protection and subsequent energy absorption and crumpling functions, while the combination with liquid expansion molding effectively improves production efficiency and reduces costs. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 A three-dimensional structural diagram of the automotive front bumper beam assembly provided by the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a front view of the front bumper beam.

[0026] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the front bumper beam.

[0027] Figure 4 A three-dimensional structural diagram of the left energy-absorbing box sub-assembly;

[0028] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view and side wall structure diagram of the energy-absorbing box;

[0029] Figure 6 A schematic diagram showing the optional configuration of the concave ribs and collapse ribs of the energy-absorbing box;

[0030] Figure 7 This diagram shows the assembly and connection methods of the various components of the front bumper beam assembly for automobiles. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The technical solution of the present invention will now be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] The automotive front bumper beam assembly manufactured using a combination of hot air expansion and liquid expansion forming processes provided by this invention, such as... Figure 1 As shown in the figure, it is composed of the front anti-collision beam body 1, the left and right energy-absorbing box sub-assemblies, and the left and right mounting end plates 6 and 7;

[0033] Among them, the front anti-collision beam body 1 is as shown in Figure 2 and 3 shown in the figure, and is a pipe beam manufactured by the hot gas expansion process, including two parts: the front vertical panel and the rear vertical panel; the center of the front vertical panel has a front vertical surface strengthening groove 11 that depresses backward and extends to the transverse ends; the rear vertical panel has a backward-opening U-shaped cross-section, and two rear vertical surface strengthening ribs 12 that protrude backward and extend to the transverse ends are provided on its rear wall surface, symmetrically distributed above and below the corresponding positions of the rear vertical panel and the front vertical surface strengthening groove 11;

[0034] The left and right energy-absorbing box sub-assemblies are as shown in Figure 4-6 shown in the figure, and are pipe beams manufactured by the liquid expansion process, respectively arranged at the left and right ends of the front anti-collision beam body 1. Each energy-absorbing box sub-assembly includes a main energy-absorbing box 2, 3 and a sub-energy-absorbing box 4, 5; the sub-energy-absorbing box is arranged outside the corresponding main energy-absorbing box; the main energy-absorbing boxes 2, 3 and the sub-energy-absorbing boxes 4, 5 adopt the same structure, and the main energy-absorbing boxes 2, 3 are slightly larger in volume than the sub-energy-absorbing boxes 4, 5; each energy-absorbing box adopts a tubular structure with a convex octagonal cross-section, its front opening end is connected to the front anti-collision beam body 1, and the rear opening is connected to the corresponding left and right mounting end plates 6, 7; the upper and lower sides of the energy-absorbing box are flat wall surfaces, and the left and right sides are each composed of two inclined surfaces and a vertical surface between these two inclined surfaces; a concave rib 21 extending in the front and rear directions is provided on each of the upper and lower wall surfaces and the left and right vertical wall surfaces, for improving the ability to resist deformation in the initial stage of collision; a number of crush ribs 22 are provided on the boundary lines between each inclined surface and the vertical surface on the left and right sides. Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram of the assembly process of manufacturing each component separately and connecting and assembling them to form the front anti-collision beam assembly of the vehicle.

[0035] In the above front anti-collision beam assembly, the material thickness of the front anti-collision beam body 1 is selected in the range of 1.2 - 2.0 mm, and a high-strength steel pipe beam with 1500 MPa, 2000 MPa or 2200 MPa is obtained after the hot gas expansion process. Based on the above material characteristics generated by the hot gas expansion process and the structural characteristics including the front and rear strengthening ribs, it can ensure good structural strength and provide beneficial frontal protection performance. The left and right energy-absorbing box sub-assemblies can provide good crush energy absorption characteristics. Through the comparative tests of different cross-sectional shapes of the energy-absorbing boxes, it is shown that the axial crush force of the octagonal structure of the present invention is 15.3% larger than the traditional "mouth" shape structure, 7.5% larger than the hexagonal structure, and 3% larger than the circular structure. Therefore, it has obvious performance advantages compared with the prior art. At the same time, the liquid expansion forming method used to manufacture the energy-absorbing box can significantly reduce the process difficulty and manufacturing cost, and can also effectively improve the production efficiency.

[0036] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the edges connecting the front upright panel and the rear upright panel on the front anti-collision beam body 1 are flattened to further improve the structural strength of its upper and lower ends.

[0037] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the front reinforcement groove 11 on the front bumper beam body 1 has a specific depth of 20mm, and the angle between the two sides of the groove and the bottom surface of the groove is 10°. This design of a deeper groove and a smaller angle can effectively improve the stiffness and strength of the bumper beam body, and can achieve better resistance to deformation in a 100% overlap rigid barrier collision test.

[0038] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, two rear vertical reinforcing ribs 12 are provided on the rear wall of the front anti-collision beam body 1, respectively 15mm from the upper and lower edges and 5mm deep. The rear vertical reinforcing ribs cooperate with the front vertical reinforcing grooves, which can improve the rigidity of the front anti-collision beam body while uniformly transmitting the expansion force to each energy-absorbing box.

[0039] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the concave ribs 21 on the upper and lower walls and vertical surfaces of each energy-absorbing box are rectangular with a depth of 3 mm; three collapse ribs 22 are respectively provided on the boundary line between each left and right inclined surface and the vertical surface.

[0040] Accordingly, the present invention also provides a method for manufacturing the above-mentioned automotive front bumper beam assembly, specifically including the following steps:

[0041] S1. Based on the design dimensions of the front anti-collision beam, select a suitable tube blank and pre-bend it according to the design curvature to obtain a bent tube blank.

[0042] S2. Place the bent tube blank into the pre-pressing forming mold, press out the groove on the front surface of the anti-collision beam body, and flatten the upper and lower edges of the bent tube blank.

[0043] S3. Heat the bent tube blank to a thermoplastic state;

[0044] S4. Place the heated bent tube blank into the final forming mold, fill the tube blank with high-pressure gas to make it expand and conform to the shape of the mold, and then perform in-mold quenching and cooling.

[0045] S5. Remove the component from the mold and allow it to cool naturally in a room temperature environment;

[0046] S6. The cooled components are cut with laser cutting to create holes and remove waste material, resulting in the thermally expanded front bumper beam body.

[0047] S7. Select appropriate tube blanks according to the design dimensions of the left and right main and auxiliary energy-absorbing boxes;

[0048] S8. High-pressure liquid is filled into the tube blank mold to make it expand and conform to the shape of the mold. The processed component contains both left and right main energy-absorbing boxes or auxiliary energy-absorbing boxes.

[0049] S9. Remove the component from the mold, and according to the design, perform laser cutting on the component to make holes, cut off and remove waste material to obtain a liquid expansion type energy absorption box.

[0050] S10. The left main energy-absorbing box and the left auxiliary energy-absorbing box are respectively connected to the left mounting end plate by MIG welding to form the left energy-absorbing box sub-assembly.

[0051] S11. The right main energy-absorbing box and the right auxiliary energy-absorbing box are respectively connected to the right mounting end plate by MIG welding to form the right energy-absorbing box sub-assembly.

[0052] S12. The left energy-absorbing box sub-assembly and the right energy-absorbing box sub-assembly are welded to the front bumper beam body using MIG welding to finally form the automotive front bumper beam assembly.

[0053] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing the invention and for simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the invention. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0054] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0055] It should be understood that the sequence number of each step in the embodiments of the present invention does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0056] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A front bumper beam assembly for automobiles manufactured using a combination of hot air expansion and liquid expansion forming processes, characterized in that: It consists of a front bumper beam body, left and right energy-absorbing box sub-assemblies, and left and right mounting end plates; The front anti-collision beam body is a tubular beam manufactured using a hot air expansion process, consisting of a front panel and a rear panel. The front panel has a front panel reinforcement groove that is recessed to the rear and extends to both ends laterally in the center. The rear panel has a U-shaped cross section that opens to the rear, and two rear panel reinforcement ribs that protrude to the rear and extend to both ends laterally are provided on its rear wall surface, symmetrically distributed above and below the corresponding positions of the rear panel and the front panel reinforcement groove. The left and right energy-absorbing box sub-assemblies are tubular beams manufactured using a hydraulic expansion process, respectively located at the left and right ends of the front bumper beam body. Each energy-absorbing box sub-assembly includes a main energy-absorbing box and a secondary energy-absorbing box; the secondary energy-absorbing box is located outside the corresponding main energy-absorbing box; the main energy-absorbing box and the secondary energy-absorbing box adopt the same structure, and the main energy-absorbing box is slightly larger in volume than the secondary energy-absorbing box; each energy-absorbing box adopts a tubular structure with a convex octagonal cross-section, with its front opening end connected to the front bumper beam body, and its rear opening connected to the corresponding left and right mounting end plates; the upper and lower sides of the energy-absorbing box are flat walls, and the left and right sides each consist of two inclined surfaces and a vertical surface between these two inclined surfaces; a concave rib extending in the front-rear direction is provided on the upper and lower walls and the left and right vertical surfaces to improve the ability to resist deformation in the initial stage of a collision; several crumple ribs are provided on the boundary lines of each inclined surface and the vertical surface on the left and right sides.

2. The automotive front bumper beam assembly as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The edges connecting the front and rear vertical panels on the front bumper beam are flattened to further improve the structural strength at both ends.

3. The automotive front bumper beam assembly as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The front reinforcement groove on the front bumper beam has a depth of 20mm, and the angle between the two sides of the groove and the bottom of the groove is 10°.

4. The automotive front bumper beam assembly as described in claim 1, characterized in that: Two rear vertical reinforcing ribs are installed on the rear wall of the front bumper beam body, 15mm from the upper and lower edges and 5mm deep.

5. The automotive front bumper beam assembly as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The concave ribs on the upper and lower walls and vertical surfaces of each energy-absorbing box are rectangular with a depth of 3mm; three collapse ribs are set on the boundary line between each left and right inclined surface and the vertical surface.

6. A method for manufacturing a front bumper beam assembly for automobiles as described in any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that: Specifically, the following steps are included: S1. Based on the design dimensions of the front anti-collision beam, select a suitable tube blank and pre-bend it according to the design curvature to obtain a bent tube blank; S2. Place the bent tube blank into the pre-pressing forming mold, press out the groove on the front surface of the anti-collision beam body, and flatten the upper and lower edges of the bent tube blank. S3. Heat the bent tube blank to a thermoplastic state; S4. Place the heated bent tube blank into the final forming mold, fill the tube blank with high-pressure gas to make it expand and conform to the shape of the mold, and then perform in-mold quenching and cooling. S5. Remove the component from the mold and allow it to cool naturally in a room temperature environment; S6. The cooled components are cut with laser cutting to create holes and remove waste material, resulting in the thermally expanded front bumper beam body. S7. Select appropriate tube blanks according to the design dimensions of the left and right main and auxiliary energy-absorbing boxes; S8. High-pressure liquid is filled into the tube blank mold to make it expand and conform to the shape of the mold. Each component processed contains left and right main energy-absorbing boxes or auxiliary energy-absorbing boxes. S9. Remove the component from the mold, and according to the design, perform laser cutting on the component to make holes, cut off and remove waste material to obtain a liquid expansion type energy absorption box. S10. The left main energy-absorbing box and the left auxiliary energy-absorbing box are respectively connected to the left mounting end plate by MIG welding to form the left energy-absorbing box sub-assembly. S11. The right main energy-absorbing box and the right auxiliary energy-absorbing box are respectively connected to the right mounting end plate by MIG welding to form the right energy-absorbing box sub-assembly. S12. The left energy-absorbing box sub-assembly and the right energy-absorbing box sub-assembly are welded to the front bumper beam body using MIG welding to finally form the automotive front bumper beam assembly.

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