Automobile Hood Hexagonal Reinforcement for Lightweight Dent Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing automobile hoods face challenges in achieving both sufficient panel rigidity and dent resistance while reducing weight, as thinner panels compromise these properties.
Innovation Solution
An automobile hood design featuring a reinforcing member with a hexagonal annular structure, where units are arranged in a close-packed configuration, and a joint system that secures the panel and reinforcing member, with specific dimensions and joint placement to balance rigidity, dent resistance, and weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If the panel thickness is reduced to decrease weight, then the weight of the hood is reduced, but the panel rigidity and dent resistance decrease significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite structure combining a thin panel (0.35-0.60mm steel or 0.50-1.00mm aluminum alloy) with a reinforcing member featuring hexagonal annular units. This composite design allows the use of thinner, lighter panel material while the reinforcing member provides the necessary structural strength and rigidity, resolving the contradiction between weight reduction and maintaining panel strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcing member is segmented into multiple hexagonal annular units arranged in a close-packed configuration. Each unit has a floor, inclined wall, and top plate structure that provides localized reinforcement. This segmentation allows the reinforcing member to distribute strength across multiple discrete elements, effectively reinforcing the thin panel without requiring increased panel thickness.
2Weight of moving object
If the panel thickness is reduced to decrease weight, then the weight of the hood is reduced, but the dent resistance decreases to an extent that cannot be ignored
Solution Approach 1:
The composite structure of thin panel combined with the reinforcing member provides adequate dent resistance. The reinforcing member's hexagonal annular units with inclined walls create a rigid framework that resists localized deformation, protecting the thin panel from dents while maintaining overall light weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcing member provides localized reinforcement at critical areas where dents are most likely to occur. The hexagonal annular units are strategically positioned to provide point-wise support to the thin panel, enhancing dent resistance specifically at these reinforced locations without requiring the entire panel to be thicker.
Data Source
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AI summary
In an automobile hood, sufficient panel rigidity and dent resistance are secured while achieving a weight reduction. An automobile hood 1 has a panel 2, a reinforcing member 3, and a joint 4 that joins the panel 2 and the reinforcing member 3. The reinforcing member 3 includes a structure formed from a plurality of units 7 having a hexagonal annular shape disposed in a close-packed arrangement. The unit 7 has a floor 11, an inclined wall 12 and a top plate 13. The floor 11 is adjacent to the panel 2. The top plate 13 and the panel 2 are separated from each other. The inclined wall 12 is arranged between the floor 11 and the top plate 13. A hexagonal annular first ridge line 31 of the unit 7 is located between the inclined wall 12 and the floor 11. A length L1 of one side of the first ridge line 31 is 40 mm or more and 75 mm or less.