Commercial Vehicle Box Body Bonding via Intermediate Adhesive Layer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing box bodies for commercial vehicles face challenges in achieving a balance between economic manufacturing, minimal weight, high strength, and effective insulation, with issues in durable bonding of foamed plastic core layers to outer layers and high manufacturing costs of glass fibre reinforced plastics.
Innovation Solution
A box body design featuring a foamed plastic core layer, a dimensionally stable structural layer, and an intermediate layer that acts as a double-sided adhesive, providing a secure and durable integrally joined connection between the core and structural layers, while allowing for flexibility in material selection and additional functions like barrier properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If glass fibre reinforced plastics are used for outer layers instead of sheet metal, then weight is reduced and inherent stability is increased, but manufacturing cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses conventional sheet metal outer layers that are cost-effective and easily manufacturable, replacing expensive glass fibre reinforced plastics. The sheet metal achieves the required durability through proper bonding to the foam core, eliminating the need for costly composite materials while maintaining structural integrity and stability.
2Device complexity
If foamed plastic core layer is bonded directly to outer layers, then manufacturing is simplified, but bonding durability is insufficient without additional adhesion measures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs self-service bonding where the foam core layer itself provides adhesion to the sheet metal outer layers through its inherent sticky properties during the curing process. The foam expands and bonds directly to the metal surfaces without requiring separate adhesive applications or surface activation treatments, thus maintaining structural reliability while simplifying the manufacturing process.
3Reliability
If adhesion-promoting coatings or surface activation are applied to core layer, then bonding reliability is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The foam core layer performs self-service bonding by inherently adhering to the sheet metal outer layers during its curing and expansion process. The chemical composition and physical properties of the foam enable direct bonding without requiring additional adhesion-promoting coatings, surface activation treatments, or complex multi-step bonding processes, thus maintaining reliability while minimizing manufacturing complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design ensures a durable and secure bonding of the core and structural layers, optimizing weight, strength, and insulation, while reducing manufacturing costs and allowing for the use of economical open-pore foams and materials with enhanced stability and barrier properties.
Implementation Method 1
the intermediate layer (10) has a thickness, which is at most the same as the density of the structural layer (9), and comprises a material, having a thickness which is greater than the density of the core layer (7), wherein the side of the intermediate layer (10) abutting the core layer (7) has an affinity to the adjacent foamed plastic of the core layer (7) and the side of the intermediate layer (10) abutting the structural layer (9) has an affinity to the adjacent material of the structural layer (9)
Implementation Method 2
Foamed plastics suitable for this purpose have a low density and a low thermal conductivity, so that through appropriately constructed panels good insulation from the environment of the load compartment surrounded by the box body is achieved.
Implementation Method 3
The outer layers of the panels ensure the necessary stability and stiffness of the panels. The foam of the core layer can generally not provide this on its own because of its lack of stiffness and lack of inherent stability when force is applied.
Data Source
AI summary
A box body for a commercial vehicle, which has a surface element having a panel, includes a core layer, a dimensionally stable structural layer and an intermediate layer, one side thereof being adjacent to the core layer and an opposite side being adjacent to the structural layer. An integrally joined connection is produced between the structural layer and the side of the intermediate layer and between the core layer and the side of the intermediate layer. The intermediate layer has a thickness smaller than the thickness of the structural layer and consists of a material having a density that is higher than the density of the core layer. The side of the intermediate layer adjacent to the core layer has an affinity to the foamed plastic of the core layer and the side of the intermediate layer adjacent to the structural layer has an affinity to the structural layer.