Dual Bumper Beam Connector for Car-to-Car Crash Compatibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current crash management systems face challenges in meeting the requirements of the Mobile Progressive Deformable Barrier test, particularly in preventing penetration of external components into the vehicle during car-to-car collisions while maintaining a compact design and avoiding weight increase.
Innovation Solution
The integration of an extruded hollow profile connecting element between the first and second bumper beams, with its extrusion direction parallel to the vertical direction, enhances the system's flexibility, rigidity, and energy absorption capabilities, allowing for effective deformation and stabilization during impacts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional connecting elements are used between bumper beams, then the structure is simple, but the crash compatibility and energy absorption performance are insufficient for car-to-car collisions
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting element features a nested structure with an outer tube and an inner deformable element positioned inside it. The inner element can deform independently within the outer tube during impact, creating a multi-level energy absorption mechanism that enhances crash compatibility without excessive structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The connecting element utilizes material parameter changes through controlled deformation of the inner element. The element is designed to change its structural parameters (length, cross-section) during impact to optimize energy absorption characteristics, transitioning from a rigid state during normal operation to a deformable state during crash events.
2Loss of energy
If the connecting element is designed to absorb more energy, then the crash performance improves, but the weight of the system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting element employs thin-walled tubular structures with optimized wall thicknesses. The outer tube provides structural integrity while the thin walls of both tubes enable controlled deformation and energy absorption. This flexible shell approach allows high energy absorption capacity without proportionally increasing the weight of the connecting element.
Solution Approach 2:
The connecting element combines different materials or material properties in the outer tube and inner element. This composite structure enables optimized energy absorption characteristics where each component contributes differently to the overall performance, achieving high energy absorption efficiency relative to the total weight of the connecting element.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the connecting element structure is extended to improve crash behavior, then the penetration prevention improves, but the compactness of the design is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting element utilizes the vertical dimension by positioning the inner deformable element within the cross-sectional area of the outer tube. This three-dimensional arrangement allows the element to extend in multiple directions during deformation, effectively preventing penetration from various angles without requiring a larger overall volume envelope.
Solution Approach 2:
The nested configuration of the inner element within the outer tube maximizes the use of available space. During impact, the inner element can deform and extend outward to engage with intrusion objects, while the outer tube provides additional containment. This nested design prevents penetration without requiring a larger external volume than the space between bumper beams.
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
This solution improves the crash management system's performance in car-to-car collisions by preventing penetration of external components, enhancing energy absorption, and maintaining a lightweight, compact design, thus addressing the limitations of existing systems.
Implementation Method 1
The connecting element is an extruded hollow profile which extrusion direction is substantially parallel to the vertical direction Z... in case of impact the connecting element may be stabilized in contact with another component of the vehicle like for example a wheel, or a longitudinal beam and may be deformed into a flat surface
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A crash management system (1, 1', 1") for a front part of a vehicle, oriented in a local referential, having a longitudinal direction X a transverse direction Y perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X and a vertical direction Z perpendicular to the plane defined by said directions X and Y, comprising an assembly (2, 2', 2") of bumper beams with at least a first bumper beam (3, 3', 3") and a second bumper beam (4, 4', 4"), oriented in said transverse direction Y, said first bumper beam (3, 3', 3") and second bumper beam (4, 4', 4") being vertically spaced wherein said first bumper beam (3, 3', 3") is located above said second bumper beam (4, 4', 4"), optionally comprising at least one crash box (5, 6) connected to at least a bumper beam (3, 3', 3", 4, 4', 4"), and comprising at least a connecting element (100, 200,300, 400, 500) characterized in that said connecting element (100, 200,300, 400, 500) connects said first bumper beam (3, 3', 3") and said second bumper beam (4, 4', 4"), and wherein said connecting element (100, 200, 300, 400, 500) is an extruded hollow profile which extrusion direction (E) is substantially parallel to said vertical direction Z.