Vehicle Bumper Beam with Overlapping Shock Absorbers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shock absorption devices for vehicle structures face challenges in accommodating new elements like air intake modules due to spatial constraints, and they are sensitive to shear forces and bending moments, leading to structural damage beyond a certain impact threshold.
Innovation Solution
A shock absorption device with a bumper beam and shock absorbers aligned vertically by their lower faces, featuring a reduced beam height, asymmetrical design, notches for partial overlap, and strategically placed openings to decouple torsion and enhance stability, allowing for stable deformation and energy absorption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the bumper beam height is reduced to create additional space for new elements, then the space for inserting new elements (e.g., air intake module) is increased, but the energy absorption capacity and structural strength may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The shock absorbers are positioned to partially overlap the bumper beam along the vertical axis, creating a three-dimensional arrangement where the absorbers extend both above and below the beam level. This vertical dimensionality allows the beam height to be reduced for space creation while the absorbers maintain their full height for energy absorption, resolving the contradiction between compact beam design and adequate crash protection
Solution Approach 2:
The bumper beam is nested within the vertical projection of the shock absorbers, with the absorbers positioned such that they overlap the beam along the vertical axis. This nesting arrangement allows the beam to be compact (reduced height) while the absorbers provide the necessary deformation space for energy absorption, effectively placing the energy absorption function in a different spatial relationship than traditional side-by-side arrangements
2Volume of moving object
If the shock absorption device is made asymmetrical to optimize space utilization and deformation control, then the space for new elements is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device employs asymmetrical positioning where the bumper beam is offset from the centerline of the shock absorbers, and the absorbers are positioned to overlap the beam along the vertical axis rather than being symmetrically arranged. This asymmetry optimizes the available space for new elements while the notches in the absorbers provide natural deformation zones that control the crash behavior, managing the complexity through functional design rather than additional components
Solution Approach 2:
The shock absorbers incorporate notches at specific locations to create localized deformation zones. These notches concentrate the plastic deformation in specific areas, allowing the rest of the absorber structure to maintain strength while enabling controlled energy absorption. This local modification approach manages complexity by targeting specific regions rather than redesigning the entire structure
3Stability of the object's composition
If openings are added to the bumper beam to decouple torsion and enhance stability, then the shock absorption stability is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The bumper beam is segmented by incorporating openings that divide the beam structure into separate sections. These openings decouple the torsional stiffness of the beam, allowing independent deformation of beam segments during impact. This segmentation approach enhances crash stability by preventing torsional coupling while the openings can be efficiently manufactured using standard automotive forming processes
Solution Approach 2:
The bumper beam incorporates a porous or perforated structure with openings that reduce torsional rigidity while maintaining compressive strength. These openings allow the beam to deform more freely during impact, improving the stability of the shock absorption system by preventing torsional distortion, and can be integrated into the beam manufacturing process through punching or forming operations
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 configuration creates additional space for new elements while maintaining energy absorption capacity, ensuring stable deformation and reduced structural damage, and decouples torsional disturbances, optimizing shock energy absorption and facilitating the integration of new components without modifying the vehicle's stretcher.
Implementation Method 1
the bumper and the shock absorbers undergo a plastic deformation which makes it possible to absorb the less in part the energy of the impact
Implementation Method 2
They generally have a profiled part elongated in the longitudinal direction which deforms by successive bending under the effect of the compressive force generated by the impact, according to a mode of deformation called 'bundling'
Implementation Method 3
During a frontal impact at very low speed, the bumper beam and the shock absorbers will deform in the elastic domain and return to their initial position without deterioration
Data Source
Figure 1~3
AI summary
The invention relates to a shock absorption device (1) for the front or rear structure of a motor vehicle comprising a bumper beam (3) at the ends of which shock absorbers (5) are fixed, notable in that said bumper beam (3) has a height less than that of the shock absorbers (5).