Composite Components with Additive Gradients for Structural Fire Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing composite components suffer from uneven additive distribution, leading to poor long-term functionality, increased production complexity, and structural integrity issues, particularly in automotive and battery housing applications, where layers can detach or fail under thermal stress.
Innovation Solution
A composite component with a functional region featuring a concentration gradient of additives, allowing for localized control of material properties, integrated design, and simplified production without subsequent joining or coating, enhancing structural integrity and reducing additive usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a separate fire-resistant layer is deposited on the shear panel, then flame-retardant functionality is achieved, but the layer is susceptible to breakage and ablation and can easily be separated under thermal stress
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the structural shear panel and the fire-resistant functional layer into a single integrated composite component. The functional additive is incorporated directly into the matrix material of the shear panel during manufacturing, creating a unified structure where the fire-retardant functionality is embedded within the structural material itself, eliminating the risk of layer separation under thermal stress
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite material system where the matrix material contains both structural components and functional additives (such as flame-retardant agents) in a controlled concentration gradient. This composite approach allows the single material to simultaneously provide structural strength and fire-protection functionality without requiring separate layers
2Ease of manufacture
If the additive concentration is evenly distributed in the melt, then production is simplified, but the concentration cannot be locally controlled or regulated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by creating a concentration gradient of functional additives within the matrix material. The additive concentration varies spatially, with higher concentrations in regions requiring enhanced fire-protection functionality and lower concentrations in regions where structural properties are prioritized. This allows localized optimization of material properties while maintaining a single integrated manufacturing process
3Adaptability or versatility
If layered composites are used to achieve complex geometries, then functionality can be realized, but production becomes laborious and complex with limited component accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the production of complex geometries with the integration of multiple functionalities into a single manufacturing step. The concentration gradient of additives is established during the forming process itself, allowing complex three-dimensional geometries to be produced with spatially varying material properties without requiring subsequent layering or post-processing operations
4Strength
If a thicker and heavier design is used, then structural integrity is maintained, but weight and material usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by concentrating functional additives in specific regions where they are most needed for fire-protection, rather than uniformly distributing them throughout the entire component. This allows the component to maintain adequate fire-resistance functionality with reduced overall additive content, enabling thinner and lighter designs while preserving essential protective functions in critical areas
Data Source
AI summary
A composite component, a motor vehicle component or a building component comprising the composite component, to a method for producing the composite component and to the use of the composite component.