Composite Crash Tube Structure for High Energy Absorption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing impact-absorbing elements for motor vehicles face challenges in achieving high energy dissipation efficiency while minimizing weight and material usage, with existing materials and designs often falling short of 100% efficiency and incurring additional weight or cost.
Innovation Solution
A hollow metal tube with plastic inserts, featuring various cross-sections and structures, is used to enhance energy absorption, combining metal and plastic to allow for thinner walls and improved energy dissipation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If thick walls are used in metal impact-absorbing elements, then strength and energy absorption are improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines metal tube with plastic inserts to create a composite impact-absorbing element. The metal tube provides structural strength while the plastic inserts enhance energy absorption through deformation, achieving high energy dissipation efficiency without requiring thick metal walls that would increase weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameters by introducing plastic inserts with specific deformation characteristics into the metal tube. The plastic material has different mechanical properties than metal, allowing it to deform and absorb energy in a complementary manner, improving overall energy absorption while maintaining thin wall thickness.
2Weight of moving object
If aluminum is used instead of steel, then weight is reduced, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material composition by adding plastic inserts to the metal tube structure. This allows the use of thinner metal walls (reducing weight) while the plastic material provides the necessary energy absorption capability, achieving a balance between weight reduction and manufacturing cost.
3Loss of energy
If energy absorption efficiency is increased to approach 100%, then more material is consumed, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite structure of metal tube and plastic inserts where the plastic material deforms to absorb energy. This composite approach achieves high energy dissipation efficiency (converting kinetic energy to deformation energy) without requiring excessive material quantity, as the plastic inserts provide efficient energy absorption in a compact form.
Solution Approach 2:
The plastic inserts contain structures such as grooves and ring segments that create controlled deformation zones. These structural features allow the plastic to deform progressively, absorbing energy through controlled collapse and deformation, achieving high energy efficiency without excessive material consumption.
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 combination of metal and plastic inserts results in a more efficient impact-absorbing element that reduces material consumption and weight, while achieving enhanced energy absorption capabilities.
Implementation Method 1
a non-regenerative buffer element that converts at least part of the force of the impact to the shock absorber into heat and deformation energy when a predefined critical impact force is exceeded
Implementation Method 2
impact-absorbing element for motor vehicles that absorbs energy in a collision
Data Source
AI summary
An impact-absorbing element for a motor vehicle that absorbs energy in a collision includes a metal tube forming a hollow chamber closed at the ends by a mounting plate and an end wall. A plurality of inserts made of energy-absorbing plastic are disposed within the hollow chamber and placed axially between the mounting plate and the end wall.