Composite Dashboard Crossmember with Overmolded Reinforcement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dashboard crossmembers face issues with increased mass due to metal inserts, complex manufacturing processes, and potential mechanical weakening from material penetration during overmolding, as well as a lack of guaranteed rigidity and stiffness for connecting to vehicle pillars.
Innovation Solution
A dashboard crossmember with a composite material central tubular body featuring inserts with connecting fingers and protruding lugs, and a peripheral reinforcement structure overmolded onto the body to prevent material penetration and enhance structural rigidity, made using pultrusion or three-dimensional braiding, ensuring robust mechanical connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If metal inserts are used in the crosspiece, then mechanical strength is improved, but mass increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from metal to composite material (fiber-reinforced plastic), maintaining mechanical strength while reducing mass. The composite material properties are optimized to provide equivalent structural performance without the weight penalty of metal inserts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials (fiber-reinforced plastics) to replace metal inserts, combining the strength benefits of metal with the weight advantages of polymers. The fiber reinforcement provides the necessary mechanical properties while the polymer matrix reduces overall density.
2Strength
If retaining elements are molded by injection with two different plastic materials, then connection strength is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex multi-material injection process and replaces it with a simpler single-material injection process. The retaining elements are molded from a single plastic material, eliminating the need for complex two-material injection while maintaining adequate connection strength.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using complex multi-material injection to achieve connection strength, the patent inverts the approach by using a single material with optimized geometry and reinforcement features (such as integrated metal-free anchoring structures) to achieve the same functional outcome with simpler manufacturing.
3Strength
If material is injected by overmolding to produce fixing end pieces, then structural rigidity is improved, but material penetration through holes causes manufacturing defects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-closing the holes at the ends of the hollow body with closure elements before the overmolding process. This prevents material penetration during injection while allowing the fixing end pieces to be properly formed with the required structural rigidity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary element (hole closure component) that mediates between the overmolding process and the hollow body. This closure element temporarily blocks the holes during material injection, preventing defects while allowing the rigid fixing end pieces to be formed externally.
4Device complexity
If fixing end pieces are made without additional reinforcement, then device complexity is reduced, but rigidity and stiffness are insufficient for connecting to vehicle pillars
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the fixing end pieces with additional reinforcement structures into a single integrated component. The reinforcement is combined with the end pieces during the molding process, providing the necessary rigidity and stiffness for pillar connections without requiring separate reinforcement elements or assembly steps.
Data Source
Figure 1~4
AI summary
The invention relates to a vehicle dashboard crossmember (10), which is designed to extend transversely beneath the dashboard, and which comprises a central transverse tubular body (12) defining a first hole (15a) located at a first free end (17a), and a second hole (15b) located at a second opposite free end (17b) of the body (12), said body (12) being made of a composite material, characterized in that the crossmember (10) is provided with at least one first insert (38a), which engages with the first end (17a) of the body (12) and blocks the first hole (15a) of the body (12), and a second outer surface, and in that the crossmember (10) comprises a peripheral reinforcement structure (14), which comprises at least one portion forming a first attachment bracket (26a), which is over-molded onto the first insert (38) and onto the first end (17a) of the body (12) of the crossmember (10).