Composite Vehicle Seat Back Structure Without Welding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing metal-based back rest structures for vehicle seats are heavy, costly to produce, and have high tolerance ranges due to methods like welding, which are inefficient and expensive.
Innovation Solution
A back rest structure using a thermoplastic composite material with a reinforcement material comprising 50 wt-% or more, preferably 65 wt-% or 80 wt-%, which is prefabricated and thermoformed, eliminating the need for welding and reducing weight and production costs while maintaining stability and strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If metal materials are used for back rest structures, then strength and stability are improved, but weight increases and production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining thermoplastic matrix material with reinforcement fibers (glass, carbon, or basalt fibers) to create a material that provides metal-level strength while significantly reducing weight. The composite structure allows the back rest to achieve required mechanical properties through the synergistic combination of materials rather than relying on dense metal construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameters by transitioning from metal to thermoplastic composite materials, altering density, strength-to-weight ratio, and manufacturing properties. This parameter change enables the structure to maintain strength while reducing weight, and also enables new manufacturing methods like thermoforming and stamping that further reduce production complexity.
2Reliability
If welding methods are used for metal structures, then structural integrity is improved, but production cost increases and tolerance ranges increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical joining method (welding) with a monolithic composite construction approach. Instead of assembling metal parts through welding, the entire back rest structure is formed as a single piece using thermoforming and stamping processes applied to the thermoplastic composite material, eliminating the need for joining operations and associated costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the manufacturing parameters by transitioning from high-temperature welding processes to lower-temperature thermoforming and stamping processes. This parameter change reduces production complexity, eliminates the need for specialized welding equipment and skills, and enables more precise control over tolerances through direct forming methods.
3Weight of moving object
If thermoplastic composite material with high reinforcement content is used, then weight is reduced and production cost decreases, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-impregnating the reinforcement fibers with thermoplastic matrix material to create precomposites or preforms before the final forming operation. This preliminary preparation ensures proper material distribution and bonding, simplifying the subsequent thermoforming and stamping processes despite the high reinforcement content (50-80 wt%).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes composite materials with optimized fiber-matrix combinations where the thermoplastic matrix (such as polypropylene, polyethylene, or polyester) is specifically selected to work with the reinforcement fibers. This material selection balances the complexity of handling high-fiber-content composites with the benefits of reduced weight and cost, creating a workable manufacturing system.
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 solution achieves a lighter, more cost-effective back rest structure with reduced tolerance ranges and increased stability, using thermoplastic composite materials like PET with glass or volcanic rock fibers, and optionally foam core elements, allowing for a stable connection without additional adhesives or welding.
Implementation Method 1
thermoforming the thermoplastic composite material
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a back rest structure for vehicle seats and a method for manufacturing the same. The back rest structure has a back panel element and a seat back frame element fixed to each other, where at least one of the back panel element or the seat back frame element is provided of a thermoplastic composite material comprising a thermoplastic compound material and a reinforcement material, wherein with respect to the thermoplastic material the reinforcement material represents 50 wt-% or more than 50 wt-%.