Vehicle Dash Pad Microfiber Thermoplastic Resin Weight Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dash pads for vehicles are heavy and costly due to the use of multiple layers of materials, including polyurethane for sound absorption and hard PET for sound blocking, which increases weight and manufacturing costs, and require additional molds and processes for production.
Innovation Solution
A low-weight dash pad is manufactured by bonding a first sound-absorbing layer of microfibers, a sound-blocking layer made of thermoplastic resin, and a second sound-absorbing layer of thermoplastic fibers, eliminating the need for polyurethane and additional bonding films, thereby reducing weight and production costs while improving sound absorption and blocking performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple layers of materials (PU, PA6 film, PET) are stacked to improve sound-absorbing/blocking performance, then sound absorption and blocking performance are improved, but weight and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functional layers (sound-absorbing layer and sound-blocking layer) into a single integrated nonwoven fabric structure. The sound-absorbing layer uses a mix of microfibers and staple fibers, while the sound-blocking layer uses coarser fibers, all bonded together through heat treatment to form one unified component that provides both sound absorption and blocking functions simultaneously, eliminating the need for separate stacked layers and reducing overall weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite fiber structures within the nonwoven fabric, combining different fiber types (microfibers for sound absorption, staple fibers for structure, and coarser fibers for sound blocking) with different physical properties. This composite approach allows the single layer to perform multiple functions that previously required separate material layers, achieving weight reduction while maintaining performance.
2Reliability
If multiple layers of materials are stacked to improve sound-absorbing/blocking performance, then sound absorption and blocking performance are improved, but manufacturing cost increases due to additional molds and processes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple manufacturing processes into a single nonwoven fabric production process. Instead of separately manufacturing sound-absorbing layers, sound-blocking layers, and bonding films requiring multiple molds and assembly steps, the invention produces all functional layers simultaneously as one integrated nonwoven fabric, significantly reducing manufacturing complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates the separate bonding film (PA6 film) that was previously required to join sound-absorbing and sound-blocking layers. The bonding function is integrated directly into the nonwoven fabric structure through heat treatment of the fiber matrix, removing an unnecessary intermediate component and simplifying the manufacturing process.
3Strength
If additional bonding film (PA6) is used to bond sound-absorbing layer and sound-blocking layer, then bonding strength is improved, but manufacturing cost and number of processes increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the separate bonding film (PA6) from the structure by integrating the bonding function directly into the nonwoven fabric matrix. The fibers themselves, when heat-treated, provide the bonding mechanism that previously required an additional film layer, thereby reducing the number of components and manufacturing processes while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The nonwoven fabric structure performs its own bonding function through the heat treatment of its fiber matrix. The fibers in the sound-absorbing and sound-blocking layers bond to each other directly through thermal fusion, eliminating the need for external bonding agents or separate bonding processes. The structure is self-sufficient in achieving layer integration.
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 significantly reduces the weight and manufacturing costs of dash pads while maintaining or improving sound absorption and blocking performance, enhancing fuel efficiency and in-line work efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a sound-absorbing layer made of microfibers
Implementation Method 2
a sound-blocking layer made of thermoplastic resin
Implementation Method 3
bonding a first sound-absorbing layer made of microfibers, a sound-blocking layer made of thermoplastic resin
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 1C~1D
Figure 2
AI summary
Disclosed is a low-weight sound-absorbing type dash pad for a vehicle which can maximize sound-absorbing and sound blocking performances, reduce manufacturing cost and steps of processes, and improve in-line work efficiency. In particular, the low-weight sound-absorbing type dash pad for a vehicle is manufactured by bonding a first sound-absorbing layer made of microfibers, a sound-blocking layer made of thermoplastic resin, and a second sound-absorbing layer made of thermoplastic fiber or thermoplastic multi-lobal fiber to each other.