Elastic Door Edge Protector for Tight Vehicle Panel Clearances
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle doors, particularly those made of metal or composite materials, require precise adjustments to maintain a minimal clearance between the door and fuselage skins to prevent jamming during minor crashes, which complicates installation and adversely affects aerodynamics.
Innovation Solution
An edge protector made of elastic material with a profile that can evolve, secured to the door skin, allows contact with the fuselage skin without damage, reducing the need for precise adjustments and maintaining aerodynamic performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the clearance between door skin and fuselage skin is reduced to improve aerodynamics, then aerodynamic performance is improved, but the risk of door jamming during minor crashes increases
Solution Approach 1:
An elastic edge protector is introduced as an intermediary element between the door skin and fuselage skin. This mediator allows the skins to come into contact during minor crashes while preventing direct damage and jamming, enabling the use of smaller clearances for aerodynamic efficiency without compromising safety
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic edge protector serves as a pre-installed cushioning element that absorbs impact energy before the door skin and fuselage skin can directly contact and jam. The protector is positioned in advance to handle potential crash scenarios, allowing tighter clearance gaps
2Ease of manufacture
If the nominal clearance between centering abutments is increased to simplify installation, then installation complexity is reduced, but the clearance between door skin and fuselage skin increases adversely affecting aerodynamics
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic edge protector acts as a mediator that decouples the relationship between centering abutment clearance and skin-to-skin clearance. It allows the abutments to have larger clearance for easier installation while maintaining small skin clearances for aerodynamics, as the protector compensates for the additional space
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the critical parameter from skin-to-skin clearance to protector-to-skin clearance. By making the protector elastic rather than rigid, it allows parameter flexibility in the abutment clearance while maintaining controlled clearance at the skin interface for aerodynamic efficiency
3Reliability
If precise adjustments of centering abutments are performed to prevent skin contact, then door jamming is prevented, but installation time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic edge protector serves as a forgiving intermediary that tolerates variations in abutment positioning. It prevents skin contact and jamming even when abutment adjustments are not precisely controlled, thereby reducing installation time and complexity while maintaining reliability
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring precise minimal clearance adjustments, the elastic protector allows for excessive or larger clearances in abutment positioning while still preventing skin contact through its elastic compliance, simplifying the adjustment process
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 edge protector ensures the door can open and close without damaging the skins, reduces installation complexity, and enhances aerodynamic efficiency by allowing greater tolerance in clearance adjustments.
Implementation Method 1
The edge protector is made of an elastic material with a profile able to evolve... having sufficient flexibility in a direction parallel to the clearance between the skins
Implementation Method 2
an edge protector making it possible to prevent damaging the skins in the event of contact of the centering abutments whilst preserving the ability to open the door in the event of a minor crash
Data Source
AI summary
An assembly of a vehicle door (3) and of a panel (1) surrounding the door in which an edge protector (4) extends along a skin (3a) of the vehicle door facing the skin (1a) of the panel and has a portion disposed between the skins (1a, 3a) following when in a nominal position the geometric alignment of their exterior faces. This edge protector (4) has in a median portion (4b) a profile that is adapted to evolve and is made of an elastic material so that it has sufficient flexibility in a direction parallel to the distance between the skins (1a, 3a) and a transverse stiffness in the internal-external direction and its contact with the skin (1a) of the panel does not block opening of the door or damage the skins (1a, 3a).