Fiber-Reinforced Ball-Socket Grommet With Controlled Breakaway
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ball-socket grommets made from non-fiber-reinforced materials like Nylon lack sufficient strength and rigidity, leading to material fatigue and potential failure in supporting stud pins, and may cause injuries during collisions due to insufficient flexibility and impact absorption.
Innovation Solution
A ball-socket grommet formed from fiber-reinforced material with a specific design featuring a body member, first and second supporting members, and breaking portions to enhance strength, flexibility, and impact absorption, allowing it to break away from the bracket under collision forces to reduce pedestrian injury.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional grommets are formed from non-fiber-reinforced Nylon, then the grommets have sufficient flexibility to receive the stud pin, but the strength and rigidity are insufficient leading to material fatigue and potential failure
Solution Approach 1:
The grommet is formed from fiber-reinforced material that combines a base material (Nylon) with reinforcing fibers (glass fiber, carbon fiber, or basalt fiber). This composite structure provides both the required strength and rigidity while maintaining sufficient flexibility for stud pin insertion. The fiber reinforcement increases tensile strength and dimensional stability without completely eliminating the material's ability to deform elastically during installation.
2Strength
If the grommet is formed from fiber-reinforced material to increase strength and rigidity, then the connection strength is improved, but the portions receiving the stud pin have insufficient flexibility to bend and receive the stud pin
Solution Approach 1:
The grommet design incorporates localized flexible portions at specific regions where stud pins are received. These flexible portions have reduced fiber concentration or different structural characteristics compared to the main body, allowing them to bend and deform elastically during stud pin insertion while the rest of the grommet maintains high strength and rigidity for structural support.
Solution Approach 2:
The grommet is designed with dynamic characteristics that allow it to deform elastically under insertion forces and then return to its original shape. The fiber-reinforced material provides a balance between elastic deformation capability for installation and structural rigidity for service, enabling the grommet to adapt during installation while maintaining strength during operation.
3Reliability
If the bracket with sensor is mounted on the front side of the automobile, then the sensor can detect objects around the automobile, but during front end collision the sensor along with the bracket may cause further injuries to the pedestrian
Solution Approach 1:
The grommet is designed with a breaking portion that acts as a sacrificial element. During a collision, the breaking portion fractures first, allowing the sensor assembly to detach from the bracket. This converts the harmful impact force into a controlled fracture event, preventing the sensor from becoming a projectile that could injure pedestrians while maintaining normal sensor function during ordinary operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The grommet incorporates a breaking portion designed with specific structural weaknesses or reduced cross-section areas that are predetermined to fail under impact loads. This beforehand design ensures that under collision conditions, the grommet will fracture in a controlled manner to absorb impact energy and prevent the sensor from causing pedestrian injury, while maintaining sufficient strength for normal vibration and thermal conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
A socket grommet formed from fiber-reinforced material, for attaching a stud pin with a head portion to a bracket, includes a body member; a first supporting member for supporting one side of the head portion; and second supporting members for supporting another side of the head portion. The first supporting member includes a supporting portion on one side of the body member and connecting portions connecting the supporting portion to the body member. Each connecting portion includes a breaking portion having a thickness less than a remaining portion thereof to be breakable upon a predetermined force. Each second supporting member includes a first connecting piece extending from the body member to another side of the body member, and a second connecting piece extending from the first connecting piece to the one side of the body member and having a supporting piece for contacting the another side of the head portion.