Fiber-Reinforced Crash Box for Vehicle Energy Absorption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing energy absorbing structures in vehicles face challenges in maintaining stable energy absorption characteristics without a guide member and often result in increased vehicle weight due to the inclusion of a guide member, which can cause buckling and positional offset during collisions.
Innovation Solution
An energy absorbing structure featuring a crash box made of fiber-reinforced resin with a closed cross-sectional structure, positioned opposite the collision load, where the upper and lower portions do not overlap the bumper reinforcement, and concave portions are provided to enhance rigidity and prevent positional offset, eliminating the need for a guide member.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a guide member is provided at the bumper reinforcement to suppress positional offset, then positional offset is suppressed, but the vehicle weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the guide member from the bumper reinforcement, extracting the problematic component that caused weight increase. Instead, the crash box itself is designed with structural features (non-overlapping upper and lower portions) that inherently suppress positional offset without requiring additional guide members.
Solution Approach 2:
The crash box is designed to suppress its own positional offset through its structural configuration. The non-overlapping upper and lower portions of the crash box create a self-constraining mechanism that prevents buckling and maintains stable energy absorption characteristics without external guide members.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a guide member is provided at the bumper reinforcement, then positional offset is suppressed, but the crash box may buckle due to crushed portion entering-in
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the guide member that was causing the buckling problem. By eliminating this component, the crushed portions of the crash box can no longer enter-in and cause buckling of the uncompressed portions, thereby maintaining stable energy absorption characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The crash box is designed with segmented non-overlapping upper and lower portions that do not overlap the bumper reinforcement. This segmentation prevents the crushed portions from interfering with the structural integrity of the remaining portions, avoiding buckling.
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
This configuration ensures stable energy absorption without buckling, suppresses positional offset, and improves the rigidity of the crash box, allowing for efficient energy absorption and reduced vehicle weight by eliminating the need for a guide member.
Implementation Method 1
compressive load from the bumper RF is applied to the crash box main body that is disposed at the side opposite the side of input of the collision load, and the crash box main body is crushed by this compressive load. Due thereto, collision energy is absorbed.
Data Source
AI summary
An energy absorbing structure of a vehicle of the present invention has: a bumper reinforcement positioned at a vehicle front end portion or a vehicle rear end portion, the bumper reinforcement extending in a vehicle transverse direction; and a crash box made of a fiber-reinforced resin, the crash box being disposed at a side opposite a side of input of collision load to the bumper reinforcement, and the crash box being structured to include a crash box main body having a closed cross-sectional structure. An upper portion and a lower portion of the crash box main body do not overlap the bumper reinforcement as seen from a vehicle longitudinal direction.