Hybrid Structure with Varying Cross-Section Backbone
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Solution Overview
Problem
Closed cross-section hybrid structures face limitations in design flexibility, torsional rigidity, and load-carrying capacity, particularly in achieving complex shapes and maintaining stable strain distribution, which can result in excess weight and restricted wall thickness.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid structure with a backbone member of varying cross-section and a secondary member of different material composition, where the secondary member extends along the external surface and can interlock with the backbone member through openings, allowing for increased design flexibility and reduced weight while maintaining high torsional rigidity and load-carrying capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a closed cross-section backbone member is used, then torsional rigidity and load-carrying capacity are improved, but design flexibility and ability to achieve complex shapes are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The backbone member is divided into multiple segments or sections, where each section can have different cross-sectional characteristics. This allows the structure to maintain closed sections in high-load areas while having more flexible configurations in other areas, resolving the contradiction between torsional rigidity and design flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the backbone member have different cross-sectional properties - closed sections are used where high torsional rigidity is needed, while open or varied sections are used where design flexibility is prioritized. This local differentiation allows the structure to optimize both strength and adaptability in different locations.
2Reliability
If wall thickness is increased to prevent wall-thinning during hydroforming, then structural stability is improved, but excess weight is generated
Solution Approach 1:
Wall thickness is optimized locally rather than uniformly throughout the backbone member. Thicker walls are used only in areas subject to high stress or prone to thinning during hydroforming, while thinner walls are used in less critical areas, thereby maintaining structural stability while minimizing overall weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The wall thickness parameter is varied continuously or discontinuously along the length and circumference of the backbone member based on local structural requirements. This parameter optimization allows the structure to achieve necessary stability with minimal material, reducing weight while preventing wall-thinning issues during manufacturing.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the backbone member is shaped to complex configurations, then design flexibility is improved, but stable strain distribution becomes difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The backbone member incorporates sections with different geometric properties - straight sections maintain stable strain distribution, while curved or complex sections provide design flexibility. By strategically placing these different section types, the structure achieves complex configurations while maintaining acceptable strain distribution in critical load-bearing areas.
Data Source
AI summary
Various hybrid structures and methods of making the hybrid structures are provided. In one embodiment, a hybrid structure includes a backbone member of a first material composition and a secondary member of a second material composition different than the backbone member. The backbone member includes at least one closed portion along the length of the backbone member having a cross-section which varies along the length of the backbone, and the secondary member is disposed about at least a portion of the backbone member. In another embodiment, the secondary member extends about a portion of the external surface of the backbone member, through an opening of the backbone member and to the interior of the backbone member to interlock with the backbone member.