Interlocking RV Frame Assembly With Foam-Bearing Load Redistribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Recreational vehicle panels, formed from laminated structures with aluminum tube frames, often fail under extreme conditions due to stress concentrations at weld joints and inadequate load distribution, leading to structural integrity issues during vibration and shock loading.
Innovation Solution
A structural assembly for recreational vehicles featuring interconnected frame members with controlled flexibility joints and internal foam inserts that redistribute loads and provide additional support, allowing portions of the frame not at the joint to contribute to the effective cross-section, thereby reducing stress and enhancing structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional welded aluminum tube frames are used to provide structural core, then the frame provides basic structural support, but the weld joints become stress concentration points that lead to panel failure under extreme vibration and shock loading
Solution Approach 1:
The frame is divided into modular structural frame members that can be interconnected without welding. Each member remains structurally independent yet collectively provides support, eliminating weld joints as stress concentration points while maintaining overall structural integrity under dynamic loading
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines structural frame members with foam core material to create a composite structure. The foam fills the hollow spaces and bonds to the frame members, creating a unified composite system that distributes stresses more evenly throughout the structure rather than concentrating them at joint points
2Temperature
If foam inserts are placed in frame openings to provide structure and thermal protection, then thermal and acoustic protection is improved, but the foam does not adequately prevent stress concentration at weld joints
Solution Approach 1:
The foam core and structural frame members are merged into a unified composite structure through chemical bonding and mechanical interlocking. This integration ensures that the foam actively participates in load distribution, not just providing thermal insulation but also contributing to structural reinforcement at critical joint areas
Solution Approach 2:
The foam material properties are optimized to balance rigidity and flexibility. The foam density and composition are controlled to provide adequate thermal protection while maintaining the flexibility needed to absorb and distribute dynamic stresses, preventing stress concentration at frame joints
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 effectively reduces stress concentrations and enhances the structural integrity of recreational vehicle panels by allowing controlled flexibility and load redistribution, improving their performance under dynamic loading conditions.
Implementation Method 1
A foam material is located in the hollow space, filling a portion of the hollow space to form an internal connection between the second structural frame member and the first structural frame member
Implementation Method 2
the foam material is compressible and, optionally, forms a spring adjacent the section of the second structural frame member
Data Source
AI summary
A structural assembly for a recreational vehicle includes a first structural frame member having a wall and a hollow space at least partially defined by the wall and a second structural frame member having a section thereof extended into the hollow space of the first structural frame member forming an internal interface with the wall of the first structural frame member. The assembly further includes a foam material located in the hollow space that fills a portion of the hollow space to thereby form a bearing member adjacent the section to restrict motion of the section relative to the wall and thereby to form an internal connection between the second structural frame member and the first structural frame member at the internal interface to secure the second structural frame member to the first structural frame member to form a recreational vehicle component.