Lattice Stiffening Element for Vehicle Cladding Anti-Drumming
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cladding elements for noise deadening in vehicles are limited in their anti-drumming properties and weight efficiency, as they typically consist of a butyl-based damping layer with a rigid metal layer, which can be heavy and inflexible.
Innovation Solution
A cladding element with a lattice-shaped stiffening element embedded within a butyl-based damping layer, allowing for adjustable rigidity and reduced weight, enabling improved anti-drumming performance while maintaining acoustic effectiveness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a closed metal layer is used as stiffening element, then the rigidity of the cladding element is sufficient, but the weight per unit area increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a lattice-shaped stiffening element with a grid structure containing recesses or free areas, which provides sufficient rigidity while reducing material usage and weight compared to a closed metal layer. The lattice structure maintains structural integrity through its geometric configuration rather than relying on continuous material coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The stiffening element is divided into a lattice structure with discrete struts and recesses rather than a continuous closed metal layer. This segmentation allows the structure to maintain rigidity through its geometric arrangement while reducing the total material content and weight per unit area.
2Weight of moving object
If the cladding element is made thinner to reduce weight, then the weight per unit area decreases, but the anti-drumming effect is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the structural parameters of the stiffening element by using a lattice configuration with optimized strut arrangements and recess patterns. This allows thinner cladding element design while maintaining or improving the anti-drumming effect through enhanced rigidity-to-weight ratio provided by the lattice structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The cladding element combines a butyl-based deadening layer with a lattice-shaped stiffening element to create a composite structure. This composite design achieves superior anti-drumming performance at reduced thickness and weight compared to traditional homogeneous metal panels, as the combination of viscoelastic material and rigid lattice structure works synergistically.
3Ease of manufacture
If the lattice stiffening element is embedded in the deadening layer, then smooth side faces are provided for better connection, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lattice-shaped stiffening element is embedded within the deadening layer, merging the structural support function and the surface finishing function into a single integrated component. This eliminates the need for separate surface treatment steps and provides smooth side faces that facilitate connection to further layers, reducing overall manufacturing complexity despite the intricate lattice geometry.
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 lattice stiffening element enhances the anti-drumming effect by increasing the loss factor, allowing for a thinner, lighter cladding element with equivalent noise reduction capabilities, and supports the damping layer for better connectivity and durability.
Implementation Method 1
the lattice-like stiffening element is configured or shaped in such a way that the rigidity of the cladding element increases
Implementation Method 2
An essential component of the cladding element is a noise-deadening layer, which is usually made of butyl
Implementation Method 3
cladding elements for deadening noise are well known from the prior art and are used, for example, in vehicles to prevent noise or sound from being produced by body parts that are susceptible to vibration
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
Cladding element (1) for damping the vibration of a component (30), in particular a vehicle component, comprising - a damping layer (10) extending substantially along a main extension plane (HSE) and - a stiffening element (11), wherein the stiffening element (11) is arranged in or on the damping layer (10) and is designed in a grid shape.