Molding Tool Air Chamber Thermal Insulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge is to produce vehicle components made of sheet metal with improved mechanical characteristics while reducing their weight, which is essential for balancing comfort and safety in vehicles without increasing weight.
Innovation Solution
A mold with a lower and upper tool part that can move relative to each other, featuring cooled surfaces and an air chamber recess that acts as a thermal insulator, allowing controlled cooling and varying insulation to achieve different mechanical properties in the component, enabling targeted deformation in crashes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the component is cooled uniformly throughout, then the mechanical strength is high, but the ductility is insufficient in areas requiring deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating different cooling conditions in different areas of the component. The air chamber provides thermal insulation to specific regions, causing those areas to cool more slowly and retain higher temperature, resulting in different mechanical properties (lower strength, higher ductility) in those localized zones compared to the rapidly cooled, high-strength areas
2Weight of moving object
If the component weight is reduced, then the vehicle weight decreases, but the mechanical parameters may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses local quality to create spatially varying material properties within the component. By controlling cooling rates in different regions through the air chamber insulation, the component achieves high strength where needed while maintaining lower weight overall, as the insulated areas can be designed with optimized local properties rather than requiring uniform high-strength material throughout
3Productivity
If the cooling rate is increased, then the production time is reduced, but the mechanical properties become non-uniform
Solution Approach 1:
The patent intentionally creates local quality differences in the cooling process. The air chamber provides thermal insulation to specific regions, causing those areas to cool at different rates from the rest of the component. This controlled non-uniform cooling allows the component to achieve the desired mechanical property distribution while maintaining efficient production timing
4Reliability
If the air chamber volume is increased, then the thermal insulation is improved, but the tool complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the tool into distinct functional regions, including the air chamber as a separate insulating element. This segmentation allows the cooling system to be divided into rapidly cooled areas and slowly cooled areas, with the air chamber acting as a discrete thermal management component that can be independently controlled
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 approach allows for the production of components with tailored mechanical properties, specifically reducing strength in specific areas for increased ductility, thereby enhancing crash performance while maintaining high mechanical characteristics.
Implementation Method 1
which acts as a thermal insulator between the component and the tool part
Implementation Method 2
with at least the effective surface of one tool part being at least partially designed to be cooled and with cooling lines being provided in the tool part
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The invention relates to a molding tool (10) for producing hot-formed components (17), in particular molded sheet-metal parts, comprising a lower tool part (12u) and an upper tool part (12o), which can be moved in relation to each other and which are designed with corresponding active surfaces for shaping the component (17), at least the active surface of one tool part (12u, 12o) being designed to be coolable at least in some segments and cooling lines (14) being provided in the tool part (12u, 12o), characterized in that at least one cut-out (15) is provided in at least one of the two tool parts (12u, 12o), which cut-out forms an air chamber together with the component (17) in a closed state of the tool (10), which air chamber acts as a thermal insulator between the component (17) and the tool part (12o).