Monolithic Vehicle Bumper Impact Absorber Design
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle bumper designs often concentrate stress at connecting sites when transmitting impact loads to impact absorbing portions, leading to potential fractures and reduced collision safety performance.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle bumper design where the impact absorbing portion and bumper reinforcement are formed in one piece, eliminating the need for intermediate connecting members and incorporating widened portions and varying thicknesses to distribute and absorb impact loads effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If intermediate connecting members are used to connect the impact absorbing portion to the bumper reinforcement, then the structural complexity increases and assembly becomes more difficult, but stress concentration at connecting sites may occur leading to potential fractures
Solution Approach 1:
The impact absorbing portion and bumper reinforcement are integrated into a single monolithic structure formed from one piece, eliminating intermediate connecting members and their associated connecting sites. This merging removes the sources of stress concentration and potential fracture while maintaining both structural functions.
Solution Approach 2:
Within the monolithic structure, the impact absorbing portion is designed with segmented features including hollow sections and multiple wall thicknesses. These internal segmentations create stress distribution paths that absorb impact energy while preventing stress concentration at any single point.
2Loss of energy
If the impact absorbing portion is made less rigid than the bumper reinforcement, then impact energy can be absorbed more effectively, but the load transmission efficiency may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The impact absorbing portion features non-uniform wall thickness with thicker sections at critical load transmission points and thinner sections in energy-absorbing zones. This local quality variation enables the structure to transmit impact loads efficiently through thick-walled regions while absorbing energy through deformation in thin-walled regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The structure utilizes variable geometric parameters including changing wall thickness, hollow sections, and varying cross-sectional areas along the impact absorbing portion. These parameter changes create a gradient of rigidity that optimizes both load transmission and energy absorption characteristics.
Data Source
AI summary
An impact absorbing portion and a bumper reinforcement are formed in one piece, so an intermediate member for connecting the impact absorbing portion to the bumper reinforcement is no longer necessary. Therefore, the generation of stress concentration is able to be inhibited. As a result, load transmission efficiency with which a load is transmitted from the bumper reinforcement to the impact absorbing portion is able to be improved.