PCM Bracket Rib-Honeycomb Structure for Road-Load Stiffness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional PCM mounting brackets, whether made of metal or plastic, face issues such as structural failure under dynamic road loads due to high stress concentrations, leading to potential engine and drivetrain failures, and suffer from manufacturing defects like weld lines, sink marks, and warpage.
Innovation Solution
A polymerized PCM bracket with an array of stiffening body ribs and honeycomb structures that provides optimal stiffness and durability, featuring tunable designs for various environments and modules, with hollow ribs for weight reduction, and enhanced structural integrity without increasing material thickness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional plastic brackets are used for PCM mounting, then manufacturing is easier and weight is reduced, but structural strength and fatigue resistance deteriorate under dynamic road loads
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket is segmented into multiple functional regions including mounting surfaces, body ribs, and honeycomb structures. This segmentation allows each region to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall structural integrity and fatigue resistance under dynamic loads.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the bracket have different structural properties tailored to local requirements. The mounting surfaces have enhanced thickness and reinforcement for strength, the body ribs provide stiffness in specific directions, and the honeycomb structures offer lightweight reinforcement. This local quality optimization maintains structural strength while enabling easier manufacturing.
2Strength
If bracket wall thickness is increased to improve strength, then structural integrity improves, but weight increases and manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket incorporates honeycomb structures with controlled porosity that provide high strength-to-weight ratio. These honeycomb regions offer structural reinforcement without the weight penalty of solid material, achieving enhanced structural integrity while minimizing weight increase.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket combines different structural features (solid mounting surfaces, ribbed regions, and honeycomb structures) within a single polymer component. This composite approach allows optimization of strength and weight distribution across different regions of the bracket.
3Reliability
If polymer material is used instead of metal, then corrosion resistance and weight reduction are achieved, but manufacturing defects like weld lines, sink marks, and warpage occur
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket design incorporates preliminary compensation for potential manufacturing defects through optimized rib configurations and honeycomb structures. These features are designed to counteract warpage and surface irregularities that may occur during molding, ensuring acceptable surface quality and dimensional stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The design optimizes various parameters including rib thickness, honeycomb cell size, and wall thickness transitions to minimize manufacturing defects. By carefully controlling these parameters, the design reduces the occurrence of weld lines, sink marks, and warpage while maintaining the corrosion resistance benefits of polymer materials.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the bracket design is optimized for stiffness with ribs and honeycomb structures, then structural performance improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket merges multiple structural functions into a single integrated component. The body ribs and honeycomb structures are combined within one molded part, eliminating the need for separate reinforcement elements and reducing assembly complexity while achieving the desired stiffness and structural performance.
Data Source
AI summary
A bracket for supporting a vehicle control module, such as a powertrain control module, is disclosed. The bracket includes a body having a base wall, nodes or support posts, and side walls. The base wall includes back and module-receiving sides. An array of intersecting ribs is formed on the back side while at least one array of honeycomb segments is formed on the module-receiving side. At least one of the honeycomb segments includes a top layer. Substrate attachment arms extend outwardly from the side walls. Support posts extend from the back side of the base wall. Three intersecting ribs are provided, generally forming a triangle. One or more additional ribs may be provided. The intersecting ribs are hollow. The individual ribs function as structural beams that connect to and thus work in conjunction with the nodes or support posts and the honeycomb to provide optimum stiffness to the bracket.