Plastic Structural Component With Thin-Wall Pivot Regions
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current structural components made of plastic materials require significant force to deform, especially when featuring complex geometric shapes with defined regions of reduced wall thickness, limiting their versatility and efficiency in applications like automotive bumper trims.
Innovation Solution
Structural components with regions of varying wall thickness, featuring a free-form geometry adapted to the surface, allowing for defined deformation possibilities with minimal actuator force, achieved through local wall thickness reductions, enabling reversible pivoting of inner regions with reduced material thickness between 10% and 90% of the total thickness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If local wall thickness reduction is applied to enable deformation, then deformation force is reduced, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local wall thickness reduction only in specific regions where deformation is needed, while maintaining full thickness in other areas. This creates zones of varying flexibility within a single component, allowing controlled deformation at targeted locations without compromising overall structural integrity, thereby reducing deformation force while managing manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The wall thickness reduction is pre-formed during the manufacturing process (e.g., injection molding) rather than being created during assembly or operation. This preliminary preparation of deformation zones eliminates the need for additional machining or forming steps later, reducing both deformation force requirements and overall manufacturing complexity.
2Force
If material thickness is reduced to enable bending, then bending stress is concentrated, but component strength is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The component features localized thin-walled regions only where bending is required, while maintaining full material thickness in load-bearing and structural areas. This spatial differentiation allows bending stress concentration in controlled zones without compromising the overall strength and rigidity of the component.
Solution Approach 2:
The component is effectively segmented into functional zones: flexible thin-walled regions for bending and deformation, and robust thick-walled regions for structural support. This segmentation allows each zone to perform its specific function optimally without interfering with the other.
3Adaptability or versatility
If complex geometric shapes with defined deformation regions are created, then design flexibility is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements complex geometries with localized wall thickness variations that are directly integrated into the manufacturing process (such as injection molding). This approach allows high design flexibility with defined deformation regions while utilizing the inherent precision of modern molding techniques, avoiding the need for additional precision machining or assembly steps.
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 design enables deformation with minimal actuator force, saving weight and costs, and allows for the opening and closure of flaps without visible expansions, enhancing durability and design flexibility in applications such as motor vehicle bumper trims.
Implementation Method 1
In this instance, in the context of a cyclical loading, it should be taken into account that the absorbed energy should be purely of the resilient type
Data Source
AI summary
A structural component made of a plastics material for a skin of a body of a motor vehicle has a separating line that separates the structural component into an inner region and an outer region. The inner region has three-dimensional regions having reduced material thickness for defined pivotability with a reduced force requirement. The design means that a significantly lower force requirement is needed for opening or closing the inner region.