Resilient Bumper With Releasable Attachment Interface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bumper systems either suffer from irreversible deformation or lack the resilience to absorb repeated impacts effectively, limiting their utility in applications where repeated shock absorption is required.
Innovation Solution
A resilient bumper system featuring an arc-shaped spring member with a support member that includes a releasable attachment interface, allowing for moveable ends and incorporating materials like spring steel, fiber-reinforced materials, or composites, along with optic fiber sensors for load detection, enabling efficient energy absorption and recovery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a bumper is designed to absorb impact energy through deformation, then it can prevent damage during collision, but the deformation becomes substantially irreversible making it unsuitable for repeated impacts
Solution Approach 1:
The bumper employs a dynamic structural system where the rigid support member alternates between fixed and movable states. During normal operation, the support member is fixed to provide stable impact absorption. After deformation reaches a predetermined threshold, the support member becomes movable, allowing the bumper to reset its position. This dynamic transition enables the bumper to maintain structural integrity while accommodating repeated impacts without permanent deformation.
Solution Approach 2:
The bumper system changes the positional parameter of the support member based on deformation conditions. When deformation is within acceptable limits, the support member maintains its original fixed position. When deformation exceeds the predetermined threshold, the system allows the support member to change position (become movable), thereby resetting the bumper's deformation state and enabling repeated impact absorption while maintaining structural stability.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the support member is fixed rigidly to maximize structural stability, then the bumper can maintain its shape, but it cannot adapt to repeated impacts without permanent deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The support member transitions from a statically fixed state to a dynamically movable state based on deformation conditions. This dynamic characteristic allows the support member to provide rigid stability during normal operation while enabling positional adjustment after significant deformation, thus resolving the contradiction between maintaining structural stability and accommodating repeated impacts.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates a predetermined deformation threshold that triggers the movable state in advance. By preparing the support member to become movable before permanent damage occurs, the system prevents irreversible deformation while maintaining structural stability during normal operation. This preliminary preparation allows the bumper to reset its position proactively, ensuring repeated impact resistance.
3Reliability
If the bumper is designed for high impact absorption, then it can protect structures effectively, but it becomes complex and difficult to install and maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The bumper is divided into two distinct segments: a rigid support member and a resilient member. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently - the support member provides structural stability and positional support, while the resilient member handles impact absorption through deformation. The clear division of functions simplifies the overall design, making the bumper easier to install and maintain while maintaining high impact protection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the deformation function from the support member and assigns it exclusively to the resilient member. By taking out the complex deformation and recovery mechanisms from the structural support element, the support member becomes simpler and easier to install. The resilient member, specialized for absorption, handles all deformation-related complexity, thereby reducing overall installation and maintenance difficulty while preserving impact protection effectiveness.
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 system effectively absorbs and recovers from repeated impacts, reducing mechanical failure risks and providing a flexible, modular design suitable for various structures, while embedded sensors enhance monitoring and maintenance capabilities.
Implementation Method 1
resilient bumpers return substantially to their original state and are designed for repeated impact
Implementation Method 2
the first and second pair of rollers are configured to roll along a surface of the support member as the first and second ends move along the attachment interface
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure describes a resilient bumper that comprises an arc-shaped spring member that extends from a first end to a second end along a spring axis and includes an impact surface arranged between the first and second ends; and a support member that includes an attachment interface that extends in parallel to the spring axis of the spring member and is configured to releasably engage the first and second ends of the spring member. A bumper system and a marine structure are also described.