Plastic Tank Reinforcement Rib Structure for Torsional Load Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plastic fuel tanks for hybrid vehicles face challenges in withstanding axial, bending, and torsional stresses due to dimensional variations and thermal expansion, with traditional reinforcement methods being bulky or susceptible to stress concentration.
Innovation Solution
A double rib system comprising primary and secondary ribs, arranged to resist axial, bending, and torsional forces, allowing for easy injection and compact design, with secondary ribs distributing stress evenly across the tank surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If a plastic tank is made thinner to reduce weight, then fuel economy improves, but the tank becomes more susceptible to external impacts and damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining a plastic tank with an integrated reinforcement element made of fiber-reinforced plastic. This composite structure allows the tank to maintain reduced weight while achieving enhanced impact resistance through the high-strength fiber reinforcement layer that absorbs and distributes impact forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcement element is segmented into multiple fiber-reinforced plastic layers with different orientations (e.g., 0°, 45°, 90°) arranged in a laminated structure. This segmentation allows each layer to resist specific directional impacts, providing comprehensive protection while maintaining overall weight efficiency.
2Strength
If fiber-reinforced plastic is used for reinforcement, then impact protection improves, but production complexity increases due to separate production and assembly steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the reinforcement element production with the tank production by integrating the fiber-reinforced plastic layers directly into the tank's mold during the injection molding process. This combining eliminates separate production and assembly steps, reducing production complexity while maintaining the impact protection benefits of fiber reinforcement.
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcement element is designed to be self-integrated into the tank structure through the molding process, where the reinforcement layers are automatically positioned and bonded within the tank wall during formation. This self-service approach eliminates the need for external assembly operations, simplifying production.
3Strength
If a separate reinforcement element is added to the tank, then impact resistance improves, but the number of production steps and assembly operations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcement element is merged with the tank in a single integrated molding operation, where fiber-reinforced plastic layers are incorporated into the tank wall during the injection molding process. This merging eliminates separate production and assembly steps, improving production efficiency while maintaining enhanced impact resistance.
4Productivity
If the reinforcement element is integrated during molding, then production efficiency improves, but the design complexity of the molding process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcement layers are prepared and positioned in advance within the mold cavity before the injection molding process begins. This preliminary action allows the complex multi-layer fiber reinforcement structure to be pre-arranged, simplifying the actual molding operation and enabling high production efficiency without excessive process complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The invention relates to an internal reinforcement element (1) for a tank made of plastic for a motor vehicle. According to the invention, such an element comprises a central structure (10) comprising a first system of ribs (100) comprising at least three primary ribs (1000) joined to one another and a second system of ribs (101) comprising at least two secondary ribs (1010), the sides of the primary ribs opposite the sides forming a joint (14) and the sides of the secondary ribs opposite the sides joining the primary ribs defining a projected surface from the central structure having a first peripheral geometric shape (16), a first end (11) and a second end (12) located on either side of the central structure comprising a weld region (13), the first end and the second end having a second peripheral geometric shape forming a transition between the first peripheral geometric shape and a third peripheral geometric shape.