Automobile Absorber With Variable Stiffness Zones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current motor vehicle shock absorbers fail to adequately perform during low-speed impacts with deformable barriers, leading to excessive damage due to the rigidity of traditional impact tests, which do not accurately simulate collisions between deformable vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A plastic shock absorber with distinct zones of varying stiffness, where the overlap zone is designed to extend horizontally and the complementary zone extends vertically, allowing for better energy absorption and reduced damage by preventing tilting during impacts, utilizing a standardized deformable barrier test framework.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a rigid barrier is used to simulate impact, then the test setup is simple, but the test results do not accurately reflect real-world collisions between deformable vehicles
Solution Approach 1:
The absorber is divided into multiple zones with different stiffness characteristics: a first zone with higher stiffness and a second zone with lower stiffness. This segmentation allows the absorber to simulate the deformable behavior of real vehicle structures while maintaining structural integrity for testing purposes.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the absorber are assigned different mechanical properties (stiffness values) to match the local characteristics of actual vehicle components during collision. The first zone has higher stiffness to represent rigid structural elements, while the second zone has lower stiffness to represent deformable panels.
2Strength
If the absorber has high stiffness to resist impact, then structural stability is improved, but damage to vehicle components like bonnet and optics increases during deformable barrier tests
Solution Approach 1:
The absorber incorporates zones with varying stiffness values, where the first zone has higher stiffness for structural support and the second zone has lower stiffness to allow controlled deformation. This local differentiation enables the absorber to resist overall impact while permitting localized deformation that prevents damage to vulnerable vehicle components.
Solution Approach 2:
The absorber's mechanical parameters (stiffness) are varied across different zones to optimize performance. By changing the stiffness parameter from high in the first zone to low in the second zone, the absorber achieves both impact resistance and component protection during deformable barrier collisions.
3Reliability
If the absorber is designed for rigid barrier tests, then it performs adequately in those tests, but it causes significant damage during deformable barrier tests due to excessive rigidity
Solution Approach 1:
The absorber is segmented into multiple zones with different stiffness characteristics to simultaneously satisfy requirements for both rigid and deformable barrier tests. The first zone maintains higher stiffness for rigid barrier performance, while the second zone provides lower stiffness for deformable barrier compatibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The absorber is designed to perform multiple functions: it effectively resists rigid barrier impacts while also accommodating deformable barrier collisions without causing excessive damage. This multi-functionality is achieved through the multi-zone stiffness design that adapts to different test conditions.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If the absorber allows deformation to reduce damage, then component protection is improved, but the absorber may tilt or escape during impact reducing stability
Solution Approach 1:
The absorber is divided into zones with different stiffness values, where the higher stiffness first zone provides structural stability and resistance to tilting, while the lower stiffness second zone allows controlled deformation for damage reduction. This segmentation balances stability and deformation capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the absorber have different mechanical properties: the first zone has higher stiffness to maintain stability and prevent tilting during impact, while the second zone has lower stiffness to allow deformation that reduces damage to vehicle components. This local quality differentiation resolves the contradiction between stability and damage reduction.
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 absorber effectively reduces damage to vehicles by maintaining stability and controlling the escape of the impact beam, thereby minimizing damage to the vehicle's underside or bonnet during low-speed impacts, as demonstrated by improved performance in IIHS deformable barrier tests.
Implementation Method 1
a first zone with a higher stiffness and a second zone with a lower stiffness, both zones being capable of plastic deformation
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~7
AI summary
The absorber (10) has a covering zone (18) to absorb energy of a shock and horizontally placed against a barrier (11) of standardized low speed shock absorption test, where dimensions of the barrier are standardized in accordance with the absorption test. The zone includes two halves (21, 22), where average stiffness of the half (21) along a longitudinal direction of a motor vehicle (V) is higher than average stiffness of the half (22) along the longitudinal direction. The half (22) is vertically close to a top edge (B1) or bottom edge (B2) of the barrier.