Variable-Thickness Aluminum Cargo Panels for Lightweight Impact Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aluminum alloy cargo compartments face challenges in achieving lightweight designs while maintaining performance and appearance due to high costs and low hardness, as well as issues with rolling indentations on unequal thickness plates that affect their apparent quality.
Innovation Solution
A variable cross-section aluminum alloy cargo compartment plate is designed with a thickness that changes gradually in the up and down direction, made by rolling an equal thickness plate into a variable-thickness plate using a round roller with a variable gap, and further processed with annealing, mechanical, and chemical treatments to improve surface quality and performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If aluminum alloy is used to replace steel for lightweight cargo compartments, then weight is reduced and corrosion resistance is improved, but cost increases and hardness decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies variable thickness design to the aluminum alloy cargo compartment plate, where the plate thickness changes according to the local stress requirements of different parts of the cargo compartment. This allows using thinner (and thus lighter and cheaper) aluminum in low-stress areas while maintaining sufficient thickness in high-stress areas, optimizing both weight and cost.
2Weight of moving object
If aluminum alloy cargo compartment weight is reduced further, then lightweight performance is improved, but the price gap with iron compartments increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the thickness parameter of the aluminum alloy plate from uniform to variable, creating an unequal thickness plate where thickness ranges from 0.8mm to 1.5mm. This parameter change allows optimizing weight while controlling material consumption and manufacturing cost, narrowing the price gap with traditional iron compartments.
3Weight of moving object
If unequal thickness plate is used to achieve lightweight, then weight is reduced, but rolling indentations appear on the surface affecting appearance quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary surface treatment processes including annealing, mechanical treatment, chemical treatment, and anodizing to the aluminum alloy unequal thickness plate. These preliminary actions prepare and improve the surface quality before final assembly, effectively covering or eliminating the rolling indentations to meet appearance requirements.
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 solution enhances the puncture resistance and impact resistance of the cargo compartment side panels while reducing weight, improving the apparent quality by eliminating roller indentations and optimizing thickness distribution for stress situations, thus narrowing the price gap with iron compartments and promoting aluminum's use in the automotive industry.
Implementation Method 1
rolled into an aluminum alloy variable-thickness plate by adopting a round roller with variable gap in one pass
Implementation Method 2
performing annealing, mechanical pre-treatment, chemical pre-treatment and anodizing to the aluminum alloy variable-thickness plate sequentially
Implementation Method 3
performing annealing, mechanical pre-treatment, chemical pre-treatment and anodizing to the aluminum alloy variable-thickness plate sequentially
Data Source
AI summary
An aluminum alloy cargo compartment plate is configured to enclose and form a cargo compartment, and a thickness of the aluminum alloy cargo compartment plate is configured to change gradually and form a variable cross-section structure in an up and down direction of the cargo compartment. By designing the aluminum alloy cargo compartment plate to be gradually changed in the up and down direction, so that when the aluminum alloy cargo compartment plate is used to enclose and form the cargo compartment, the thickness of each position of the aluminum alloy cargo compartment side panel can be provided correspondingly according to the stress situation of the cargo compartment in the actual usage process. And a preparation method of the aluminum alloy cargo compartment plate, a cargo compartment, a carriage and a truck are also disclosed.