Vehicle Assembly Mold with Sacrificial Void Creation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge lies in manufacturing lightweight vehicle assemblies, such as engine assemblies, that combine traditional metal or ceramic components with polymeric composite materials while maintaining void spaces efficiently and cost-effectively, as existing methods are complex and costly, and face issues with thermal expansion and durability under high temperatures.
Innovation Solution
A method involving arranging components in a mold, introducing a sacrificial material to maintain void spaces, and using polymeric fluids to form polymeric composite materials, which includes reinforcing fibers, allowing for the removal of the sacrificial material to create defined void spaces within the assembly, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process and improving thermal management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If lightweight materials (aluminum, magnesium alloys, composite materials) are used to reduce weight, then fuel efficiency improves, but thermal expansion mismatch and durability under high temperature deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite materials comprising a polymer matrix and reinforcing fibers (such as carbon, glass, or aramid fibers) to manufacture vehicle assemblies. This composite structure combines the lightweight advantage of polymers with the high strength and thermal stability of reinforcing fibers, thereby reducing overall weight while maintaining durability and resistance to thermal expansion under high-temperature operating conditions.
2Reliability
If multiple manufacturing steps (machining, die casting, molding) are used to manufacture lightweight assemblies, then material performance improves, but manufacturing cost and production time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple manufacturing operations into a single mold-based process. The mold simultaneously forms the polymeric composite material, incorporates reinforcing fibers, creates void spaces, and integrates cooling channels, eliminating the need for separate machining, die casting, and molding steps. This consolidation maintains high material performance while significantly reducing production time and manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The mold is designed with pre-positioned reinforcing fibers, sacrificial materials for void space creation, and integrated cooling channel geometries before the polymeric material is introduced. This preliminary arrangement of all necessary components within the mold allows for a single-step formation process, avoiding subsequent assembly operations and reducing production time while ensuring proper material distribution and structural integrity.
3Reliability
If complex assembly architectures with void spaces are manufactured, then thermal management and performance improve, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses sacrificial materials (such as wax, salt, or biodegradable polymers) as intermediaries during the molding process. These sacrificial materials are temporarily placed in the mold to define the geometry of void spaces and cooling channels. After the polymeric composite material is formed, the sacrificial materials are removed through dissolution, melting, or degradation, leaving behind the desired complex void space architecture. This intermediary approach simplifies the manufacturing process by avoiding the need for complex post-processing or assembly operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates void spaces and porous structures within the vehicle assembly during the molding process. These void spaces serve as cooling channels or thermal management pathways, allowing for efficient heat dissipation. The porous architecture is directly formed in the mold using sacrificial materials, enabling complex thermal management geometries to be created in a single manufacturing step rather than through complex assembly operations.
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 approach reduces manufacturing steps and costs, enhances durability and thermal performance, and allows for the creation of complex assembly architectures with improved noise, vibration, and harshness characteristics, while maintaining structural integrity.
Implementation Method 1
removing the sacrificial material from the mold to form a void space
Implementation Method 2
introducing at least one polymeric fluid into the mold, and removing the sacrificial material from the mold to form a void space
Data Source
AI summary
Methods of manufacturing vehicle assemblies, such as engine assemblies, are provided. The method includes arranging at least a first component in a mold, arranging a second component or a second component precursor adjacent to the first component in the mold, introducing a sacrificial material into the mold, introducing at least one polymeric fluid into the mold, solidifying the polymeric fluid, and removing the sacrificial material from the mold to form a void space so that the first component, the polymeric composite material, and the void space define the vehicle assembly.