Vehicle Bracket Impact Absorption via Shear Protrusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle support structures fail to effectively absorb impact forces while maintaining cost efficiency and safety, as they either require costly processing or struggle to set appropriate impact absorption levels due to issues with bracket thinness and screw fastening forces.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus with an impact absorbing portion between a support member and a fixing member, featuring a protrusion and recess configuration that allows for high-accuracy positioning and controlled impact absorption by shearing under predetermined forces, allowing for adjustable impact resistance through material and cross-sectional area design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a thin part is created on the bracket to enable impact absorption, then the bracket can break to absorb impact force, but the processing cost increases and safety is compromised when the equipment box falls into the vehicle compartment
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket is divided into a thick part (equipment box mounting portion) and a thin part (impact absorption portion) with different thicknesses. This segmentation allows the thin part to break and absorb impact force while the thick part maintains structural integrity and prevents the equipment box from falling into the vehicle compartment, thereby reducing processing cost compared to creating thin parts throughout the entire bracket.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the bracket have different local qualities: the equipment box mounting portion has greater thickness for structural strength, while the impact absorption portion has smaller thickness for controlled breaking. This local quality differentiation enables the bracket to achieve both safety (preventing box detachment) and impact absorption functionality without requiring costly processing of the entire bracket structure.
2Stability of the object's composition
If high fastening force is used to secure the internal apparatus, then the apparatus remains stable, but excessive impact force is required to trigger impact absorption
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening system is segmented into two functional elements: screws that provide high fastening force for stability, and a thin part of the bracket that serves as a mechanical fuse with lower breaking strength. This segmentation allows the screws to maintain stable fastening while the thin part breaks under moderate impact force, enabling impact absorption without requiring excessively high impact forces.
3Force
If low fastening force is used to enable impact absorption, then the apparatus can move during impact, but the apparatus moves with force lower than expected compromising stability
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening system is divided into separate functional components: high-strength screws for stable fastening and a thin-bracket portion for controlled breaking. This segmentation ensures that the screws maintain high fastening force for stability while the thin part breaks at a predetermined lower force threshold, allowing the apparatus to move appropriately during impact without compromising normal operational stability.
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 apparatus effectively absorbs impact forces by shearing the protrusion, ensuring safety and allowing for precise setting of impact resistance, preventing apparatus movement until a predetermined force is reached, thus enhancing vehicle compartment safety and design flexibility.
Implementation Method 1
The protrusion is configured to be separated when a shearing force in the impact acting direction acts on the protrusion
Data Source
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AI summary
An impact absorbing portion 10 that is part of an apparatus main body has a recess 12. A protrusion 17 provided on an opposing fixing member 15 is fitted in the recess 12. A support member 20 supporting a chassis and the opposing fixing member 15 are fastened by a fastening member 22. A moving clearance δ is provided between an opening 11 in the impact absorbing portion 10 and the fastening member 22. When a large impact force F in a Y-direction acts on the impact absorbing portion 10, the protrusion 17 is broken by a shearing force to be separated and move the impact absorbing portion 10 by the moving clearance δ to absorb the impact force.