Vehicle Shock Absorbing Structure With Waveform Side Walls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional shock absorbing structures for vehicles face challenges in tuning load displacement characteristics without increasing weight or production costs, and often struggle to ensure sufficient shock stroke while maintaining deformation strength.
Innovation Solution
A shock absorbing structure with a resin molded body featuring a top wall and side walls formed into a waveform with convex and concave portions, including first and second windows that allow for adjustment of load displacement characteristics without changing the thickness of the side walls, and a bottom plate with an outer flange shape to prevent contact between deformed portions, facilitating easy molding and cost-effective tuning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the thickness of the side walls is increased to increase the absorbing amount of shock energy, then the shock absorbing performance is improved, but the weight of the shock absorbing structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The side walls are formed with a waveform configuration featuring alternating convex and concave portions. This curved geometry allows the side walls to buckle and deform more effectively during shock absorption, increasing the absorbing amount of shock energy without requiring increased thickness or weight. The waveform structure provides multiple deformation zones that dissipate energy through controlled buckling.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adjusts the geometric parameters of the waveform (such as the amplitude, wavelength, and profile of convex and concave portions) to optimize shock absorption characteristics. By changing these parameters, the load displacement characteristics can be tuned to achieve desired energy absorption levels without modifying the material thickness or composition, thereby avoiding weight increase.
2Weight of moving object
If the load value in the load displacement characteristics is adjusted by allowing the side walls to have a small thickness, then the weight is reduced, but a large scale modification is needed to modify a core or an entire surface of a cavity surface of the mold die, thus leading to a production cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The side walls are divided into multiple segments through the waveform configuration with alternating convex and concave portions. This segmentation allows for localized modifications to the mold die cavity surface, rather than requiring large-scale modifications. Each convex and concave portion can be independently adjusted by modifying only the corresponding local region of the mold die, reducing production costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The waveform structure enables different regions of the side walls to have different local geometries (convex portions protruding outwardly, concave portions recessed inwardly). This local variation in quality allows for precise control of deformation characteristics in specific areas while maintaining thin overall wall thickness, and enables targeted mold die modifications only where needed.
3Loss of energy
If the side walls are formed into a waveform with convex and concave portions to tune load displacement characteristics, then the shock absorption performance is improved, but the distance between bottom portions of concave portions becomes small, causing them to contact easily during buckling deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The waveform configuration employs asymmetric convex and concave portions where the convex portions protrude outwardly more significantly than the concave portions recess inwardly. This asymmetry creates larger clearance between the bottom portions of adjacent concave portions, preventing them from contacting during buckling deformation while maintaining effective shock absorption through the waveform geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the outward protrusion dimension of the convex portions to create separation space between concave portions in the transverse direction. By exploiting this additional spatial dimension, the design ensures that bottom portions of concave portions do not contact during deformation, thereby maintaining reliable and stable shock stroke throughout the buckling process.
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 structure effectively tunes load displacement characteristics at a low cost while ensuring a stable and sufficient shock stroke, maintaining deformation strength and reducing the risk of side wall contact during buckling deformation.
Implementation Method 1
absorbing the shock via buckling deformation of the side walls
Data Source
AI summary
A shock absorbing structure for a vehicle including a top wall to which a shock is to be applied and two side walls integrally formed with the top wall and extending from the top wall such that the side walls are opposed to each other, thereby forming an angular U-shaped cross section. The side walls have a waveform in which convex portions and concave portions are alternately and continuously provided. In addition, a bottom plate is integrally formed with an end portion of the respective side walls. The shock absorbing structure further includes a first window portion that is formed over a portion of the each side wall including a part of a bottom portion and parts of opposite side portions of the concave portions and a portion of the bottom plate that is connected to the bottom portion and that is positioned between the opposite side portions.