Vehicle fenders – Buffer or bumper type – Composite bumper
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-22
2001-05-15
Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)
Vehicle fenders
Buffer or bumper type
Composite bumper
C293S120000, C264S257000, C264S320000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06231094
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a bumper beam, and to a method of making it.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is known that certain types of motor vehicle bumper comprise a shield or outer skin, a beam which provides the mechanical strength of the bumper, and optionally local shock-absorbers interposed between the beam and the side members of the vehicle to absorb the energy of an impact.
Both the beam and the local shock-absorbers are known for being relatively expensive to make, which gives rise to difficulty when repairing a damaged vehicle.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention seeks to solve those drawbacks by providing a bumper beam of a novel type.
The present invention provides a bumper beam obtained by molding a moldable thermoplastic material and a drapeable thermoplastic material having continuous fibers.
In cross-section, the beam presents a developed length that is constant.
This characteristic makes it possible to use a rectangular sheet of thermoplastic material having continuous fibers for molding the beam, with the width of the sheet corresponding to the developed length of the cross-section of the beam.
In the present description the term “moldable” means that the thermoplastic material is suitable for flowing in a mold to fill all of the cavities thereof, however deep they may be, and the term “drapeable thermoplastic material” means a thermoplastic material in the form of an optionally preconsolidated textile cloth which, during molding, is capable only of deforming, while substantially conserving its initial thickness.
For the drapeable thermoplastic material having continuous fibers, it is possible to use preimpregnated thermoplastics of the “Twintex” type from Vetrotex or of the “Tepex” type from DuPont de Nemours.
In a particular embodiment, the beam includes thickenings of thermoplastic material having continuous fibers.
The present invention also provides a method of making a beam as described above.
This method consists in defining a mold such that the cross-section of its cavity presents a developed length that is substantially constant, in placing a rectangular sheet of a drapeable thermoplastic material having continuous fibers in the mold when open, and in delivering the moldable thermoplastic material into the mold to mold the beam.
In the invention, the plastic material can be delivered by injection, by injection-compression, or by extrusion-compression.
In a preferred variant of this embodiment, which is particularly adapted to the techniques of injection-compression and of extrusion-compression, a mold is used that has a positive joint plane and a moldable thermoplastic material is delivered into the open mold, e.g. by injection or by extrusion, and then the mold is closed to compress the two thermoplastic materials and to cause the mold cavity to be filled.
In a particular implementation of this variant, patches of thermoplastic material having continuous fibers are held captive between two rectangular sheets of drapeable thermoplastic material at locations in the cavity corresponding to thickenings of the beam, and the moldable thermoplastic material having a large flow coefficient is placed on a side of one of the rectangular sheets opposite from its side adjacent to the patches, prior to the mold being closed.
This ensures that the patches do not move inside the mold while the moldable thermoplastic material is flowing.
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Cordebar Francis
Cornet Olivier
Uytterhaeghe Luc
Compagnie & Plastic Omnium
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Pape Joseph D.
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