Brakes – Plastic deformation or breakage of retarder element – Crushable element
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-07
2002-08-27
Rodriguez, Pam (Department: 3613)
Brakes
Plastic deformation or breakage of retarder element
Crushable element
C292S133000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06439358
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a support assembly with a deformation element, in particular for a motor vehicle, for absorbing kinetic energy during an impact.
Deformation elements for absorbing kinetic energy are used in an extremely wide range of engineering applications. One particular area of application for elements of this kind is in motor vehicles. The technical and safety standards require that, in the case of minor impacts, the impact energy should be absorbed in an essentially elastic manner by corresponding elements and, in the case of more severe impacts, e.g. in the case of accidents, the kinetic energy should be absorbed by such elements and converted into deformation of the latter. Thus, for example, the prior art includes deformation elements which are used for longitudinal members of a vehicle and which remain undamaged in the event of an impact up to 4 km/h and, in the case of an impact up to 15 km/h, absorb the entire kinetic energy and convert it into deformation. In general, such deformation elements are integrated into the longitudinal members to form a unitary supporting structure, with the result that the entire longitudinal member has to be replaced in the event of damage. The requirement that essentially the entire kinetic energy should be absorbed by the deformation elements without a significant proportion of this deformation energy being transmitted to the other structures of a motor vehicle is one that must also be satisfied with a view to increasing the survival chances of people in vehicles that are involved in an accident.
Honeycomb structures are used in many different ways for various applications in engineering. For example, honeycomb structures are used in the construction of aircraft, where requirements for lightweight construction and high strength, in particular, are important. Honeycomb structures are also known from areas where it is not so much the strength of such a honeycomb structure as increasing the surface area which is important, e.g. in the case of catalyst substrates in the exhaust system of a motor vehicle for removing the noxious exhaust components that remain in the exhaust after combustion in the engine.
German Utility Model G 89 00 467 U1, European Patent Application 0 389 750 A1, UK Patent Application GB 2 029 720 A, German Published, Non-Prosecuted Patent Application DE 40 24 942 A1, German Patent DE 38 09 490 C1 and German Published, Non-Prosecuted Patent Application DE 44 45 557 A1, corresponding to U.S. application Ser. No. 08/879,594, filed Jun. 20, 1997, have disclosed various configurations and structures for honeycomb bodies. In general, these honeycomb bodies that have been described are used to improve the flow characteristics in the matrix body's channels, which are configured as flow channels, in order to obtain improved chemical reactions. The jacketing configurations surrounding the actual matrix body are used to absorb the high thermal loads to which catalyst substrates of this kind are exposed in the exhaust system of a motor vehicle.
German Published, Non-Prosecuted Patent Application DE 196 50 647 A1 has disclosed a deformation element for a motor vehicle, in which a honeycomb body that is known per se and disposed in a jacketing tube is used as a deformation element.
One disadvantage with the known deformation elements is that they are either integrated completely into the supporting structures, necessitating replacement of the entire supporting structure in the event of damage, or, where deformation elements with a honeycomb structure are used, a steep rise in the curve describing the deformation force/deformation path profile (F,s profile) occurs relatively quickly if high kinetic energy is introduced, which means that the high deformation forces that occur are transmitted directly into the supporting structure. Another disadvantage is that the known deformation elements with a honeycomb structure have a jacketing configuration which may also affect the deformation behavior to a considerable extent, possibly in a disadvantageous way.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a support assembly having a deformation element which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known support assemblies of this general type and which, compared with conventional support assemblies having deformation elements, ensures a desired deformation force/deformation path profile (F,s profile), which in particular meets respective application-specific requirements, and which minimizes the effect of a jacketing configuration on the deformation behavior and which can be used, in particular, for vehicle bumper systems.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a support assembly for a motor vehicle, including:
a supporting structure;
a deformation element for absorbing kinetic energy during an impact, the deformation element being connected to the supporting structure and being deformable as far as a residual length, and the deformation element including a honeycomb matrix body;
the honeycomb matrix body being a self-supporting configuration and having at least two axial partial regions spaced from one another;
the honeycomb matrix body including at least one radial deformation limiter disposed in the at least two axial partial regions of the matrix body; and
the honeycomb matrix body having a first axial rigidity and the at least one radial deformation limiter having a second axial rigidity smaller than the first axial rigidity.
In other words, the support assembly according to the invention has a deformation element, in particular for motor vehicles, for absorbing kinetic energy during an impact. When the kinetic energy is introduced, the deformation element can be deformed as far as a residual block length and is connected to the supporting structure. The deformation element includes a honeycomb matrix body. According to the invention, the deformation element is a self-supporting configuration, i.e. the matrix body has adequate rigidity. Moreover, the matrix body of the deformation element is surrounded by at least one radial deformation limiter with a low axial rigidity.
The task of a radial deformation limiter of this kind is to prevent a situation where, as kinetic energy is introduced into the deformation element, the matrix body of the latter is severely deformed in the radial direction or in a direction that differs from the longitudinal axis of the matrix body assigned to the deformation element when the latter is deformed. Sideways displacement of parts of the matrix body during its longitudinal deformation, away from the longitudinal axis of the deformation element, results in non-compliance with the desired deformation properties for which the deformation element was configured since, in such a case, there is no guarantee that the deformation element will be able to absorb the kinetic energy. Radial deformation limiters are therefore provided around the outside of the matrix body and these ensure that the matrix body is deformed and crushed essentially only within its original volume when forces act on it in an axial or even somewhat lateral direction. However, the radial deformation limiters are dimensioned in such a way that in other respects they have as little effect as possible on the deformation behavior of the deformation element and therefore its F,s profile.
The deformation behavior of the deformation element should be determined essentially by the matrix body alone. A jacketing configuration constructed from a relatively strong material completely surrounding the outside of the matrix body in the form of a sleeve or jacket has a relatively great effect on the deformation behavior. The less effect the radial deformation limiters have on the deformation behavior of the deformation element, the more effectively can the specific construction of the matrix body, including its dimensioning, be used to ensure an application-specific F,s profile.
Brück Rolf
Kruse Carsten
Strigl Raimund
Emitec Gesellschaft fuer Emissions-technologie mbH
Greenberg Laurence A.
Mayback Gregory L.
Rodriguez Pam
Siconolfi Robert A.
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