Patent Application
20140216852
The present disclosure relates to an impact resistant article.
Generally, a vehicle has an engine block and an oil pan attached to a bottom side of the engine block which contains lubricate such as oil to lubricate various moving parts. The oil pan is exposed underneath the vehicle and is therefore susceptible to being impacted by moving objects such as stones or other debris.
The present disclosure provides an impact resistant article including a body. The body includes a side wall and a base wall extending from the side wall. The base wall includes an exterior surface facing away from the side wall. The impact resistant article also includes a plurality of energy absorbing members each extending along a respective central axis from the exterior surface of the base wall to a respective distal end. Each of the energy absorbing members define an elliptical cross-sectional configuration transverse to the central axis of respective energy absorbing members. Furthermore, the energy absorbing members are spaced from each other such that during an impact to one of the energy absorbing members, the impacted one of the energy absorbing members absorbs energy independently of the other energy absorbing members.
The present disclosure also provides an impact resistant article for a vehicle. The impact resistant article includes a body adapted to be attached to the vehicle. The body includes a side wall and a base wall extending from the side wall. The base wall includes an exterior surface facing away from the vehicle. The impact resistant article also includes an energy absorbing member extending along a central axis from the exterior surface of the base wall to a distal end to absorb energy during an impact to the energy absorbing member. The energy absorbing member includes an outer wall transverse to the exterior surface. The distal end defines a recess extending along the central axis toward the exterior surface of the base wall to present an inner wall opposing the outer wall and a bottom wall transverse to the central axis. At least one of the outer and inner walls of the energy absorbing member defines a substantially circular cross-sectional configuration perpendicular to the central axis such that the energy absorbing member absorbs and transfers energy substantially uniformly from the energy absorbing member to the base wall when impacted.
Therefore, the energy absorbing members absorb energy when struck or impacted by an object which reduces an impact directly to the body of the impact resistance article. Furthermore, the energy absorbing members are configured to absorb energy by deflecting, bending or compressing which redistributes the force of the impact by the object. In addition, the energy absorbing members are configured to spread the force of the impact over the surface area of respective energy absorbing members when impacted which can reduce disruptions to the body.
The detailed description and the drawings or Figures are supportive and descriptive of the disclosure, but the scope of the disclosure is defined solely by the claims. While some of the best modes and other embodiments for carrying out the claims have been described in detail, various alternative designs and embodiments exist for practicing the disclosure defined in the appended claims.
Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, an impact resistant article 10 is generally shown in
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Generally, the energy absorbing member 26 defines an elliptical cross-sectional configuration (see
In certain embodiments, the elliptical cross-sectional configuration is further defined as a substantially circular cross-sectional configuration perpendicular to the central axis 27. Therefore, at least one of the outer and inner walls 30, 34 of the energy absorbing member 26 can define the substantially circular cross-sectional configuration perpendicular to the central axis 27 such that the energy absorbing member 26 absorbs and transfers energy substantially uniformly from the energy absorbing member 26 to the base wall 18 when impacted. In one embodiment, the outer wall 30 of the energy absorbing member 26 can further define the substantially circular cross-sectional configuration. The outer wall 30 can define the substantially circular cross-sectional configuration such that the outer wall 30 absorbs and transfers energy substantially uniformly from the energy absorbing member 26 to the base wall 18 when impacted. In another embodiment, the inner wall 34 of the energy absorbing member 26 can further define the substantially circular cross-sectional configuration. In yet another embodiment, the outer and inner walls 30, 34 of the energy absorbing member 26 each can further define the substantially circular cross-sectional configuration.
Therefore, when the energy absorbing member 26 is being impacted, the elliptical cross-sectional configuration yields substantially uniformly to absorb the impact and transfer energy substantially uniformly to the base wall 18 as compared to walls having corners, ridges, ribs, etc. extending outwardly therefrom which create areas less compliant. For example, corners, ridges, ribs, etc. create high stress areas or regions when impacted. Therefore, the elliptical cross-sectional configuration provides a substantially uniformly compliant energy absorbing member 26 when impacted which transfers energy substantially uniformly to the base wall 18 when the energy absorbing member 26 is impacted. The energy absorbing member 26 is configured to distribute energy substantially evenly around the energy absorbing member 26 when impacted, and thus distribute energy substantially evenly to the base wall 18 which eliminates any high stress areas or regions. For example, disruptions to the body 12 can be reduced by distributing energy from the impact substantially evenly around the energy absorbing member 26 and to the base wall 18. It is to be appreciated that the energy transferred to the base wall 18 can vary slightly in different regions around the energy absorbing member 26 due to the continuous curvature of the energy absorbing member 26, however, as suggested above, having the energy absorbing member 26 curve allows for energy to be distributed substantially evenly, and thus eliminates any high stress areas or regions.
Furthermore, the recess 32 of the energy absorbing member 26 allows the outer and inner walls 30, 34 of the energy absorbing member 26 to deflect when being impacted. Having the outer wall 30, and more specifically, the outer and inner walls 30, 34, define the elliptical cross-sectional configuration provides the energy absorbing member 26 to comply substantially uniformly to absorb the impact and spreads the force of the impact over the surface area of the energy absorbing member 26 which can reduce disruptions to the body 12.
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The energy absorbing members 26 can each include the outer wall 30 and the inner wall 34 opposing the outer wall 30 of respective energy absorbing members 26. Generally, as discussed above, the outer wall 30 can be transverse to exterior surface 24 of the base wall 18. At least one of the outer and inner walls 30, 34 of each of the energy absorbing members 26 can further define the elliptical cross-sectional configuration. In one embodiment, the outer wall 30 of each of the energy absorbing members 26 can further define the elliptical cross-sectional configuration. In another embodiment, the inner wall 34 of each of the energy absorbing members 26 can further define the elliptical cross-sectional configuration. In yet another embodiment, both the outer and inner walls 30, 34 of each of the energy absorbing members 26 can define the elliptical cross-sectional configuration.
In certain embodiments, the elliptical cross-sectional configuration is further defined as a substantially circular cross-sectional configuration perpendicular to the central axis 27 of respective energy absorbing members 26. Therefore, in yet another embodiment, the outer wall 30 of each of the energy absorbing members 26 can further define the substantially circular cross-sectional configuration and the inner wall 34 of each of the energy absorbing members 26 can further define the substantially circular cross-sectional configuration such that the outer and inner walls 30, 34 of respective energy absorbing members 26 cooperate to generally define a ring (see
When one or more of the energy absorbing members 26 are impacted, the impacted ring is deflected, bent or compressed to redistribute the force of the impact by the object. Therefore, the energy absorbing members 26 are configured to spread the force of the impact over the surface area of respective energy absorbing members 26 when impacted which can reduce disruptions to the body 12. In addition, the outer wall 30 of each of the energy absorbing members 26 can further define the substantially circular cross-sectional configuration such that the outer wall 30 of the impacted one of the energy absorbing members 26 absorbs and transfers energy substantially uniformly from the impacted one of the energy absorbing members 26 to the base wall 18. When one or more of the energy absorbing members 26 are impacted, the elliptical cross-sectional configuration yields substantially uniformly to absorb the impact and transfer energy substantially uniformly to the base wall 18 as compared to walls having corners, ridges, ribs, etc. extending outwardly therefrom which create areas less compliant. For example, corners, ridges, ribs, etc. create high stress areas or regions when impacted. Therefore, the elliptical cross-sectional configuration provides for substantially uniformly compliant energy absorbing members 26 when impacted which transfers energy substantially uniformly to the base wall 18 when the energy absorbing member 26 is impacted. The energy absorbing members 26 are configured to distribute energy substantially evenly around the impacted one of the energy absorbing members 26, and thus distribute energy substantially evenly to the base wall 18 which eliminates any high stress areas or regions. For example, disruptions to the body 12 are reduced by distributing energy from the impact substantially evenly around the impacted one of the energy absorbing members 26 and to the base wall 18. As discussed above, it is to be appreciated that the energy transferred to the base wall 18 can vary slightly in different regions around the impacted one of the energy absorbing members 26 due to the continuous curvature of the energy absorbing members 26, however, as suggested above, having the energy absorbing members 26 curve allows for energy to be distributed substantially evenly, and thus eliminates any high stress areas or regions.
Furthermore, the stiffness of each of the energy absorbing members 26 can be changed by changing the thickness of each of the energy absorbing members 26 which can change the amount of energy being absorbed in each of the energy absorbing members 26. For example, increasing the thickness of the ring of each of the energy absorbing members 26 can increase the stiffness and decreasing the thickness of the ring of each of the energy absorbing members 26 can decrease the stiffness. Therefore, the amount of deflection, bending or compression can correspondingly change with the thickness of each of the energy absorbing members 26.
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Optionally, the outer wall 30 of each of the energy absorbing members 26 can taper inwardly from the exterior surface 24 of the base wall 18 to the distal end 28 of respective energy absorbing members 26. More specifically, the outer wall 30 of each of the energy absorbing members 26 can taper inwardly toward the inner wall 34 of respective energy absorbing members 26 from the exterior surface 24 of the base wall 18 to the distal end 28 of respective energy absorbing members 26. Furthermore, optionally, the inner wall 34 of each of the energy absorbing members 26 can taper outwardly from the bottom wall 36 to the distal end 28 of respective energy absorbing members 26. More specifically, the inner wall 34 of each of the energy absorbing members 26 can taper outwardly toward the outer wall 30 of respective energy absorbing members 26 from the bottom wall 36 to the distal end 28 of respective energy absorbing members 26. It is to be appreciated that the energy absorbing members 26 can taper in any suitable direction.
The energy absorbing members 26 and the body 12 can be formed of a composite material molded together as one-piece. For example, the oil pan with the energy absorbing members 26 can be formed of the composite material. The composite material can be a glass-reinforced polyamide, a glass-reinforced nylon, or any other suitable composite material. Therefore, the energy absorbing members 26 and the body 12 can be integrally formed to each other. In other words, the oil pan and the energy absorbing members 26 can be integrally formed to each other.
As mentioned above, the body 12 and the energy absorbing members 26 can be molded. A die can be utilized to mold the body 12 and the energy absorbing members 26 together as one-piece. The die can be formed of a metal material, such as for example, steel or any other suitable material. In one embodiment, the die can be machined to form the pattern for the energy absorbing members 26. For example, a milling machine, such as an end mill, a slot mill, etc. can be utilized to form the pattern for the energy absorbing members 26 in the die which can reduce tooling costs. In another embodiment, the die can be burnt by electrodes to form the pattern for the energy absorbing members 26. It is to be appreciated that the outer and inner walls 30, 34 of the energy absorbing members 26 can be tapered to allow for draft in the molding process.
While the best modes for carrying out the disclosure have been described in detail, those familiar with the art to which this disclosure relates will recognize various alternative designs and embodiments for practicing the disclosure within the scope of the appended claims.
