U.S. patent application number 16/690822 was filed with the patent office on 2021-05-27 for vehicle crush-can assembly and crush-can assembly providing method.
The applicant listed for this patent is Ford Global Technologies, LLC. Invention is credited to S.M. Iskander Farooq, Mohammad Omar Faruque, Dean M. Jaradi.
Application Number | 20210155180 16/690822 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000004521715 |
Filed Date | 2021-05-27 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20210155180 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Faruque; Mohammad Omar ; et
al. |
May 27, 2021 |
VEHICLE CRUSH-CAN ASSEMBLY AND CRUSH-CAN ASSEMBLY PROVIDING
METHOD
Abstract
A vehicle system includes, among other things, a crush-can
assembly having an inner member received within an outer member.
The inner and outer members both additively fabricated. The outer
and inner members configured to be positioned between a bumper beam
and a vehicle frame.
Inventors: |
Faruque; Mohammad Omar; (Ann
Arbor, MI) ; Farooq; S.M. Iskander; (Novi, MI)
; Jaradi; Dean M.; (Macomb, MI) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Ford Global Technologies, LLC |
Dearborn |
MI |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000004521715 |
Appl. No.: |
16/690822 |
Filed: |
November 21, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60R 19/18 20130101;
B33Y 80/00 20141201; B60R 19/34 20130101; B33Y 10/00 20141201 |
International
Class: |
B60R 19/34 20060101
B60R019/34; B60R 19/18 20060101 B60R019/18; B33Y 80/00 20060101
B33Y080/00 |
Claims
1. A vehicle system, comprising: a crush-can assembly having an
inner member received within an outer member, the inner and outer
members both additively fabricated, the outer and inner members
configured to be positioned between a bumper beam and a vehicle
frame.
2. The vehicle system of claim 1, further comprising the bumper
beam attached to a first end portion of the crush-can assembly, and
the vehicle frame attached to a second end portion of the crush-can
assembly, the first end portion opposite the second end
portion.
3. The vehicle system of claim 2, further comprising a support
plate of the crush-can assembly, the support plate additively
fabricated, the support plate extending from the second end portion
of the outer member, the support plate directly connected to the
vehicle frame to attach the crush-can assembly to the vehicle
frame.
4. The vehicle system of claim 3, further comprising mechanical
fasteners that directly connect the support plate to the vehicle
frame.
5. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the inner member and the
outer member each have a circular axial cross-section.
6. The vehicle system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of
flanges of the crush-can, the plurality of flanges distributed
circumferentially about a longitudinal axis of the crush-can, each
of the flanges in the plurality of flanges extending radially from
the inner member to the outer member.
7. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the inner member extends
longitudinally a first distance and the outer member extends
longitudinally a second distance that is greater than the first
distance.
8. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the inner member is a
first inner member, and further comprising a second inner member of
the crush-can assembly, the second inner member received within the
first inner member.
9. The vehicle system of claim 8, wherein the second inner member
extends longitudinally a distance less than the first inner member,
wherein the first inner member extends longitudinally a distance
less than the outer member.
10. The vehicle system of claim 1, further comprising an additively
fabricated lattice structure disposed between the inner member and
the outer member.
11. A crush-can assembly providing method, comprising: using an
additive fabrication process to provide a crush-can assembly having
an inner member received within an outer member, the outer and
inner members configured to be positioned between a bumper beam and
a vehicle frame.
12. The crush-can assembly providing method of claim 11, further
comprising attaching a first end portion of the crush-can assembly
to a bumper beam of a vehicle, and attaching a second end portion
of the crush-can assembly to a vehicle frame of the vehicle.
13. The crush-can assembly providing method of claim 12, further
comprising directly connecting a support plate that extends from
the second end portion of the outer member to the vehicle frame to
directly connect the crush-can assembly to the vehicle frame.
14. The crush-can assembly providing method of claim 13, wherein
the support plate is additively fabricated together with the outer
and inner members.
15. The crush-can assembly providing method of claim 11, providing
a plurality of flanges of the crush-can, the plurality of flanges
distributed circumferentially about a longitudinal axis of the
crush-can, each of the flanges in the plurality of flanges
extending radially from the inner member to the outer member, the
plurality of flanges additively fabricated together with the inner
and outer members.
16. The crush-can assembly providing method of claim 11, wherein
the inner member extends longitudinally a first distance and the
outer member extends longitudinally a second distance that is
greater than the first distance.
17. The crush-can assembly providing method of claim 11, wherein
the inner member and the outer member each have a circular axial
cross-section.
18. The crush-can assembly providing method of claim 11, wherein
the inner member is a first inner member, and further comprising a
second inner member of the crush-can assembly, the second inner
member received within the first inner member.
19. The crush-can assembly providing method of claim 18, wherein
the second inner member extends longitudinally a distance less than
the first inner member, wherein the first inner member extends
longitudinally a distance less than the outer member.
20. The crush-can assembly providing method of claim 11, further
comprising using the additive fabrication process to provide a
lattice structure between the inner member and the outer member.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This disclosure relates generally to a crush-can assembly
for a motor vehicle and a method of providing a crush-can assembly.
In particular, the disclosure relates to an additively fabricated
crush-can assembly having a nested design.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Vehicles are known to include front and rear bumpers, which
are structures that are attached to or integrated with the front
and rear ends of the vehicle, respectively, and configured to
absorb impact loads. Crush-can assemblies can couple the bumpers to
the vehicle frame. The crush-can assemblies can absorb loads
applied to the bumper.
SUMMARY
[0003] A vehicle system according to an exemplary aspect of the
present disclosure includes, among other things, a crush-can
assembly having an inner member received within an outer member.
The inner and outer members both additively fabricated. The outer
and inner members are configured to be positioned between a bumper
beam and a vehicle frame.
[0004] Another example of the foregoing vehicle system includes the
bumper beam attached to a first end portion of the crush-can
assembly, and the vehicle frame attached to a second end portion of
the crush-can assembly. The first end portion is opposite the
second end portion.
[0005] Another example of any of the foregoing vehicle assemblies
includes a support plate of the crush-can assembly. The support
plate is additively fabricated. The support plate extends from the
second end portion of the outer member. The support plate is
directly connected to the vehicle frame to attach the crush-can
assembly to the vehicle frame.
[0006] Another example of any of the foregoing vehicle assemblies
includes mechanical fasteners that directly connect the support
plate to the vehicle frame.
[0007] In another example of any of the foregoing vehicle
assemblies, the inner member and the outer member each have a
circular axial cross-section.
[0008] Another example of any of the foregoing vehicle assemblies
includes a plurality of flanges of the crush-can. The plurality of
flanges are distributed circumferentially about a longitudinal axis
of the crush-can. Each of the flanges in the plurality of flanges
extends radially from the inner member to the outer member.
[0009] In another example of any of the foregoing vehicle
assemblies, the inner member extends longitudinally a first
distance and the outer member extends longitudinally a second
distance that is greater than the first distance.
[0010] In another example of any of the foregoing vehicle
assemblies, the inner member is a first inner member. The assembly
further includes a second inner member of the crush-can assembly.
The second inner member is received within the first inner
member.
[0011] Another example of any of the foregoing vehicle assemblies
includes the second inner member extending longitudinally a
distance less than the first inner member. The first inner member
extends longitudinally a distance less than the outer member.
[0012] Another example of any of the foregoing vehicle assemblies
includes an additively fabricated lattice structure disposed
between the inner member and the outer member.
[0013] A crush-can assembly providing method according to another
exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes using an
additive fabrication process to provide a crush-can assembly having
an inner member received within an outer member. The outer and
inner members are configured to be positioned between a bumper beam
and a vehicle frame.
[0014] Another example of the foregoing method includes attaching a
first end portion of the crush-can assembly to a bumper beam of a
vehicle, and attaching a second end portion of the crush-can
assembly to a vehicle frame of the vehicle.
[0015] Another example of any of the foregoing methods includes
directly connecting a support plate that extends from the second
end portion of the outer member to the vehicle frame to directly
connect the crush-can assembly to the vehicle frame.
[0016] In another example of any of the foregoing methods, the
support plate is additively fabricated together with the outer and
inner members.
[0017] Another example of any of the foregoing methods includes a
plurality of flanges of the crush-can. The plurality of flanges are
distributed circumferentially about a longitudinal axis of the
crush-can. Each of the flanges in the plurality of flanges extends
radially from the inner member to the outer member. The plurality
of flanges are additively fabricated together with the inner and
outer members.
[0018] In another example of any of the foregoing methods, the
inner member extends longitudinally a first distance and the outer
member extends longitudinally a second distance that is greater
than the first distance.
[0019] In another example of any of the foregoing methods, the
inner member and the outer member each have a circular axial
cross-section.
[0020] In another example of any of the foregoing methods, the
inner member is a first inner member, and a second inner member of
the crush-can assembly is received within the first inner
member.
[0021] In another example of any of the foregoing methods, the
second inner member extends longitudinally a distance less than the
first inner member. The first inner member extends longitudinally a
distance less than the outer member.
[0022] Another example of any of the foregoing methods includes
using the additive fabrication process to provide a lattice
structure between the inner member and the outer member.
[0023] The embodiments, examples and alternatives of the preceding
paragraphs, the claims, or the following description and drawings,
including any of their various aspects or respective individual
features, may be taken independently or in any combination.
Features described in connection with one embodiment are applicable
to all embodiments, unless such features are incompatible.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0024] The various features and advantages of the disclosed
examples will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the
detailed description. The figures that accompany the detailed
description can be briefly described as follows:
[0025] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a vehicle having a
front bumper and a rear bumper.
[0026] FIG. 2 illustrates an expanded view of the front bumper and
other portions of the vehicle of FIG. 1.
[0027] FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a crush-can
assembly used to support the front bumper of FIG. 2 according to an
exemplary aspect of the present disclosure.
[0028] FIG. 4 illustrates an expanded view of portions of the
crush-can assembly of FIG. 3.
[0029] FIG. 5 illustrates an end view of portions of the crush-can
assembly of FIG. 3.
[0030] FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of portions of the
crush-can assembly of FIG. 3.
[0031] FIG. 7 graphically illustrates a force applied to the
crush-can assembly of FIG. 3 versus deformation.
[0032] FIG. 8 illustrates an end view of portions of a crush-can
assembly according to another exemplary embodiment.
[0033] FIG. 9A illustrates a partial section view of a crush-can
assembly according to yet another exemplary embodiment where the
crush can assembly incorporates a lattice structure.
[0034] FIG. 9B illustrates a top view of the crush-can assembly of
FIG. 9A.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0035] This disclosure relates generally to crush-can assemblies of
a vehicle. The crush-can assemblies can have nested members
facilitating a progressive response to an applied load. The
crush-can assemblies can be additively fabricated.
[0036] FIG. 1 illustrates a motor vehicle 10, which, in this
example, is a pickup truck. The vehicle 10 includes a front bumper
12 and a rear bumper 14.
[0037] FIG. 2 illustrates an expanded view of the front bumper 12.
As shown, the front bumper 12 mounts to a bumper beam 16. Crush-can
assemblies 20 secure the bumper beam 16 to respective portions of a
vehicle frame 22. When an impact load L is applied to the front
bumper 12, the crush-can assembly 20 can help to manage energy
distribution associated with the load L. Other crush-can assemblies
could be used elsewhere on the vehicle 10, such as in connection
with the rear bumper 14.
[0038] Referring now to FIGS. 3-6 and continuing reference to FIG.
2, each of the crush-can assemblies 20 includes a mounting plate
24, an outer member 28, a first inner member 32, a second inner
member 36, and a support plate 40. The outer member 28, the first
inner member 32, and the second inner member 36 extend along a
longitudinal axis A.
[0039] The mounting plate 24, the outer member 28, the first inner
member 32, the second inner member 36, and the support plate 40 can
be additively fabricated together as a singular monolithic unit. In
other examples, some of these components of the crush-can assembly
20 are additively fabricated separately from each other, and are
then secured to the remaining components. For example, the outer
member 28, the first inner member 32, and the second inner member
36, and the support plate 40 could be additively manufactured
together as a single unit. The mounting plate 24 can be fabricated
separately and then secured to the outer member 28.
[0040] Additive fabrication, for purposes of this disclosure,
refers a structure that is built by adding more and more layers of
material. Additive fabrication includes 3D printing, rapid
prototyping, direct digital manufacturing, layered manufacturing,
and additive manufacturing.
[0041] In this example, the crush-can assembly 20 can be additively
manufactured using a laser sintering process where each layer is
approximately 50 microns.
[0042] A person having skill in the art would be able to
structurally distinguish a structure that is additively fabricated
from a structure that is not additively fabricated. A physical
examination of the structure that is additively fabricated would
reveal, for example, the various layers dipositive to provide the
structure. The layers would indicated that the structure is an
additively fabricated structure. Additively fabricated is thus a
feature of a structure that structurally distinguishes that
structure from other structure that are not additively
fabricated.
[0043] The exemplary crush-can assembly 20 is additively fabricated
from a metal, such as aluminum or steel. In other examples, the
crush-can assembly 20 is additively fabricated from a metal alloy.
Other materials could be used in other examples, such as a polymer
based material.
[0044] The flexibility of additive fabrication can permit some
material variation within the various areas of the crush-can
assembly 20. For example, the first inner member 32 could be
additively fabricated from a metal alloy having a first material
composition, and the second inner member 36 additively fabricated
of a metal alloy having a different second material
composition.
[0045] The mounting plate 24 is disposed at a first end 44 of the
crush-can assembly. The support plate 40 is disposed at an
opposite, second longitudinal end 48 of the crush-can assembly 20.
The mounting plate 24 can directly attach the crush-can assembly 20
to the bumper beam 16. In the exemplary embodiment, the mounting
plate 24 includes a plurality of apertures 52 that receive
mechanical fasteners used to secure the mounting plate 24 to the
bumper beam 16. The mounting plate 24 could be welded to the bumper
beam 16 in another example, or attached to the bumper beam 16 in
some other way.
[0046] The support plate 40 extends radially outward from the outer
member 28 relative to a longitudinal axis of the outer member 28.
The support plate 40 attaches the crush-can assembly 20 to the
vehicle frame 22. In the exemplary embodiment, the support plate 40
includes a plurality of apertures 56 that receive mechanical
fasteners 58 (FIG. 2) to attach the crush-can assembly 20 to the
vehicle frame 22.
[0047] The outer member 28, the first inner member 32, and the
second inner member 36 are generally cylindrical. The second inner
member 36 is received or nested within the first inner member 32.
The second inner member 36 and the first inner member 32 are each
received or nested within the outer member 28.
[0048] While the exemplary embodiment includes both the first inner
member 32 and the second inner member 36, other examples could omit
the second inner member 36 such that the crush-can assembly 20
includes only the first inner member 32.
[0049] In still other examples, additional inner members could be
used, such as a third inner member that is received within the
second inner member 36.
[0050] The first inner member extends longitudinally a distance
D.sub.1. The outer member 28 extends longitudinally a second
distance D.sub.2. The second distance D.sub.2 is greater than the
first distance D.sub.1. Thus, when the crush-can assembly 20 is
installed within the vehicle 10, the outer member 28 extends from
the vehicle frame 22 closer to the bumper beam 16 than the first
inner member 32.
[0051] The second inner member 36 extends longitudinally a third
distance D.sub.3, which is less than both the first distance
D.sub.1 and the second distance D.sub.2. The crush-can assembly is
thus considered to have a progressively nested-type design. The
progressively nested-type design facilitates the crush-can assembly
20 accommodating and displacing in response to a wide range of
forces.
[0052] FIG. 7 graphically illustrates forces compared to
displacement of the crush-can assembly 20 along the longitudinal
axis. The displacement from 0 to X.sub.1 corresponds to the
compressing of the outer member 28 along the longitudinal axis as
the bumper beam 16 moves closer to the vehicle frame 22 in response
to the load L.
[0053] If the force associated with the load L increases and the
displacement continues from X.sub.1 to X.sub.2, the first inner
member 32 begins to compress in response to the load L. The
resistive force provided by the crush-can assembly 20 increases due
to the compressing of the first inner member 32 along with the
outer member 28.
[0054] If the force associated with the load L increases and the
displacement continues from X.sub.2 and beyond, the second inner
member 36 begins to compress in response to the load L. The
resistive force provided by the crush-can assembly 20 increases
again due to the compressing of the second inner member 36 along
with the first inner member 32 and the outer member 28.
[0055] The distances D.sub.1, D.sub.2, and D.sub.3 can be adjusted
in response to CAE or physical tests to obtain a desired response
to a load.
[0056] Vehicle mass can differ greatly among different vehicle body
styles and even among different trim options. In the past,
crush-can assemblies have included a relatively constant section
along a longitudinal length of crush-can assemblies. The varied
masses necessitated designing a specialized crush-can assemblies
having a relatively constant section for each of the different
options. A single crush-can assembly design having a relatively
constant section could not be used in all the different vehicle
body styles and trim options.
[0057] The crush-can assembly 20 of the exemplary embodiment can
accommodate a range of different vehicle masses and effectively
manage crush energy in a wide variety of vehicle designs and
platforms. The crush-can assembly 20 can thus be incorporated into
a wide variety of vehicle body styles and different trim
options.
[0058] The crush-can assembly 20 includes features to maintain
alignment of the outer member 28, the first inner member 32, and
the second inner member 36 as the crush-can assembly 20 is
compressed in response to the load L. In this example, the features
include a plurality of flanges 70 and a plurality of flanges 74.
The flanges 70 and 74 are distributed circumferentially about the
longitudinal axis A. The plurality of flanges 70 each extend
radially from the first inner member 32 to the outer member 28. The
plurality of flanges 74 each extend radially from the second inner
member 36 to the first inner member 32.
[0059] In another example, the flanges 70 and 74 are eliminated,
such as in the crush-can assembly 20A shown in FIG. 8.
[0060] Although the crush-can assembly 20 includes members having
circular axial cross-sections, other cross-sections are possible
and fall within the scope of this disclosure, such as the
rectangular sections of the crush-can assembly 20B shown in FIGS.
9A-9C. Other exemplary axial cross-sections could include hexagonal
and octagonal.
[0061] In the example embodiment of FIGS. 9A-9B, the regions R
radially between an outer member 28A and an inner member 32A are
filled with an additively fabricated lattice structure 78. The
lattice structure 78 can facilitate keeping the outer member 28A
and the inner member 32 aligned, especially when a load is applied
to the crush-can assembly 20B. The lattice structure 78 could be
used with any of the other exemplary embodiments of this
disclosure. With reference to the embodiment of FIGS. 2-6, a
lattice structure could be disposed radially between the outer
member 28 and the inner member 32 instead of, or in addition to,
the flanges 70. Another lattice structure could be disposed
radially between the inner member 32 and the inner member 36
instead of, or in addition to, the flanges 74.
[0062] Features of the disclosed exemplary embodiments include a
crush-can assembly that can accommodate a larger mass swings than
the prior art crush-can assemblies having a relatively constant
cross-section. The outer member of the crush-can assembly, in an
example, can be designed for lower ranges of vehicle mass. The
inner members nested within the outer member can be incorporated to
cover higher ranges of vehicle mass.
[0063] Using casting or extrusion process to provide such a
crush-can assembly could be complicated. Even if individual outer
member and inner members could be cast, for example, assembling or
welding together such members could be costly and time consuming
process. Additive fabrication facilitates the providing of a
crush-can assembly having an outer member and inner member nested
within the inner member.
[0064] Although a specific component relationship is illustrated in
the figures of this disclosure, the illustrations are not intended
to limit this disclosure. In other words, the placement and
orientation of the various components shown could vary within the
scope of this disclosure. In addition, the various figures
accompanying this disclosure are not necessarily to scale, and some
features may be exaggerated or minimized to show certain details of
a particular component.
[0065] The preceding description is exemplary rather than limiting
in nature. Variations and modifications to the disclosed examples
may become apparent to those skilled in the art that do not
necessarily depart from the essence of this disclosure. Thus, the
scope of legal protection given to this disclosure can only be
determined by studying the following claims.
* * * * *